A Cutting-Edge Digital Marketing Strategy for Forward-Thinking Attorneys.

When it comes to digital marketing for law firms, the landscape is riddled with “try this” one-off solutions. And while some of these tips and ideas might generate sporadic leads, they fall short of the cohesive strategy required for long-term growth and success. To market your law firm successfully online, you need more than a collection of one-off ideas; you need a complete digital marketing strategy tailored not only to the legal sector, but also to your specific area of practice—one that is comprehensive, data-driven, and client-centric. This guide provides precisely that.

Online marketing for your legal practice does not need to be complicated or overly expensive, and when done correctly it should bring in new clients and leave you with a substantial return on your investment.

The Importance of Developing a Complete Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Law Firm

I talk to a lot of attorneys who tell me they’re spending thousands of dollars on multiple marketing companies and online directories, all offering different “one-off” services, and that they’re just hoping that it’s all working.

Key to marketing your law firm successfully online is to understand that “digital marketing” is made up of many individual components.

Things like search engine optimization, pay-per-click, web design, content marketing, social media, and others. What we’ve found, is that while each of these things can potentially help you get clients from the internet, often they are completely ineffective on their own.

To beat your competitors and market your law firm successfully online you need a comprehensive strategy that works together. A strategy where every decision is intentional, every action measurable, and every investment yields a tangible step towards the growth of your law firm.

Let this guide be your roadmap in the crowded world of law firm digital marketing.

Getting Your Law Firm Found by Leveraging Digital PR

Evolving Search Landscapes and Digital PR for Attorneys

At its core, digital public relations, or digital PR, is about enhancing your firm’s visibility and establishing thought leadership through strategic online placements, content and partnerships. This digital-centric approach to PR is powerful for attorneys and law firms for several reasons.

As search technologies become increasingly sophisticated with AI integration, digital PR is becoming more important for attorneys who want to get found and stand out online. Digital PR positions your firm as a credible source of legal expertise, which is critical in an era where relevance and authority drive search visibility.

Digital PR enhances your online presence by:

• Building online authority and brand awareness: Digital PR efforts, such as securing mentions on well-known platforms and generating authoritative content, directly enhance your law firm’s online identity. This consistent presence across various media outlets creates a recognizable and reputable brand. Potential clients are more likely to engage with a firm they’re familiar with or have seen referenced across multiple platforms and websites online.
• Supporting Google’s E-E-A-T principles (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google’s E-E-A-T principles are paramount in today’s digital ecosystem. Digital PR activities directly feed into these aspects by showcasing your expertise through content, building authority through mentions and backlinks, and fostering trust through consistent, valuable information sharing.
• Fostering trust, which translates into higher conversion rates: In the legal field, trust is a currency that translates into client acquisition. As potential clients recognize and respect your brand through various digital PR efforts, they’re more likely to consider your services when in need of legal assistance. This increased trust often leads to higher conversion rates.
• Improving SEO through quality backlinks and enhanced local visibility: Digital PR and SEO have a mutually beneficial relationship. Backlinks from reputable sites (a result of successful digital PR campaigns) signal to search engines that your site is both credible and relevant, improving your search rankings. Business citations (name, address, phone number) and attorney profiles on legal directories and platforms such as Martindale-Avvo can enhance your local search engine rankings, making your firm more visible to potential clients in your service area.

Three-Step Strategy to Start Leveraging Digital PR for you Law Firm

Develop a Content Strategy

Start by creating content that addresses common client questions and concerns, positioning your firm as a local legal expert. Blog about relevant local events from a legal perspective to increase brand awareness and establish your presence in the local market. Utilize keyword research tools like Ahrefs Keyword Explorer and Moz Keyword Explorer to identify less competitive, high-value keywords. Focus on creating content for these keywords, such as “personal injury statute of limitations California,” which has a manageable keyword difficulty and decent search volume.

Build Business Citations and Attorney Profiles

Maintain accurate and consistent information across business directories and legal citation sites to enhance your credibility and improve local search visibility. Leverage attorney profiles on legal directories for valuable backlinks, which can boost your website’s authority in search engine algorithms. Regularly audit and update your listings, using tools like BrightLocal or Yext for efficient management. Many legal directories require bar status verification, which adds to their authority and makes backlinks from these sources particularly valuable for SEO.

Build Relationships With Media and Influential Platforms

Position your firm as a go-to source for expert legal commentary by actively seeking opportunities to provide insights on matters in your practice area. Utilize platforms like Connectively (previously HARO) and Featured.com to connect with journalists seeking expert quotes and opinions for their stories. Each media mention serves as a third-party endorsement of your expertise, building credibility over time. Engage consistently with journalists, bloggers, and industry influencers to build relationships that can lead to ongoing exposure opportunities and significantly amplify your digital PR efforts.

