Effective marketing is the key to success for any small and growing law firm. However, it takes more than visiting a few mixers to build your business. On the other hand, you don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive TV or magazine ads just to gain new clients. With the right balance, you can save money while building a stronger business than ever.
How to Market a Law Firm and Get More Clients
Growing your law firm doesn’t require much money if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to market it. Here are a few simple, inexpensive tips to help you do just that.
Create a Website with Engaging Content
Your website is a valuable platform which you can use to advertise your services. It can also enhance your credibility and build trust among potential clients if you offer engaging, informative content. By doing this, you’re not just giving away information for free. You’re also building a relationship with potential clients and making it more likely that they will seek out your services when they need them.
Related: 3+ Ways to Combine an Online and Offline Marketing Campaign
There’s no limit to the types of content you could offer. You can create blog posts describing your services or which address common problems your clients face. You could also integrate videos into your site, create FAQ lists, hold Q&A sessions, or deliver podcasts. Just remember to always create new content to stay relevant to potential clients. This will also help your site stay on the first pages of search engines, making it easier for visitors to find you.
Focus in One Area
You can distinguish yourself from other lawyers choosing to focus one field of law and finding a niche within it. This makes it much easier for potential clients to seek you out directly as they will have a specific problem in mind which relatively few people are qualified to handle.
Finding a specific audience is crucial to the success of any marketing campaign. It allows you to focus your efforts only on those prospects which are most likely to become clients.
Use Social Media
Social media is a powerful, inexpensive tool which you can use to raise awareness of your business. Importantly, you don’t need a large following to benefit from it. You can use it to advertise your services, provide updates, share content and find new clients. You can also use it to connect directly with other professionals who may wish to work with you or who can provide referrals.
Related: 3 Things a Lawyer Can Do to Grow Their Referral Network
According to the 2016 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report, 74% of firms that responded maintain a presence on social media while 76% of lawyers who responded say they maintain a professional profile on one or more social media networks. Here are the channels that seem to be best for lawyers:
- LinkedIn is the most popular social media outlet for lawyers with 78% of responding firms saying they have a presence on it. LinkedIn is an excellent place to share longer articles and to establish connections between other lawyers or professionals.
- Facebook is the second-most popular social media platform for lawyers. 48% of respondents say they use it for professional purposes.
- Twitter, which is used by 21% of respondents, is the third-most popular social media site for lawyers.
Both Facebook and Twitter are well-suited to providing updates about your business or links to new content on your website.
It is important to be make sure that content you publish conforms to any ethical guidelines you may have to follow. You should also avoid promising successful outcomes for clients and provide disclaimers when discussing potential fees.
Related: 5 Rules of Conduct for Business Cards Lawyers Must Follow
Network
Networking is vital to the success of any law firms. Who are clients going to trust more: The person they met and spoke with at an event or a corny guy with a cheesy ad on TV? Establishing rapport and building relationships with potential clients and business contacts is key to building a strong network. Your network can serve as a rich source of referrals, so it’s important to begin making connections as soon as you can.
Consider becoming active in a local trade organization for an industry or group that could benefit from your services. You could also provide free services to local charities or nonprofits. You should continuously seek to build your network whether it’s by gaining a board position or taking a client out to lunch.
Get Referrals
Many law firms run their businesses almost exclusively off of referrals. They likely come at the recommendation of someone who you previously worked for, which means they cost nothing and already have a positive view of you even before you meet.
Speak with your past or current clients to find out if they are in need of your services or if they know someone who could become a new client. This gives you the chance to maintain and strengthen relationships with your older contacts while finding new ones.
Invest in Quality Business Cards
People tend to throw away business cards, which impacts the ROI you get from them. With your business cards ending up in the trash, you won’t get any calls. However, this can be avoided by handing out business cards that are just too good to throw out.
The health of your network is directly related to that of your business. By growing your social networks, making effective use of the Internet, and creating attractive and informative business cards, you can create a reliable network and gain a steady stream of new clients.
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