Family Law Marketing & Advertising

AS SEEN ON

This truth holds particularly for the field of family law, an area that deals with highly personal and sensitive issues. Striking the right balance between professionalism and empathy in marketing can prove to be a challenging task for family lawyers.

As you know, family law encompasses a broad range of legal matters, including divorce, child custody, spousal support, and adoption. These topics, due to their personal nature, require a distinct marketing approach that respects the client’s emotional state while demonstrating the lawyer’s expertise and trustworthiness.

The crux of successful family law marketing lies in providing clear, accessible, and relevant information. Prospective clients are often overwhelmed and confused about legal procedures, and they are likely seeking someone who can offer expert guidance in an understandable, compassionate manner.

Therefore, family law professionals should focus on presenting themselves as approachable, reliable sources of legal information and support throughout all marketing materials.

How Should Family Law Professionals Approach Marketing in 2023?

Marketing in the legal industry demands a blend of traditional and digital strategies. Digital marketing, in particular, offers a variety of opportunities to reach out to potential clients.

Social media, blogs, and websites can be invaluable tools for sharing helpful information, demonstrating legal acumen, and establishing a strong rapport with your audience.

A well-planned marketing strategy can position a family lawyer or law firm as a leader in the field, thereby attracting clients who are in need of legal help.

By prioritizing the delivery of accurate, understandable information and building trust with potential clients, family law professionals can stand out in the crowded legal industry.

What Makes Family Law Advertising and Marketing Unique

The unique nature of family law advertising and marketing lies in its emotional component. That’s what makes family law advertising unique when compared to legal advertising for other types of law firms.

Family law, more than many other legal sectors, is deeply personal. It’s a practice area where clients often feel vulnerable and emotional. They’re not looking for just any attorney but someone they can trust and feel comfortable with during a challenging time in their lives.

Effective marketing in this field requires a balance of professional expertise and compassionate understanding. It’s not just about broadcasting your qualifications but showing that you genuinely care about your clients and their outcomes.

This is conveyed through the messaging of marketing materials, the branding of your firm or practice, and the overall interaction with clients.

How Legal Marketing for Family Lawyers is Different From Other Law Practices

Legal marketing for family lawyers differs from other law practices, primarily in its target audience and messaging. For example, corporate law firms might focus on showcasing expertise and professionalism through prestige, facts, figures, and even past results.

Their ideal clients are oftentimes result and goal-driven, requiring those corporate law firms to adopt messaging that resonates with their clients.

On the other hand, family law clients are often individuals going through emotional turmoil such as divorce, child custody battles, or other personal legal issues. Their goals significantly differ from the goals of people seeking legal counsel in other fields of law.

Therefore, your marketing strategies need to highlight your empathy, understanding, and the personal touch you bring to your practice.

Your ideal clients need reassurance that their attorney will be their advocate and guide them through the legal maze with compassion and dedication. 

The Best Way to Market Yourself as a Lawyer Practicing Family Law

The best way to market yourself as a family lawyer is to build a strong multichannel online presence that showcases not only your legal skills but your personal brand.

The consumer behaviors and journeys of your potential clients have changed and have become more advanced.

Your potential clients are not just visiting an online directory, then picking the first family law attorney to call. The way your potential clients choose an attorney to work with has become much more advanced.

They are looking through the reviews of other family law firms, conducting various Google searches, reading blog content produced by other law firms, comparing attorney case results, contacting multiple firms for quotes, and asking friends or family before they ever decide on the attorney to hire.

As a result, you need to adapt to the way your ideal clients are searching for legal counsel, marketing yourself and your firm across multiple platforms and channels.

Keeping reading to learn about the strategies we use to help law firms and solo practitioners grow.

The Most Effective Marketing & Advertising Ideas for Family Law Attorneys and Family Law Firms

How do you stand out in a sea of family law attorneys? Below, we’ll explore some powerful marketing and advertising strategies that we have used and tested to help grow other law practices.

