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5 Law Firm Marketing Tips for Success in 2023
For those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of marketing, it can all seem a little daunting. Some of the most common misperceptions are that marketing requires:
- Expensive tools
- Complicated strategies
- A full team of experts
… to achieve results.
In reality, none of these things are true. In fact, successful marketing is largely based on clear goals and sustainable workflows. When you use goals and workflows as your marketing foundation, it’s far easier to get measurable results. (And you may even find you have fun in the process!)
Here’s how to get started with key components of your marketing plan.
Set crystal clear goals
A lot of firms start marketing because they think they need to do something to promote their practice. But can you articulate why you’re marketing and what you want to gain from the process?
If you’re marketing just for the sake of marketing, then it’s not going to provide the right type of value for current or potential clients, and it will feel like pulling teeth within your own business.
Set clear marketing goals before you create your marketing plan. Determine what you want to achieve, whether it’s more qualified leads, a smoother client intake process, or more engagement with your current clients. A word to the wise, though: don’t go overboard with setting marketing goals. What looks manageable on paper (or in a Google doc) can feel quite different when mixed in with billable client work, administrative tasks, and other responsibilities.
Once you have your goals, establish KPIs for each goal to figure out how you’ll measure success. For example, if you want to increase traffic to your website, then your KPIs could involve unique site views, average views per blog post, bounce rate, etc.
Once you have your goals, then you can start defining your road map for reaching them.
Map out your sales funnel
Understanding your sales funnel is key to a good marketing plan. When you have a well-defined sales funnel, you know who your prospective clients are, how they interact with your law firm, and what their needs are as they move from prospect to client.
If you’re struggling with mapping out a sales funnel, try this mental exercise.
Imagine you’re a potential client. How would you find legal services? What questions would you want to have answered as you found an attorney? What would be deal breakers (and makers)?
Once you’ve put yourself in their shoes, walk through every single step of your client intake process as if you were experiencing it for the first time, and ask your peers to participate as well. Fill out your contact form. Review any potential pain points, and test out your software.
But it’s not enough to simply clear the way. Your clients need support through the sales funnel. Using your list of questions, build out a plan for content, such as email campaigns or downloadable guides, to take them through every stage of the sales funnel and convert them from leads to clients.
12 Legal Payment Processing Features to Look For
Want to see a healthier cash flow and happier clients? Start accepting payments online! On your quest for the right payment processor, look for features that streamline and support the way law firms operate.
Stay active online
Consistency is key when it comes to growing your audience and building client engagement. Some potential leads may orbit your firm for months or years before they reach out. But if you continue to provide value, more people will keep your firm top of mind for their needs.
When it comes to online content, firms can use both their website blogs and social media platforms to build trust. Consistently creating high-quality blogs can improve your firm’s SEO, which is critical for both search engine results and delivering value to your clients.
On social media, regular posts and activity can spark interactions with potential leads and build on existing client relationships. It can also position your firm as a trusted resource.
It can seem overwhelming to add regular posting or content creation to someone’s to-do list. A content calendar can help schedule content, and many third parties specialize in SEO and content creation services for law firms. Depending on your budget, it may help to outsource your online activity.
Build better marketing workflows
Marketing can be intimidating and require a significant amount of non-billable hours. This is where automation comes in.
Marketing automation tools, such as those found in a legal CRM, can help streamline manual processes and reduce administrative time. With marketing automation, you can pre-plan a campaign or strategy and let the system do the work for you. For example, with a legal CRM, legal practices can use email drip campaigns to send people emails based on certain predetermined triggers. This can include following up on a client intake form or asking a client to leave a review after a case is settled.
But marketing workflows include more than automation. It’s also about how your employees engage with marketing efforts and share content to their own audiences. Consider encouraging staff to repost company blogs on their own LinkedIn page, or celebrating an employee feature. Make this as easy as possible for your team with employee advocacy software, which can take the guesswork out of employee engagement.
Check your analytics regularly
Your marketing tactics should change and grow alongside your firm. Regular analytics can help you pivot and improve your marketing efforts over time. Use business intelligence reports to track your efforts.
- Review on a quarterly and yearly basis:
- What type of content performs best on social media?
- Which blogs perform best on your website?
- How can you improve your marketing strategy?
- How are you doing on your KPIs?
Keep in mind that marketing is a long game. Contrary to popular belief, going “viral” is often the result of years of continued effort. It doesn’t happen overnight, and your strategy should be flexible to account for changing goals, client needs, market conditions, and more.
A legal CRM can provide an integrated marketing and analysis system, which can provide valuable actionable insights. An integrated system can make it easier to identify bottlenecks in your sales funnel or review email open rates. The more information you have, the more you will be able to make the right decisions to improve your marketing strategy over time.
Take the guesswork out of marketing with Rocket Matter
When it comes to marketing, the process should be clear and easy to follow. Rocket Matter’s legal practice management software includes CRM, program management, and automation processes to streamline your marketing and deliver the data you need to build a successful strategy.
Schedule a demo with Rocket Matter today and see the possibilities for yourself.
12 Legal Payment Processing Features to Look For
Want to see a healthier cash flow and happier clients? Start accepting payments online! On your quest for the right payment processor, look for features that streamline and support the way law firms operate.
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