Author 丨Zhonglei editorial team
With the increasing competition in the industry, the value of marketing has been recognized by the majority of law firms, and a recent study showed:
1. 57% of consumers seek a lawyer online on their own
2. 66% of lawyers prefer independent marketing
3. Only 46% of all marketing budgets
4. 13% of law firms lack professionals to take charge of marketing
In this article, we will show you the latest law firm marketing strategies and technologies for 2022, hoping to benefit the majority of law firms.
01
It all starts with building a brand story
Doesn't everyone have the illusion that most law firms' marketing sounds the same? For a law firm to stand out, it needs to define what makes it unique and build an original brand story around it to differentiate you from your competitors and give your client base a clearer picture.
For example, Weisfuse & Weisfuse highlights their 30-year history to showcase their deep professional heritage.
Once the firm has defined what makes it unique, it fits into your value proposition and resonates with your target audience. Brands communicate through slogans, and the wording and description of slogans also need to be distinguished from many competing law firms.
The slogan adopted by most law firms is a dry, academic tone, and the tone of the content will be reflected in the firm's brand. In fact, law firms don't have to be too formal with their clients.
02
Prove that the brand can be trusted
There are many ways and means for law firms to prove their worth. Displaying as much information as possible on the firm's website about performance, awards, cases, etc. can help the firm build credibility and authority.
Chadi Law Firm demonstrates authority by presenting their extensive experience and reviews on the homepage.
Law firms should not be shy about highlighting any awards won by the law firm, which can gain credibility in the firm's area of expertise. The awards are presented through signs or images, which are more visual and impactful.
Testimonials and past client testimonials are an inevitable choice for law firms, whether it's leaving enough space on the homepage or creating a separate page, law firms need to make sure that client reviews stand out and are easy to read.
If the law firm wants to go a step further, we recommend creating some videos of testimonials for the firm's website. The authenticity and readability of the video will make the client feel the strength of the law firm more realistically.
Demonstrating professional detail through case studies and success stories is a great way to develop confidence. Oykhman law firm website has a separate page highlighting each success story so clients can find cases similar to theirs.
Other notable information on the website includes practice areas and lists of lawyers.
03
search engine optimization
SEO is an important part of most law firms' 2022 marketing plans. According to a recent survey, 75% of law firms have not appeared on Google's first page, and 93% of customers' online experience starts with search engines. At a minimum, law firms need to be on the page of search results in order to get clicks and traffic.
From an SEO perspective, content is fundamental to law firms. One of the purposes of writing is to become an expert or authority figure in the field. Creating in-depth, original content that provides answers to the questions of your target audience can help law firms reach their goals.
Every high-quality piece of content has the potential to make the firm's name appear at the top of the search results, which also shows that the law firm provides the best answer to a topic. High-quality external links are an important factor in improving the ranking of law firms' content, and the source of high-quality links does not depend entirely on the quality of the content. Submission to the industry's leading platform brings endorsement value, which is more conducive to SEO optimization.
04
Content creation
The website is an important carrier of the law firm's marketing content and an important platform for the firm to showcase its expertise. Cory Wilson has published a large number of articles on the website, reflecting his research results in the field from multiple perspectives, and it is important to note that the content is best focused on a specific business area rather than blindly pursuing hot spots.
As the quality of articles continues to improve, lawyers will gain more recognition and will gradually grow into industry leaders, and clients will also find value in them.
05
Production of video content
More intuitive video content is an important tool for law firm marketing. According to the report, if the content contains video, it is 53% more likely to appear on Google's homepage. Videos are easier to build credibility and trust relationships, generate new leads, and are more helpful in customer conversion.
For law firms, videos are broadly divided into:
- Promotional video: Showing the law firm and lawyers, if possible, involving clients in the production, is more conducive to establishing authority
- Professional Video: Demonstrate expertise in the field of practice to clients through video
Videos can be complex or simple and productive, depending on the content and purpose of the video. The purpose of the promotional video is to show the overall image of the law firm, which requires high-quality production. While professional videos are designed to provide information, in fact, an unmalmed video may better resonate with customers.
06
Webinars
To be fair, webinars haven't caught the attention of most law firms over the past decade, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed that to some extent. A growing number of law firms are finding that webinars are effective marketing tools in many ways.
