Look around your local area.
How many law firms can you recognise just by seeing their logo?
Chances are you’ll think of one, maybe two. Then you’ll struggle.
Most law firms are invisible.
Not because they aren’t talented lawyers. Not because they don’t get results for clients. But because they haven’t created a brand that people actually remember.
Clients have more choice than ever. More firms are competing for the same instructions, on the same channels, saying almost the exact same thing. Clients who don’t recognise your brand are just going to…
Pick the cheapest firm.
A memorable brand puts a stop to that. With the right marketing for your legal practice, your firm becomes the obvious choice whenever a potential client is looking for legal help. That means legal client acquisition starts happening without you having to chase.
Here’s how to set that up.
Contents
- Why Brand Awareness Fuels Client Acquisition
- Niched Brand Over General Brands of Law
- Content Marketing That Bolsters Reputation
- Online Reviews: The Secret Weapon
- SEO — Building for the Long-Term
Why Brand Awareness Fuels Client Acquisition
Here’s the hard truth about law firm client acquisition…
It doesn’t matter how good you are if no one knows you’re good.
85% of potential clients do some googling to look them up online. If you don’t appear when potential clients are searching for you…they won’t hire you.
It’s simple when you think about it.
Clients can only hire you if they know you exist.
Most firms bury their heads in the sand about this. They assume being awesome will bring clients in. The problem is Google is rarely searching “Who’s the most awesome law firm around?”
Potential clients want to find answers, advice, and help. When they do that, the most visible firm wins.
Your job is to get your law firm above that visible threshold.
Build a brand that matters to your potential clients, and watch the phone start ringing.
Niched Brand Over General Brands of Law
Here’s a shocking secret.
Law firms that serve everyone end up serving no one.
It sounds crazy. But if you market your firm as a jack-of-all-trades law practice then you’ll come across as…well, a jack of all trades.
Now look at any highly successful niche lawyer. Olivia Wilde may be exaggerating but there’s no denying The Waterhole have positioned themselves as the go-to employment lawyers in Hollywood.
By niching down, they appeal to a very specific market. Potential clients looking for “employment lawyer” in their searches are immediately going to find waterholelegal.com before any other firm.
Sure, you might miss some clients by niching down but here’s what you’ll gain…
- You can charge more.
- You’ll attract warmer leads.
- Word-of-mouth recommendations will be more effective.
- Content marketing becomes ridiculously easy.
Pick one or two niches to focus on. Absolutely dominate those practice areas. Then weave that positioning into everything you do online.
Your website. Make sure it speaks directly to those practice areas. Your social profiles. Use them to share content that appeals to those niches. Your content marketing. Create content that answers the questions your ideal clients are searching for.
Everything you do online should reinforce your positioning. Don’t be afraid to niche down hard.
Tons of lawyers fight over the scraps at the top of the food chain.
Your firm will eat them alive if you establish a strong niche brand.
Content Marketing That Bolsters Reputation
Want to know the single quickest way to become an authority in your market?
Make yourself one.
Do you know what the best firms do not do?
They publish boring, opinionated blog posts full of meaningless filler simply to game Google. Instead of beating the algorithm they work with it to build their brand authority.
Firms spending 16.5% of revenue on marketing grow far faster than those that don’t. Part of what separates high growth firms from the rest is great content.
Blog posts that:
- Answer questions people are searching for
- Provide real-world legal education
- Are backed up by genuine case studies
- Showcase your legal team’s expertise
Create content that gets your audience excited about your firm. Content that stops them from hiring the first lawyer they find (who might not even be you).
Helping people will get you noticed.
Online Reviews: The Secret Weapon
You know how most lawyers treat their online reviews?
They don’t.
But they should.
98% of potential clients read online reviews before hiring an attorney.
In a marketplace where new clients are bouncing between plenty of options, that extra little review can be what makes or breaks your law firm.
Google My Business reviews, industry awards, Twitter mentions. Every little helps when it comes to building your brand.
Here’s the thing…
Reviews are easy to collect. And most law firms aren’t collecting them.
Make sure you have a system for requesting reviews from happy clients. Even if it’s just a follow up email with a direct link to your Google My Business profile.
A few extra reviews can give you a serious edge over your competitors.
Oh and when you do get a review make sure you reply. Every reply is an opportunity to showcase your firm values and client care.
SEO — Building For The Long-Term
You know when someone hires a lawyer?
Somewhere in that process they perform a Google search.
If you want clients to find you, you need to invest in SEO.
Google sends more than half of all website traffic to law firms. Consistent investment in your SEO pays serious dividends.
Three things matter when it comes to SEO:
- Optimised, helpful content that answers queries
- High quality backlinks from reputable sites
- A clean, fast-loading website that works on mobile
All of the above are relatively simple. But none of them happen overnight.
Conclusion
Building a brand that gets you remembered doesn’t have to cost thousands.
The key is consistency. Finding your niche, showing up where your clients are looking for you online, and building trust with everything you do.
Let’s recap.
- Build your brand around your niche or niches
- Create content that answers your prospects’ questions
- Aggressively collect online reviews and respond to every one
- Consistently invest in SEO as a long-term strategy
- Make sure everything you do online matches your brand message
Law firms that do this will outperform their competitors month after month.
Some firms will try and cheat the system.
They’ll pour thousands into ads or copy what everyone else is doing online.
Helping your potential clients is the best way to stand out from that crowd. Nurture your brand by putting yourself out there as an expert.
Start building your brand today.
The sooner you start, the bigger your lead will become.
