Hyperlocal law firm marketing is an effective way to increase your law firm’s visibility and boost profits within your community. The following tips are sure to help firms like yours experience more productive marketing and growth on a local level.
Step 1: Enhance Your Website With User-Friendly Formatting
One of the best ways to boost your hyperlocal law firm marketing strategy is to build a clear, helpful website. Your website should be easy to navigate and informative for prospective clients who want to learn more about your professional services. To enhance the user experience, avoid cluttered, overwhelming designs that could distract from your content.
Build Location-Based Service Subpages
Yet another surefire way to enhance your firm’s local marketing impact through your website is to create distinct location-based service pages for each area you serve. List all of your locations on one page and link each service subpage so that prospects can find location-specific information more quickly. Having an organized website layout helps search engines index each of your web pages and offers them as relevant suggestions to users.
Involve Schema in Your Website
Law firms like yours can utilize “schema” to ensure that your website ranks well on search engines. Schema is essentially tags and summary descriptions that make your website easy for search engines — and users — to find. Mastering the “back end” side of your website, or entrusting this task to a marketing expert, is sure to help your law firm experience better local marketing results.
Go Mobile, Fast
Did you know that 52% of all website traffic today occurs on mobile devices? With a majority of internet users conducting research on their phones, your law firm’s website must be mobile-friendly. You should also ensure that your website runs at optimal speed on both desktop and mobile versions. Research shows that 40% of internet users abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. This statistic highlights the need for your website to be speedy and efficient for all types of users.
Step 2: Check Your Firm’s Listings
Just a few decades ago, if a consumer wanted to verify information about a business, they pulled out the Yellow Pages. However, in today’s increasingly digital age, consumers rely on online listings like:
- Google My Business
- Bing
- Yahoo
- Yelp
Giving your client base a way to verify that you are who you say you are will ultimately enhance your hyperlocal law firm marketing strategy, profits and visibility. Here are a few tips to perfect your online listings.
Claim Your Google My Business Page
Google My Business is one of the most frequently used resources for internet users to learn more about law firms like yours. That being said, it’s essential to make sure that your firm is making the most of each listing platform. The first step is to claim your Google My Business page. Shockingly enough, 56% of local businesses have not claimed their Google My Business listing. Google can create it for you, but you still need to claim it.
Consistency Is Key
Once you have claimed your firm’s Google My Business page — and other listings — it’s time to make sure that all of your contact information is correct and consistent. Verify that your “NAP data,” or your name, address and phone number, appear in the same format across all of your listings. Staying consistent helps search engines suggest your business to potential customers and helps clients get in touch with you.
Step 3: Prioritize Reviews
Online listings provide prospects with your law firm’s NAP data, but they also showcase past clients’ reviews of your performance and services. Reviews are one of the most important tools for law firms like yours to attract future clients. Google My Business is one of many platforms that include your firm’s past reviews, encouraging prospects to get in touch with your team.
Google My Business Reviews Boost Conversions
According to Forbes, a recent Google report found that 60% of smartphone users contacted businesses directly through the GMB interface using the “click to call” option. The more positive Google reviews your firm has, the more likely you are to appear as a suggested business to Internet users. Positive reviews also have a direct correlation to your firm’s star rating on Google. It may come as a surprise, but a 1-star ranking increase corresponds to a 5-9% increase in your firm’s revenue. The increased visibility makes it easier for your firm to connect with prospects and experience higher profits and growth.
Top-Notch Review Etiquette
If you’re having trouble gathering reviews for your law firm, don’t hesitate to ask satisfied clients for reviews in person. Then, follow up on your request with an automated email. Once you receive reviews, be sure to respond to each one promptly and professionally. Shoot for three to four new reviews each month, as studies show that 48% of customers only pay attention to reviews from the past two weeks.
Step 4: Create and Share Exceptional Content
High-quality content is essential to making sure that your law firm remains visible and appealing to prospects. Your firm’s law content can take the form of:
- Blogs
- Articles
- Videos
- Images
- Podcasts
- Infographics
- Social media
Search engines like Google are more likely to rank your website higher if you offer users relevant, informative content.
Use Location Tags
Location tags boost your hyperlocal law firm marketing strategy while sharing content. Social media check-ins, for example, are a terrific way to let your audience know that your team is active in your community. You can also include locations in your content titles, headers and meta descriptions.
Rise Above the Competition
Prioritizing high-quality content for your law firm will help you surpass your competitors and make a name for yourself in your community. When creating content, remember that Google’s ultimate goal is to offer users relevant information and business suggestions. By tailoring your content to users’ interests, you are more likely to be suggested by search engines, backlinked to other sites and discovered through organic search.
Step 5: Take Advantage of Digital Advertising
Online advertisements are a profitable investment that effectively increases your law firm’s local visibility. For every $1 spent on Google Ads, businesses earn an average of $2 revenue. As a type of pay-per-click advertising, Google Ads has the power to boost your firm’s success in specific service areas. Set your ads to target the state, city, town or ZIP code where you would like to increase your business.
Drive Prospects to Your Website
While advertisements capture prospects’ attention in the moment, you can also use them to drive traffic to your website and other online platforms. Be sure to link your website in each of your advertisements, directing prospects to dedicated pages for your services, discounts or other special offers. With these strategies in mind, Google, Bing and Yelp Ads are remarkable tools to help prospects discover your firm who may not have come across you otherwise.
Step 6: Increase ROI With Email Marketing
Email marketing is a cost-efficient way to enhance your hyperlocal law firm marketing with little effort on your part. You might be surprised to learn that for every $1 spent on email marketing, firms like yours could see returns of up to $32. Start by generating a bulk email list. You can do this by asking for readers’ email addresses at the end of blogs or incorporating an email pop-up on your website. You can also include a link in your email signature or create enticing calls to action with information about discounts or special offers at the end of your content. Send emails to your bulk email list and follow up with any responses.
Step 7: Refine Your Brand
Finally, refining your brand is crucial to developing a successful hyperlocal law firm marketing strategy. Each of the aforementioned elements lays the groundwork so that prospects will recognize your firm and ultimately trust you with their business. By establishing a positive reputation with your name, logo, website, backlinks, content and community engagement, you can more easily attract local clients. Seek out local charities, sponsorships, fundraisers and partner organizations that would boost your visibility and establish familiarity with your audience. As an exercise, Google your firm and supplement the areas where you’re less present.
Surefire Local Offers Exceptional Local Marketing Solutions for Law Firms
With years of valuable experience providing law firms with holistic hyperlocal marketing solutions, Surefire Local is eager to help you surpass competitors in your area. Surefire’s experts will ensure that your law firm is showing up exactly where you need to in order to attract clients and boost profits.
From search engine rankings and advertisements to website formatting and listings, Surefire’s knowledgeable team is here to help you navigate the complex world of local marketing. We specialize in helping law firms like yours draw in more clients, increase profits and optimize efficiency. To learn more about how Surefire can revolutionize your hyperlocal law firm marketing strategy, call 866-465-9080 or connect with our proactive team today.