Brag, Brag, Brag
As a personal injury attorney, you undoubtedly take pride in your work. You know that your representation allows clients to collect money that they deserve and which is often badly needed. Nonetheless, you may hesitate to promote your services because of the bad rap that personal injury lawyers have among other lawyers and with the general public.
However, in an increasingly competitive environment, legal marketing is essential to get your law firm’s name in front of potential clients. Fortunately, there are techniques that allow you to engage in self promotion without seeming sleazy. Even better, many of these strategies are much less expensive than the tacky ambulance-chasing advertising that is often associated with personal injury attorneys.
Emphasize Online Marketing
Unless you are associated with a mega law firm with unlimited funds, you can’t afford to plaster the television and radio airwaves with loud, obnoxious advertising. However, you can reach audiences of potential customers that are just as large with online marketing and legitimate Search Engine Marketing (SEO) techniques such as integrating organic search terms into your web copy or incorporating a reasonable number of back links into your website. Even if you utilize paid keywords, your financial outlay will be less than what you would spend to obtain the amount of television or even radio advertising that would be necessary to reach the same number of people.
Focus on Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is a natural for attorneys. While blogging, commenting and similar efforts do require time and effort, your labors will be rewarded by the enhanced image that your firm and its service will generate. Writing entries for your own blog or guest blog posts, commenting on compatible websites and similar techniques help to establish your firm as an authority and a thought leader on matters related to your legal specialty area. As a result, potential clients feel confident about contracting with your firm. They are more likely to believe that you possess the necessary expertise to provide excellent representation and collect the compensation that they deserve.
Provide Value to Readers
Blogging is an especially effective means to promote your firm without projecting a sense of excessive self-promotion. However, you must avoid the temptation to blog only about your firm and its achievements for your clients or risk putting off your readers. Save such descriptions of your firm’s achievements for the “about us” section of your website, where such promotional copy is not only perfectly acceptable, but expected.
Avoiding excessive self promotion when blogging is especially important when you are writing guest blog posts. If you abuse the potential bully pulpit of a guest blog spot, you will quickly become persona non grata to other website owners, and invitations to submit guest blog posts will disappear. Worse, your reputation among potential customers will also suffer. Avoid this unfortunate circumstance by focusing entries on your own blog as well as guest blog entries on topics such as explaining various areas of the law. Other good blog post topics include commentary on recent events or explanations on how changes in legislation impact your legal specialty.
Jeremy S is a paralegal. He loves offering marketing tips to lawyers on legal marketing blogs.
