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As more law firms recognize the potential for generating leads online, law firm marketing becomes even more competitive.
So, how will you stay ahead of competing law firms gunning for your business?
You need:
The 2021 ABA Survey on websites and marketing noted “the lack of a strategic approach to marketing taken by many law firms.” Only 35 percent of respondents from firms with 2-9 lawyers and 7 percent of solo attorneys reported having a marketing budget.
So, assuming you would like a steady flow of leads to your firm, what areas of marketing should you focus on?
This post covers everything you need to get started with law firm marketing, including:
Let’s begin.
Law firm marketing is a specialized area of marketing focused on promoting legal services and law practices. It involves both traditional marketing and digital marketing, all to attract new clients, retain existing ones, and build a strong and reputable brand in the legal industry.
The legal industry has been slow to adopt digital marketing in favor of tried-and-true traditional marketing tactics like word-of-mouth, radio ads, and print advertising.
But over the last decade, there’s been a shift toward digital marketing reflecting broader changes in consumer behavior, with the majority of people looking for legal services online.
And while traditional marketing tactics still have a place for many law firms, digital marketing is the new norm. This includes search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing.
Here’s a quick breakdown.
Ultimately, law firm marketing aims to build awareness of your law firm, establish trust and credibility, and attract and retain clients. The best law firms use a mix of both traditional and digital marketing practices.
If you had to pick one, I’d suggest investing in digital marketing over traditional marketing. Practice areas that deal with individuals, like criminal and family law, can reach their audience directly where they’re at — online.
The ROI of digital marketing is higher, it’s more affordable, and it gives you the ability to be hyper-specific with your marketing.
That’s been my experience working with law firms. The data backs it up.
A 2021 study done by Justia found that 64.7% of law firms in the United States see a positive return on investment from their website.
And a 2020 study by Brandmuscle revealed that 79% of surveyed participants consider SEO (which goes hand-in-hand with your website) to be the most effective marketing channel.
Despite that, the ABA found that only 57% of law firms have an annual marketing budget. None of the solo practitioners had a marketing budget, and only 29% of firms with 2-9 lawyers have one.
In contrast, 84% of law firms with 100 or more lawyers have a marketing budget, revealing why these large firms are able to grow at astonishing rates.
An effective marketing strategy is critical to the success of the modern law firm — it’s the only reliable way to attract a steady supply of leads.
Let’s look a bit more into the importance of marketing.
The reality is that a brand new lawyer fresh out of law school can start to get clients immediately with the right digital marketing strategy.
It’s evened the playing field, allowing smaller, newer firms to compete with large, more established law firms.
When it comes time to hit the ground running and do law firm marketing, who does it?
Depending on your law firm’s size and available resources, the answer could change dramatically.
But it typically follows a sort of evolution.
From solo practitioners to large firms, the involvement in marketing activities can evolve as follows:
In solo practices or small law firms, attorneys often take on marketing responsibilities themselves.
Due to limited resources, these lawyers become jacks of all trades, handling everything from client meetings and casework to SEO and social media marketing. They often rely on personal and professional networks and client referrals to build their practice.
This can work well for attorneys who practice in less competitive areas. But the cons are hard to miss.
Marketing is hard work. There are so many facets to digital marketing that figuring out what to pursue and how to do it effectively can be a job in itself.
When you consider lawyers already work long hours, many of them doing non-billable tasks, adding marketing into the mix is an easy way to burn out.
As firms grow and resources allow, the approach to marketing evolves.
They hire administrative assistants and other support staff workers who may begin to help with marketing.
They can take over tasks like managing social media accounts, updating the firm’s website, organizing promotional events, and helping with client intake.
Their involvement frees up attorneys’ time to focus more on legal work and less on the day-to-day aspects of marketing.
But digital marketing is complex and hypercompetitive. To be effective at SEO and PPC, you do need to work with professionals.
When law firms start investing in marketing, the first thing they might do is look for a freelancer or consultant to help with search engine optimization, website design, and other marketing tasks.
Working with external experts can provide a high level of skill in specific areas of marketing without the firm needing to commit to a full-time hire or expensive agency.
