12 Ways Law Firms and Lawyers Can Leverage Advertising

Law firms and lawyers have many advertising avenues available, each offering unique opportunities to connect with potential clients. From the dynamic engagement of video ads to the credibility-building power of sponsored content, lawyers and law firms can craft a multifaceted advertising strategy tailored to their target audience. Understanding the diverse advertising landscape is crucial to ensuring a return on advertising dollars.

Here are 12 effective ways legal practitioners can harness the power of advertising to elevate their practice and reach wider audiences.

1. Create Content that Captivates and Converts

A professional, well-designed website for your law firm is a must-have in digital advertising, as it is the centerpiece of nearly every legal marketing strategy. But having a website is not enough. The key to using a law firm website as an effective advertising tool is to regularly update it with informative articles, blog posts, videos, and other content related to the firm’s practice areas. This not only showcases the law firm’s expertise and credibility, but is also essential for search engine optimization (SEO).

2. Strategic Backlinks: Boost Authority and Reach

A backlink is a link from one website to another, serving as a vote of confidence that boosts a site's credibility and search engine ranking, making it a pivotal tool in SEO. In most strategy discussions, the focus is on keywords — which is important and will be discussed more below.

However, many law firms overlook the power of backlinks. Here are some ways to harness that power:

• Guest Posting: Write articles for reputable legal, industry, or general websites, publications, or blogs in exchange for a backlink to your site.
• Partnerships: Collaborate with local businesses, universities, or community organizations and earn backlinks through shared content generated through these partnerships.
• Quality over Quantity: Focus on obtaining high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites rather than many low-quality links.

3. Focus on Local for Precision Targeting and Maximum Impact

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on platforms like Google Ads allows law firms to display ads on search engine results pages for specific keywords. Each time the ad is clicked, the law firm pays. While keywords are an important part of PPC strategy, using local targeting ensures ads reach the most relevant audience, optimizing budget efficiency and enhancing ad resonance within specific service areas.

Use geo-targeting on PPC ads so that they display only in specific regions or cities. Write the ad copy to resonate with the local audience by mentioning a specific city or region, which will make the ad more relevant to the audience.

4. Tailor Targeting Tactics in Social Ads with Custom Audiences

Law firms buying ads on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram can tailor the targets to audiences’ specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.

To get even more specific targeting, law firms can upload lists of existing clients or leads to platforms to create custom audiences. This allows the ads to specifically target these individuals or create lookalike audiences to reach users with similar profiles.

5. Retargeting Mastery: Precision Meets Persistence

Retargeting or remarketing ads involves launching ads to users who have previously visited the law firm’s website but maybe did not take the desired action — such as filling out a contact form. These ads can appear on other websites or social media platforms. Segmentation and frequency capping options make them most effective. Segmentation allows the law firm to create different remarketing lists based on behavior, i.e., a separate campaign for potential clients who visited the contact page versus those who read the blog. Frequency capping limits the number of times a user sees the retargeting ad in a given time frame to avoid overexposure and potential ad fatigue.

6. Answer Questions: Content that Clarifies

As mentioned above, posting consistent, helpful information on the law firm's website helps with SEO and showcases expertise. Search engines especially reward content that is educational and useful. Law firms that address common questions related to their practices, especially when the content uses strategic keywords, will bring more visitors to their websites. Write blog posts that answer the questions clients frequently ask or use Google’s search suggestions to see what queries people are looking for. This content can be highlighted in PPC or social media ads for an extra boost.

7. Perfect Profiles for Dynamic Directory Listings

From Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and AVVO to Google, Yelp!, and Glassdoor, there are many places where a law firm’s website profile might appear. While it’s not usually necessary to pay for premium profiles, law firms must claim any public profile that exists to ensure they retain control over their branding and information. Once claimed, complete the online directories and listings profiles with details like contact information, practice areas, qualifications, etc. The information must be consistent across all directories and the firm’s website to avoid negatively impacting SEO, and potentially confusing the target audience.

8. Explain and Elevate with Video Ads

Targeted, informative, and engaging video ads for YouTube and popular social media platforms showcase a law firm’s expertise and convey its brand. Legal explainers are short videos (less than 30 seconds) that break down complex legal topics into easily understandable terms. Examples of these could be the three documents everyone needs in their estate plan or the steps involved in filing a personal injury claim. Other video ads that will educate and elevate a law firm’s visibility include FAQ sessions, legal updates, client testimonials, firm introductions, and behind-the-scenes or other firm culture highlights.

9. Affiliates to Amplify Ads

A little outside the traditional notion of digital advertising, affiliate marketing is when a law firm partners with other businesses, publications, or influencers to promote the law firm’s services in exchange for a commission on leads, clients generated, or reciprocal referrals. When done within the bounds of state bar ethics rules, affiliate advertising is a great way to target the right clients. For example, a family law attorney could write content to appear on a real estate agent’s website and social media platforms. The content is clearly branded with the law firm’s name and logo, the attorney-author’s name, and a link to the law firm’s website. It’s a win-win because the real estate agent benefits from helpful, keyword-rich content, and the attorney receives valuable backlinks, branding, and an endorsement.

10. Diversify Ad Formats and Platforms

Display ads are banners or boxes that appear on relevant websites to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to a law firm’s website. For optimum effectiveness, law firms shouldn’t limit display ads to one platform. Explore opportunities on various networks, such as Google, Facebook, or industry-specific platforms and publications. Interactive ads that feature polls or quizzes and video display ads are another way law firms can diversify ads to be more engaging.

11. Sponsored Content

Many general, business, and industry-specific websites and publications offer sponsored content opportunities. Often appearing alongside the website’s regular posts, sponsored content allows law firms and lawyers to promote their services through articles, videos, or other content. Sponsored content allows the business to retain control of the messaging while building credibility, visibility, and trust, while boosting backlinks and SEO. Sponsored content should be a news or featured article of interest to the website’s audience and not feel like marketing or promotional material. Law firms can educate the audience about changes in the law, provide case studies, or offer expert commentary on trending legal events, landmark cases, or other topics.

12. Data-Driven Decisions

The best law firm advertising decisions are based on evidentiary success. Whenever possible, law firms should regularly monitor ad performance metrics, such as click-through, engagement, and conversion rates, to gauge the ad campaigns’ effectiveness. Feedback in the form of comments, shares, and direct input from an audience is also helpful in understanding which ads resonate and which don’t. If available, prioritize A/B testing to measure different creatives, headlines, and calls to action, which can help boost an ad’s performance and ensure a better ROI.