Marketing law firm: How to attract clients

‍Marketing Law Firm

95% of people search Google first before choosing a lawyer or tax advisor. Anyone who wants to win clients online as a lawyer or tax advisor must attract the attention of potential clients and position themselves well in Google search results. You will therefore only find new clients today if you market yourself and your services well online and selling Can.

We helped Burkhard Küpper, managing director of a large tax firm, get to the top of Google: In just 6 months, thanks to high traffic and an excellent conversion rate, we were able to increase sales of 0€ to an impressive 3,300,000€ boost.

In this article, we share with you our most valuable insights from our many years of experience in law firm marketing. We provide you with exclusive, tested and proven knowledge that no one else has.

The most important points:

• If you want to remain successful as a tax advisor, you can't avoid law firm marketing.
• When you talk about your strengths online, new clients will come to you.
• A modern website and search engine optimization (SEO) are urgently needed to set you apart from your competitors.
• If you rank well in Google search results, you'll be seen as an expert.
• Online marketing enables you to acquire customers reliably, predictably and automatically.

Before you read this article, I'd like to preface one thing. You must first decide: Do you want your service to be seen as a means to an end or as a lasting partnership?

In other words: Do you want short-term clients or do you want clients who rely on you as a partner and come back to you again and again because they trust you to solve their problems? How do you assess this question with regard to your own performance as a tax advisor?

If you decide that you want to be seen as a trustworthy partner, you should use a marketing strategy that improves your relationship with your clients: Be empathetic, speak clearly and simply, and remind clients over and over again why you should work with you.

What is law firm marketing?

Law firms can also do marketing today - since the easing of professional law allows lawyers and tax advisors to advertise, they are also allowed to attract clients with online marketing.

Law firm marketing is the implementation of the necessary measures for an optimal Internet presence. The aim of search engine optimization (SEO), for example, is for your potential clients to find you. You should also definitely appear in Google's search ads, because if you don't appear there today, you simply don't exist.

Are tax advisors allowed to advertise?

In accordance with the general requirements of §§ 1, 3 UWG in the §§ 57 and 57a StBerg, advertising for tax advisors is generally permitted.

Despite the change in legislation, most tax advisors and lawyers are not interested in marketing and especially not in digital marketing. They don't care about their online presence and only rely on referrals to attract new clients. But if you want to stay relevant, you should start law firm marketing now.

With expert SEO advice and a solid SEO strategy, you can be more successful than your competitors and take one of the coveted top rankings in Google search results. In the next section, you will learn how to approach your SEO strategy for your law firm marketing.

When implementing your strategy for law firm marketing, you should ensure compliance with media and copyright law as well as data protection. Here, too, it is recommended to work with experts who can implement the whole thing for you in a legally secure manner.

What do you need to pay particular attention to when marketing a law firm?

As far as marketing is concerned, the requirements are generally becoming ever higher, especially for Google. Nowadays, it's no longer enough to do what worked 10 years ago — such as placing tons of keywords on your website to improve your ranking.

It is much more difficult to rank well today. Your page should add value to visitors to your website. It should answer visitors' questions and fulfill their search intentions. If this is not the case, your page will be penalized with a poor ranking.

Sensitive topics, maineid & grey areas

A special feature of law firm marketing is that there are certain areas of law for which it is significantly more difficult to be found on Google.

Example: Bankruptcy Law

For example, the legal situation in insolvency law changed a few years ago and the insolvency proceedings Was on three years abbreviated.

If you now with the keyword insolvency law If you want to advertise but advertise with big and unrealistic promises, you will not only make yourself unpopular with your clients, but Google will also not rank you well in search results. So don't make promises that you can't keep, because that could hurt your image more than it would help you get more customers. Be very careful which advertising message you use to promote your services and make sure that you appear reputable.

Remember that moving into grey areas is risky, but that it can also be worthwhile because you are sure to attract the attention of many people. Be careful, however, that you don't make empty promises that you can't keep. Communicate wisely and without deceiving your website visitors. Back up your services with case studies and excellent reviews from real clients to build trust.

Is law firm marketing a requirement for tax advisors?

Digitalization and increasing competitive pressure are making it increasingly difficult for law firms to acquire new clients if they are not engaged in digital marketing. What worked in the past doesn't produce the same results today. Nowadays, you have to be perceived as an “expert”, present yourself reputable online and get in touch with people so that they become aware of you and eventually become clients.