If you choose the right hire, you’ll get qualified experience and someone who can lead you in the right direction. The downside is that digital marketing experts with experience in the legal industry are limited and often more expensive than a generalist.
As firms expand, they might partner with a full-service law firm marketing agency.
These agencies offer comprehensive marketing strategies that include website design, SEO, pay-per-click advertising, and more. This provides a level of expertise and resource allocation that goes beyond what individual freelancers can offer.
And if you hire an agency that specializes in legal marketing law firms, you’re getting expert help.
The largest law firms may establish their own internal marketing departments. These departments are staffed by professionals in various areas of marketing — from SEO strategists and content specialists to PR managers and brand strategists.
An internal department allows for consistent, ongoing marketing efforts closely aligned with the firm’s strategic goals.
Regardless of firm size, clients play a critical role in marketing. Satisfied clients are essential for word-of-mouth referrals and testimonials, which are invaluable for a firm’s reputation and client acquisition strategy.
Encouraging client feedback and engagement is a universal aspect of marketing across all sizes of firms.
While getting new clients is the primary goal of law firm marketing, several indirect benefits strengthen your firm in the long run.
The core of law firm marketing is getting your firm in front of more people — not just potential clients but also potential partners and the media.
Marketing tactics like SEO and content marketing can improve your law firm’s visibility online, specifically on Google. This new visibility helps you capture potential clients when they’re seeking legal advice, making them highly qualified leads.
On the other hand, seeking digital PR opportunities can make your firm and lawyers more visible. For example, getting featured in industry publications can help establish you as an authority in your practice area.
Sharing valuable content that potential clients and other legal industry professionals find valuable can turn your firm into a credible and trustworthy authority.
You should go beyond the obvious — creating content that your audience is looking for — and think about what else people want to see.
Prospects value behind-the-scenes style content, showing the inner workings of your law firm and attorneys. While other legal industry professionals might find your opinion pieces insightful.
At the end of the day, content is king. Be thoughtful about what you create, and you’ll become a credible and trustworthy entity.
I know firsthand how competitive the legal industry is, especially in high-dollar practice areas or competitive locales. That means law firms need to go the extra mile and differentiate themselves to compete.
There are many ways you could do this. For example, your services could be unique, or you could be an expert in specific areas of law.
Your Unique Value Proposition comes into play here.
Once you figure that out, showcase what makes you unique in your marketing materials to convince potential clients why they should choose you over your competition.
Client retention, while not necessarily important for every practice area, can be vital to many successful law firm marketing strategies. With rising competition, retaining clients is becoming even more challenging.
Marketing can help you keep past clients engaged so that if they ever need legal help again, they think of you.
Think of informative newsletters, an active social media presence, and regular updates as ways to stay connected with your clients.
A solid digital marketing campaign gives you access to loads of data, including who your clients are, where they’re coming from, and how they find you. An intrepid marketer can examine that data and tailor your future marketing efforts to align with what’s working the best.
This means customizing your marketing message to what your clients are interested in and investing the budget in the right types of marketing.
For example, by analyzing who visits their website and what they look at, firms can determine which services attract the most attention or which blog posts are the most popular.
This helps them decide what kind of content to create more of. It also helps them tweak their SEO strategies to attract more of the right kind of visitors who are likely to become clients.
Creating a budget for marketing is key for all law firms, big and small.
A concrete budget helps you manage how much money you spend promoting your services. Understanding and planning your marketing budget can be the difference between investing in campaigns that work and throwing your budget away.
How much should law firms spend on marketing? The answer isn’t the same for any two law firms.
The U.S. Small Business Administration suggests allocating 7-8% of total revenue toward marketing. However, in the legal sector, the recommendation often falls between 2% and 5%.
According to a 2018 survey by the Legal Marketing Association alongside Bloomberg Law, firms on average dedicated 6.7% of their revenue to marketing. Although it’s essential to recognize that larger firms might skew this average, with many smaller firms spending closer to 2% of their revenue.
For instance, for a firm generating $100,000, they might typically invest $6,700 in marketing, though many smaller firms may only allocate around $2,000 for every $100,000 generated.
