Law firm marketing presents some unique challenges and 2016 will bring a few changes in the manner in which law firms successfully generate leads. While 2015 was the year for law firms to focus on functionality of their websites, 2016 will be the year for a carefully crafted marketing mix that will include the following:
1. Multiple Website Landing Pages
Niche landing pages are gaining attention with law firms because they present an opportunity to effectively target specific niches, such as geographical location, specific injury or disability, or demographic and funnel them to the main website. For example, law firms that are located within a large city, but are interested in targeting the surrounding suburbs can create geo-landing pages that utilize specific key words in order to drive traffic to the main website. Google crawlers favor specific landing pages with hyper targeted keywords and law firms will find that these pages improve SEO.
2. Online Reviews (The New “Word of Mouth”)
A 2013 study concluded that nearly 80 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. That number is continuously rising year after year and is quickly becoming the new, and more important, word of mouth. Since it is human nature to feel inclined to leave a review after a negative experience, it is necessary for law firms to take a pro-active approach to garnering positive reviews. Follow these steps to begin the flow of positive reviews:
* Perform a search on Google and identify which review sites already include your business. You will likely see Google+ Local, Avvo, Yelp, YellowPages, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Yahoo.
* Search relevant keywords for your law firm on Google and make a list of websites that allow reviews. Some of these will be the same as the first search, but some new ones may show up.
* Claim the directory profiles that already appear.
* Begin tracking and responding to reviews. Services such as Moz Local offer free searches across all review sites and have monitoring tools to help you monitor reviews.
* Offer incentives for happy clients to leave reviews on as many sites as possible.
3. Outdoor Advertising
Billboards and bus stop advertising are still effective law firm marketing tools. Outdoor advertising primarily serves the function of putting the idea into a future client’s head. Outdoor advertising has a particularly high return on investment for law firms that do high volume legal work, such as DUI or personal injury attorneys. An effective marketing tool, it functions in conjunction with having a solid web presence.
4. Create Authority
When legal articles are routinely published by lawyers, prospective clients gain the impression that the attorney is an authoritative thought leader within the industry. Lawyers who seek out opportunities to write for association journals or publish regular blog posts not only gain authority but also gain a larger web presence which translates into increased web traffic.
5. Register with Legal Directories
According to Alexa, an authority in website rankings, legal directories are a popular way for consumers to identify the law firm with whom they choose to work. According to Alexa, the top 5 highest ranked legal directories are:
- Findlaw.com
- Avvo.com
- Justia.com
- Lawyers.com
- Nolo.com
Including your law firm’s profile and contact information within these journals will increase your law firm’s lead generation in 2016.
If you would like to build a law firm marketing strategy, please call or email us to schedule an appointment:
Phone: 281-814-2388
Legal, Medical, and Business Marketing Consultant in Houston, Tx.
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