There’s no shortage of law firm marketing tactics to consider.

Implementing the right tactics at the right time increases the likelihood of reaching your target audience and providing them with the information and guidance they need.

Before we go any further, remember this: The marketing tactics you successfully used in the past may not generate the same results in the future.

You should always be on the lookout for new and improved ways of approaching this critical part of your business. And yes—even specialty firms such as personal injury law firms need marketing.

Let’s look at specific tactics for personal injury lawyers to capture leads and keep your pipeline full of cases.

See how Kaleidico can help you reach lead generation goals and get the best cases.

How important is SEO for personal injury lawyers and law firms?

First things first: Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for law firms, especially personal injury lawyers for the following reasons:

• To help your target audience find you
• Push targeted traffic to your website
• To collect the contact information of qualified case leads
• Build brand awareness
• Position your law firm as an authority in the personal injury practices

Not only is SEO the key to driving traffic to your website, but it’s also one of the first steps in a comprehensive and well-thought-out marketing strategy.

Are lawyers allowed to advertise their services online?

This is a common question for good reason. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to advertising your legal services online.

One false step could result in trouble with the American Bar Association, and that’s not a risk you should be willing to take.

If you’re unsure of the rules regarding legal advertising online, stop what you’re doing and read our blog post “Ethical Regulations in Legal Marketing.”

While the entire post is packed full of information, here’s one of the most important passages:

Lawyers can pay for advertising and communications, such as directories, online directories, newspaper ads, TV ads, radio ads, domain names and websites, sponsorship fees, and Internet and group ads. In addition, lawyers are legally allowed (and encouraged) to pay professionals to generate these ads for them.

In short, lawyers are permitted to advertise their services online.

However, there are things you’re prohibited from doing, so you’ll want to become familiar with “Rule 7.2: Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules.”

10 winning law firm marketing tactics for personal injury law firms

You only have so much time in your day and so much money in your budget. That’s why you need to settle on a law firm marketing strategy that generates results.

Word of mouth is great but what happens when those leads start to dry up? Do you understand why you need online marketing tactics for your law firm yet? Case leads and conversions of website visitors should be your top priority.

Now that we have that (and the ABA rules) out of the way, let’s look at some of the tactics you should implement at your firm.

1. Build an optimized website

Your firm’s website is crucial to generating leads. Without it, you’ll find it a challenge to keep a steady flow of leads coming into your law firm. And when that happens, the rest of your business will suffer.

If your website isn’t generating leads, you may find yourself buying leads from a lead aggregator. This sounds like a good idea until you realize how expensive these services are.

A high-quality website that generates leads is more cost-effective in the long run. There’s no need to consistently purchase leads. Instead, optimize and let your website do the work for you.

This can be done, first, by making your contact information and mission statement clear throughout your website. Make it easy for the potential client to contact you. You can also build a contact form for visitors to fill out and prompt them to do so on each landing page.

Websites in 2023 must be optimized for mobile. Often, businesses will have a button on their website that allows mobile users to call your firm directly from the site.

However you choose to capture the visitor’s attention, make sure you offer many opportunities for new and potential clients to get in touch with you. 

Have a plan for nurturing the leads you generate from your website.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Email marketing: Use targeted email campaigns to provide valuable content, such as legal advice or industry news, keeping your firm at the forefront of their minds.
• Personalize communication: Tailor your interactions to the specific needs and interests of each lead, making them feel valued and understood.
• Use CRM software: Implement a customer relationship management (CRM) system to track and manage leads efficiently, ensuring no potential client falls through the cracks.
• Educational content: Regularly update your website and blog with helpful, informative content to keep leads engaged and position your firm as an industry authority.

2. Improve your website’s SEO

Almost everything you do from a marketing perspective is driven by SEO.

Your goal is to dominate the search engines for your target keywords, thus allowing your target audience to find your law firm. You know your clients best; what are they searching for online? Tailor your website to have those answers.

There’s a lot that goes into optimizing your website for search engines. That’s why many law firms hire a digital marketing agency to manage the process on their behalf. This allows you to focus more time and energy on other tasks, such as helping your clients.

But this doesn’t mean you can’t do anything on your own.

Three steps you can take today include:

1. Create a Google My Business profile: This is critical from a local SEO perspective. Not only does it improve your odds of ranking at the top of Google for local keywords — such as Los Angeles personal injury lawyer — but it also provides your audience with information such as your location, phone number, website, and hours of operation.
2. Optimize your content for the correct keywords: The quantity of visitors to your website isn’t nearly as important as the quality. You need both to succeed, and that’s why it’s so important to optimize your content with keywords relevant to your services. This includes both static copy and blog content.
3. Study your competitors: This doesn’t mean you should copy what they’re doing. It means you should study them to better understand their target keywords, SEO strategy, and areas of vulnerability. Take what they’re doing and do it better.

Discovering target keywords is an important part of improving your website’s SEO. You don’t want to attract just any visitors to your website. You want to attract target visitors who have an interest in your services.

