The Best Law Firm Marketing Strategies According to 19 Experts

David Reischer, Esq. Attorney & Marketing Manager at Flushing Law Group/LegalAdvice.com.

Infographics are an excellent way to increase traffic for law firm websites. It is important when creating an infographic that the content topic is interesting. This seems pretty obvious, but it cannot be underscored enough that the infographic will fail to engage users unless the topic is interesting to the website readership. When we begin designing the infographic I am careful to instruct the designer to graphically ‘show’ the audience, rather than merely use words that ‘tell’ the audience with too many blocks of text. I advise the graphic designer to keep the design simple and break up the pieces of the story into segments that can be easily digested at a glance. This is how you create a winning infographic on any topic.

Infographics work well because it visually communicates to the client that you are an expert but does so in a fun and engaging manner. Infographics appeal to both the analytical and creative portions of a person’s brain so that it stimulates the viewer with a quick burst of information.

It is critical that a law firm work with a talented graphic artist.  A law firm should locate a graphic designer that has prior examples of their work to get a sense of whether the style of the artist matches with the look and feel of the law firm brand. I like to scope out infographics that my competitors are using to see what good ideas resonate with me. Then I begin to frame the idea of my infographic while trying to keep my website audience in mind.

Harriet Chan, Co-Founder and Marketing Director of CocoFinder.

In marketing, businesses try to sell themselves to the people and expect them to make a purchase. However, that’s not enough without social proof. People want real testimonies from others with the same challenge and how the law firm helped them save their case. All businesses, not just law firms, should collect reviews. Most clients read and utilize the reviews when looking for the best firm to work with. They start searching on Google, then Facebook, Yelp, etc. Having strong positive reviews plays a critical role in putting your firm out there compared to other marketing tactics.

Use your website to show social proof, and the best way to do it is by asking for testimonials and reviews from your previous clients. It will be proof to potential clients that your firm is reliable and you’ve helped people. Also, incorporate case studies with vast detail on how you helped your clients with specific issues. 

Katherine Brown, Founder and Marketing Director of Spyic.

It is important that law firms and attorneys meet with relevant clients. Establish a different marketing point by specifying their target audience and use short, authentic, unique, and clever language that draws the attention of the audience. In order to appear in local search results, they should set up a Google My Business page. Make sure their website has local keywords and the website should comply with NAP(Name, Address, Phone data). It is mandatory to get backlinks from other websites to build authority and generate positive customer reviews for brand trustworthiness.

A structured marketing plan and maneuvering results can help potential buyers reach out to grow law firms. This law firm marketing strategy and plan will let people know that you are out there.

Following your efforts is essential to success and cannot be ignored. a clear picture of the results can help make informed, data-driven decisions with better, faster sales results. Install Google Analytics on the site to view website traffic analytics this will help collect audience data for analyzing the website and tracking results.

Alison Ver Halen, CEO of AV Writing Services.

The #1 marketing strategy I recommend for law firms is blogging 2-4 times per month. If done consistently, not only does it help your law firm rank for relevant online searches, it also helps you convert leads who find your website by demonstrating your expertise.

When people are looking for someone in a professional services industry, such as an attorney, they want to make sure that person has the necessary expertise, and a blog is a great way to get that buy in.

The most important step for law firms to take to effectively execute a blogging strategy is to make sure they’re blogging at least 2-4 times per month and that they do so on a consistent basis. It will take time, so don’t expect the traffic to come flooding in right away.

Gresham Harkless, Founder of CBNation.

For law firms, I would look into creating a SEO strategy that focuses on the long-tail. SEO is a great lead generation strategy but it’s a long-term strategy. I compare it to building a house or a home. When you are able to build a solid foundation in your SEO strategy I believe it’s one of the marketing “ingredients” that helps out your entire marketing strategy.

The opportunities within SEO (e.g. long tail) often come from really knowing your target client and building those avatars. The one tip law firms can take advantage of is to do a long tail analysis. This could be done simply by interviewing or asking clients for the things they are searching for.

When this is done, you can create long tail content (e.g. blogs) that will target your ideal clients and drive them to your website. It works well because the long-tail is endless and when you are able to rank well for long-tail searches it often adds up to more than the most competitive keyword.

Ellen Toscano, Marketing Manager of Tenant Law Group.

I highly recommend investing in Yelp! advertising, having a list of referrals for other trusted law firms and businesses with whom you have a great relationship, and hiring a Client Outreach Coordinator. 

Because of Yelp! advertising, we receive multiple inquiries from potential new clients every day.  We are a law firm that works exclusively with tenants and some of the inquiries we receive are for landlord or real estate attorneys, so with our referral list, we are still able to help those who reach out to us by sending them referral information and/or making a personal introduction between them and the referral source. 

The response we receive for providing this is tremendous gratitude, as they do not need to do their own research in finding the help they need, and instead we have done the work for them.  Our Client Outreach Coordinator’s also personally follows up with all former clients to see how they are doing and if there is anything they need that we may be able to help them with, whether it be related or unrelated to their legal matter. 

