November 14, 2014

Does Your Law Firm Have a Digitally Smart Strategic Plan?

We’re all in agreement that big changes are happening in the legal industry.  Wouldn’t it be nice to know if your law firm is adapting well and catering to today’s and tomorrow’s clients?  Your clients and prospects are looking for more than traditional law advice – they expect added value, including off-the-clock advice, top-notch responsiveness, and digital interaction.  Let’s take a look at how your strategic plan can benefit with a digital tune-up.

Social Media Marketing

If you haven’t figured it out by now, most of your individual and corporate clients are on social media.  They interact with friends, family and clients, and share opinions on service providers, including you.  And guess what?  People are listening.  The first step in developing a digitally smart strategy is to audit your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest presence.  Research what your clients and potential clients are sharing about you.  Do you have someone in your firm who can thoughtfully and professionally engage with firm allies?

Then check Martindale Hubbell, Best Lawyers (U.S. News & World Report) and Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers to find out where your firm stands, how it is affecting SEO, and how you can share top tier rankings with your target audience.

Another piece in developing a smart digital strategy is to target your message.  Are you going to be on all social media platforms or just the ones that your clients frequent the most?  Developing a plan on your social media approach is imperative to your success.  It might be worth it to perform a competitive analysis to find out what your competitors are doing (this applies to all areas of your law firm marketing plan).

Plan Your Social Media Content

When I say “plan your content” I am referring to the word “professionally” above.  The worst thing that can happen is you assign an indiscriminate intern or young marketing associate to the firm’s social media accounts, and that person posts something that alienates a client or potential client.  The rule “Do not discuss Politics or Religion at the dinner table” applies.  But don’t let fear inhibit you.  One of the worst things you can do is sit on the sidelines and not interact with your audience.

Blogging

If you don’t have a blog on your website, we suggest you create one.  Think of it as a starting point for all of your digital marketing.  You’ll post all content, including relevant links and backlinks, regarding your law firm, on the blog and then repurpose the content on social media.  When potential clients are directed to your blog to read about a legal development or new case law, they’ll be more inclined to learn about your law firm and its attorneys.  Make a schedule of when you plan to publish content and stick to it, so your audience gets used to seeing fresh, relevant content.

Hopefully, by now, you are engaging with clients, potential clients and other trusted sources on social media.  Each one of them can help advance your digitally smart strategic plan.