If you have reached a marketing plateau, this blog post could change the future of your business. Maybe you were once a marketing whiz, but the growth hit a wall over time as digital marketing took the world by storm. This article will dive into how you can knock down that wall and get on your way toward more profitability and law firm growth.
Case study: From phone books to the big leagues
Recently, I sat down with Charles Laputka, a successful bankruptcy lawyer who started his practice in 2008. At the time, it was just him and his wife building their business from the ground up. They had two children to support and needed to get clients as soon as possible.
In 2008 phone books ads and bus stop billboards were all the rage and proved lucrative tools to generate clients. As the years went by, Charles realized that fees were going up, but the benefits of these advertisements were not. He discovered the return on investment was dwindling and decided it was time to make some changes.
That's when he met Richard James, the founder of Partner's Club, a company that specializes in legal marketing. Charles was initially skeptical but eventually decided to give him a chance. After all, he offered a free weekend stay in Arizona to meet up. To Charles' surprise, Richard seemed to have the secret sauce to market a law firm successfully. His innovative strategies took tried and true marketing tactics and applied them to the legal industry.
Tracking Referral Sources and Analytics
One of Charles's most powerful lessons was that you have to track your analytics for law firm marketing campaigns. Companies might provide reports, but you should also keep a record of your own for comparison. Thanks to automation, this can be done easily without adding more work on your end.
Charles uses a CRM called Keap, although any CRM will work. He also uses a third-party API called CallRail. Together these services seamlessly integrate, allowing him to keep track of lead sources.
For example, he uses CallRail, so each lead that comes through has a unique phone number. Say there's a billboard at times square that says to call 1-800-999-1010 and another at the bus stop in New Jersey that says to call 1-800-555-3535. These will both reroute to his actual phone number, but he'll be able to use their unique digits to track where the call came from.
They will then be automatically added to his CRM along with the name of the person who called. From there, his staff can reach out and mark the lead status. Even if they call after hours, Keap records that information so they can be contacted immediately in the morning.
Remarketing and Leading Prospects Through the Sales Funnel
Once someone at Charles' firm has made contact with a client and scheduled them for an appointment, he begins using automated sequences to stay in touch with them until the day of the meeting. This simple marketing tool can significantly improve the closing rate of prospective clients. At first, he might send an email with a YouTube video introduction, a link to his book, website, and reviews. After that, he'll follow up with three more emails checking in with the prospect to keep at the forefront of their mind.
Remarketing is the most crucial aspect when it comes to closing a lead.
It's easy for lawyers to make an initial first impression, but it takes more effort to remarket in a way that converts leads to clients. By checking in regularly, you're also establishing brand recognition. By providing valuable resources, you're creating a sense of reciprocity. Both help you form a strong relationship and stay at the forefront of their mind.
Taking Your Law Firm Marketing to the NEXT LEVEL
Now, let's discuss how this case study impacts your law firm. Charles's approach to marketing is a great template for how to optimize your marketing efforts to capture high quality leads from reliable sources.
The first step we recommend is investing in legal technology, such as a client relationship management system.
Next, introduce a chatbot on your website, such as Intaker, to help with lead capture and qualification.
As you become more comfortable with legal tech, you'll want software such as CallRail, allowing you to track the success of each lead source. Throughout the onboarding process, keep in touch with clients by sending automated sequences using your CRM or Intaker.
Ensure your messages are value packed by including free resources the lead will want to watch or read. For example, attach a free book or informational YouTube video. Although this case study wasn't touched on, it's also important to learn content marketing and find your voice on social media.
Social media marketing is another valuable tool that you can also track the performance of and spend more or less depending on how your posts perform. If you aren't sure where to start, try looking up other lawyers in your practice area and see which social media platforms seem to work for them.
Every law firm's marketing strategy is unique. By tracking the lead source and analytics, you can create a custom strategy that works for you. Remember to update your marketing strategy regularly, but on average, Charles says he'll give a new technique about three months to see if it produces results.
Custom Tailored Guidance for your Law Firm
If you want more hands-on guidance, check out Richard James Partners Club to see how he can help take your law firm to the next level. He helps lawyers develop law practices that match their lifestyles.
Just like he helped Charles, he can assist your law firm to rise above the competition and build the legal practice you've always dreamed of owning.
Note: None of this is sponsored. We were genuinely impressed with Charles's success and wanted to share with others how his work ethic, combined with Partner's Club strategies, took his firm to
another level.
