Legal marketing experts overwhelmingly agree that to meet the unique demands of 2020, law firm marketing strategies must include a tone and message that addresses the current concerns of potential clients. Attorneys must consider the evolving needs of society to provide valuable content that potential clients need and want.
This post examines some of the strategies for growth being championed by legal marketing experts.
Strategy #1 PSA-Style Marketing Content
The pandemic threw the entire world into survival mode. Overnight, people became consumed with worries about estate planning, insurance law, employment rights, and asset management. If you recognized these trends, you probably also recognized that your usual marketing techniques may not meet the immediate concerns of potential clients in the age of COVID.
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are general messages disseminated to the public with the objective of changing behaviors and perspectives or calling awareness to a particular issue. With PSA-style content, your firm creates advertising that looks more like informational content than a fancy law firm marketing campaign. It provides potential clients with the information they want, while also helping to establish trust in your firm.
For example, an estate planning practice may offer general content about wills – something like a “Wills and Estates FAQ” that answers common questions or “A Guide to Will Preparation” PDF that explains what information should be gathered prior to preparing a will. Because this type of content is meant to resemble a PSA, it should not be plastered with calls to action. A single “For more information…” mention at the end is sufficient.
Strategy #2 Get Your Social Media Presence Together
With stay-at-home orders in place, social media became an even larger platform for connections, entertainment, and information found. In fact, many people report spending more time on social media than they ever have before.
You need to ensure that your law firm has a substantial social media presence. Without it, you are missing out on countless potential matters. That doesn’t mean that you have to be on every single social media platform, but you should choose two or three to focus on.
Think about which platform your potential clients are most likely to use. If you serve the business community, you should absolutely have a strong LinkedIn presence. If you are targeting families and mature adults, you need a Facebook page. If you need assistance building and managing your social media presence, consider getting help from a social media savvy staff member. You may even have a bored teenager at home who could help.
Strategy #3 Get Comfortable with Live Videos
In this age of video, potential clients expect to see you before deciding whether to trust you with their legal matters. Video gives them a better sense of you and your style, so they feel like they know you… and people hire attorneys they know.
You don’t need lengthy and flashy productions. Small simple videos on a variety of topics will suffice. You could even use your smartphone to record your videos, and it doesn’t always have to be legal content. The occasional everyday life video goes a long way at showcasing your personality. It may be uncomfortable, but so did Zoom the first time you tried that. It gets better with practice and before you know it, you’ll have a collection of short videos that elevate your marketing efforts.
Strategy #4: Offer FaceTime or Zoom Communications
Speaking of Zoom, you should offer potential clients socially distanced communication options and make that clear in your advertisements. The pandemic isn’t over, and clients want to know that you care about their safety and well-being. By offering these accommodations, you can attract clients who may not be comfortable coming into an office. Potential clients want to connect with you before taking the next step to hire you. Make it convenient for them to do so.
Tip #5: Develop a YouTube Channel
If you’re going to make videos, why not leverage them for maximum impact? YouTube is not only the largest social media platform for videos, it also one of the internet’s largest search engines. So, your law firm needs to have a presence there. As you make videos, transfer them to YouTube. Categorize them by placing popular search terms in the titles, which will give you greater search engine optimization.
Strategy #6 Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?
How many hours of the day do you spend away from your mobile phone? If you’re like most Americans, not too many. Your target audience spends hours upon hours on their smartphones, so your website needs to be easy to see and navigate on these devices.
Most websites are developed on a computer, so the creator may have no idea what it looks like on a mobile phone. This can lead to distortions, missing information, and poor user experience. When mobile users come across an unfriendly website, they quickly close it out and move on to the next one.
It is likely that more than half of all people accessing your website will get there through a mobile device. Visit your law firm site through your phone and answer these questions:
- How fast does the website load?
- Is all information accessible?
- Do videos work?
- Are testimonials visible and easy to find?
- Does your lead magnet work correctly?
- Are your menus visible and easy to follow?
- Does the text read correctly?
- Is there a “click to call” or “contact” option?
Successful law firm marketing in 2020 requires mobile optimization. Your website only has a few seconds to make the right impression and keep potential clients interested.
Finish 2020 Strong with these Law Firm Marketing Strategies
The pandemic has severely impacted the legal profession, but your firm can still make the turn and end the year moving forward instead of backward. With these legal marketing expert strategies, your legal practice can continuously grow to reach more potential clients in 2020.
About Erika Winston:
Erika Winston is a freelance writer with a passion for law. Through her business, Personal Touch Edits, she helps legal professionals deliver effective written messages. Erika is a regular contributor to TimeSolv and a variety of other publications.