One of the cornerstones of law firm marketing is finding the tactics that work best for you. Every firm has a unique way of marketing, but there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
You can learn a lot from peers who are already getting traction with their marketing efforts. Hearing from them can teach you what they’re doing and give you a faster jumping-off point.
Here are the top tips from 17 lawyers who are winning the game in law firm marketing.
1. Be Authentic
“Get rid of masks and facades, be who you really are. Be real.”
— Mickey Fine, Owner The Law Offices of Mickey Fine
“Be who God made you to be. Everyone else is taken, so be authentically you. ~Car Crash Ash”
— Ashley Rae Rawlins, CEO Rawlins Law, APC
“Being genuine about the services you offer and showcasing your personality through your marketing. It is important for prospective clients to get a feel for the type of attorney that you are and the type of services you will be able to provide. Don’t project something that you are not and/or promise a service you are not equipped to provide!”
— Ilya D. Frangos, Partner Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos
Potential clients form an idea of you the moment they see your marketing. It is very important that your marketing material be authentic to who you are and what you have to offer.
You want the experience you provide to match the marketing promises you make. Focus on the ways that your law firm delivers incredible experiences to clients.
For example, if clients say you’re a great communicator, lean into that in your marketing. You’ll attract people who care about your communication superpower. This matchup will allow you to deliver a great client experience consistently.
2. Be Consistent
“Always be marketing”
— Richard Reinartz, Owner Reinartz Law Firm
“Patience is a virtue.”
— Jason Hutzler, Owner Hutzler Law
It might not seem like the most flashy tip, but consistency counts.
There’s a lot to be said for showing up regularly and executing your attorney marketing plan. Many lawyers are too tempted to move on to something shiny and new before they’ve given an existing option enough time. Be wary of anything that promises quick results.
3. Invest in Digital Marketing
“Put your money in the Internet game first and foremost. Big media marketing seems great because you see so many other firms doing it, but without a strong internet presence, you are significantly lowering your rate of return on each case. I wish I would have sunk my big fees early in the Internet versus TV, radio and billboards.”
— Jeff Morris, Managing Attorney and Firm Owner Morris Law, LLC
Law Firm owners have no shortage of ways to get the word out there about their legal services. Traditional marketing methods do have their place. But you can use digital marketing to more precisely target your ideal client.
Digital marketing is key if your law firm relies on only one or two marketing methods to bring in new business. It can amplify those results and minimize your risks. Diversify your marketing methods by adding in digital so you have more options.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
“The advice I would give a lawyer that is just starting to market his or her law office would be to try new things until you figure out what works for you. Also, make sure to start a law firm newsletter, and add to your contact list every week.”
— David Abels, Law Partner Abels & Annes, PC
One of the best ways to set yourself away from your competition is to step out of your comfort zone. It’s not easy to take a strong marketing message and push it out into the world or to make your first lawyer TikTok video.
But these might be the action steps you need to take to resonate with your ideal audience.
Marketing can be difficult when you start since you must be open to trying new things. A knowledgeable law firm marketer can help you find the things that will work for you. This keeps you from one at a time learning that info through trial and error.
5. Have a Plan
“Be intentional. Be intentional internally and externally. People often market their firm without intent and then wonder why they are unsuccessful. If you have an intent in your marketing (i.e. who to reach, what cases you want, and how you plan to get them) it will be clear in your actions. Clear intentions get results, unclear intentions do not.”
— Austin Kurtz, Attorney Gallagher & Kennedy
Too many law firms attempt to pull off marketing without a clear plan or law firm marketing strategy. Without a plan, lawyers can take on too many marketing initiatives at once. That’s a sure path to burnout and lackluster results.
Without any meaningful results, it’s tempting to conclude that marketing just doesn’t work. The more likely story is that you weren’t strategic about picking the marketing methods that would most likely work for you.
It’s not a good idea to haphazardly chase new experiments, even though you want to be open to trying new things. If you want to try something new in your marketing plan, step back and see how this might fit into the bigger picture.
6. Keep an Eye on Your Competition
“Just look for very successful firms in your area, see what they do… Also, stop wasting money on billboards.”
— Erin Hawk, Managing Partner The Hawk Firm
Watching your competition gives you a sense of what edge others are trying to gain over you. Although you wouldn’t copy their messages or methods, it’s valuable intel.
For example, maybe another firm talks about their law firm with multiple attorneys. If you’re a solo lawyer, you might position yourself as providing a more personalized and dedicated touch.
If someone else is dominating billboards, maybe you decide not to play there at all. Instead, you might go all in with your SEO content marketing strategy. You can even use competitor analysis within SEO to see if you have the potential to surpass other law firms, too.
7. Stand Out From Your Competitors
“You must stand apart from your competition. Think about why someone should choose you over the others in your field. Once you have that figured out, teaming up with a solid marketing team to help you get that message out is critical.”
— Michael Joe Silva, CEO, Founding Attorney Silva Injury Law, Inc.
Today, clients have plenty of options to choose from when picking a lawyer. It’s not enough to bring your schooling to the table. You probably already know who your competitors are, but keeping an eye on them is only part of the puzzle.
If your competitors are successful with their marketing, it’s likely because they know their value proposition, target clients, and the channels to reach those clients.
To stand out, you must offer something unique. This often means niching down and owning your category.
