With over 87% of law firms having a website, it’s safe to assume you might know about the common methods to market your firm — but what about the less explored options?

Hopefully, these seven ways to market your firm will have you thinking beyond standard tactics like paid ads and SEO. Although these common methods are vital to your marketing strategy, having a holistic approach to how you market your firm will help you create a brand that’s here to stay.

Quick Wins

1. Get Listed in the Top Legal Directories

Legal directories are a great way to get exposure and generate client leads. Like a typical business directory, legal directories comprise lists of reputable attorneys for users to choose from. Users put a lot of faith in these directories and view the attorneys listed as credible prospects to take their case.

Not only does your listing include your phone number and a link to your website, but it also allows users to rate your firm and leave a review — which could be a deciding factor in whether they’ll pick up the phone and call. Consider a listing in HG.org, Lawyers.com, Martindale Hubbell, or another attorney referral network.

2. Get Social

Although the value social media brings to a law firm may seem obvious, the platforms you use and how to use them may not. Each social network has unique features, and while the end goal is to generate leads, the main point of social media is to connect with your audience. That means creating posts more focused on starting the conversation — not selling for conversions.

Furthermore, the content your audience expects is different for each platform — for example, LinkedIn is a much more professional environment compared to the more laid-back audience on Facebook. Understanding your firm’s social media goals and the nuances of each platform will help you form realistic expectations and humanize your firm.

Short-Term Wins

3. Develop Your Content Marketing Strategy

While guest articles are wonderful opportunities, don’t neglect developing your content marketing process. Writing high-quality pages for each of your practice areas that appeal to Google and users alike is crucial to your overall SEO strategy and user experience. Furthermore, you should have a regularly updated blog that functions as a well of information for users involved in a legal crisis.

It should be noted that while your firm’s practice area pages should be focused on conversions, your blog should be strictly informational. Topics like “What if the Insurance Company Blames Me for the Car Crash?” or “Will I Go to Jail for a First-Time DUI?” address questions and concerns people might be experiencing and make for a satisfying user experience.

You can also use tools like Google Analytics to see how users engage with your content. Address any issues and repurpose content when needed.

4. Write Contributed Posts & Capitalize on Media Opportunities

Often-neglected ways firms can level up their marketing efforts are participating in media opportunities and guest posting on other websites. Guest posting is an excellent way to build authority and position yourself as a thought leader in the legal space. Sometimes, the website you write for could link back to your website — these are called backlinks and are gold to your firm’s rankings.

In addition to guest posting, be on the lookout for other opportunities to gain exposure and shed light on your firm. Press releases, speaking engagements, and community sponsorships can all go a long way in building and marketing your law practice.

5. Build a Client-Centered Law Firm

At the end of the day, every lawyer wants to know they’ve provided a valuable service to their clients. It’s crucial to think of your clients as more than just another case number. After all, they could end up promoting your firm for you — either by referring you to a friend or writing a review on Google. The benefit of a Google review is two-fold: they give your firm credibility to potential leads and increase your rankings.

To be a client-centered law firm, consider stepping in their shoes. Are they neck-deep in medical bills? Have they suffered life-altering injuries? Are they facing life in prison? Knowing your clients’ pain points helps you better connect with them and provide them with a unique client experience — from intake to off-boarding.

A good way to gauge how well you’re serving your clients is by calculating your Net Promoter Score. Your net promoter score rates your customer service on a scale of 1-10 based on how likely a client is to refer your firm. Individuals who score 0-6 are called detractors and those who score 9-10 are called promoters.

Subtract the percentage of your detractors from your promoters and ask yourself how you can improve your client experience. You can gather this data via survey, using a tool like SurveyMonkey.

Long-Term Wins

6. Establish Your Brand

Your brand tells your clients who you are and what you care about. Even more, it tells them why you’re different. As stated, a website to promote your firm is a given when it comes to what marketing tactics you should use. However, without a well-established brand, your site will lack substance and won’t position you uniquely in the minds of potential clients.

Ask yourself how you’d like to be perceived by your clients. Authoritative and professional? Down to earth and empathetic? A fierce advocate? It’s essential to be honest with yourself and how your approach to a case is different than everyone else’s. Establishing your brand will help develop the overall aesthetic of your firm as well as the tone and voice present in your messaging.

7. Track & Review Your Marketing Efforts

With all it takes to market your law firm successfully, it’s essential to know that your hard work isn’t done in vain. Evaluating your firm’s marketing strategy takes more than a hunch — it requires solid data to find out what’s working and what’s not, so you can make tweaks if needed.

Software like call tracking cuts through the red tape and tells you exactly where each client came from, so you can put your money toward the most effective marketing tactics. Additionally, tracking other metrics like conversion rates and overall website traffic will reveal what content users interact with most on your site and which pages or posts converted users.

Grow Your Firm With An Effective Marketing Plan

There are many moving parts involved in a well-defined marketing strategy — and you might not have considered these seven ways to market your law practice.

However, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been practicing for a while, having an established brand, a pleasant client experience, and a way to track your performance, among other factors all work together to build a strong foundation that will grow your firm.