Why Is Digital Marketing Important for Lawyers?
As the world transitions to a digital landscape, businesses must also increase their visibility on social media and search engines. Nobody is immune from this shift, and companies in every industry must adjust to this change or risk losing out on a sizable share of their customers.
Legal practices are most vulnerable to this change because their services have been traditionally offline and more precise in nature.
The fact of the matter is, that law firms and sole legal practitioners have vastly different digital marketing needs. Most of us are more familiar with the sales and conversion-driven approaches for fashion, e-commerce, and similar types of sites.
However, the legal industry focuses on precision and maintaining credibility. There’s no room for overpromising, casual marketing, or flashy gimmicks. It’s all about delivering a service in a law-abiding and matter-of-fact fashion.
So how does digital marketing apply to all this, and why is digital marketing important to law firms?
Digital Marketing 101
Digital marketing is simply marketing in an online space. While there is some overlap in the general principles of marketing, digital marketing is very different from regular print and traditional marketing. It’s much more competitive and thus relies more heavily on precise sales language and digital media.
With this in mind, it’s natural to wonder if it’s necessary; after all, do law firms need digital marketing? As a somewhat traditional service, one could think that traditional marketing could be better suited.
But despite the challenges that come with digital marketing, an online presence, and online visibility will provide many advantages that will allow law firms to thrive in their industry.
The Importance of Digital Marketing for Law Firms
Good digital marketing for lawyers and legal practices can help increase awareness about their firm and target the right kind of clientele for their specialization. This practice also improves the customer experience and builds trust and strong relationships.
We’ll break down each perk of digital marketing, and then discuss what your business can do to achieve it.
Enhances Awareness About Your Legal Firm and Services
If you can clearly communicate what you do and why they should choose you through your branding, then they’ll be more inclined to do business with your practice.
And as you might expect, brand awareness strategies for lawyers and legal firms are different from other business-to-customer (B2C) websites.
After all, you’re not selling products or entertainment services for consumption. You’re offering a highly specialized service, which needs credibility and accuracy to build trust. So what are the ways you can improve brand awareness?
● SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a process that helps you gain visibility in search engines. If your website and social media pages are optimized, then your business will appear on the first page of search results, leading to more engagement and conversions.
Here are more reasons why SEO is a great investment for any business owner.
● Content Marketing
You need to create content that showcases your expertise in the field while also educating clients about certain legal proceedings and topics. You can do so by writing newsletters or articles that inform prospective clients about your services.
Content marketing is also a key part of SEO since search engines usually look for websites that are rich with relevant keywords.
● Online Directories
These are like the Yellow Pages of old, functioning as a resource for clients to find legal firms. You need to have listings on directory sites such as Yelp, Find Law, and Lawyers to ensure that potential clients are aware of your practice.
Your firm’s presence in directories also builds trust, since a listing proves that you are a recognized and established practice.
Helps Target the Right Clients for Your Area of Expertise
For example, if your practice focuses on worker’s compensation or personal injury, your strategy shouldn’t have content that talks about estate or family law.
You want to delve deep into your target audience and find out exactly what this audience is searching for, where they are looking, and what are their pain points.
A good digital marketing strategy will result in high-quality traffic from the right kind of audience, whether on your website or your social media pages.
Here are some tried-and-tested marketing channels you can use to reach your target clientele.
- SEO: Aside from increasing brand awareness, SEO also helps you become more visible to the people who need your specific services. Getting the right keywords for the questions they ask will help your website appear on the front page of search engines, so make sure your content has the most searched-for phrases and words.
- Pay-Per-Click Ads: PPC ads help you save money while also ensuring that only your target audience engages with your website. In this advertising structure, you only need to pay a platform for every person who clicks on your ad and is redirected to your website.
- Social Media Campaigns: Almost everyone is on social media these days, and you can use this ubiquity to find the right clientele. By having social campaigns that connect to your clients at a grassroots level, you’ll be able to build a credible and trustworthy image for your firm.
Improves Customer Experience
Digital marketing goes beyond conversions and engagements. It can also help improve customer experience with features and content relevant to their needs. This is especially applicable for legal practices since the target audience is likely in a time of crisis. You’ll want to make the experience as easy for them as possible.
One way to employ digital marketing for enhanced customer experience is to create a seamless user experience on your website.
This will be the first place that a client interacts with your firm directly, so you need to make a good impression. You can create FAQ pages, and helpful articles, and add chatbots that respond to their questions.
You can also improve your website’s look and functionality by adding bigger and clearer call-to-action (CTA) buttons or clean designs for every page.
Want to create a website or improve your existing one? Let our web design services help you.
You also need to focus on creating a personalized approach for digital marketing. Creating a personalized brand and tone specific to your law firm will be lucrative in the long run as prospective clients grow to trust and look forward to content from you.
This customized touch is the edge that can make customers prefer small legal practices over large firms.
Builds Trust and Strong Relationships
Instead, you should focus on an approach that showcases your methods while also ensuring people of your expertise. By pushing out content that highlights your strengths, you build domain authority in your target audience and they will actively seek you out when they are in a time of legal distress.
Your strategy should cover your in-depth knowledge of the legal process and your specialty in this niche.
Publish informative content like case studies, blog posts, and videos that showcase these aspects.
This way, prospective clients will know who to trust when they need representation and legal services.
Key Takeaways
Digital marketing for law firms and lawyers has become an essential tool to help them thrive in an increasingly online world. It can enhance awareness, help reach your target audience, and provide a better customer experience.
If you need help creating a comprehensive digital strategy for your practice, Infintech Designs is here to lend a hand.
Contact us today to schedule a strategy session.
