The Importance of Design in Law Firm Websites

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In the past, if you needed to hire a lawyer you opened the phone book and searched it’s pages for the most eye catching ad. Today, potential clients search out an attorney the same way they look for restaurants and the best brand of shoes – with an online search. From the consumer’s perspective, your website is your law firm. It sets you apart by creating a lasting first impression of who you are and how well you can satisfy a client’s legal needs.

Website design is vital to capturing a visitor’s attention and communicating the right message. Your window of opportunity is very small. You only have a few seconds to persuade a visitor to give your firm a chance. Your online presence is an integral part of your marketing and your legal practice as a whole.

Why It’s Important to Have a Great Law Firm Website

Now that roughly 95% of the U.S. population is online, it’s a safe bet that your target audience is searching for your services. And your website can make it easier for them to find you, trust you, and ultimately, hire you.

If you haven’t gotten serious about law firm marketing in the past, it’s time to begin paying it some attention. Unless your website is better than your competitors on many levels, there’s a good chance you’re losing potential clients without even knowing it.

Here are a few of the reasons why it’s important to make law firm website design a priority:

  • Your Website Directly Represents Your Brand

Every law firm has a brand, whether it realizes it or not. The real question is, how well do you control the message, or is the market doing it for you?

If your website design is outdated and visitors have a hard time finding what they need, this is a direct reflection on your business. And it doesn’t place you in a positive light. According to one UK study, 70% of online users refuse to purchase from a business with poor website design.

Most consumers show up on your virtual doorstep knowing nothing about you, meaning they’ve found you through some generic search term such as “how to beat a DUI in Mississippi.” You have a short time to make a first impression, and a modern, engaging, and visually appealing website can help you accomplish this.

  • Helps You Stand Out from the Competition

There are roughly 1.3 million lawyers in the U.S., so the competition is fierce. Statistics show that consumers will visit about 4 or 5 law firm websites before deciding which one they will contact.

Most people who are dealing with a legal issue are frustrated and looking for a combination of answers and encouragement. Overall, they’ve probably never hired a lawyer before, so they have no idea what to expect.

The best way to stand out from the crowd is to provide the information they want and the compassion they need. Let them know what to expect, that you have the experience and skills necessary to help and give them the next steps to take to get started.

  • Boosts Your Organic Rankings

It’s going to be tough for potential clients to learn about your law firm if you don’t have any online visibility. Specifically, your firm’s website needs to show up in the results when someone searches for a “divorce lawyer near me” or asks Google, “how can I appeal an SSDI claim denial?”

A properly designed website will be optimized for the correct keywords to help you achieve some of those valuable organic rankings. It will also pay attention to technical SEO items like page speed, mobile-friendliness, HTML tags, navigation, and link-building.

  • Improves the User Experience

A good website design delivers a positive user experience (UX). This is something that can also impact your rankings because Google has made it clear that providing a positive UX is one of its latest priorities.

But what does that mean? Specifically, your content should match the intent of the searcher. In other words, if a person is searching for an estate planning attorney, it would be a poor experience if they were taken to a personal injury page.

Great website design delivers what it promises quickly and efficiently. And this builds trust with both the search engines and your potential clients.

  • Maximizes Your Conversions

While driving traffic to your website is essential, it’s even more important to get those visitors to call your law firm or submit their information through your contact form. That’s the only way you’ll ever make the connection that will lead to signing up new clients and growing your business.

Great website design is about much more than just getting your website to the top of Google’s search results. If you hit number one for all your targeted keywords, this is an incredible accomplishment. Having tons of people visit and read your blog is also noteworthy. But, neither of these is adding anything to your bottom-line results.

Your website should be structured in such a way that it continually guides visitors to contact your law firm for further assistance. There should be a sense of urgency built into some of your content that warns visitors about the potential consequences of trying to handle a matter on their own or waiting too long to act. Further, there should be plenty of calls to action giving the reader clear direction about how to contact your firm to get the help they need.

Take Action to Bring Your Law Firm Website to Life

You probably already know how competitive the market is for law firms. Getting your business to stand out from the crowd has a lot to do with the quality of your online presence. This starts with your law firm’s website design.

First impressions are vital, which is why you should consider professional assistance when planning and designing a website. At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing Group, we specialize in creating beautiful, engaging, and functional custom law firm websites that are geared toward your target audience. Contact us today for a free consultation to review our top web designs and learn how our services can help your law firm improve its results.

The Future of Law Firms in the United States and the Impact on Your Firm

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Traditionally, the only place to get legal representation in the United States has been at a firm owned and run by one or more attorneys. This is because of a longstanding rule requiring such a setup.

It’s entirely possible, however, that this could change. In fact, several states have already loosened their rules about this, and others are considering following suit. If this happens, how will law firms look and operate going forward? Is this something you should embrace, and how do you prepare for it?

What is Rule 5.4?

Rule 5.4 prohibits lawyers from partnering with non-lawyers and prohibits non-lawyers from investing in law firms. The rule is called “Professional Independence of a Lawyer.” According to the ABA, law firms and associations are not permitted to:

  • Share legal fees with a non-lawyer except under certain specific situations;
  • Form a partnership with a non-lawyer for the purposes of practicing law;
  • Practice with or in the form of a professional association or corporation authorized to pursue profits if a non-lawyer owns an interest or has any control in the organization; or
  • Allow a person who employs, pays, or recommends the lawyer to render legal services for another to regulate or direct the lawyer’s professional judgment.

Rule 5.4 was originally intended to protect the professional judgment and interests of lawyers from the potential influence of non-lawyers. As you can see, it has many rules against the involvement of outside holding parties and investors in the legal landscape. But, many argue that it holds law firms back and doesn’t give legal professionals enough credit as far as safeguarding the integrity of the profession.

Does a Single Rule Limit the Access to Justice?

When consumers need legal assistance the most, how accessible are the services? Here’s a troubling statistic – The United Stated ranks 126 out of 139 countries in access to legal services.

For many Americans, it’s challenging to get qualified help for a variety of reasons. In fact, two-thirds of American adults report having a civil issue in the past year, but only one-third of those were able to get any assistance.

As a personal injury or family law attorney, these are serious concerns. People are facing severe personal and economic hardships due to injuries, domestic violence, divorce, and other civil issues.

Small businesses face troubling legal issues as well. Yet over half of small business owners are unable to access the legal services they need to pursue relief for issues that could impact their business and livelihood.

Sure, there are pro bono and legal aid options. But those alone are insufficient to address the lack of access to legal services. And law firms are able to charge the rates they wish for their services, but not everyone can afford to pay them.

