The Lawmatics Blog

Most law firms have an ebb and a flow when attracting and retaining new clients. However, when an ebb drags on a little longer than anticipated, firms often begin to panic, wondering how they’re going to bring in new leads and, with another payday approaching, how they will meet their obligations.If you have been losing sleep due to the financial burden of running a law firm, you’re not alone. Sales is an integral part of running a business. No matter their size, solo, small, and larger firms are all businesses. Yet, managers often wonder how they should approach sales, how it plays into the staff dynamic, and whether technology should play a significant role. Operating a law firm without a sales pipeline is a little like running a retail business without a physical or online presence – nobody is going to know you are there unless they stumble upon you by accident, and if they do, they’re likely going to be unfamiliar with what you have to offer. This is not a sustainable way to run a profitable law firm.For decades, lawyers have relied on business cards, yellow page ads, word of mouth, and maybe a basic website to advertise their firm. However, in this increasingly competitive legal environment, these methods are no longer effective, at least not by themselves. There are many ways to market a law firm, but you risk spending time and money on maneuvers that don’t fit their needs or type of client without one dedicated strategy in place. The law firm sales pipeline is an effective way to create and organize the marketing activities most relevant to your firm and get the right clients closer to hiring you.

What is a law firm sales pipeline, and what should it look like?

A law firm’s sales pipeline is a list of your process for pinpointing new leads and qualifying them, showcasing your firm’s value, selling your services, and asking for referrals. Although there is more than one way to build a law firm’s sales pipeline, most are made up of several stages.

1Attract

The first step in most law firm sales pipelines involves attracting ideal clients. Legal consumers in this stage are actively searching for an attorney, and a law firm’s job is to pursue activities that will gain exposure and grab the attention of these potential clients. Some examples of ways to attract clients at this stage of the sales pipeline include running creative and effective television ads, engaging in online marketing activities with regular presence on social media platforms, and featuring an easy to navigate website can help a firm reach a wider audience and attract more relevant clients.

2Convince

After you’ve grabbed a potential client’s attention, the next step is to convince them that you’re the right lawyer to handle their needs. This is where effective website landing pages, client testimonials, and thought-provoking content are all excellent ways to achieve this. However, no matter which method you choose, the goal is to offer proof regarding why your firm is the answer to potential clients’ legal issues. This will often be enough to motivate them to reach out by calling you on the phone or filling out your website’s online form.

3Convert

This crucial part of the sales pipeline is where potential firm clients are transformed into leads. During this stage, law firms must make it easy for people to contact them once they have decided that they are interested in hiring one of their attorneys. However, this critical stage is where many firms fail to convert these valuable leads due to the lack of an efficient intake management system, the failure to follow up, and a general lack of awareness of what is at stake – a new client.No matter how you decide to set up your law firm’s sales pipeline, the result should look the same: a clear pathway to guide potential clients from the moment they hear about your services online to when they decide to give you a call.

How to staff for sales - or assign sales to an existing role

The lawyers who are best able to build a successful law practice never discount the importance of marketing their practices. However, most are so busy serving clients, working on cases, and appearing in court that they neglect their sales pipeline. Although many attorneys think their firm is too small to warrant a sales team, it’s not about firm size. Whether your firm is small or large, you need a dedicated person (or team) to manage your unconverted leads.Your sales department can be made up of existing team members or salespeople (nonlawyers) acting on your behalf. With some limited exceptions, most lawyers dislike selling and are typically not as good at it as a trained sales professional. An externally focused, client-centered sales professional with experience marketing law firms can help any firm drive more revenue, retain more clients, and lighten the pressure that legal professionals face related to increasing business. When collaborating on a team with legal professionals who can provide an understanding of substantive law, sales pros know precisely how to move the sales process along, attract the right clients, and win business.

How to track your leads and follow up

Law firms must find better ways to reach new clients and create more sophisticated promotions to make the most of their marketing budget and use it strategically. However, the most outstanding marketing campaign won’t do any good if the firm doesn’t take advantage of the leads it generates. Unfortunately, law firms are often resistant to the lead tracking methods used by other industries. As a result, many people who contact an attorney are left to wait days for a callback, and some never hear back at all. But fortunately, some new tools and techniques are now available to help law firms boost their client retention rates. Here are seven ways to improve lead tracking in your firm:

1. Capture. A systematic approach is necessary to obtain the full benefits of lead tracking. Consider the many ways someone can become a lead for your firm: email, phone call, web form, referral, and social media messaging, to name just a few. With cloud-based lead tracking software, you can automatically track all these types of leads, nurturing and engaging them every step of the way to drive sales, scale business, and increase revenue for all firms, no matter their size.
2. Follow up. We live in an instant gratification society. Legal consumers expect an immediate response to their requests, yet one ABA study found that 42 percent of the time, law firms take three or more days to reply to a voicemail or web-generated form from a prospective client. This delayed response often proves to be harmful when building a relationship with a client – particularly during their early interactions with your law firm.
3. Automate. To capture every incoming lead that comes your way, consider using automation software. Rather than personally addressing each lead at every stage, automation technology allows firms to set up custom templates and let the software take it from there. Templates enable firms to create, schedule, and send automated client communications to improve organization, streamline your workflow, account for every detail from lead to conversion, and keep everyone on the same page.
4. Speak your clients’ language. Know how to best communicate with your potential clients. Some appreciate phone calls and emails (although some ignore calls from unknown numbers and only occasionally give their email a quick skim), but almost everyone regularly reads their text messages. Why do people seem to prefer texting to other forms of communication? It’s fast, easy, and feels personal. It can lead to greater success when communicating with potential clients, is helpful throughout the intake process, and enhances your entire operation.
5. Track sources. With so many marketing strategies, law firms can be hard pressed to keep track of all their lead sources, yet they must do so to allow teams to make smarter decisions down the road. For example, you can ask leads how they found you, use specific phone numbers for certain campaigns, or utilize specialized software known as a legal customer relationship manager (CRM). A legal CRM gives lawyers a clear view of where each prospect stands in their journey toward becoming a client and beyond.
6. Make better decisions. How many of your leads eventually become clients? How do your client acquisition rates change over time? Do certain staff members or lawyers affect your firm’s conversion rates? Which of your firm’s marketing efforts is leading to the best outcomes? You need to know the answers to these questions to attract and retain the most clients, and you can, with a centralized system keeping track of lead sources and outcomes. These systems generate the numbers automatically, from the first interaction with a potential client to the case’s outcome.

Once you’re tracking your leads, you need to ensure that you are at the top of the list of lawyers a client is considering retaining. To keep the sale moving down the sales pipeline, you’ll need to focus on educating the potential client, possibly by offering a free consultation or sharing helpful information pertinent to their case. Finally, encourage the client to act by asking for their business – in other words, sign the retainer agreement and move forward with the intake process.

