Bardorf Legal Marketing

Powering Your Legal Practice

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 local search results, highlighting your practice areas, location, hours, and contact information. Incorporating keywords related to your specific areas of practice in your GBP description can enhance search engine optimization (SEO), making your law firm more discoverable to potential clients. Your GBP also provides a platform to share images and posts, contributing to the narrative of your firm’s brand. Importantly, a GBP provides a platform for client reviews (which we’ll discuss next), contributing to your credibility and trustworthiness. Capitalizing on Client Reviews: Client reviews are the modern word-of-mouth – powerful influencers of potential clients’ decisions. Prospective clients often consider reviews as a benchmark of a firm’s quality and reliability before deciding to engage its services. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on your GBP and

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

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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 fit their needs. For instance, Facebook is great for reaching out to a broad audience, Twitter is ideal for short-form content and timely updates, Instagram is perfect for visual content, and LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that will generate referrals from colleagues and business professionals in your network. Once attorneys have identified their target audience and the platforms that best fit their needs, they should create a content strategy that aligns with their overall marketing goals. Attorneys can use social media to share legal updates, industry news, case studies, thought leadership pieces, and other valuable content that showcases their expertise and provides value to their audience. Attorneys should also engage with their followers by responding to comments and messages promptly, asking for feedback, and

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

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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 for developing your online voice and demonstrating your expertise in a particular field, area, or topic. You can use a less formal writing style when creating blog posts, which allows you to connect directly with your ideal client. Posting blogs regularly adds value to your site by drawing in potential leads. Some blog topics to focus on: – Practice area topics. Provide examples of common obstacles faced by clients or successful cases you’ve worked on. – Connect with clients. Answer commonly asked questions or walk readers through the process of a case. – Show your expertise. Share your view on news stories related to the law, your practice area, and geographical location. – Announce new or proposed legislation. Use your blog as a place for

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

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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., etc. Think of your profile as not only your digital business card but as a way to remain top of mind with key professionals. You want your information to be updated and accurate so potential clients or those who will refer clients can easily get in touch. A periodic review of your LinkedIn lawyer profile can help you identify outdated information and new opportunities to optimize how you describe your law firm and legal services. Pro tips for a stand out profile Include a recent headshot or logo Create a captivating professional headline Avoid using legal jargon in the summary section Add a few personal and professional points of interest Request recommendations and endorsements Incorporate a clear call to action inviting readers to contact you

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

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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 factors in addition to proximity used by Google Maps when ranking business listings. Results are based on relevance, distance, and prominence. Boost Your Relevance You can take several steps to optimize your firm’s listing for a higher ranking among local search results. The more information your listing provides, the better chances it has to rank higher in results. To start, ensure the name and address of your firm is consistent across all digital platforms. Minor variations, such as Main St vs. Main Street, can make a difference. Next, always provide a local telephone number with the area code of your location. If your firm uses call tracking, list your tracked number as your primary business phone number and your main number as your secondary number.

Video Marketing For Attorneys and Law Firms

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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 video, keep in mind that your audience already has an awareness of a legal issue they are facing and are looking for the best possible solution: you. The video should include: Your value proposition to demonstrate what sets you apart from other attorneys A few behind-the-scenes snapshots of your firm to build audience trust and engagement A snippet about why you started your firm or became an attorney Comments from other key personnel at the firm Promote your brand by placing your branded video front and center on your homepage. You may also include your branded video in social media display ads for targeted geographic reach. Testimonial and Case Study Videos Clients want to work with someone they view as trustworthy. Prospective clients will

Promote Your Law Firm With Instagram

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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 it takes to manage an Instagram account is minimal compared to other marketing strategies. Post a few times a week to keep your profile current. Second, lawyers haven’t yet dominated Instagram, which means it’s easy to stand out in your area. Tips For Getting Started For starters, you’ll need to create your Instagram profile. The look and feel of your Instagram business account should immediately grab the attention of your clients and followers. Your profile image should be a business headshot or your firm’s logo. Make sure you complete every aspect of your profile, including a short, but interesting biography, and provide a link to your website. In the public business information section, you can add or edit your law firm’s contact details. A contact

How To Optimize Your Law Firm Marketing For Mobile Users

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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 devices. There are two ways to test this. First, using all your different devices, pull up your website to see for yourself how well the design works on a smaller screen. For a deeper analysis of how your site functions on mobile devices, you can use Google’s free testing tool: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly. Simply type in your site URL and select ‘Run Test’ to generate a report. Step 2: Use a Responsive Theme Many website themes come preloaded with tools to optimize your site for mobile users. Look for themes that are ‘responsive.’ This means that regardless of what device, browser, and screen size it’s viewed on, your site’s design will be delivered properly. Step 3: Check Your Site’s Loading Times You have mere seconds to make

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 marketing your firm. Instagram can be used to build firm awareness within your local community through posts, Stories, and long-form video called IGTV. Instagram also allows you to utilize a small advertising budget to achieve a significant result by targeting potential clients who recently searched for legal services. Getting Started To get started, you need to make an account and download the Instagram app to your mobile device. You can create a new account using your Facebook account, phone number, or email address. Using your firm’s name and contact information will help clients find you as you build your Instagram following. Be sure to match your username to your other social media networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. New profiles are created as personal

Is Social Media For Lawyers and Law Firms?