The exact percentage can be influenced by several variables, including:
Once you’ve set your total marketing budget, the next step is to decide how to distribute it across various channels.
I typically suggest law firms invest more into digital marketing than other channels for the sole fact that it’s easier to measure the results and is much more adaptable than other marketing channels.
It’s important to keep an eye on your marketing budget and how it’s working for you.
On a regular cadence, take a look at what you’re spending and the ROI on each of your marketing channels.
Based on what’s working, you should adjust your budget to allocate more money to the most effective strategies.
Understanding the ROI of different marketing strategies can help you decide where to invest your marketing budget.
Tools like Google Analytics and CRM systems are great for seeing which of your investments are giving you the best returns. They let you track everything from how many new people visit your website to how many of these visitors become your clients.
That’s the strength of digital marketing.
Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm, impacting just about every industry imaginable.
Digital marketing is no exception.
Below are several ways AI is being integrated into law firm marketing:
Beyond any specific application, integrating AI into your marketing toolkit can help your law firm maintain a competitive edge. Staying on top of marketing trends is worthwhile as they can give you an edge.
Traditional marketing is still worthwhile for many practice areas, like personal injury. I recommend these tactics as a complement to digital marketing, although they are often quite expensive and not great entry points for smaller law firms.
With that said, here are the main traditional marketing methods law firms use today.
Building professional networks through industry events, local bar associations, and community activities is a great way to earn referrals.
Encouraging satisfied clients to refer others to your firm can also be incredibly beneficial, as leads from word-of-mouth recommendations are some of the highest-quality leads you can get.
They’re free, so it’s not only the most effective marketing tactic but also the most cost-efficient.
Advertising in targeted publications like legal magazines and newspapers can still reach important demographics that might be online.
For example, law firms could effectively reach an older demographic with newspaper advertising.
It’s also an effective way to establish your brand so that your firm is the first choice when someone needs a lawyer.
Hosting or participating in seminars and workshops lets you showcase your expertise in specific areas of law directly to an engaged audience.
These events provide a platform for building personal connections and position your firm as an authoritative source of knowledge.
They can be particularly effective in complex legal fields where clients benefit from detailed explanations and direct interaction with legal experts. If that isn’t you, that’s okay — they are still great ways to network and earn referrals.
Direct mail campaigns are highly targeted to potential clients in specific geographic areas or demographic groups.
This tactic can be highly personalized, from hand-signed holiday cards to custom booklets that address specific legal issues.
By reaching out directly, law firms can create a tangible connection that feels more personal than digital marketing ever could, potentially leading to higher engagement rates.
Again, this isn’t ideal for all practice areas, so make sure you know your audience in and out before investing in direct mail.
Outdoor advertising isn’t necessarily the best way to generate leads, but it is the perfect way to build brand awareness.
It involves placing your ads on billboards or even on bus benches and on buses themselves — everyday spaces that your potential clients might be in.
This constant visibility helps build brand recognition, so when someone does need a lawyer, they are more likely to come to you versus another competitor.
“My website continues to dominate all the top website searches in my industry and my business has grown 10-fold as a result.”
Oykhman Criminal Defence
Radio and TV advertisements reach a wide audience and can effectively establish brand presence in a regional market (see a trend in these traditional marketing tactics?).
These mediums allow law firms to show compelling narrative ads that are tailored to broadcast during programming, aligning with the target audience’s demographic.
Note that the pricing varies heavily depending on the timeslot, the station, and even your area.
While many of these traditional marketing tactics are effective, I like to suggest them as supplements to digital marketing.
They’re great for establishing brand awareness, especially if you serve only a local area, but you’ll almost always get more cost-effective leads through digital marketing.
Digital marketing is the bread and butter of most law firm marketing campaigns.
Lawyers must have a solid online presence to attract a broader audience and keep up with the competition. And there’s really no reason not to invest in digital marketing.
It’s much more affordable and offers much more flexibility than traditional marketing.
Take a look at the main digital marketing tactics I recommend to our clients.
