There's much more to it than meets the eye regarding family law. Family law attorneys need to have strong negotiation skills and be able to mediate between warring spouses.
First and foremost, family law is all about helping families through difficult times. This might include divorce, child custody, or adoption proceedings.
What is Family Law?
Family law generally encompasses a wide range of legal issues that involve families and domestic relationships. It can include divorce, child custody, child support, adoption, and domestic violence. Family law is often quite complicated and emotionally charged. Family law attorneys need to have strong communication skills and build trust with their clients.
The main types of practice areas for family lawyers are:
- Prenuptial Agreements - Prenuptial agreements are contracts that are entered into before a marriage takes place. They are designed to protect the parties' interests in the event of a divorce.
- Contested Divorce - A contested divorce is when the parties cannot agree independently. This often leads to a lot of litigation and can be incredibly expensive.
- Uncontested Divorce - An uncontested divorce is when the parties can agree on their own. This is often much cheaper and less stressful than a contested divorce.
- High-net-worth Divorce - High net worth divorce term is used to describe divorces. The parties have significant assets that need to be divided. These divorces can be particularly contentious, as both parties will likely want a fair share of the marital estate.
- Division of Property - When it comes to property division in a divorce, there are two main property types: marital and separate. Marital property is any property that was acquired during the marriage. Separate property is any property acquired before the marriage or was gifted or inherited during the marriage.
- Child Custody - Child custody can be one of the most challenging aspects of family law. There are two types of child custody: physical and legal.
- Child Support - Child support is often one of the most contentious issues in a divorce. The amount of child support that a non-custodial parent must pay is determined by the state in which the parents live.
- Post-Divorce Modifications - Once a divorce is finalized, either party can petition the court to modify the terms of the divorce decree. This might include child custody, child support, or spousal support.
- Mediation and Collaborative Law - Family law attorneys need to be skilled in mediation and collaborative law. In mediation, the parties meet with a neutral third party to resolve their dispute. In collaborative law, the parties work together to resolve their dispute outside of court.
Some family attorneys specialize in a specific area, such as adoption law. Still, most have expertise in various practice areas, including divorce, property law, and family court. Family lawyers must be well-versed in multiple legal matters, such as drafting and negotiating contracts, pleadings, and other legal documents. Handling intense emotions, people skills, and crisis management are critical qualities for a family lawyer.
Marketing for Family Law Firms is Unique
Family law marketing is unique because attorneys are helping people through some of the most challenging times in their lives. Families going through a divorce often have many questions and concerns. They may not know where to turn for help. Family law attorneys must be able to provide answers and guidance for their clients. They also need to effectively market their services so that potential clients can find them.
You want to be on the marketing channels where these people are: google searches, referrals, directories. All marketing channels are related to each other and complement each other. You want to think about your marketing strategy instead of piecemeal. Below we'll discuss the main channels you need to consider using when creating an effective marketing plan for your firm.
A proactive legal marketing strategy can help your firm build an effective and professional brand. You need to speed up your digital marketing efforts, notably SEO, to maintain your credibility.
Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
If you have a family law website full of helpful information for your potential client, you are well on your way to having good-performing search engine optimization. When it comes to SEO for family lawyers, you want to focus on answering your prospective client's questions and showing social proof of your successes. You should make sure that your website is optimized for these keywords and that you're using them in your content marketing. This will help you rank higher on search engine results pages and attract more clients.
Practice Area Pages and Services
SEO is a fundamental component of successful website growth. As an experienced Family Lawyer, your job is to get people looking for specific legal advice and a quick answer to any questions they have. These actions will help establish you as an essential company and drive relevant web traffic to your site if you need more. Search engines will quickly analyze your website's online presence by looking at where your website ranks among the best websites in your niche. The higher your organic rankings, the better the likelihood of someone searching for you clicking your lawyer.
Family Law Blogging Tips
When it comes to family law, there are many questions that potential clients may have, which is why it's important to use your website as a platform to answer those questions. Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge with the world, build confidence with your clients, and rank higher for SEO.
Write blog posts about family law topics that your potential clients would be interested in. This will help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Make sure to keep your blog posts up-to-date with the latest information. This will show potential clients that you are up-to-date on the latest changes in family law. Use relevant keywords in your blog posts so that potential clients can find you when they are searching for information about family law.
Highlight Your Niche
When it comes to family law, many lawyers offer their services. This can make it difficult for potential clients to decide which lawyer to choose. That's why family law firms need to highlight their niche.
You can highlight how you serve specific groups of people on your website. For family law, some practices only work with men or women, focus on LGBTQ+ families, or focus on certain religions like Christianity or Islam.
You do not need to rebrand your entire website by focusing on your niche, but highlighting how you can serve that demographic will set you apart from your competitors.
You should answer the following questions for your niche on your website:
- What makes your firm different from all the others?
- What type of cases do you specialize in?
