Marketing for law firms: Top 20 ideas for attorneys
Boost visibility and attract clients with effective marketing strategies
Leveraging strategic marketing is essential for law firms to capitalize on opportunities in a fiercely competitive industry. Professional services businesses allocate an average of 7% of their gross revenue to marketing. [1] Effective marketing can boost a firm’s visibility, establish credibility, and attract potential clients.
Law firms can maximize their business potential by using digital platforms and tools, developing engaging content, and cultivating strong client connections.
Continue reading to explore our top 20 creative marketing ideas to make your law firm stand out and facilitate growth, ensuring sustained success and a consistent client base.
With our guide, you’ll explore a plethora of marketing ideas to maximize your law firm’s efforts. The main areas include:
- Digital Marketing: Enhance online presence with SEO, social media, content marketing, and more to attract more clients.
- Traditional Marketing: Strengthen local ties and credibility through networking, PR, and client relations.
- Video Marketing: Engage clients and showcase expertise with educational videos, client testimonials, and firm introductions.
- Networking and Community Engagement: Build community connections by hosting events, volunteering, and engaging with locals and thought leaders.
Implementing any of these strategies alone can enhance your outcomes, but employing these strategies together will significantly increase your success. Select ideas that align with your company’s existing marketing objectives and integrate them gradually to kickstart your business’s growth.
Digital Marketing – Establishing an online presence
In today’s digital era, legal firms must develop robust online visibility to attract and maintain clients. Successful digital marketing can improve exposure, stimulate interaction, and establish trustworthiness. Below are the following ways to incorporate these marketing strategies for law firms:
#1: Website
It’s essential to have a website for marketing your law firm, as it serves as the digital face of your practice where you control your branding and message. A well-crafted website can display your skills, offer essential service details, and showcase client testimonials and success stories.
A professional website can also boost your credibility, enhance your visibility in search engine results, and provide a platform for potential clients to find out more about your firm and connect with your attorneys easily.
Your website is where you point all your digital marketing efforts, making it a central hub for attracting and converting prospects into clients.
Learn more:
Six essential components of a great home page
#2: Content marketing
Content marketing is a powerful tool for law firms, enabling them to connect with potential clients and establish credibility. Success stories and case studies highlighting your firm’s achievements will build trust with potential clients and showcase your expertise.
Publishing blogs regularly on relevant legal topics further positions your firm as a thought leader, providing valuable insights and informing your audience. By leveraging these content marketing strategies, your law firm can effectively engage potential clients and strengthen its reputation.
#3: Search engine optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) can significantly enhance a law firm’s online visibility and attract more clients. To boost your online presence and credibility, start by listing your firm in prominent legal directories such as Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, and the local bar association’s directory.
If your law firm is new to implementing SEO, focusing on local SEO can be most effective. Optimizing your website and content with location-specific keywords can draw clients from your geographic area. Additionally, ensure accurate and consistent online listings across various platforms to improve your search engine rankings.
Encourage satisfied clients to leave online reviews on platforms like Google Business Profile and Yelp, as these reviews can significantly impact your firm’s search engine performance and reputation. Implementing these SEO strategies can help your law firm reach a broader audience and stand out in a competitive market.
Learn more:
The importance of SEO in digital marketing
#4: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Digital advertising campaigns offer an efficient way to swiftly connect with audiences and attract people looking for your services in your intended market. Consider experimenting with retargeting campaigns on various platforms, such as Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and LinkedIn Advertising.
If your firm doesn’t have an in-house marketing team, consider hiring an advertising agency to collaborate with copywriters and graphic designers to produce ads that effectively generate clicks. After users click on the ads, it’s important to ensure that your landing pages are optimized for conversions and feature a clear call-to-action and a visible contact form.
#5: Social media
Social media is an excellent tool for marketing your law firm. It can help position attorneys as subject matter experts and leaders through regular posts and updates, enhancing your firm’s credibility. According to the American Bar Association, most law firms use social media to market their law practices, with LinkedIn being the leading network. 87% were on LinkedIn, including 89% of firms with 2-9 lawyers and 95% with 100 or more lawyers. [2]
Sharing content from your website can also drive traffic and keep your audience informed about your services and expertise. Social media can allow for quick connections and a way to collaborate with peers, industry leaders, and potential clients, expanding your professional network and fostering valuable relationships.
#6: Email marketing
Utilizing email marketing provides many advantages for your law firm. It enables you to maintain connections and stay at the forefront of the minds of clients, partners, and referral sources, which helps build strong relationships and generate repeat business.
Email marketing is also a cost-effective strategy for reconnecting with potential clients, allowing you to effectively communicate updates, legal advice, and firm news, thus keeping your audience engaged and well-informed.
By leveraging these digital marketing techniques, law firms can significantly boost their online presence, attract more clients, and establish themselves as leaders in their field.
Video Marketing – Showcase your expertise
Video marketing offers a dynamic and engaging way for law firms to connect with potential clients and showcase their expertise. Through educational videos, client testimonials, and firm introductions, firms can effectively communicate their value proposition. The following video marketing strategies consist of:
#7: Educational / Resources / FAQs
Sharing educational videos through social media platforms like YouTube, with resources and visual FAQs, can help people understand common legal issues and more complex topics in an accessible way. These videos offer helpful information to potential clients and establish the firm’s expertise and usefulness, which helps build trust and credibility.
#8: Client testimonials
When clients share their positive experiences with your firm, it serves as social proof of your expertise and the quality of your services. 75% of consumers say they ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read online reviews of local businesses. [3] It’s more likely today that showcasing your testimonials can significantly influence potential clients’ decisions to choose your firm.