Why legal technology is crucial in law firm sales

Modern legal marketing and digital marketing are now the same. Over the past twenty years, law firm marketing has been driven by emerging new technologies that have profoundly changed how firms can locate, engage, and track prospective clients. The 2021 LexisNexis InterAction Marketing & Business Development Survey found that “high growth” law firms (those that grew more than 20 percent in 2020) were four times more likely to track metrics for marketing and business development efforts than slower-growing firms. Moreover, this metrics-led marketing is much more likely to succeed when firms leverage the right emerging technology tools to help make their efforts more precise, efficient, and targeted.Most lawyers understand that technology is vital to efficiently perform routine legal services like automating document creation, tracking critical deadlines, and streamlining practice management functions. But what about law firm sales? According to the Legal Sales and Service Organization’s annual report, 80 percent of legal sales professionals impact revenue through sales, yet only 14 percent of those responding said they have a marketing, sales, or business development position on their firm’s management committee. Technology can help law firms without a formal sales and marketing team reach prospective clients. For example, law firms now have access to CRM software to automate the lead generation and analysis process, capture and track leads, track where a lead is in the sales pipeline, follow up with prospective clients, and assist with the client intake process. When law firms embrace technology, the overall client experience improves dramatically. With the help of a few tools, such as a CRM platform, firms can automate their sales pipeline to reach and convert more clients while focusing on what they do best: practicing law.

Lawmatics is ready to help you shore up your sales pipeline

Put valuable time back into your day by automating manual tasks. Lawmatics legal intake management software will allow you to easily design visual paths, step-by-step templates, timed trigger client action campaigns, and segmented follow-up messages with just one click. With our all-in-one legal CRM, you can seamlessly move leads along the client intake process with the help of custom, marketing automation workflows. The Lawmatics platform will simplify the process, eliminate confusion, and ensure that nothing slips through the cracks – allowing you to make a positive impression on leads and potential clients. Being able to capture leads, convert them to clients, and enhance every step of the process with personalized messages automated at the right time through the right channel is not just a pipe dream. Contact Lawmatics and request your product demo today.

It is no longer enough for a lawyer to graduate from law school and successfully pass the bar exam in the current legal climate. New lawyers are also expected to have acquired some soft skills along the way, including how to manage client expectations. Today’s legal clients expect more than just legal advice from their attorneys. According to David Pester, a managing partner at UK law firm TLT, clients “look to their lawyers as true partners and consultants, able to bring a wide range of expertise to the table to deliver a successful outcome.” A 2020 Wolters Kluwer survey found that 79 percent of legal clients say efficiency and productivity are vital; however, just 29 percent of those surveyed said these words accurately describe their current law firm. Seventy-four percent of the lawyers surveyed said meeting these changing client expectations is considered a trend with high impact, yet just 31 percent said they are ready to do it. Obviously, lawyers still have a lot to learn about client expectations.

Client expectations – pre-pandemic vs. now

The legal industry has never been particularly willing to embrace change. For decades, decisions were made by attorneys who had been practicing law the same way for many years, either because they were resistant to change or unwilling to adapt their business model to meet the shifting needs of their clients. These attorneys and law firms often focused on developing their knowledge and skills to produce better outcomes for clients. Still, their clients were often disappointed in the quality of their attorneys’ services due to inaccessibility, poor communication, lack of empathy, and an absence of respect.However, COVID-19 disrupted the world – and the legal sector – in numerous ways. Before the pandemic, the legal industry was already in the process of change driven by various forces: financial, demographic, supervisory, technological, and competitive, and even the most traditional practices began to accept the need to grow with the times. COVID-19 significantly accelerated the demands of those working in the legal profession and client expectations regarding the services they receive. The pandemic has revealed a new breed of legal client – more tech-savvy, selective, comfortable with online research, and accustomed to high levels of customer service in other areas – who are demanding more from their law firm as well. Research has repeatedly shown that too many attorneys deliver the legal expertise that clients need but fail to provide the customer service they want. However, faced with stiffer competition, tighter finances, and clients prepared to walk if they don’t get the service they want, many small and medium-sized law firms are now attempting to execute a customer-driven makeover in the following areas:

• Communication. One critical area of change involves communications, and clients are increasingly expecting to be able to contact their attorneys whenever and however they want, on the device they choose. According to Raconteur, more and more clients are choosing to communicate with their lawyers via instant messaging, web chat and social media channels like LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Cost. Although clients are now more discerning about cost, the price is no longer associated with the time or complexity of the legal work being performed, the factors that attorneys have traditionally used to calculate their fees. Instead, clients expect precise cost estimates in advance and align the price of legal services with risk or the value to them or their business. They are looking for the best service, not necessarily the cheapest, appreciate quality, and increasingly demand that ad hoc advice be supplied whenever they request it, without charge. However, they will happily pay their lawyer’s fees if they feel that they are the right person for the job.
• Collaboration. Today’s legal clients expect legal services to be delivered in the most efficient way possible and consider the process of producing work to be as much a part of the law firm psyche as the law itself. Accordingly, they expect their lawyer to bring a wide range of expertise to the table in the form of multi-disciplinary teams with the ability to draw on backgrounds in project management, technology, outsourcing, and resourcing to deliver the best possible outcomes as quickly as possible.
• Innovation. Clients want their lawyers to use technology to provide efficient legal services that meet their needs, and for them, a paperless law firm is a must. However, they understand that technology will never replace the skills of a good lawyer and believe that innovations in the legal sector need to focus on streamlining client services. In addition, they need to rely on their law firms’ security practices and expect that their lawyer will protect their confidential information and keep it secure.

• Responsiveness. Suppose your firm wants to attract younger clients. In that case, you need to understand that they are the most likely to expect their law firm to have an online presence, offer various online modes of communication, and respond to inquiries quickly. If you provide what the modern legal client is looking for, you will be able to differentiate your law firm from the competition.

• Specialization. Generalists are out, and specialists are in. Modern legal clients want their lawyers to specialize in the type of service they need. The 2020 Wolters Kluwer survey found that while 70 percent of the attorneys surveyed expect an increased demand for specialization and a decline in generalist work, only 29 percent feel prepared to address this trend. According to the report, the leading reason a client would replace a firm is its inability to meet their needs, followed closely by its failure to offer specialized services.

• Trust. Most legal clients are looking for an attorney who they can trust, and many people request referrals from trusted sources when deciding which law firm they should hire. However, if they cannot obtain a referral, they frequently turn to the next best source: the internet, where positive reviews from strangers often substantially impact who they will retain. The level of trust that clients put in online reviews makes it imperative for attorneys to ask satisfied clients to leave reviews of their firm on sites like Google, Yelp, Avvo, and Martindale-Hubbell.

