Time to Launch your 2023 Law Firm Marketing Plan
The impact — economically and psychologically — of COVID in 2020 still resonated well into 2022, and now we’re adding a possible recession to the mix. As reports of company layoffs come through our newsfeeds, anxiety is high. But it can be mitigated.
We’ve updated Meredith Vieyra’s article from January 2021, Hit the Ground Running with your 2021 Law Firm Marketing Plan, to reflect the changes you might be going through and how to help grow the business of your practice. Here’s how to weather the storm.
Review annual analytics
You’ll want to review your metrics for the year, not just one-off bad weeks or one solitary great month. What worked this year? What worked in previous years but struggled in 2022? Reviewing and analyzing past data can be a good way to get a feel for the future, but keep in mind analytics are part of the long-game, not a quick solve.
Take into account seasonality of your practice area, and draw 2023 goals from there: leads, conversions, retained clients, and marketing metrics such as social media, website traffic, and profile engagement.
Your firm’s SEO plan
SEO takes time. Don’t be discouraged if your google ranking and online presence hasn’t reached optimal traction just yet. With our services, we can tap into SEO tips and tricks to help get you found easier than ever — plus we can audit your existing site and fix bugs, increase engagement, and recommend some areas of opportunity.
Review current PPC campaigns
Contact your account manager or sales rep, or you can do it yourself, and ask about running small A/B tests on your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns. You’ll want to see how users are interacting with your website, which will give you a good idea of which pages to test. A/B testing is a great way to do this, as they can provide a window into your average client’s mind: what they’re thinking, what resonates with them, and what their pain points are.
After review, you can determine how your PPC campaign is working and where there may be weak spots either in emails, landing pages, or even if you want to redo your website.
Assessing the market
Digital marketing has exploded in popularity especially post-pandemic, but as we’ve returned to the office and workers are pivoting to weather the storm of layoffs, many marketers are touting the uniqueness of in-person events, advertising, and direct mail.
We are still seeing an emphasis on well-being of attorneys and associates. This benefits both clients and lawyers alike, as firms become increasingly concerned with their employees’ mental health and how it affects their performance. More importantly, healthy and happy lawyers are far more likely to produce better work, leading to happier clients in return.
Put your best profile forward
Here are the four parts of your profile that give you the most return on your investment. Be sure to review these and update where needed to gain more interest in your firm’s services.
Potential clients want to hire an attorney with focused, deep knowledge of their issue. This gives them the confidence to hire you.
Make sure to: Aim to add 3 to 5 practice areas on your profile.
Potential clients rely on positive reviews in similar situations as their own. Our attorneys who have at least 3 client reviews receive up to 15x more connections from potential clients.
Make sure to: Refresh your featured reviews often to stay current and show your practice is thriving. Ask for reviews as part of wrapping up with every client (and don’t be afraid to ask more than once!).
One of the most popular filters applied to attorney search results on Avvo is ‘Free consultations’, second only to ‘Review stars’.
Make sure to: Share your hourly rate, even if it is a sliding scale, and highlight if you offer free consultations or an introductory rate.
Potential clients want to understand outcomes for situations similar to their own, and see evidence of what success means to you.
Make sure to: Highlight what success looks like in your About Me. Choose featured reviews that help tell the story of successful outcomes you’ve achieved for past clients and add notable wins to the Legal Cases section.
Reviews matter
“The internet is the first and only taste of immortality we’ll ever know; with that in mind, it’s safe to assume that whatever’s online lives forever,” writes Vieyra. “For business owners and other professionals, this fact drives home the importance of cleaning up your bio pages on third-party websites like Martindale-Hubbell, Avvo, and Google Business Profile to make sure everything is up-to-date and accurate.”
With our latest legal customer survey research, 27% of consumers began their search for an attorney via reviews, but even more so, they overwhelmingly used the internet to research and ultimately hire a lawyer. So when you’re doing damage control or simply boosting your reputation, start by adding content to your Martindale-Avvo profile, answering questions in the Q&A forum, and soliciting stellar reviews.
Even if you feel unsure about where 2023 is headed, this is still a time of great possibility. “The shifting economic landscape provides some new and exciting marketing avenues for the new year,” recommends Vieyra. “All you have to do is see what’s currently working for you and make changes from there.”
