As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact nearly every aspect of our daily lives, small business owners are working hard to identify strategies to keep their business in good financial shape. In particular, law firms are offering creative ways to engage with clients, such as providing consultations via phone or video conference. Some attorneys have experienced a slight downturn in the number of clients reaching out to them, especially as financial concerns may prompt clients to put their legal matters on hold for the time being. However, marketing your firm during these unprecedented times is increasingly important, as a number of legal needs are sure to arise as people encounter challenges during the COVID-19 crisis. We’ve put together five simple tips for stepping up your marketing efforts in the immediate future, and we’re happy to work with you to make sure you engage with the clients who need your services.
Tip #1: Keep Your Website Up-to-Date
Your law firm’s website makes a huge impression on your current and potential clients. It’s worth it to take a look at your current homepage to make sure all of your information is up-to-date and that the tone of your statements is aligned with your vision. Perhaps you may want to tweak a few phrases to sound more reassuring or compassionate to your clients. If you have closed your physical office in accordance with governmental guidelines, you should consider updating your site to reassure your clients that, though your office is temporarily closed, you still have regular hours of operation and clients can reach you by phone or video conference. As much as you can, tailor your website to show that you remain committed to providing clients with reliable and effective legal guidance, even during these uncertain times.
Tip #2: Revisit Your PPC Ad Messaging
If you are already using “pay per click” (PPC) advertising, now is a great time to make sure you are listening to what your clients want to hear during these challenging times. Explore the information that Google Trends has put together to better understand what’s on your clients’ minds. Think about the clients you serve—what are their needs, concerns, and anxieties? What types of messages do you think they need to hear from you right now? By taking some time to adapt your messaging to reassure, comfort, or motivate your clients, you are demonstrating your willingness to engage with people on a genuine and thoughtful level. Whether consciously or unconsciously, clients are bound to notice your efforts to directly address their concerns, which can lead to more client engagement over time.
Tip #3: Consider Highlighting Key Services
If your law firm specializes in multiple practice areas, it may be worth playing up the top one or two practice areas that people are most likely to need right now. With couples and families trapped together under one roof during quarantine, relationship experts are predicting that divorce requests will increase within the next months. People may be more concerned about their finances and their health, so estate planning attorneys may wish to address these concerns more directly. Think about what services you currently offer and how you can engage with clients to connect them with the legal services they are likely to need in the immediate future.
Tip #4: Follow SEO Best Practices
With more people stuck at home and searching for services online, it’s essential that you adhere to SEO best practices to ensure that you’re visible and welcoming to potential clients. Consumers make quick and immediate decisions about a business as they conduct online searches, so you want to appear trustworthy, professional, and helpful. Even minor details, like updating your Google My Business to reflect any changes in your hours of operation or services, can leave a lasting impression on consumers. If your site posts blogs, make sure that you are focusing on topics that are relevant and sensitive to our current reality. It’s helpful to adapt your posts by filtering your topics through a COVID-19 lens, such as “How the COVID-19 Pandemic May Affect Your Personal Injury Claim.” The more you can show your clients that you are aware of how this pandemic may affect their legal needs, the more you’ll highlight your professionalism and genuine concern for your clients’ needs.
Tip #5: Add a Personal Touch
We’ve already discussed how important it is to change your messaging to reflect the current climate. If you want to take your efforts a step further, consider creating and posting a video to check in with clients and to show them that you are in this together. With more people spending time at home and online, videos are becoming an increasingly popular and effective way to communicate with clients. Sometimes, just seeing your face, hearing the tone of your voice, and listening to your message of reassurance and encouragement is all someone needs to feel more optimistic about the future. Both Vimeo and YouTube make it simple to upload your video, so think about what you want to say to your clients and get started.
