In many cases, law firms rely on a handful of attorneys with deep networks and strong reputations to bring in the lion’s share of new clients. The rest of the firm benefits. This model can work for a time. But, at some point, it stalls.
The problem is that personal networks are inherently limited. Even the most connected partner eventually exhausts the relationships that generate new business. And when a firm’s pipeline depends on a few individuals, it is one retirement or lateral move away from a significant disruption.
A key part of the solution is building a dedicated marketing operation that generates visibility, builds attorney reputations, and creates inbound interest for law firms. There are four key components to building a multifaceted marketing operation that supports and enhances the business development effort.
A healthy and engaging digital footprint
Before a prospective client ever speaks with an attorney, they’ve usually already formed an impression of the firm. That initial impression comes from search results, AI outputs, and the firm’s website.
A law firm website must be fast, technically optimized for search visibility, visually appealing, easily navigable, and strategically organized to encourage visitors to explore multiple pages. Additionally, as prospective buyers increasingly use LLMs to uncover information in their research journeys, law firm website content must answer the questions those prospective clients are asking. This content includes robust practice and industry pages, as well as thought leadership articles. Additionally, firms need bios for their attorneys that showcase expertise but also personality.
Social media is another channel that law firms must optimize. LinkedIn is the online hub of B2B promotion, so, at a minimum, a strong LinkedIn presence is essential. This presence should include a mix of high-quality commentary, company news, and amplification of attorneys’ social media content. Firms with budget to spare should consider targeted ads on LinkedIn, which allows precise targeting by company, title, and function.
Strong individual brands for attorneys
Clients hire attorneys, not firms. An attorney’s experience, credibility, and presence drive client relationships. But legal marketing teams can accelerate business development by helping attorneys build their individual profiles through thought leadership programs. These programs should include a mix of owned content (i.e., articles on the firm website distributed via the firm’s email newsletter) and earned content (i.e., quotes and articles in media outlets read by the firm’s clients and prospects). Also, speaking engagements at industry conferences give attorneys a platform to share their insights and a setting to meet prospects.
Thought leadership programs should include a mix of formats, from short- and long-form written content to video content. This content should be educational and insightful. The attorneys who stand out are the ones who provide incisive analysis, challenge conventional wisdom, and offer prescriptive guidance that their clients and prospects can use in their day-to-day work. Building a thought leadership profile requires patience and consistency, but it is essential to helping an attorney become a recognizable expert and driving inbound interest.
A sharp and consistent brand presence
A vulnerability facing law firms is in the many assets that end up in front of clients and prospects. Every asset—from the annual holiday card to presentation decks to email signatures—must be aligned with the firm’s brand. When attorneys put poorly formatted and off-brand assets in front of clients and prospects, they give the impression that the firm is unorganized and lacks the polish and sophistication that are required in legal practice.
Law firm marketers should create comprehensive brand standards and toolkits, train attorneys on how to use these materials, and continually support attorneys to ensure adherence to the brand. The marketing team’s goal should be to empower attorneys to create and share assets while ensuring they stay within the confines of the approved brand.
Closing the loop between marketing and BD
As beneficial as marketing optimization is by itself, its impact will be limited if a law firm’s marketing and business development teams don’t sync up. In some cases, marketing initiatives will generate leads. But even when they don’t, they can create intelligence that sales-focused teams and attorneys can mine. For example, law firm marketers and business development professionals can review readership insights available from email marketing tools, social media platforms, and sources like JD Supra, identifying frequent engagers, and developing strategies to stay in front of them. They can also collaborate on cleaning CRM and email list data to ensure the firm has a clear understanding of engagement across contacts and is reaching the most relevant individuals.
These activities aren’t revolutionary. But they compound over time, turning marketing output into actionable intelligence for the people doing the selling.
A marketing foundation to drive growth
Law firms that treat marketing as a key growth driver will show up in front of clients and prospects with high-quality assets and insightful commentary. They will put themselves consistently in the consideration set, which is a significant advantage in a competitive market. And they will advance beyond rainmaker-driven business development and create a more sustainable growth engine.
Upcoming webinar
If you are interested in seeing how a robust marketing strategy integrates into a complete “operating system” for law firms, check out our webinar April 30th at 11 a.m. ET.
This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.