- Reach out to potential new customers
- Educate your target audience
- Answer the question
- Make connections
- Establish the authority of lawyers
- Improve existing customer relationships
Webinars can be presented to a live audience, as well as live presentations and recordings, which means that when the meeting is over, the video can still be used as content to continue to engage customers.
For the type of seminar, most law firms will focus on demonstrating professional competence and educating clients.
If you want your workshop to have the desired results, you must include high-quality content in your workshop.
Don't worry about revealing too many professional secrets, because only the content is valuable enough to attract new customers.
Other tips for conducting a webinar:
- Countdown reminders to increase attendance
- After the workshop, ongoing action is required
- Workshops are processed to ensure sustainable viewing
- Turn meeting content into articles and more
07
Lawyer's resume
Most lawyers' resumes are very boring and difficult for people to read carefully. Visitors are looking not only for someone with an educational background and a law degree, but also for someone who is experienced and approachable, supporting them and achieving the results they want.
With these factors in mind, a lawyer's resume should generally include high-quality photographs, value available, professional experience and qualifications, and significant contact information.
(1) High-quality photos
High-quality photos of individual lawyers can make people feel professional and more convincing.
(b) The value provided
What you can offer your customers and why they choose you.
(3) Professional experience and qualifications
Many lawyers will include on their resumes educational background, professional experience, and qualifications, and while these details may not be the focus of the client's attention, this information can better highlight the lawyer's difference.
(4) Conspicuous contact information
If contact details are ignored, all your efforts will be in vain and marketing will become meaningless.
08
Live chat feature
Some lawyers are resistant to having live chats on websites, and they don't want to waste hours offering free advice. But the truth is, this time is not wasted. Clients prefer to be able to get an immediate conversation with a lawyer online. 46% of customers prefer live chat to other means of communication such as email.
Live chat can help law firms in many ways:
- Immediacy – Quickly establish conversations with customers
- Conversions – Turn customer interest into business leads
- Practicality – Live Chat keeps the site open 24/7
When visitors log in to the website, the live chat function can pop up automatically as a pop-up window.
It can also be an inconspicuous button that visitors can tap on if needed.
09
Social media
Social media is no stranger to many lawyers, but how to use it as a marketing tool requires thinking. It's safe to say that the vast majority of potential customers are on social media.
On social media, lawyers have had great success with different types of content. There are more than 670 million professionals on LinkedIn's platform, including decision makers and influencers, all of whom have the potential to become your readers and potential customers.
Every lawyer has the opportunity to have their own independent space on the platform , the homepage , which will help lawyers better build their personal brand.
In addition to building communities and increasing brand awareness, law firms can also use the platform's advertising features to allow clients to discover the firm from a new perspective.
10
Email Marketing
Email marketing may not be the only way to market externally, but it is one of the most important.
Despite the emergence of social media and other forms of communication, email is still one of the most effective ways to influence existing and potential customers. In fact, 60% of marketers believe that email provides the highest ROI.
According to the DMA, for every $1 spent on email marketing, you get $42 in return:
Sending targeted emails to client lists can help law firms build brand and credibility, and gain client leads.
Newsletter marketing is a form of email marketing that sends a regular newsletter to someone on a customer list to let the customer know that you're still following them, and it's also a great opportunity to showcase your authority and informative content.
Communications don't need to be too lengthy, they can include a variety of content types: article fragments, recent case studies, details about the award, introduction to your lawyer and law firm, details of community events, and more. It's important to show people your positivity and generate valuable content in your specific area of practice.
11
Award ratings
Imagine someone wanting to hire a law firm with two law firms with the same price in this space, with similar levels of experience and expertise, but one of which won a title of Law Firm of the Year. So, who do you think customers will choose?
For any law firm, industry awards are the best endorsement of a firm's professional capabilities and help firms enhance their brand influence.
Award ratings can help law firms build trust and be seen as an industry leader. They can strengthen the law firm's PR and even improve SEO to help the firm attract and retain talent. However, there are some drawbacks to award ratings. They are expensive, time-consuming, and quickly obsolete (awards from a decade ago have no value), and in some cases there is criticism of spending money on awards.
Source 丨 New Rhythm of Zhonglei