In our experience, the biggest mistake lawyers make is not marketing their firm.
Maybe you’re afraid to get started because you think it’ll cost too much or take away from your client work and other business responsibilities.
The good news is you don’t have to dedicate a ton of time and resources to your marketing efforts to start to see an impact.
In this marketing guide, we’re sharing 16 simple marketing tactics that you can do by yourself in just a small amount of time. You can even delegate these tactics to your team to execute. Each tactic can be implemented in one hour or fewer time increments.
1. Create a Google My Business profile
By creating a Google My Business profile, you can determine how your listing appears in Google product searches like Maps and Searches. Additionally, attorneys can now list their firm as a verified business. According to Google, verified businesses are 2x as likely to be considered reputable by searchers.
Google My Business profiles include a description of what your firm does, business hours, contact information, and photos or video of your law firm. Claiming your Google My Business profile is simple and is crucial for local searches.
For example, imagine someone looks for law firms near them on Google Maps. They come to your listing, but it hasn’t been updated, and your business hours are incorrect. They try calling you when the listing says you’re open, but you’re closed. Instead of trying back the next day, they move on to the next listing near them, and you’ve lost a lead. GMB profiles must be accurate to effectively drive local leads.
2. Give back to your local community
One way to easily improve your local marketing is to focus on your community. This can be done in a number of ways, but volunteering at local non-profit organizations or fundraisers is best. By putting time into your community and philanthropic efforts, you garner goodwill with your local audience and can genuinely feel good about your community efforts. The beauty of this marketing tactic is that it’s customizable and can be done year-round.
For example, if there’s an annual fundraiser in your town, you can support their efforts by volunteering your time. Remember, the non-profit or community organization does not have to be related to your practice area. It’s enough to just show that you’re willing to give back to your local community.
3. Add your business to law firm directory and review sites
There are many directories and review sites for law firms. In fact, if you were to search right now for a law firm focusing on a particular practice area in your location, you’ll likely be directed to a website like Avvo, LegalZoom, or Lawyers.com. To show up in the search results for these listings, you’ll need to check each platform for instructions, but most are simple and take minimal time to complete. The time invested is worthwhile because of how high in the search rankings these directories and review sites appear. If you want to be found when someone searches for firms near them, this is a good way to do so.
For instance, claiming your profile for Avvo is simple. Just go to their website and find your default profile. Choose a claim method to verify your identity and claim your profile. Once Avvo sends you a confirmation email, you can set the password for your account.
4. Get active on LinkedIn
One way to establish your credibility as a solo attorney or firm is to get active on LinkedIn. You’ll want to check your LinkedIn feed and Daily Rundown for topics related to your firm. Check for activity and posts by your colleagues and relevant accounts, like firms with similar practice areas in other locations. Comment on topics you’re knowledgeable of to showcase your expertise and demonstrate that you’re willing to offer valuable advice outside of paid cases. The key is to check LinkedIn regularly and engage with any relevant topics.
For example, say that you’re an attorney in San Jose. Someone in the Bay Area posts a question asking about a new law that was passed in California. You can comment on the post with your insight and offer to discuss how the law personally impacts the person in a free consultation if they contact you. Responding to the post will add more than insight on the topic, it’ll position you as an subject matter expert.
5. Ask for client reviews
The best way to drum up positive reviews is to simply ask. Positive reviews help with the perception of your firm. When someone is searching for attorneys, they often rely heavily on the firm’s reputation before making a decision. The more positive reviews, the more they trust you. As noted, the best way to generate good reviews is to ask for them.
For example, let’s say you’ve closed a successful case. Simply ask your client if they can leave you a good review online to tell about their experience. If you ask through email, you can send them a copy of the review link to make the process even easier.
Pro Tip: Want to get more 5 star reviews on platforms listed in #3? Sign up for a Feedback Automatic account to trigger an ask for a review after a successful case or closing, and automatically display those reviews on your website.
6. Respond to posted reviews
It’s not enough to just ask for reviews. You should be engaging with posted reviews, too. Whether these reviews are through Google, social media, or another platform, it’s important to show the reviewer that you care enough about their business to reply. Be sure to check regularly, if not daily, for new reviews to reply to.
For example, let’s say that someone leaves you a positive review. You may think there’s no need to respond, but quite the opposite. Responding shows that you appreciate their feedback and that you’re an active business online. Take a moment to thank the reviewer and encourage them to come back if they need your legal services again.
7. Write regular emails
It doesn’t take long to whip up an email. But having an email list does wonders for keeping you top of mind, sharing valuable information with your audience, and keeping them up-to-date with happenings in your firm. You can add all kinds of content to your newsletter, including recent blog posts, staffing updates, industry news, and even helpful articles others have written.
For instance, say a new law has been passed that’s relevant to your practice area. You can use your newsletter to write up a quick summary of the impact of the law and link to a news article addressing it.
8. Publish a blog post
Maintaining a blog not only shares valuable content with your followers but helps improve your search rankings and the visibility of your site. Google and other search engines like Bing love fresh content, and you’ll likely rank higher if you publish blog posts more frequently. Aim for a new post at minimum once a month, but up to twice a week is ideal.
