Remember the days when attorneys simply practiced law? These days are different, with more competition and the need for savvy marketing to set your law firm apart. If a small law firm is going to get noticed, it has to develop a solid marketing structure. With a little planning, your marketing efforts can increase your law firm’s traffic, grow its client base, and expand its profits. Will 2021 be the year you focus on your small law firm marketing plan and watch it propel your business to greater success? Here are 20 tips to get you started.  

Set Smart Goals

You have heard it before: set goals first. Although this step may feel like it slows down your momentum, it is a necessary task — one that will make everything easier. Make sure your goals are SMART, that is: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. You may decide to create separate marketing plans for the law firm, specific practice groups, as well as the individual lawyers in your company. It may help to assign one person to take charge of your law firm’s marketing efforts; smaller law firms may decide to give this task to the office manager, law firm administrator or secretary.

Focus In

The most successful companies tend to focus their marketing efforts, and this is especially important for small law firm marketing. In competitive markets (like the legal industry) Google tends to reward laser-focused websites that focus on a narrow niche of expertise. Do not try to be everything, because it will hamper your SEO efforts and get too expensive as well.  When you zero in on a single area of law practice and target a specific geographic market, you may see successful results faster. 

Define Your Brand

Since your law firm is steeped in a competitive legal market, you need to stand out. This is where branding comes in. Creating a brand for your law firm is a strategic way to let consumers recognize you at an instant, perceive what you offer and understand who you are. Developing your brand is a good initial step to take before you set out with other marketing efforts, because your brand will speak for you in every platform you explore. 

Polish Up Your Website

One important aspect of marketing is hosting an engaging, hospitable website. It takes effort and money to woo visitors to your site, and once they arrive, you want solid content, relevant answers and consumer friendly touches to keep them there. Evaluate your website to make sure that it is:

• Mobile friendly
• Quick to load
• Visually appealing
• Loaded with quality content
• Optimized for search engines
• Flowing with calls to action
• Consistently updated

Choose Local Keywords

Using local keywords and phrases are crucial for any successful SEO efforts. Local keywords help search engines find your website more easily, so help the search bots by adding informative localized material to your website and Google My Business listing. Check your profile to make sure that your basic office and website information is correct and consistent in every place your law firm can be found.

Start a Law Firm Blog

A blog provides a stage for you to spotlight your knowledge, publish client stories and highlight your brand. Offering quality content is a dependable way to draw people to your website, but it also assists your SEO efforts. Your blog posts should be loaded with value and readability — not packed with chunks of text. Consider creating content that can be easily skimmed and posts that are peppered with appealing visuals. Your blog can offer what potential clients are searching for:  a solution to their unique situation. 

Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Google My Business is a free and valuable feature, so take advantage of this space for your law firm. Google uses your completed profile, along with all other available information about your law firm, to assess the value and reliability of your company on the internet. If you are not already plugged in to Google My Business, you should claim your space and complete your profile as soon as possible. A load of information about your law firm will be showcased, including:

• The exact name of your company
• A concise description of your law firm
• A link to your website
• Directions to your office
• Hours of operation
• Contact information
• Client ratings and reviews
• Frequently asked questions
• Photos 

Profile Your Law Firm In Legal Directories

Legal directories are beneficial for any small law firm marketing plan. Start by listing your law firm’s information, and confirm that every detail is consistent with your Google My Business listing, website and social media profile. Anywhere people might be looking for an attorney is where your law firm should be listed, and here are some prominent spots to profile yourself:

• Findlaw
• Avvo
• Justia
• Hg.org
• Yelp
• Yellow Pages

Monitor Your Online Reputation

Reviews can be a mixed bag. Positive ratings can be exhilarating, but negative ones can be discouraging. Managing your online reviews is a crucial part of small law firm marketing, and potential clients highly value peer reviews when considering which law firm to hire. Even the negative reviews can be used to show consumers your professionalism and diplomacy, so always respond to the reviews– even the critical ones. Sites rank higher when they have a high number of positive reviews, so keep encouraging your clients to leave a review and thank them when they do.

