As you look ahead to the new year, it’s time to take stock of your digital marketing goals for growing your law practice. Perhaps you are simply looking to expand the number of clients you serve, or maybe you want to attract more clients who have a specific legal need. Either way, taking some time to create client personas is a great way to ensure that your firm’s website, content, and marketing strategies address the unique needs and interests of the client demographics you wish to serve. Here are some simple tips to help you get started.
Client Personas: The Basics
Businesses often create buyer personas to help them understand the types of people they wish to attract. The term “client persona” arose out of this practice, and attorneys, medical providers, and other professionals are using client personas with greater frequency in order to grow and adapt their practices. Essentially, client personas are imagined individuals that you design that represent the ideal client you’d like to serve. The more details you can provide, the more useful the client persona will be when creating meaningful content and effective marketing strategies. Client personas can help you narrow your audience and adjust your website, blogs, and other marketing materials in response to their specific concerns. While it may feel counterintuitive to focus on a few target demographics, content that is too broad or that attempts to appeal to an overly wide audience often fails to gain traction or garner client interest.
Creating a Client Persona
Once you have a picture of your ideal client, take some time to ask yourself a few questions about this person. How old is your client? Is this person married? Do they have children? What is their level of education? What motivates them? What are their interests? What are their fears? Criminal defense attorneys wishing to grow their juvenile crimes practice may create a client persona for a younger person who is likely frightened and looking for guidance. They may also concentrate on parents of juveniles who are worried about their child’s future. Personal injury lawyers may envision an older client who has suffered an injury due to a slip and fall accident and doesn’t know what their options are for pursuing compensation. After jotting down these details and creating a solid sketch of the type of client you are hoping to serve, think about how they are likely to find you. Does this demographic use smartphones, or are they more likely to use a desktop computer? Are they active on social media? From there, you can determine how to use these platforms to connect with your intended audience.
Start With Your Existing Resources
The idea of carving out valuable time to create fictional client personas out of thin air may sound unrealistic—silly, even. However, it’s important to recognize that you already have several resources at your disposal to begin this process. Look through the files of clients you’ve already served, searching for commonalities. Do you notice any trends, such as age, marital status, or type of employment? You can also ask former clients for their input, underscoring that this process is designed to improve client experience and better address the specific needs of current and future clients. Any information you can gather from the resources currently available to you will streamline and enhance the process of creating useful client personas.
Reach out to the friendly LegalRev team today to discuss your law firm’s digital marketing needs. Call (800) 893-2590 to get started.
