Powering Your Legal Practice

Bardorf Legal Marketing

3 Critical Components For An Effective Online Marketing Strategy The digital landscape provides law firms and attorneys an opportunity to scale their practices through powerful online marketing strategies. Three critical components stand out: optimizing Google Business Profiles, harnessing client reviews, and consistently publishing relevant content. Each aspect plays a distinct role in enhancing visibility and reputation, but their collective synergy fosters a robust online presence that can attract and retain more clients. The Power of a Google Business Profile: Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is your online business card, but it’s also much more than that. It’s a potent marketing tool that enhances your firm’s visibility on the world’s largest search engine. When prospective clients search for legal services, a well-optimized GBP can appear in

Maximizing Your Marketing Strategy: The Power of Social Media for Attorneys

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate and connect with each other, and attorneys are not an exception to this trend. With over 3.8 billion social media users worldwide, social media platforms offer a valuable opportunity for attorneys to reach out to potential clients and engage with their existing ones. Should attorneys use social media in their marketing strategy? Absolutely! Social media can be an effective and engaging marketing tool for attorneys to attract new business. It provides a platform for attorneys to showcase their expertise, build a network of contacts, and develop a strong brand image. How should attorneys use social media in their marketing? To use social media effectively, attorneys should first identify their target audience and choose the platforms that best

Practice Area Pages vs. Blog Posts: Do You Need Both?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Your marketing strategy should aim to engage potential clients and direct leads to your website. The best method for accomplishing this is content. The more relevant and quality content you have, the more opportunities your legal website has to attract new business. Maximize your marketing efforts with multiple types of content, such as blog posts and practice area pages. Blog Posts vs. Practice Area Pages Every type of content has a unique purpose and use. When comparing the content of blogs vs. practice area pages, you’ll quickly discover both have distinct roles to play in your marketing strategy. Blog Posts Blog content is a great way to set your firm apart from the competition while connecting with potential clients. This type of content is ideal

How Attorneys Use LinkedIn As A Reliable Source For New Client Referrals

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Successful marketing strategies take advantage of various social media platforms to connect with different audiences. Today we review how attorneys use LinkedIn to obtain quality clients as a reliable referral source. Understanding LinkedIn Each social media platform attracts users of varied demographics. However, LinkedIn is typically considered a platform for professionals. As such, you can optimize your page to match the tone of your professional colleagues. The goal for attorneys using LinkedIn to market themselves is to connect and remain connected with relevant professionals who can refer high quality clients to you for legal services. Depending on what type of clients you’re looking for, you may want to connect on LinkedIn with real estate professionals, accounting and tax professionals, insurance professionals, small business owners, etc.,

Master Your Google Maps Listing To Get More Leads For Your Firm

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Google is synonymous with change, so it should be no surprise that the Google My Business platform is undergoing another transformation. Not to worry, this popular local business management tool has been through many names over the years. What does this mean for your firm? Single business listings are now being encouraged to manage their presence directly on Google Maps. Google My Business will be rebranded as Google Business Profile to support larger businesses with multiple locations. Like before, your Google Maps listing is an essential marketing tool for generating client leads. However, it’s not enough to list your firm. In order to be discovered by new clients and outshine your competition, your listing needs to rank high in the search results. There are several

Video Marketing For Attorneys and Law Firms

Bardorf Legal Marketing

If you are a sole practitioner or small law firm looking to generate more leads and convert more paying clients, you need to seriously consider adding video to your marketing strategy. Video marketing has become an effective and influential marketing tactic and is a key component to any successful digital marketing program. There are a number of different types of videos that can be useful for marketing your law firm. It’s essential to utilize various techniques to demonstrate not only your firm’s capabilities and your area of expertise but also to convey who you can help and how you can help them. Branded Videos The first step in your video marketing strategy is to create a branded video for your website. When creating your branded

Promote Your Law Firm With Instagram

Bardorf Legal Marketing

You may be wondering if Instagram is the right platform for lawyers, and the answer is a resounding yes! According to SproutSocial insights, 71% of Instagram users are under the age of 35, and 37% of the users earn more than $70,000 a year. Additionally, an estimated 71% of U.S. businesses are on Instagram. So while Instagram may seem like an unlikely tool for your law firm, it’s a great way to reach new clients and show them who you are. In today’s social-media-driven world, many prospective clients want to interact with companies before calling on their services. Clients want first-hand knowledge of what you’re like, how you work, and what services you have to offer. A Few Things You Should Know First, the time

