Do you know your law firm’s target audience? Are you currently marketing to that audience?

There is only so much you can spend on marketing your firm, so you need to make sure you are targeting the types of clients you want. Identifying your target audience helps ensure your message is getting to the people who are more likely to hire your firm to help them with their legal issues.

When law firms focus on the needs of a target demographic, they tend to do a much better job of making their content/advertisements relevant to that audience. People are more likely to connect with an advertisement when they feel it is speaking directly to their needs. As you get to know them better, you can continue to customize your marketing campaign to serve their needs.

Below, PMP discusses proven strategies to help law firms identify their target audiences. The process starts with identifying your current clients. You also need to determine your ideal clients and if you are currently reaching them with your advertising.

What Is a Target Audience?

A target audience is a group of people to whom businesses market their services, as this group is most likely to decide to purchase these services. Sometimes, depending on the purpose of your marketing campaign, you may target a smaller, more focused demographic.

Regardless of the size, your target market should directly affect your marketing strategy and the decisions you firm makes in support of that strategy. For example, your target market should influence the decisions you make about whether to use traditional or digital advertising. It should also impact your decisions about your website content and design, your social media engagement and more.

What Do Your Current Clients Have in Common?

One of the first steps in determining your target audience is evaluating your current clients to find out what they have in common. For example, what types of legal issues do they need assistance with?

Are you getting a lot of calls from people who were injured in car crashes on the way to or from work in the morning or evening? Are you getting a lot of calls from people who were injured in crashes on major highways or interstates? Are many of your clients victims of crashes on rural roads? Do you get a lot of calls from victims of crashes at certain dangerous intersections?

You should also evaluate the personal characteristics your current clients tend to share:

  • Age range
  • Gender
  • Race/ethnicity
  • Household size
  • Relationship status
  • Types of industries in which they work
  • Where they tend to live
  • Household income
  • Common job titles
  • Level of education
  • Hobbies/interests, such as the types of TV shows they watch
  • And more

Another important factor to consider is how your current clients heard about your firm and how they contacted you. For example, do they remember hearing TV commercials or radio advertisements? Did they also see billboards or bus advertisements? Did they call you after clicking on a pay-per-click ad? Did they complete a form on your website or one of your landing pages?

This information shows you where you are reaching your current clients and what types of content causes them to take an action, like calling your firm.

Comparing Current Clients to Your Target Audience

How do your current clients compare to what you see as your target market?

While you may be reaching some of the people your firm wants to help, others may be left out. For example, maybe there are a lot of serious car accidents at a certain location, but the people involved in those accidents tend to call other firms for assistance.

Perhaps they might do this because they saw a local services ad or pay-per-click ad for the other firm. It could also be that your firm did not cross their mind as the one to call for assistance. Maybe what they read on your website or saw on a billboard did not connect with them. If your advertising does not connect with your target audience, they may call your firm when they need a lawyer.

Law firms need to determine what characteristics these people share. This can help you to identify what your current marketing campaigns might be missing.

While some law firms may find gaps that need to be filled in, others may find they have a lot more work to do in targeting their ideal demographic.

Your target market may be too large to market to all at once. Many law firms segment their strategy. For example, some of your marketing may be aimed at a certain part of your target audience, while other advertising may be targeted at another audience.

If you are unsure about whether your law firm is reaching those who would benefit from your legal services, PMP is here to help. We have been helping plaintiff law firms grow and reach more people for more than 15 years.