5 Questions Lawyers Must Ask Themselves About Their Current Marketing Strategy

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A lawyer’s primary purposes are to ensure that laws are upheld and clients’ rights are protected. But it’s tough to accomplish those goals if your law firm can’t remain in business. You need a steady flow of new clients to keep the doors open and grow your business, which means you need to market your services.

Making marketing an afterthought can be dangerous in the legal industry. It’s simply too competitive and important to ignore. It’s also not something you want to waste resources on and not get the results you want and need. Here’s why your firm needs to make legal marketing one of its priorities and several questions it should be asking about its current marketing strategy.

The Importance of Effective Law Firm Marketing

Every business, regardless of industry, needs some type of marketing plan. While it’s easy to overlook marketing when you’re focused on managing your busy law practice, the reality is your business won’t be busy for long if you don’t have an effective strategy. Legal marketing has become a vital aspect of law firm success for several reasons:

Connects You With Prospective Clients

A legal website is often the first introduction a prospective client has to your business. They might arrive via a web search, social media link, or some other online source, such as a referral. But, when they do arrive on your site, what they discover in the first few seconds is vital. Ideally, they’ll experience a well-organized and engaging site that provides some answers and encouragement to move forward with contacting your firm.

5 Questions Lawyers Must Ask Themselves About Their Current Marketing Strategy

It’s highly unlikely any law firm is going to achieve success without a robust digital marketing strategy. According to one consumer survey, 97% of people use an online search to find the services they need. Whether it be a restaurant for tonight’s dinner, a local locksmith, or a skilled DUI lawyer, the internet is what connects these clients with businesses that can fulfill their needs.

But not every digital marketing strategy is the same. If yours isn’t up to par or better than your competitors, you won’t get the results you want and need. To ensure the best possible results, here are five questions lawyers must ask themselves about their current digital marketing strategies.

  1. Is our law firm’s website up-to-date and an effective lead generator?

One of the first questions you’ll want to ask yourself is about the effectiveness of your legal website. People often make a judgment about a business within seconds of landing on a website. If your law firm’s website is outdated or doesn’t convey the right message to visitors, it’s going to be nearly impossible to get the results you need.

Website development has evolved substantially over the past several years. Consumers can tell an outdated website immediately and will judge you for it. They will also judge your law firm harshly if your website is slow, not secure, hard to navigate, or has unprofessional photos.

One of your website’s primary roles should be to generate leads for your business. After all, without new clients, your firm will eventually be in trouble. If it’s not doing this, it’s time to make some changes.

  1. Are we targeting our marketing efforts to reach the right audience?

Who are the people most likely to need your law firm’s services? Where do they live? What are their ages and gender? What type of lives are they typically leading? Where do they spend their time online?

Knowing the answers to these questions is vital to a strong and successful legal marketing plan. Whether you are focusing on organic traffic or paid ads, you must know who your target audience is first. This information will guide your choices relative to which keyword phrases you will target and the type of content you decide to create.

For example, if you’re an estate planning attorney, you know that everyone could benefit from your services. But the people most likely to search you out are in an older demographic. Once you clearly identify your target audience, you can also choose the best channels for reaching those potential clients.

  1. Do we need more compelling content to engage and attract clients?

If you want your law firm’s digital marketing efforts to be a success, your online content must be a priority. Posting a compelling “About Us” page and detailed practice area pages is an excellent start. But your efforts need to go even further.

You need content to fuel your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, which is what will help you achieve better website rankings. Ongoing content is also what helps your law firm engage visitors and build credibility and trust as a skilled and experienced provider of specific legal services.

You can post different types of legal content regularly, such as blog posts, videos, and ebooks. As visitors read or consume these items, they will form a stronger connection with your brand and become more likely to hire your firm.

  1. Are our marketing practices violating any attorney ethics rules?

Believe it or not, there are a lot of rules when it comes to how you can and should market your law firm. The American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct is one example, and some rules vary from state to state.

While a client isn’t likely to file a complaint about your law firm’s marketing practices, a competing firm might. And the last thing you want is to be the subject of a disciplinary investigation or face sanctions.

So, how can you avoid violating any attorney ethics rules with your marketing practices? Here are several guidelines:

  • Avoid any false or misleading information, such as claiming you practice in a larger geographic area than you do.
  • Avoid using copyrighted images in your marketing materials without permission.
  • Avoid making direct comparison statements between your firm and others, such as claiming your firm is the “best.”
  • Avoid promising a guaranteed case outcome, such as “We’ll get your charges dropped.”