Social Media: Build Your Presence, Brand, and Reputation as an Attorney

Now, I know what you’re thinking, social media won’t directly grow your business, nor will it immediately convert potential clients into paying clients. You’re partially correct.

In the context of family law marketing, social media is there to supplement other marketing efforts and establish your brand. It enhances the effectiveness of all other marketing and advertising campaigns that you run across different channels.

How does social media do that, you may ask?

When your potential clients decide to hire legal counsel, they will begin conducting research and completing due diligence before picking an attorney to work with. They will be researching online, visiting various family law firm websites, asking for referrals, and reading reviews.

In fact, a legal trends report published in 2019 assessed how consumers searched for legal services and found that 57% of people used a search engine such as Google to look for a lawyer or seek legal counsel. Source.

But they are cross-referencing social media profiles to get a better overall feel for each firm before deciding to reach out.

That’s when having a stellar social media presence pays off.

Family law professionals that successfully present themselves on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even Pinterest enable their potential clients to familiarize themselves with their firm before they ever reach out.

In today’s digital age, social media has become a powerful marketing tool in the legal industry. Its vast reach and interactive nature make it an excellent platform for family law practitioners to connect with potential clients, share valuable information, and promote their businesses

Establishing Your Social Media Presence

Choose the right platforms that align with your target demographic. You may find that segments of your target audience reside on different platforms. For example, potential high-net-worth divorce clients may be on LinkedIn, while those who are interested in learning and consuming family law-related content may do so through social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

Either way, popular platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram can help you reach a wide audience. Each platform requires a unique approach, so tailor your content and efforts accordingly

Share Insightful, Relevant Information

Social media can be an ideal platform for sharing legal information in an accessible manner. This could include posts explaining family law concepts, dispelling common myths, or providing tips for individuals navigating family law issues like divorce, custody, or child support.

Unsure what topics to cover? Just ask your audience. Consider creating a poll or post asking what topics to cover. Or, spend some time researching the topics that other successful family law social media accounts cover and create content based on that.

Engage With Your Audience

As you know, unlike traditional marketing methods, social media allows for two-way communication. Regularly engaging with your audience by responding to comments or messages can foster a sense of community and trust.

Thankful, there are various ways you can engage with your audience today. Especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can create polls, quizzes, and question prompts for your audience, allowing you to better understand and connect with them. 

Promote Your Firm

Social media can be used to highlight your services, share client testimonials, or announce any achievements or awards. This can enhance your reputation, attract more clients, and ultimately position yourself as an authority within your industry,

Build Your Professional Network

Social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn, can be a valuable tool for networking with other legal professionals. This can lead to collaboration opportunities, knowledge exchange, and referrals.

Monitor Social Media Analytics

Pay attention to your social media analytics to understand which content resonates most with your audience. This can guide your future content strategy and help optimize your social media marketing efforts.

Remember, effective social media marketing requires consistency and authenticity. By providing valuable content and engaging with your audience, you can build a strong social media presence that boosts your family law practice.

SEO: Optimize Your Website for Search Engines and Google

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical aspect of digital marketing in the legal industry, particularly for family law practitioners. By optimizing your website for a web search engine like Google, Bing, or Yahoo, potential clients can easily find you online.

A large portion of your potential leads is already using search engines like Google to find family lawyers just like yourself. If your website is not optimized, there is a good chance that your website is not being displayed to your potential clients, allowing your competitors who do have optimized websites to acquire more clients and grow their firms.

Furthermore, there was a study conducted in 2020 to understand how consumers use the Internet to find legal counsel. Within the study, it was found that 86% of the participants would use Google as their primary source for researching attorneys to hire. Source.

SEO, in essence, is the practice of optimizing your website and its web pages for search engine algorithms and users (people).

By Implementing the best SEO practices to your website, you can significantly increase your online visibility, driving more traffic to your website and, by extension, attracting more potential clients and leads.