One of the reasons the legal industry is so inaccessible is that rule 5.4 requires that law firms be owned, financed, and run exclusively by lawyers. That’s a pricey proposition, particularly for professionals who are trained to be lawyers, not business people.

How Rule 5.4 Currently Limits U.S. Law Firms

The only thing constant is change. What worked for law firms and the legal industry over three decades ago may not be appropriate today. Here are some of the reasons that Rule 5.4 currently limits law firms in this country.

Law Firms Have Limited Access to Capital

Because Rule 5.4 prohibits non-lawyers from investing in law firms, this leaves many firms with cash flow issues. Not only are some firms unable to maintain their current operations, but they also don’t have the capital they need to invest in modern technology and expansion.

The ABA’s rules state that private-sector lawyers can only deliver legal services under three types of entities – sole proprietorships, LLCs, or legal partnerships. Because lawyers are unable to secure investments from non-lawyers, their only sources of capital are loans or revenue. This is a poor arrangement for several reasons:

  • More lawyers may be reluctant to provide investment capital for long-term growth as lateral movement among law firms increases.
  • Because lawyers are expected to bear the firm’s entire financial burden, law firms are more vulnerable to economic downturns.
  • Lawyers don’t have access to modern financing alternatives like many other businesses.

This limited access to capital means that law firms are unlikely to invest in efforts that will deliver long-term returns. These might include creating a strong online presence through an engaging website, posting frequent educational content, and being active on social media.

When law firms fail to invest in themselves, they are unable to create the strong brand and name recognition that is necessary for a customer-oriented business. Because of this, law firms lag behind other industries like medicine, accounting, and insurance in adopting technology and business processes to provide higher levels of service at competitive prices.

Law Firms Fail to Benefit from Business Expertise

Rule 5.4 prohibits lawyers from partnering with non-lawyers in business ownership. Lawyers don’t receive business training in law school, yet are expected to emerge knowing how to start and run a business a successful business.

Private practice lawyers spend a significant amount of their time on administrative and business development activities. In fact, private sector lawyers report an average of just 2.5 billable hours per eight-hour work day. This doesn’t leave much time for the actual practice of law.

At the same time, professionals with substantial business experience are unable to take an equity stake in law firms. In business, it’s become customary to partially compensate executives in the form of stock options. Currently, this isn’t possible.

Because law firms can’t attract and hire business talent, they lack innovation in areas like project management, financing, marketing, technology, and more. This is particularly vital for law firms that want to become the best in their class and provide a winning client experience.

Law Firms Can’t Meet Consumer Expectations

Today’s consumers have more expectations than ever of the brands that get their business. Many don’t want to go to a different company for their insurance, banking, and legal needs. They’d rather have integrated, seamless services under one roof.

But Rule 5.4 currently prevents lawyers from providing these services under the umbrella of a large company like USAA or bringing in partners to offer integrated services.

Law firms that want to become mass-market providers have been stymied by these rules. And some have voiced their displeasure the best way they know how – through the courts. Jacoby & Myers, a large consumer law firm, has sued the state bars of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, arguing that it can’t take advantage of scale, upgrade technology, or expand its offices due to the restrictions.

Law Firms Can’t Compete With Non-Lawyer Legal Businesses

Several online businesses have exploded in the past several years that lie outside the current 5.4 rules. Sites like RocketLawyer and LegalZoom have either no or little lawyer ownership and are pulling business from smaller firms. Traditional law firms are having a hard time competing.

According to one survey, 14% of traditional law firms were losing business to alternative legal providers. Some estate planning, tax, and litigation support clients have also turned to accounting firms as an alternative to traditional law firms. And accounting firms don’t have the same ownership and operating restrictions, allowing them to offer a wider range of services and enjoy better economies of scale.

How Regulatory Changes Could Re-Shape the Legal Industry

There is probably a long list of advantages to changing Rule 5.4 and letting non-lawyers get involved in the legal industry. Here are just a few of the ways changing these rules could impact the legal industry.

More Innovation

Repealing or modifying the rule will give non-legal entrepreneurs and capital firms an opportunity to invest in the legal industry. This will allow law firms to expand their services in such a way that it solves all of a client’s issues instead of just one. For example, a small law firm can offer estate planning services as well as sell insurance products.

Improved Collaboration

The ability to share ownership and profits with non-lawyers gives law firms the power to collaborate with highly qualified experts who will help further their business goals. Business authorities can join the team to help law firms improve services and create a better client experience.

Increase in Business Volume

Investment and input from non-lawyer entities will likely enable small- to mid-sized law firms to be more productive and efficient. This means that they will be able to offer a wider range of services and increase the volume of fee-paying clients.

Lower Legal Costs

If you can make legal services more accessible at a lower price and still make more money, why wouldn’t you? On all sides of the rule change issue, experts note that there is the possibility of lower legal costs.

Things like innovation, better use of technology, and increased access to capital can certainly make your business more efficient. Instead of spending a majority of your day on administrative tasks, you might be able to actually practice law during those hours and charge a bit less to do it.

Better Access

Nearly 80% of civil cases today involve at least one party without a lawyer, doubling the percentage of self-represented litigants over forty years ago. Many of these underserved people will gain better access to legal services through a rule change thanks to improved innovation and the potential for lower rates.

Are There Valid Concerns With Rule 5.4 Changes?

There are some misconceptions about the potential harm that Rule 5.4 changes could bring to the legal industry. Specifically, opponents of change believe that there will be ethical concerns as well as the potential for “Walmart-style” legal services. Both concerns appear to be unfounded.

Ethical Issues

The argument that allowing non-lawyers into the legal industry will make it purely profit-driven and unethical doesn’t hold much weight. Lawyers have worked within accounting firms, insurance companies, and major corporations for years, and there is no evidence that these arrangements have destroyed their judgment.

Washington D.C. adopted a modified version of Rule 5.4 in 1990, allowing lawyers to form limited partnerships with others. So, over the past 30 years, we should see an increase in public discipline in that jurisdiction due to ethics violations. In fact, the District has the third-lowest percentage of public discipline filings in the nation.

The independent judgment of lawyers is sufficiently protected by other aspects of the Model Rules. For example, Model Rule 1.7 prohibits a lawyer from representing a client if there is a conflict of interest, and Model Rule 1.8(f) says that third-party payers can’t influence a lawyer’s professional judgment. Given these protections, there’s no reason that Rule 5.4 can’t be changed.

Low-Quality Legal Services

Another concern is that when non-lawyers become involved, cookie-cutter legal services will become the norm. In other words, you’ll have Walmart-type entries of massive providers that will dominate the industry and harm traditional firms.

