The best law firm branding strategies through digital marketing
Today, everything is digital — and that includes how legal consumers learn more about their legal issues and try to find an attorney who can help them. Have you evaluated what your law firm is doing to promote your brand and services to attract potential clients and win them over?
In a recent webcast, digital marketing experts at FindLaw discussed how establishing a strong online presence helps small law firms showcase their expertise, credibility, and unique value. Keep reading to learn more as we answer webcast attendees’ questions.
How do I figure out what my brand is online and what steps can I take to improve it?
The best way to get a barometer reading of your online brand presence is to Google your law firm’s name. What results do you see on the first page? It’s important that the information you see is not only consistent and factual, but also reflects information that you want potential clients to see. If a branded search returns an old office address, negative online reviews, and a less-than-flattering news story about an attorney at your law firm, then it’s important to take corrective steps.
Push down negative or unwanted information by populating the page with positive and controlled information. A great place to start is by making sure you claim and optimize free business profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google Business. Then, work to establish a process for asking current and former satisfied clients for reviews. Additionally, if you or your law firm recently won an award, you can write and distribute a press release to help promote your accomplishment and boost your online brand.
How do online reviews impact my Google Business Profile’s visibility? How much do I need to worry about a bad review?
Google’s goal is to provide the best consumer experience possible. That means displaying information Google believes is relevant and important to a user’s search intent. When a potential client searches for your law firm, online reviews are very likely to display on the first page results. In fact, the more reviews your law firm has and the more recent those reviews are, the higher up your firm will show in Google’s map section. This is a prime example of the power of online reviews and why it’s so important to establish a regular, easy process for asking clients for reviews.
Worried about a couple negative reviews? While there’s no way to delete negative online reviews, your firm can take steps to dilute their power by building up a strong repository of positive reviews. Plus, even negative reviews can be turned into an opportunity for your firm to be viewed in a positive light. Make a point to respond to negative reviews in a respectful and constructive manner. Doing so shows you care that someone had a less-than-ideal experience with your law firm. How you respond can speak volumes about who you are as an attorney and how you treat people.
Your law firm is a brand. What do you want that brand to be?
Learn three components of law firm branding that can help you meet prospective clients where they’re at and quickly capture their attention.
My law firm’s online brand profile is already established. Are there things I can do to improve it even more?
If you are generally happy with how your law firm is represented in the digital sphere, it’s time for more advanced digital marketing strategies. To improve your online standings even more, you can employ technical SEO tactics. Additionally, it’s wise to take steps to define specific KPIs and dig in to really understand metrics like ROI and customer acquisition cost (CAC).
For example, CAC and cost per acquisition (CPA) are significant indicators. Calculating CPA helps you understand how much you spend to get one customer through a particular marketing channel, like through a specific pay-per-click (PPC) campaign or via your FindLaw legal directory listing, whereas CAC includes all of the costs it takes to acquire a new client.
Having a good understanding of CPA per digital marketing channel and CAC overall can help your law firm be as efficient, effective, and profitable as possible.
How do you bridge the gap between how a lawyer writes and how a legal consumer reads it?
Simplifying the complex is an art, and this concept definitely applies when communicating with potential and actual clients. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm or alienate legal consumers by using a bunch of legal terms. Much like when you go to the doctor and they explain in simple terms how your broken bone will heal, you need to be the legal interpreter and guide for your clients.
Additionally, Google and other search engines also appreciate when you use plain language to explain and discuss legal matters on your website. Plus, they’re likely to see your website as a valuable resource and reward you by highlighting your site when legal consumers are searching for answers.
Watch our on-demand webcast to learn about optimizing your brand’s influence, then download our brand building guide for small law firms below.
Brand building for small law firms: Key strategies for success
In a world where impressions are lightning-fast and legal consumers are quick to judge, developing your firm’s brand allows you to build trust and solidify connections with potential clients.