I hate to say it but, attorneys are a dime a dozen. There has been such an influx of legal professionals over the last decade that the legal profession is now filled with so many attorneys it can be difficult to find the exact one you are looking for. This can make it tough for a law firm to market to potential clients as they need to stand out from the countless other law firms making the same pitch to litigants.
When it comes to making it in the legal profession, marketing has become even more important. Simply do a search online and you will see pages and pages of attorneys ready to provide consultations for clients. As a law firm, how do you stand out from that crowd?
Here are four of the things your law firm can do now to help set yourself apart from your competition and begin building your brand.
1. Make Your Website Your Storefront
Your website is the first stop people will make when searching for an attorney. Your site must stand out from others in order to attract clients. According to Findlaw.com, this can be an important asset as a legal marketer. “Years ago, the typical person opened the Yellow Pages to find legal help. Today, most prospects go online. From their perspective, your website is your law firm - their first, most lasting impression of who you are, what sets you apart and how well you can meet their needs.”
Entrepreneur contributor Jayson Demers offers 39 quick ways to increase your website’s conversion rate. These include using testimonials, keeping conversion elements above the fold, using high quality images and videos, and implementing chat tools. You need to make sure that you take care of the little things on your website and implement some of these suggestions. The little things will be the difference between a potential client contacting you or contacting your competition.
2. Have a Media Outreach Strategy
Media outreach is extremely important. “By implementing a media outreach strategy, you can get your message out to the public,” writes Mike Wood in an article on Entrepreneur. “You can use the media to establish yourself as an expert and let potential clients see what you do best.”
Publications are not going to track you down looking for a comment or quote. You must put yourself in front of them and offer them something of value. Use websites such as Help-A-Reporter-Out to make pitches to journalists. There are also UPitch and Collabor8, two mobile apps that help you achieve better PR.
3. Start Writing to Become the Expert
Google search is moving away from simply showing people results of products or services. It has become the place where people find the answers to questions. Most people searching for an attorney are first going to type their legal question into Google search to find answers to that question. If you are not writing about that topic, chances are you will miss out on opportunities to represent a litigant.
Become a contributor for various legal publications or even fill your blog with articles that answer basic questions. Lead trial attorney, Lawrence J. Buckfire, founder of DrugLawsuitSource.com, writes for Forbes Legal Counsel and attributes it to connecting him with potential clients. “Being able to showcase your knowledge generates more leads,” says Buckfire. “When people see you as the source for answers, they are more likely to seek you out to represent them.”
4. Start a Podcast
Podcasts are nothing new but they are quickly becoming a very popular medium to promote yourself. Keeping in line with becoming an author, you can actually become your own podcast presenter for very little money.
According to Chris Ducker, podcasting can help you build a remarkable brand. “Podcast subscribers are after information, real life stories, case studies and advice from their peers, and those they follow,” writes Ducker in a blog post. “Building either your personal, or business brand with podcasting creates a huge viral affect for the brand, and can also generate lots of relevant links to your website.”
Nolo has a great directory for podcasts. You can browse pretty much any legal topic and listen to advice on the subject. If you can create podcast episodes that do the same, you can help grab the attention of potential clients. Imagine how easy it is for people to choose you as an attorney when they can easily search and find the answer to their question in the form of audio.
Summing it Up
It is difficult for a law firm to stand out in the crowd, especially with the number of attorneys out there looking for work. It can be done if you are able to develop a good media outreach strategy, become a guest author, start a podcast, and ensure your website is in a shape to convert potential clients. Doing nothing is not an option as people will not find you buried in the search results of Google.