Note:

The topic of SEO is expansive, and covering the topic in its entirety would be unreasonable to include here. Instead, we will cover SEO topics that will be the most relevant and impactful for family law attorneys.

However, if you want to learn more about SEO for family law, we have an article perfect for you.

Develop a Keyword Strategy

Start by identifying relevant keywords (often referred to as keyword research), phrases, and search queries that potential clients may use when searching for family law services. These could include phrases like “divorce lawyer,” “child custody laws,” or “family law in [your location].”

Keywords, phrases, and search queries can have different user intents. Be sure to choose a mix of keywords that have informational and commercial intents. For example, someone searching using the keyword “Divorce lawyer near me” will have a different intent than someone searching for “child custody laws in (location).” Covering a variety of keywords with differing intents will allow your law firm’s website to be shown to people in various stages of their legal journey.

Incorporating these keywords naturally throughout your website and your website’s content can improve your search engine rankings.

But more importantly, ensure that your relevant keywords are within the page title, H-1 heading, page content, and meta information. 

Create High-Quality Content for People and Search Engines

High-quality, informative content is not just beneficial for your audience, but it is also a driving factor for SEO. Search engines tend to favor websites that provide valuable content to their users. Regularly updating your site with informative articles, blog posts, or guides on family law topics can improve your SEO rankings while also showcasing your expertise in the field.

Be sure to create a web page for each of your practice areas or services to help people and search engines understand what your website is about. Within each of these pages, do your best to cover the topic, ensure that you include relevant keywords and phrases, and, most importantly, create content that matches the user’s intent.

For example, if you are a divorce lawyer, you should have pages that address each of your practice areas or specialties. This could include creating a page dedicated to high-net-worth divorces, custody plans, litigation, marital assets, etc.

Implement Local Search Engine Optimizations

For family law practitioners, local SEO is particularly important. Most clients will seek legal help close to home, so ensuring that your website appears in local searches is crucial. Listing your practice on online directories, optimizing your website for location-specific keywords, and managing online reviews can enhance your local SEO.

Local SEO is truly where the gold is for legal marketing. Optimizing your website for local keywords and topics allows people that are within that area, ideally close to the location of your business, to find your website when searching for legal services.

These people are in need of your services and are ready to hire a professional family law attorney.

Optimize Your Website

A user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and fast-loading website is more likely to retain visitors and decrease bounce rates (the percentage of visitors that leave without taking action). 

Your website should be built around incorporating intuitive design principles and navigation features. This is to ensure that your website visitors can find the information they are looking for, and take action, such as initiating a phone call, when they are ready.

Your website must be responsive and adjust its formatting to the device a user is using. A few years ago, Google announced its move to mobile-first indexing, in part to the fact that more people are using their mobile phones to search the internet rather than a laptop or desktop. Source.

Essentially, this means that Google prioritizes the indexing of mobile pages first, then desktop formatted pages. Web pages that are not responsive to mobile devices run the risk of being removed from the Google results page lowering the visibility of their website as a whole.

Additionally, web pages that are not created with mobile devices in mind may experience high bounce rates. This signals to Google that you have a low-quality website or that the web page did meet the expectations of your visitors.

Earn Backlinks

Lastly, earning backlinks from reputable websites can increase your site’s authority and, by extension, improve SEO and your website’s visibility within search engines. This can be achieved by creating shareable content, guest blogging, or collaborating with other legal professionals.

By leveraging SEO, family law practitioners can enhance their online presence, attract more potential clients, and stay competitive in the digital age of the legal industry. SEO is a long-term investment, but when executed effectively, its benefits are substantial and lasting.

Email Marketing and Management: Nurture Your Leads, Prospects, and Previous Clients

Email marketing is an excellent way to stay connected with previous clients, nurture new leads, and even collect reviews. We recommend using a CRM (client relationship management system) to keep track, manage, and store client email addresses. A CRM will allow you to segment your audience, create automations, and manage your email marketing efforts all in one place.

