As a small to mid-sized law practice, you recognize how crucial it is to rely on a steady stream of clients. This may seem like an obvious statement, but building the strategies and infrastructure necessary to attract new clients can be challenging at times. In today’s increasingly online world, developing and maintaining an effective digital marketing strategy to grow your law firm is essential. By now, your firm likely has an active website highlighting the areas of law you practice and introducing your legal team to site visitors. However, setting up a website is just one component of a robust and effective content marketing strategy. As search engine algorithms like Google evolve at a rapid pace, law firms must tweak their digital marketing approaches to remain relevant and visible to those searching for legal services. Moreover, the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) content generation technologies has shaken up the content marketing landscape in considerable ways. If these rapid and dramatic shifts have left you somewhat confused and uncertain about how your law firm can remain competitive, you are far from alone. Sometimes, it’s helpful to take a step back and focus on the basics of digital marketing for law firms to ensure that your law practice continues to reach the people you are hoping to serve. This post will take things back to basics so that you can refresh your law firm’s digital marketing strategy to maximize its impact and grow your practice in the months to come.
Understanding the Client Journey
Any industry that relies on reaching people and converting them into clients needs to take some time to understand the various steps along the pathway from discovering the business to engaging their services. Very rarely does a customer go directly from thinking, “I need a lawyer,” to paying a retainer for the first attorney they come across. Instead, there are several steps between the client’s initial thought to hire an attorney and formally engaging an attorney’s services. It’s worth taking some time to recognize the typical steps along the client journey so your law firm can channel your content marketing efforts into meaningful interactions with potential clients (with the ultimate goal of maximizing your chances of converting client leads into clients that you serve). Below are some of the critical steps along the typical client’s journey.
Many Eventual Clients Begin With a Legal Question
It’s worth noting that many people who end up hiring a lawyer may not start their journey with the intention of actively looking for an attorney to represent them. The average person may begin with a question about a legal matter long before they realize that hiring a lawyer would serve their best interests. For instance, a small business owner may have a question about merging with another corporation, initially assuming that they can handle this matter on their own. However, after performing a web search and reading through several articles and websites, the business owner may decide to contact a business law attorney to support them throughout the merger process. When your law firm customizes its website to appeal to common client questions and concerns, the search engine algorithm will recognize the relevant content on your website and start displaying your content closer to the top of the search results pages (in turn, increasing the likelihood that someone will click on your website). By incorporating common keywords into your website’s content and focusing on creating a robust legal marketing strategy, this search engine optimization (SEO) best practice will propel your website to the top of the search results pages over time.
Creating a Welcoming and Impactful Website For Your Law Firm
As your SEO-friendly website rises among the search results, Google will direct more traffic to your website. However, just because someone lands on your website does not guarantee that they will decide to enlist your legal services. So, what steps can you take to make your website as user-friendly and engaging as possible? With so many law firms in your area offering similar services, how can your law practice distinguish your services from all the others? Investing in a client-centered website is the best way to appeal to site visitors and encourage them to contact you for more information. The conversion from site visitor to potential client is monumental, so you should take purposeful steps to prompt site visitors to take action (i.e., calling your firm to make an appointment, scheduling a free consultation using an automated calendar tool, etc.). Generally speaking, most people gravitate towards websites that load quickly (ideally, within three seconds or less), contain calming color tones (blues, grays, neutrals), and display short blocks of text separated by plenty of negative space. These types of websites welcome visitors and put them at ease, while more busy, “loud,” or overly crowded websites tend to overwhelm visitors and even generate a negative first impression. It’s worth assessing your options with a law firm marketing strategist to take your digital marketing strategy for law firms to the next level.
Empower Potential Clients to Take Action on Their Terms
Sometimes, the tiniest of details can make all the difference in converting a site visitor into a client. For example, someone may find that the prospect of calling a law firm and speaking to someone to schedule an appointment requires too much effort. However, this person may see a “schedule now” button on your website that allows them to make an appointment on their own terms—all without having to call the law firm or wait for someone to return their phone call. The more you can make your law services accessible to potential clients, the more likely they will be to move forward with your services. As you look for ways to streamline the client intake process, consider enlisting the help of a law firm marketing strategist who can assist you with how to grow your law practice effectively and successfully over time.
Developing and launching an effective digital marketing strategy to grow your law firm takes time and effort. If your law firm is looking for ways to improve your content marketing efforts to engage with more clients in your area, give LegalRev a call today at (800) 893-2590 to start discussing your digital marketing goals with a dedicated and friendly legal marketing strategist.