Online marketing is essential, regardless of whether your business relationships are B2C or B2B are. If you want to stand out from other law firms, digital marketing is the best way to differentiate yourself and reach more people.

Acquire the clients you want completely automatically

With clever marketing and digital tools, you can automate your client acquisition and select your A-mandates in a targeted manner.

You should tell people about your work and the results you can deliver. Tell them why you're the best tax advisor or lawyer in your field and back it up with facts. When you do that, you're effectively advertising your services, and people want to become your clients.

Marketing will make you reflect on your work

Our cooperation with tax advisors and lawyers has shown us that many only consciously engage with their target group when they think about marketing measures. Do you really know your customers and their problems? Are you showing them understanding and empathy? Are you demonstrating your authority without bragging or lecturing? Are you positioning yourself as your trustworthy partner? It is only by dealing with such difficult issues that you can reach more people and attract more clients.

We know how difficult it is to face your weaknesses. Even though law firm marketing is about focusing on your strengths, you also have to address your weaknesses. This is often the first step to improve your own marketing skills and tap into new potential. It was the same with our client and top tax advisor Burkhard Küpper.

Case study: Tax advisor Burkhard Küpper - How to do proper law firm marketing

Of course, most people want to put their tax matters in competent hands. Ideally, however, a tax advisor is not only an accountant, but also helps to save taxes and optimize your own tax burden.

Based on these findings, we have developed an advertising message for Burkhard Küpper that shows that he really understands his clients' wishes and focuses precisely on this aspect of creative tax advice and optimization.

Today, he regularly holds seminars on saving taxes with several hundred participants and has also published a book on the subject. It is worthwhile to advertise with such a message, as Mr. Küpper's success shows.

What matters

Market yourself and your services as a brand that stands out from others because you communicate clearly, address the needs of your target groups, and provide clear added value. If you do this, people will want to get in touch with you and become your clients.

How we implemented a successful law firm marketing strategy for tax advisor Burkhard Küpper in 3 steps

1. During our potential analysis with Burkhard Küpper, we realized that the first important step had to be to place Google Ads. That's why we planned and implemented a Google Ads marketing campaign: We carried out a keyword analysis and were thus able to identify the best keywords to attract qualified leads for the law firm Küpper & Kollegen. We then placed ads with the advertising message we developed, which reliably and automatically generated new clients for the law firm. In just 6 months, we succeeded in increasing sales from 0€ to 3,300,000€.
2. In 2019, we have Mr. Küpper at the initiation of the seminar “Taxes No Thanks: The Tax Savings System”. With this seminar lasting several days, Mr. Küpper primarily wanted to reach out to entrepreneurs in Germany, inform them about their tax savings options and provide food for thought on the subject of taxes. With our marketing, we were an important part of the whole and were able to make a significant contribution to the success of the seminar.
3. In 2021, Mr. Küpper published “Steuern Nein Danke: Die Steuersparstrategie” and we supported him with another marketing campaign to promote his book. The goal was to get to the top places on the Amazon order list, which we were able to achieve: The book was number 1 for several weeks, which is an outstanding success for a first-time publisher and author.

“I can say that the contact with Marketer UX was what completely changed our business. We still have a lot of plans together. I can only advise everyone to work with this team.”
- Burkhard Küpper, Managing Director Küpper & Kollegen Steuerberatungsgesellschaft

Feel free to see all results and more details in our detailed case study on.

How you can do successful law firm marketing

Reflect on your approach to marketing

• Digital marketing should be one of your priorities if you want to be successful with your law firm on the Internet in the long term
• See it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself, your business, and your clients
• Pay attention to marketing your competition and learn from their strengths and weaknesses

Find your niche

Develop a marketing message that reaches more people

• Your advertising message should be clear, understandable and repeatable, otherwise it will be quickly forgotten
• You should answer the three most important questions that your potential clients ask themselves: What do you offer? How is it going to make my life better? What do I have to do to benefit from the service?
• Always remember that it's not about you, it's about your clients

Position yourself as a trustworthy point of contact

• Collect positive reviews on all popular platforms, e.g. Google My Business, Trustpilot, Kununu and use them on your website and in your marketing material
• Publish case studies of your work that prove the value of your service for your clients
• Let your clients have their say and publish their testimonials on your website, as text, or even better as a video

Give them a simple plan that will guide them to solve their problem

• Develop a simple, clear step-by-step plan that prospects can follow to benefit from your service
• Make sure that potential clients can take the steps smoothly and thus ensure excellent Customer journey

Get help from marketing professionals to implement

The topic of law firm marketing is highly sensitive. So make sure you get help from someone who knows their marketing craft very well. Freelancers and SEO consultants who have not yet gained any experience in this area are extremely inadvisable. Find yourself a SEO agency, who have already had success with advertising campaigns and travel along this way, on a safe ship towards your destination.