- Why should potential clients choose your firm over the others?
Offer Substantive Resources on your Website
One great way to set yourself apart from your competitors is to offer substantive resources on your website. Potential clients will appreciate having access to helpful information that can help them make informed decisions about their legal options.
Go deeper with your content and offer your clients ebooks, guides, and resources. Ask for an email address when your users go to download your ebook or resource. You can then nurture the potential client while they consider the next steps.
Get Familiar with Google
One of the most important aspects of marketing your family law firm is getting familiar with Google. As the most popular search engine globally, Google can help you reach potential clients looking for legal assistance.
Fill out Your Google My Business Profile
To improve your website's SEO and get better local search visibility, you need to create a Google My Business profile for your law firm. This will allow potential clients to find your business when they search for family law attorneys in your area.
Ensure that you include all the relevant information about your business, such as your business hours, contact information, website URL, and practice areas. You should also add photos of your office and staff to help potential clients understand who you are and your law firm.
Ask for Google My Business Reviews
One way to show social proof and improve your SEO is to include reviews and testimonials from your past clients on your website. You can also include media mentions, awards, and accreditations to show that you are a reputable and trustworthy family law attorney. Ensure that the reviews and testimonials are from real people and relevant to your practice area. You can also ask satisfied clients to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile and other online directories.
Advertise using Google Local Service Ads
If you're looking for a way to get more leads from family law clients, you should consider advertising with Google Local Service Ads. What makes Google Local Service Ads a better investment than PPC is that you are paying per lead, not per click. These ads appear at the top of the search engine results pages and allow potential clients to contact your law firm quickly.
Family Law tends to have a lower cost per lead on Google Local Service Ads than other highly competitive practice areas like Personal Injury. Bonus is that family law terms have a much higher search volume.
Google AdWords and Pay-Per-Click
You can also advertise your family law practice on Google AdWords through Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. With PPC, you can create ads that target specific keywords and demographics.
Like Google Local Service ads, family law terms tend to be cheaper and less competitive than other practice areas. Within AdWords, your keywords and terms matter. You want to be specific about what types of cases you want to advertise for. Specific searches (keywords), like "custody" or "alimony," may not be ideal for spending money to get a click. So you want to have parameters for what types of cases you are targeting.
Get Involved in your Community
One of the best ways to get referrals for your family law practice is by getting involved in your community. There are many ways you can do this, such as volunteering at local charities or becoming a member of local organizations.
Some family law firms sponsor community events, like a holiday toy drive or a school supply drive for students. Others host seminars on co-parenting after divorce or estate planning for blended families. You can also volunteer with organizations that provide legal services to low-income families or offer support to children of divorced parents.
Highlight Your Advocacy
If advocacy is an important part of your family law practice, then be vocal about the issues that matter to you and your clients. Write blog posts, op-ed articles, or speak at events. Get involved with local and national organizations that focus on your passion. You never know where the next referral client will come from, so get out there and voice your opinions.
Offer Annual Scholarships
The scholarship link-building campaign is not a new concept for law firms. Family lawyers can use local scholarships to gain some press and backlinks to your website. Consider running a scholarship to assist students from divorced families, students who have recently gone through a divorce, or students attending law school.
Sponsor Local Organizations and Events
Local sponsorships are a great way to get your law firm's name in front of potential clients. You can sponsor local events, charities, and organizations. Your sponsorship does not have to be tied to your practice. This is a great way to show your passions, community involvement and help out a cause you love.
Social Media, Referrals & Networking
In the webinar 22 Proven Ways to Get Law Firm Referrals in 2022, Lawmatics CEO Matt Spiegel and President of AttorneySync Gyi Tsakalakis discuss how to get more referral leads. The TL;DR point of the webinar is that you never know where you will get a referral.
Choose your Social Media Platforms
Social media is an important marketing tool for any attorney. Still, it's best used for family attorneys to nurture relationships, show off your knowledge, and stay top of mind.
You don't need to be on every social media platform. You want to be where your ideal clients are. If you target women, consider focusing efforts on Pinterest, where 60% of users identify as women. If you want high-net-worth divorce cases, consider a strong LinkedIn presence. If you love making short-educational videos, get on Instagram and Tiktok. Go where your audience is.
Share Interesting Information
When sharing content on social media for a family law practice, share relevant and helpful information to your target audience. This could include posting your blog posts about divorce, tips for co-parenting, or estate planning for blended families, or you could create short videos explaining some of the basics of family law.
Share information about your law firms, such as upcoming events, educational videos, or highlight staff. You can also use social media to show your personality and build relationships with potential clients.
Network in Multiple Circles
Join professional networking groups that meet in person (or on zoom) and have groups on social networks like Facebook and Linkedin. You can also join groups for professionals in other industries that work with divorced clients, such as financial planners, therapists, or real estate agents.