Change is underway, and industry insiders say that evolving client expectations will be a driving force in the transformation occurring within the legal sector. Today’s clients expect more – they want to pay for what is produced, not how many hours it took to deliver it, and they want ready access to their attorneys and their expertise. In response to this client-centered legal environment, law firms are exploring new ways to structure their organizations, reviewing their services and how they offer them, and analyzing the talent and technology necessary to deliver value to clients and meet their growing expectations.

What will always remain constant about client expectations (what hasn’t changed)

Many lawyers associate client satisfaction with case outcome. However, what clients want most from their lawyers is something that law schools and continuing legal education courses have historically given little attention to: effective attorney-client communication. One 2013 study that covered the UK, Australia, and the U.S. found that skills like listening, explaining, and open communication (dismissed as “hand-holding” by some lawyers) are highly fundamental to client service. According to the research, clients value these skills so much that an attorney who fails to provide them would likely be considered ineffective. This perceived lack of communication skills is certainly nothing new. In 2006, the BTI Consulting Group found that the most significant cause of legal malpractice claims was not a client’s dissatisfaction with the outcome of their case but rather the handling of the client relationship – failure on the part of the lawyer to listen, ask appropriate questions, and explain the relevant aspects of the matter. According to BTI: “Responsiveness to clients . . . goes beyond returning phone calls and replying to emails . . . Clients expect law firms to be responsive not just to their phone calls, but also to their needs.”However, being responsive to clients doesn’t mean committing to their unrealistic expectations. When clients come in for their initial consultation with an attorney, they sometimes ask, “Can you guarantee that (fill in the blank) will happen?” The expectation that a lawyer can commit to a specific result has persisted for decades, but an attorney cannot ethically make such a promise. Even if they could, the legal system is highly unpredictable, and it would be very foolish to make this kind of guarantee. The lawyer’s job is (and has always been) to get the best possible result for the client and counsel them regarding the likely outcome, including best and worst-case scenarios.Many clients shop around for legal representation and will continue to do so. After all, not every attorney is a fit for every client. But lawyers that provide excellent customer service and can temper and manage client expectations will likely thrive in this extremely competitive market, while those who do not risk failure.

Key identifiers of prospective clients who will be a good fit

According to Statista, more than 85 percent of all global consumers shop online, and 90 percent of these shoppers make their buying decisions from online reviews. A Google search is also an extremely popular way for prospective clients to find a lawyer. According to a recent Martindale-Avvo report, 43 percent of 6,300 legal consumers surveyed said they use Google searches to research a potential attorney. Nearly half who obtained a referral from a personal recommendation still used online review sites to check an attorney’s reviews before contacting them.But how can you identify prospective clients who will be a good fit for your law firm? Clients often fall into several categories, and it is helpful for attorneys to recognize certain patterns in behavior and motivation when they consider whether to take on a new client. These include:

• Inexperience. If a client lacks experience with lawyers, the legal system, or the area of law that their issue involves, they can seem overwhelmed and exhausted much of the time. The best strategy to handle this type of client is to patiently walk them through the process and provide detailed explanations of each step. If you don’t have the time and patience to meet these expectations, a relatively “green” client might not be the best fit for you.
• Know-it-all. The opposite of the “green” client, the know-it-all is a habitual client who has been involved in the legal system before, and perhaps worked with multiple attorneys. To manage this client, you will need to establish your position immediately – you are the attorney in charge, not them. If you don’t mind working with someone who is somewhat familiar with the legal process and not afraid to say so, this arrangement could work, but if not, you might think twice about representing this type of client.

• Uncommunicative. Just as lawyers need to be effective communicators, so do clients. If a client can clearly express what they want and need, chances are they will be a good fit for your firm. However, if they seem to lack honesty and transparency, this will undoubtedly affect the quality of your services. Two-way communication is vital to the delivery of excellent client service.

• In a hurry. The legal world is full of clients who want results “yesterday,” and are willing to rush an attorney toward what could be a premature and potentially unfavorable result. If your firm is well-staffed, tech-driven, and known for being fast and efficient, you might be able to work with this kind of client. However, if you value clients who understand that quality work takes time and plan accordingly, a rushed client could try to pressure you to make mistakes and take more time rather than less.

• Cost-conscious. A good client understands the difference between the value and the cost of legal services. However, if a potential client appears to be more concerned with your fee than the quality of the services you will provide, this can be a red flag of trouble to come, particularly if their case resolves in a manner that they did not expect.
• Loyal. For most attorneys, the best clients value an ongoing relationship with their attorney that includes some realistic give-and-take, mutual respect, and appreciation. If you like and trust your clients and vice versa, this will likely positively influence not only the day-to-day interactions but also the case outcomes.

Most attorneys would agree that when they work with clients who are a good fit for them, they feel highly motivated to obtain the best results, a win-win situation for everyone involved.

How to solicit, collect, and implement feedback from clients

Consumers research nearly everything online, including their attorneys. To compete in this online marketplace, firms need to survey their online presence periodically, and if your research tells you that you need more or more favorable client reviews, here are some things you can do:

• Make it a practice to ask satisfied clients to review you and your law firm online.
• Include a review request in your standard closing email to clients.
• Practice regular online networking by reading online discussions, blogging to your target audience, and engaging them where they gather, be it on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
• Educate your staff on the importance of good customer service by modeling it yourself.

In many industries, it is common to conduct a post-engagement review to ask the client how they feel the project went. Many lawyers are not accustomed to doing this, preferring to move forward with other cases instead. However, when they skip this important step, they miss an opportunity to ask clients with recently closed files what they were (and weren’t) happy about, how you could have performed better, and whether they would consider retaining your services again. Find out how you compare with other lawyers they’ve retained in the past and whether they would be willing to recommend you to others in need of legal services.

Habits that will help you avoid straining the client relationship

The goal of most law firms is to attract the right clients, not chase them away, and forming some positive habits will help forge strong relationships. Here are some examples of how to stay in harmony with those you represent:

