While law firms have focused on traditional marketing techniques for decades, a new era of marketing has been introduced. Now, the most efficient way to reach potential clients is online. However, there’s a lot to consider when evaluating all of the online marketing strategies and new techniques. Read below to learn what the professionals suggest in regards to online marketing for law firms. If you are interested in learning the latest tactics to generate new clients for your firm, join us at the EA Summit on March 1st and 2nd in Las Vegas.

1. Utilize free online marketing options.

Online marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. If you optimize the free venues, you can reach thousands of potential clients. The following places allow you to list your firm and access free options for describing your business:

  • Google My Business (GMB)
  • Avvo
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Yelp

There are hundreds of places online that you can list your law firm and provide a link to your website. If you want to utilize all of these venues, you may work with a professional online marketing agency, which can optimize your listings to better reach potential clients.

2. Promote information as a thought leader.

The information that you put out there on the internet should be forward thinking. Take advantage of SEO and inbound marketing techniques. Know what your potential clients are looking for, and put that information out there for them to find.

You should utilize an array of online marketing venues so that you can reach as many people as possible. When new venues open, take advantage of them quickly. The sooner you get your name and information out there, the quicker a client will contact you.

3. Provide educational content and promote it throughout the internet.

As a professional who knows a lot about your practice areas, you have an opportunity to inform potential clients while encouraging them to contact you. Write blogs, publish webpages, and reach out to media sources to provide educational information that will benefit the community. This will build you up as someone who knows about specific topic areas. The more you get your name out there as a knowledgeable person, the more clients you will get in your inbox.

4. Provide information that builds meaningful relationships with people.

Your potential clients will be searching for a venue to obtain information that is reliable. If you provide that information, they will come to you for more. When they are ready for specific legal advice, you will have already built a meaningful relationship, and they will call you.

You can also build those meaningful relationships with other attorneys. By putting information out there that benefits them, they will seek you out when they need help. If they have clients who need additional information, they will provide you with a referral. Referrals can be just as beneficial as original clients.

5. Use your online presence to obtain referrals.

By listing yourself on professional databases, you will not only be reaching potential clients, but also other attorneys. Those attorneys will obtain information about you and your services, and hopefully think of you when their clients need additional help. Other attorneys will provide referrals to people they feel are professionals and know their practice areas well. If you put information online that indicates you are knowledgeable, other attorneys are more likely to provide you with a referral.

6. Rely on word-of-mouth referrals as well.

When you put out advertising, you also want to target people who may know other people who need your services. To give an example, professionals are likely to know others who have employment law issues. People over age 60 are likely to know people dealing with nursing home neglect and abuses. You can even target these groups through specific online advertising on Facebook and other social media venues. Place your online ads in specific places to target groups that can generate leads for you.
 

7. Seek out online reviews.

Facebook, Google, Avvo, and many other venues allow users to leave reviews of businesses and professionals. These reviews are used by everyone who searches for you online. If you have few or no reviews, people searching for you have no reference for your quality. You should encourage past and current clients to leave online reviews for you. This may be done through an exit survey, email targeting, and more. A professional digital marketing company can help you generate online reviews that will benefit your business.

8. Claim your online presence.

Google My Business (GMB) and other online venues allow you to claim your business listing and make changes. Those business listings will exist regardless of whether you claim them or not. You should claim them so you can input correct contact information and promote your law firm with targeted online marketing techniques.

GMB allows you to post pictures, link to your website, and even post blogs related to your practice areas. You can use all of these options to make sure you are fully represented online. When someone searches Google for your business, or for a law firm with your practice areas, your fully optimized GMB listing can appear.

9. Publish interesting content frequently.

The more often you publish content, the greater the chance that you will be found online. The information you publish should provide knowledge that you think your potential clients will want. This can be determined with a carefully constructed SEO strategy that guides your content.

It’s important to craft content that provides information and looks appealing to the eye. Publish pages and blogs with pictures, graphics, and interactive elements. Potential clients want to be entertained while they obtain information about their legal issues.

10. Build a transactional website that secures conversions.

Your website should be transactional in nature, meaning that it targets potential clients and encourages them to call or otherwise contact you right away. A transactional website integrates SEO strategy, informational content, and creative design in order to secure conversions from people who are viewing your site. Every person who finds their way to your website is a potential client. If you create a skillful website to catch their attention and encourage them to contact you, they can be a conversion.

Work with a Professional Online Marketing Agency to Optimize Your Presence

You can create an online presence quickly through Google. Avvo, Facebook, and other online venues. However, you may have little information about what you need to put out there in order to gain clients. A professional online marketing agency can help you build a strong presence online and convert readers into clients.