If Your Law Firm is Online, So Should Your Marketing Efforts

If your law firm has a website, your legal marketing efforts should also be online.  Customers don't just use Google to find you. There are dozens of other ways you can conduct law firm internet marketing effectively using the tools already available to you.

What is Online Marketing for Lawyers?

To be successful in our modern world, most people live online. Much of our personal information is stored in the cloud, and business is conducted through email, communication channels, and video conferencing. Online marketing for lawyers is an essential piece of the puzzle. Online technologies offer law firms new opportunities to connect with clients. Historically, legal marketing was limited to phone book ads, magazine and newspaper ads, radio, TV, bench, bus, and billboard advertising. The internet and social media open up new avenues for a legal marketing strategy that is both successful and cost-effective.

Why Should Law Firms Have an Online Marketing Plan?

The goals of law firm internet marketing are to increase brand awareness, reach a wider audience, build trust with your clients, and target consumers who need your specific skills.

Advertising studies show that more than one-third of potential clients start researching law firms online before making a decision. That is a huge piece of the legal marketing pie that you don't want to leave on the table.

It is not enough these days to rely on traditional methods of law firm advertising. If you are online, so should your marketing plans. You must meet your audience where they are, online.

What are the Benefits of Digital Marketing for Law Firms?

There are dozens of potential benefits of digital marketing for law firms.
Some of the most beneficial reasons to market your law firm online are:

1. Broaden Your Client Base - Instead of only marketing to your local area, advertising online can broaden your reach.
2. Establish Trust and Credibility - Law firm internet marketing affords you the ability to communicate your expertise in specific areas to build trust and credibility with your audience.
3. Target a Specific Audience - Target marketing for law firms has proven incredibly effective. You need to connect with the very people who need what you can offer. Online marketing for law firms pinpoints your perfect audience and reaches them where they are.
4. Inform, Guide, and Educate - Another benefit you enjoy when you create value-added content is establishing yourself as an expert. Use regularly posted content to guide, inform, and educate your audience, turning them into loyal clients when they need your services.
5. Improve Client Experiences - Customers expect much more these days, and they want to enjoy the interaction and relationship when dealing with a business. You can enhance those experiences for clients using digital marketing efforts for law firms.
6. Renew Client Relationships - Keep in touch with old clients while building a rapport with new ones. Email marketing is a great way to keep your name in front of past clients reminding them of you when they need legal help.
7. Save Money on Legal Advertising - Law firm internet marketing is far less expensive than outdated traditional advertising methods. You get a lot more return on your investment when marketing online.
8. Measurable Results - The convenience of online marketing for lawyers extends to being able to see crystal clear results through analytics. These reports can help you further refine your law firm's marketing strategies for even better results.

How to Market Your Law Firm Online

Law firm internet marketing offers you the opportunity to build your audience quicker than with other types of legal marketing. Follow the steps below to get the most out of your law firm marketing dollars.

1. The first thing you must do is research your perfect client and build a profile around that person. Then you can begin to strategize marketing techniques to reach them.
2. Define your marketing goals. Who do you want to reach? Is your goal to increase traffic to your website or improve your reputation? Defining your goals will help you measure your success after implementing your digital marketing efforts.
3. Determine the proper channels for your law firm internet marketing plan. For example, individual lawyers may choose to market themselves through LinkedIn, whereas a more prominent agency may choose PPC, email, and social media marketing.
4. Optimize your law firm website for SEO (search engine optimization).
5. Implement your online marketing strategy for your law firm.
6. Measure the results and adjust accordingly.

A legal advertising and law firm marketing company can help you do all of
this efficiently.

Some of the most effective types of digital marketing strategies for lawyers
include:

Content Marketing

Depending on your specialty, you can use content marketing to regularly post authoritative articles online like family law or criminal defense topics to draw in your audience. Using helpful tips, you build a following of clients who need your specific services. You stand out from the crowd by showing that you are an expert in that particular field or area of law. When establishing yourself as a credible source for legal information, you also build brand trust.

PPC (Pay-per-click) Ads

PPC advertising for law firms is a great way to get your firm's name in front
of millions of potential clients for pennies a click. PPC advertising can be
more effective and quicker but also more expensive if used for the long
term.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Anything you can do to improve your organic search results will drive traffic to your website. You can drastically improve your ranking on search engines and help your clients find you easily using proven SEO techniques. SEO optimization takes time, but it is well worth the effort. Google is where most people search for businesses. If you don't rank high enough on Google, you may have difficulty getting clients. SEO for law firms is
essential for your marketing strategies and to beat the competition.

Social Media Marketing

It's no surprise that everyone is on social media. However, many companies don't know how to use social media marketing effectively. The key is catching the eye of potential clients so that when they need you, they remember what you posted on social media. Be sure to focus your social media marketing on your specialty. Choose one or two platforms that meet your needs and where your audience lives.

Targeted Email Marketing

Email marketing for lawyers is still one of the most effective ways to reach an audience. Put your name and face in front of your clients, even if you haven't seen them in a while. Then, when they need legal services, they will know just where to turn. You can send out scheduled messaging to specific clients, which helps you narrow your focus and get you the right clients. Not only will you reach a new audience but also reconnect with your existing clients.

INGAGE is a full-service digital marketing firm specializing in family law marketing, criminal defense marketing, and other highly regulated industries. We help our clients realize opportunities and understand how to use online data and analytics to best serve their marketing strategies. Call INGAGE today to learn more about marketing your law firm online.