How To Optimize Your Law Firm Marketing For Mobile Users

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Did you know that just over half of all web traffic comes from mobile phones? If your site isn’t optimized for mobile users, 50% of your potential clients won’t even consider your services. Let’s fix that! What is mobile optimization? Mobile optimization is the process of altering your website content for easy viewing on mobile devices. For example, making sure your content adjusts to fit on smaller screens. Changes you make for mobile viewing won’t be reflected on the desktop version of your site. The goal of mobile optimization is to create a consistent user experience. The following steps will help you do just that! Step 1: Testing Your Site Before taking any action, you need to know how your site currently functions on mobile

Lawyers and Law Firms on Instagram? You bet!

Bardorf Legal Marketing

The way you market yourself and your firm has changed drastically over the years. The days of all professionalism all the time are over. Clients today want to see a more personal side of attorneys. This can be easily accomplished by building a network of followers on Instagram. At the end of the day, you want to be where your potential clients are. Instagram is an often-overlooked platform, yet, over half of the top 20 law firms in the US use Instagram to promote their firm and connect with clients. Coming in behind YouTube and Facebook, Instagram is the third most popular social network among adults. Over 200 million Instagram users view at least one business profile daily, making this social media platform ideal for

Is Social Media For Lawyers and Law Firms?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

As a marketing tool for law firms, social media hasn’t exactly been the go-to strategy among sole practitioners and small law firms. But times are changing. For most attorneys, if you are not taking advantage of social media to promote your services, attract prospective clients, and build valuable connections, you’re missing a huge opportunity. While not all trends will be relevant to promote your firm, there are some you should consider taking advantage of this year. Niche Social Media Platforms Up first is niche social media platforms. Utilizing niche groups will take the guesswork out of getting your firm in front of your potential customers as well as key influencers. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google My Business present an opportunity

Four Steps To Using Integrated Digital Marketing To Enhance Your Solo Practice

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Many small practices find themselves in a precarious position when it comes to growing their business. After all, as a solo attorney, you don’t have access to unlimited resources. Large firms have deep pockets and extensive staff to fall back on. With the right tools, you can respond to your business challenges and enhance your practice all on your own! If you’re looking for a straightforward, cost-effective strategy that will connect you with clients, you need integrated digital marketing. Simply put, integrated digital marketing is the integration of multiple marketing strategies. The goal is to develop a cohesive online strategy to boost marketing and communication efforts for your firm. Successful integrated digital marketing requires the use of consistent messaging across all digital platforms. Countless hours

How Attorneys Should Use Google My Business

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Google My Business is a must-have in today’s virtual world. Even for attorneys who traditionally rely on referrals for business need to be visible and discoverable by clients and prospects online. If you don’t have a Google My Business profile, create one at www.google.com/business. Simply answer the prompt questions to get started. Once your profile is activated, you will see how clients engage with your listing by tracking profile views, number of phone calls, and request for directions to your office. As a free marketing tool, Google My Business allows you to manage your online presence easily. Not only can you provide current clients and prospective clients with essential business information such as your business hours, website, and location, as well as to share your

The Top 3 Digital Marketing Strategies Your Law Firm Needs To Master

Bardorf Legal Marketing

We live in a technology-driven world. This means over 90% of your potential clients will begin their search for an attorney online. If you’re not utilizing digital marketing, your law firm is being left behind. Digital marketing, not your forte? Don’t panic—this article will take you through the top three strategies your law firm needs to succeed in the digital world. An effective digital marketing strategy focuses on numerous factors, including quality-driven content, engaging social media campaigns, and an attractive website. Before we dive into each strategy, let’s review what is meant by digital marketing. What is Digital Marketing for Law Firms? Digital marketing is also known as online marketing and internet advertising. The shift in technology, enabling consumers to have the internet at their

