Law firms today need a multi-faceted marketing strategy to compete with the growing boom of legal brands. Building an online presence is not even a question. Most law firms have at least a basic website, and many may even try to do some level of marketing. Too often, unfortunately, law firms make critical marketing mistakes that could send potential clients to a competitor.

At PMP Marketing Group, we understand that lawyers are busy, which leaves little time for marketing. Below, we look at some of the most common marketing mistakes law firms make.

Ignoring the Impact of Your Website

A website can help to build your online presence and draw new leads for your business. Today, it is a vital part of building a successful legal brand and online presence. However, in today’s competitive legal market, having a “set it and forget it” mentality is a bad idea. Say for instance that your content is outdated. Perhaps the last post was months or even years back. Potential clients looking for answers from a legal expert may go elsewhere for a law firm that has regular, relevant content.

That said, it is not necessary to create a super site with tons of bells and whistles. What you do need is a website that is impactful, current and optimized to meet search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. Failing to maintain your website or ignoring it altogether, could cause your rankings on search engine page results pages (SERPs) to drop significantly.

No Clear Understanding of Your Target Audience

Another critical mistake many law firms make when attempting to do their own marketing is failing to define their target audience. Casting too wide of a net wastes a lot of time and money and typically yields an unenviable result. It also paves the way to help your competitor to become the online authority in your legal niche instead of you.

Our marketing agency performs regular research, testing and analysis to determine your ideal client. Having a clear understanding of your target audience means you can target, reach and convert potential clients faster.

Not Making the Most of Your Niche Practice Areas

Some law firms may think that trying to offer legal help in every practice area makes them a leading authority. However, this is another old-fashioned approach that could backfire in a big way. Potential clients may be confused about what you actually do. They are also likely to see this as a lack of expertise in any area, rather than a specialist in all. If a potential client does not trust you as a leading legal authority, they will keep searching until they find an attorney that has taken on a lot of cases similar to theirs.

Overlooking Social Media Opportunities to Reach Your Audience

As a law firm, you may not put too much stock in social media, but this could be a huge mistake. Having a well-planned social media campaign as part of an overall marketing plan is another way to attract potential clients. Done well, it can increase your market reach and thus your ability to attract new business.

If you ignore social media, you create a window of opportunity for your competitors to edge you out of the rankings. Are you beginning to see a pattern in these mistakes?

Missing Out on Leads By Not Investing in SEO

SEO best practices are constantly evolving. Trying to stay informed about current changes and how they impact your brand is challenging. For an attorney focused on devoting time to actually practicing law, it is nearly impossible.

This is another reason why we recommend investing in SEO and your company’s future. Hiring law firm marketing professionals to stay on top of current SEO trends also means you have more time to quickly follow up on new leads.

Lack of Client-Focused Content vs the Ever-Present Sales Pitch

Often potential clients come to a law firm’s website to learn something. Maybe they have not been in a car crash or suffered an injury in a slip and fall. However, perhaps they got a vehicle recall in the mail and wondered what would happen if they ignored it. Maybe their brakes are starting to make some strange noises, but they think it is okay to wait a bit longer before getting them repaired.

Providing useful content that answers these and other leading questions about your niche is useful to visitors. Done well, this type of content can bring visitors back to your site and help to make your firm the leading authority.

It is fine to have some sales focus, but without any consistent and current content, you can lose credibility with your target audience.

Ignoring or Refusing Customer Reviews

Setting up and managing Google customer reviews can be another useful avenue for reaching potential clients. Ignored, it can become a marketing nightmare. Many law firms may see reviews as a lesser priority. However, this can be a huge mistake. Many potential clients go out and read reviews before they hire someone. There have been many surveys that suggest as much as 98 percent of all potential clients will read online reviews first. They want to know they are getting insider knowledge as opposed to promises in a sales pitch.

While some law firms may set up reviews, they may forget to monitor them. Regardless of whether the comments are good or bad, potential clients will be looking to see how your law firm responded. If there is no response and the review is negative, it can do a lot of damage to your credibility.

How Hiring a Legal Marketing Agency Can Help

At PMP Marketing Group, all we do is build legal brands. Our team has significant knowledge of current SEO best practices, and we are ready to fully manage a multi-faceted marketing plan on your behalf. We also employ cutting-edge design and understand the blood, sweat and marketing research it takes to build a competitive brand that gets you results.

We know how busy law firms are, which is why hiring knowledgeable and dedicated marketing professionals is important to the growth of your business. Our team has experience creating and optimizing websites, running successful paid search and social media campaigns, writing content that gets leads, and much more. We strive hard to ensure that our clients have the best possible online presence.

For more information, including how we can help your law firm, contact us today.