Law firms come in all shapes, sizes, and specialties. One-lawyer firms have to go toe to toe with huge firms with large attorney rosters. Bigger isn’t always better. But everyone is nonetheless competing for the same clients.
Those large practices come with matching marketing budgets. That can pose a challenge to smaller firms trying to woo clients through their more modest doors. With fewer resources to invest in getting noticed, they must work smarter with what they have.
There are ways smaller practices can reach audiences without breaking the budget. Here are four cost-effective marketing strategies you can use.
1. Supercharge Your SEO
Your firm’s website is the central component of a 21st century marketing strategy. No matter how professional it looks, though, it’s useless if it’s not showing up on page one of search results. To take it to new heights, you will have to invest in search engine optimization.
There are some key tools to boost SEO in your law firm digital marketing strategy. Keyword optimization, content, and backlinks will get you noticed by search engines. These efforts will get you noticed by potential clients regardless of your size.
If the thought of putting these tools to work for you leaves you scratching your head, don’t worry. Partner with a growth-focused agency that can handle the website SEO, technical, and creative for you. This is particularly important now as Google has modified its search algorithms to eliminate irrelevance and create a better user experience.
Enhancing your SEO is crucial for maximizing your website’s potential. Without it, you may miss out on valuable opportunities to make your site truly effective.
2. Get Social
Many attorneys advise their clients to stay off social media while their legal matters are pending. It’s sound advice for them but not for your firm. Social media is an incredibly cost-effective way to draw attention to you.
The challenge with social media is staying on top of it. Not only do you need to post often, but you also need to make your content relevant to your audience. Your social media presence must become part of someone’s job description, which can be difficult in a small firm. However, leveraging your website content in social media-size bites saves time and money.
You don’t have to jump in on all social media platforms at once. In fact, you should focus on those that will connect you with your target audience. For example, if you serve corporate clients, LinkedIn may be the place to be, not Facebook or Instagram.
There are some crucial steps when incorporating social media into your marketing strategy. But there’s no doubt these platforms can help you connect and engage with your audience and drive them to your website. Together, social media and your website should drop off clients at your door.
3. Stay in Touch
Lawyers at small law firms often forget that they’re running a small business. There are no managing partners with low or no caseloads so they can spend time building the firm’s case count. Small practices are focused on the actual legal issues their clients retain them to handle.
However, the rules of business do apply. One important rubric is that customer retention should be part and parcel of your marketing strategy. Clients are to you what customers are to other businesses. Retaining them costs far less than constantly attracting new ones, so stay in touch.
Newsletters and email marketing are two cost-effective ways to maintain a relationship with clients long after their case is resolved. Send them birthday cards or messages. After all, their date of birth was probably one of the first pieces of information you collected from them. Keep them informed about your firm’s events, personnel changes, and case wins.
If you stay in touch, you’ll be the first firm they’ll call when they or someone they know needs legal help. Even if your firm doesn’t handle the type of law they need, you can rack up points for a solid referral. Former clients will know you still care about them, long after they’ve paid your fees.
4. Be Seen and Heard
Time is a different concept at law firms than at other types of businesses. Billable hours tend to pay routine overhead while lucrative case settlements provide the cushion. Nonetheless, investing your time in being seen and heard outside your office is a cost-effective marketing strategy.
Look for opportunities to sponsor community events or youth teams. You’ll be getting your brand front and center in large and diverse audiences. Offer to speak fee-free at local events where legal issues are the topic. For example, if you do estate planning, educate residents of a senior living community about the importance of creating a plan.
You should also reach out to build mutually beneficial referral relationships with other firms. If the client of a firm in another town is arrested for DUI in your town, that firm may send that client to you. Send your client to a large personal injury firm for representation and you may receive a check when the case settles.
Use your brand and your voice to be seen and heard in your community and among your peer professionals. Your firm doesn’t have to be the big wheel, just the squeaky one.
Put Your Money Where Your Marketing Is
If you’re a small law firm, you need to stretch your marketing dollar as far as you can. You probably don’t have a marketing pro on your staff, but that’s OK. Just don’t hesitate to partner with agencies who know how to get the job done.
That’s not spending extra money. It’s spending it wisely on garnering a great return on the investment. When it comes to competing for clients, the smart money’s on you.