The best way to avoid these potential issues is to work with an experienced legal marketing agency that understands these rules.

  1. How are we defining and tracking law firm marketing success?

Your law firm and its digital marketing partners should have established some key performance indicators (KPIs) to track its success and inform ongoing business decisions. Without these, your entire program is simply guesswork, and you may end up wasting resources on strategies that aren’t providing a positive return on your investment (ROI).

Your KPIs should align with your business’s strategic objectives. Some examples of marketing KPIs include organic traffic, cost per lead, social media traffic, conversion rates, and many more.

Each time to review your marketing results, it’s important to understand whether you are getting closer to your goals or further away from them. Regular measurements are essential so you can view trends in the KPIs that give clues about items you may need to address.

One of the biggest mistakes law firms make is not taking action on valuable insight. Change isn’t always comfortable, but the sooner you take action to correct a bottleneck or seize on a new opportunity, the quicker your firm will be able to enjoy the benefits of improved business results.

Are You Working With the Right Legal Marketing Agency?

Ok, that’s one more question. But it’s a critical one. Choosing the right legal marketing agency can make a significant difference in your marketing strategy’s outcome. At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we understand how competitive the legal industry is and focus our efforts on helping our clients get found and chosen by clients who need their services the most.

Whether your firm is large or small, new or established, we can help you create a winning online presence that produces results. Our approach is 100% customized, meaning we only recommend the services you need. Give us a call at (800) 649-1764 or reach out to us online to schedule a free initial consultation.

How to Create a Winning Law Firm Marketing Campaign

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Law firms are in a competitive business. They have to work diligently to attract new clients and retain their existing ones if they want to succeed and grow.

You might have the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys in your area. But no one is going to hire your firm if they can’t find you online or learn something about your services when conducting some preliminary research.

The best way to have all of this fall into place is with a winning law firm marketing campaign. But what’s involved with that? Here are some tips for successfully getting your law firm’s message out to the right audience.

  1. Define Your Target Audience

There are many different areas of the law, so the clients your law firm targets may not be the same as the firm down the street. Each audience has specific needs that will prompt them to search out legal services. Before crafting a campaign, figure out whether you will be marketing to new clients, past clients, other attorneys, or someone else. You can even expand on this with typical client characteristics, such as:

  • Age
  • Location
  • Gender
  • Job title
  • Income
  • Industry
  • Needs

This information will be invaluable in figuring out where to reach these people and what messages will most appeal to them. In some cases, you may have more than one target audience. There’s nothing wrong with creating multiple client profiles.

  1. Map Your Client’s Journey

Mapping your client’s journey is an incredibly useful exercise in creating a satisfying marketing campaign. This consists of your typical client’s pathway as they progress from learning about your brand to signing on as a client. The journey generally has three main stages:

  • Awareness Stage — This is the initial stage in which prospective clients become aware of your brand. For example, they might see an online ad, run across your website through a search, or hear about you from a friend.
  • Consideration Stage — During this stage, prospects will conduct detailed online research of different law firms by reading practice area pages, blog posts, attorney bios, and reviews. They might subscribe to your email list or follow you on social media.
  • Decision Stage— In the decision stage, prospects will decide whether or not you are the best law firm to handle their needs. If they choose you, they will call you or contact you through your website.

To optimize your client journey and improve conversions, you can create a map that identifies the desired outcomes at each stage. For example, you might want prospects to browse your website or download an ebook at the consideration stage and fill out a contact form at the decision stage.

  1. Define Your Value Proposition

Your firm’s value proposition outlines what you can offer prospective clients to choose your law firm over a competitor. It forms the foundation of most marketing messages. For example, maybe you offer affordable services, aggressive representation, or 24/7 availability.

It’s important that your value proposition be concise enough to deliver across a variety of formats. You’ll need to convey it on your website, through social media, and throughout your content marketing campaigns.

  1. Differentiate Your Brand

You can use your value proposition to help define and differentiate your brand. Branding is how you will set your law firm apart from the competition. It includes your unique message as well as styling. Your firm’s brand should resonate consistently throughout its website, social media profiles, letterhead, and logo. Business cards, and anything else used to interact with potential and current clients.

  1. Evaluate Your Competition

Sometimes, it’s most helpful to see what’s working for your biggest competitors so you can emulate their tactics. Make sure you thoroughly evaluate the competition to learn what keywords they are ranking for and how you may be able to improve with your own strategy.