Consider sending out a regular newsletter with valuable information, updates about your practice, and links to your latest blog posts. Make sure to personalize your emails and segment your list to ensure the right message reaches the right audience.

When done correctly, email marketing for family law allows family law attorneys to collect reviews, develop a stronger online presence, and convert more leads into clients.

Building a Subscriber List

Start by collecting email addresses from interested parties. This could be through a newsletter sign-up on your website, a lead magnet such as a free downloadable resource, during initial client consultations, or at local events. Ensure you’re complying with legal regulations regarding data privacy when collecting and using email addresses.

Creating Valuable Content

The content of your emails should provide value to the recipients. This could include legal updates, informative articles, or practical advice related to family law. Providing valuable content can help position you as a trusted source of legal information and increase engagement.

Personalized Approach

Personalizing your emails can significantly improve their effectiveness. This could be as simple as addressing the recipient by name or as advanced as segmenting your email list based on the recipient’s specific interests or needs.

Call to Action

Every email should include a clear and compelling call to action. Whether it’s encouraging recipients to read your latest blog post, schedule a consultation, or share your content with others, a call to action can drive engagement and conversions.

Tracking Results

Use email marketing software to track your email campaigns’ results. Key metrics to monitor include open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. These insights can help you refine your email marketing strategy and maximize its effectiveness.

Regular Communication

Regular but non-intrusive communication can help keep your services top-of-mind for potential clients. A consistent emailing schedule also demonstrates your reliability and commitment. In the legal industry, where establishing trust and providing clear, understandable information is crucial, email marketing can be a highly effective tool. Done right, it can result in higher engagement, more conversions, and stronger client-lawyer relationships.

Creating Email Automations

Email automation created through a CRM can prove to be valuable for family law practices. Creating email automations that automatically send emails to clients can help attorneys stay organized and ensure a high-quality client experience.

Consider creating automations for:

• Billing: automatically sends reminders, invoices, or requests.
• Review Generation: automatically send a thank you email and include a link for clients to leave a review on your Google business profile.
• Client updates or next steps: automatically send instructions, updates, or important reminders to your clients.
• Consultation follow-ups: after completing an initial consultation, create an email sequence that automatically follows up with the lead.

Attorney Content Marketing: Create Valuable Information, and Increase Your Exposure

Content marketing is a powerful strategy that involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant information to attract and engage your target audience. This can include blog posts, ebooks, videos, podcasts, and more. High-quality content not only helps to establish you as a thought leader in your field but also improves your website’s SEO, making it easier for potential clients to find you

We recommend that family law firms focus on creating blog posts or ebooks first, as these types of content are more likely to generate and convert new leads when compared to other content types.

Educational Content

The legal process can be complex and intimidating for many individuals. By creating content that breaks down complex family law concepts into easy-to-understand terms, you position yourself as a helpful resource for potential clients. This could take the form of blog posts, infographics, eBooks, or videos.

Consider covering topics that are frequently asked about by your clients and prospects.

SEO-Focused Content

Incorporating SEO strategies into your content creation can help improve your website’s visibility on search engines. This means strategically using keywords related to family law, optimizing your content’s structure, and regularly updating your site with fresh content.

Within your content and meta information, be sure to include your location and surrounding areas (city and or state) to improve local relevancy for your readers and for search engines. 

Case Studies and Testimonials

Showcasing successful cases or sharing client testimonials can provide concrete evidence of your skills as a family lawyer. This type of content can offer reassurance to potential clients, demonstrating that you are capable of helping them achieve their desired outcomes.

Interactive Content

Interactive content such as webinars, Q&A sessions, or live discussions can foster engagement and build a sense of community. This not only makes your content more enjoyable but also encourages potential clients to actively engage with your firm.

Legal Updates

Regularly sharing updates or news about family law can keep your audience informed about changes that may affect their situations. This positions you as a knowledgeable professional who stays current in your field.

Personal Stories

Sharing personal stories or experiences can humanize your brand and create a connection with potential clients. This could include why you chose to specialize in family law or your approach towards helping clients.

