A successful lead generation strategy is essential for any business aiming to generate a sustainable source of growth. For law firms to be successful in attracting a new client base, the goal is to generate high quality leads to their website, and then turn newly engaged prospects into clients. But if you’re not getting the leads necessary to convert, even with the best sales team in the world, you will forever be struggling.
Having a strong online web presence and digital lead generation strategy is critical. A vast majority of consumers nowadays search for products and services online, so to stand above other legal professionals online you need to amplify your online presence. It is important to remember however, that your lead generation tactics and messaging convey the same clear objectives and brand personality. Make sure you integrate your campaigns across all platforms. Let’s take a look at some great tips for optimising your lead generation and business development strategy to grant your law firm sustainable growth.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Your website is one of the few assets you have complete control over, so optimising your on-page SEO is a must for generating a sustainable source of leads. A few SEO tactics that are essential to this are:
- Optimise or create any landing pages that new clients may be searching for, and fill them with a huge density of relevant information (contact, case studies, testimonials, news, advice, FAQ’s, training or learning resources etc).
- You will need to optimise your site, blogs, pages etc. with specific keywords (short and long), title text, alt text tags, URL tags etc. to make sure that you rank as effectively as possible.
- Generate content that will be informative and enjoyable for your audience that allows for internal linking and can generate third-party reputable backlinks.
- Your site is optimised for all browsers and devices, and your site speed is lightning fast as can be.
There are so many tips that you can utilise for getting better SEO for your site, check them out here.
Referrals & Reviews
People need to know you’re trustworthy. Seeing is believing, so having a whole array of past reviews and testimonials will prove that you are someone a potential new client can trust. Utilise any free review system you can, from google and facebook, to yelp and trustpilot etc. and make sure you’re open and responsive. Any new unknowing clients will feel safe and secure, and any referrals will see that you can back up any words of praise spoken about you.
A review in person may lead you to a single client, but a great online review can land you hundreds of quality leads. Don’t be afraid to ask your clients for a review too. A grateful client will more than likely be willing to help you achieve that five star goal.
Email Marketing
As aforementioned there are very few assets you actually own yourself. Your contacts list is another one of these, so you need to utilise it. Email marketing might seem old fashioned but it is arguably one of the most important tools you can use to generate leads. You can target specific segments of your contact list, certain locations, demographics, and you can create personalised email templates to engage your audience a bit more.
Building your email list in the first place is always tricky, so make sure that you try and create a hook or magnet to get people to volunteer away their contact information for a free resource, or a piece of information that is valuable to them.
Content Marketing Strategy
Having a consistent source of new content will simultaneously engage your audience with informative, relevant content, boost your search engine rankings by indexing more to your page/website, and improve your reputation as a well educated and trustworthy source. Your content campaign can include things like blogs, ultimate guides, infographics, testimonial videos, advice, FAQ’s, newsletter and so much more. Establish yourself as an expert in the field and drive home your specialised legal niche, but make sure you create useful content and not just gobbledygook for the sake of it.
PPC Advertising
While organic traffic is a great way to grow a sustainable source of leads, you cannot exclude paid leads as a great form of lead generation. When you’re optimising ads you can ensure you’re only seen by the correct people, at the correct time, in the correct location! PPC advertising can get expensive if you don’t find the correct target market. With a great hook, a perfectly crafted audience and demographic, and a strong call to action, you can drastically reduce your cost per acquisition and see your paid leads generate a significant revenue stream for your business!
Social Media
Social media is a great way to drive traffic to your website and landing pages. One of the most unique elements of social media is the ability to host a two way conversation and really understand your audience. Prospects, potential clients, and existing clients all have a voice and can directly engage or share your content. Utilising a variety of platforms will also give you the ability to reach different audiences with customised content, LinkedIn for example is generally more professional, whilst Twitter might be more humorous and personable.
Find A Hook & Incentivise
One great way to interest new clients is to offer them something that would normally be chargeable, for free. Incentivising with offers is understandably not possible everywhere and anywhere, but consumers are far more likely to take something for free, if they know they would ordinarily have to pay for it. Offering free consultations for example is a great hook for an onlooker, as there is no risk for any risk averse buyers who are just browsing services. Once you’ve established a preliminary relationship you’re far more likely to be able to develop that lead into a new client.
Final Points
Staying on top of your lead generation is critical to attracting new clients. Make sure you have some set KPIs to measure the success of your various lead generation channels, and don’t be afraid to tweak any ongoing campaigns to eke out any extra results if you spot an opportunity. Organic traffic is the most important thing to get correct, so ensure your content, SEO, socials and referrals are all collaborating effectively to meet your targets, and then take a look at any paid channels to get that extra revenue stream working!
Finally, don’t forget the significance of networking. Digital and real conferences, events, and workshops are great opportunities to meet and network with local businesses and prospects. Networking is possible both the old-fashioned way in person, or with the assistance of technology at virtual events and conferences, so make sure you throw your hat in the ring when opportunity comes calling. You never know who you might meet.
