It’s Almost Time – Building Your 2022 Marketing Plan

2022 is almost upon us. And no, we don’t know where the time has gone either. To ensure they spend their marketing dollars wisely and get the best results possible, many of our clients are beginning to plan their digital marketing strategies for 2022. If you haven’t started on yours, that’s ok – we’re here to help.

Review Your 2021 Legal Marketing Budget

One of the things we tell clients is that the best way to begin planning for the coming year is to review the current year’s budget. Specifically, take a look at your 2021 marketing strategy and budget. Examine what you spent money on and analyze your results. Did SEO yield the highest return? Or was it PPC? Once you have this information, you might want to shift some of your marketing dollars from one category to another for the coming year.

But don’t forget to take into consideration various market forces. Specifically, the past year and a half have been anything but “normal” for most people and businesses. And the digital landscape is constantly shifting as well. What worked well last year (or didn’t work) might not provide the same results in the coming year. Once you have some initial thoughts about your budget, discuss your allocations with your digital marketing partner.

Set Marketing Goals and Strategies for 2022

Set measurable goals and objectives for the coming year that are attainable based on your past achievements, time, and resources. Setting these goals and benchmarks will help you plan for the short and long-term success of your law firm.

Once you’ve established some goals, it’s a good idea to align them with your overall business goals and marketing budget. Next, create a timeline that includes some checkpoints throughout the year to gauge your progress.

Choose Your Legal Marketing Priorities Wisely

While the digital landscape continues to shift, some digital marketing items should continue to be a priority. And others are growing trends that you don’t want to ignore at the risk of being outmaneuvered by more savvy competitors. If you’re making your list for the coming year, here are several items you may wish to include in your legal marketing strategy:

1. Diversify Your Content Marketing Strategy

The first thing your law firm should think about is its content marketing strategy. You’re going to have a difficult time reaching your target audience if you don’t continually publish high-quality content.

Your law firm should have a dedicated blog that it uses to educate current and potential clients about various aspects of overcoming legal challenges. Beyond text posts, you’ll also want to diversify your content with other types of content like video.

When you post video content on your legal website, this gives visitors another way to get to know your brand and consume content. It’s also another way to rank your website in the search engines.

2. Optimize for Voice Search

People have become more accustomed to speaking into their digital devices to purchase items and get answers. If your law firm’s website isn’t optimized for voice search, you may miss out on this valuable segment of potential clients.

Interestingly, voice search is a bit different than a text search. Instead of entering “personal injury attorney in Montgomery,” a voice searcher will ask, “who is a good personal injury lawyer in Montgomery?” You can optimize for this type of search with more conversational content that includes some of these phrases.

3. Invest in Paid Ads

Contrary to popular belief, paid ads are still incredibly effective in digital marketing – when done correctly. There are more tools than ever that help optimize keywords and ads to achieve the best possible results.

As a law firm, you don’t have to bid on the most expensive keywords to drive conversions. We all know that legal keywords can be costly for ads. Instead, you can choose long-tail keywords that are more likely to bring in prospects that are ready to sign on as clients, boosting your conversion rates.

4. Prioritize Local Search

Law firms are local by nature. If you are seeking a divorce, need to create a will, or have been injured in an accident, you want a local attorney to represent your interests. That said, your law firm’s digital marketing strategy should become more local-oriented.

The first way to “localize” your search engine marketing efforts is to focus on your website’s content. Include the geographical areas you serve on your home page and your practice area pages. Make sure you mention these cities, towns, and neighborhoods in your blog posts. It’s also a good idea to create landing pages that are specific to each geographic area, such as “Car Accident Lawyer in Huntsville.”

The second way to prioritize local search is to optimize your Google My Business profile. This will help you get a coveted spot in the Google Maps result, which is an additional organic ranking in the search engines.

Focus on Investment Mentality vs. Spend Mentality

As an attorney, you understand that the words we use matter. They shape how people feel and think. This is a significant part of marketing and branding for law firms. Legal marketers are doing their clients a disservice when they position the purpose of marketing as a cost center instead of an investment.

If you replace the word “spend” with “invest,” it legitimizes the vital role that marketing plays in the short- and long-term growth of your law firm. Thoughtful shifts such as this can help law firm stakeholders realize the value of marketing as it relates to achieving business goals.

Get a Jump on Your Law Firm’s Digital Marketing Plan

It’s impossible to go through a global pandemic without things changing. But digital marketers have proven time and again that it’s not only possible to survive drastic changes but thrive. As a law firm, you must continue to adapt and find ways to meet the changing demands of your target audience.

If you are looking for ways to stand out in 2022 as the law firm of choice in your area, it’s essential to have the right online presence to support your campaigns. Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing specializes in helping law firms with a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that gets results. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your marketing plan for the coming year. Our law firm marketing consultants can be reached at (800) 649-1764.