Recently, lawyers have been enlightened by the world of digital marketing and software built just for them. It’s been a season of change, hesitancy, education, and growth for many law firms over the last year. One thing remains true, law firms are businesses and at the end of the day, your firm must get a grasp on modern law firm marketing trends to stay competitive.
In this webinar, we’ve partnered with the CEO of GNGF and legal marketing expert, Mark Homer, to review legal marketing trends and strategies that have flourished since 2020, peaked in 2021, and will continue to yield a significant return for law firms for years to come. We also show you how to simplify and enhance these marketing strategies with the use of legal technology and automated processes.
Why Law Firms Need Marketing (5:05)
It’s an understatement to say that law firms (and many other industries) took a hit in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up across the globe. In fact, law firm revenues dropped 8% in Q2 compared to Q2 in 2019. While revenues took a dip in Q2 of 2020, some law firms were still making a point to invest in marketing and saw leads jump 23% vs Q2 in 2019.
It’s important to note what a true investment in marketing at your law firm really means. Allocating $1,000 per month or $12,000/year is a reasonable investment for most law firms to yield a return.
Finding Your Law Firm is a Fragmented Process (10:04)
While there were once a few ways to find a lawyer, there are now many. Platforms like Yelp, Avvo, SuperLawyers, and Google, have made the process of finding your law firm fragmented. This means your firm needs to have a presence in multiple spaces to make an impact. In marketing terms, you need an omnichannel strategy. Your law firm should aim to have content on at least 2 channels. Think, Google My Business, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
Own Your Prospects (13:23)
It’s possible to rent or buy leads with software like GoogleAds, but it’s better to own them. Owning your leads and prospect data simply means you have CRM or customer relationship management software. If you’re not familiar with CRM software, you can use platforms like PracticePanther to store your leads and contacts. For instance, you can embed custom intake forms on your law firm’s website that instantly captures lead information and stores it in the CRM as a new contact. You can maximize this process by using custom tags to track which marketing campaign or tactics a lead came from. Think of these tags as hashtags that help you attribute a lead source.
Clients Expect a Streamlined Online Experience (21:26)
This shouldn’t come as a surprise — clients are online for almost everything in their day-to-day, and they expect the same from your law firm. The return to “2019 normalcy” isn’t coming, and the value placed on digital experiences should be viewed as a permanent change. For your law firm, these digital experiences include things like online payments, streamlined document management, eSignature, and even business text messaging. PracticePanther’s all-in-one software holds each of these tools natively, arming your firm with on-demand services clients want without the use of multiple programs or integrations.
Highlighting Your Digital Services Speaks Volumes (35:48)
Once you have the digital services prospective clients are looking for, you need to show them off! If you’re not showcasing all of your law firm’s offerings on your website, you could be missing out on new business. A prospective client likely spends a few seconds reviewing your home page, so incorporating “Pay Now” buttons, “Text Us” or a contact page with this information will greatly appeal to speculating clients.
Google is Your New Referral Partner (37:01)
Your best arm in pulling in leads is Google rankings and a strong Google My Business profile. Of course, you’re probably wondering how this can be achieved with such a saturated field as the legal industry. Two aspects of your marketing strategy should yield a strong Google presence — SEO, and ensuring your marketing strategy is omnichannel. Having a solid understanding of SEO and the use of branded and non-branded keywords and using them across all of your marketing is key in driving leads from Google.
Remember, law firms are still a heavily referral-based industry, the platform has just shifted.
Plan for Success in 2022
This is only the tip of the iceberg. You can view the full recording to gain an in-depth understanding of owning your lead data, SEO, branded and unbranded search terms, and a visualization of a typical legal marketing funnel to help you prepare for a successful 2022!
