When economic times get tough, the natural inclination is to cut back on spending. For a Law Firm, Marketing may be one of the first seemingly superfluous areas on the chopping block. While cutting these extra dollars from your bottom line is undoubtedly tempting, you should not stop marketing altogether.

Instead, law firms should focus on optimizing their budgets by making conscientious, strategic marketing decisions designed to reach more clients while weathering the storm. When companies stop advertising, there are consequences, such as a drop in performance on key metrics and perhaps even a loss of market share – likely the exact opposite of your law firm’s goals.

Keep reading this post for five effective ways to reduce your marketing budget with optimization strategies that don’t cost you key opportunities to reach new clients.

1. Prioritize Building Strong Profile Reviews

Reviews are digital word-of-mouth advertising. Provide exceptional representation and service to your current clients and encourage them to share their feedback online through popular platforms like Google. Before you start requesting reviews, be sure to learn more about how to avoid review flags so you can minimize your chances of having reviews disappear from Google.

Ask clients to also leave reviews on lawyer directories and similar platforms like the Justia Lawyer Directory (more on our ratings and reviews here) and other platforms frequently visited by clients.

Strong reviews build trust with your future clients and positively impact your digital reputation.

2. Take Advantage of Free and Low-Cost Promotional Channels

Plenty of free and low-cost marketing channels are available to lawyers and law firms.

Start by claiming your free Google Business Profile (GBP). Then, fully complete your GBP information. Your GBP ties into various other optimized, budget-friendly marketing strategies too. For example, a robust Google Business Profile promotes local Search Engine Optimization. Also, your GBP is a great place to encourage client reviews.

Once you set up your Google Business Profile, start working on your free lawyer directory profiles. We offer tips for maximizing your directory profiles here. You should also check out the various local and business directories to claim (or create) your profiles and ensure your information is consistent and accurate. Remember, these are great opportunities to put your best foot forward and can impact search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.

Social media also presents a great free opportunity for digital marketing. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter all offer a no-cost platform for promoting your practice. Other law firms can provide inspiration to help you get started on these social platforms.

Once you are ready, many free legal marketing platforms also offer low-cost promotions to help you further expand your reach. For instance, you can get an enhanced Justia Profile and expanded visibility in the Justia Lawyer Directory with a low-cost Justia Connect Pro Membership. If you need a law firm website, or your law firm website is too costly, Justia Elevate offers attorney websites starting at just $99/month.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day. You do not have to optimize every channel all at once. Instead, you can start small and grow big as you progress your marketing efforts.

3. Leverage Content Marketing Efforts for Better SEO

Investing time into your content helps your law firm improve your search engine optimization (SEO). Content remains king in the SEO world, so creating high-quality, original content that focuses on relevant keywords can help your website improve your visibility in search results.

Well-written content educates your target audience and showcases your expertise, increasing your authority and boosting your reputation. With time, your informative blog posts, articles, and more can attract potential clients, build trust, and position your law firm as a go-to resource in your community.

If you are having trouble getting started on your writing or find yourself consistently getting stuck, new artificial intelligence (AI) models like ChatGPT can give you ideas and even help create drafts! We have more information on using ChatGPT in your legal marketing available here, or you can check out our YouTube video on ChatGPT for marketing below.

4. Engage Your Audience With Videos

Once upon a time, video marketing was a costly, time-consuming endeavor. However, that no longer has to be the case. Technological advancements and increased technology access in recent years have paved the way for efficient, cost-effective video production, and there are many reasons why lawyers should add videos to their legal marketing strategy.

Optimizing your videos can also boost your SEO efforts and increase conversions for your firm because videos often create more authentic connections with your audience that encourage action. Additionally, both short videos and long-form videos can extend your reach to new audiences through platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. These channels are largely free (unless you sponsor your video through an ad) and have a broad reach.

With a smartphone and inexpensive video-editing software, such as iMovie for Mac and various PC programs, you have all the necessary tools to create new, engaging videos right at your fingertips.

The time you spend creating videos on evergreen topics is well-spent, as videos are great for repurposing on multiple platforms. For instance, you can share videos created for YouTube on your law firm website, social media pages, and more! We have a few video content creation ideas to help you get started available here.

5. Monitor and Measure Your Marketing Efforts

You cannot assess your marketing performance without tracking and evaluating the performance of your marketing efforts. Data-driven decision-making allows you to better optimize your budget during tough times.

Every law firm is unique. What works very well for your colleague simply may not work for your practice, whether it be due to the practice area, location, or something else. You must identify which channels, campaigns, and strategies yield the best results and adjust your budget accordingly. This approach allows you to reallocate your time and financial resources to the most effective tactics and marketing channels.

Final Thoughts: Why Do You Care?

Strategic marketing can help you maximize the impact of your marketing budget during difficult financial times. By focusing on effective marketing, you can continue to reach your goals and grow your practice. If you need help implementing proven, cost-efficient marketing strategies, the Justia Team can help. Contact us to learn more about what Justia Marketing Solutions can do for you.