2 important differences in marketing for lawyers and tax advisors

There are significant differences in marketing for lawyers and tax advisors.

1. Lawyers prove their qualities in the short to medium term because legal issues often involve solving problems quickly and meeting deadlines. The situation is different for tax advisors, because only after a medium to long-term cooperation do clients recognize whether the tax advisor has done a good job.

This is not to say that lawyers do not also take care of their clients in the long term, or that tax advisors do not also solve their clients' problems in the short term. For most people, however, it is the case that they work with tax advisors on a long-term basis, while working with lawyers is an exception as most people have no ongoing legal problems.

2. If you look at people's search behavior on Google, you'll see that they're mostly looking for a solution to their problem when it comes to legal matters. When it comes to tax matters, people are likely looking for a tax firm that can take care of them. Lawyers are therefore aware of the problem even before the first contact. In the case of tax advisors, it is only during the consultation that it becomes clear which services clients really need.

Attract more clients with law firm marketing — simply and reliably

First and foremost, people Google because they're looking for a solution. But if you package this solution in such a way that your clients' lives are significantly more exhausting without your help, you will gain confidence in you as an expert.

But how do you do that?

Basically, there is a secret formula for becoming THE lawyer or THE tax advisor that every client wants. To do this, you have to put yourself in the shoes of your clients and ask yourself:

• Why does this person need help?
• What are his motivations?
• What feeling and problem is the client currently struggling with?

It is precisely these feelings that you need to address and be comforting. Position yourself in such a way that you think along and are the best point of contact for your client's problem. You should look human and cool, use simple language and at the same time build an image that no other person in your industry has.

Example of a procedure:

Just imagine which lawyer or tax advisor you would have used for yourself if you needed a new one tomorrow? And exactly according to this scheme, build your own profile.

Law firm marketing: Become a brand in 4 steps

Nowadays, when you have a problem, you Google for a suitable solution. Because the best solutions are listed there chronologically — you might think. In reality, only the best SEO strategists and the best service providers in search engine advertising (SEA) are fighting for one of the highly sought after top positions on Google.

You could turn the tables if your clients are specifically looking for you. Become your own brand and choose suitable clients with whom you would like to work with in the future. Impossible? We'll show you exactly how it works:

1st concept: Find the right law firm marketing keyword

Be honest: With the simple word “tax advisor,” wouldn't every tax advisor like to rank on Google?

But in fact, quite a lot of intensive work has to be done to fulfill this dream. Sites like Wikipedia are one of the strongest websites that you can barely beat without paid advertising. A keyword combination is therefore recommended so that your content, pages and company name can be found by your desired clients.

If you want to advertise for the keyword “tax advisor,” you will pay 5€ (Cost Per Click) per ad click in paid search results for the keyword

What also makes sense conceptually is local tendrils. For example, if your agency communicates with your local location, clients in your region can find you more quickly if they specifically search for a tax advisor in Mönchengladbach, for example.

When you search with the keyword”Tax Consultant Mönchengladbach”, with SEA measures, you only pay 3€ per ad click. In this way, you will be able to generate significantly more warm leads from clients in your immediate vicinity. In addition, you invest comparatively less money in advertising and have a comparatively better chance of an excellent result.

In short: This concept is a fundamental consideration that must be thoroughly considered. To do this, try yourself in a problem-related Try to empathize your potential clients. Imagine how your clients would have to search for you to claim your service. In this way, you lay the foundation for your concept.

Strategy 2: What is your law firm marketing strategy?

Which measures and channels would you like to use? Would you like a create a new website or a Redesign your website Have it done? Your law firm marketing strategy includes all thought processes that you should answer in advance.

There are tons of options and measures for you — both in classic SEO and in online marketing. Despite SEO measures, you should also feed your other social media channels. In addition to SEO measures, public relations are also useful.

On the other hand, you need to look at your current situation: Is your law firm in the start-up phase, expanding, or have you already built up an established law firm that has unfortunately not yet been able to achieve notoriety?