  1. Craft a Compelling Message 

To achieve your marketing goals, you need to create an effective marketing message. As a law firm, this involves crafting a message that:

  • Presents a solution to their needs
  • Answers common questions related to the law
  • Tells how your law firm has produced results for other clients
  • Explains what separates you from the competition

It’s important that your law firm avoid any language that could land it in hot water. For example, some states have specific rules about legal marketing, such as not allowing comparative statements like “We’re the best!”. You can check with your state’s bar association for specifics.

  1. Choose Your Marketing Channels

Another vital step is determining which marketing channels you will use to conduct your campaigns. Once you’ve defined your target audience, you will get a better idea of where they spend their time. For example, you’re more likely to find business clients on LinkedIn than on Facebook. But Facebook or Instagram would be excellent options for personal injury or family law practices. And targeting high rankings on Google will be beneficial no matter what area of law you practice.

The right mix of channels will depend on a variety of factors, including:

  • The demographics of your target audience
  • Your law firm’s specialties
  • The geographic area you serve
  • Your budget
  • Your specific marketing goals
  1. Measure Your Performance

One of the most critical aspects of creating a winning and sustainable legal marketing campaign is performance measurement. Every law firm’s goals are different, but they must be measurable. You can establish a variety of KPIs corresponding to your goals to measure performance and gauge when you might need to make adjustments. Some common KPIs include: Cost Per Lead (CPL), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Lead Conversion Rate.

Creating a Winning Marketing Campaign for Your Law Firm

Law firms need every possible competitive advantage. One of the best ways to set your business apart from the competition is to create a strong online presence that showcases your brand and engages potential clients.

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we specialize in helping law firms become the business of choice in their markets. Our digital marketing specialists spend the time getting to know your firm and its goals before customizing a strategy designed to meet your particular needs. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and website evaluation.

Consider These 5 Things When Choosing Your Next Law Firm Marketing Agency

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Few things are more important to the success of your law firm than generating new business. Whether you are a large, multi-office firm, a sole practitioner, or something in between, you need new clients coming in consistently to remain profitable. And for your law firm to remain competitive, it needs a powerful and effective marketing strategy.

If you’re like most attorneys, you don’t have time to wear multiple hats. Your strengths lie in representing clients, not building websites, figuring out SEO strategies, or social media marketing. You probably need some help to achieve the best results. But who can you trust to provide it?

If you’re like most law firms, you probably get emails, calls, and mailers ad nauseum from companies trying to sell you law firm SEO services. They might make outrageous promises, like guaranteeing the “number one spot on Google for your desired keyword for just $300/month.” It’s important to understand that those ads are scams, and you will not get the results you need from that type of business.

Digital marketing for law firms is highly competitive, so you need a partner that is honest, knows what they’re doing, and can produce results. But there are so many options! How do you know if you are making the right choice? Here is what you need to know about legal marketing and several things to consider when choosing your next law firm marketing agency.

What is Law Firm Marketing?

Law firm marketing is a strategy for attracting new potential clients to your legal practice. A law firm marketing plan will be customized to suit your particular needs and goals. But it might include a mix of website design, SEO, digital ads, social media marketing, content creation, and more.

No matter how you approach it, marketing your law firm can easily consume a significant amount of your time and energy. Most lawyers struggle with creating a robust digital marketing strategy that reaches their target audience and persuades them to become clients. The right legal marketing agency can help achieve positive results while the legal professionals in your firm focus on what they do best — serve clients’ needs.

Benefits of Marketing Your Law Firm

First, not marketing your law firm can be a major mistake. Unless you practice an area of law that is so specialized you have no competitors, you need to find a way to set your law firm apart. Here are just a few of the most important benefits of legal marketing.

Grow Your Client Base

The most direct benefit of law firm marketing is the ability to grow your client base and boost your firm’s overall revenue. The right digital marketing strategy will produce qualified leads that are already searching for your law firm’s services. You can easily convert these leads into new clients by nurturing them. This new customer base represents a golden opportunity to attract new business through repeat business and referrals.

Boost Your Law Firm’s Reputation

Another great benefit of marketing your law firm is that it gives you the resources necessary to improve your firm’s reputation. How the public perceives your brand is vital for building the trust you need to attract new prospects and convert them into clients. Through ongoing marketing, you can create name recognition and establish your law firm as a reputable authority in its field.