Getting Your Law Firm Found with Social Media

Social media can be a very effective way for attorneys and law firms to market themselves online. But, whether it’s worth it for you to market your legal services on social media platforms (and how you choose to do so) comes down to the type of law you practice and your overall marketing budget. It’s important for lawyers to weigh the return on investment (ROI) of their social media marketing efforts before diving in. Many lawyers invest significant time in generating leads through social media, yet often find that the ROI does not justify the effort.

Because many people looking for consumer facing legal services tend to do so reactively (meaning something happened and the person needs legal help now), many of these searches begin on Google and not social media. For example, a person who gets arrested for a DUI is most often going to go to Google and search “best dui lawyer near me.” They are likely not going to search on social media to find an attorney.

But, let’s say that same person gets arrested and tells a friend or asks for a referral. If that friend has been seeing your ads for months on social media, there is a good chance that they recommend you. So it certainly can work, but what we find is that most people looking for a lawyer need one now, and again, most of those searches begin on Google and not social media.

That said, if you have a large marketing budget and you want to expand your reach to start getting more clients who may not be actively searching for an attorney, social media can be a great channel to advertise and find new clients.

Standing Out from Competitors with Your Law Firm’s Brand

Start by Creating a Solid Brand

As you’re developing a marketing strategy for your law firm, having a clear definition of your brand is important. Your brand needs to be central to all of your marketing in order to maximize the effectiveness of your efforts.

What is a Brand?

A brand is an identity. It’s the image you project to your clients and prospects. It says who you are, what you do, what you stand for and what clients can always expect from working with you.

Your prospective clients need to feel confident about working with you. Feeling confident can mean a number of things for prospects. They want to know that you can help them solve their legal problems, that you can do it for a fair price, and that you have expertise in your practice area.

You’ll notice that these feelings are primarily rooted in trust, reputation, and authority, all of which can be built into your brand and expressed in your marketing endeavors.

Using Sales Copy to Build Distinction and Stand Out from Competitors

Importance of Good Copywriting for Law Firms

Effective copywriting is crucial for law firms in today’s competitive digital landscape. It serves as the voice of your firm, communicating your expertise, values, and unique selling points to potential clients. Well-crafted copy can differentiate your firm from competitors, establish trust with your audience, and ultimately drive conversions.

In the legal industry, where trust and credibility are paramount, your copywriting needs to strike a balance between showcasing your professional knowledge and being accessible to lay readers. It should not only inform but also persuade, guiding potential clients towards taking action, whether that’s contacting your firm for a consultation or subscribing to your newsletter.

Defining Your Target Audience: Before writing any copy, it’s essential to clearly define your target audience. This involves creating detailed client personas that represent your ideal clients. Consider factors such as demographics, legal needs, pain points, and decision-making processes.

Understanding your audience allows you to tailor your messaging to address their specific concerns and aspirations. For instance, the language and tone you use for corporate clients will differ significantly from that used for individuals seeking personal injury representation. By speaking directly to your target audience’s needs and preferences, you increase the effectiveness of your copywriting and improve your chances of connecting with potential clients.

Unique Value (Selling) Proposition: You should spend some time considering the benefit of your services, how you solve your client’s problems, and what distinguishes you from the lawyer down the street. You should communicate the value of your services quickly and in a way that is obvious to your potential clients.

Crafting Compelling Headlines and Taglines: Headlines and taglines are often the first elements of your copy that potential clients will see, making them crucial for capturing attention and encouraging further engagement. Your headlines should be concise, impactful, and relevant to your audience’s needs. They should highlight your unique value proposition or address a key problem your clients face.

For example, instead of a generic headline like “Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers,” consider something more specific and compelling such as “Maximizing Your Recovery: Our Personal Injury Attorneys Fight for the Compensation You Deserve.” Taglines, while shorter, should encapsulate your firm’s core values or unique approach. For instance, “Compassionate Counsel, Aggressive Advocacy” quickly communicates both empathy and determination.

Writing Engaging Website Content: Your website content should be informative, engaging, and easy to understand. Avoid legal jargon where possible, and when it’s necessary, provide clear explanations. Use a conversational tone to make your content more approachable, but maintain a professional demeanor.

Break up long blocks of text with subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to improve readability. Include relevant statistics, case studies, or examples to support your points and demonstrate your expertise. Remember to focus on the benefits you provide to clients, not just listing your services.

Optimizing Copy for Search Engines: While writing for your human audience should be the priority, it’s important to consider search engine optimization (SEO) in your copywriting. Research and incorporate relevant keywords naturally into your content, including in headlines, subheadings, and body text.

However, avoid “keyword stuffing,” which can make your content seem unnatural and may be penalized by search engines. Instead, focus on creating high-quality, informative content that naturally includes your target keywords. Use local SEO techniques by including location-specific terms for your practice areas.

