Did you know advertising your law firm was considered unethical and unprofessional until 1977? Today, seeing an attorney advertising their firm on TV or in print is pretty common.
Now digital marketing strategies are replacing more traditional advertising methods. In fact, an estimated 90% of online searchers use Google to search for an attorney.
Still not sure if digital marketing is the right move for your law firm? If you’re still on the fence your firm may be missing out on some surprising benefits.
What is Digital Marketing?
So, what is digital marketing? The principles are similar to traditional advertising methods. You’re trying to reach your target audience. The primary difference is the strategies you’re using. You’re not working on coming up with print ads and dialogue for TV spots. Instead, you’re concentrating on specific online platforms. This typically includes using websites, social media sites, and even apps.
Using these digital channels makes it easier to market your law firm so you can reach your target audience.
We keep mentioning your target audience so who are they? Your target audience is prospective clients who may need your law firm’s specialized services. For example, as a personal injury attorney, your target audience will be individuals injured in an accident. Criminal defense lawyers have a different target audience. They want to reach individuals being charged with a crime.
If you’re wondering if digital marketing is necessary or effective, this statistic may help. Around 90% of potential clients search for an attorney online.
Potential Benefits of Digital Marketing for Law Firms
Some benefits of an effective digital marketing strategy are pretty obvious. When your firm has a strong online presence, you’re increasing its reach and visibility. Remember, around 90% of clients find their attorneys online. This means digital marketing is essential if you want to reach these potential clients.
Digital marketing uses SEO practices to help ensure your law firm’s website is popping up at the top of the search engine result page. You can also take advantage of local online advertising. This is something you don’t want to skip.
Your clients are probably in the area and not out-of-state and localized digital advertising can help ensure you’re reaching everyone. Along with making it easier for clients to find your law firm, digital marketing can have a few other benefits.
Boost Engagement and Communication
Phone calls and text messaging aren’t obsolete but it’s not the only way attorneys can communicate with clients. Digital marketing tools often include things like chatbots and other live chat functions. This allows you to engage with prospective clients and stay in communication with existing ones.
When someone is searching for an attorney, there’s usually a lot of uncertainty in their lives. They may be worrying about a criminal charge or covering damages from an auto accident, clients often need reassurance. Others may simply want answers to questions regarding their potential case.
When law firms can communicate with clients in real-time, the overall experience tends to improve. Your clients feel heard and understood and sometimes this is almost as important as providing the best possible legal services.
Improve Credibility and Trust
Having a strong online presence goes a long way toward establishing credibility and trust with potential clients. Even skilled and qualified attorneys can have problems finding clients if the law firm isn’t active online.
An authoritative website can help establish your law firm as an expert in the legal field that you can use to showcase any awards and certifications and share your experience and legal insights from it. Your social media platforms can also help you build trust with clients.
Engaging and informative social media posts can intimidate conversations that can help your law firm build relationships and attract clients.
Digital Advertising Tips for Law Firms
Before you throw up a webpage or start making posts on social media sites, take a deep breath. You don’t want to post just any content. An effective digital marketing strategy takes a little bit of planning.
Social Media Platforms
You have plenty of options when it’s time to start looking at social media platforms to target potential clients.
You can go all out and start posting on each one but doing so can quickly turn into a full-time commitment sinc some sites out there may also not be the best option for a law firm.
So try to take a few minutes to think about which platforms are right for your particular law firm. A good tip to keep in mind during this process is to focus on platforms frequently visited by your target audience.
Professionalism may also play a role in which platforms your firm uses. An example can be TikTok. While the platform is great for some types of businesses, it may not be right for your law firm. This platform tends to work best for businesses in more creative industries.
A few platforms you probably want to establish a presence on include Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). You may also want to check out Threads or BlueSky. Similar to Twitter, these platforms are taking off and you can reach a large audience.
Don’t forget about targeting LinkedIn either. Geared for professionals, LinkedIn allows you to market your law firm and post informative content.
Be Mobile Friendly
As you’re working on your digital marketing strategy, don’t forget about your mobile users either. The majority of consumers use their mobile devices to search for services and businesses like law firms, so your website should be both desktop and mobile-friendly.
You may need to bring in outside developers to make your website mobile-friendly but making the effort to do so is an important investment that will pay off later on down the line.
Use Email Marketing
Email marketing strategies can be effective when they’re done right and executed well, which means not spamming potential clients—instead, you want to send relevant emails to potential clients. How do you know who’s a potential client?
You can create an email list off of your website. Your website should have a box for visitors to fill out their contact information. When someone fills the fields out, you have a name to add to your email list.
Attract Clients to Your Law Firm
Even though how you advertise your law firm is changing, the intended results are the same. You want to spread the word your law firm is taking on clients while also marketing your firm’s skills. An effective way of accomplishing these goals is with digital marketing.