Write down every detail of your current status, no matter how small, and in this way crystallize which strategy is best for you and where you want to go?

• How should you find your mandate?
• What is your target group?
• What are your benefits that you won't get anywhere else?
• How much capital can you invest to implement it?

In addition to these questions, there are countless more, but you can go into them in more detail in a detailed SEO consultation.

In short: You want to build a relationship with your clients, create trust and get full enthusiasm from your new clients. Get help from an experienced agency that has already gained experience in your industry. Marketing is a process and requires time — primarily for more complex services that everyone necessarily needs but is reluctant to worry about. Make your service exciting, communicate clearly and avoid difficult content — build your strategy on these building blocks!

3. What resources do you need to implement the law firm marketing plan?

The concept and strategy are in place — now it's time to implement them. Implementation is, by the way, the decisive cost. Can you set up your SEO strategy in-house, i.e. do you already have a marketing agency or a marketing department in your law firm or do you need access to external expert knowledge?

In short: If you have a marketing department for Google Ads and SEO, then you can forward your law firm marketing strategy to implementation with a clear conscience. If this is not the case, you need the help of freelancers or an external SEO agency. The rule of thumb applies here: The more services you use, the higher the budget for your law firm marketing must also be.

4. Continuous optimization, for a high success of your law firm marketing

SEO is an ongoing process. Now that your new website has been launched, it's time to continue working. After all, you always want to stay on top of search engine results! To achieve this, you must constantly refresh your law firm marketing strategy, create and optimize new content. Your website must stay up to date in order to earn first place and as many as possible Attract customers.

Through link building, new posts and expanding the sub-pages, you will always remain popular with your website visitors. In addition, you can ensure good public relations through various postings on your social media channels. That's not just how you win new clients — you'll also win real fans!

In short: The most important factor for successful law firm marketing is therefore that your law firm always remains visible and easy for your clients to find. SEO measures optimize your law firm website for relevant keywords, which allows you to achieve better rankings in unpaid search results on Google and Co.

The 4 most important reasons why you should do law firm marketing

1. You prove quality

Many people assume that when you Google tax advisors, the best tax advisor is also shown at the top. This means that if you rank well, it looks reputable. But what many people don't understand is that there is a lot of hard work, continuous work and money behind a well-ranked site.

So design your website like a shop window and not like a two-dimensional business card. Communicate your strengths, make an advertising promise, prove quality.

2. Scalable business

Scalability varies, both for lawyers and tax advisors. When professional groups focus on a topic, it is much easier to scale their successes. In particular, if you are a lawyer who serves 7, 8 or 9 subject areas equally well and who communicates on your website, it will be much more challenging to achieve a good ranking because:

1. The process will generally take longer
2. The costs are increasing enormously.

3. Speak the language of the target group

Whether you're a tax advisor or lawyer — from outside, the language looks similar to official language: As a seeker, you have to invest a lot of effort to understand exactly where your strengths lie. Through law firm marketing, you have the opportunity to add the necessary oomph to your content to make your content more interesting. After all, the content must be designed for the reader and for the target group — and not for tax advisors or lawyers.

So you can eliminate annoying gobbledygook from your vocabulary and use cool slogans, trendy terms, and understandable language instead. That makes work much more fun!

4. Become a client comprehender

Even if you are a specialist in many subject areas, you get more recognition if you are THE master for a specific niche. After all, the goal is to be THE point of contact for THE problem and not ONE point of contact for many problems.

Once you have identified your strengths, you can now refine them. Expand your status as an expert, write articles about your clients' problems. Your professional qualifications are your trophies.

There is also the advantage that you work out a rough pattern for solving problems through the consistent target group. In principle, you always drive the same route, you know every exit and know exactly where the speed cameras are and where you can even accelerate. And this advantage makes you even more attractive to your target group!

conclusion

In this article, you have learned what law firm marketing actually is, how we have helped tax consultant Burkard Küpper achieve his image and what benefits you gain from an SEO strategy in the area of law firm marketing.

You have learned that you will unfortunately no longer be able to scale as a result of mere recommendations and that your ship will sink in the long term. After all, your competitors aren't sleeping. If your law firm wants to remain successful on the market in the future, a well-founded marketing strategy is urgently needed.

Do you have any questions regarding your website? Would you also like to finally carry out automated client acquisition and just pick out the A-clients? Then feel free to ask us without obligation. We will show you your options and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this topic.