• Avoid multi-tasking. It’s easy to become impatient when you are supposed to be listening to your clients, particularly in initial client consultations when you’re busy and have probably heard the same story many times before. But all clients want the chance to tell their story. They need to believe that you are genuinely interested, will anticipate their future needs, can avoid potential problems, and will take advantage of all opportunities to obtain a positive outcome for them.
• Automate busy work. It can be challenging to give each client the attention they deserve when the firm’s administrative work keeps piling up. However, nurturing client relationships becomes much easier when you automate repetitive tasks. All the time previously spent on monotonous and time-draining activities can instead be used to focus on billable activities. Practice management software does the administrative work, allowing you to turn your attention to delivering high-quality legal services that will make each client feel like they're your only client. A bonus: you’ll also reduce the risk of lawyer burnout.
• Gauge expectations early on. When a client becomes unhappy with their lawyer, the issue often lies with the client’s expectations. Maybe the case hasn’t gone the way they thought it should have, and they are confused and disappointed with the outcome. This problem can be avoided by managing your clients’ expectations from the onset of the relationship, and the initial consultation is your first opportunity to gauge what expectations they have for their case. To keep a client realistic, be honest from the start about all possible incomes, including worst-case scenarios, and revisit expectations as the case progresses.
• Don’t assume you know what is best for them. Instead of listening to their clients, many lawyers are simply waiting for them to stop talking, thinking that they’ve “got the picture” and know what needs to be done. However, they’ve probably just gotten part of the picture. When an attorney does this, they’re taking away a client’s voice, making them afraid to express their viewpoints, and probably encouraging them to look for another lawyer who will listen to what they have to say.
• Reach out. With little or no significant progress to report, it can be easy for an attorney to ignore client calls and messages. But don’t make this mistake. Frequent communication is critical to a healthy attorney-client relationship, even if there have been no new developments on a case. But unless the client asks you, don’t feel the need to explain the legal intricacies of what you are doing – clients want you to handle their case, not teach them about the law. Instead, stick with explaining the implications of what is going on with their case, any decisions they need to make, and advise them on the best course of action to take.

There’s more to building a successful law firm than building strong client relationships, but without them, you risk damaging your reputation as well as your bottom line.

Ready to meet and even exceed client expectations? Find out how Lawmatics can help

To separate themselves from the pack in today’s competitive legal landscape, small and medium-sized law firms need to have the right tools and resources to understand and meet client expectations. The Lawmatics platform offers an agile CRM that will help you:

• Boost the growth of your practice by engaging and retaining new clients
• Automate the entire client intake journey by seamlessly moving leads through the process with custom workflows
• Manage all aspects of the entire client journey, step by step
• Make it easy for your clients and leads to schedule time to meet with you
• Efficiently manage client activity and communications
• Spend more time meeting client objectives

For more information on how Lawmatics can help you give your clients what they are looking for today, set up a demo today.

There are perks and drawbacks to whichever kind of law firm you’re running, whether it’s a solo law practice or a larger firm. Yet solo and small firms can be unarguably more overwhelming to manage without the luxury of administrative staff to carry out day-to-day duties. Lawyers in smaller firms often find themselves knee-deep in administrative work, which is a far cry from the romanticized day in the life of a lawyer perpetuated by Hollywood. It’s no surprise that 40% of lawyers take an average of three days to respond to a prospective client.The truth is that smaller firms have their work cut out for them, juggling the responsibilities of an entire staff. But at some point, it can get too much for busy lawyers to handle since they have to step away from their paying clients to carry out non-revenue generating tasks, answer the phone, execute on a marketing strategy, or conduct client intake. For this reason, many lawyers inundated with pending to-do’s find themselves scrambling to find a solution quickly by hiring more staff. In this article, we’ll go over some of the best tips for recruiting the right legal industry team to help expand your law practice and run it more efficiently. Let’s dive in.

When is it time to hire?

Don't make the mistake of waiting too long to hire employees. The worse you let things get, the harder it is to catch your new law office employees up to speed. Not only does it make it extra difficult for the new person you're hiring, but you're going to sacrifice the quality of your case work. Rushing to get everything done in crisis mode results in you not having ample time to properly train your onboarding staff members. Expanding your small law firm is something that should be done methodically and selectively, not as a knee-jerk reaction. That said, the best time to hire more employees is right before you anticipate an influx of new clients.

Where to start?

The most important thing to remember when hiring staff for your legal practice is that the employee alone won't carry your firm. It's rather how they carry out their duties that make a difference. It's up to you to put the right infrastructure in place that sets them up for success.To start, make a list of all of the things that you don't want to do as a lawyer, and develop an effective system to pass this responsibility on to whoever you hire. The more specific you are about what you’re looking for someone to do, the less likely they are to find themselves in over their head.If your goal is to truly step away from the day-to-day administrative tasks that it takes to run a law firm so you can focus on practicing law, then you'll need to provide your employees with the right guidance, training, and tools.The kind of tasks you hope to pass off to someone else will determine the kind of person you're looking to hire. Whether it's to help with your billing, answer phone calls from current clients, or carry out paralegal duties, not everyone is going to be qualified for every job you need them to do, so the more specific you can be about what you need help with, the more likely you are to find the right fit.

How to hire the right team?

Beyond finding people who are capable of the tasks you're looking to carry out, you want to make sure that they share the same vision for your business. You want a team behind you who is just as invested in the success of your law firm as you are. A great place to start is asking yourself what kind of an image you want to portray. Chances are you probably want someone with strong people skills who can make a positive first impression when dealing with legal clients. Having staff who aren't just reliable, but clearly invested in making a positive impression on your legal clients will make all the difference in your firm's overall success.

How to onboard and train new staff?

Smaller firms often don't have the time to be able to effectively train and onboard their new employees. Yet, the onboarding and training process is a critical part of setting your team up for success. To help your employees hit the ground running, you need to make sure that your onboarding involves the following:

Clearly outlined job

Take time to itemize all of the content, tasks, and duties that you expect them to carry out. Review what their current skill set is and whether they require additional training. Having an idea of what their current knowledge and skill set are will help you better pinpoint which areas of the training process you should focus the most on.

Train

Once you've clearly outlined what the job entails, it's time to tackle training. To get the most out of your employees, a training syllabus is ideal. Far too many businesses rely on an all too laid back training style which can result in missing important steps that ultimately become an unfair advantage to a new staff member. So, make sure that you make a list of all of their expected duties so they can refer to it for information.

Communicate effectively

Effective communication is essential in any industry. Yet it’s especially important in a law firm with so many different moving parts between matters. As such, it’s critical that you clearly explain how each element of their job works and how it affects the overall client journey. Go over any important legal terminologies, and revise as needed. The more resources you can give your staff to help them succeed, the easier it will be to step away and let them take the wheel on their job eventually. Demonstrate whenever possible, and take the time to answer any questions as they come up. Even though it might seem time consuming to answer so many questions and go over your expectations of them repetitively in the beginning, ultimately, you'll save yourself more time in the long run than you would have spent retraining.

How to effectively manage new staff?

