How to Market Your New Law Practice
It is no secret that launching a new law practice takes time, money, and effort. However, after the sign is hung on the door, small law firm lawyers understand the value of investing in digital marketing but are not entirely sure where to begin. They are not alone.
As the digital world of dizzying content and mediums grace our televisions, smartphones, and other devices, capturing the attention of prospects is vital to your new law firm’s success. The best way to begin is slow but steady.
Start by ensuring that the base components of marketing are in place. Build them on a strong marketing foundation that you can enhance in the future.
Develop Your Small Law Firm Brand
Brand development is an often skipped step by small law firms in Colorado. I caution you not to overlook this critical component. Branding adds personality and warmth to the otherwise fact-based legal industry.
A strong brand identity will help you:
- Connect with your target audience
- Help prospective clients and network connections know, like, and trust you
- Position your firm in the mind of current and future clientele
Start by establishing what matters to you, why you practice law, and how you can help others. Then, incorporate these ethics and values into your marketing and advertising materials, including your website.
Have a Mobile-Friendly Website to Convert Leads
Did you know that the vast majority of website traffic occurs on smartphones? Due to the high volume of mobile users visiting web pages, you should focus on having a mobile-friendly version of your website to convert leads.
If your website is not easy to use on a smartphone or tablet, people will generally struggle to find the information or services they need. This issue will result in low conversion rates and more people leaving your website on the first visit.
Not focusing on mobile-first website design is a lost opportunity for your small law firm. Choose a law firm website designer that appreciates and internalizes this concept into their work.
Work Your Network to Build Relationships
Relationships are the lifeblood of any busy small law firm. Most lawyers have a small group of attorneys to whom they refer cases when their services are needed. By nurturing these relationships, you will build a reliable network of outside colleagues that, in turn, provide a steady stream of cases to your firm.
Start by building a list of your contacts that may interest this proposition, and then make the big ask. There is nothing wrong with demonstrating your value and having unrelated conversations before asking for referrals.
By focusing on relationships, you will elevate your practice when there is a shared benefit to both sides.
Social Media Management and Advertising
Social media offers a never-ending list of benefits to small law firms and solo practitioners. From increasing brand awareness to demonstrating your value, you can foster relationships with prospective clients and colleagues by getting social.
Excellent social media platforms for lawyers include:
While there are many social media sites on the market today, it is better to focus on one or two channels rather than trying to work all of them poorly. “If you build it, they will come” is the most significant marketing misnomer; make sure that you are actively building and engaging with your audience while creating massive value to them.
Online Reputation Management
The final component of a strong marketing strategy lies within online reputation management. When clients search for your name or law firm, what information do they find? Is it good or bad?
Start working on this area of marketing by:
- Cleaning up erroneous or unflattering information in Google
- Writing compelling attorney biographies
- Engaging with both positive and negative reviews
- Obtaining new reviews from past clients, current clients, and other lawyers
Depending upon the length of your career, this process could be easy or hard. It is also common to miss individual listings. Ensure that you also check on spelling variations, past law firm employer information, and other details that could be found online.
The ultimate goal is to correct or support this information and then build upon it.
For small law firms, learning to market your new practice is a bit of a steep curve. There are many moving elements and the potential to make mistakes that can lead to marketing spend waste. Plan your efforts carefully but keep moving forward a step at a time.
