The concept of marketing can often seem overwhelming at times, particularly when it comes to busy business owners, directors and professionals. There isn’t enough time in the day to complete everything on your to-do list, nevermind adding in sporadic digital marketing activities, and the biggest concern of all is, does online marketing even work for my industry?
When it comes to the legal industry, both attorneys and the public value word-of-mouth over everything, but you will quickly find that times are changing. What may have once been your greatest source of income is no longer effectual. And, what may appear the most daunting of all, online marketing, is the direction everything is moving in.
Inbound marketing for lawyers can be incredibly successful, if done correctly. The online community is just as important as the local community, though they tend be slightly less engaged, that just means you need to work smarter, not harder. Inbound marketing for lawyers is all about bringing clients to you rather than the other way around–isn’t that the way business should be?!
Social media plays a huge role in business today and you need to get good at it in order to master inbound law firm marketing. Follow these four steps, and you will be on your way.
1. Set up your profiles. Do your research on what social media platforms work best for your industry and create a profile on the top performers. Facebook, LinkedIn and a blog should all be considered for the legal industry. Facebook should serve as a social community to show your more personal side, LinkedIn should highlight your professional qualifications, and your blog should add credibility and weight to your profile and your website.
2. Create a calendar. This one is easy–make a plan. Look at your schedule and determine your availability for updating. Facebook should be updated regularly, preferably 3 times a week (at a minimum) to grow your reach, while something like LinkedIn only needs to be updated one to two times a week (at minimum) with professional content (i.e., industry news or a published paper). When writing a blog you should aim for one blog post a week. By updating your blog frequently with current, relevant content, you should expect to see your website traffic increase.
3. Create your posts. Following up on the previous recommendation, creating your post should be unique to the platform you’re using and should speak to your target audience. Is your audience primarily concerned with family law? Craft each post to highlight your expertise and provide important information and support to your audience.
4. Be consistent and follow through. Consistency is key! Potential clients should come to expect fresh content in a consistent manner. This will assist to position you as the industry expert that you are and provide potential clients with the peace of mind that you are capable of providing a great service.
This may seem like it is a lot of work, but your dedication will pay off with an increased client base and improved lead flow. To put it simply, inbound marketing for lawyers is all about creating a comprehensive and impressive web presence that encourages client interaction and a measurable return on investment.