The Attorney’s Covid-19 Communication Plan

Bardorf Legal Marketing

People respond differently to the news about the Coronavirus. Some folks shut down and isolate while others carry on and continue life without interruption. Most folks exist somewhere in between, taking precautionary and reasonable measures to keep themselves and their family safe. With that said, it’s important to acknowledge that your profession as an attorney carries a bit more responsibility at a time like this. Life will go on during this virus and so will the turning points in life when people need lawyers. In fact, with more potential downtime from work and school, people may be more inclined than ever to address longstanding legal concerns during this crisis. Market uncertainties, family dynamics, and even a reminder of one’s own mortality may make your clients

4 Tips to Create Compelling Content for Attorney Websites

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Creating compelling content is important. Well crafted content has the ability to generate interest and bring in potential clients, as well as establish and maintain trust with your existing client base. But’s it’s not as simple as writing an article and posting it to your website. When you create online content, there are two audiences that you need to keep in mind. The first audience and the one you are likely most familiar with is your website visitor. This is anyone who views your content, including current clients and potential clients, other lawyers, potential employees, and casual visitors. The second audience is the search engine (ie Google, Yahoo, etc.). These search engines use algorithms to rank the relevancy and validity of web pages. Both audiences

I have a website I’m happy with. What else can I be doing to market myself?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Successful Internet marketing means creating and leveraging a strong online presence. Your online presence is a combination of all of the ways you are represented on the Internet: your website, online profiles, videos, blog posts, podcasts, social media pages, directory listings, and more. Used separately, each one helps you be found by more prospects and clients. Used together, they will help you get as much visibility online as possible to grow your business. Read my article “Online Lead Generation: Seven Tactics To Grow Your Law Practice” to get more tips about using the Internet for marketing.

Question: Snapchat, Vine, Pinterest, oh my! Do I need to stay up to date with all the new online tools?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

It depends. When in doubt, the most important thing to ask yourself is, “What are my clients using?” More and more of us are signing up for Facebook accounts every year, including users over 65. On the other hand, the only people I know using Snapchat (the photo sharing app) have an average age of 14. Vine (the 6-second video app) is being leveraged by businesses of all types and some consumers. Pinterest (the image sharing website) is huge among women age 35-44. If any of those are your target audience, you might want to at least read the Wikipedia entry to find out more, in case it comes up in conversation. You don’t need to use every tool, but being up to date is

Question: Should I add video to my law firm website?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Yes! Video has many benefits for attorneys. Website visitors in general are getting more visual and enjoy viewing video online. It’s a great way for prospects and clients to get to know you quickly and easily. You can share your expertise on a particular topic without having to write a long article. And according to a new study, having video on your website can improve your search engine rankings. In fact, according to Forrester Research, an indexed video has a 50 times greater chance of ranking on the first page of Google results than a text page. Videos can be hosted on YouTube and link to your website, and other online profiles like LinkedIn, AttorneyConnect, Avvo, and Justia. Adding video to your marketing mix is a smart

Question – Is YouTube something attorneys should use?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

YouTube is an excellent place for attorneys to promote themselves with short online videos. Videos hosted on YouTube may be embedded or link to your website, and other online profiles like LinkedIn, AttorneyConnect, Avvo, and Justia. A short intro video of yourself can help break the ice for potential clients who may be hesitant to call your office to discuss a legal matter. Videos give folks a glimpse of who you are and can be an effective way to present yourself when you can’t.

Question – What’s up with Google Places?

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Google Places, the online directory of businesses around the world, has been entirely replaced by a new feature, Google+ Local. As of April 30, 2012 roughly 80 million Google Place pages worldwide have been automatically converted into 80 million Google+ Local pages. It’s a dramatic change though it will undoubtedly disorient some users and business owners. Google+ now contains a “Local” tab and static Google Places pages now give way to more dynamic Google+ Local pages. The Zagat 30-point rating scale is also replacing Google’s star ratings. Users will be able to discover the new Google+ Local pages in several ways: through a search on Google.com or Google Maps, in mobile apps or through a search on Google+. Google+ Local pages are much more visually

Get Started Today

Legal Marketing Blog

Category: Blogs and Social Media

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Supreme Internet Marketing for Attorneys

Get In Touch