Top 6 Strategies for Law Firm Marketing

There seem to be marketing firms all over the place these days. This is largely because every business of every type now benefits from marketing services in what is an increasingly competitive and cut-throat marketplace. Even marketing companies need marketing!

Law firm marketing is a specialized field that needs extra special care, attention, and expertise. There are many reasons for that, but today let’s take a look at some of the most interesting strategies that are used in particular for law firm marketing.

1. Website Optimization for Local Search

Law firms invariably operate within a contained local market. They aren’t like online food and beverage sales, which can market to all parts of the country and even around the world. It’s hard to export Australian legal services to countries like Bolivia, after all. Therefore, local SEO is an important and effective marketing strategy that successful modern law firms will use.

This involves optimizing the website for geo-specific keywords, building locally searchable profiles on platforms like Bing Places, creating user-focused content centered on local legal issues that people care about, and more. A law firm’s website has to speak directly to its immediate local market.

2. Audience and Local Market Research

As we mentioned above, the local area is typically the limit for most law firms, which means they have to understand their local area well and tailor their services and information to fit that market. It’s important that a law firm is clear on what kind of questions people in their local market have about the legal process, and what legal issues they are commonly facing or are worried about facing.

Since there is typically more than one legal shop in town, effective marketing means understanding what it is that people like and dislike about other firms and then tailoring the marketing content to speak to those preferences.

3. Lawyers Need to “EAT”

The marketing acronym EAT stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust. These three qualities are undeniably important for those working in the legal profession. Just as they do with doctors, people tend to put a lot of trust in the hands of lawyers, and they will gravitate towards lawyers that demonstrate expertise and authority in their field, which is also helped by integrity, reputation and professionalism. These qualities need to be showcased very loudly and clearly as part of any successful law firm marketing strategy.

4. Google Ads

One of the more classic approaches used by law firms is running Google Ads to try and help them appear at the top of any search. While parts of the market are already engaged with legal services, many people remain unattached or are willing to seek out additional help. Those people will typically start any search on Google, and so ads are an important “front line” strategy.

5. Gated Content

Law firms are known for creating online readable content that can only be accessed once a user provides their email address or possibly a phone number. Once this information is collected, law firms can make use of email marketing or cold calling to try and drum up business in their local area. These digital marketing assets are typically kinds of high-value content like e-books, infographics, and useful legal resources that people may need for all kinds of reasons.

6. Use Legal Directories

If people don’t do a sweeping search on Google, they may instead turn to a legal directory to try and find legal services in their local area. Sites like Lawyerlist, Findlaw, Bestlawyers, and many others are ones people turn to because they feel they are more impartial and offer a one-stop source to seek information on multiple providers.

These strategies, among many others, are part of what makes up the unique business of law firm marketing.

Maren

Maren