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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 for you to connect more intimately with your target audience. Each of these larger platforms provide niche groups where you can target your messaging and connect with prospects as well as other professionals who can refer business to you directly. Two-Way Communication Your clients have endless options when it comes to choosing their attorney. One way to stay top-of-mind and obtain a competitive edge is through two-way communication. Social media has made two-way online communication more effortless than ever before. Technology such as AI-powered response systems as well as live chat help engage with clients fast. Messenger on Facebook and Ask A Question on Google My Business are just two ways you can quickly connect with prospects. When it comes to customer expectations, response time

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

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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 go into developing and maintaining an integrated marketing approach. As a solo attorney, you’re most likely already overextended. To make things easier, the following steps are useful strategies to enhance your marketing efforts. First, you need to determine if the look and feel of your firm’s website align with your other marketing efforts. Does your site evoke the feeling you’re going for? Design elements, such as imagery, colors, and fonts, should work together to communicate your firm’s overarching message. Bright ‘happy’ colors, for example, can signal your practice is family-friendly. On the other hand, bold colors are nonverbal cues that you are passionate about fighting for your clients’ rights. Your site also needs to be user friendly. This means content should acknowledge and address client

How Attorneys Should Use Google My Business

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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 practice areas and engage with clients. Customer engagement is essential to building client trust. When searching for an attorney online, clients are looking for validation and responsiveness. Having a Google My Business profile gives your law practice credibility. The additional customer engagement features offered by Google My Business can help you establish authenticity and demonstrate your professionalism and responsiveness. Continue reading for tips on different engagement features and how to use them. Google Reviews Before making a final decision, many prospective clients will read reviews to gain insight into your law firm and legal services. They want to know from the perspective of other clients what to expect. Always encourage your clients to leave you a review by providing them a link to your Google

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

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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 fingertips 24/7, has impacted how people interact with businesses. Like any other type of marketing, digital marketing is a way to connect with and influence your potential clients. Any online marketing is considered a digital marketing strategy. Primary examples include social media marketing, blogging, email marketing, and pay-per-click advertising. Any marketing tool you use online can be a digital marketing asset. Some you may already have at your disposal include: Your website Branded assets such as your logo Written content including blogs and client testimonials Video and imagery content Social media pages

The Attorney’s Covid-19 Communication Plan

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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 anxious and motivated to look for solutions. So, what is your message? Attorneys should take this opportunity to demonstrate to clients and perspective clients that you are ready, resourceful and committed to the mission of serving them throughout this crisis and in their most difficult moments. We recommend preparing a statement highlighting your firm’s response to this crisis and emailing it to your clients as well as publishing it to your website and social media. Your statement should convey your commitment and readiness to address your clients’ needs through this time and offer practical ways to connect to discuss their legal issue. Take Action We have helped our clients craft appropriate Coronavirus messaging and have implemented processes that offer alternative ways to connect and meet

4 Tips to Create Compelling Content for Attorney Websites

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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 have specific needs and ignoring either can be detrimental to your marketing efforts. So what’s the secret to creating content that will catch the attention of your visitors and search engines? Create a compelling headline and use keywords The headline is the first thing both your visitors and the search engines will see. So it’s critically important to create a headline that gets the attention of both. When it comes to search engines, the key is short and direct. Choose a headline that is between six and nine words and includes relevant keywords. If you’re lucky, your reader will scroll through the first page or two of search results looking for the most relevant match (91% of readers won’t go beyond the first page). If

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

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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?

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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 a quality we all look for in an attorney, and that includes knowing a bit about what’s happening online. Spend a few minutes on Google and you could learn enough to weed out new tools you do, and don’t, need to know more about.

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

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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 move.

Question – Is YouTube something attorneys should use?

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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?

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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 interesting. They also enable the presentation of a wider variety of information types than Google Places allowed. They will permit local businesses to develop followers and message them, and to have the kinds of social interactions now available on Facebook and Twitter. As a result, Google+ becomes another local search destination within Google, arguably with richer content and more functionality than Google.com offers at the results page level. The conversion of Google Places pages to Google+ Local pages is taking place regardless of whether Places pages were claimed by business owners or not. Google says there will be many more merchant features to come.

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