When it comes to effectively managing your staff, delegation is key. Although it can initially be a challenge for smaller law firms and solo lawyers to hand off important tasks to someone new, it's key for your overall productivity. Ultimately, your goal should be to hand off all of your non-billable work to someone, so you never have to pull focus from casework again. Since time is key, you should boost your productivity even more by equipping your team with the right law firm technology. A legal CRM and law firm client intake software can streamline your law firm's processes even more, and improve communication among staff. By having everything stored in one single cloud location, you can ensure everyone stays on the same page, and automation helps speed up the time-consuming elements of client intake like lengthy documents, follow-up emails, and billing.The right legal software will help you:

• Automate your team with time-consuming tasks like client intake
• Integrate directly with other legal tools so that they don’t have to enter the same information in multiple locations.
• Access your practice from anywhere with an internet connection
• Offer self-scheduling to clients to confirm appointments automatically
• Follow up and nurture leads on auto-pilot

Boost your team’s performance with the help of Lawmatics

Keeping everyone coordinated and on the same page is the best way to deliver a top-notch client experience that will lead to more referrals, and five-star Google reviews. Lawmatics all-in-one CRM client intake billing and law firm marketing software will not only help boost your staff’s productivity, and, but also help you cut costs since a law firm CRM can give you a big law firm staff feel without the salaries attached.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics can help your team get even more done? Sign up for a free product demo today.Sources CitedBusiness-money.com, 6 management tips that every legal firm needs, November 2, 2022https://www.business-money.com/announcements/6-management-tips-that-every-legal-firm-needs/Conrad Saam, ABA Benchmark Study on Law Firm Intake Process: Part I, February 1, 2016https://www.lawtechnologytoday.org/2016/02/benchmark-law-firm-intake/

Email is an omnipresent form of communication that will continue to be used regardless of how many alternative methods of communication continue to emerge. Despite the popularity of instant messaging and texts, email remains the most versatile and flexible way to communicate as well as one of the best channels for law firms to use in their digital marketing strategy.It’s a blank canvas that can be strictly business text, or it can feature vibrant imagery and media. It can be deeply personal, or straight to the point. Best of all, we can use data and analytics to measure its performance and identify what resonates best with your target audience. Research shows that 59% of marketers find that email is their most effective marketing channel. When you consider that over 80% of professionals prefer email over any other form of business-related communication, it’s reasonable to assume that dedicating time to your law firm’s email marketing strategy is a must. When seeking to make a strong first impression, relevant email content that connects with your former clients, current clients and future clients can be one of your greatest tools. This article is your all-in-one guide to using the incredible tool of email to drive traffic to your law firm’s website, increase your social media engagement, skyrocket your lead generation, and ultimately boost your revenue. So put in your swim caps and let’s dive in.

Benefits of email marketing software

It’s cost-effective

Though there are plenty of good reasons to use law firm email marketing software (or legal CRM) for your digital marketing strategy, the most obvious is that the numbers are on your side. Businesses looking for a high return on investment should look no further than email marketing. The average ROI is $36 for every one dollar spent on an email marketing campaign. In other words, you stand to make about 36 times on top of your investment. Why? Email is ubiquitous with a tremendous reach. Whereas marketing channels like Facebook in which posts which will only be seen by a small percentage of your audience due to the nature of the algorithm, email has a delivery rate of nearly 80%. Although this doesn’t always guarantee your email will get opened by the intended prospective client, the likelihood of it being seen is higher than that of a social media post that a follower may not even be exposed to.

It gives the appearance of professionalism

There’s something to be said about a beautifully constructed email template with dynamic images and consistent branding. Email customization options featured in marketing software and CRMs gives your email a professional edge that a DIY approach can’t match. Put yourself in the shoes of a potential client: Would you trust a law firm from which you receive janky, slapped-together marketing materials, or the practice with unique and authentic branding? A professionally designed law firm marketing email exudes professionalism and finesse.

Competitive advantage

Email marketing gives you an edge over the competition by providing helpful and engaging content. If you manage to effectively strategize, you can make opening your emails a fun and interesting experience for your readers. Overly verbose and bland are pitfalls of the competition. By introducing interactive and personalized emails to your current and prospective clients’ inboxes, you can capture their attention and stand out from the crowd — assuming you have something of value to share.Martech Advisor’s 2017 data shows that adding videos to your marketing emails can increase your click rate by as much as 300%. This is just one example of how by taking your digital marketing to the next level you can create a significant edge over competing law firms that are lacking innovation.

Time-saving

It's no secret that lawyers are pressed for time. Preparing and sending marketing emails can drain a significant amount of hours from your week. With so much already going on in your business, it's hardly realistic to assume you can afford this time investment.Using legal marketing software can relieve a substantial amount of pressure from your shoulders by both increasing your productivity and improving the quality of your marketing campaigns. Automation features like drip email marketing can nurture your leads from the inquiry stage of the client journey to the consultation stage (and beyond), while ensuring that the right personalized emails go out at the right time while you focus on practicing law.

Stay top of mind

Converting leads to clients often comes down to simple science. It's not only about advertising, it's about facilitating multiple touchpoints with a multi-branched marketing strategy. The more exposure you have with your audience, the higher the likelihood that your business sticks out in their mind as a dependable source of legal representation. Sending out regular emails reminds your clients that you're there when you need them, and that you're a top tier option for their legal needs. Don't let them forget it!

Purpose of email marketing

Provide answers to FAQs

Potential clients often have a series of questions before arriving at their final decision of hiring you or not. If you can provide answers to these questions without them even having to ask, then you've eliminated one major hurdle between inquiry and acquisition. In addition, sending out an email with some of your most common FAQs can save you a significant amount of time otherwise spent on the phone or answering emails manually, one by one. Proactively offering clients the information that they need to navigate legal proceedings is proven to reduce the volume of communications that can disrupt an attorney’s day.

Give updates about your firm

​​Client loyalty starts with creating a connection— and email newsletters are a great way to keep your contacts up to date regarding the latest news at your firm. Your email can showcase updates to your website, how you're contributing to the community, attorney spotlights, or anything that you think that may be motivating, personally relevant, or enriching. At the very least, it builds rapport by humanizing your business.

Share educational content

Email marketing software can be used to provide your leads with relevant and useful information that makes them eager to open your emails. It's a great way to keep them engaged until they are ready to commit to becoming paying clients. Email segmentation software can help pinpoint which topics are best suited for each list. You can group contacts into different lists based on criteria such as matter type, geographic location, or where they stand in the client journey (and more). Best of all, you can track and analyze your results with built-in analytics tools.

Spotlight attorneys

It’s challenging to trust someone you know little about with something that could have major implications on your life. For that reason, clients are more inclined to hire someone that seems credible but also relatable. Don’t be afraid to spotlight your lawyers and staff in an email that showcases their talent and achievements. Many practices position themselves as the best in the area, and for that reason clients need more assurance that you’ll listen to them, understand them, and have their best interests at heart. Getting a glimpse at the lives of you and your staff takes you from a faceless firm to a human business.

Promote local events

Getting involved in local events in your community is a fantastic way to meet potential clients, and expand your email list. Plus, informing your audience about your involvement in an event in your local community is easy when you’re able to target local contacts with an announcement email in a few clicks.

Drive traffic to your website

One of the primary purposes of email marketing is to drive more traffic to your website. By applying the right strategies you won't just increase your website traffic, but you'll encourage repeat traffic thus building rapport with your audience.

