Marketing Tips for Personal Injury Attorneys

There’s a reason so many personal injury attorneys advertise on freeway billboards, buses, and television: anyone, at any time, could need a personal injury attorney. These prolific ads, with catchy taglines and earworm jingles, bring the personal injury attorney quickly to mind when someone is harmed and needs a lawyer.

These ads are a branding strategy. Branding keeps a product or service top-of-mind and familiar. For personal injury attorneys especially, branding is an effective marketing tactic. The need for a personal injury attorney usually comes during a person’s most difficult time – maybe while struggling with emotional and/or physical harm or even a loved one’s death. When people are suffering, they are more likely to take the path that leads to fast help. So, a person who passed a personal injury attorney’s billboard ad on the way to work every day without thinking twice about it, is now dialing the number.

Branding, though, is only one side of the legal marketing coin. The other side is searching. Digital marketing tactics create an online presence and persona so that a personal injury attorney can not only be found, but also be perceived as an expert in the field. This online presence is key for both referral vetting and for those searching anew.

An ideal personal injury law marketing strategy incorporates both branding and searching activities. There are many online marketing activities that support both strategies simultaneously.

Digital Marketing for Personal Injury Attorneys

Any comprehensive legal marketing strategy or legal marketing plan incorporates most of these online activities. Personal injury attorneys, though, who are specifically trying to reach everyday people have a lot to gain from these digital marketing tactics:

• Website: A personal injury law firm’s website must be easy to use and read. It should use plain language (not legalese) and describe the firm’s services in detail. Potential clients want to know they are getting the best, most experienced attorney to represent them. Show that by including case studies, testimonials, and awards and recognitions on the website. Personal injury attorneys who handle niche cases, like auto accidents involving rideshare drivers or injuries from the use of a specific medical device, should describe that work on the website.
• Social Media: Increasingly, social media is being used to search for services and products. Social media platforms have also become referral hubs. Personal injury attorneys should have profiles and posts on the social media platforms that consumers are likely to turn to for help finding a personal injury attorney. These include Facebook, Nextdoor, and Avvo — and don’t forget LinkedIn, which creates professional legitimacy. SEO: Search engine optimization leads potential clients to a law firm’s website or social media profiles via keyword searches. It’s also the strategy that gets a website ranked higher on search engine results pages (SERPS).
• Paid Content: There are many paid options to snag a top search engine result or a spot in social media feeds. They include both digital ads and sponsored posts and come in pay-per-click (PPC) or Local Services Ads (LSAs) models. The prices are often scalable, making it easy to stay within a set budget.
• Content Marketing: Any online communications, from website bios and blogs to social media posts and advertisements, fall under the content marketing umbrella. Creating and posting helpful content provides an opportunity to promote services that can help potential clients. Meanwhile, writing about trending topics in the law or interesting cases establishes personal injury attorneys as knowledgeable leaders in the field. An added bonus is that keyword-rich content supports SEO strategies.

The Personal Injury Attorney Persona

Personal injury law always involves injury or death. While a custody dispute, an injustice, or a broken agreement can cause people to suffer emotional harm, personal injury cases can be over the loss of limbs, inability to earn a living, or persistent pain. The injured client needs someone to fight for justice and compensation, but they are also looking for a sympathetic and passionate ally. Personal injury attorneys need a personal brand that telegraphs competence and compassion in all marketing communications.

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