Although there likely will be some new large entries into the market, the truth is that there are already some massive law firms that generate multi-billion dollar revenue. In fact, some of those firms might have to subdivide to take advantage of regulatory changes, making them more competitive with smaller firms.

And there’s no evidence that changes in the rules will lead to lower quality legal services. Instead, it will simply bring greater access to services and more innovation.

What’s the Status of Changes to Rule 5.4?

The idea of changing Rule 5.4 isn’t new. In the early 1980s, the ABA’s Kutak Commission was first formulating these rules, and there was a proposed version of Rule 5.4 allowing the division of fees with non-lawyers. But the Rule adopted in 1983 did not follow this proposal, and subsequent attempts to change the rules haven’t been successful. However, there have been international changes over the past 15 years, and several states have made provisions that allow Alternative Business Structures (ABS).

Washington D.C.

Non-lawyers have been partners in Washington D.C. law firms for years. In the nation’s capital, law firms have found it beneficial to incorporate non-legal experts as co-owners, and the D.C. Bar’s unique rule modifications permit such an arrangement.

New South Wales, Australia

In 2001, New South Wales, Australia, eliminated its restrictions on non-lawyer firm ownership and investment, becoming the first common law jurisdiction to create alternative business structures.

The UK

The Legal Services Act of 2007 (LSA) eliminates bans on non-lawyer ownership and allows lawyers and non-lawyers to work together in ABS.

Arizona

Arizona became the first U.S. state to completely eliminate Rule 5.4. In August 2020, the Arizona Supreme Court announced the elimination of the rule that prohibits partnership between lawyers and non-lawyers.

Utah

Also, in August 2020, Utah created a seven-year “regulatory sandbox” pilot program to test out different ABSs for law firms. The Utah Supreme Court established the Office of Legal Services Innovation to oversee non-lawyer-owned entities or legal entities in which non-lawyers are partial owners.

Florida and Other States

Florida has joined a growing number of states that are investigating changes to Rule 5.4 in an effort to improve the delivery of legal services to consumers. While Florida’s attempts appear to be stalled at the moment, an effort similar to Utah’s is underway. Other states that are exploring changes include California, Illinois, and New York.

Evidence From Other Jurisdictions Indicates Reforms Would Be Beneficial

Evidence from other jurisdictions indicates that reforms will be beneficial for both law firms and their clients. First, no country or state that has repealed or modified Rule 5.4 has found the need to change it back.

England and Wales started licensing ABS firms in 2011, so there is over a decade of data on them. According to reports from the Solicitors Regulation Authority,

  • ABS firms are more likely to use technology, with 91% of ABS firms having a website compared to just 52% of independent firms;
  • ABS firms are up to 15% more likely to offer new services: and
  • ABS firms are more likely to have recent organizational and service innovations.

Even more important, consumers are getting better service. For example, ABS arrangements made it possible for 45% of consumers to get fixed-fee family law services, with 62% saying they receive value for their money.

A few examples of innovative services and firms that have emerged due to the changes include:

  • Co-Op Legal Services, run by a successful consumer-owned grocery chain, has used its positive brand recognition to begin offering family, employment, will-writing, and other consumer legal services at affordable rates;
  • Z Group, a London accounting and architectural firm, now serves as a “one-stop-shop” for those services, plus legal counsel; and
  • Parental Choice, a company that assists families with au pair and nanny location, also now helps them understand their legal obligations.

Put Your Law Firm in the Best Position Possible for the Future

Permitting non-lawyer ownership of law firms may be on the horizon. But no one knows when those changes will take effect. But when they do, the legal industry will change quickly and drastically.

Law firms need every competitive advantage they can get. One way you can set your firm apart is to have a strong online presence that showcases your brand. And the right partner can help you hold your own against any coming changes.

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we specialize in helping law firms become the business of choice in their markets. We offer comprehensive digital marketing services but never cookie-cutter solutions. We will spend the time to get to know your firm and its goals before recommending things like website design, SEO, content marketing, digital ads, and social media marketing. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and website evaluation.

Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) and Law Firms

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Are You Using Paid Ads? If So, You Need Google Local Service Ads

What if your law firm’s information could show up at the top of every Google search results page, even above the Google My Business three-pack and the pay-per-click ads? You’d probably receive a substantial increase in traffic to your website, calls to your business, and number of new leads.

This has become possible in many markets with Google’s Local Service Ads (LSAs). For over a year, Google has been testing LSAs in various places across the country. This is a significant development for law firms that rely on local search, but there is plenty that you need to know about LSAs before you decide to put them in your marketing budget.

What Are Local Service Ads?

Being able to find businesses “near me” has revolutionized search over the past several years. Consumers love that they no longer need to enter their address, zip code, or city when searching for local businesses. Google just “knows.”

Going beyond giving consumers a map with business listings, the search engine now offers what is called Local Service Ads. This is the most prestigious real estate on a search engine page. Why? The LSAs appear at the very top of the search results. And instead of clicking through to a business’ website, the consumer can instantly call or message the business instead.

Local Service Ads are only available for certain industries. Some examples are plumbers, locksmiths, electricians, and painters. They are now available for some professional services such as financial planners, realtors, and yes – law firms.

Lawyers in just about any practice area can now purchase LSAs that target specific zip codes and communities. LSAs were once only available in a small number of U.S. markets, but these continue to expand as the program enjoys more success and helps consumers get the assistance they need.

How You Pay for Local Service Ads

If you’re accustomed to pay-per-click ads, these are different. LSAs are pay-per-lead ads, and you only pay for what Google calls “valid leads” for your business. Google will charge you for the ad if certain actions take place after it gets shown to a consumer:

  • You get a text message from a potential client.
  • You receive a call and speak with a potential client.
  • You receive a voicemail from a potential client.
  • You miss a call from a potential client but contact them back later via phone, text, or email.

If you are charged for an ad that you don’t believe was a valid lead, you can dispute the charge with Google.

What is the Benefit of Using LSAs for Law Firms?

The fact that Google keeps expanding access to LSAs is telling. Not only are these ads providing a better user experience but they are also giving businesses the results they want. If you’re on the fence, here are some of the benefits that your law firm can experience by adding LSAs to its digital marketing strategy:

  1. Better Conversions

If you’re pouring all of your marketing budget into PPC ads, you might be dismayed at your results. PPC ads are costly, and they sometimes don’t convert well. But you’ll get much more bang for your buck with LSAs, which promise to connect the right service provider with a searcher.

  1. Build More Trust

Searchers will notice the badge that appears next to your ad that says you’ve been “screened.” This not only catches the eye on a busy SERP page, but it also looks like an endorsement from the world’s biggest search engine. If Google has checked you out, it’s probably worth a closer look.

