On the other hand, according to recent statistics, 29% of law firms with 2-9 attorneys have a marketing budget while 0% of solo practitioners have any at all.
In this article, we will discuss 8 lead generation tactics for lawyers to help improve lead quality as well.
Invest in PPC & local ads, smartly
Realistically speaking, if someone is looking for a lawyer, they are likely to do one of two things:
- ask friends and family
- search on Google
PPC and local ads, specially on Google, help you appear on the top of search results when your prospective client is looking for a lawyer like you. Though, badly run paid campaigns can be very costly. Most law firms have tried PPC, whether on their own or through an agency. But soon gave up, because of lacking results.
Google ads, especially for lawyers, is really not that simple.
To run effective PPC campaigns, lawyer must:
- structure the campaigns correctly
- understand broad, phrase and exact match
- write clear concise copy
- generate the right keywords
- budget properly
- and more
For example, if you practice family law, but run ads on keywords like ‘lawyer’ instead of ‘family lawyer’ or ‘divorce attorney’ you are likely to generate a lot of spam leads.
Leverage social media marketing
By now, you have probably seen lawyers appear on your Instagram reels and TikTok answering basic questions that clients ask. Social media content is great for brand building, which means, that the next time someone is looking for an attorney, they go out looking for you only. This content also makes you credible, puts a face behind your practice and builds trust.
You might wonder that you have to invest in a camera, lights, and other production equipment. But when starting out — it doesn’t need to be perfect! Just use your phone front camera, and start posting.
Strategic content marketing for lawyers
Content marketing is a strategy to attract prospect law firm clients through creating and distributing valuable content via blogs, videos, social media, podcasts, webinars and more. And none of this content is a pitch of your services. It is valuable information shared to answer commonly asked questions and helping prospective clients solve their challenging situations.
Content marketing is one of those strategies that positively impacts all other channels and marketing strategies for law firms. It is helpful for SEO, paid ads, brand awareness and much more.
Helpful content marketing tip for lawyers
Creating content for every channel and in different formats, can be a heavy lift. But you can reduce this work with a simple process.
Record a 5 to 10-min video on a your clients would find valuable. You can post this video on social media, making it useful content in one format. Then, using the content of the video, you can convert it into a blog post. From that blog post, you can create an email to share with your current clients while also creating short social media content.
Eventually, one video gives you content for multiple channels in different formats as you continue to repurpose it.
Implement email marketing campaigns
If you haven’t already allowed clients and prospective clients to opt into a legal newsletter, start immediately. With a 4,400% ROI, email marketing is a very cost effective method to remain visible to your audience and share knowledge.
You can segment your audience based on their interests and legal needs, and deliver personalized content that speaks to their specific concerns.
Some email marketing campaigns may include, but not limited to:
- informational videos
- blog posts (new and repurposed)
- client testimonials (text and/or video)
- press releases/about law firm
- leave a review
Optimize landing pages
Ensure your website’s landing pages are optimized for conversion. Clearly communicate the benefits of your legal services, include compelling calls-to-action, and minimize distractions. A well-designed landing page can significantly improve your lead conversion rates.
Lead generation via legal SEO
SEO is a crucial tactic for lead generation for lawyers. Optimizing your website improves your visibility for search engines to index and crawl your website — leading to increased traffic that converts to leads. When it comes to SEO, there are a number of factors that play a vital role.
On one hand, you have Google E-E-A-T which is an abbreviation of Expertise, Experience, Authority and Trustworthiness. Google began focusing on EEAT in December 2022. This framework revolves around quality and credibility. Are you publishing high-quality content on your website which is backed by expertise? In many cases, publishing as a lawyer with experience, allows Google to positively consider your content but often law firms make the mistake of either:
- not creating any content
- or creating content of no value
Besides Google’s EEAT framework, other factors like technical SEO focus on site speed, structure and indexing capabilities. If your website is slow, it will not be considered a good experience for visitors, and if your website cannot be indexed, your website would not be on search engines.
Putting together all the SEO pieces together solves the organic lead generation puzzle for lawyers and in the long-term, it is a lot more cost effective as well.
Implement live chat on your website
Enhance user experience by incorporating live chat functionality on your website. This allows potential clients to ask questions in real-time, providing immediate assistance and increasing the likelihood of converting website visitors into leads. Pro Tip: Hubspot is a great tool for starters!
Generate reviews, showcase testimonials
Earlier we mentioned that prospective clients ask friends and family for a lawyer when they need one. One main reason behind this is trust. Similarly, online reviews and testimonials help prospective clients find you trustworthy. Running review campaigns via emails and/or otherwise will help build that trust when someone is looking for your law firm. Simultaneously, this will help your local profile (Google My Business) and improve your rankings. When requesting reviews, you can run campaigns for third-party platforms like lawyers.com, Justia and FindLaw.
Lead generation for lawyers; next steps
Not all lead generation tactics are created equal but in many ways different lead generation tactics compliment each other. Building a strong online presence, engaging with your target audience, and providing valuable resources are key components of a successful marketing strategy for law firms. If you’re not ready to implement all of it at once, start small and focus on a few areas first.
Interested to learn more about how DVC helps law firms like yours to generate high-quality leads consistently – click here for a free consultation.