Effective content marketing can significantly boost a family lawyer’s online presence, attract more potential clients, and establish their firm as a trusted authority in the legal industry. Remember, the goal is to provide value to your audience and build relationships, not just sell your services.

Website Design: Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

Your website is often the first impression potential clients have of your practice, so make it count. Design a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate, and mobile-responsive website that clearly communicates your services, expertise, and unique approach. Include client testimonials, a blog with helpful articles, and easy ways for visitors to contact you. 

An essential component of marketing in the legal industry is a well-designed website. As the digital face of your family law practice, your website serves multiple purposes: it provides information about your services, demonstrates your expertise as a lawyer, and, most importantly, forms the first impression for potential clients.

User-Friendly Design

Your website should be easy to navigate, with clear menus and logical page hierarchy. A user-friendly design enables potential clients to find the information they need quickly and effortlessly, enhancing their overall experience.

Relevant Content

Your website should offer detailed information about your family law services, areas of expertise, and the processes involved. This not only showcases your knowledge and experience but also helps clients understand what to expect when they engage your services.

Mobile Responsiveness

With the majority of online searches happening on mobile devices, it’s crucial that your website is mobile-friendly. A site that displays correctly and loads quickly on all devices can significantly improve user experience and search engine rankings.

Personal Touch

Adding a personal touch to your website can build trust with potential clients. This could be in the form of a lawyer’s bio, team photos, or stories about why you’re passionate about family law.

Contact Information

Ensure that your contact information is easily visible and accessible. This not only makes it easy for potential clients to reach out but also increases your credibility in the legal industry.

Client Testimonials

Featuring client testimonials or success stories can offer social proof of your expertise and service quality, thereby encouraging potential clients to choose you over others.

Call to Action

Each page should guide users towards a clear call to action, whether that’s scheduling a consultation, downloading an informational guide, or simply calling your office for more information.

A well-designed website can serve as a powerful marketing tool for family lawyers. It can attract potential clients, provide them with the information they need, and ultimately guide them towards choosing your services.

Create and Optimize a Google My Business Profile for Your Family Law Firm

A Google My Business profile can significantly increase your online visibility. It allows potential clients to find your contact information easily, see reviews, and even book appointments. Make sure your profile is fully filled out and updated regularly. Encourage happy clients to leave reviews, as these can help improve your rankings and attract more clients. 

A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) can be an invaluable tool for family law attorneys. This free tool allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. It provides an opportunity to showcase your legal services, boost local SEO, and interact with potential clients.

Claim and Optimize Your Profile

If you haven’t already, claim your Google Business Profile and ensure all information is accurate and complete. This includes your firm’s name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation.

Showcase Your Services

Clearly list and describe the family law services you offer. This can help potential clients understand what you provide and whether your services match their needs.

Post Regular Updates

Much like social media platforms, Google Business Profile allows businesses to post updates. These could include news about your firm, new services, or legal updates. Regular updates can keep your profile fresh and engaging.

Collect and Respond to Reviews

Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile. Positive reviews can significantly enhance your firm’s reputation and visibility. Additionally, responding to reviews (both positive and negative) demonstrates that you value feedback and are committed to client satisfaction.

Add Photos

Photos can help humanize your firm and build trust. Consider adding photos of your team, your office, or events you’ve participated in.

Use Insights

Google provides insights into how people find your profile and what they do once they find it. These insights can help you understand your audience better and optimize your profile and broader marketing strategy.

For family law attorneys, a well-managed Google Business Profile can be a powerful tool. It not only boosts your local SEO but also helps you connect with potential clients, much like social media. When used effectively, it can complement your overall digital marketing strategy and contribute to your firm’s growth.

Referral Marketing and Community Involvement for Family Lawyers

Referral marketing is another valuable strategy. Build strong relationships with other professionals who can refer clients to you, like therapists, financial advisors, and other attorneys in different practice areas. Participate in community events and local organizations to increase your visibility and demonstrate your commitment to your community

In the legal industry, personal recommendations can carry significant weight. For family law attorneys, referral marketing paired with community involvement can be a powerful strategy to attract more clients and build a strong reputation.