Struggling to come up with something to write about? Try making a list of potential topics that you can pull from whenever you’re sitting down to write the next post. The list may include questions your clients typically ask, law changes, industry news updates, or even how your law firm can help clients with their legal issues.
Need help with blog content? Check out our content library which helps you rank in Google by answering some commonly search questions about your practice areas, or our content marketing service which publishes to your blog and social media automatically.
9. Sponsor a local organization
Another way to be more visible in your community is to sponsor a local organization. This can be something you’re passionate about, have a personal connection to, or something relevant to your firm. There are plenty of worthwhile organizations in your community, so take a little time to research ones near you that can use your support. Many will include your name on their website or other marketing materials in exchange for a small donation.
For example, let’s say your daughter is on a Little League team. You could sponsor the team in exchange for having your website and logo printed on their uniforms. This minor investment shows your involvement with the community without directly relating to your practice area.
10. Run Facebook ads
Facebook ads are straightforward to make and can be hyper-targeted to your local audience. If you’re already using Facebook for your website, it makes sense to leverage the platform to drive paid traffic. You can test the ads with minimal budget and direct traffic to either your Facebook profile or landing page on your site. There are many types of ads you can run on Facebook, from Reels-style videos to carousel images. Whichever type of ad you run, be sure to follow the platform’s best practices.
For example, if you decide to run an ad with a single image, know that these types of ads perform better with less than 20% text. Pick a photo that’s engaging and represents your firm well then split test it to see which pictures are working best. Meaning you would run the same ad with the same text and parameters, just a different photo.
Our most comprehensive plan includes Facebook Ads to help you reach and engage with more prospects in your market.
11. Run Google Ads
Google Ads can be highly targeted just like Facebook ads. Instead of on a social platform, these ads appear when people search Google for your selected keywords. The great part about these ads is their flexibility and the insights that come with your Adwords account.
For instance, if you were to run a Google Ad targeting searches for “best divorce attorney Washington” you would be able to see how many people click your ad, the cost of those clicks, and the conversions. If you were getting a high click-through rate, but your leads were too far from your location, you could shift your ads to focus on Seattle instead of the state as a whole.
12. Update your social profiles
It’s important that the bios and language in all of your social profiles are consistent. They should reflect your brand and speak consistently about your services. While this isn’t something you need to check every day, it helps to take a look at how you’re positioning your firm on your social profiles at least once a quarter or so. Simply look at each bio and update the ones that are no longer relevant.
For example, let’s say you’ve recently started offering free consultations and are focusing on that when promoting your legal services. It helps to include that information in all of your social bios. Just be sure to update all of your social profiles, so they’re consistent.
13. Improve your SEO
A search engine optimization (SEO) strategy means improving the quality of your site to attract search engine algorithms. This involves optimizing the text, metadata, URLs, and content for specific keywords. SEO is an ongoing effort that’s never really done. It helps to design your website for SEO from the start, but you’ll need to keep updating it to be truly effective.
For instance, if you’re a lawyer in New York City focusing on estate planning, you should optimize your site for your local area and practice focus. Take a little time weekly or even daily to publish content or update pages on your site to focus on key topics.
14. Update your landing pages
As you’re focusing on SEO, there’s never a better time to take a look at your landing pages. Landing pages are the areas on your site you direct people to from search engines and advertisements. These pages should intrigue the client and prompt them to contact you. To improve the effectiveness of landing pages, check them for SEO, increase their relevance and readability, and write a strong CTA.
For example, say an existing landing page isn’t performing well or leading to many conversions. You could trim any unnecessary content from the page, ensure it includes relevant keywords, and include a compelling CTA that encourages readers to contact your firm. Keep optimizing landing pages and check Google Analytics to see what’s working for your audience.
15. Create gated content
Gated content refers to resources your audience needs to sign up for to access. Think of ebooks or reports you download in exchange for your email or signing up for a newsletter. Gated content is an excellent way to add value to your audience while collecting invaluable email addresses and leads.
If you’re not sure what type of content would work as gated content for your firm, think about your services. What resources would be helpful for clients just considering a lawyer in your practice area? This could be a checklist to determine if they need a lawyer or a one-sheet that shares the best way to prepare for court. The possibilities are endless for gated content ideas.
16. Add live chat to your site
Live chat is often overlooked as a marketing tactic. However, it’s a simple addition to your website that can have a major impact. It takes little time to add to your site and can make all the difference in retaining a lead.
For example, if a prospect lands on your site after hours, they can still utilize customer service through the live chat function. By asking a common question, like “How do I schedule a consultation?” your live chatbots can go to work by setting up an appointment or prompting the user to email you to schedule one. Without the live chat function providing an immediate response, the person may have bounced off your page.
TitleTap partners with Alanna.ai for a chatbot. Learn more on our hub.
How TitleTap can help with your marketing
As an attorney, you wear a lot of hats. Your website and marketing shouldn’t be one of them. Your time is better spent on billable hours than managing their website or google ad campaign. That’s why time and budget constraints are two of the big reasons people work with us. Schedule a free consultation,