  1. Expand Your Reach

LSAs give you another way to reach consumers that are looking for your legal services. They aren’t meant to replace organic listings or even your traditional search ads. Consumers search in different ways and have varying preferences, so having your business positioned in multiple places is a benefit. LSAs also help you reach people who are using voice search, which is a growing type of search query for local businesses.

  1. Highlight Positive Feedback

Every LSA includes a link to the law firm’s ratings and reviews. This is one more way that you can highlight the positive feedback you’ve received from prior clients and use it to continue building your business.

What Will Your Firm’s Local Service Ad Look Like?

As a law firm, the number one question on your mind might be, “How do LSAs actually show up in search results?”

LSA ads appear at the very top of the search results. The ad will have your law firm’s name with its Google star rating and a link to its reviews underneath. Next, there will be a green checkmark, and the words “Google Screened,” followed by your years in practice, phone number, and office hours. In some cases, Google is even including your headshot with an LSA, which can increase the potential for clicks.

When you set up your ad, you don’t have to deal with those bothersome keywords. Instead, you choose from a list of categories within the legal industry. These might include things like:

  • Bankruptcy
  • Criminal Defense
  • DUI
  • Estate Planning
  • Family Law
  • Personal Injury Law

When a person’s local search matches the criteria you’ve selected for the services you offer, your ad will be eligible to show. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean your ad will appear or be first. Google still ranks ads using its own set of criteria.

How Google Ranks Law Firms in Local Service Ads

Similar to Google Ads and even organic search, your LSAs must meet certain criteria to rank in a decent position.

Your ranking is determined by several factors:

  • Your firm’s proximity to the searcher
  • The services you offer matching the searcher’s need
  • How many positive reviews you have
  • Being a “verified” business by Google
  • Your business hours

Google even tracks how responsive you are to customer inquiries. If searchers click on your ad to send you a message or call your law firm, and they don’t get a response, your LSA rankings are likely to suffer.

Even if you decline a lead or fail to generate positive reviews, Google will notice, and there’s a chance that your rankings will drop. But the opposite is also true. When your business is responsive to client inquiries and generates positive feedback, this can improve your rankings.

How to Get Started with Local Service Ads

If you want to use Google’s LSAs, you’ll need to jump through a few hoops to make them work the best for you. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Make Sure You Qualify

Provided you’re a law firm with a local office in a participating market, you should qualify for LSAs. The program covers most practice areas. Google does require that you have a Google My Business profile with at least one review and a minimum average rating of three stars.

  1. Get Google Screened

Before your ads can go live, Google needs to vet your business. This is where you can set yourself apart from other firms that won’t take the time to go through this process. It involves:

  • Confirming you’re licensed to practice law
  • Providing proof of legal malpractice insurance
  • Undergoing a basic background check
  1. Set Up an Inbound Call Structure

Since Google uses your response time to determine your LSA rankings and decided whether to charge you for a lead, this last step is vital. Make sure you have a process in place to take calls, respond to messages, and qualify leads.

Should LSAs Replace Your Legal PPC Advertising or Other Strategies?

Many law firms would rather pay per lead than per click. You can stop stressing over Google’s confusing bidding system, and the flat fee per lead seems like a more effective model. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should completely abandon one program for the other.

Local service ads are a powerful digital marketing tool for law firms, but also a new one. In general, you’ll want LSAs to complement rather than replace other marketing channels like PPC, social media, SEO for organic search, and quality content.

Today’s legal consumers are savvy and likely to use a variety of tactics to find the best law firm to meet their needs. So, even if you rank well with LSA’s, a prospect is still likely to read your reviews, check out your social media profiles, and visit your website before making a choice.

If a prospect sees that your firm shows up in several places instead of just one, this will boost brand awareness and increase the chances that you’ll get the call instead of one of your competitors.

Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing Group Helps Law Firms With Results-Driven Solutions

Local Service Ads are still somewhat new, and now is your firm’s best opportunity to take advantage of this digital marketing strategy. As more law firms sign up for LSAs, the expectation is that competition and prices will begin to rise.

Staying on top of changes to Google’s algorithm and ad network rules can be a full-time job. As a busy law firm, you shouldn’t have to shoulder this burden while you work to solve your client’s legal issues.

Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing specializes in creating strategic digital marketing solutions that produce results for law firms. These include website design, SEO strategy, content and video engagement, and paid ad strategies. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Seven Important Things to Keep in Mind About Your 2022 Marketing Plan

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There’s always an interest in strategic planning and digital marketing trends around the turn of the year, and 2022 is no different. But, considering the events of the past couple of years, making predictions has become increasingly challenging.

Nothing has returned to “normal” as expected, and no one is quite sure what normal should look like anymore. But law firm thankfully still have clients, and the overriding goal is to anticipate and meet their needs.

The face of marketing will continue to evolve as law firms become more connected, diverse, and nimble in the face of various challenges. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, here are seven important things to keep in mind about your 2022 marketing plan.

  1. The Client Experience is Everything

It seems like every year is the year of the customer. And that isn’t likely to change. But marketing has shifted for good from trying to convince people to work with your firm to providing a fantastic client experience instead.

About two-thirds of today’s consumers say that the client experience is an important factor in their buying experience. What does this mean? When it comes to the sales funnel, providing a lot of useful information to prospects is vital. Instead of telling people how excellent your firm’s service is, provide content that answers their most pressing questions and gives them some peace of mind.

  1. AI Is an Effective Digital Marketing Tool

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now used by many businesses across all sectors, including law, healthcare, retail, banking, and more. And it’s being used more frequently for marketing purposes to automate repetitive tasks and personalize the user experience.

AI can perform basic tasks like recommending keywords for SEO, reporting on website traffic, and managing customer leads. According to a survey by Epsilon, 80% of consumers admit they’d be more willing to do business with a brand that delivers a personalized experience. AI can help you hyper-personalize social media, email, and content marketing with increased data collection and insights.

  1. Consumers Like Chatbots and Voice Assistants

Consumers have become much less patient when it comes to getting their needs met, probably because there are so many technology solutions available to get the job done quickly. Instead of picking up the phone during business hours or waiting for a return email message, chatbots have taken over simple customer service and support tasks. An AI-powered chatbot can answer basic questions, schedule appointments, and even pre-qualify a lead 24/7, leaving more of the heavy lifting for your human staff.

Consumers are also increasingly using voice assistants to get questions answered and perform other tasks (like shopping). Digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are projected to see an increase in use of 18% over the next year. When you integrate your digital marketing strategy with these solutions, you can expect to see even better results.

  1. Mobile-First Marketing is a Must

More people use mobile devices today to access the internet than any other type of device, such as a desktop. Businesses must create mobile-friendly websites and content or risk a reduction in search engine visibility.

