Are you wondering how some law firms get so many new clients while others struggle to be found?
Lawyer marketing services make all the difference. The legal market has transformed, and referrals alone are no longer enough.
In fact, only 17% of law firms rely on in-house marketing. That’s because the firms that win are investing in professional marketing services that generate results.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why Lawyer Marketing Services Work
- Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Lawyers
- Increasing Trust to Win More Cases
- Making the Right Marketing Investments
- The Cost of Hiring Lawyer Marketing Services
Why Old-School Marketing Doesn’t Work Anymore
We once thought that marketing didn’t apply to lawyers.
We’d send prospects to our top clients and get referrals. Lawyers used to be like dentists: People needed one, so they went to the one that was local or came recommended.
But today’s clients are more informed and self-directed than ever before. This means that your prospects are probably going online to find out who the best attorney is to help them.
What if your firm never even shows up in those searches?
Clients aren’t just calling their top choice. They’re usually researching at least three firms online before making a call. If you’re not a visible option in that research process, you might as well not be in business.
Here’s a stat that will surprise you…
85% of people use Google as the first step in finding a lawyer. That means you have a big opportunity to win the right clients right now. But only if your firm is part of the search results.
That’s why effective law firm marketing has become a requirement for growing practices. Professional services know how to place your firm right where clients are searching online.
SEO: The Foundation of Client Acquisition
SEO is the process of improving how high your website ranks in search engine results.
Why does this matter? Because when someone searches for an attorney online, that’s a qualified lead. For example, a search for “car accident lawyer near me” means that person is actively seeking your services.
The problem is that most law firms mess up with their SEO.
They think of it as a one-time project rather than an ongoing optimization effort. But real SEO is a combination of technical fixes, content marketing, and even local citations. It’s a total marketing strategy with one goal: client acquisition.
The evidence is in the returns. Law firms that allocate money to SEO report a 3-year ROI of 526% on average. That’s more than five times the initial investment. And those are just the reported numbers.
Local SEO Is a Game Changer
Search visibility for most lawyers is local.
Clients are not searching nationwide for a lawyer. They want someone in their area who knows the local laws and can meet with them in person. Local SEO positions your firm to be found when local prospects need legal services.
Here’s what that includes:
- Optimizing for Google Business Profile
- Getting local citations
- Creating location-specific content
- Targeting local keywords and phrases
The result of local SEO is more targeted leads from your service area.
Content Marketing Is How You Build Authority
Did you know that most law firms overlook this?
Content marketing is much more than having a blog. It’s a systematic way to build your firm as the trusted authority for your legal practice areas.
Consumers who find helpful information on your site automatically begin trusting your expertise before they even call. This is where most firms miss a major opportunity to attract new clients.
High-quality content marketing efforts include:
- In-depth legal guides on topics clients research online
- Case studies and real-world examples
- Pages optimized for each practice area and primary keyword
- Regular blog articles to stay on top of legal trends
This dual function of content marketing not only helps SEO but also positions your firm as a credible source for clients who are doing their homework online.
Social Media: Why It Works (If Done Correctly)
Here’s a fun fact: you can’t really market law firms on Instagram.
Or at least not directly. Legal marketing on social media doesn’t work in the traditional B2C (business to consumer) way. What it does work for is building your firm’s brand in a B2B (business to business) sense.
A potential client isn’t going to be browsing Facebook the same way a new mom is. But they do need to find a trustworthy lawyer.
For business law, real estate, and similar legal practices, LinkedIn is king. Facebook tends to work better for family law, personal injury, criminal defense, and similar practice areas. Your social media marketing needs to match your firm’s strengths.
Website Optimization: Converting Visitors to Clients
Your law firm website isn’t just a place for your contact info.
It’s a tool to convert anyone visiting it into an actual client. Fast loading times, mobile optimization, clear calls to action, and overall user-friendly design all contribute to the conversion rate.
Law firms report that their websites provide the highest ROI of any marketing channel. That should be no surprise to anyone, but the sad fact is most legal websites are broken in ways that directly harm the firm’s potential to acquire new clients.
Here’s what we see most often:
- Slow page load speed
- Bad mobile experience
- Unclear or incomplete contact info
- Weak calls to action
- Old, unappealing design
Professional legal marketing services can audit these issues and fix them so that your traffic converts.
Paid Advertising Can Accelerate Results
SEO is important, but it’s a slow burn process. Paid advertising is a fast and effective way to get immediate traffic.
Google Ads and social media ads can position your firm right at the top of search results. You just have to target the right keywords and demographics while controlling your spending.
Paid is best used in conjunction with organic marketing. The two together create multiple touchpoints to increase your firm’s visibility and chances of client acquisition.
Reputation Management: Building Trust Online
Reviews have never been more important than they are right now.
Prospective clients read online reviews before calling anyone. Positive reviews build trust and credibility before a firm ever has a chance to prove itself. Professional marketing services help law firms actively manage their online reputation, including:
- Actively asking clients to leave reviews
- Responding to reviews (good and bad)
- Addressing any issues promptly and professionally
This doesn’t mean covering up problems. It means leveraging the fact that most clients have a positive experience with your firm. You then turn that into a well-managed online reputation.
Tracking Leads Is the Best Way to Scale Marketing
Marketing is never a “set it and forget it” type of investment.
It’s a multi-faceted approach that must be constantly tested and optimized. The problem is, without the right tracking, you don’t know where to focus your resources.
You need to monitor and measure:
- Website traffic
- Conversion rates
- Cost per lead
- Time to close
- Return on investment
Effective legal marketing services track and report these metrics. That data then allows you to:
- Double down on what’s working and
- Scale back or stop what’s not
If you fail to measure, you’re just wasting money and time.
Marketing Is an Investment, Not an Expense
A common misconception about law firm marketing is that it’s an expense.
Firms that see it this way and therefore underinvest in it are destined to fail. Marketers (lawyers and non-lawyers alike) believe it’s an investment.
It’s an investment that produces a predictable new client acquisition, stronger brand awareness, and, ultimately, sustainable revenue growth. The firms that don’t see this and instead think of it as an unnecessary cost will fall further and further behind.
The reality is: If you don’t invest in proven marketing efforts, the competition will, and they will outperform your firm.
Summing It All Up
Lawyer marketing services are a multi-channel approach.
SEO, content, paid advertising, reputation management, and more all work together to boost client acquisition. The law firms that win are the ones that understand that marketing is a necessity, not an option.
The numbers show it. The strategies work. The question is whether you implement them before the competition.