Digital Marketing for Lawyers

As computers, tablets, and smartphones have become more pervasive over the years, it has become necessary to have a visible online presence. Even if you get many new clients through referrals, you still need to be actively engaged in digital marketing. Potential clients who have been recommended to you will still check out your law practice online before they book their first appointment.

There are many different digital marketing strategies lawyers can use to attract new clients. The strategies you use will depend on your goals and audience. Over time, these strategies may change with evolving business goals.

Digital Marketing Goals

Before you decide how you want to market your law firm in the digital realm, you should establish solid digital marketing goals.

• Do you want to increase the number of visitors to your firm’s website?
• Do you want your website to be a reliable source of information about the area of law you practice?
• Are you trying to garner more positive online reviews?

Once you determine your digital marketing goals, you can pick which marketing strategies will best help you achieve them. You may have to try different combinations of techniques to find what works best for individual audiences.

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Target Audience

Now that you know the results you want to achieve with your marketing efforts, you must figure out who your target audience is and which digital media platforms they use. Your target audience will largely depend on the type of law you practice. If you work in different areas of the legal field, you will have unique audiences. Even if you focus on one practice area within your field, you may have some variations. For example, if you are marketing for your elder law practice rather than the broader topic of estate planning, your target audience will be older adults as well as their adult children.

Once you have identified your target audience, figure out which digital media platforms they are most active on and how they interact with those platforms. Knowing these things will allow you to be more intentional in your digital marketing efforts and narrow down your strategies.

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Digital Marketing Strategies

After setting your digital marketing goals and determining your target audience, it is time to choose the digital marketing strategies you want to use. There are many options to choose from. Here are a few you should use or should at least consider.

• Your law firm’s website: This will likely be your most important digital marketing asset. Your firm’s website is where you can talk about the areas of law you practice, your credentials and achievements, and post about upcoming events.
• Email marketing: You can use email marketing campaigns to target specific audiences with relevant newsletters, articles, and other material.
• Social media marketing: There are many social media platforms you can use. Pick the ones that most align with your goals and audience. Keep in mind that it is better to be consistently active on a couple of platforms rather than sporadically active on several platforms.

These are just a few ways you can use digital marketing to promote your law firm, and there are plenty more ways to consider. Make sure to track the results of your digital marketing efforts, so you know what is working and what is not and adjust accordingly. Digital marketing requires continual testing and updating to be successful. Your audience’s needs and interests will change over time.

It may be helpful to hire a marketing agency, such as Law As a Business (LAB), that specializes in marketing and communications for law firms. Legal marketing experts can help you get a strong digital marketing strategy going without the time and hassle of doing it yourself.

Audit and improve your firm’s digital presence.

Digital marketing is essential to building trust with potential clients, current clients, and referral sources. Just like your own health, it’s important to check in on your law firm’s digital marketing presence regularly to ensure it’s running at its full potential. Watch this video to learn the elements of a healthy marketing strategy and how to assess your firm’s online presence.