With competition becoming fiercer by the day, it has become more important than ever for law firms to use effective marketing strategies to stay on top of the game. In today’s digital world, legal practices need to invest more time and resources in building their online presence, and many are already doing this using videos and podcasts along with audio transcription services. Experts recommend that to build a powerful online presence, law firms need to identify and implement the digital marketing tactics that will work best for them. Here are some top lawyer marketing strategies to choose from:
- Website optimization: Like any other business, search engine optimization (SEO) is indispensable for legal websites to rank well in Google search. However, lawyers need to use tailored, ethical SEO strategies that comply with the rules and regulations of state bar associations. These include keyword research to find keywords based on their practice area and location, attorney schema on website content to increase click-through rates, well-organized, high quality content, and link building. Website optimization also means ensuring that the website loads quickly on all browsers as well as all devices.
- Ensure relevant content: Law firms need to invest in content marketing as content is king. As a Forbes article recommends, lawyers should not look at content just as a marketing tool, but use it to educate and even entertain their audience about industry matters. With a good content marketing strategy, lawyers can create an effective course of action that will enhance their law firm’s presence and generate new leads on a regular basis. A lexicology.com article cites Matthew J. Tuller, Principal Attorney and Owner at the Law Office of Matthew J. Tuller as saying, “For our law firm, we have found that we gain the most traction through writing timely educational articles about estate planning-related issues. While we post these articles to our firm’s website and social media sites, we have found the most immediate results from posting to LinkedIn.”
- Build a social media presence: Social media allows lawyers to connect directly with potential clients and prospects and also engage with the industry’s thought leaders and influencers. Law firms can share content on social media and build their brand. Additionally, every lawyer representing the company should have a social media presence, with call to action and contact information on their page to promote communication with clients and prospects. LinkedIn offers a great opportunity for lawyers to use social media for business purposes.
According the lexicology.com article paraphrasing Barry Walker, Managing Partner at Walker Law, “Social media marketing is the future for lawyers. Most people perform research on their smartphones. I get one to two significant cases per year from paid marketing efforts on Facebook for a minimal investment.” - Use video: Video has become an essential marketing tool for law firms, according to a recent www.lawjournalnewsletters.com article. Watching even a 90-second video can keep a visitor on the page longer than just reading words. Moreover, video is far superior to the written word when it comes to information retention. According to the report, law firms are using videos on their websites and YouTube channels for purposes such as education, promotion, recruitment and client testimonials. Google ranks pages with video content higher than those without it. Google ranks pages with video content higher than those without it. Video transcription services are available to make the videos more searchable and allow lawyers to reach a wider audience.
- Ramp up online reviews: Most people rely on online reviews to make decisions about choosing an attorney. Getting online reviews is an excellent tactic to build trust with potential clients. Lawyers should reach out to past clients and ask them to leave a review of their firm, lawyer, and services on top review sites like Facebook, Yelp and Google. Reviews can also be published as testimonials on the firm’s website, provided the client’s privacy is not violated.
- Branding: Having a strong brand is crucial for law firms. According to BusinessDictionary.com branding as the process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumer’s mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. An article published by the American Bar Association notes that the aim of branding is to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers. Every law firm needs a branding strategy that will establish what makes them distinctive, relevant, and authentic.
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: PPC refers to online ads that you pay for when someone clicks on them. These ads can be displayed such as the top of the search engine results page (search ads) as well as on partnering websites (display ads). PPC ads on Google, Bing or Yahoo will make the law firm instantly on the search engines and can be shown to people at the exact moment they need a lawyer. Pay-per-click campaigns need to be combined with other SEO strategies for the best results. Professional SEO companies proactively monitor, tests and build PPC campaign to ensure that their clients get the results they are looking for.
Video and audio transcription can boost any company’s marketing strategy. When it comes to marketing video content, law firms should partner with an experienced transcription company. This will ensure that audio and video recordings are transcribed accurately and quickly along captions, which will increase engagement and wider reach.
