A lot went through your mind in law school like how to remember various legal rules. How to pass the bar exam is something else that was probably on your mind. What you weren’t thinking about is attracting clients.
After all, if you’re a lawyer then clients should automatically flock to your law firm, right? Unfortunately, this usually isn’t how it works.
Your law firm has competition and there are only so many clients. We’re looking at some fun and innovative ways to attract potential legal clients. After all, without clients your law firm isn’t going to stay open for long.
Have a Budget
Before you start implementing any idea no matter how great it is, you need a budget. This budget covers the costs of your marketing strategies. Having a budget also helps ensure you’re not spending more than your law firm can afford.
Don’t panic if your budget seems relatively small. Some advertising ideas are free to implement. For example, setting up a social media account for your law firm on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn is free. Once you have a budget, it’s easier to know what innovative ideas are doable and which ones will break the bank.
Let Google Work for You
Google probably is already working for you if it’s your preferred search engine. Have a Gmail account? Then Google is working to help keep your emails organized. Google’s help can also extend to your law firm.
You can claim your free Google Business Profile and take care of your local SEO needs. Getting started is a breeze. You can easily fit it in between client meetings. Simply fill in the fields with some information like the name of your law firm, along with its phone number and address. Insert the link to your law firm’s webpage and Google takes care of the rest.
Don’t forget to upload a couple of images like a picture of the law firm’s building and one of the parking lots. You can even get creative and swap out a parking lot photo for one of you with your law partners.
Optimize Your SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization and it’s essential when you’re trying to attract clients. SEO isn’t an easy thing to master but you can tackle a couple of aspects. If your law firm is starting a website from scratch, it’s probably best to partner with an SEO service provider.
So, what can you tackle with little to no SEO training? You can double-check all inserted backlinks to make sure they’re working and not sending visitors to an error page. You can also check your website’s loading speed and if it’s mobile-friendly.
Even if you’re not sure how keywords are ranked, you can still take care of at least part of this process. You can run a keyword search to find out what potential clients are looking for online. You’re probably going to come across terms like:
- Law firms near me
- What steps to take after a car accident
- How much does a divorce attorney cost
These are only a few examples, but you should get the general idea. For instance, potential clients may search for terms like “division of assets in a divorce” or “how much does a divorce attorney cost.” Once you know what potential clients are searching for, you can insert the keywords into your relevant content.)
Break Out the Video Camera
If your law office doesn’t have a video camera lying around, no worries! Your smartphone will work just fine. All you need is the camera app to come with a video function. This is also when the fun begins and you can let your creativity shine.
Your goal is to create short, engaging, and informative videos for your law firm’s social media sites. Remember, not all social media platforms are designed for videos. Facebook is a great example, along with LinkedIn.
However, Facebook Reels can be a viable option, along with Instagram. You probably want to stay away from Facebook Stories since the videos are usually only active for around 24 hours. You’re trying to attract clients and 24 hours isn’t a lot of time.
Don’t forget about YouTube. This platform is a great option for videos. You can create Q&A sessions, explain the latest changes to local law, or simply provide a step-by-step guide for what to do after a car accident.
These are only a few ideas, remember, this is when you can get creative and still bring in new clients. Something else to consider is adding subtitles to your videos. This way, your content is more accessible.
Go Live
Establishing a social media presence for your law firm can open up all kinds of advertising doors. You can create and host a live stream and connect with potential clients.
Best of all, starting a live stream on YouTube or another social media platform is amazingly inexpensive. Remember your budget, live streaming isn’t going to eat up a huge chunk. This way, you should still be able to hire an SEO service provider for some of the more complicated tasks.
Your livestream is going to need a theme and it should resonate with the public. You may want to browse through some local news stories to see if anything relates to your law firm’s specialty.
So, if you’re a family lawyer you probably want to stay away from topics involving criminal law. Try to keep your live-streaming event relevant to your legal practice.
Make Friends with Other Local Law Firms
This can be another budget-friendly way of attracting clients to your law firm and your competition can help. Law firms turn clients away for a variety of reasons. While you don’t want a competing law firm sending you clients with iffy cases, you do want ones with viable claims.
When another law firm is simply too busy to take on another client they can send them your way. This can also apply if the client’s case is outside the law firm’s area of expertise.
One law firm may focus on family law while you concentrate on injury claims. Making friends with other attorneys is a great way to spread the word about your law firm.
