Essential Branding Tips For Law Practices
Branding may not be the first thing you think of when starting a law practice, but it’s an essential part of any business. Without a strong brand, you risk disappearing in a sea of other, similar companies. Online advertising seems to be the way to go, with 65% of law firms putting most of their marketing budget into digital. But where do you start? In today’s digital landscape, it can be hard to know where to put your efforts and budget.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or merely revamping, this article provides some essential guidance when it comes to developing your law firm’s branding strategy.
Set your marketing goals and budget
When it comes to marketing, setting goals is the first and most crucial step in your strategy. Without clearly defined targets, you can’t have a clearly defined strategy. You’ll be shooting in the dark. Brainstorm goals that can be easily trackable—acquire x-amount of leads, grow your revenue by a certain percentage, secure new clients, etc. You want to set goals that are attainable within your allotted time frame. No pie-in-the-sky dreams, you want to chase grounded, realistic targets that fit your budget.
Remember: marketing is an investment in the future of your business, so it’s essential always to consider the ROI of any marketing efforts. Your budget goes hand-in-hand with your goals. A good rule of thumb is to reinvest 7-10% of your revenue into your marketing budget. However, every business is different. For example, a law firm that’s just starting out may want to keep things smaller and cost-effective, whereas a growing practice may have the funds for more significant initiatives.
Create a well-designed and optimized website
Your website may be the single most important marketing tool you have. It’s often the first thing a potential client will see—and first impressions are essential. 57% of consumers search for a lawyer themselves, the majority of whom do it online. But merely having a website is not enough.
Today’s consumers are used to a certain standard of website. They must load quickly, be mobile responsive, display important information in an easy-to-find way, and, crucially, be optimized for search engines. After all, what’s the point of having a website if no one can find it.
SEO (search engine optimization) is a way of making your law website show up higher in search results in places like Google or Bing. By utilizing keywords, alt text for images, meta-descriptions, and more, your website will have a much better chance of being found by a potential client. Also, by installing Google Analytics on your website, you can easily track valuable metrics like traffic and click behavior.
Track and measure your progress
Tracking your marketing initiatives is extremely important—otherwise, you won’t have a clear idea if you’re on track or your approach needs adjusting. You should be tracking statistics like web traffic, advertising spend, social media traffic, and conversion rates. All of these can be summed up in regular KPI reports. While this may sound like a lot of work, it really isn’t. Google and other major platforms have built-in tools that make it easy to pull up stats quickly.
These KPIs shouldn’t just be created and filed away, however. Instead, they should be leveraged to adjust your overall marketing strategy. If something’s working, steer funds towards that. Conversely, if something’s not working, you should slow it down or stop it altogether.
Use social media
Social media is a powerful advertising tool for almost any business, and law practices are no different. 81% of law firms maintain at least one social media channel, with 63% on Facebook. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should get a TikTok account, but platforms like Facebook, Google My Business, and LinkedIn are great for establishing a “professional” presence. These channels provide a great way to connect with your clients and gain new ones. It also helps your law firm’s perception as a legitimate or trustworthy business.
In fact, by tying your social channels to your website, you improve your SEO. This is because search engine algorithms take into account social media when crawling your site. If you have a social media presence, there’s a good chance you are who you say you are, and therefore, you’ll be ranked higher in searches.
When it comes to setting up social media accounts, it’s best practice to:
Encourage reviews
84% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as a personal recommendation. However, they can be a double-edged sword. Great reviews can enormously impact your business, but a negative one can do some serious damage. While this may cause some to hesitate, the pros far outweigh the cons. For example, 70% of clients are willing to drive further if a law firm has better online reviews than one nearer to them.
The key to review management is to be proactive. You should be encouraging reviews from all of your clients. That way, if and when a bad review does come along, it’ll be far outweighed by positive reviews. The more reviews you have, the less a single one can have a big impact on your overall rating.
Stay the course
A properly laid out marketing strategy for your law firm will significantly impact your business, but it may take time. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Too often, companies will abandon a strategy far too early. You don’t have to toss an entire approach out the window after a few weeks—but you can make adjustments. Remember: a successful marketing strategy is flexible. Always track your results and tweak where necessary.
