In a sea of search results, a comprehensive business development strategy can bring your company to the surface. Differentiate your offer from the competition with a multi-layered approach to engaging, signing, and retaining clients. Use these strategies to win new clients and earn their loyalty, no matter how competitive your market may be.
1. Build a Strong Online Presence
When a person is in need of legal help, their first step is to search online. That’s why it’s crucial to develop a strong online presence in the categories you own. In law firm web marketing, it’s more than designing a sharp website, although that’s part of it, too.
Your online presence encompasses both owned and non-owned channels, and you need a strategy to guide your efforts. First, you’ll need to create a strong website for your company, outlining what you do, why, and who you serve. Next, build out sections for your blog and client testimonials, which help you establish authority in your practice areas.
If you’re new to blogging, consider your core practice areas where you have the most authority. Identify top-performing associates and partners who can share case studies and helpful information. Oftentimes, people researching attorneys have a lot of questions, and your blog can become a resource during a challenging time.
Focus on providing education and things to consider for your potential clients and readers. Use lists or “top ten” countdowns regarding legal topics to increase readability and create interest. Point social media traffic toward your blog and extend a call to action or invitation to schedule a meeting.
Look to pop culture, current events, and seasonality for inspiration, which can improve engagement and organic search. Reach out to your local news and neighborhood publications and offer to be a subject matter expert or columnist. Allow them to republish your content with attribution and you’ll gain exposure to a wider client base and build authority.
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2. Offer a Standout Client Onboarding Experience
Keep your client on the VIP track throughout their engagement with your firm. Develop a standardized onboarding procedure that welcomes your clients consistently, ensuring a smooth process no matter when they sign on.
Work with your operations team to identify key components of the client experience. Provide key contacts, information about client portals and technology they’ll use, and what to expect during their case. Case types and legal aid will differ, so work with your team to create different onboarding tracks without unnecessary confusion.
Incorporate digital assets to offer a multimedia experience that allows clients to engage in ways that suit them best. A welcome video from the firm gives your client facetime with partners whose billable rate may make in-person greetings unlikely. Duplicate video content with written content to make it accessible to all abilities and preferences.
Host onboarding content in a centralized space to manage version control and enhance components seamlessly. Here, you’ll need to send out client portal log-in information separately, but this ensures that outdated materials are minimized. Get feedback from clients regularly and act upon it to improve your onboarding processes over time.
3. Prioritize Education and Continuous Improvement to Maintain Your Advantage
Clients are often looking for firms that specialize in their area of need, but simply stating your offer isn’t enough. Get engaged in your area of specialty by instilling a standard of continuing education and improvement. While your state Bar association may require continuing legal education, go beyond the annual requirements.
Seek out industry experts and cutting-edge resources in your field. Attend lectures, seminars, and conferences and share your team’s knowledge with the masses. Draft a social media post to recap the session, what was learned, and how you’ll use it to help your clients.
Post this content online and deliver it to your clients in your newsletter, social media, and in the office. Use an email marketing platform to develop an email newsletter that’s delivered regularly. Create an editorial calendar to guide your production and publication, aligning topic areas with your firm’s strategic goals.
Extend your reach by using your education recap to build authority in professional spaces like LinkedIn. Post a photo of your group attending and tag the associates in the post to increase your views. Encourage your team to engage with the post and share it to increase its reach and relevance.
Encourage your team to update their credentials on their email signature and online profiles when they achieve additional certifications. Celebrate their successes publicly and consider how they can use this added knowledge in the community. Participate in community initiatives, work pro bono, and engage in new circles to identify new opportunities and build strategic relationships.
Create a Comprehensive Client Engagement Strategy
Keep the client at the center of everything you do, focusing on improving their experience and outcomes. Invest in technology that makes your team more efficient and the client’s experience smoother. Get engaged in your practice area on a larger scale, sharing your expertise and perspective to improve visibility and recognition.
Formulate your client engagement strategy as a core component of your operations and use it as a guide for growth. Establish goals, metrics, and targets within each pillar to keep your team on track. When you do, you’ll attract and retain clients, helping them achieve their goals while growing your business.
