New capabilities within the digital marketing realm have greatly expanded opportunities for solo and small law firms to connect with legal consumers. Today, attorneys have the ability to tailor their marketing strategies to meet their firm's unique needs and short and long-term goals. For example, attorneys can strategically incorporate tactics like pay-per-click ads, social media promotions, and targeted SEO plans. Additionally, having a listing on an online legal directory is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways attorneys can quickly get in front of legal consumers who need their help.
Legal directories like FindLaw.com and Abogado.com serve as a one-stop repository where legal consumers can find and learn more about attorneys who handle their specific matter. For attorneys, having a listing on a reputable online legal directory provides a sense of immediate legitimacy – sparring legal consumers the chore of going to multiple sites to research and vet you and your firm.
Making sure you have a listing on one or more online legal directories is the first step. Next, it's important to take time to build out your listing so you and your firm stand out among competitors. The following tips can help:
Get your message across
Include a unique introductory paragraph or two where you introduce your firm, briefly describe your practice, and make the case for why you are the best attorney to help a prospective client with their divorce, DUI arrest, or probate matter. For branding and consistency, it’s good to include some of the key messaging from your website, however resist the urge to simply copy and paste content verbatim from your website.
Instead, think of your listing like a personal ad where you need to present and make yourself and your firm jump out as the most attractive option for prospective clients. Write directly to them, address common client questions and concerns, and be thoughtful in how you present your firm.
Make it easy for legal consumers
When building out your directory listing, it’s helpful to put yourself in prospective clients’ shoes. If you were facing a legal problem, what information would you want to know about your attorney and law firm? Yes, make sure to include basic details such as your contact information, office hours, practice areas, and whether you provide free consultations. But also consider including information such as languages spoken by attorneys and staff members and individual attorney honors, publications, and pro bono activities. Additionally, it’s wise to add links to your firm’s Facebook page and other social media platforms as well as links to attorney and/or firm reviews.
Having all this information in a snapshot view, helps make it easy for legal consumers to quickly review and compare their options. This is important as results from the latest U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey show that 55% of survey respondents hired an attorney within one week of starting the process of trying to resolve their issue.
The better job you do of providing legal consumers with human, unique, and compelling information, the more likely you are to stand out among competitors and reap the most benefits from your legal directory listing. Ready to take the next step? Learn more about how to connect with legal consumers via online directories.
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Making Legal Directories Part of Your Law Firm’s Marketing Mix
Once you’ve decided which directory (or directories) makes the most sense to you, it should not require ongoing time and energy from you beyond making sure your listing or listings stay accurate. It’s one of the very few aspects of marketing your law firm that can be “set it and forget it.”