The majority of our clients are extremely appreciative that a busy law firm takes the time to reach out to them with compassion, care, concern, and thoughtfulness.  This creates a long-term relationship with clients and makes them more likely to refer others to our firm as well.  

Law Firms should take the time to create a referral list of other law firms and businesses both related and unrelated to their practice and have it as an available resource to share with both their clients and prospects. 

As for having a Client Outreach Coordinator to follow up with former clients, I recommend setting a schedule for following up (i.e.. have the Client Outreach Coordinator call the former client 60 days after their matter closed to check in, and again after 6 months). I am happy to go into this in further detail as well, if you would like to use this information.

Shiv Gupta, Marketing Director of Incrementors SEO Services.

A robust digital public relations team is an excellent instrument for promoting a law firm. A public relations professional can assist you in building an online reputation that demonstrates to your community that you are a helpful resource that can benefit them when they are in need.

A public relations person or team can produce press releases that result in local news outlets covering some of the feel-good cases you’ve won, or you can contribute guest pieces to websites to promote your knowledge and skills. Maybe there’s a story in the local news that you can comment on; they’ll set you up with interviews so you can voice your thoughts. These are just a few examples of how public relations may play an essential role in legal business marketing.

Austin LaRoche, CEO of ATAK Interactive.

Make sure your website contains all of the information that potential clients would require. You could be able to assist clients in a variety of legal topics at your law practice. Any service you may offer to consumers should be listed on your website and easily accessible to visitors.

Ensure that each page on your website has beneficial information about your services and is SEO-friendly to attract the visitors you require. Keep in mind that your legal firm’s services extend beyond your immediate area. You’ll have a higher chance of ranking highly for these terms if you choose keywords specific to your location and the locations you serve.

Laura Rike is a Pinterest Powerhouse who helps high-performing business owners use Pinterest to scale.

As a professional in the social media marketing world with expertise specifically in Pinterest, I of course think it is important that law firms leverage the platform of Pinterest (which is so much more than a simple social media site, but rather a search engine with robust ad capabilities) to market their services, build awareness, grow their email lists, and even make sales.

I encourage lawyers to start blogs on their websites, and regularly update with content that helps establish them as an expert in their niche, and get future clients to know, like, and trust them by adding value, helping them, and enticing them to choose their firm.

Then, they should share the content with new audiences using Pinterest, which amplifies content, and allows evergreen content to go viral long after its initial posting date. I also recommend taking advantage of new Pinterest features that help the algorithm amplify reach, such as the video pins.

Most social media platforms favor users who are early adopters of their new features and reward them by showing their posts to more people, and Pinterest is no exception! This blog post shows that in action exactly!

Kendall Lemmen is a content and technical writer for Evenbound.

While there are many marketing strategies that work well for law firms, I’ve seen the best success in content marketing. Content marketing works really well for law firms because it’s an inbound strategy that pulls qualified leads in, rather than pushing out a bunch of information at non-targeted people that won’t find it valuable, and, thus, aren’t likely to convert.

When law firms develop things like blogs, content offers, and case studies, they establish themselves as credible, experienced sources of information. And when the users who need that specific information go searching for it, they’re likely to read those pieces and choose a particular firm because they were helpful and knew what they were talking about.

All in all, content marketing is a great way to build trust among your audiences. In order to executive content marketing effectively, there are a number of tools and steps law firms can use. But before getting started on any of them, they should develop buyer personas and topic clusters to help guide their content marketing strategy.

Allison Mahoney, Founder of Estorie Agency.

I would recommend finding opportunities to write on their area of expertise and book speaking engagements. For instance, lawyers can publish articles in local law journals, on LinkedIn, or on Law360. They can also speak on CLE panels.

This will open the door to additional promotional opportunities and will also highlight their expertise, which could lead to referrals. By way of example, I co-authored an article on coercive control (a form of intimate partner violence) with another attorney. From that article, a potential client reached out to me, and I was invited to speak on a panel for the New York State Bar Association for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

These techniques help to establish attorneys as thought leaders. They expose lawyers to other lawyers, people working on policy issues, members of professional associations, and potential clients. Additionally, this is excellent content to include on a firm’s website! 

Tyler Garns, CEO of Box Out Marketing.

Building a website will be the most effective marketing strategy for law firms. It will enable them to connect with their potential clients quickly. By visiting their websites, clients will know the law firm’s track record, and if they have any queries, they can quickly raise it out to them or answer it by themselves because the law firm can post FAQs on their websites.

The law firm should ensure that all the details that a client needs to know are present on their website. They can also post content through blog posts in which a client can assess their capabilities as a law firm. If the law firm has the means, find a good website developer to maximize their website well and ensure a positive ROI.

John McGhee, Managing Partner of Webconsuls.

The most effective marketing strategy for law firms is a 2 pronged approach that utilizes paid and organic/content marketing. The organic side should include focus on producing informative and valuable website content. Backlinking and other other SEO best practices should also be followed of course, but high quality content is what will set them apart.

