If your law firm isn’t focusing on inclusivity and diversity in its marketing, you may be missing out on opportunities to grow your business and provide legal help to those who need it.

Being inclusive with your law firm marketing might be difficult when you have no idea where to start. But you will need to figure out how to show people from all different types of backgrounds that you’re the law firm for them with your advertising and marketing efforts.

Audit Your Law Firm’s Current Marketing Strategies

In order to be more inclusive, you first need to get really honest with yourself about where your law firm is currently at in terms of diversity and inclusion, and which systems you might have in place that have prevented your firm from becoming more inclusive in your marketing approach.

Start off by auditing the content your law firm has already released. You should be looking for any unintentional messages about who your law firm is, what matters to you, and who you will or will not work with. For example, does the content on your website use terminology such as “his or her”, or “he or she”? To be more inclusive, your content should always address your target client as “they” to be most inclusive.

Comb through your social media profiles, your attorney bio, and every piece of media you’ve created and analyze them.  Are there ways that you could have been more inclusive to ensure that people from more diverse backgrounds recognize that you’re the law firm that can help them?

What Photos Does Your Law Firm Use?

One of the first things you should go through when you’re reviewing your law firm’s marketing materials are the photos you have used. Any images on physical materials, and more importantly, online, should be carefully considered. Do all of your photos and images have people of the same nationality, gender, or race? What about individuals who have disabilities? There are a few different ways you can go about being more inclusive when it comes to your photos.

First, you should start hiring with inclusivity and diversity in mind. This means hiring people from varying backgrounds to work with you and your law firm. It is the most natural and authentic way to be more inclusive with your marketing, because your law firm is living it.

Another way to be more inclusive in your marketing photos is by engaging with and participating in your community. Volunteer with organizations that care about inclusivity and diversity. Host fundraising events where possible. These are just a couple of options, but ultimately you want to immerse your law firm in the community that you want to be representing.

Have You Thought About Accessibility?

Another way to be more inclusive in your marketing is to take accessibility into consideration. Is your current website accessible for those with visual, neurological, cognitive, or auditory impairments?

Are there ways that you could make it easier for clients to find you and interact with the current materials your firm has already created? Some easy upgrades to make your website more accessible could include adding keyboard navigation capabilities, adding ALT Text to your images, and descriptive URLs.

Consider Language Barriers

When you live in a particularly diverse area, and when you want to take steps to be more inclusive, you should take into consideration the fact that not all of your prospective clients are going to speak English as their first language. Some clients may not speak English at all. By having lawyers in your team who can speak multiple languages, you may be able to uniquely bridge a language barrier gap that your competitors may not be taking into consideration.

Make sure you let your future clients know that a language barrier won’t be a problem with your law firm, because you have people on staff who speak their native language. This is not only a great marketing benefit, but provides your client with an overall better experience with your law firm.

Establish a Solid and Ongoing Review Process

Most attorneys know that getting a bad review online can have a significant impact on your law firm. One of the best ways you can be more inclusive and diverse in your marketing is by establishing an ongoing review-getting process.

If successful, you could be seen as a law firm with a solid reputation. If your reviewers leave open and honest feedback on their experience with your firm, those searching for an attorney could resonate with your client’s experience and view you as the best option for their legal representation.

You should also be sure to respond to any negative feedback or reviews you might receive. And be sure to utilize constructive criticism that may be holding your law firm back from achieving optimal inclusivity.