Learn More About Your Target Audience

When you’re marketing your legal services, you need to know as much about your target audience as possible. You might think you understand their wants and needs, but you’ll learn so much more about them through your legal marketing efforts. Using social media, email marketing, and other strategies, you’ll gain more insights into what your audience wants, allowing you to better meet their needs and focus your marketing efforts.

Inform Your Overall Growth Strategy

Finally, you’ll be amazed at the way legal marketing can save your law firm time and money when it comes to lead generation. An effective digital marketing strategy helps you attract more clients, produce more revenue, and set your law firm up for success as it continues to grow.

Consider These 5 Things When Choosing Your Next Law Firm Marketing Agency

When you’re looking for a law firm marketing agency, it’s vital to remember that not all agencies are created equal. A lot of factors must be given consideration when making your decision. Here are five things to think about when choosing your next law firm marketing agency.

  1. Experience and Expertise

When you choose a legal marketing agency, it’s important that you consider the agency’s level of experience and expertise. The digital marketing landscape is changing constantly, so you need to choose a partner that is up-to-date on the latest trends.

A reputable marketing agency will have extensive experience working with law firms of every shape and size. They will also have a deep understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges that come with marketing in your industry. For example, the American Bar Association has created rules of professional conduct for lawyers and law firms that market their services in the digital marketing age.

  1. Legal Marketing Services Offered

What services does the marketing agency you are considering offer? Not all agencies offer a full complement of services. You’ll want to find an agency that offers a wide variety of legal marketing services, such as web design, SEO, social media management, content creation, digital advertising, video production, branding, and more.

What’s just as important is that the agency you choose creates a customized plan to meet your specific needs. If an agency tries to sell you a cookie-cutter package, it may not be the best option. When you meet with the agency for an initial consultation, the marketing professionals will learn more about your law firm, its clients, and the goals you want to achieve.

  1. Reputation and Client Feedback

You don’t want to be a guinea pig for someone launching a new marketing business. Search for a legal marketing agency that can produce a body of work and some positive client feedback. Most consumers (over 50%) do online research before they buy a new TV or switch doctors. There’s no reason you shouldn’t do some detective work when hiring a legal marketing firm.

Look for an agency that has handled marketing for law firms similar to your own. Review their websites and ask the agency for testimonials if they don’t have any posted online. Any reputable agency will be happy to provide you with this information.

  1. Communication and Transparency

Communication and transparency are essential when working with a legal marketing agency. Without open and clear communication, it can be challenging to understand what the agency is doing, why they’re doing it, and how it affects your business.

Even more, transparency ensures that both parties have accountability for their respective parts. When your agency is transparent about its tactics and strategies, this builds mutual respect and trust. Because of this, both parties are more likely to be satisfied with the relationship.

In short, you want to work with a marketing agency that keeps you informed at every stage of the process, from the initial strategy session through implementation and regular reporting. And your agency’s communication style should match what works best for you. In other words, if you prefer email versus phone calls or vice versa, your marketing team will be able to accommodate your needs.

  1. Pricing and Your Budget

Marketing agencies provide a critical service to law firms of all sizes. But pricing can be a major determining factor when it comes to choosing a digital marketing agency. While your law firm might be drawn to the lowest-priced option, it’s important to consider the value that a high-quality legal marketing agency can provide.

In many cases, an agency’s pricing is directly related to the expertise and experience of its team. More experienced agencies that produce the best results typically charge higher rates. But they also offer an elevated level of service.

When choosing a digital marketing agency, you certainly want to consider your budget. But don’t forget about the value you are receiving. You don’t have to handle this part of your business on your own. And the increase in conversions you get will easily produce a fast return on your investment.

Partner With a Results-Driven Legal Marketing Agency

Choosing the right law firm marketing agency can be challenging. But your choice can make the difference between getting the results you need and continuing to struggle against fierce competition. At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we specialize in helping our legal clients increase revenue and achieve growth.

From big to small firms, we have helped legal clients dominate their market to achieve game-changing results. Our approach is completely customized, meaning we only recommend the services you need, and that will produce results. Give us a call at (800) 649-1764 or reach out to us online to schedule a free initial consultation.

There Are So Many Choices When Marketing Your Law Firm – How Do You Choose the Right Agency?

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Did you know that there are nearly half a million law firms in the United States? The industry has been growing at a steady clip for the past decade and shows no signs of slowing down. If you’re a lawyer or thinking of starting a law firm, it’s a thriving market. But, it’s also competitive, meaning you need a robust marketing strategy to achieve success.

Few law firms are completely satisfied with their volume of leads and paying clients. Of course, more is better when it comes to business results. You already have enough on your plate delivering a superior client experience. So the solution is to find a partner that can help you get the results you want.

But which legal marketing agency is the right one to help you achieve success? And do you really need help anyway? Here are the answers to some of those questions so that you can advance your digital marketing efforts.

Why You Need a Law Firm Marketing Agency

There are plenty of click-and-publish website solutions online. And social media seems pretty simple, right? Why can’t you just take care of your own legal marketing and save some cash? This is a valid question and a fairly common one.

Most small businesses at least attempt the DIY approach to digital marketing. It generally doesn’t work. Online marketing is highly complex, and those insta-websites aren’t optimized for the search engines.

A lawyer who spent years studying to become a legal authority would probably advise against someone wanting to represent themselves in court. Likewise, a digital marketing professional has spent years studying and applying online marketing strategies to achieve positive results.

How to Choose the Right Law Firm Marketing Agency

Once you’ve made the decision to hire a digital marketing agency, how do you choose the right one? Here are a few tips to get you moving in the right direction:

  1. Establish Your Law Firm Marketing Goals

Before you hire anyone to help with your law firm’s marketing, take some time to evaluate your goals and objectives. Here are some questions you can answer to get started:

  • How many new leads would you like to target in the next quarter or year?
  • How many new clients do you want to covert over that same period?
  • Do you have the capacity to convert those leads? If not, what do you need to do?
  • How do you want your law firm’s brand to be perceived?
  • What are your law firm’s revenue goals?
  • What current digital assets do you have that can support your objectives?
  • What additional content would you like to develop?

It’s important that you outline these goals thoroughly before you move forward. One of the critical pieces you’ll want to address is your capacity to handle new business once you get started.

  1. Investigate the Agency’s Track Record With Law Firms

When you develop a shortlist of marketing agency candidates, find out how much experience they have with legal marketing. Ideally, you want to avoid being an agency’s guinea pig for entry into this sector.

Target agencies that have a thorough understanding of law firm marketing. Make sure they are familiar with keyword targeting for lawyers, using the right legal directories, law firm website best practices, using paid ads, and getting high-quality backlinks for a law firm.

  1. Find Out Whether They Have the Ability to Achieve Your Goals

Just as you need to be able to handle any new business that comes in, make sure the law firm marketing agency you hire has the capacity to handle the work you’re giving them. Find out what sort of personalized service they provide. Ask them how many current clients they have and how they manage their deliverables. When the agency promises you something, such as a proposal, are they on time with the delivery? If not, this is a red flag.

  1. Ask About Their Work Processes and Reporting Procedures

Assuming you’ve found an agency that specializes in legal marketing that has the capacity to handle your work, dig a bit deeper to learn more about how they operate. Specifically, ask how they will communicate with you so you can decide if you are compatible. Some of the questions you may wish to ask include:

  • Will you have a dedicated account manager?
  • What level of contact can you expect from the agency?
  • How will the agency track and report performance and results?
  • What specific steps are they planning to take to achieve your goals?
  1. Carefully Review Fee Structures and Contract Conditions

You’ve made a good choice if you’ve decided to hire a digital marketing agency. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you want to get locked into a long-term commitment with hidden or exorbitant fees. As an attorney, you know how to read contracts. So make sure you read this one and ask some pertinent questions:

  • What is the contract length?
  • What’s the process for breaking the contract if things aren’t working?
  • Are any KPIs built into the agreement?
  • How are fees charged? Are they fixed or based on an hourly or “for-service” rate?

Getting the answers to these questions up front can help you avoid any surprises and disappointments down the road.

  1. Start Small and Scale Up Digital Marketing Services

No one says you have to commit to a major digital marketing agreement immediately. Unless you’re sure that you need a new website or some other services, consider dipping your toes in the water first. For example, you can start with a small campaign or some website content and scale up from there once you have a clearer idea of how well you work with the agency.

Call Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing  Today to Speak to a Law Firm Marketing Specialist

Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency that helps law firms throughout the United States get more leads and unlock more revenue. We offer a full suite of online marketing services, including law firm website design, social media marketing for lawyers, legal SEO, and paid ads for law firms.

We customize our solutions for each client, so you only get the services designed to produce the best possible results. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and site evaluation. Our number is (800) 649-1764.

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.

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.

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.