Dec. 16, 2020 – Need to market your law firm, but don’t know where to begin?
In the upcoming Lawyer Marketing & Networking Expo, practice management gurus from across the country will share their knowledge of the apps, software, and marketing strategies that work for attorneys.
As a sneak peek, here are four favorite marketing strategies from the panelists:
1) Let Software Automatically Handle Your Schedule
Potential law firm clients, like most consumers, respond better when purchase or usage barriers are removed.
Lawyer marketing traditionally is geared toward getting people to come in our office. “Don’t forget that the internet provides different ways to interact with lawyers,” said Jim Calloway, director of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Management Assistance Program. “The most important marketing feature is to have a way for potential clients to schedule appointments with the lawyer – either video or in-person – 24 hours day.”
Automated scheduling software, such as Calendly, allows a lawyer to synchronize their electronic calendar or set availability for initial client consultations.
A potential client who visits a law firm’s website can view the attorney’s availability, schedule an initial consultation, and then receive email notifications regarding the upcoming consultation. In addition, use the software to schedule regular meetings with other clients. Once the software is set up, the entire process is automated – saving law firm staff time scheduling or rescheduling client meetings.
2) Don’t Let Clients Fall Through the Cracks
“Customer relationship management (CRM) software helps you get back to all your clients and potential clients,” said Catherine Sanders Reach, director for the Center for Practice Management with the North Carolina Bar Association.
Legal CRM software helps law firms capture information from potential, current, and former clients. The client information includes helpful marketing information, such as who referred the client, how much marketing money was spent to obtain the client, the client’s interactions with the firm, and any feedback the client provides.
Instead of manually looking through client files to determine the last contact since an initial consultation or recent interactions with current or former clients, you can use information and automated marketing workflows in CRM software to generate follow-ups with potential clients or touch points to grow the relationship with current or former clients.
Reserve Your Spot: Lawyer Marketing and Networking Expo, Jan. 13
Interested in more tips and considerations?
Discover how to operate a more successful, profitable law firm with proven tools and techniques at the Lawyer Marketing & Networking Expo 2021, on Jan. 13, 2021.
The Expo is a one-day, online event presented by the State Bar of Wisconsin Practice411TM law office management assistance program. The tuition cost is only $49 for the full-day event.
At the Expo, you’ll gain insights from Wisconsin attorneys, practice management advisors, and marketing professionals on:
- the dos and don’ts of advertising;
- search engine optimization (SEO) best practices;
- social media strategies and addressing negative reviews;
- measuring your marketing effectiveness;
- the most helpful apps and software; and more.
Most importantly, you will have an opportunity to ask speakers and network with presenters and your peers during dedicated Q&A and networking sessions. And, if you are considering hiring a company to provide marketing services, you can visit the vendor hall and chat with booth representatives.
For more information, visit wisbar.org/marketingexpo.
3) No Need to Brainstorm: Hashtag Generators Do It for You
To be successful in achieving higher search engine optimization (SEO) rankings, firms must understand popular keywords and key phrases, then create quality content centered on those words, link the content to websites and social media platforms, measure results, and continuously improve throughout the process to obtain higher search rankings.1
Hashtag generators, such as Kicksta, generate suggested tags to use in social media for particular law firm practice areas. Marketing campaigns that use strategic hashtag placement on social media or website content help ensure that, when an internet search is performed by a potential client, the law firm appears toward the top of the search.
“These apps are available to you, the end user, and are not just tools that website developers or social media campaign developers have in their toolboxes,” said Natalie Kelly, director of the State Bar of Georgia’s Law Practice Management Program and instructor of law practice technology at Georgia State University College of Law.
“Do not waste your time trying to come up with clever hashtags – simply input your keywords to generate popular hashtags to use in your marketing campaigns,” says Kelly.
4) Be Seen to Increase Word-of-mouth Referrals
Attorneys sometimes struggle in figuring out what groups they should join to market themselves. “They forget that they already belong to a large group where they can get referrals – their bar association,” said Courtney Troutman, director of the South Carolina Bar Practice Management Assistance Program.
Attorneys should look at their bar association’s sections and committees, find one that interests them, and join it. They should also join the elists and actively participate by asking and answering questions and helping out other lawyers. “It’s a great way to get your name out there to learn and help out other lawyers, and you may get some referral business out of it,” Troutman said.
Use Multiple Strategies
While there is no magical wand that law firms can wave to obtain new clients or grow revenue, implementing several strategies to help reach law firm revenue goals in the new year.
Want more? Attend our upcoming Lawyer Marketing and Networking Expo and pick the brains of marketing experts in the exhibit, networking, or question and answer rooms. See you there!
Endnotes
1 See Christopher Cody Shattuck and Spencer X. Smith, “SEO 101: How to Drive Website Traffic,” Wisconsin Lawyer, December 2020.