A well-designed, mobile-friendly website is the cornerstone of your law firm’s online presence.
It’s the hub of all of your marketing work — at the end of the day, most digital marketing roads lead back to your website.
For example, one study found that 31% of all Google Map Pack clicks went to a law firm’s website.
It should be optimized not only for aesthetics and functionality but also for search engine visibility.
Effective website optimization means fast load times, easy navigation, and content that is optimized for key search terms related to your practice. This makes your site more attractive to both potential clients and search engines while keeping visitors on the page with a great user experience.
Content marketing for law firms focuses on creating valuable, informative content that addresses potential clients’ needs and questions.
Unfortunately, even for lawyers with websites, content marketing is underutilized. Only 37% of lawyers report even having a blog.
For example, a criminal defense lawyer might create a blog post on getting out of a DUI in their state.
Creating content improves rankings and draws in traffic. It also helps establish you as an authority in your field and can convince visitors that you’re worth contacting.
Social media is still a new-ish foray for lawyers, what with ethical rules prohibiting attorneys from being overly promotional.
However, a good use of social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook is to post content that humanizes your firm and strengthens your brand.
We’re in an age where consumers value authenticity above all else. I encourage clients to post behind-the-scenes content, showing what a day in the life is like for a lawyer or highlighting team members.
Regular interaction on these platforms can help build a community around your practice, foster relationships with potential clients, and boost your visibility in a crowded market.
Email marketing isn’t something I recommend to all of our clients, but for certain practice areas (those that often see repeat clients, like business law?),
It’s a great marketing channel for law firms that benefit from re-engaging with past clients. By sending targeted newsletters, alerts about new laws, or updates about your firm, you keep your audience informed and engaged.
If nothing else, it keeps you top-of-mind and makes prospects more likely to think of you if they ever need a lawyer.
Personalizing emails to address the recipient’s previous interactions with your firm can significantly enhance engagement rates and foster a deeper connection.
PPC advertising is an effective strategy for law firms looking to attract targeted website traffic quickly.
When potential clients search for legal advice, many start with Google. And at the top of Google, above all of the organic results, you’ll find Google Ads.
By investing in Google Ads (which use the PPC model), law firms can place their ads in prominent positions on search results pages immediately without the legwork that comes with SEO.
PPC operates on a simple principle: you pay a fee each time someone clicks on your ad. The cost per click can vary, especially in competitive legal fields where certain keywords, like those related to personal injury, can be extremely expensive.
However, the investment can be worthwhile. For example, if a single click costing $100 converts into a client who brings in $5,000, the return on investment is substantial.
Law firms can use PPC not just for direct lead generation but also for brand reinforcement. By targeting specific keywords, including the firm’s name, PPC helps ensure that your firm appears first when potential clients are actively looking for your services.
This targeted approach allows you to reach the right audience at precisely the right time, making PPC a flexible and scalable part of your digital marketing strategy.
SEO remains one of the most effective ways for law firms to attract quality clients organically, without the need for paid advertising.
A robust SEO strategy enhances your firm’s online presence by improving your website’s visibility in search engine results. This is crucial because 96% of people seeking legal advice start with search engines, and 74% of consumers visit a law firm’s website to take action.
Optimizing your website involves several key components:
For example, our client Kazarian Law went from just a few hundred visits a month to over 11,000 with a well-optimized SEO campaign, ranking highly for competitive local keywords that drive significant monthly leads.
This demonstrates the potential of SEO to not just increase traffic but convert this traffic into genuine leads and clients.
Law firm marketing, specifically digital marketing, is how your law firm can stand out in the competitive legal landscape.
From SEO and PPC to content and social media marketing, mastering these tactics helps attract and retain clients while building your firm’s brand. But knowing the basics isn’t enough — you need a strategic plan tailored to your specific practice area and goals.
In the next chapter, we’ll explore how to create a marketing strategy that maximizes your budget and delivers measurable results.
Ready to maximize your marketing budget? Fill out the contact form or call us today for a complimentary consultation. We will listen to your story, work to define your business objectives, and recommend an approach to deliver maximum ROI for your firm.
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