As an attorney, you know that winning a case requires you to understand the opposition — their advantages, resources, and strategy. If you know where they’re likely to slip up, you can focus extra attention on that area and be strong where they fall short.
The same is true in marketing. If you know what mistakes legal marketers usually make, you can do better right out of the gate. Here are six common errors among firm owners, along with tips on what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Lack of Strategy
No self-respecting lawyer would build a case without a strategy. You’d get lost pursuing dead ends while the other party focuses on what would make or break the case.
Yet, too many firms engage in marketing without a single thought as to where they’re headed. They create TV ads, sponsor billboards, and redesign their websites without considering their “why” — at least, beyond the general goal of “getting more business.”
This scattered approach wastes valuable marketing dollars. To maximize your investment, you need to know your goals.
The Solution: Know Your Starting Point
Before spending any money on marketing, determine how your clients typically you. Find out how much of your current and recent business comes from referrals, local media ads, digital content, and so on. If you’re unsure, ask.
A web traffic analysis can also offer valuable information. Multiple digital marketing tools can tell you how recent visitors found your website, including what keywords they used to search. If you have an online interest form, determine how many people completed it and how they arrived at that page in the first place.
Use the results of your analysis to identify where your marketing strategy falls short, and then focus your attention on those areas. For example, if you’re not ranking for keywords related to your practice area in your town, start by creating content related to those keywords.
Mistake #2: Overly General Messaging
To attract new clients, you need to differentiate yourself from competing firms. Yet, many advertisements and web pages sound like they could describe almost any firm.
It’s not enough to say you “fight for clients’ rights” or “put your clients first.” You need to specify why clients should choose you over every other local attorney in your practice area.
The Solution: Define Your Unique Value Proposition
A unique value proposition (UVP) is a specific description of what you do differently, and allegedly better, than your competitors. You might be one of a dozen personal injury attorneys in your community, but there’s always something that makes you stand out.
Maybe you’re the only local board-certified attorney in your practice area, or you have an impressively high percentage of favorable outcomes. Another option is to focus on “soft skills,” such as explaining things clearly or staying in touch with clients so they know the status of their case.
Reviews and testimonials help you to determine your UVP. Discover what people praise you for and highlight it. Add those value mentions to your website, Martindale and Lawyers.com bios, and anywhere else your profile appears online.
Mistake #3: Poor Audience Targeting
One of the most dangerous mistakes in legal marketing is making too many assumptions. Out-of-touch attorneys often do this, and it’s evident in their marketing.
These messages assume everyone needs your services or knows someone who does. Maybe the language is too general — “Need a lawyer?” — or you’re paying too much to reach as many people as possible, instead of a smaller selection of the right people.
The main risk of targeting a broad group is that you’re spending money to reach people who aren’t interested. You’ll get further with less spending by knowing who you’re talking to, then reaching out to them specifically.
The Solution: Do Your Research and Be Specific
Learn as much as possible about your clients’ demographics and pain points. Begin by examining your current client base, including its age range, income levels, and career paths. Articulate what they need from you and how you assist them.
Then, consider how you’d reach those groups on a larger scale. For instance, an employment attorney might have extensive experience representing small business owners. That attorney might find new clients at a local entrepreneurs’ networking event or through a social media ad targeting self-employed individuals.
Finally, create new marketing materials that speak directly to your audience’s needs. Be specific about the services you offer and why your target audience needs you on their side.
Mistake #4: Minimal or No Localization
Even in today’s digital society, people still prefer lawyers from their local communities. There are many good reasons, including familiarity with local courts, well-established professional connections, and convenient meeting logistics. Yet, many attorneys don’t localize their marketing beyond an address on their “Contact Us” pages.
It’s tempting to aim for a broader reach, but being findable is more critical. If clients search for “Divorce attorney in Springfield,” Google and other search engines will prioritize the firms that it knows are in the right Springfield. For that to happen, a firm’s online properties need to have what marketers call “local signals.”
If you’re involved in your community, such as through fundraising events or sponsoring local sports teams, consider adding a community page to your website. It’s a valuable way to humanize your firm and build connections.
The Solution: Do Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of helping your firm rank higher in search. Local-specific SEO is all about ranking for local keywords, such as “employment lawyer near me” or “car accident attorney in Carlsbad.”
- Check your directory listings: Claim or create your profile on Martindale.com and Lawyers.com. Add your contact information and include location information in your bio.
- Localize your website: Naturally incorporate mentions of your practice location, including in page titles and headers. If you have multiple office locations, create a separate page for each. Include local mentions and contact details on each page.
Mistake #5: No Top-of-Funnel Content
Suppose your website only includes logistical information, such as your background and the practice areas your firm covers. If that’s true, you’re missing the chance to reach audiences who aren’t ready to choose a lawyer.
Many people start the legal process by doing their own research. For example, a tenant in conflict with a property owner might look up “landlord-tenant laws in Connecticut” before searching for a “renter attorney near me.” Someone who thinks they were wrongly fired might research “What is wrongful termination?” if they’re not committed to finding an “employment attorney in Lakeville.”
Firms that don’t target those initial research keywords risk losing potential clients to firms that do. They’re also missing the opportunity to provide value and establish their authority on a particular topic.
The Solution: Start a Blog or Content Hub
Legal issues often leave people feeling helpless and uninformed. Reassure them and earn their trust by providing jargon-free educational content on topics related to your practice area. If you present this content as a blog via your website, you can earn traffic from people who would benefit from your services.
Begin by conducting keyword research to understand what your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to find terms that attract a relatively high volume of traffic but aren’t excessively competitive.
Another helpful strategy is to review your competitors’ content, then offer content that’s even more valuable. For instance, if another local firm has a blog post about “How to sue after a car accident,” get more specific. You might write about whether you can sue if you’re partially at fault, or what evidence to gather to present a strong case.
Announce and share these blog posts to maximize your traffic. Add links to your newsletters, share posts on your socials, and add announcements to your Lawyers.com profile. Encourage audiences to share those links with their friends and followers.
Mistake #6: Not Tracking Marketing Metrics
If there’s one thing lawyers know better than anyone, it’s the value of evidence. You can’t advise your client on lawsuit value without bills and invoices, and you can’t effectively refine your marketing strategy without data.
Firms that don’t track marketing data are more likely to waste money on ineffective campaigns.
The Solution: Gather and Regularly Check Digital Marketing Data
Digital strategies are the easiest and most reliable marketing activities to track. With tools like Google Analytics or Bing Webmaster Tools, you can find out where your website traffic is coming from, what keywords drive people to your site, and what pages they visit. Use these tools alone or with other software that reports on your social media engagement, search engine rankings, and more.
If do-it-yourself analytics are too time-consuming, or you need support running your marketing overall, Martindale-Avvo offers a variety of marketing solutions explicitly geared to attorneys. Choose WebVantage Plus for SEO, AdVantage for ads, or one of several other targeted services. By delegating your marketing, you free up your team’s time to deliver an excellent client experience.
