Marketing Your Law Firm in 2024: Strategies for Standing out in 2024

With 11,500 law firms in the UK differentiation can be a constant challenge. When it come to legal services marketing, law firms in 2024 must adopt innovative marketing strategies to distinguish themselves. Legal Growth, a marketing agency specialising in law firms, highlights key approaches to ensure your firm not only competes but excels in this dynamic environment.

Emphasising Organic Social Media and Staff Engagement

The power of organic social media cannot be overstated. Regular, authentic posts on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter (now X), and Instagram can significantly enhance your firm’s visibility and credibility. Encouraging staff to engage with these posts amplifies their reach by as much as 8X, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose. The Legal Queen (on TikTok) has developed an audience of over 500k through regular engaging content.

Working on Brand Development

Your brand is more than just a logo or your brand font; it’s the embodiment of your firm’s values and expertise. In 2024, developing a strong, recognisable brand that resonates with your target audience is crucial. This involves consistent messaging, a professional visual identity, and a clear value proposition. Once these are firmly established, your marketing messages should be clear and purposeful. Where law firms fall down is a lack of consistency when it comes to brand messaging and a lack of understanding of buyer personas (your ideal customer or client).

Developing Partnerships and Collaborations

Forming strategic partnerships and collaborations can open new avenues for growth. Whether it’s with local businesses, non-profits, or other legal entities, these alliances can enhance your firm’s reputation and extend its reach. More importantly, they can boost revenue. Legal Growth encourages clients to look at boosting revenue by exploring partnerships and 67% of our clients have generated additional through partnership exploration. A client (a single person legal business) that we’ve been working with for nearly two years has gone from 5k per month to 70k per month using this methodology.

Building a Robust Digital Footprint

A comprehensive digital footprint is essential. This means having a user-friendly website, active social media profiles, and engaging content. SEO optimisation ensures your firm appears prominently in search results, making it easier for potential clients to find you. Any firm can engage in paid ads to boost visibility but this won’t deliver sustainable long term results. What will, is working on on-page SEO, link building, regular content creation across multiple platforms, and understanding the power that brand-based marketing will have your legal business.

Applying Social Proofing

Social proofing, such as showcasing awards and recognitions, bolsters your firm’s credibility. Participating in prestigious awards like the British Wills and Probate Awards or the Legal Growth Awards can significantly elevate your firm’s profile. On top of this, align your brand with other brands that your ideal clients recognise and trust.

Shifting to Google for Testimonials

While Review Solicitors has been a popular platform, moving your testimonial focus to Google can increase visibility and trust. Google’s widespread use makes it a more accessible and influential platform for potential clients seeking reviews. 93% of web traffic (as at 2023) went through Google making it by far the most widely used search engine and thus the first place a prospect would be looking for a solution to their legal problem. It makes sense therefore that your reviews should be on your Google Business Profile to ensure that you’re more visible.

Integrating Data into Your Business Model

Data-driven decision-making can revolutionise your firm’s operations. By integrating data analytics, you can gain insights into client behaviour, market trends, and operational efficiency, making your firm more attractive and valuable. Your CRM will typically be the first tool in helping you to understand data but acquisition (of businesses or data) can also be a great way to develop your business in 2024. Regardless of business size, this will be a game changer.

Embracing Artificial Intelligence

AI offers transformative potential in legal marketing. From chatbots for client engagement to predictive analytics for market trends, AI can streamline operations and offer a competitive edge. Lots of business owners simply don’t understand AI and therefore dismiss it as something thats not relevant to them or their business. Around one in six UK organisations, totaling 432,000, have embraced at least one AI technology – according to government research.

Focusing on Sustainability and Ethical Marketing

Sustainability, ethical marketing, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are increasingly important to clients. Back in 2020, 62% of consumers said that sustainability was a buying factor. In 2023, An independent study commissioned by SmartestEnergy revealed that consumers are increasingly favouring brands with a commitment to environmental sustainability. The study reveals that 4 out of 5 people describe themselves as likely to choose a brand with a positive approach to environmental sustainability.

Demonstrating a commitment to these values can differentiate your firm and resonate with a socially conscious client base. We have a number of clients who have implemented profit shares to good causes, who regularly donate to tree planting initiatives and who seek to benefit their local communities.

Innovating with Video Marketing

Video marketing, both long-form and short-form, is a powerful tool. It offers a dynamic way to convey your firm’s expertise and values, and it’s particularly effective in capturing the attention of potential clients in a crowded digital space. Better still, you don’t need a video production agency to start building video into your marketing strategy. Start with Instagram Reels, Facebook Lives, TikToks or YouTube Shorts. One of the things we’ve been doing with clients is embedding video onto web pages to support traditional web content. This is because, 96% of marketers agree that videos have helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

Investing in Team Building and Staff Development

A motivated and skilled team is your firm’s greatest asset. Investing in team building and staff development ensures your staff are not only proficient but also ambassadors of your firm’s brand and values.

How Legal Growth Can Assist

1. Legal Growth Conference.
2. LinkedIn Training with Tom Stansfield
3. Free Digital Footprint Report.
4. Sign up to Legal Growth’s email newsletter.
5. Invest in self-development and business growth using our ‘best books guide’.

Check out all of Tom’s offerings here.

Tom Stansfield is founder of Legal Growth.