In 2021, businesses continue to market themselves in new ways trying to reach untapped audiences. There are new methods emerging every day, and lawyers should be keeping pace to make sure they’re focusing their marketing in the right direction.

Although many traditional forms of advertising are still effective, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to stay up to date with new methods that could put you at an advantage ahead of your competitors.

Regardless of how effective you are as a lawyer, your marketing will still play a significant role in how well your firm does. Stay hip and stay up to speed with today’s marketing tools by familiarizing yourself with these essential marketing tools for lawyers.

1. CRM

If you haven't introduced a customer relationship management software (CRM) to your firm yet, then it's time to seriously consider it. Known as a CRM, legal customer relationship management software is the cornerstone of running an efficient practice.

You can attract and retain new clients from anywhere at any time, keeping all of your important contact information in one centralized cloud database. Instead of manually carrying out the bulk of your marketing tasks, software makes it effortless for you. You can automate tedious marketing tasks by inputting contact information directly from your CRM, and set up powerful automated email workflows for law firms to engage and delight leads and clients. Your clients can even self-schedule thanks to automated appointment scheduling without you having to stop what you're doing to find a time that works best for an appointment.

All of this is found on one single convenient platform making it easy to access whatever you need at any time. Choosing a CRM for lawyers like Lawmatics means you'll have client intake software built-in, automating the entire intake process. You can create custom intake forms so clients' information goes directly into your database without having to manually type it in yourself, losing time and risking errors.

Automated follow-ups make staying top of mind easy, and take the complexity out of figuring out what action needs to be taken next with a client.

Built-in legal reporting software gives you insights into what marketing efforts are working best Giving you the maximum ROI. Easily identify who your best leads are, where they're coming from, and figure out what's working and what's not, all with one single easy-to-read dashboard.

2. An Optimized Website

Once upon a time, lawyers could get away without having a website. In 2021 this isn't acceptable. If your website doesn't show up on Google, then you're missing out on an enormous pool of potential leads. Statistics show that over half of Google's users use it specifically for finding businesses. So when someone is searching for a lawyer in your area, your law firm should show up. Your legal website is your primary tool for showcasing your credibility as a law firm, because in today's consumer market, people expect to find a website for any lawyer that they’re considering hiring.

Having a website alone isn't enough, however. It'll have to be optimized in order to show up as high as possible on Google search results. With increased visibility comes more leads, so prioritize visibility by doing whatever it takes to be seen on the first page of Google search results.

Optimizing your website involves a process of using the right strategies and tools to improve your website's performance. To perform its best, your law firms website should have the following:

Calls to Action

“Call to action” is a popular marketing buzzword. Essentially, it means inviting leads to take the next step towards becoming an actual client. As a lawyer, some ideas of calls to action to include on your website are:

• “Sign up for our newsletter”

• “Fill out a contact form”

• “Schedule a consultation”

• “Start live chat”

The purpose is to encourage people to take steps towards hiring you as a lawyer before they leave your website.

Clear Branding and Displayed Practice Areas

People should be able to tell exactly who you are as a business the minute they land on your website. The overall look and feel of the landing page should reflect what kind of lawyer you are. If you're a criminal defense lawyer, then you might choose to have bold colors and fonts. If you're a medical malpractice lawyer, perhaps you want to come across as nurturing and compassionate.

Make sure that your branding clearly states the kind of message you want to convey to your potential clients. Most importantly, you should clearly display what your area of practice is so people know whether you can help them on their case or not.

Client Testimonials

When a client is considering you to represent them in quite possibly one of the most difficult periods of their lives, people want to be reassured. Social proof is a powerful marketing tool that shows people you're the right person for the job. Your website should have several client testimonials clearly displayed that demonstrate you're a good lawyer and you can win their case. Statistics show that over 90% of clients read reviews before deciding on a lawyer, so if your website has plenty of client testimonials, you'll have a much better chance of website visitors calling your law firm to schedule a consultation.

SEO Keywords

SEO keywords are the breadcrumbs that tell Google where to go when a user types in certain search terms. it's important to familiarize yourself with what kind of keywords are associated with the search terms you'd like your website to be associated with. Make sure that these words show up throughout your website in order to get noticed by Google.