Track marketing effectiveness

One of the biggest challenges that marketers face is not only convincing people to open their emails but to take action upon opening them. The beauty of email marketing is that you can track your contacts' behavior when they receive your email and see what’s working and what’s not. Maybe your subject line is too aggressive or maybe it’s unclear what action your email wants recipients to take.By keeping an eye on key metrics like email click rate, bounce rate, visit to lead ratio, and CTA performance, you can fine-tune your marketing efforts, and get better at creating content that people will react positively to.

Strategies for effectively marketing your law firm

Automate your email marketing

Although manually responding to each incoming email may seem realistic when you're first starting out your practice, the more that you start to generate leads, the more inundated with emails your inbox will be. Statistics show that the longer you take to get back to a lead, the fewer your chances are of converting them into a client. The more minutes you allow to pass between the time they first contact your firm and you get back to them, the more time you're giving them to turn to the competition. Automation is the only way to respond quickly and in turn, increase your chances of converting a lead into a client. Best of all, automation follows up immediately without you ever having to step away from a paying client again.Custom triggers make it easy to send the right email to the right person without skipping a beat. Whether you want to send out a confirmation when someone books a consultation, or wish a former client a happy birthday, automation puts your marketing on autopilot.The majority of consumers require multiple touchpoints before converting into paying clients, which is where drip email marketing comes into play. With email drip marketing campaigns, you can streamline your follow-ups by programming a series of automated emails that will significantly help your practice grow.When creating an email campaign, ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s your goal?
• Who are the emails going to?
• How does the content provide value?
• Can it hold people’s attention?

Your responses to these will inform your email marketing strategy in a way that yields a high return on investment.

Create a monthly newsletter

Show your prospects and clients who you are with a monthly newsletter. You don't have to write a novel every month— actually that's the opposite of what you want to do. Keep it concise, to the point, yet sincere. Whether you want to offer a promotion or discount, or offer gated content, a newsletter is a tried and true form to get people to take action.To get the most out of your newsletter, make sure that its:

• Brief
• Engaging
• Personable
• Reader focused
• Well designed
• Call to action is clear

Send mobile optimized emails

Nearly 50% of your readers will be opening their emails from their phones. So it goes without saying that failing to make your emails mobile-friendly is a massive missed opportunity. Not only does sending out an email that hasn't been optimized for mobile phones reduce your chances of that person becoming a client, but 5% of people say they would unsubscribe from a mailing list as a result of an email that doesn't display correctly — harsh.

Send relevant content to specific groups of leads

To get the most out of your email marketing, create multiple marketing campaigns running at the same time with segmented email lists. Since an all-in-one marketing strategy doesn't work for everyone, smart marketers no to break their leads up into different groups with relevant and targeted marketing materials based on criteria of their choosing known as audience segmentation.

Send educational content

Providing useful information on topics that matter to your prospective clients in exchange for their contact details is a fantastic marketing strategy. Not only are you providing your readers with free information, but you’re also expanding your contact list. In other words, everyone wins! Some ideas for educational content include:

• Checklists
• Digital guides / ebooks
• Videos
• Courses
• Data reports

Email marketing software functionality checklist

Not all email marketing software is created equal. In order to get the highest return on your investment, it shouldn't just be easy to use or affordable, it should have the following core functionalities.

1Email drip marketing campaigns

Drip email marketing makes it easy to send personalized and scheduled emails that send automatically to the right person at the right time based on where they are in the client journey.

2Email templates

Let’s be realistic, most lawyers aren’t html wizards. The right marketing software for you will make it easy to create and send emails in a few clicks. A premade template library helps you stay connected to your clients with a beautiful layout that makes a great impression without having to know the ins and outs of complex markup language.

3Trigger automations

The right software will integrate directly with your legal CRM to automate the next marketing steps. Whether a lead visits your site, schedules a consultation, or signs up for your newsletter, you want a software that will trigger the next marketing steps without you having to do a thing.

4Audience segmentation

The most effective email marketing is one that delivers a tailored message that feels like it was created just for the person opening it. Audience segmentation software groups your prospects into different marketing lists delivering relevant content based on where they stand in their client journey. That means more meaningful impressions that lead to more clients.

5Data and reporting

The key to effective email marketing is using data to track your client's behavior. Your marketing software should provide a closer look at how your readers are behaving when they receive your emails, and how close you are to achieving your goals. The most important email marketing metrics you should be tracking are:

• Clickthrough Rate
• Open Rate
• ROI
• Email Sharing/Forwarding Rate
• Bounce Rate
• List Growth Rate
• Conversion Rate
• Unsubscribe Rate

Unleash the power of email marketing with Lawmatics

Email marketing is still one of the greatest performing marketing strategies and should be added to your law firm marketing budget. It's key to driving more traffic to your website, increasing brand awareness, and ultimately generating more clients.Are you ready to see how Lawmatics' powerful all-in-one legal client intake, law practice CRM, and marketing automation software can automate the legwork of your practice and scale your business? Sign up for a free product demo today!Sources CitedAastha Sirohi, Constant Contact, What is the Average Email Marketing ROI? September 2021https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/what-is-the-roi-of-email-marketing/#:~:text=The%20average%20ROI%20through%20email,36%25%20of%20email%20marketing%20ROI.Hubspot.com , The Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2022, 2022https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics?__hstc=252640342.6a297583827fe7a400ed4d4badcf34a6.1650888502187.1650888502187.1650888502187.1&__hssc=252640342.1.1650888502188&__hsfp=4251156335Werner Geyser, Influencer Marketing Hub, The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Statistics, July 2021https://influencermarketinghub.com/email-marketing-stats/#:~:text=As%20of%20February%202020%2C%20the,from%2016.3%25%20in%20July%202019.

There’s no reason why it should be a hassle to get paid for every hour of work your attorneys have put in. So why do so many law firms struggle to close the billing gap? Odds are, any contention around your billing process didn’t begin when you sent your invoice, it was in place long before the client signed your fee or retainer agreement.For this presentation, Host of Financially Legal Podcast, Dan Lear, and Lawmatics CEO Matt Spiegel joined forces to reveal the six essential rules towards creating a seamless and frictionless billing process for both you and your clients.

Webinar slide deck

There's much more to it than meets the eye regarding family law. Family law attorneys need to have strong negotiation skills and be able to mediate between warring spouses.First and foremost, family law is all about helping families through difficult times. This might include divorce, child custody, or adoption proceedings.

What is family law?

