While online presence has become more and more important in a world where clients find and vet attorneys on the web, many smaller law firms are lagging in adopting best practices. Unfortunately, many firms have little more than an outdated and generic website and make little investment in either organic or paid digital marketing.

Today we’ve laid out these 5 simple marketing strategies for law firms that you can start implementing immediately. Of course, remember, if you’re looking for help, we’ve got a team for you.

1. Search Engine Optimization

The first five organic results account for 67.60% of all the clicks1. Getting your law firm to show up in that list should be the goal of your SEO strategy.

Everyone tells you that your SEO needs work. But what does that even mean? Wasn’t that all done when the website was built to begin with?

The truth is the website was likely optimized for search engines when it was built. However, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, and you never “finish” it. Something that your web builder did 4 years ago, might not be what the search engines are looking for right now.

Of course, now you’re asking yourself, what exactly goes into SEO? Create or update local profiles, like Google My Business. Add content to your website and build out a backlink strategy. SEO for law firms should also include getting plenty of satisfied client reviews. These are all pieces of the greater SEO puzzle to help your site get those organic clicks you’re after.

2. Content Marketing

Google uses over 200+ pieces of data to rank websites. But among the most important of those are high quality content and link building. To build your authority on a subject, your areas of practice, you must have the content to back it up.

Effective content speaks to your audience, prospective clients, with relevant and timely information. There are a lot of different ways you can do this, of course. You can share regular blog posts or informative videos. Don’t forget to include some infographics and e-books. Whatever the content you’re using, be sure to make it digestible and easy for your prospective client to understand.

Don’t forget when you add content to make sure that everyone knows about it! Tell your audience on social media, post to the Google My Business page, and put links into your monthly newsletter. Wherever your audience is, be sure to make sure they know you have the content they want.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social media allows you to meet your audience where they are. In today’s environment it’s almost as damaging to not have a social media presence as it is to not have a website. Social media channels are an important place for your firm to build your authority and address the kinds of questions that prospective clients may be asking before they decide to hire an attorney.

LinkedIn and Facebook are two of the most used social networks but are among the most helpful for law firms. Since both offer business pages you can update them as you do your website. You can announce blog posts, share videos, or update your audience on case results. These are all great ways to engage with your audience and reach an even larger one.

4. Email Marketing

One of the easiest and most cost-effective marketing strategies you should use at your law firm is email marketing. Email doesn’t need a lot of effort and tends to be the more inexpensive tool at your disposal.

When embarking on an email marketing campaign you want to be sure that you have a strategy that properly segments your list. For example, your email marketing for prospective clients may be primarily aimed at providing nformation and encouraging them to contact your office. Email marketing to existing clients may focus on generating referrals. You should also be availing yourself of automations, which trigger certain follow up emails that are sent individuals who take certain actions.

5. PPC Marketing

This all brings us to pay-per-click advertising campaigns. PPC allows you to target individuals who are currently searching for a particular type of lawyer. These ads are targeted and in real time. It was estimated that 57% of individuals seek out their own lawyer, rather than relying on referrals2. Targeting them for your search ads will be a great way to get them when they are searching for one.

Here is where things get tricky, of course. To get the most bang for your buck with these search ads you need to make sure you’ve done the legwork. You need to do keyword research, optimize your landing pages, write compelling ad content, and set up geo targeting.

If you’re hoping to benefit from PPC marketing at your law firm, but unsure how to do it? We’ve got experts that can help you build out and manage that campaign.