After going through the rigors of law school and the headache of passing the bar exam, the last thing you want to think about as a lawyer is marketing yourself to potential clients. However, it is something that needs to be on your mind. Whether you’re a personal injury lawyer or a criminal defense attorney, you can’t work if you don’t have clients. You need to make yourself stand out from the rest, and the best way to do that is through marketing.
Focus on Referrals
Referrals are by and large the most consistent source of paying customers that lawyers have. When someone discovers they have a need for a personal injury lawyer, most often, their first thought is to reach out to their friend who went through a similar situation the previous year. Obviously that lawyer did a good job. After you close a case, make sure you remain on good terms with your former clients and encourage them to leave an online review.
Local SEO Is Key
The next important thing to focus on after client referrals when it comes to your marketing is to optimize your local SEO. If someone is in need of a personal injury lawyer and they don’t know anyone who has hired a lawyer recently, their first step is to research personal injury lawyers near them. You need to show up in that search result.
The first, and easiest, thing to do is to claim your Google Business Profile. This is a free profile that Google offers and allows you to make sure you show up in the “local pack” for your area. Make sure all the information in that profile is up to date, including your physical address, phone number, hours of operation, website, and anything else the profile, so your future clients know exactly how to get in touch with you.
Optimize Your Website
Another thing that makes your marketing easier is to make sure your website is easy-to-use for both your clients and the search engine bots that determine the “worth” of your website. This includes making sure that all your pages/links are working and either redirecting broken ones to a relevant new page or deleting them entirely. This also means optimizing your website for mobile devices and making sure it runs as fast as possible. A well-functioning website means the search engines will rank your website higher than others and your future clients won’t close out of your website because it’s a headache to use.
Embrace Content Marketing
Content marketing is an often overlooked aspect of online marketing. It’s beneficial both for your website’s status with the search engines and establishing yourself as an authority in the personal injury law space. It may seem like a small thing, but future clients are more likely to contact a law firm that has more information about what they’re going through on their website than one that doesn’t.
The most common form of content marketing as it pertains to websites is by establishing a blog on your site. This can include common questions asked by new clients, breaking down the process of various case filings, and anything else you might think your clients would want to know. Providing this information freely on your website establishes you as a knowledgeable source and builds trust with future clients (and the search engines).
Leverage Social Media
All most people talk about these days when it comes to marketing is social media. Social media is a great marketing tool, but only if you use it properly. Many businesses download every social media app and create an account to start posting on. This is both a waste of time and money because each social media platform is favored by different demographics. Find where your audience is and focus on one or two platforms to start. You can expand later on.
When it comes to posting on social media, it completely depends on what platform you’re focused on and what you want to be known for. Some ideas include introducing your staff to your future clients or being an authority in the space. Social media algorithms are tricky, so find what works for you through trial and error and keep doing it.