In 2022, every website must have a responsive design that allows customers accessing the information with any type of device to do so quickly and easily.

  1. Multichannel Marketing Will Make a Difference

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic drove a lot of consumers online, people still want to visit physical stores and offices. And, if your firm is strictly online, it would be a mistake to concentrate all of your efforts on a single marketing channel, such as a blog or social media network.

A multichannel marketing approach allows brands to create a strong voice that resonates across as many channels as possible, meeting different customers where they’re at in their buying journeys. This might involve an ongoing combination of blog content, email newsletters and messages, video content, in-store events, and social media posts.

  1. Target Featured Snippets in Google Search

Last year, we mentioned Zero-Click Search Results as a growing trend. This is something brands should continue to target through Google’s featured snippets, knowledge graphs, and video carousels. Google introduced this feature in 2019 as a way to give searchers quick information at the top of the results page. It was so popular that the search engine giant continues to expand on it and give it more importance in terms of the user experience and SEO.

Consumers like to get their information in as few clicks as possible. If you can score one of these features on the first page of Google, you can still get exposure for your business as well as drive traffic to your website from people who want to drill down for more in-depth information. Depending on your strategy, you secure these positions with video content, bulleted lists, tables, and other useful data and statistics posted on your website.

  1. Video Marketing Produces Results

Finally, if you haven’t made video marketing one of your priorities, it is definitely time to start in the coming year. According to research by Cisco, video will account for 82% of all online traffic in 2022. Currently, about 84% of consumers have decided to make purchases after watching an online video.

Your firm has many options when it comes to video content. It can use video to create product demos, produce webinars, and even host live video events. You can post explainer videos that answer people’s questions and introduce your business to viewers.

Is Your 2022 Digital Marketing Plan Ready?

Now is the time to start planning your 2022 marketing strategy. Make sure you start with a clear idea of your goals and how you plan to achieve them. Marketing trends will continue to evolve, but a firm understanding of your audience and its needs will ensure you are able to establish strong relationships and make fast adjustments when needed.

If you are ready to drive more traffic to your website and keep your audience engaged, find out how we can help. Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing is dedicated to offering its clients results-driven digital marketing solutions that work in the current environment. Contact us today at (800) 649-1764 or reach out to us online to schedule a free consultation.

Legal Marketing – What Worked in 2021

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Before we close the books on 2021 and turn our attention to 2022, let’s take a look back at what has been working in the world of law firm marketing.

Marketing your law practice has always been challenging, but in the new COVID world we are living in, it has really, really become challenging. But help is out there. Today we want to talk about ways to improve your client intakes for 2022 and beyond. Today’s law firm must be flexible and strategic at the same time.

What Worked in 2021 and What To Continue in 2022

As a company that specializes in marketing for law firms, our job is to monitor trends and the tendencies of individuals searching for attorneys. There are several ways to do this, but the best way we have found is by paying close attention to our own clients and the traffic they are getting to their websites. We study where the traffic is coming from, where on the site the traffic is going and when it is getting there.

We also compare website data across all our client’s websites and compare their bounce rates and their firm contacts. With this information we can see which websites are performing the best and look for reasons why. For example, one website may have testimonial videos, while another may only have a few testimonial comments. One site may use stock photos, while another uses more personal photos of attorneys and local landmarks. This type of information may not seem important, but it can be very valuable when you are trying to figure out what makes one law firm more appealing than another. In the end, we are trying to get a website visitor, aka potential client, to stay on a website as long as possible.

Why is this important? There is a connection between the amount of time a person spends on a website and a websites conversion rate. We define a conversion as a phone call, email, or chat. Most often, the lower the bounce rate, the higher the conversion rate. When you take this information and compare it across all our clients, we can get a better understanding of what is working and what is not working.

This seems simple enough, but it can be very challenging. The adage “the only certainties in life are death and taxes” should also include “Google’s always changing”. It takes constant studying and comparing of notes to figure out the best ways to get a website ranked and then it usually changes on you.

One of the many advantages of using a digital marketing company, like Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, to manage your internet marketing program is their many clients. It is hard for a law firm to figure out what works and what doesn’t work when the only data they have access to is their own. Just when you think you have it figured out, things change and you’re back to square one.

So, here are a few things that worked well this past year and will continue to work in 2022:

  • Local Service Ads (LSA’s) – LSA’s are expanding in practice areas and locations, and they are a great place to get your firm noticed. If you aren’t familiar with them, you should probably get familiar with them right away. This is Google’s verified and screened section of paid advertising. It is a pay per lead program, but you must become Google Screened through Google’s background check process before you can participate. If you haven’t gone through the free process, here is the link, https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/9376654?hl=en
  • Expanding your geographic footprint – Make sure you have content for all the geographical areas your firm covers. This is an important component for expanding your firm’s footprint. Try adding pages for smaller markets surrounding larger cities. This is where people live and commute from and can increase the firm’s exposure to potential clients.
  • Cookies – Cookies can be a turn off. We all get tons of spam and the idea of more coming because you accepted cookies can turn customers away. Just be careful and monitor your website analytics.
  • Display Advertising – Another area that seemed to show little signs of the Covid effect was display advertising. A good display advertising program, coupled with a smart SEO campaign can really increase site visitors.
  • Keyword Mapping: This is an SEO practice in which you assign unique keywords to each page on your website. When you assign a unique keyword to each page, this helps prevent keyword cannibalization. Keyword cannibalization is when multiple pages on your site compete for the same exact keyword. This hurts the ranking of both pages and provides an opportunity to optimize for that keyword by consolidating those two articles and making the existing page more potent for that target keyword. There are software platforms that you can pay for that allow you to check for keyword cannibalization. However, Google Search Console, a free tool provided by Google, does the job very well.

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we are here to help. If you have any questions on how to get your website to perform better in 2022, give us a call. We would love to chat with you about your program and ways it can be improved upon. If you prefer to do your own SEO work, you can also try our free website audit tool by clicking on this link.  It will uncover website weaknesses so you can formulate your own plan of action.

We work with law firms in the following areas:

  • Search engine optimization
  • Content writing
  • Social media management
  • Paid ad programs
  • Video service
  • Website development and upkeep

Thank you for time and we hope you enjoy your holidays!

Contact Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing Today

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.

It’s Almost Time – Building Your 2022 Marketing Plan

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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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

What to Look for in the Right Law Firm Marketing Partner

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Make Sure You Choose The Right Marketing Partner

As a law firm, keeping your digital marketing strategy on track can be challenging. Understandably, most of your efforts are devoted to serving the needs of your clients. But you won’t have a law firm for very long if you aren’t generating new business and engaging new clients.

