Doing the most-effective digital marketing for lawyers is a constantly moving target. Even coming close to hitting the bullseye requires interpreting subtle signs that search engine algorithms have changed and acting quickly on data regarding which content keywords have driven, and appear poised to drive, the greatest amount of traffic to a law firm’s website.Constant considerations do exist, however. During 2018 and for the foreseeable future, online marketing for attorneys and legal services will prosper only if those efforts embrace the following three principles:
- Potential and current law firm clients will increase their use of smartphones and tablets.
- People will use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to find lawyers they trust to handle their cases.
- Informative, actionable, and well-produced web content does more than anything else to convert a law firm website visitor into an attorney’s client.
Here are brief discussions of why and how you must acknowledge these truths and do your online market accordingly.
Think Mobile First
Current estimates of the amount of web traffic going to mobile devices range from 60-80 percent. Each year, the number of people who go online exclusively via a laptop or desktop computer declines.
The implications of this wholesale shift to smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches for digital marketing for law firms are clear. Attorneys must partner with their web development team to ensure each page of their website displays and functions optimally on screens of any size.Attorneys should also consider using video, pictures with captions, and infographics instead of long scrolls of text to explain complex legal concepts. Articles and blog posts should feature brief paragraphs, section headers, and short sentences. Contact information must be placed so it does not obscure content but is also visible enough that website visitors never have to hunt around to find it.
Be Social
Never forget that doing digital marketing for lawyers requires doing actual marketing. You will not succeed simply by posting a series of webpages, calling that a website, and waiting for clients to stumble across your content. You must put your content in full view of as many potential clients as possible.
A good way to do this is to create and stay active on accounts for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Look into whether other social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube fit your overall corporate image. Use posts to provide links to and summaries of valuable and newly created content.
Make sure, too, that you use the appropriate terminology and personality for each social media platform. For instance, formality works best on LinkedIn, while Instagram allows for more playfulness. Always present yourself regardless of tone and use discretion when responding to comments — which usually means, don’t respond.
Never Forget That Content Is King, Queen, and the Entire Royal Family
The last thing to always keep in mind is that when you engage in digital marketing for your law firm, you are selling content with the intent of having the viewers of that content contact and hire you. The material you post to your website, then, must attract, hold, and convert potential clients.
The type of content that achieves these purposes
- Includes high-value keywords that allow clients to find the content by using a search engine;
- Is professionally produced, meaning it lacks typos if written and looks good if it is an image or video;
- Is factually accurate and up-to-date;
- Answers the questions readers and viewers have while also indicating how hiring a lawyer will benefit them; and
- Gives people a reason and a prompt to reach out for a consultation.