Law firms have an advantage in that they can be as informative as they wish with their content, with little threat of users taking that information and using it to do the service or task themselves. With the paid side, the strategy will focus around qualifying leads to assure they’re quality, revenue generating leads. This largely depends on setting up the campaign in a way that identifies each lead, and provides a way to give feedback on lead quality. 

This strategy works well for law firms because the paid side minimizes waste and focuses on producing leads that ultimately generate revenue. This paid strategy employs a tiered philosophy that revolves around producing the most revenue for the least amount of money. The organic strategy seeks to generate as many relevant website visits and leads as possible, since there’s no per click cost associated with organic marketing. 

The way to execute the organic side of this strategy is to have a great writer on staff, or partner with a marketing agency that thoroughly understands the legal industry. The key to the paid strategy is creating and syncing the necessary tools to qualify leads, and consistently qualifying those leads.

We typically use CallRail to qualify leads (mark as good lead or bad lead), then sync CallRail with Google Ads and only import the good leads as conversions. Then set the bid strategy to go after these good leads.

Darshan Somashekar, Founder & CEO of Solitaired.

Joining local bar and networking events is a great way to meet new people and develop your business. You can also generate leads through referrals. Referrals from other attorneys are an excellent strategy to expand your firm’s client base and increase revenue. You could even want to meet with them to discuss and evaluate their law business marketing techniques.

You should establish a referral relationship with other law firms in the area. Spend time shaking hands and mingling with your fellow lawyers on such occasions. Attending community activities to meet potential clients is also a good idea.

Despite the fact that digital marketing appears to be gaining traction, old-fashioned networking, which entails meeting people face to face, remains useful and successful in all facets of law firm marketing tactics. To make an impression, hand out business cards, pens, and plenty of smiles.

Chere Estrin, CEO of Estrin Legal Staffing.

What I see works tremendously is firms that advertise their support staff. If clients knew the backgrounds of many of the paralegals and law clerks that work for them, they would:

• Not push back when a paralegal is assigned to the matter.
• Begin to request paralegals to save time and money, thereby pushing the lower level assignments down to the lowest competent level. This frees up associates to take on high level of work. This gives the client a break in substantial fees having a lawyer who does paralegal work – a system that prevails throughout the industry.
• It eases their fears that a “real attorney” is not doing the hands-on.

For example: A client reading that the firm only uses paralegals with a BA degree, a paralegal certificate from an ABA approved school, has possibly post-graduate degrees and hails from prestigious firms, would probably gravitate towards that firm. They know that the best of the best is supporting their attorneys.

Marketing your legal professionals also shows the client that not only do you do the best work but that the work is done by the best. We have firms that require a certain academic standing, top schools and post-graduate degrees. I assure you, once the word is out to the client, more business comes in.

Tyson Stevens, Founder of EduRef.

In the digital age, social media reigns supreme. It has a great deal of clout and influence. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are just a handful of the social media powerhouses to keep an eye on. Without a doubt, social media advertising may have a significant impact on your company’s success and branding potential. Best of all, making full use of social media requires only a small investment and a small amount of time.

To establish a position of authority and attract new clients, law firm marketing tactics should focus on developing a law firm LinkedIn page, Facebook profile, and Facebook advertising campaign. Your social media presence should set you apart from your peers and competitors. When planning your law firm marketing plans, make sure to include time and money for social media.

Eric Carrell, Marketing Advisor at SurfShark.

Clients will begin to submit reviews of your organization once you have established an online presence with detailed profiles. Take the time to read reviews and consider why you could have a poor one when reviewing your law firm marketing strategies. There’s always something that can be done better. Reviews are really important.

In a 2019 Legal Trends Report, it was discovered that when looking for a law firm, potential clients do a lot of research, and one of the first places they look is online reviews. A few poor reviews won’t damage, but if you have a long history of complaints, clients may begin to avoid you.

The relevance of reviews is constantly factored into successful law firm marketing strategy. If your customer has expressed pleasure with your firm’s performance, request an online review of each case. If you get a bad review, don’t just disregard it. Try to be positive in your response to the client’s feedback.

Alexandra Tanya, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Miss Amara.

When it comes to web marketing for law firms, legal directories are a terrific resource FindLaw and Justia, for example, receive millions of monthly visitors and score highly in Google searches. By becoming listed on these sites, you may use their traffic to your benefit. Citations are an important part of your Google and other SERP rankings, and having citations from high-ranking sites can assist boost your site authority.

Legal directories are a low-cost technique of internet marketing for lawyers that can provide a lot of value. Some of them also provide other marketing options, such as contributing to Q&A sections, that allow you to further develop your brand and display your knowledge.

Brian Dean, Founder of Search Analytics Platform Exploding Topics.

Many people seeking answers to legal questions begin their search on Google. Answering frequent legal queries in the form of blogs on a regular basis can help you win early leads. Make sure to both answer the question (in plain English) and emphasize the issue’s complexity and conditions. The issue’s complexity and interdependencies encourage the reader to contact you. Finish with a personalized call to action that connects to your contact form or something similar.