As the first few weeks of 2024 unfold, many companies take this opportunity to review their digital marketing strategies and identify areas that may need improvement. However, before your law firm starts to set generic goals like growing your practice and retaining more clients, it’s important to assess the most current and effective legal marketing trends to ensure that your efforts deliver the results you want. Since attorneys spend the majority of their time focusing on serving their clients, it’s understandable that they are not always keeping up with the latest marketing strategies. Only a few decades ago, law firms used television, billboards, and phone books to advertise their services. With the rise of the internet, digital marketing has become the primary method of reaching potential clients. However, digital marketing has come a long way since the 2010s—with artificial intelligence (AI) content generation tools poised to reshape the landscape and the use of targeted advertising and personalized marketing interactions becoming increasingly pervasive, it’s time to determine how your law firm can use these tools and strategies mindfully and purposefully to maximize your digital marketing efforts. If your law firm is ready to build and launch a digital marketing strategy that’s customized to serve your needs and deliver you the results you’re after, now’s the time to take action. Let’s take a look at some of the top legal marketing trends that are poised to play significant roles in 2024.
The Rise of Omnichannel Marketing
You may have encountered the term “omnichannel marketing” recently and wondered what it meant. Essentially, omnichannel marketing views digital marketing as a multi-platform endeavor; rather than dividing up your marketing efforts across various platforms (i.e., social media, website, e-newsletters, etc.), omnichannel marketing aims to provide seamless and consistent experiences across different mediums. By making your legal services visible to your clients across different platforms, you can cultivate a consistent presence and encourage potential clients to turn to your law firm when a need or issue arises. For example, a law firm that builds a website and does not update it regularly with fresh content will likely struggle to catch the attention of search engine algorithms (and, in turn, continue to fall among the search results pages). In contrast, a law firm that regularly updates its website with client-centered content and shares new updates via social media posts and personalized emails to clients is more likely to reach clients more effectively. The bottom line is that omnichannel marketing allows law firms to connect with potential clients in many ways, boosting the chances that someone will turn to this law practice when the need arises.
Building a Consistent Brand Identity
Although you may not consider your law firm a brand, assuming this point of view will help to make your digital marketing efforts more effective and impactful. Like any company that serves consumers, your law firm must set your services apart from other firms providing similar legal services in your area. When a client is searching for an attorney, they will usually assess a few different law firms to determine which one seems the most likely to fit their needs. Moreover, you will only have a few moments in which to make an impression—most people spend just a few seconds on a website before moving on to the next one (especially if the site they visit loads too slowly, appears overly busy or cluttered, or overwhelms the viewer somehow). So, how can you create a solid and memorable brand identity for your law firm? Start by defining your mission and values. What inspires you to practice law? What qualities, services, or experiences does your firm offer that other law practices do not? Once you have answered these questions, use this information to create an impactful and concise mission statement, then integrate these principles across every marketing platform. The more your firm can demonstrate a consistent and cohesive brand identity, the more trust potential clients will have in your firm. As humans, we gravitate toward clarity and consistency, and we are more likely to trust companies that communicate who they are and tell us what we can expect from them.
Strategic Use of Automation and AI Technologies
By now, you are already familiar with the explosive arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) content generation tools like ChatGPT. However, as with any new technology, it’s best to exercise caution before adopting these tools wholeheartedly. So far, tools like ChatGPT have been able to perform impressive tasks, like producing website content in a matter of minutes. While it may be tempting to rely on these generative tools to handle tasks like writing blog posts for your website, it’s important to recognize that human-written content still appears to connect with website visitors more profoundly than the bland, surface-level, and somewhat awkward AI-generated content. For now, automated tools still work best for more menial tasks, such as allowing potential clients to schedule an appointment online or requesting client reviews through an automated follow-up email or text message. Potential clients still want to feel seen, heard, and valued when working with a law firm, and human-written content conveys these values more effectively.
Prioritizing Client Privacy
As our world moves increasingly into the digital sphere, many people are expressing their concerns about privacy. Although your clients may appreciate your law firm’s ability to keep up with the latest digital marketing trends, they also want to trust that your firm is committed to maintaining a high degree of ethical behavior, social responsibility, and privacy protection. Legal issues are, by nature, highly sensitive, so make sure to broadcast your law firm’s dedication to protecting client privacy at all times. When a potential client is deciding whether to work with your law firm or another practice in your area, the tiebreaker may be your firm’s clear commitment to prioritizing client privacy and maintaining high ethical standards in everything you do.
As your law firm starts planning for the new year, it’s important to review and create a digital marketing strategy that can help you achieve your goals. Give the LegalRev team a call today at (800) 893-2590 to get started.