Legal marketers are also faced with the stark reality that Google changes its algorithm with alarming regularity. So what can rocket you to the top of the search results one day may not work the next or at least be less effective.

All of this means that you need help. But where is a busy law firm supposed to start? Here are some of the things to consider and look for so you get the right law firm marketing partner that will meet your needs.

  1. Define Your Goals and Priorities First

Before deciding whether one or another legal marketing firm is the best match for you, it’s a good idea to spend some time assessing your goals and priorities. After all, how can you expect someone to meet your expectations when you’re not sure what those are?

This is a valuable exercise for any law firm. Start at the beginning and ask yourself some key questions:

  • Who is your target market?
  • How many leads would you like to target in the next month, quarter, or year?
  • How many new clients would you like to sign up during these periods?
  • Do you have the support on hand to handle additional leads?
  • How would you like your brand to be perceived?
  • What areas do you see as needing the most attention? Website? Content?
  • What are your firm’s revenue goals?

Once you have this information in hand, you’ll be better prepared to have a conversation with a legal marketing agency about your expectations.

  1. Look for an Agency With Legal Marketing Experience

It’s a common misconception that all marketing is basically the same. It’s not. When marketing legal services, it’s particularly important to build credibility and trust with your audience while emphasizing things like experience, results, compassion, and accessibility.

The digital marketing agency you partner with should be able to understand your firm’s differentiators and ensure that those characteristics come through in every aspect of your campaigns. Likewise, law firm websites need to be simple to navigate, fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and include plenty of calls to action so that visitors know how to reach your firm.

When you interview potential agencies, ask questions pertinent to their experience:

  • What are some best practices you follow for law firm websites?
  • What keywords do you typically target for your law firm clients?
  • How can you help our firm rank better in local search results?
  • Do you represent any other firms in my area?
  • Can you show me proof of results with other clients?
  1. Thoroughly Examine the Services Offered

When one of your potential clients is looking for a law firm or lawyer, they want to know about service areas. Specifically, can your law firm help them get a divorce, fight a DUI, or apply for disability benefits? The same scrutiny should hold true when you are looking for a legal marketing agency.

Does the agency provide the services you want and need the most? If you require a new or refreshed website, is this something they do? Do they specialize in SEO (they should)? What about video marketing, paid ads, or social media marketing?

Find out about the scope of their services so that you don’t run into any surprises. For example, if a marketing firm only puts together a strategy and then expects you to execute the action items, this may not be something you’re prepared to take on.

  1. Ask About Work Processes and Reporting

Before you team up with a digital marketing agency, you need to make sure that they will be the right partner to execute your legal marketing strategy. No one wants to be just another number. First, make sure they have the capacity to handle your firm’s work and will be able to give you the personalized service you deserve.

Provided the agency can deliver what you need, will they do so in a way that works with your day-to-day operations? In other words, will you work well together, or will your approach create conflict? Here are a few questions to ask:

  • How will your agency track the performance of our campaigns?
  • How will we be kept in the loop on legal marketing campaigns and results?
  • Will we have a dedicated account manager or deal with a team?
  1. Ensure They Understand Legal Advertising Rules

Many of the things that your legal marketing partner will do, such as legal content writing, fall under the category of “advertising” for your law firm. This makes these actions subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct.

When you place your trust in a legal marketing agency, it’s critical that they have your best interests in mind and act to protect those interests. For example, many state bar associations prohibit language that refers to an attorney as an “expert” or that guarantees a particular case result.

  1. Check the Fee Structure and Legal Contract

As an attorney, you know how to read and interpret contracts, so make sure you are paying attention to anything that has to do with marketing your brand. Before you commit to working with a legal marketing agency, ask some pertinent questions:

  • Is there a minimum contract length for services?
  • How can we end the partnership if we aren’t satisfied with the results?
  • How are fees assessed, and are they consistent or variable?
  • What Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) do you use to gauge success?
  • Can we adjust services as needed?

No one enjoys being caught off guard by unclear terms or language, so avoid leaving any questions left unasked.

Want to learn more about what Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing can do as your law firm marketing partner? Check out our case studies that illustrate how we create custom, functional websites for clients designed to produce results.

Contact us today online, or by calling (800) 649-1764, to schedule a free consultation, and we’ll begin with a no-risk professional evaluation of your current website and marketing strategy.

Five Tips for Marketing Your Family Law Firm Online

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When people are facing family law issues such as divorce, hiring an attorney can be a time-sensitive and difficult process. Potential clients already have emotions running high with the prospect of facing the end of a marriage or a potential child custody battle. How you market your law firm and instill trust can be particularly challenging as you work to acquire new clients.

While some people find attorneys through personal referrals, most will turn to online sources at some point in their search. According to Google, 96 percent of people use a search engine when seeking legal advice.

Why Family Law Marketing is Different

Marketing for divorce attorneys is markedly different than marketing for criminal defense, personal injury, or other legal practice areas. Some of the unique things you will need to consider include:

  • You need to hook people at the top of the sales funnel through informational searches. If you can build trust with potential clients by delivering valuable information, you won’t necessarily need to rank #1 for “divorce lawyer” to get the results you need. But people who get their questions answered somewhere else are unlikely to come to you for help.
  • Your Google My Business (GMB) listing plays a vital role in how people research you. Privacy is essential for many divorce and family law clients. Most want a law firm that isn’t conspicuous but still convenient. They will use GMB to research your reputation as well as to see where you are located in their area before deciding whether or not to visit.
  • Your marketing must highlight your firm’s culture and personality. Divorce and family law matters are highly emotional. Your marketing message should give potential clients a sense of how your firm handles these cases. Are you compassionate? Aggressive? People are much more likely to choose a family lawyer based on an emotional connection.
  • Online reviews can be challenging for family law firms. Because divorce and family law cases can be contentious, few people walk away completely satisfied with their outcome. You are bound to have some unhappy clients and even get some terrible reviews from people you never represented. You will want to create a workable strategy to build your online review base and address any negative reviews quickly and appropriately.

Five Tips for Marketing Your Family Law Firm Online

The bottom line is that your family law firm needs a comprehensive strategy to increase its online visibility and reach those potential clients. Here are five ways you can market your family law services to the people who need them:

  1. Family Law Firm Website Design

As a family law firm, your website should do more than describe your attorney’s backgrounds and give an overview of your practice areas. It needs to instill trust, tell potential clients what sets you apart from the competition, and even deliver some valuable information.

Every law firm wants its website to look nice, but the real purpose of your online presence is to generate business. That said, your firm’s website should be designed with conversions in mind. Specifically, it needs to be fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and simple to navigate. There should also be a clear path on every page to contact your law firm for a free consultation.