Update Your Directory Profiles
You should ensure that your law firm and each attorney have established profiles on the main legal directories. Your family law firm should be listed in the following directories:
- Avvo
- FindLaw
- Martindale
- LegalZoom
- Lawyers.com
- SuperLawyers
- Divorcemag.com
- Yelp
You do not have to pay to have your profiles listed. But If you consider paying for these directories, you should track the leads on your own you get from each directory. To do this, take out a specific call-tracking number and regularly review the quality of the leads you've received from these platforms. Think of this as a test to see if the cost per lead and cost per conversion is worth your investment.
Nurture Leads Using Email
Offer resources on your website that ask for an email address. You can start compiling an email list with potential clients. You can use a CRM, or customer relations management system, to keep track of your leads and clients. A CRM is an essential tool for any law firm as it organizes your leads and tracks your interactions with them.
Include Videos in Email Nurture Campaigns
Let's say you had a potential client download an ebook. Take your follow-up to the next level and include a video thanking them for downloading your resource. Videos create connection and trust. You can film these videos yourself using free tools like Zoom.
Stay Top of Mind With Email
Your clients will be your greatest advocates and referrers. Once you finish their matter, keep them on your email list to send newsletters. It might sound silly, but sending old clients an email that says Happy Birthday may be enough to keep you top of mind.
Intake and Marketing Management
How much time are you spending on marketing? Firms that have the most success are firms that budget time to manage their firm's marketing efforts or have hired some help with marketing. You need to treat the firm as a business and prioritize marketing, and some tools can help you.
Implement Call-Tracking Software
One way to track the leads you're getting from your marketing efforts is to use call-tracking software. This software will allow you to see which marketing channels produce the best leads for your family law practice. You can also use call-tracking software to see how many of your leads turn into clients and assess the value of those clients. Call tracking software makes it easy to see which marketing campaigns generate calls.
Fast and Efficient Follow-Ups
If you do not have an efficient intake process at the firm, you waste your money on marketing campaigns. You might be generating leads through all of your marketing channels but dropping the ball on following up with leads. Timing is everything, and as soon as a potential new client calls the firm, you need to answer the phone or give them a callback. A CRM can help automate the follow-up process. You can set up an automated email campaign to reach out and nudge the lead to take action.
The Best Way to Grow Your Family Law Practice
Family law is a vast and complex area of law. To be successful in family law, one must have excellent communication skills, empathy, and understanding. The marketing principles still apply when working with potential clients in the family law space. A compelling website that accurately portrays your practice and what you offer. Social media platforms are great for building relationships with potential clients. SEO should be considered when creating content for your website and blog posts. Email marketing automation for lawyers and networking can help keep you top-of-mind for referrals. While it may not seem obvious, it’s important for a lawyer’s business to keep up with marketing law firm trends, whether that be family law, criminal defense, or any other practice area.
A legal CRM can help you keep track of all communications with current and potential clients and keep notes on what was discussed and any next steps that need to be taken. This can help ensure that no potential client is slipping through the cracks and allows you to quickly follow up on leads. Lawmatics can help you do just that by providing you with the tools you need to nurture your leads into paying clients. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your family law practice.
FAQs
?What are the best places for family lawyers to have an online presence?
There are a number of great places family lawyers can have an online presence. A website is a must-have and should accurately portray your practice and what you offer. You should also consider social media platforms, as they are great for building relationships with potential clients. LinkedIn is an excellent platform for family law professionals to network and connects with potential clients. Finally, you should make sure your SEO is on point so that potential clients can easily find you online.
?How can I use Google to attract clients?
You can use Google to attract clients by creating ads that target specific keywords people are searching for when searching for information about family law. You can also create a profile on Google+ and optimize it for search engines, which will make it easier for prospective clients to find you.
Additionally, you can write blog posts or articles about topics related to family law and include links back to your website, which will help improve your website's ranking on search engine results pages. You can join online directories or forums related to family law so that people who are looking for attorneys can easily find you.
Sources Cited
Gyi Tsakalakis, Matt Spiegel. Webinar: 22 Proven Ways to Get Law Firm Referrals in 2022.https://blog.lawmatics.com/webinar-recap-22-proven-ways-to-get-law-firm-referrals-in-2022 April 1, 2022
Pinterest. Audience Insights. https://business.pinterest.com/en/audience/ 2022
Alay Yajnik and Ken Levinson. Podcast: Level 3 Niche Marketing with Ken Levinson. https://www.lawfirmsuccessgroup.com/level-3-niche-marketing-with-ken-levinson/
Chicago-Kent College of Law. Family Law. https://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/career-development/paths/family-law
Terrie Wheeler, Family Law Magazine. 7 Creative Marketing Ideas for Your Family Law Firm. https://familylawyermagazine.com/articles/7-creative-marketing-ideas-for-your-family-law-firm/ December 29, 2021