Drafting Specific and Persuasive Practice Area Pages: Each practice area page should provide comprehensive information about your services in that area of law. Begin with a clear overview of the practice area and why potential clients might need these services. Detail the specific types of cases or issues you handle within this practice area. For example, if your practice personal injury law and focus in motor vehicle accidents, you should have a separate page for each type of motor vehicle (i.e. car, motorcycle, truck, etc.). This is because this is how your prospective clients are searching for these types of legal services. It greatly increases your abilitly to rank on page 1 for these keywords, while also increasing your conversions as it demonstrates that you practice and have experience in these (very specific) areas of law.

Explain your approach to handling cases in this area, highlighting any unique methodologies or experiences that set you apart. Include relevant statistics, successful case outcomes (without violating confidentiality), and answers to frequently asked questions. End with a strong call-to-action encouraging potential clients to contact you for a consultation.

Incorporating Call-to-Actions: Effective call-to-actions (CTAs) guide your website visitors towards taking the next step in engaging with your firm. Your CTAs should be clear, action-oriented, and create a sense of urgency. Use strong verbs like “Contact,” “Schedule,” or “Download” to encourage action.

Place CTAs strategically throughout your website, not just at the end of pages. Consider using different CTAs for different stages of the client journey. For example, “Download Our Free Guide” for those in the research phase, or “Schedule Your Free Consultation” for those ready to speak with an attorney.

Utilizing Client Success Stories and Testimonials: Client success stories and testimonials provide social proof of your firm’s capabilities and can significantly influence potential clients. When crafting these, focus on specific outcomes and the impact on the client’s life or business. Use direct quotes where possible to add authenticity.

Ensure you have proper permission to share these stories and adhere to confidentiality requirements. Consider using a variety of formats, such as written testimonials, video interviews, or case study write-ups, to appeal to different preferences.

ABA and State Bar Ethics Considerations: When writing copy for your law firm, it’s crucial to adhere to the ethical guidelines set by the American Bar Association (ABA) and your state bar association. Avoid making guarantees about case outcomes or using superlatives like “best” or “top” unless you can substantiate these claims.

Be cautious about how you describe your expertise or specializations, as some states have specific requirements for claiming specializations. Ensure all client testimonials comply with ethics rules, which may require disclaimers stating that past results don’t guarantee future outcomes. When in doubt, have your marketing materials reviewed by an ethics attorney familiar with the rules in your jurisdiction.

Using Video to Showcase Your Brand, Illustrate Your Sales Copy, and Differentiate Your Law Firm

Video marketing has emerged as one of the most effective digital marketing tools currently available to attorneys and law firms. It can help you to both differentiate yourself from competitors while also increasing your conversion rates. By effectively leveraging video content, you can showcase your law firm and illustrate important information. This can help you stand out from your competitors in ways that other marketing methods simply cannot match.

The Power of Video in Digital Marketing

It’s more important than ever to incorporate video marketing into your law firm’s digital strategy. Data from Lemonlight showed that they typically see boosts in organic traffic ranging from 10% to a whopping 250% when they add video content to existing posts. This significant boost in search engine visibility can give you a considerable edge over competitors who rely solely on text-based content.

Moreover, video has become an increasingly popular way for legal consumers to gather information from the internet. By meeting potential clients where they are and in their preferred format, you’re more likely to capture their attention and win their business.

Creating Compelling Attorney Profile Videos

One of the most effective ways to use video for differentiation is through attorney profile videos. These short, personal introductions allow potential clients to see and hear from the attorneys they might be working with, helping to build trust and familiarity before the first consultation.

In these videos, attorneys should introduce themselves, briefly discuss their areas of expertise, and share what motivates them in their legal practice. The tone should be professional yet approachable, allowing the attorney’s personality to shine through. This personal touch can significantly set you apart from competitors who remain faceless names on a website.

Building Trust and Demonstrating Expertise with Your Law Firm’s Website

Your law firm’s website should be the central piece of your digital marketing efforts. From a prospective client’s perspective, your website is a direct reflection of your law firm. It’s often their first, most lasting impression of who you are, what sets you apart and how well you can meet their legal needs.

It is important to consider how effective your website will be at getting people to want to hire you. You can drive all the traffic in the world to your website, but if the website lacks fundamental elements, you’ll likely convert little to none of that traffic and have very little to show for it at the end of the day.

This is one of the reasons many lawyers and law firms believe that SEO and PPC marketing doesn’t work. If you’re sending good traffic to a bad website, it won’t convert (and those clicks can be expensive). For these reasons, it’s imperative that your law firm’s website be built to convert prospects into paying clients before you spend any time or money on getting visitors to your website.