Law firms need clients. It’s as simple as that. Without clients, you won’t be in business for very long. Of course, you also need lawyers, paralegals, support staff, a nice set of offices, and many other things, but the clients are what matter the most. In order to get your law firm’s name out there, you’ll have to advertise. A solid marketing plan is needed as well. Here’s how to put one in place.
Starting At the Beginning
The first step in every marketing plan involves the logo. You need a logo that works well both on printed materials like letterhead and business cards, well as online. You might even want to use the logo on items like polo-style shirts, so make sure that it translates well to additional materials. Since your business already has a name and a location, you’ll want a logo that reflects them. Although you might be tempted to create a colorful law logo – something that stands out – you should stick with the tried and true “serious” ones instead. Law firms need a logo that shows that they mean business. This involves using dark colors, such as gray, brown, blue, and green, although you can also get away with a deep red. You should aim for a font like Times New Roman or Ariel, instead of one that’s somewhat goofy. Also, if you have any landmarks near your building or are located in a historic structure, feel free to use them as inspiration for your logo design. You might be able to incorporate sections of in a logical way. This will make your logo stand out.
Web Presence To Market Your Law Firm
Once you have the logo set up, you next need to set up your web presence. It needs to be memorable, yet informative. It helps if you have a catchy phrase that goes along with your logo. This is tricky, however, because you don’t want to veer too much into “joke” territory. It’s very easy to come up with a phrase that is too funny. If you use it, then none of your clients will take you seriously. So, you do need to walk that fine line between catchy and serious. The phrase and logo combined will set the tone for your entire website. You can use the colors from your logo as the background or accent colors for the site. The logo and the phrase should be prominently located near the top of your website – and need to be on every page. As far as the pages themselves are concerned, you need several important ones.
A contact us page is crucial, as anyone who finds your page and wants to hire needs to be able to get ahold of you. Also, you should explain the type of law that you specialize in, include some testimonials from satisfied clients, and include some information about the lawyers that work for your firm.
Traditional Marketing Efforts For Your Law Firm
Once you have the basics down, then it’s time to get involved in some traditional marketing efforts. These include placing ads in visible places that will draw in clients. Start off by setting up a target group. These are the people that you want to reach. Who are they? Are they between the ages of 25 and 40? Or 35 and 50? What do they do for a living? What shows do they watch? Do they read the newspaper? The more information that you can gather, the better off you’ll be. Why? Because this will help you determine the best types of advertising to use. For example, television commercials are a good way of spreading the word about your law firm. However, you need to know which shows to target.
You can’t place law firm ads based on airtime prices alone. If you go for the cheapest options, then you’ll most likely have commercials showing at 3 am when few people are watching them. That is unless you find that your target market is watching TV at that time. You can also use print ads in newspapers, place them on the sides of public transportation vehicles, and buy some billboard space. These are all traditional marketing methods that will have an impact.
Finally, you can go another route and set up a referral program. This works in a very simple way – an existing client recommends you to their family and friends. If any of those people hire you and pay for your services, then that existing client gets a reward. This could be in the form of gift cards or credits on their services.
Advertising Online
Also, you can advertise online. This is a fairly easy process and is less complicated than placing traditional ads. The internet, including social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, are relatively inexpensive and open your firm up to new audiences. You can also utilize Google’s Adwords in order to target people in your area. Enhancing your web presence is another good idea.
You can create a blog that discusses legal topics and then use it to bring in readers. Those readers will become clients. A blog that utilizes the right keywords will quickly help your website shoot to the top of your local Google results page. Since most people don’t like to keep scrolling through the pages to find a law firm, they’ll see yours at the top and assume that you’re experts in your field – because you are. This will definitely help your business succeed.
Conclusion
In order to be successful, your law firm must utilize a number of marketing tools. These include having a well-designed logo and website, placing traditional advertisements, and taking advantage of new media in the form of online ads and a blog. You can also set up a referral program in order to bring in new clients based on the experiences of existing clients. All of these, when combined and put into motion correctly, will help your company be the top in its area – both in terms of success in the courtroom and in the form of paying clientele.