The legal field is complicated, and it can be difficult to just stay in it. The average client is far better equipped today than they were in the past because information is more easily accessible than it has ever been in human history. Before selecting a service provider, they research a law firm thoroughly.
The present situation makes it imperative for law firms to work on their digital marketing strategies and come up with robust campaigns to establish their hold on the market. With the world undergoing a digital revolution now is perhaps the best time in human history as a legal firm to introduce your brand to Digital marketing. Furthermore, investing in digital marketing can often yield better results than traditional marketing strategies for growing your law firm’s clientele and lead generation. However, where do you even begin?
This post discusses the value of online marketing for law firms and offers some pointers to get you started.
Establish a Digital Brand
With so many legal firms competing for the attention of your target group, the only way to catch their attention is by establishing a digital identity for your brand. Start by identifying your unique offerings and chalking out your value proposition. Then, center your marketing campaigns around this idea so that your customers know why they should hire you.
For example, if you are a legal firm that specializes in transport law or bankruptcy cases, having a friendly tone to your brand will help in attracting customers. This is because someone who is being harassed for money is emotionally exhausted and would want to rely on some amiable. On the other hand, a law firm that specializes in child custody cases for males would need a more stoic image to attract potential customers.
Understand that the digital image you build should resonate with the work you do for it to drive home the best marketing results. It is always a good idea to throw light on the things you consistently do better than your competition while building an image.
Create a Digital Referral System
Irrespective of whether your legal firm practiced the traditional referral system or not, this is the perfect time for you to initiate a digital referral system. Start by identifying the group that you are targeting to get referrals from. This may be anyone from non-competing lawyers to other professionals like CAs, brokers, etc. It can also be past clients.
Once you have this sorted, create a database, and come up with templates for digital referral invitations that you can send to each group. The invitation should state how the other party stands to benefit through this campaign.
Understand that simply sending the invitation via email will not suffice and you need to either have someone from your office call and follow up, or you need to send an email reminder after a few days. Whenever anyone participates in a referral campaign, remember to send a ‘thank you’ note once the new client signs in. That way, you will lay the seeds of a healthy business relationship.
Focus on Social Media Marketing
In today’s world, people spend a good number of hours online on different social media platforms, making it the ideal place for legal brands to connect with their target group. Start by creating a business page on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram and sharing your success stories. Having a monthly best ‘prospect’ or ‘best client’ section on the page will ensure that people keep visiting your page in hopes of finding their names or those of their friends.
You can request your satisfied clients to record testimonials of doing business with you and upload such video footage on your social media pages as publish-worthy videos by making use of a free video editor. In the videos, the customers can talk about how they found out about your firm, what they liked the most about you, and the overall experience. Try to keep such review videos as authentic as possible as that will enable potential customers to relate to them.
Share information on legal updates, including your take on recent amendments and bills on your social media handle. Your Instagram marketing strategy can also have videos of you voicing your opinion on such legal matters. All of these will go into establishing your industry expertise and allow people to have faith in their credibility.
Inform Your Loyal Customers About New Services
As a legal firm on the path of growth, it is expected that over the years, you will expand the scope of your services. It is important to let your existing clients know of any new services (or discounts on existing services) and merely having the details on your website or social media page will not suffice.
Build an email list of customers and send out emails with appropriate links whenever you launch a service. As far as possible, try to address people by their names when you are sending such emails. It is also a good idea to send out such emails to your email broadcast group on festive and other special occasions.
Establish a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
As a legal firm, you would be spending a good amount of your working hours tracking leads and following up with prospects and clients. If you are planning a growth story for your firm, the first step is to adopt a CRM solution for your digital marketing campaigns. That way, the process of lead nurturing and conversation is automated, and data analytics can give you precise figures for you to base your campaigns on.
With CRM tools, you can monitor text, messaging, and e-sign-ins, track business phone calls, manage your email campaigns, and do a lot more. Most such platforms also allow you to manage client signups and the referral management system more effectively. As a legal firm, you can also choose to integrate the CRM solution with your case management software, making it easier for you and your team to access case data.
Understand that being a legal firm does not dictate that you have to adhere to the usage of the traditional black-and-white colors in all your digital marketing campaigns. Digital marketing should evoke the values and sentiments that the firm represents, and you should not be afraid to take a stand for things that the firm believes in. As your legal brand unleashes newer ways of reaching out to your target group digitally, here’s wishing you the very best for the same.