Referral Marketing

Referrals from satisfied clients or fellow legal professionals can be a valuable source of new business. Encourage clients to refer others who might need your services and build relationships with other lawyers who can refer cases they might not handle themselves.

Networking

Attending industry events, joining legal associations, and networking with other professionals can increase your visibility and open opportunities for referrals. Be sure to have a system in place to track and follow up on these leads.

Community Involvement

Participating in local community events, sponsoring local organizations, or offering pro bono services can raise your profile in the community and create opportunities for word-of-mouth referrals.

Educational Initiatives

Conducting free workshops or seminars on family law topics can position you as an expert and help you connect with potential clients. This can also generate opportunities for media coverage, further enhancing your visibility.

Online Marketing

Ensure your online marketing efforts, like SEO, social media, and content marketing, are aligned with your referral marketing strategy. Make it easy for website visitors to refer others to your services and share your content.

Referral Programs

Consider establishing a referral program that offers some form of appreciation for referrals. This could be a simple thank you note, a small gift, or a discount on future services. Always ensure your referral program complies with the ethical rules and regulations of the legal industry.

Through referral marketing and active community involvement, family law attorneys can not only attract more clients but also contribute positively to their community. These strategies can help you build a strong reputation and a thriving family law practice.

Digital Paid Advertising and Paid Traffic for Family Law Firm

Digital paid advertising, such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns on Google or social media platforms, can help increase your online visibility quickly. While organic strategies are crucial for long-term growth, paid advertising can provide a significant short-term boost, especially for new practices or those looking to expand. 

While organic strategies like SEO and referrals are important in attracting clients, paid advertising can provide a significant boost to the visibility of family law attorneys. When executed properly, it can help you reach a wider audience, target specific demographics, and achieve better results on search engines like Google.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

PPC advertising, like Google Ads, can help your law firm appear at the top of search results for specific keywords related to family law. With PPC, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective strategy if managed correctly.

Social Media Advertising

Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn offer advertising options that allow you to target users based on specific demographics, locations, or interests. This can be an effective way to reach potential clients who may not be actively searching for legal services but could benefit from them.

Display Advertising

Display ads, which appear on various websites as banners, can help increase your firm’s visibility. These ads can be targeted to specific demographics or behaviors to reach your ideal audience.

Retargeting Ads

Retargeting ads can be particularly effective for legal firms. These ads target individuals who have visited your website but didn’t take a particular action, such as filling out a contact form. Retargeting can help keep your services top-of-mind and encourage users to return and complete the desired action.

Legal Directories

Paid listings on legal directories can help improve your firm’s visibility to individuals actively seeking legal services. These directories often have high SEO value and can increase your website’s search engine rankings.

Paid Referrals

While not a form of advertising in the traditional sense, paid referrals can be an effective way to get new clients. Many legal professionals are willing to pay a referral fee to other attorneys for sending clients their way.

Paid advertising, when used in conjunction with organic marketing strategies, can help family law attorneys reach a wider audience, attract more potential clients, and grow their practice. It requires careful planning, testing, and optimization, but the results can be well worth the investment.

Marketing Management: Analytics and Conversion Rate Optimization for Family Law Firms

Finally, don’t forget to track your marketing efforts and adjust them based on what’s working and what’s not. Use analytics tools to understand where your website traffic is coming from, which content is most popular, and how many visitors are converting into clients. This data can help you optimize your marketing strategy and maximize your return on investment.

Closing Thoughts

In conclusion, marketing a family law practice requires a delicate balance of professionalism, empathy, and visibility. By using the strategies outlined above, you can effectively reach your target audience, build trust with potential clients, and grow your practice. Remember, the most successful family law marketing efforts are those that put the client at the center, demonstrating not just legal expertise, but also compassion and understanding.