Bankruptcy Leads: Finding Them and Keeping Them

Finding clients for your bankruptcy firm means generating leads in the right places and developing your brand and your vision in the right way. Then once you have the leads, you need to convert them into clients who will stay with you and refer other clients to you. 

Finding the Niche Within the Niche

Many practitioners go into bankruptcy law thinking they will be able to take care of all forms of bankruptcy. Then they find that in order to serve their clients’ interests and allocate their own time efficiently, they need to narrow their focus.‌

1. Identify the Client

Business bankruptcies are not handled the same way as individual bankruptcies. Among individuals, Chapter 13 bankruptcies may be preferable to Chapter 7, depending on the situation. Before crafting a marketing strategy, it’s critical that you determine who your ideal client will be so you can target that client

2. Consider Demographics

Younger individuals have different concerns when filing bankruptcy. Homeowners are more likely concerned about protecting their property. Older couples worry about the impact on their retirement. When seeking out leads, your marketing should aim for a particular demographic bracket.‌

3. Target Specific Needs

Clients have many questions, and it’s up to you to answer them. States have varying requirements regarding property exemptions in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. Businesses may be weighing dissolution versus reorganization. People seek legal advice for reassurance that all will be well, and you should be prepared to assure them of that as best you can.

Generating Targeted Leads

Once the target market has been identified, you need potential clients to call. One method is to use a pay-per-lead marketing program. These programs are customized to your firm’s specific needs and demographics. They usually provide a free profile page, search engine optimization, and a phone number which catches and logs calls from the lead generating service.

Pay-per-lead marketing services can bring in dozens or even hundreds of targeted leads in a very short time, and converting even a small percentage will pay for the service. Attorneys should remember that these are still only leads, and the job of converting them to clients remains theirs!

FAQ Pages

Add a “Frequently Asked Questions” page to your firm’s website and include a link to your contact page. A FAQ page lets potential clients self-screen to see if they really need the services your firm offers. FAQ pages also provide the opportunity to include long-tail content to enhance the site’s SEO rankings.

Blogs

Whether on your website or on a social media site like Facebook, blogs give a human face to your firm. They also provide an opportunity for you to present your brand to the public and show why your firm is best situated to help potential clients with their unique needs. Some possible blog posts related to bankruptcy attorneys are:

• How Small Business Owners Can Avoid Bankruptcy
• Top 5 Things You Need to Know about Bankruptcy
• How Bankruptcy Can Actually Help You

Referrals and Networking

Never forget other attorneys. In the complicated world of bankruptcy law, obtaining referrals from other attorneys is an often overlooked source of leads. An attorney who specializes in business bankruptcies will be happy to refer possible clients to an attorney who handles individual bankruptcies if they can count on referrals in return. Don’t forget sibling firms in similar situations.‌

Law Firm Directories

When potential clients go looking for attorneys, they regularly turn to legal directories like Avvo, Lawyers.com, FindLaw, or Justia. They optimize their directory sites to capture leading positions for the key practice areas such as bankruptcy.‌

Final Thoughts

Be sure to follow up on all methods you use to generate leads. One thing many law firms often forget to do is ask clients how they found them. You can add this to your client intake. This will allow you to track which methods work best, which will help you refine lead-generating techniques in future marketing campaigns.