Marketing moves quickly. There are always new tactics to try, and announcements that are made. The bottom line is that what worked last month may not work in the month ahead.
What legal marketing trends should law firms and attorneys look out for in 2021? How can you best incorporate these trends into a marketing strategy for your practice?
We asked marketing professionals and lawyers about what trends they expect to see for law firms in the year ahead. Here are the top legal marketing trends to prepare for in the year ahead.
Pay For Performance Advertising
PPC (pay per click) advertising firms are innovating in regards to how they are servicing attorneys. With competitive criminal defense and personal injury keywords commanding costs per click of up to $150, some firms are moving from pay per click to pay per performance. With pay for performance, attorneys can expect to pay only for qualified leads rather than clicks. This approach can help attorneys have a fixed cost to advertising, and rely on a steady inflow of potential clients.
— Court Will, Will & Will
Create Community Awareness with Educational Content
Lawyers have traditionally been transactional when it comes to marketing. Attorney referrals, billboards, and TVs have connected potential clients with lawyers. However, things are changing when it comes to marketing a law practice. Successful firms are focusing on creating community awareness with educational content published on their website. For example, creating helpful and authoritative content around a topic like “underinsured motorist coverage” may help educate a searcher who was just hit by someone without automobile insurance to cover a claim. By creating educational content, lawyers can effectively create community awareness for their practice.
— Hunter Garnett, Warren & Simpson
Google Screened + Guaranteed Program
Google Screened Program recently became available to law firms and financial planning professionals. The purpose of Google Screened is to help build trust in local service listings. If a law firm goes through extensive background and license checks, Google will add a “verified” icon (similar to Twitter’s verified accounts) to their local Google My Business listing. Google Screened may help build visibility for local listings, and pave the way for entrance into Local Services Ads with Google’s Guarantee program. To get started, check your availability on Google’s signup page.
— Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
SEO Strategies Will Get More Technical and Tougher
In the past few years, search engines have become more and more sophisticated with Google and Bing introducing very intelligent algorithms. The legal niche will be more competitive in 2021 especially as more law firms will be operating remotely. Also, clients will rely on search engine results to find law firms to represent them. In 2021, law firms will have to work harder to appear on the first page of search engines. They will have to produce great content and will have to invest a lot of resources in content marketing. Engaging the services of an experienced SEO expert will help law firms to boost their marketing efforts in 2021.
— Chioma Iwunze, Time Doctor
“Low Bono” Niche
The “low bono” niche is growing. People who can pay some, but can’t pay a lot. Often they’re avoiding going to attorneys because they’re afraid that they simply can’t afford it without actually knowing the cost. Marketing affordable services get people in the door. It helps the legal consumer accomplish simple tasks and gives the law firm a connection for bigger needs down the line.
— Rick DeBruhl, Communication Consultant
Content that Drives Clients to Your Website
The content game is not about to phase out anytime soon. In 2021, this is what law firms should give first priority, quality content that provides go-to information and ultimate guides on legal matters. Make the website a one-stop resource and optimize the content for SEO. This will ensure the firms stay relevant and helpful especially in these COVID-19 times where potential clients are spending most of their time online seeking information.
— Gresham Harkless Jr., CEO Blog Nation
Content Compatible for Voice Searches
An emerging marketing trend is the use of voice commands to carry out searches online. Today, people can issue a voice command to their phones, home assistant devices, and their personal computers too. Search engines will pick up content that is practical, answers the query directly, and is short enough to be read out loud. Take this into consideration when building content. Use keywords or phrases that reflect natural conversations and make content that is to the point so that your material gets picked up by search engines for voice queries.
— Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
Ditching the Billboards
With the massive shift to remote work, there are millions of fewer workers commuting each year. This change means that traditional legal marketing, such as billboards and radio advertisements are going to be less effective. Instead, you absolutely need to go digital, and you can shift your spending toward areas like SEO, PPC ads, and similar.
— Michael Alexis, Teambuilding
Answer Relevant Questions
2021 is going to see a lot of businesses recovering from the lockdowns and quarantines of 2020. Many of these businesses are going to require assistance in navigating the potential liability minefield that is reopening while the memory of a pandemic is still fresh in the minds of the public. If someone can prove they were exposed to the virus while in your store, does this make you liable for their medical bills? Is enacting CDC recommendations enough to cover you, legally? These are questions that businesses will want answers to. If you market with this in mind, you’ll be offering them what they want.
— Phil Strazzulla, Select Software Reviews
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knowledgeable content