If you’ve listed your business name somewhere public or reached out to a new client, then we have good news—you’ve already begun your legal marketing efforts. 

Legal marketing encompasses marketing strategies specifically for law-related businesses. This can include everything from billboards to email campaigns. Whatever method you’re using, whether you’re working with a legal call center or virtual legal assistant services, every legal business needs a marketing strategy.

In this article, we’ll take a look at why marketing is vital as well as marketing practices and strategies for attorneys and law practices. You can also check this link right here now, if you need the best marketing services. 

Why Is Legal Marketing Important? 

While actively showcasing your legal service to the right audience can be part of a marketing plan, legal marketing covers the totality of your public-facing persona and the journey customers take from first learning your firm’s name to becoming (and remaining) an active client. 

Essentially, it’s your first impression—and you want it to be an exceptional one. Why? Because legal marketing can do a lot. 

Legal marketing can:

  • Help you gain more clients
  • Increase awareness of your business
  • Establish your reputation within the community
  • Convey your expertise and values

Legal marketing offers a unique opportunity to expand your business and get your name out there. 

How Do I Get Started With Legal Marketing?

While the sky’s the limit with marketing efforts (and budgets), there are practical options to help establish your business and attract and retain clients. 

Step 1: Identify Your Marketing Goals 

Before you can begin working on your marketing campaign, it helps to take a good look at your business and establish some clear goals. These goals can include:

  • Lead generation
  • Expanded client base
  • Increased brand awareness

Step 2: Articulate Your Audience 

Once you know what you want your marketing campaign to accomplish, you need to think about who you want it to reach. Your ideal potential client. 

  • What services are they looking for?
  • What’s their budget for legal service?
  • Where do they spend their time?
  • Where do they live?
  • What problems do they have that you can uniquely solve?

Keep in mind, not one law firm is all things to all people. Understanding who your target clients are, how they’ll find you, and what they need is key. Once you have that down, ensuring that each step in the client journey is consistent with speaking to that audience will ensure you stay in line with your overall goals.

Step 3: Figure Out Your Resources

As someone who works at a legal business, we know practicalities are first and foremost on your mind. Consider the following questions:

  • How much time do you have to devote to marketing? 
  • Who among your staff, partners, or colleagues has the bandwidth to be involved?
  • What technical and marketing skills exist in your team’s experience and education?
  • What is your budget? 

If you’re starting with a DIY mindset, you’ll quickly find that there is no limit to the amount of time you could end up devoting to marketing. 

A useful approach is to schedule meetings with a steering committee and keep the discussion focused within a set timeframe and budget limits: how can you generate new leads next quarter for $2,000, versus the-sky’s-the-limit brainstorming for a three-year rebranding. 

What Are the Primary Methods of Legal Marketing?

Consider your marketing plan like a buffet meal: there’s a lot to choose from, and you can try a little bit here and there before deciding what you love and going back for more. And while your neighbor’s plate may include a lot of the same bites, yours will be a one-of-a-kind mix for your business goals. 

Marketing tactics include: 

  • Branding – From a logo to how your phone is answered, your brand conveys your values and mission via a consistent message, tone, appearance, and client experience. For a next-level step, encourage firm lawyers to each develop their individual brand and web presence.
  • Lead generation and nurturing – A prospective client starts as a lead. After vetting or showing evidence of need or interest, they become qualified leads. Developing an effective and efficient process of nurturing leads through the qualification process is key to growing your client base. It may be as simple as having the receptionist ask a few questions, or as complex as a marketing funnel that incorporates multiple digital and live person interactions. 
  • Digital marketing – A well-designed website is a must, but it’s just the start with digital marketing. Consider your digital footprint (what shows up when someone searches for you), responsiveness (website chatbots, reply rate to social media queries), and engagement with digital lawyer advertising, campaigns, and data targeting. Digital marketing approaches include: 
    • Website(s)
    • Social media marketing and interaction
    • Search engine optimization including linking via legal directories
    • Digital advertising such as PPC Google ads and retargeting
    • Email marketing
  • Content – Content marketing began in part with search engine optimization: the more articles on the internet that link back to your website, the higher your profile. But it’s become a key part of every marketing strategy that showcases your law firm’s expertise and expands the role of the customer testimonial. 
    • Newsletters and blogs
    • White papers and case studies
    • Podcasts 
    • Informative videos
    • Educational courses and webinars
  • Public relations – Sounds a little old-school, but public relations is still a key aspect of legal marketing. It often overlaps with content marketing and includes: 
    • Press releases
    • Developing and maintaining media contacts
    • Being an available professional contact to respond to interviews
    • Publishing or co-authoring newsworthy articles
  • Research and analytics – What do you know about your existing clients, and how does that information help you build your business? What other data sources are available? Marketing research and analytics encompass finding trends within customer surveys and data that identify needs and opportunities. 

Grow Your Business with Effective Marketing Support from Alert

If you’re ready to answer what is legal marketing for your firm, Alert is here to provide paralegal outsourcing services and marketing services that support your brand promotion, digital interaction lead conversion, and analytics integration. 

We are an omnichannel communication provider with the technical savvy to integrate with your CRM and provide real-time data. In addition to customizing our tone and response language to your needs, our team can provide 24/7 coverage via phone, chat, text, web form, and more. Our specialists schedule meetings, handle initial inquiries, qualify prospects, and even run outbound campaigns to convert leads to a new client. 

Contact Alert today to learn more on how we can help you get a head start on a high-performance marketing strategy.

Sources: 

Expert Institute. 10 Best Ways to Market Your Law Firm Online. https://www.expertinstitute.com/resources/insights/10-best-ways-to-market-your-law-firm-online/

Lawyerist. Legal Marketing. https://lawyerist.com/marketing/