• Lawyers serve as important gatekeepers to the average citizen. Without them, they’d have to navigate the intricacies of the legal system all on their own, and we all know that legal texts can often be rather obtuse and not always have a clear interpretation.

    That’s why there are thousands of law firms worldwide helping people to seek out the justice they so rightly deserve. But if you’re in the law business, it can be difficult to differentiate yourself from the pack. Most people want concise, clear help that’s willing to go the extra mile for them and ensure they understand each and every step of the process. Others want a more hands-off approach, so it’s important that your firm can deliver both. Still, it’s important to market yourself properly to ensure that leads come your way and hopefully turn into paying customers.

    Here’s how to stay ahead of the pack in modern times and ensure a constant workflow for your legal team:

    Make Your Website A Sales Representative

    Gone are the days when websites were simply a good place to display your services and then have people call you up to see if you’re right for the job. People want an all-inclusive experience on your website that can take them all the way from tire-kicker to paid-for customer. That’s why it is important to have a fully functional and comprehensive website that is fast, mobile friendly and appealing to use. Lauren Currin from Lawyers Marketing Associates says that every law firm can benefit from a well-designed website and social media platform. People should be able to easily work through your entire website to find what services you offer and how you ensure that a quality job is performed each and every time. If done properly, you’ll be able to use your website as a countrywide sales rep to bring in new customers on a daily or even hourly basis.

    SEO & Content Marketing Are Your Friend

    SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization, and it is simply the practice of building a website that ranks very highly on search results. People seldom go to the second page of Google, so it is important that you rank as highly on the first page as possible. SEO can be learned on your own or you can enlist the help of an SEO agency to completely retool your site for you to better serve the needs of those who use them. A higher rank means more clicks which means more people to buy into your sale’s pitch.

    A subset of SEO is content marketing, which is targeting certain keywords and delivering content based on that search. More often than not, before seeking a lawyer people look up the specifics of their case and how the legal statutes apply to them personally. If you create many pages on your website that explains the types of cases they’re looking for and what kind of help is needed, they’re more likely to enlist your help than the help of another firm as (a) they’re already on your site and (b) you clearly know your stuff. Think about the common questions people ask surrounding the field of law you practice and what kind of situations a prospective client might find themselves in and then make a page that answers those questions in a helpful and succinct manner.

    Be More Than Just Your Website

    While having a comprehensive website is a huge step forward in marketing your law firm on the internet, it is hardly the only option. You should have a presence on as many different social media platforms as possible and use them on a frequent basis. Facebook pages are excellent for talking directly to customers who have specific questions that are difficult to find answers to, while platforms like Twitter can quickly bring your exposure up if you make a few hard-hitting tweets. Videos you create can also be posted on these platforms for a more personal and easy to digest medium of communication. Many prominent lawyers are now using videos they’ve made themselves with just a smartphone to great effect. If you exist all over the internet, it is more likely that you’ll be seen as an authority in your field and a worthwhile firm to choose.

    Manage Your Online Reputation

    There are many sites that now allow people to rate and review common service providers in their area, and most businesses are represented even if they haven’t put themselves on the site on their own volition. These websites do however allow the rightful owners of a business to reply to feedback left about their services. People like seeing when a firm carefully follows up with anyone who’s left feedback and it shows a bigger commitment to your clients, even after a case has wrapped up. Besides responding to these reviews and clearing things up for anyone else who might come across them, reviews serve as a great way to find blind spots in your services that you might not have noticed. If your former clients all have the same complaint against you, you can quickly solve the issue for any of your new clients which will allow you to move positively into the future.

    In today’s age, the internet can be a far more useful tool than any billboard or radio advertisement. Nearly everyone now has a smartphone with internet access, there’s a lot of searches that pertain to very common needs you can easily fulfill. As legal proceedings often have a major effect on the lives of the people involved, people like to do their research and get a feel for various firms before ultimately deciding on the firm that will represent their case. So long as you have a complete understanding of how these people use the internet, you’ll be able to catch a much wider net of prospective clients. A billboard only markets to the people in that area, a website markets to everyone with an internet connection. Go ahead, don’t be shy, even a half-baked website is better than no website at all, but always strive to improve your online presence no matter how well fleshed out it is already.