By following the tips in this article, your law practice’s marketing strategy will have a solid foundation to build off. Marketing is an ever-evolving process, but by having strong fundamentals, you’ll be in a good position to adapt and flourish.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or merely revamping, this article provides some essential guidance when it comes to developing your law firm’s branding strategy.
Set your marketing goals and budget
When it comes to marketing, setting goals is the first and most crucial step in your strategy. Without clearly defined targets, you can’t have a clearly defined strategy. You’ll be shooting in the dark. Brainstorm goals that can be easily trackable—acquire x-amount of leads, grow your revenue by a certain percentage, secure new clients, etc. You want to set goals that are attainable within your allotted time frame. No pie-in-the-sky dreams, you want to chase grounded, realistic targets that fit your budget.
Remember: marketing is an investment in the future of your business, so it’s essential always to consider the ROI of any marketing efforts. Your budget goes hand-in-hand with your goals. A good rule of thumb is to reinvest 7-10% of your revenue into your marketing budget. However, every business is different. For example, a law firm that’s just starting out may want to keep things smaller and cost-effective, whereas a growing practice may have the funds for more significant initiatives.
Create a well-designed and optimized website
Your website may be the single most important marketing tool you have. It’s often the first thing a potential client will see—and first impressions are essential. 57% of consumers search for a lawyer themselves, the majority of whom do it online. But merely having a website is not enough.
Today’s consumers are used to a certain standard of website. They must load quickly, be mobile responsive, display important information in an easy-to-find way, and, crucially, be optimized for search engines. After all, what’s the point of having a website if no one can find it.
SEO (search engine optimization) is a way of making your law website show up higher in search results in places like Google or Bing. By utilizing keywords, alt text for images, meta-descriptions, and more, your website will have a much better chance of being found by a potential client. Also, by installing Google Analytics on your website, you can easily track valuable metrics like traffic and click behavior.
Track and measure your progress
Tracking your marketing initiatives is extremely important—otherwise, you won’t have a clear idea if you’re on track or your approach needs adjusting. You should be tracking statistics like web traffic, advertising spend, social media traffic, and conversion rates. All of these can be summed up in regular KPI reports. While this may sound like a lot of work, it really isn’t. Google and other major platforms have built-in tools that make it easy to pull up stats quickly.
These KPIs shouldn’t just be created and filed away, however. Instead, they should be leveraged to adjust your overall marketing strategy. If something’s working, steer funds towards that. Conversely, if something’s not working, you should slow it down or stop it altogether.
Use social media
Social media is a powerful advertising tool for almost any business, and law practices are no different. 81% of law firms maintain at least one social media channel, with 63% on Facebook. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should get a TikTok account, but platforms like Facebook, Google My Business, and LinkedIn are great for establishing a “professional” presence. These channels provide a great way to connect with your clients and gain new ones. It also helps your law firm’s perception as a legitimate or trustworthy business.
In fact, by tying your social channels to your website, you improve your SEO. This is because search engine algorithms take into account social media when crawling your site. If you have a social media presence, there’s a good chance you are who you say you are, and therefore, you’ll be ranked higher in searches.
When it comes to setting up social media accounts, it’s best practice to:
- Use consistent information and imagery across all accounts—meaning logos, addresses, contact info, etc
- Use Facebook Business. Do not use your personal account for your business.
- The same goes for LinkedIn—create a business page.
- Always link to your social accounts from your website. This will improve SEO.
Encourage reviews
84% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as a personal recommendation. However, they can be a double-edged sword. Great reviews can enormously impact your business, but a negative one can do some serious damage. While this may cause some to hesitate, the pros far outweigh the cons. For example, 70% of clients are willing to drive further if a law firm has better online reviews than one nearer to them.
The key to review management is to be proactive. You should be encouraging reviews from all of your clients. That way, if and when a bad review does come along, it’ll be far outweighed by positive reviews. The more reviews you have, the less a single one can have a big impact on your overall rating.
Stay the course
A properly laid out marketing strategy for your law firm will significantly impact your business, but it may take time. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Too often, companies will abandon a strategy far too early. You don’t have to toss an entire approach out the window after a few weeks—but you can make adjustments. Remember: a successful marketing strategy is flexible. Always track your results and tweak where necessary.
By following the tips in this article, your law practice’s marketing strategy will have a solid foundation to build off. Marketing is an ever-evolving process, but by having strong fundamentals, you’ll be in a good position to adapt and flourish.
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