Start by mapping out your areas of practice and identifying the types of clients you serve. For instance, if you specialize in car accidents in Chicago, terms like “car accident attorney Chicago” or “car crash lawyer near Chicago” may be relevant.

Your website should also have landing pages for each of your service areas. We like the way that Michigan personal injury firm Sinas Dramis lists out the claims they commonly handle and links to each page, making it easy for clients to find what they need.

They’re the second highest-ranking result on Google when someone in Michigan searches “personal injury law firm,” by the way, with nearly 23,000 monthly site visits. How many of those visitors are actual case leads, we don’t know. But that’s a lot of potential clients who now know the services they offer.

Next, use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to discover related keywords. These tools provide insights into search volume, competition level, and keyword suggestions.

You should also analyze your competitors. Check the keywords they’re ranking for and how they’re using them on their site. This analysis can unveil new keyword opportunities for your firm. The above keyword tools often have a feature that analyzes competitor URLs and reports what keywords they’re ranking for.

Reaching the top of Google for your target keywords doesn’t happen overnight. But when you implement the right SEO strategy, you’re putting your website in a position for success over the long run.

Let Kaleidico reach your target audience right where they are so that you can provide the expert legal services they need.

3. Regularly publish blog content

At a minimum, publish one blog post per week. And if time and other resources allow, it’s good practice to bump this up to two or three posts.

As one of the most powerful forms of content marketing, blogging allows you to:

• Share relevant information with your audience
• Establish yourself as a thought leader with valuable insight
• Solidify your website in the search rankings for your target keywords.
• Share your content via social media, with an emphasis on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

If you’re struggling with ideas to kickstart your blogging strategy, consider the following:

• How-to guides
• Informative content on personal injury cases
• Frequently asked questions
• Personal injury case studies

Blog content has the potential to drive loads of targeted traffic to your website. Create a content calendar to ensure that you post a minimum of once per week.

For those times when you don’t have the time to create and publish blog content, you have two options.

First, you could hire a freelance writer or content agency to research topics and generate blog posts on your behalf.

Your other option is to use an AI tool, such as ChatGPT. While this is a good jumping-off point, you may not want to publish the copy as-is. It’s better to use AI to create a foundation, but then inject the content with your own personality and branding.

4. Ask for referrals

Referral marketing can be one of the biggest sources of new leads for your personal injury law firm. These leads are highly qualified, targeted, and free. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Some of the many people you can ask for referrals include:

• Previous personal injury clients you successfully won cases for
• Peers in your profession who can attest to your ability
• Non-legal professionals in your network

Tip: Don’t just take referrals from other people. Look for ways to return the favor. Doing so improves the likelihood of receiving future referrals from the same sources.

Asking for referrals doesn’t have to be a painstaking process.

Some tips for asking for referrals:

• Direct communication: After a successful case resolution, don’t hesitate to ask clients directly if they know anyone else who could benefit from your services.
• Client satisfaction surveys: Use surveys to gauge client satisfaction and include a section asking for referrals; satisfied clients are often happy to refer others.
• Networking: Establish relationships with other professionals who can refer clients to your firm, such as local medical professionals.
• Follow-up emails: Regularly communicate with past clients through emails and newsletters, reminding them of your services and asking for referrals in a non-intrusive way.

Referrals alone won’t be enough to sustain the long-term success of your practice, but they can go a long way in keeping it moving in the right direction.

5. Ask for reviews

Positive online reviews are essential to your success as a personal injury lawyer.

Potential clients will typically take the time to learn more about your law firm before contacting you. Positive reviews can be the difference between hearing from a lead and losing out to another law firm in your area.

As noted above, you’re permitted to ask clients to share an online review. However, you’re not permitted to tell them what to write. Additionally, you can’t provide any incentive for a positive review, such as cash or a gift.

One of the best ways to ask for a review is by sending a simple message to your satisfied clients, such as:

“Hey [first name], I wanted to send you a quick note of appreciation for trusting our law firm with your case. Should you have a spare minute in the near future, would you mind leaving a Google review of our firm?”

Don’t expect everyone to leave a review, but a few here and there can go a long way in boosting your online profile.

Are you still on the fence regarding the importance of online reviews? Here’s why you need to get serious about these.

Enhance credibility

Online reviews provide social proof, demonstrating that real people have used and benefited from your services. Positive reviews can boost the credibility of your law firm, as potential clients often trust peer recommendations.

In an industry where trust is paramount, having a multitude of positive reviews can significantly influence a prospect’s decision.

Think about it this way. Who would you trust more? A law firm with no online reviews or one with 50 five-star reviews?

Improve local SEO

Google factors in online reviews when determining local search rankings. The quantity, quality, and consistency of your reviews can enhance your law firm’s online visibility, making it easier for local clients to find you.

Understand your clients

Reviews can provide valuable feedback about your law firm and the services you offer. They can highlight areas where your firm excels and reveal areas for improvement. This information can guide your firm’s strategy and service enhancements, allowing you to create a better experience for future clients.