  1. Local SEO for Divorce & Family Lawyers

With family law, every practice requires a focused and targeted local SEO strategy. For example, most people that hire a family law attorney want someone that is local to them. Keywords like “divorce attorney” might be important, but they are more relevant when combined with a city, county, state, or some other geographical identifier like “divorce attorney Boston” or “divorce lawyer Orlando.”

You can maximize your local SEO efforts by including many of these local identifiers in your website content. You will also want to create and optimize your directory listings, especially your Google My Business (GMB) profile, so that you show up in Google Maps searches.

  1. Family Law Firm Content Marketing

People going through different types of family legal crises are desperate for credible information. Your law firm can establish itself as an authority in its practice area as well as show off its personality through a robust content marketing campaign.

Start with engaging Area of Practice pages that describe your services. But make sure you take things a step further. Schedule regular blog content that focuses on particular topics that will be of interest to potential clients and pull in traffic with long-tail keywords. Some examples include dealing with military divorce, high-asset divorce, international adoptions, and same-sex custody issues.

  1. Video Marketing for Family Law Firms

As a family lawyer, you can build a strong and lasting connection with your clients. In this area of practice, more than any other, your and your firm’s personality need to shine through in its marketing efforts.

You can accomplish some of this through content marketing, but video marketing is one of the best ways to showcase your firm’s culture and personality. Videos on your website, blog, and social channels can help potential clients get a feel for who you are, how you approach cases, and the way you will treat them as a client.

A robust video library also gives potential clients another means to educate themselves about their situation. This can save you time as clients walk into your office with some basic knowledge.

  1. Social Media for Family Lawyers

Your potential family law clients are hungry for information. Social media is one of the channels you can use to deliver guidance, but you will want to approach it the right way. The client journey can be much longer with family law clients, who will weigh their options before contacting a law firm for help.

Your social media profiles should give potential clients the guidance they need to make wise decisions and contact you when they are ready. Even after a matter is resolved, clients might continue to follow you on social media to maintain a connection and get information on things that could impact them in the future. This also keeps your firm’s name top of mind for potential referrals.

Want to Sign More Family Law Clients Each Month?

As this information illustrates, there are several ways to market your family law firm online. But success won’t happen overnight, and effective digital marketing requires a cohesive plan and strategy.

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, our team has a proven formula for helping family law firms boost their visibility and generate more clients. We do not take a cookie-cutter approach to legal marketing but rather tailor our strategies to your firm’s particular needs and goals. If you would like to learn more about how our experienced digital marketers can help elevate your law firm’s online presence, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Creating The Perfect Legal Marketing Team

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If you started your own law firm because you wanted to be your own boss, you were likely attracted to the flexibility and freedom that it can offer. Sure, you may be able to choose your practice areas and hours to some extent, but what about the business aspects of running a law practice?

Few attorneys went to work in this industry with a mind towards sales and marketing, for example. But it is going to be tough to practice law and grow your business if you don’t have any clients. Here is why your law firm should make marketing a priority and how it can create the most impactful legal marketing team.

Why You Need to Market Your Legal Services

The dream that clients will flock to your doorstep once you hang out your shingle may be an attractive incentive for many lawyer entrepreneurs. But the reality is often something much different. In fact, the competition in the legal space is fierce, and consumers have more choices than ever. In 2021, there were over 1.3 million licensed attorneys in the U.S. alone.

How do people decide which attorney or law firm to hire when they have a legal issue? Most turn to online resources for help. According to Google, 96% of people that need legal advice turn to a search engine. FindLaw reports that 74% of prospects that begin an online search for legal services end up contacting a law office about those services, and 87% of those people hire an attorney.

Most consumers don’t have a specific law firm or attorney in mind when they begin their search. In other words, their searches are more generic or unbranded. They might consist of phrases like “divorce attorney near me” or “beat a DUI in Alabama.”

Potential clients are looking for answers to questions about their situation and assurances that your firm has the knowledge and experience to address their issues. Getting found online by potential clients during this initial search process is vital to your law firm’s success.

If your digital marketing efforts can place your firm’s name, website, and content in front of these clients at the right time, it can transform your business. This is where your legal marketing dream team comes into play.

What Makes a Winning Legal Marketing Team?

The business of law is largely built on reputation and relationships. Your digital marketing efforts should be focused on establishing a strong online reputation for your law firm as well as building lasting relationships with potential, current, and past clients. To effectively market your law firm, you need access to resources. These consist of time, money, and the right people.

According to a 2019 ABA survey, just 47% of law firms surveyed have any type of marketing budget. If you have time constraints, you may need to funnel more financial resources into your marketing efforts. If you are short on cash, your law firm might invest more of its in-house time in its marketing efforts.

Some of the things that make up a winning legal marketing team include:

Legal Industry Knowledge and Experience

The team that creates and advances your law firm’s digital marketing strategies must have legal industry experience. They do not have to be attorneys, but they must understand your audience’s pain points, the attorney-client relationship, the common sales process, and possible objections.

In the legal industry, you are not selling a product, but instead, your experience, reputation, and the peace of mind your services offer. Being able to create a mix of effectively telling your firm’s story, addressing client’s concerns, and staying within the guidelines outlined by the ABA and your State Bar are vital considerations for your digital marketing team.

Mastery of Digital Channels

Worldwide, businesses now spend more than half of their marketing dollars on digital channels. The argument could be made that they should allocate even more considering the amount of time consumers now spend using digital devices to connect with brands.

But digital marketing is complicated. Your legal marketing team needs to have expertise in a variety of different disciplines:

  • Conversion Funnels– You can guide your law firm’s potential clients through the optimized conversion funnel your marketing team creates.
  • Website Development – Your law firm’s website is the main online gateway to your clients. You need a web development and design expert that will ensure your website is fast, mobile-friendly, attractive, easy to navigate, optimized, and useful.
  • SEO– Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital to get your law firm to rank higher in Google’s organic search results, and you need local SEO to show up in map search results.
  • Paid Marketing– With pay-per-click (PPC), display ads, and social media ads, your firm can create laser-targeted scalable campaigns to reach certain audiences.
  • Email Marketing– Creating and using an email list to deliver useful information to current and potential clients is a valuable way to market your business.
  • Content Marketing– Your legal marketing team should understand how to use blog posts, videos, and other online content to build relationships and deliver value to your potential clients.
  • Social Media– Over one million new users join social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram daily. More than half of these users turn to social platforms to research everything from pizza parlors to DUI attorneys.

These are just the core disciplines, but digital marketing is constantly changing. If your legal marketing team isn’t experienced with these channels, it will not be able to effectively market your law firm.

