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Internet Marketing For Law Firms

Most law firms are only just starting to give thought to generating new business through Internet Marketing. For years their business relied on word of mouth and referrals for generating business.

If you’re firm hasn’t given much thought to Internet Marketing as a means of generating new business, then you should consider that your competitors, especially the newer firms, are already doing so, and your firm is losing out new business to them.

With the right advice and the right set up you too can generate new business using Internet Marketing to grow and develop your practice. But where do you start? First, you should work with an Internet Marketing specialist who understands the legal profession. Before you do, here are a few tips to get you started on your way to successfully marketing on the Internet.

1. Have a plan and strategy

A good lawyer will appreciate the importance of planning and good strategy, it helps them to win cases and achieve good results for clients. Similarly, if you are trying to generate more clients, you need to have a marketing plan. Think about the clients you are trying to target, their demographics the kind of searches that they would make to look for a law firm like yours. Start with a basic plan and develop it.

2. Good quality legal website

Just having a web presence is no longer good enough. You need to have clear, concise and relevant information on your website, starting with a well thought out homepage. Your website needs to reflect your practice and focus on information that potential clients might be looking for. The Internet gives people the ability to search for exactly what they want, when they want it. It is important to know what your potential clients are searching. You need to familiarise yourself with the search habits of potential clients. What do you need to do to improve your website? Are they choosing your competitors over you?

3. SEO For Lawyers

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the ongoing process of tweaking and modifying your website so that the major search engines, Google, Yahoo, Bing are likely to display your firm’s web site higher in their search page results. SEO is an ongoing strategic process that can significantly boost the search rankings. To get better rankings you need to start by having quality content on your site, update it regularly and write good articles. Try to generate interest among your peers and potential clients. Provide content that is useful and important. Write relevant and interesting articles that match the language, referencing and legal jargon used to the sophistication level of your target audience. SEO is a vital part to your overall online marketing strategy.

4. Measure and monitor your investment

One of the great benefits of Online Marketing is the ability to measure results and monitor user behaviour. You can get information about what location people are visiting from; where they were referred from; which pages of your site they looked at; which pages are the most popular; how long they stuck around for and much more. There are statistics and analytics tools that give you a wealth of information. These tools are particularly useful for fine tuning your website. They also help you to keep  track of your sales  and online marketing strategy, which in turn will help you generate more clients, much more efficiently.

5. Social Media for lawyers

How can a law firm use social media to promote itself? Should you establish a Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ Pages; a Twitter account or other social media profile for the firm? Most lawyers say they get their business from networking and word of mouth. Social Media gives you instant access to a wider network. So, why wouldn’t you use it? You can pay for advertising that targets specific users with banners on Social Media sites. Alternatively,  you can post information that relates to your practice yourself. If you offer quality content, before long, potential clients will contact you. Tweets can be great lead generators, but only if people recognise you as a writer of interesting quality articles. Social Media is a great way of establishing and building a reputation for you or your law firm.

6. Maintain Contact with Clients

Maintain a database or contact list of clients you have acted for in the past. Don’t allow them to forget you. Follow up with potential clients who have contacted you or your firm. Think about e-Newsletters to keep them abreast of changes that may effect them. e.g. Some law firms still have content about Trade Practices and Industrial Relations that have not been updated for years. Make the effort to reach out to your clients, and they will come to you when they’re need you next.

To successfully market on the Internet and generate potential clients, you need to ensure you have a good website, marketing plan and strategy. Allocate time and a monthly budget and do it right. Most importantly, if you aren’t sure what to do or don’t have the time to do it, work with an organisation who does. One who understands the legal profession and how to successfully tailor Internet Marketing strategies that is right for your firm.

Contact our team today to get more information on how to do internet marketing for your law firm.