Increase engagement

Responding to online reviews, both positive and negative, shows that you value client feedback. This can foster a stronger relationship with clients and show potential clients that you’re committed to client satisfaction above all else.

Boost conversion rates

Positive reviews can significantly impact a potential client’s decision to choose your law firm over others.

When prospects see positive experiences from other clients, it reduces uncertainty and increases their confidence in your services. Therefore, a robust collection of positive online reviews can lead to higher conversion rates for your law firm.

You won’t receive a review from everyone you ask, but you may be surprised at how many people are willing to help out.

Attract more qualified case leads to your law firm with our results-driven marketing services.

6. Write a lawyer bio

If you don’t yet have a lawyer bio on your website, now’s the time to create one. Furthermore, if you have other employees in your firm, ask them to do the same.

We like the way that one of our previous clients, Grover Lewis Johnson, uses sidebars to list out their attorneys’ accomplishments and contact information.

Use the following tips to write a bio:

• Include a headshot: A friendly face has a way of keeping people on your website for a longer time. Don’t forget to add a professional headshot to your bio page.
• Keep it clean: Don’t make readers work to find the information they’re seeking. A “clean” bio is broken into paragraphs and includes bullet-point lists of relevant recognition, experience, and education.
• Talk about your experience and knowledge: How many years have you been practicing personal injury law? Do you belong to any associations? How many cases have you won?

Take the time to see what other personal injury lawyer bios look like. This will help you decide which direction to take yours.

7. Buy Google and Facebooks ads

Even though SEO should be a big part of your personal injury lawyer marketing strategy, it doesn’t mean you should ignore paid advertising. Both Google and Facebook offer the ability to advertise your services to targeted individuals.

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are beneficial to generate new leads. This tactic allows you to generate leads now, not later. Unlike SEO, there’s no waiting to see what happens. Once your ad is approved and live, there’s a potential for traffic to follow shortly behind.

There are two primary benefits of buying Google and Facebook ads:

1. The speed at which you can get started
2. The opportunity to target a specific audience

The only potential downfall is the cost. You’re charged every time someone clicks through to your website. The best way to manage this is by tracking your return on investment. It’s okay to pay for clicks if it directly leads to representing new clients.

8. Get listed on directories and “best of” lists

Starting with directories, search for both local and national options. For example, FindLaw and Avvo.com are two of the biggest online legal services, with both having a robust directory.

Depending on your location, there may be local legal directories that accept submissions.

As for “best of” lists, start by searching the internet for blog posts on reputable websites. An example would be “The 10 Best Personal Injury Law Firms in New York City.”

If your firm is not included, email the applicable party to share more information on your firm. This is a great way to gain more exposure, boost your search engine rankings, and make new contact in the legal space.

9. Get friendly with your local chiropractic office

This may not make sense at first but think about it. Many people who are injured in motor vehicle accidents visit their local chiropractor shortly thereafter. They do so as the result of back and/or neck pain. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have the opportunity to seek compensation, but they may.

If you personally see a chiropractor, that’s a good place to start. Strike up a conversation about your law firm, share your business card, and let them know that you’re open to referrals.

It’s simple: Chiropractors see a lot of people who were injured in a car accident.

10. Email marketing

According to Statista, “the global email marketing market was valued at $7.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to increase to nearly $18 billion by 2027.”

If nothing else, this shows that email marketing is alive and well. It remains a viable option for reaching your audience.

Take steps to collect email addresses from everyone you come in contact with.

For instance:

• Share an email form on your website.
• Ask for emails at any in-person or virtual events.
• Create an email marketing segment for former clients.

It’s not likely to serve as your primary lead generation strategy, but email marketing can keep you in touch with your audience and land you new clients every now and again.

When you’re ready to take action, here are five email marketing tips that can help:

• Segmentation: Categorize your email list based on client interests, case types, or engagement levels to deliver more relevant and personalized content.
• Value-driven content: Provide informative, helpful content such as legal tips, industry news, and case studies to keep subscribers engaged and position your firm as an authority in a crowded industry.
• Strong call-to-action: Include clear, compelling calls-to-action that guide readers towards desired actions, such as scheduling a consultation or reading a blog post.
• Consistent communication: Regularly send emails to stay top-of-mind with subscribers, but ensure you’re not overwhelming them with too many messages.
• Track and analyze: Use email marketing metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure effectiveness and adjust your strategy as needed.

It takes time to grow your email marketing list, so don’t get discouraged. Stick with your strategy over the long run and you’ll begin to reap the rewards.

Final thoughts on marketing for personal injury lawyers and firms

These are just 10 of the best marketing tactics for personal injury lawyers but don’t shy away from anything else that can help you generate traffic and leads.

Once you have a strategy you can trust and rely on, you’ll be more confident in your ability to consistently generate leads.

Let Kaleidico reach your target audience right where they are so that you can provide the expert legal services they need.