If you’re a personal injury lawyer, for example, maybe you focus on one kind of accident. Or you may be known for getting fair settlements from insurance companies. Or perhaps you work on only catastrophic or permanent injury cases.
8. Create Educational Content
“Creating educational content to inform the community & potential clients. This is the main reason why we put on numerous workshops throughout the year that are free to the public. It gives us an opportunity to educate the community and offer our services in case they would like to learn more.”
— Jordan Lulich, Managing Partner Lulich & Attorneys, P.A.
Your messages won’t always be in front of your ideal client exactly when that person is ready to hire a lawyer. Creating educational content generates demand from future clients. By setting yourself up as a knowledgeable resource, people will come to you when they need help.
The most obvious place for this content is social media. But there are plenty of other places for great educational content. For example, posting helpful content on your law firm blog can introduce your firm to people in the top and middle of the content marketing funnel.
9. Become a Thought Leader
“Being an author is a powerful marketing tool. It provides credibility and authority and stands out among the noise. Authors are naturally recognized as experts in their field. Potential clients will distinguish you from most every other attorney in your field of practice. YOU “wrote the book” about their legal problem.
Your book also lets you attract potential clients who are in the early stages of considering hiring an attorney without forcing them to schedule a consultation…Additionally, once you get the information you need to send them the book…you can follow up with the potential client over time until they are finally ready for a consultation.
Writing a book can be time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. Traditional paper and pencil or keyboard-form writing can work just fine, but consider other writing options as well. Some do as I did, recording my thoughts verbally on a voice to text platform, then rearranging them into manuscript form.
It doesn’t have to be long to be helpful and effective. You can dictate answers to some of the most frequently asked questions that you hear from clients, mistakes to avoid, how you help your clients through the process. Use interesting examples from past clients you’ve helped. Easy top-of-head knowledge for you is truly valuable and much appreciated information for your perfect client facing a legal issue for the first time.”
Prospective clients aren’t the only ones who like content from someone who is passionate and intelligent.
Search engines like Google prioritize ranking content that delivers on the EAT principle. That is content that shows expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
Writing a book is just one way to be a thought leader. You can use podcasts, video marketing, LinkedIn posts, and so much more to show how engaged and knowledgeable you are in your practice area.
10. Use Messaging that Matches the Client Experience
“Core values that inform the firm’s culture and consistent messaging. If a client expects one thing from advertising, but those expectations are not met by the firm’s experience, it’s a missed opportunity.”
— Andrew Finkelstein, Managing Partner Finkelstein & Partners, LLP
Your prospective clients care about you only enough to confirm that you’re the right choice for them.
This means you must use client-first messaging and hit a home run with your client experience. Make sure that what you market about yourself matches client expectations.
11. Get Reviews from Clients
“Reviews are key. Prospective customers want to hear how previous clients have been treated and how their representation has gone. This is oftentimes a really important decision and hearing the opinion of others who have been through it is really important.”
— Rohom Khonsari, Managing Partner Khonsari Law Group
Nearly 70% of potential law firm clients look at online reviews before hiring a lawyer. Word of mouth on review platforms backs up all the marketing messages you put out there.
Online reviews also give your clients a window into what it’s like to work with you from start to finish.
Law firm clients have a choice in who they hire, and they put a lot of weight on comments made by others. People like to hear what people like them have to say about a business or a service.
Reviews on your Google Business Profile and legal directories work well as standalones. You can get mileage out of them by reusing them as testimonials or case studies on your law firm’s website.
12. Build Connections with Referral Partners
“Building connections and relationships with other attorneys is an old-school way to market that still works well in this digital age. Find good people to work with other good people is a winning combination.”
— Russell Nicolet, President Nicolet Law Office, S.C.
Word of mouth from former clients isn’t the only important connection for lawyers. Referral partners are also a must.
Word of mouth and direct referrals can make it easier to convert your prospective clients. A few select referral partners who drive business your way can uplevel your marketing and provide a steady stream of clients.
13. Work with an Experienced Marketing Partner
“Finding a marketing partner that is honest and accountable has been the most important thing for my firm. As a legal professional, I know my subject-matter limits and that sometimes I need to bring on expert help; but what did not do me any good was bringing help that kept on making promises without being realistic or showing how to hold them accountable.”
— Omer Gurion, Manager/Attorney at Law Gurion Legal
“Find a marketing firm that understands your brand, your client base/audience, and has your growth goals at a budget that makes sense for your firm to achieve those goals. You should understand what the marketing firm has planned in the short/long-term, the steps that will be implemented along the way, and be able to realistically track your firm’s progress.”
— Brandon Milster, Attorney Klezmer Maudlin, P.C.
It’s tough for a law firm to juggle everything required to see marketing success. The best lawyers recognize that outsourcing things like marketing leads to better results.
There is no shortage of people who offer legal marketing services. The hard part is finding someone you can trust.
When you partner with an outside expert, you’ll save time because of all the work they take off your plate.
You also gain confidence in knowing that your marketing partner will build a strategy with your law firm in mind. This eliminates the pressure to try out multiple marketing initiatives randomly. Instead, you’ll be able to take a strategic and focused approach.
Rankings.io has earned our reputation as legal industry marketing experts by spending years in the trenches with law firms. We’ve seen what works and where most lawyers go wrong with marketing.
Start getting results faster by working with a qualified marketing partner you can rely on for the long term. Contact us today to see what we can do to help you grow.
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