Tap Into Email Marketing

Creating and maintaining a current email list can be a tedious task, but it is a crucial inventory of all of your client base. Email is a powerful marketing tool, so consider using email campaigns in your small law firm marketing plan. Email reaches everyone, every time, and it offers an incredible ROI. Email marketing can bring exponential gains, potentially as high as $32 in return for every $1 spent. Email drip campaigns and regular newsletters can be employed to highlight your past successes, leadership in the industry, and ongoing law firm news and events. 

Use Social Media

If your law firm has not started using social media, it may be time to jump in. Used wisely, social media has incredible benefits. Your competitors are probably already out there using it, because it is a powerful way to announce a brand and gather traffic and leads. However, it is important to start with the social media channel that reaches your target audience, since different social media outlets reach different people. Jumping into every social media platform can be overwhelming, because you must consistently offer your followers high-quality, regular posts. Using social media in a smart way can allow your small law firm marketing to soar. 

Invest in Ads

It is more important than ever to use advertising in your marketing strategy if you want to stand out. Google Adwords and social media ad campaigns can both be key strategies. Pay per click advertising has advantages, such as:  immediate results, control over your budget and paying only when consumers click. 

Review and Refine 

Google Analytics is something you should consistently monitor, and reviewing your data will help you improve your small law firm marketing efforts. After reviewing the information, you can discern how your followers and readers are responding to your content, and you can tweak your posts and pages accordingly.

Connect With the Community

When you become involved at community events, make sure every interaction promotes your law firm name and brand. This creates visibility, which translates into leads. Any volunteer efforts require a genuine spirit of charity first and foremost, with marketing goals a close second.

Teach Others

The concept of giving to others instead of selling your services may seem counterproductive, but it is an important part of content marketing. Be generous with your offered content and focus on your target client. Teach them what they want to know, not what you would like them to know. Use an FAQ page on your website to determine what questions are occupying the thoughts of your current and prospective clients. Then, address these concerns as website articles and blog posts. 

Write and Publish

Blog posts and website articles are key ways to educate and give guidance to potential clients. Along with these, consider writing an ebook to get your law firm’s name out there in the marketplace. You can also showcase your authority by guest blogging and writing articles for a community newspaper, or by writing a piece for your law school’s newsletter. All of these publications can link back to your website and blog, which helps your marketing efforts. 

Be A Leader

Grasping a leadership mindset at the office is one key way to bring awareness of your brand and vision to everyone on the team. There are several ways to foster leadership within your law firm:

• Develop an effective management team
• Seek input from colleagues
• Coach others
• Take smart risks
• Make and stick with tough decisions
• Deal directly with issues
• Hold every team member accountable for their actions
• Bring organizational change when needed
• Develop problem solving skills
• Model and encourage a positive company culture

Reach Out To Your Clients

Your clients are your gold mine: your income source, channel for happy reviews and one key way to gain future referrals. Take care of your clients by meeting with them, learning about their company or thanking them for their business. Consider starting a client advisory forum that meets regularly to listen to and learn from client feedback. If applicable, start a new niche based on current client needs. 

Watch the Trends

You cannot bend to every trend that comes along, but it is crucial for small law firm marketing to keep an eye on new ways to proceed with digital advertising. Some of them have already been mentioned, such as social media and content marketing, but here are some additional trends that are already proving important for 2021:

• SEO in Spanish
• Google Search Ads in Spanish
• Video Marketing
• Podcasting
• Voice Search Optimization
• All pages and sites mobile-friendly 

Get Professional Help

Do not be hesitant to get professional help in areas such as content writing, website design and video marketing. Hiring a professional may be the smartest investment you make, and it ensures that your efforts will provide the most engaging content and images in order to reach your potential clients.

How Law Quill Can Help 

Current times call for sharp strategies in small law firm marketing. With a defined brand for your law firm and several ways to bring in more business, your law firm can forge ahead and find skyrocketing success in 2021.

We are here to help and would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free regarding your law firm website’s content, and how we can take these tasks off your plate! Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a quick phone or zoom call at your convenience on our calendar today. You can also email us at [email protected]