Family law generally encompasses a wide range of legal issues that involve families and domestic relationships. It can include divorce, child custody, child support, adoption, and domestic violence. Family law is often quite complicated and emotionally charged. Family law attorneys need to have strong communication skills and build trust with their clients.The main types of practice areas for family lawyers are:

• Prenuptial Agreements - Prenuptial agreements are contracts that are entered into before a marriage takes place. They are designed to protect the parties' interests in the event of a divorce.
• Contested Divorce - A contested divorce is when the parties cannot agree independently. This often leads to a lot of litigation and can be incredibly expensive.
• Uncontested Divorce - An uncontested divorce is when the parties can agree on their own. This is often much cheaper and less stressful than a contested divorce.
• High-net-worth Divorce - High net worth divorce term is used to describe divorces. The parties have significant assets that need to be divided. These divorces can be particularly contentious, as both parties will likely want a fair share of the marital estate.
• Division of Property - When it comes to property division in a divorce, there are two main property types: marital and separate. Marital property is any property that was acquired during the marriage. Separate property is any property acquired before the marriage or was gifted or inherited during the marriage.
• Child Custody - Child custody can be one of the most challenging aspects of family law. There are two types of child custody: physical and legal.
• Child Support - Child support is often one of the most contentious issues in a divorce. The amount of child support that a non-custodial parent must pay is determined by the state in which the parents live.
• Post-Divorce Modifications - Once a divorce is finalized, either party can petition the court to modify the terms of the divorce decree. This might include child custody, child support, or spousal support.
• Mediation and Collaborative Law - Family law attorneys need to be skilled in mediation and collaborative law. In mediation, the parties meet with a neutral third party to resolve their dispute. In collaborative law, the parties work together to resolve their dispute outside of court.

Some family attorneys specialize in a specific area, such as adoption law. Still, most have expertise in various practice areas, including divorce, property law, and family court. Family lawyers must be well-versed in multiple legal matters, such as drafting and negotiating contracts, pleadings, and other legal documents. Handling intense emotions, people skills, and crisis management are critical qualities for a family lawyer.

Marketing for family law firms is unique

Family law marketing is unique because attorneys are helping people through some of the most challenging times in their lives. Families going through a divorce often have many questions and concerns. They may not know where to turn for help. Family law attorneys must be able to provide answers and guidance for their clients. They also need to effectively market their services so that potential clients can find them.You want to be on the marketing channels where these people are: google searches, referrals, directories. All marketing channels are related to each other and complement each other. You want to think about your marketing strategy instead of piecemeal. Below we'll discuss the main channels you need to consider using when creating an effective marketing plan for your firm.A proactive legal marketing strategy can help your firm build an effective and professional brand. You need to speed up your digital marketing efforts, notably SEO, to maintain your credibility.

Optimize your website for search engines

If you have a family law website full of helpful information for your potential client, you are well on your way to having good-performing search engine optimization. When it comes to SEO for family lawyers, you want to focus on answering your prospective client's questions and showing social proof of your successes. You should make sure that your website is optimized for these keywords and that you're using them in your content marketing. This will help you rank higher on search engine results pages and attract more clients.

Practice area pages and services

SEO is a fundamental component of successful website growth. As an experienced Family Lawyer, your job is to get people looking for specific legal advice and a quick answer to any questions they have. These actions will help establish you as an essential company and drive relevant web traffic to your site if you need more. Search engines will quickly analyze your website's online presence by looking at where your website ranks among the best websites in your niche. The higher your organic rankings, the better the likelihood of someone searching for you clicking your lawyer.

Family law blogging tips

When it comes to family law, there are many questions that potential clients may have, which is why it's important to use your website as a platform to answer those questions. Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge with the world, build confidence with your clients, and rank higher for SEO.Write blog posts about family law topics that your potential clients would be interested in. This will help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Make sure to keep your blog posts up-to-date with the latest information. This will show potential clients that you are up-to-date on the latest changes in family law. Use relevant keywords in your blog posts so that potential clients can find you when they are searching for information about family law.

Highlight your niche

When it comes to family law, many lawyers offer their services. This can make it difficult for potential clients to decide which lawyer to choose. That's why family law firms need to highlight their niche.You can highlight how you serve specific groups of people on your website. For family law, some practices only work with men or women, focus on LGBTQ+ families, or focus on certain religions like Christianity or Islam.You do not need to rebrand your entire website by focusing on your niche, but highlighting how you can serve that demographic will set you apart from your competitors.You should answer the following questions for your niche on your website:

• What makes your firm different from all the others?
• What type of cases do you specialize in?
• Why should potential clients choose your firm over the others?

Offer substantive resources on your website

One great way to set yourself apart from your competitors is to offer substantive resources on your website. Potential clients will appreciate having access to helpful information that can help them make informed decisions about their legal options.Go deeper with your content and offer your clients ebooks, guides, and resources. Ask for an email address when your users go to download your ebook or resource. You can then nurture the potential client while they consider the next steps.

Get familiar with Google

One of the most important aspects of marketing your family law firm is getting familiar with Google. As the most popular search engine globally, Google can help you reach potential clients looking for legal assistance.

Fill out your Google My Business profile

To improve your website's SEO and get better local search visibility, you need to create a Google My Business profile for your law firm. This will allow potential clients to find your business when they search for family law attorneys in your area.Ensure that you include all the relevant information about your business, such as your business hours, contact information, website URL, and practice areas. You should also add photos of your office and staff to help potential clients understand who you are and your law firm.

Ask for Google My Business reviews

One way to show social proof and improve your SEO is to include reviews and testimonials from your past clients on your website. You can also include media mentions, awards, and accreditations to show that you are a reputable and trustworthy family law attorney. Ensure that the reviews and testimonials are from real people and relevant to your practice area. You can also ask satisfied clients to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile and other online directories.

Advertise using Google local service ads

If you're looking for a way to get more leads from family law clients, you should consider advertising with Google Local Service Ads. What makes Google Local Service Ads a better investment than PPC is that you are paying per lead, not per click. These ads appear at the top of the search engine results pages and allow potential clients to contact your law firm quickly.Family Law tends to have a lower cost per lead on Google Local Service Ads than other highly competitive practice areas like Personal Injury. Bonus is that family law terms have a much higher search volume.

Google AdWords and Pay-Per-Click

You can also advertise your family law practice on Google AdWords through Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. With PPC, you can create ads that target specific keywords and demographics.Like Google Local Service ads, family law terms tend to be cheaper and less competitive than other practice areas. Within AdWords, your keywords and terms matter. You want to be specific about what types of cases you want to advertise for. Specific searches (keywords), like "custody" or "alimony," may not be ideal for spending money to get a click. So you want to have parameters for what types of cases you are targeting.

Get involved in your community

One of the best ways to get referrals for your family law practice is by getting involved in your community. There are many ways you can do this, such as volunteering at local charities or becoming a member of local organizations.Some family law firms sponsor community events, like a holiday toy drive or a school supply drive for students. Others host seminars on co-parenting after divorce or estate planning for blended families. You can also volunteer with organizations that provide legal services to low-income families or offer support to children of divorced parents.

