Quick: Smart marketing tips to grow a new law firm

There is no shortage of licensed, active lawyers in the United States — 1,338,678, a 15.2 percent rise over the past decade, though Statista.com reports the number of lawyers has remained relatively steady since 2015. New law firms, however, are popping up all the time.

Nationally acclaimed education law attorney Catherine Michael opened Connell Michael Kerr LLP in Carmel just this month with her co-founding partner, family law attorney Erin Connell. “Starting a new law firm is exciting and wonderful,” Michael said. “However, in addition to serving the needs of clients, you cannot forget about marketing to future clients. This is essential to your business.”

In a very crowded field for attorneys, you need to get your story out. Differentiate yourself from all the rest and choose the best media for advertising the new firm. The marketing world has changed, and smart attorneys will take advantage of all the new platforms to deliver your message. It can be done effectively without a giant budget, but you do need a marketing budget as part of your business plan.

Jaime Lira, director of marketing at Indianapolis-based law firm Cohen & Malad, offered this advice:

“It’s important to create a solid roadmap from the beginning. A written marketing plan is a valuable document to have from the onset as it helps you create your brand as well as your budget. Your written marketing plan should identify and evaluate several factors, including geography, competitors and target audience, to name a few things. As you create your marketing plan, you will gain a better understanding of what marketing tactics will be necessary in the short and long term for establishing your law firm within the community and what those tactics will cost.”

Lira stresses the value of a professional-looking, search-engine-optimized website, as well as face-to-face networking and speaking and writing to legal audiences to establish your firm’s presence

Carmel trust and estate lawyer Rebecca Geyer, secretary of the Indianapolis Bar Association and immediate past president of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, notes the value of direct referrals. “Identifying and getting to know other individuals who service your clientele, and how you can mutually benefit one another, can expand a firm’s marketing base and result in great referrals,” she said.

Attorney Josh Brown has made remarkable strides in developing his franchise law niche, now getting noticed globally, without spending a dollar on traditional media outlets.

“When marketing a new practice, there are many things that need to be done digitally, or online, to ensure that you and your practice stick out from the crowd. First and foremost, you must identify and lead with your ‘angle.’ Your ‘angle’ is the narrowly defined characteristic of your practice that separates you and differentiates you from your competition,” Brown said. He differentiated his firm by selecting a unique web address — IndyFranchiseLaw.com — and launching a podcast, “Franchise Euphoria.” He said the podcast generates three to four inquiries a week.

“These are two things that I did early on that have been key to helping me differentiate and identify the right clients in my target market.”

Here are a few more suggestions in a step-by-step marketing process, many of which are critical yet will cost you little or nothing:

• Get the logo and website done. Your goal for the website should be to make it the go-to source for the best possible information about your practice area. Provide solid, consumer-friendly content. Blogging, case studies and testimonials can provide effective content. Keep it fresh and update your site regularly.

• Consider video on your site. People would rather watch a quick, 90-second video (not much longer) on your home page than read lines of words. Consider, also, shorter 60-second videos featuring your attorneys talking about their specific practice areas. Video also increases search engine optimization.

• Consider running an optimized Google campaign to stand out among search results. Jason Cookson is client development strategist at 2060 Digital in Indianapolis. “The first question law firms, big and small, usually ask is, ‘I’m not seeing my firm in the maps or the top section of Google search results. What should I do?’,” Cookson said. “Here are three relatively easy and inexpensive things to consider: 1) optimize your firm’s Google My Business listing; 2) make sure your website has headers, meta-titles and descriptions in your website’s backend framework and your page load speeds are on-par; 3) buy pay-per-click (PPC/Google AdWords) keywords for the practice areas most important to your firm. Combined, these three tactics will help your firm be seen when people are looking for help online.”

• Invest in a service like Constant Contact or MailChimp to send emails to clients and friends of your firm who agree to receive them. Both are inexpensive ways to produce attractive emails with news about your firm. Once a month is enough, however. Don’t deluge them.

• Get involved in the community from the start. Take on a community cause. It is also great team building.

• Don’t underestimate the value of “earned media,” more commonly known as public relations. Use press releases to inform the media about things that really matter — even things like the aforementioned community involvement. Let the media know, in advance, that you’ll be conducting that major food drive or helping build a Habitat House. You just might get the attention of a TV reporter looking for a human-interest piece. Email news releases to the right people, and keep them short.

• Network with people in the media. If they know you, they’ll be much more apt to give you attention. Offer yourself as an expert in your practice area.

• Take advantage of all social media. Just like keeping your website fresh, be sure to regularly keep your social media timely with topical news.

• Be sure all of your marketing drives people to your website.

Lira also offered a few marketing pitfalls a new firm can make, such as not establishing a budget in the beginning, not taking the time to create a brand identity, and engaging in social media efforts that falter. But none can be as perilous as not knowing the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct for legal marketing, particularly those in rules 7.1-7.5.

You are ultimately responsible for all marketing of your new firm, including work done by third parties, so be sure to review all work performed by marketers you hire. Choosing professionals with experience in law firm marketing can help reduce the amount of time you spend reviewing materials, as these people are aware of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct.

One final note: Don’t forget great customer service, which can mean the difference between success and failure. Put it at the top of your marketing mix, and be sure all lawyers and staff practice it.

Good luck, be patient and in time you could be the leader in your practice area.•

• Jon Quick — 317-432-0309 or [email protected] — is president of Carmel-based QPR and Marketing, specializing in law firms, and a partner at Videopolis.tv. Opinions expressed are those of the author.