Access to Real Marketing Data

Most law firms have limited resources devoted to marketing. You need to make sure your marketing spend is as efficient as possible. And you can do this by leveraging data.

Real-world data is one of the secrets to success in marketing. An experienced team will carefully examine and test what is working on your website as well as use their industry-based knowledge to guide your firm’s growth.

Creating Your Legal Marketing Dream Team

Not too long ago, a single person could handle the bulk of your law firm’s marketing efforts. But that has changed with the complexity of online marketing. A jack-of-all-trades is tough to find these days. To run a formidable in-house marketing team, your firm will need to fill some critical roles such as Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Web Developer, SEO and Analytics Expert, Content Writer, and Paid Ads Specialist – just to name a few.

Staffing in-house can be time-consuming, and any turnover in these areas can bring your marketing efforts to an unwelcome halt. Many law firms opt to outsource some or all marketing activities to digital marketing agencies. To remain competitive, the best of these agencies work with a variety of clients. This gives them exposure to new technologies and innovative tactics that can bring an outsider’s perspective to a situation and identify opportunities to drive results.

Filling the Gaps in Your Legal Marketing Dream Team

Not every law firm has the resources or capabilities to put together this ideal dream team. If you would rather focus on serving the needs of your clients than digital marketing, there are talented agencies available that can help fill the gaps with the marketing talent you need.

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, our team of talented and dedicated internet marketing professionals has over 40 years of combined experience helping businesses like yours stand out from their competitors through a comprehensive online marketing strategy. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.

5 Tips for Marketing Your Criminal Law Firm Online

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You might be the best criminal defense law firm in town. But, if your competitors are better at online marketing, they’re probably going to have more clients. Whether it’s helping clients with traffic tickets, DUI arrests, or more serious offenses, people facing criminal charges need an attorney they can trust, and they need one fast.

When people need quick answers, whether it’s who delivers Chinese food “near me” or what the maximum penalty is for public intoxication in Virginia, they often turn to Google first. Now more than ever, it’s vital that your law firm shows up as a valuable online resource for people in their time of need.

That said, you need strategies that will help your firm stand out against the competition. You not only want to get found first but also produce such a compelling message that your visitors won’t feel the need to continue their search a minute longer. So, what do you need to do to get your phone ringing off the hook and your calendar full? Here are five tips for marketing your criminal law firm online that are designed to produce results.

  1. Build a User-Friendly Website

Most people make immediate judgments about a business based on that company’s online presence. So website design is pretty important. One of the biggest mistakes law firms make is taking shortcuts with website design.

As a criminal defense firm, it’s essential to position yourself as someone that will fight for the best possible outcome. For this reason, many criminal defense lawyers prefer a serious online persona. However you choose to position your brand, your website should:

  • Tell people what you do (You defend people charged with crimes)
  • Reveal who you are. (You’re an experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled criminal defense lawyer.)
  • Convince them why they should choose you. (List years of experience, show testimonials, etc.)
  • Provide a way to contact you. (Phone, form, chat)

These are just some of the surface items. If you don’t address the technical stuff related to your website, your efforts will be largely wasted. Specifically, your criminal defense law firm website needs to be:

  • Fast-loading
  • Easy to navigate
  • Mobile-friendly
  • Secure
  • Attractive

  1. Create Quality Content

You might be able to get visitors to your website that have pressing legal matters, but enticing them to stay and then contact you is another hurdle that some firms struggle with. The key is to have high-quality content on your website that provides visitors with relevant, useful information that boosts your credibility as a criminal defense attorney.

There are two types of content you’ll post on your website: Practice Area pages and Supportive content (i.e., Blog posts).

Practice Area Pages

Area of Practice content are the pages on your website that detail your different practice areas. For example, a criminal defense attorney would likely have a Criminal Defense overview page and then child pages for things like DUI, Domestic Violence, Assault and Battery, Sex Crimes, Drug Crimes, etc.

Interestingly, criminal defense lawyers have more sub-practice areas than any other area of the law. This gives your firm more opportunities to rank for phrases that can drive traffic and convert prospects into clients.

The key to these pages is that they should be helpful, comprehensive, and provide more information than your direct competitors.

Supportive Content

Blog posts can help your firm establish itself as an authority on a topic, such as DUI defense. They can also bring in more traffic by answering many of the questions that people type into Google, such as, “Is a DUI a felony in Florida?” and “How long does a DUI stay on your record?”

Most people who are dealing with criminal charges are frightened. They’ll spend a lot of time looking for information and reassurance online. If your blog posts can provide answers and build trust, you are more likely to get a call.

  1. Optimize for Organic Search

Just having a website and some content won’t be enough to help you rank higher in the search engines than your competitors. Chances are, they put some work into getting those results, and you need to do the same.

What you’ll need to do is focus on proven Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies to secure top search rankings for your criminal defense web pages. This involves:

  • Researching keywords related to your area of practice and incorporating them naturally throughout your content
  • Including location-based keywords to increase traffic for local searches
  • Strategically placing keywords within your webpages, metadata, and title tags
  • Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business page
  • Encouraging client reviews to boost your firm’s credibility

How user-friendly your website is will also impact your results. We already covered most of this in the website design section. In short, a visitor should have a positive experience and get the information they need when visiting your site.

  1. Get on Social Media

Many criminal defense firms believe it would be inappropriate to engage in social media marketing. But this isn’t the case. Your potential clients are on social media platforms, and these sites are another powerful way for your firm to establish and build a strong online reputation.

Using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help your firm share useful information and create a reputation as an authority. Your social media posts don’t need to be promotional. They can ask questions to increase engagement or share snippets from recent content.

  1. Leverage Video Marketing

Video is one of the most powerful ways to reach potential clients and improve the performance of your website. If you think about it, people dealing with criminal matters may not be up to reading thousands of words of content on your site. But they will sit and watch your videos if they are engaging and informative.

With the right law firm videos, your criminal defense firm can:

  • Stand apart from the competition
  • Improve your firm’s online reputation
  • Increase conversion rates from visitors

There is a wide variety of video content you can create. You can start with your attorney and law firm profiles to give visitors an overview of why they should trust you to address their legal issues. You can also create short videos that address frequently asked questions as well as testimonial videos from prior clients.

Get Your Criminal Defense Law Firm Noticed

When it comes to marketing for criminal defense attorneys, having an engaging website and optimized Google My Business profile are excellent places to start. But there is stiff competition for legal clients, so your firm must have a robust ongoing legal strategy to get found and chosen by local clients.

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we have years of experience helping criminal defense law firms successfully market their services. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation – (800) 649-1764.