A Blog

A blog is a fantastic marketing tool on your website because it establishes yourself as in authority. When a lead types in a specific legal question and your legal blog comes up, they are that much more likely to consider hiring you as their lawyer. Offering valuable and free knowledge can be a powerful marketing tool and a great way to promote your practice.

The best part is that every time someone subscribes to your blog, they become a lead. Their information goes straight into your law firm CRM, and you can continue to send them drip email marketing to keep them engaged with valuable legal content.

High-Quality Images

When it comes to designing your website, blurry or amateur-looking photos don’t cut it. Make a point of only using high-quality images to convey that you’re a pro.

3. Social Media

Having a social media account for your law firm isn't a question of choice. In today's consumer market, clients expect to be able to connect with their favorite businesses, including their lawyers. Social media users spend about 2 hours a day on average online, so that's an enormous window for you to connect with your ideal customer.

Building a presence on social media is more than just shameless self-advertising. The secret is providing sharable and interesting content that builds a following. If you can manage to build a following for yourself on social media you'll increase your website traffic, generate more sales, and increase referrals.

Marketing your firm can be incredibly expensive. One of the greatest parts about social media is that it's totally free to set up your profile and build a following. In other words, social media can often mean better results for a lower cost, which can be especially appealing for smaller firms with smaller budgets.

Some of the best social media platforms for your law firm to be on are:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

Each of these social media platforms is valuable in its own way and can be a fantastic tool for increasing your visibility, connecting with your audience, and ultimately generating more revenue.

4. Legal Directories

A recent survey concluded that out of 200 participants with a legal problem over the last year 30% turned to a legal directory defined representation. This shows that people still find legal directories as reliable source to be found by clients.

There are many different legal directories for you to choose from, however, the most reputable ones include:

• Avvo

• Find Law

• Nolo

• Super Lawyers

• Justia

5. Video Platforms

10 years ago the idea of putting your law firm on YouTube or TikTok may have seemed absurd. However, today, video is one of the fastest-growing forms of marketing content on the planet. People love video, and legal clients are no exception. A recent survey showed that over 80% of people were convinced to buy a product after watching a business’s video.

Recently, lawyer Rod Ponton connected to a virtual court session, only to find that Zoom had placed a cat filter over his face. Instead of him appearing in front of the judge, a grey kitten with cute eyes and a pink nose spoke on his behalf. He can be heard saying “I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”

The judge found it so humorous that he shared the video on social media, advising others to ensure filters are off before attending a virtual hearing. The video went viral, and the lawyer was an overnight sensation.

This is an example of how powerful video can be for visibility. While attending virtual hearings with funny filters may not have necessarily been in Ron Ponton’s marketing strategy, it certainly worked! Something as simple as recording a free weekly legal tip with your selfie cam can be incredibly effective. Scrolling customers are more likely to stop and watch a video than they are to read an ad. At the very least, video marketing may be something that your law firm should give a try. You may be surprised to find that it's extremely effective.

6. Google Business Page

Setting up a Google business profile is completely free and is one of your greatest tools for making your business visible on search results. Google tracks your law firm's ratings, and depending on how many good reviews you have, they will boost your visibility.

People trust Google, so make sure that you encourage your clients to leave you reviews on Google as much as possible. It’s important that you respond to good and bad reviews, in order for it to be an effective form of marketing since Google pays attention to active responses.

Online reviews of all kinds are beneficial for increasing your online visibility, however, Google is unique because it's what leads the search engine to your business first. According to a recent Harvard study, if you can manage to increase your star rating on Google, you could see a boost of up to 9% in your sales. Not only does creating a business profile increase your visibility within the search engine, but it also adds your physical location to Google Maps. That way, customers can go there to find your location, ask questions, read and leave reviews, add photos, and you can even link to a page where they can schedule a free consultation directly from your Google business profile.

Impress Your Leads With a Powerful Legal Intake Experience

After putting plenty of thought and energy into your marketing, it's crucial that you can live up to what you promise with a powerful legal intake experience. Once you start attracting leads to your firm, you must deliver a top-notch client journey, by tracking leads from the minute they first contact your firm.