General Practice Attorney Marketing
Attorneys with a general legal practice must be experts in several specialty fields. Personal injury, criminal, divorce, product liability, and vehicular accidents are among the most common types of the cases a general practice attorney may handle. Marketing efforts are most likely to be successful when they are limited to a local area, while emphasizing the attorney’s broad expertise in various specialty fields.
Online Marketing Resources
1. Establish Your Authority: Your blog must assert your broad experience. Answering clients’ most immediate questions on a varied range of topics is important. General, overarching questions work as well. For example, “What qualities should I look for in an attorney?” and “When don’t I need an attorney?” help establish your credibility. By answering their first questions, you establish yourself as a resource and worthy of consideration. Add to this library of “helpful answers” the questions and answers that are specific to your practice. Tackle one question per post.
2. Offer a Webinar: Potential topics should be as varied as your practice. Offer to e-mail those who register the login information for the webinar, thereby capturing a contact for future reference. Online services like Microsoft Live Meeting, Webex and Adobe Connect Pro are affordable options to set up these webinars. Again, you establish yourself as an authority and then provide means of contact for further information.
3. Become a News Source: Use your blog to track recent awards in personal injury cases, alimony settlements or changes in the law. By tracking news that’s relevant to your clients, you establish another touch point that could transition into new business. Offer downloadable claim forms and medical record release forms to potential clients as a free service.
4. Spread the Word: You need a social network presence. Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow you to engage with potential clients and promote helpful resources, such as news and blog posts. Twitter allows you to post mini-updates on favorable case decisions, awards and other useful information. Don’t be afraid to include some personality in these posts. Promote your Twitter and Facebook sites on your law firm website.
5. Marketing via SEO and PPC: In short, Search Engine Optimization practices help identify your content to search engine visitors looking for your specific information or keywords. Pay-per-click advertising is the business of purchasing ads that appear to visitors who search these specific keywords. If you’re unfamiliar with paid search, read up on Google Ad Words and start with a small budget.
6. Obtain a free local listing from search engines like Google.
General Legal Marketing Resources
1. Cultivate referrals from other attorneys, physicians, health care providers, insurance brokers and real estate agents.
2. Advertise where your potential clients are. Yellow pages, newspapers, billboards, radio and television each reach special niches. Remember: This includes cultivating a good relationship with the media. The more you are quoted or interviewed, the more potential clients will see you.
3. Become a member of as many local community groups as possible to make more local contacts.
4. Don’t forget your state bar’s Attorney Referral Service.
5. Repeat business is crucial. Stay in touch with clients through newsletters, birthday cards, and attending local and family functions.