Highlight your advocacy

If advocacy is an important part of your family law practice, then be vocal about the issues that matter to you and your clients. Write blog posts, op-ed articles, or speak at events. Get involved with local and national organizations that focus on your passion. You never know where the next referral client will come from, so get out there and voice your opinions.

Offer annual scholarships

The scholarship link-building campaign is not a new concept for law firms. Family lawyers can use local scholarships to gain some press and backlinks to your website. Consider running a scholarship to assist students from divorced families, students who have recently gone through a divorce, or students attending law school.

Sponsor local organizations and events

Local sponsorships are a great way to get your law firm's name in front of potential clients. You can sponsor local events, charities, and organizations. Your sponsorship does not have to be tied to your practice. This is a great way to show your passions, community involvement and help out a cause you love.

Social media, referrals & networking

In the webinar 22 Proven Ways to Get Law Firm Referrals in 2022, Lawmatics CEO Matt Spiegel and President of AttorneySync Gyi Tsakalakis discuss how to get more referral leads. The TL;DR point of the webinar is that you never know where you will get a referral.

Choose your social media platforms

Social media is an important marketing tool for any attorney. Still, it's best used for family attorneys to nurture relationships, show off your knowledge, and stay top of mind.You don't need to be on every social media platform. You want to be where your ideal clients are. If you target women, consider focusing efforts on Pinterest, where 60% of users identify as women. If you want high-net-worth divorce cases, consider a strong LinkedIn presence. If you love making short-educational videos, get on Instagram and Tiktok. Go where your audience is.

Share interesting information

When sharing content on social media for a family law practice, share relevant and helpful information to your target audience. This could include posting your blog posts about divorce, tips for co-parenting, or estate planning for blended families, or you could create short videos explaining some of the basics of family law.Share information about your law firms, such as upcoming events, educational videos, or highlight staff. You can also use social media to show your personality and build relationships with potential clients.

Network in multiple circles

Join professional networking groups that meet in person (or on zoom) and have groups on social networks like Facebook and Linkedin. You can also join groups for professionals in other industries that work with divorced clients, such as financial planners, therapists, or real estate agents.

Update your directory profiles

You should ensure that your law firm and each attorney have established profiles on the main legal directories. Your family law firm should be listed in the following directories:

• Avvo
• FindLaw
• Martindale
• LegalZoom
• Lawyers.com
• SuperLawyers
• Divorcemag.com
• Yelp
• Facebook

You do not have to pay to have your profiles listed. But If you consider paying for these directories, you should track the leads on your own you get from each directory. To do this, take out a specific call-tracking number and regularly review the quality of the leads you've received from these platforms. Think of this as a test to see if the cost per lead and cost per conversion is worth your investment.

Nurture leads using email

Offer resources on your website that ask for an email address. You can start compiling an email list with potential clients. You can use a CRM, or customer relations management system, to keep track of your leads and clients. A CRM is an essential tool for any law firm as it organizes your leads and tracks your interactions with them.

Include videos in email nurture campaigns

Let's say you had a potential client download an ebook. Take your follow-up to the next level and include a video thanking them for downloading your resource. Videos create connection and trust. You can film these videos yourself using free tools like Zoom.

Stay top of mind with email

Your clients will be your greatest advocates and referrers. Once you finish their matter, keep them on your email list to send newsletters. It might sound silly, but sending old clients an email that says Happy Birthday may be enough to keep you top of mind.

Intake and marketing management

How much time are you spending on marketing? Firms that have the most success are firms that budget time to manage their firm's marketing efforts or have hired some help with marketing. You need to treat the firm as a business and prioritize marketing, and some tools can help you.

Implement call-tracking software

One way to track the leads you're getting from your marketing efforts is to use call-tracking software. This software will allow you to see which marketing channels produce the best leads for your family law practice. You can also use call-tracking software to see how many of your leads turn into clients and assess the value of those clients. Call tracking software makes it easy to see which marketing campaigns generate calls.

Fast and efficient follow-ups

If you do not have an efficient intake process at the firm, you waste your money on marketing campaigns. You might be generating leads through all of your marketing channels but dropping the ball on following up with leads. Timing is everything, and as soon as a potential new client calls the firm, you need to answer the phone or give them a callback. A CRM can help automate the follow-up process. You can set up an automated email campaign to reach out and nudge the lead to take action.

The best way to grow your family law practice

Family law is a vast and complex area of law. To be successful in family law, one must have excellent communication skills, empathy, and understanding. The marketing principles still apply when working with potential clients in the family law space. A compelling website that accurately portrays your practice and what you offer. Social media platforms are great for building relationships with potential clients. SEO should be considered when creating content for your website and blog posts. Email marketing automation for lawyers and networking can help keep you top-of-mind for referrals. While it may not seem obvious, it’s important for a lawyer’s business to keep up with marketing law firm trends, whether that be family law, criminal defense, or any other practice area.A legal CRM can help you keep track of all communications with current and potential clients and keep notes on what was discussed and any next steps that need to be taken. This can help ensure that no potential client is slipping through the cracks and allows you to quickly follow up on leads. Lawmatics can help you do just that by providing you with the tools you need to nurture your leads into paying clients. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your family law practice.

FAQs

?What are the best places for family lawyers to have an online presence?

There are a number of great places family lawyers can have an online presence. A website is a must-have and should accurately portray your practice and what you offer. You should also consider social media platforms, as they are great for building relationships with potential clients. LinkedIn is an excellent platform for family law professionals to network and connects with potential clients. Finally, you should make sure your SEO is on point so that potential clients can easily find you online.

?How can I use Google to attract clients?

You can use Google to attract clients by creating ads that target specific keywords people are searching for when searching for information about family law. You can also create a profile on Google+ and optimize it for search engines, which will make it easier for prospective clients to find you.Additionally, you can write blog posts or articles about topics related to family law and include links back to your website, which will help improve your website's ranking on search engine results pages. You can join online directories or forums related to family law so that people who are looking for attorneys can easily find you.Sources CitedGyi Tsakalakis, Matt Spiegel. Webinar: 22 Proven Ways to Get Law Firm Referrals in 2022.https://www.lawmatics.com/blog/webinar-recap-22-proven-ways-to-get-law-firm-referrals-in-2022/ April 1, 2022Pinterest. Audience Insights. https://business.pinterest.com/en/audience/ 2022Alay Yajnik and Ken Levinson. Podcast: Level 3 Niche Marketing with Ken Levinson. https://www.lawfirmsuccessgroup.com/level-3-niche-marketing-with-ken-levinson/Chicago-Kent College of Law. Family Law. https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/career-development/paths/family-lawTerrie Wheeler, Family Law Magazine. 7 Creative Marketing Ideas for Your Family Law Firm. https://familylawyermagazine.com/articles/7-creative-marketing-ideas-for-your-family-law-firm/ December 29, 2021