Positive reviews and real-life success stories create trust and credibility, helping potential clients feel more confident in selecting your firm for their needs.
Related resource:
Why you should value your client reviews
#9: Attorney introduction and highlights
Featuring videos of your attorneys, celebrating milestones, and showcasing their skills helps make your law firm more approachable and relatable. These introductions allow potential clients to connect with your attorneys on a personal level, fostering trust and showcasing the wide range of skills and experiences within your team.
Watch below a video that we did for the firm ZKS LAW to celebrate its 40th anniversary, emphasizing its strong core values, collaborative culture, and commitment to client satisfaction:
#10: Case law and legal updates
Creating videos that provide updates on case law and significant legal changes can keep your audience informed and showcase your firm’s commitment to staying current. These videos reveal your firm’s expertise in navigating the evolving legal landscape and offer helpful information to existing and potential clients.
#11: Webinars and live streams
Your firm can expand its reach by hosting webinars and live streams on relevant legal topics. These interactive sessions allow you to engage with a broader audience in real time. Demonstrate your expertise, address questions, and provide valuable insights, positioning your firm as a leader in the legal field.
#12: Podcasts
Consider launching a podcast exploring legal issues and industry trends specific to your expertise. Today, many podcasters record their segment on video, allowing people to watch or listen to their podcasts freely.
You can enrich your podcast by inviting guest speakers like other lawyers, industry pros, or even happy clients; this, in turn, can broaden your audience, build trust, and establish your firm as a go-to legal insight and advice resource that keeps listeners coming back for more.
Traditional Marketing – Reaching your local audience
Traditional marketing methods are essential for law firms to forge strong connections with their audience and develop a credible offline presence. These approaches assist firms in engaging with potential clients on a more personal level and boosting their visibility within their local area.
#13: Direct mail
Sending customized letters, brochures, or postcards directly to potential customers’ homes or businesses, you can efficiently connect with your local community by presenting your services and building a tangible connection.
#14: Public relations
Public relations (PR) is essential for establishing and preserving a good reputation within your community. Your company can enhance its visibility and credibility by sharing press releases, interacting with local media, and participating in community events.
Successful PR tactics position your lawyers as authorities and sources in their respective fields, leading to media coverage that showcases your firm’s achievements and impact. This increased visibility draws in potential clients, and bolsters trust within the community, ultimately enhancing your firm’s overall reputation.
#15: Client referral program
Launching a customer referral program is a cost-effective way to acquire new business through word-of-mouth recommendations. Encouraging happy customers to recommend friends, family, or co-workers to your company can result in top-notch leads and a consistent flow of new customers.
Offering rewards, such as service discounts or small gifts of appreciation, motivates participation and fosters loyalty among current customers.
#16: Local paid media
Billboards, newspaper ads, radio spots, or local magazine placements can enhance your firm’s presence in the area you serve. These traditional advertising avenues enable you to reach a broad audience and target specific demographic groups.
Local paid media campaigns emphasize your firm’s distinct selling propositions, highlight attorney expertise, and publicize special offers or events. By upholding a steady presence in local media, your firm can remain prominent in the minds of prospective clients in need of legal services.
These traditional, offline approaches allow firms to reach different audiences, ultimately increasing visibility and establishing trust within the local market.
Networking and Community Engagement – Building personal connections
Networking and community engagement can help law firms establish personal connections, build trust, and improve their reputations, leading to more referrals and a broader client base. Participating in community events and networking opportunities showcases the firm’s dedication to local causes, which can strengthen client loyalty and attract new business through mutual interests.
#17: Host events
Organizing events is an effective method for building meaningful connections in your local community. These events can act as seminars, workshops, or social events offering valuable insights into relevant legal matters, demonstrating your firm’s knowledge and dedication to serving the community.
These occasions help to build a sense of community and trust, making attendees more likely to consider your firm when they require legal assistance.
#18: Sponsorships
Sponsorships can be an excellent way for law firms to increase their visibility and demonstrate their commitment to the community. Your firm can reach a broader audience and build positive associations with your brand by sponsoring local legal seminars, bar association events, charity fundraisers, or community outreach programs. This tactic can improve your standing and draw potential clients who appreciate community engagement.
#19: Public speaking
Participating in public speaking engagements lets your lawyers showcase their knowledge and establish your firm as a thought leader. By presenting at community events, professional conferences, or local gatherings, you can connect with a wide range of people and demonstrate that your lawyers are knowledgeable and relatable.
Public speaking boosts your firm’s reputation and fosters meaningful relationships with attendees who could become clients or refer others to your firm.
#20: Volunteer activities
Engaging in volunteer work humanizes your firm and demonstrates your commitment to the community beyond just providing legal services. This action can build goodwill, improve your firm’s reputation, and appeal to clients who prioritize social responsibility.
Enlist the support of a marketing agency for your law firm!
Implementing an effective marketing strategy for your law firm is essential but can be time-consuming. To take your organization to the next level, consider partnering with a local marketing agency with the resources and expertise to set you up for success.
With over 20 years of experience, our team at Different Perspective has provided marketing services to law firms in Orlando and across the United States. We become an extension of your team, helping you maximize your marketing and sales efforts.
Our marketing services include:
It’s time to reach your full business potential!
Schedule a meeting with one of our marketing strategists today
1: Marketing Budget: How Much Should Your Team Spend? [By Industry]
2: American Bar Association Marketing TechReport
3: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey