Author: Wayne Blinkhorn | Date: 17 February 2023
Marketing Examples & Campaign Ideas for Law Firms
Looking to have an impact? Make your law firm stand out from the crowd with these inspirational marketing ideas. From the established to the innovative, print to digital, networking to pro bono: your marketing strategy should be as unique as your firm.
Below, we highlight top tips, tactics and real-life examples to make your marketing campaign work for you.
Make your brand stand out
Wherever you’re based, you’ll be working in a crowded marketplace, and it’s important to make sure your law firm stands out against competitors. Design, clear communication, presence at key events and an original tone of voice will give you the edge.
Research your sector and location, and make sure your law firm is visible in the right places: one size won’t fit every town or industry. Make your law firm memorable as well as visible. Social media, SEO, local networking and print are all tools to build a brand that potential clients will remember.
Get to know your customers
To attract clients, you need to know who they are and what they want. Avoid limiting opportunities by being too rigid. You may have many different types of customers with many different concerns.
Understanding your potential clients’ backgrounds, needs and habits gives rise to more targeted marketing campaigns. Knowing what your customers are searching for, where and when means you can make sure your law firm is the answer to those queries.
Ensure your website is search engine friendly
SEO-friendly content helps your site rank more highly in search engine results. This is key to your law firm marketing strategy, as it means it will reach as many people as possible in a targeted way.
Websites are important to showcase your firm and its services, but they only work if people see them. Optimised content directs future clients from their initial concern to the solution: your law firm. Remember that your content must be high-quality and authoritative.
A fast loading and responsive website is as important as quality content. Ensure your site is compatible with all devices to prevent excluding potential clients. Our law firm web design service is crafted specifically for firms seeking a fresh online presence.
Invest in paid search
Paid search, or pay-per-click, drives customers to your site. This strategy involves paying to have targeted ads feature in search results, attracting more potential clients. Getting the most out of paid search involves keyword research and a thorough understanding of your market. When targeting relevant terms, it can be a cost-effective method to attract valuable traffic.
Use social media and content marketing to stay fresh
Using social media regularly and creating your own content keeps your law firm engaging and relevant. The more engagement your content gets on social media, the more visible it becomes.
Remember to balance quality and quantity: a regular presence is important, but spam will turn followers off. Consider your customers’ needs and how your law firm is uniquely placed to meet them. Every post should provide value.
Use PR to your advantage
Promoting your work can take a community. Build and maintain good relationships with local publications, journalists and relevant local businesses. This may include attending physical events.
Don’t forget the digital benefits of PR, either. For example, building links back to your site on publications can improve your search presence.
Get listed on local business directories
Business directories can play a useful role in driving local opportunities. If you have a physical location, list it on services like Google Maps, Bing Places and Yell. Usage will vary depending on your sector and location.
Don’t forget industry-specific directories too, like Chambers or the Legal 500. These both help to build credibility for your brand.
Attend local events and engage with the community
Making sure your law firm has a presence at local business events and other networking opportunities is a great way to engage with the community. This helps clients recognise faces and get a sense of your services, brand and ethos in a more natural way.
Regular networking means you can keep your ear to the ground and build a reputation as the go-to firm in your area and industry.
Existing clients and word-of-mouth
Satisfied clients can be a great source of new opportunities. This could be more formal, through B2B or B2C referral schemes or initiatives. It could also be organic word-of-mouth recommendations that make happy customers recommend you to others.
Encourage public reviews from large platforms such as Google to relevant specialist sites. If you know your client is talking to organisations like Chambers, ask them to mention your name.
Pro-bono or charity work
Provide pro-bono services or take part in charity work for causes you care about. Using your firm’s legal skills to help those in need is not only worthwhile in itself but also showcases another side of your brand identity.
Engaging with different areas of the community may generate new connections and opportunities. Certain charity events or activities can also provide dynamic new content – skydive, anyone?
Sponsor local initiatives and legal education
Get involved with local law schools, legal education programmes and networking events to scout future talent and keep up to date with trends. This also provides opportunities to publicise your law firm.
Don’t limit yourself – engagement with sports clubs or other community groups can also boost visibility. None of these in your area? Start one!
Should I flyer, or work with print?
Flyers have a heavy environmental impact and are often used ineffectively leading many to claim that ‘Print is dead’. But depending on location and sector, print can still play a role. Use targeted strategies like limited flyers for specific events or key locations instead of unsolicited mailing.
Adverts in print media like local papers or trade publications may be more effective. If you’re using flyers, check results through digital tracking – for example, directing viewers to a specific URL.
Examples of innovative legal marketing
Many firms, campaigns and individuals have embraced innovative marketing that can work for law firms. We’ve picked our favourite examples:
Personal Injury Solicitors
We helped one of our personal injury clients create a content cluster identifying the most common accident claims, both in the workplace and in public. We produced landing pages detailing the individual claims processes for each of these injuries.
We also identified nuances, such as making claims against the NHS or retrospective claims for asbestos-related injuries. This content plan involved researching common client questions and answering those queries with links to the relevant bodies, such as NHS Resolution.
Feargal Sharkey
Former frontman of The Undertones, Sharkey is now dedicated to campaigning against private water companies to improve water supply and quality.
He has harnessed his Twitter profile to share content, engage with supporters and address companies directly. Sharkey is a great example of using a simple social media platform to establish a presence as a thought leader and give his campaign the cut-through it needs, generating much wider coverage.
The Good Law Project
This non-profit organisation was founded in 2017 and campaigns on various issues, including COVID test contracts and LGBTQ rights. The group successfully challenged the 2019 prorogation of Parliament via a crowdfunded campaign. These projects mixed social media, original content and research with legal expertise to create momentum and drive change.
Criminal Injury Solicitors
We helped a client who specialises in CICA claims for abuse victims. We noted a wide range of search terms around forms of abuse, many of which were potential clients looking for support. Using this data, we helped provide a long term blog strategy that eventually scaled into a resource hub for survivors of Domestic Violence, Assault and more.
At the time of writing, this clear direction in SEO strategy has snowballed into 125,000+ visitors landing on articles since June 2021. Monthly website users landing on informational content are now in the 20,000+ figures.
This content has also resulted in entirely organic backlinks from other websites citing the firm as a source and is often referenced on social media.