7 Tips for Generating More Legal Leads for Attorneys This Year

“Lead generation” doesn’t sound like a term that has a place in a law firm. It’s a sales and marketing term, right? What does it have to do with the practice of law? The answer is: nothing and everything. 

Lead generation is a critical consideration for attorneys of all stripes and law firms of all sizes. Without a steady flow of potential clients (leads), you have no clients to represent. Of course, there’s something of a catch-22 here. Without clients, you don’t have the money to market to more potential leads. Without potential leads, you don’t have clients. 

The good news is that there are plenty of ways for attorneys to generate more legal leads this year. We’ll highlight some of the most effective.

Understanding leads and lead quality

Before we break down the lead generation process, let’s talk about leads and lead quality. Not all potential clients have the same quality or value. 

Some may never convert into clients because they don’t mesh well with your personality. Others may convert but it could take time because they’re just now learning about their problem and exploring potential solutions (including hiring you to represent them).

Lead generation encompasses the process of building awareness about your firm and its services, creating interest, helping a potential client decide to seek more information, and then taking a desired action – like booking a consultation. That process may take more or less time depending on the lead’s needs, sense of urgency, and other factors.

What you need to master is the art of getting leads to begin that process in the first place and then guiding them toward your desired outcome.

Lead generation for attorneys

Lead generation can be a vast and varied topic with many potential components. We’ll hit the most salient elements below.

1. Create Your Website – The most critical element of legal lead generation today is your website. If you don’t have a website, you’re invisible. It needs to be modern, optimized for mobile devices, populated with relevant keywords, including geo-specific terms that apply to both your services and your local area, and peppered with calls to action. It must be a mix of informative content and motivating copy that moves leads to take the next step.

2. Design Dedicated Landing Pages – It’s not enough to have a robust website. You also need dedicated landing pages that correspond to the pain points your potential clients experience. These bridge the gap between your website and PPC and social media ads and help to establish expertise while providing important information to educate your potential clients.

3. Build Social Media Profiles – You must be active on social media. That doesn’t mean you have to use every platform out there, but you should be present on the ones most relevant to your audience. That might be Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or something else. You’ll use your social channels to drive traffic (leads) to your landing pages and other areas of your website.

4. Create Content – Content marketing is one of the most effective lead-generation tools available to attorneys. Make sure you have a content marketing strategy in place that provides relevant, informative, original content to educate and engage potential leads. Between social media posts, blog posts, downloadable guides/eBooks, guest posts, and other content, you build your expertise, educate leads about their problem, and position your firm as the solution, all before using calls to action (CTAs) to get them to act.

5. Show Social Proof – One of the most effective legal lead generation techniques is to show social proof. Potential clients want to know that you’ve successfully represented cases like theirs. So, show them that you have. Use client reviews and testimonials to provide proof of your capabilities. Pepper them throughout your website. Use them in your marketing strategy.

6. Engage Leads from the Beginning – Engaging leads as soon as they hit your homepage or landing page is critical. Your content can help, but other tools are even more important. For instance, an AI-powered chatbot provides interactivity, dramatic engagement, accurate information drawn from your firm’s content, and more. A chatbot can answer questions, provide guidance about problems, and more. And when the leads are warmed up and ready, the chatbot can hand them off to you or another staff member.

7. Answer Communications – Finally, make sure that you’re there when your leads take your desired action. Know what you’re asking them to do (call, text, email, etc.), and then ensure that when they do, someone’s available to answer them. That can be challenging for a small firm faced with growing pains, so consider virtual receptionist services that can answer these communications 24/7.

Smith.ai helps you generate and then capture more legal leads

By using the steps we’ve outlined here, you can begin generating the leads you need for growth and success. However, you can’t do it alone. Smith.ai is here to help with the entire process. For instance, we’ve developed an industry-leading, AI-powered web chat capable of educating and engaging your audience, triggering playbooks, and handing off leads as they warm up.

We also offer a 24/7 answering service staffed by live virtual assistants. That ensures your leads never go unanswered, even if they communicate after your office is closed. From lead screening and intake to appointment booking and even payment collection, we help you turn leads into clients.

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai.

‍