Top 25 Client Acquisition Tips for Criminal Defense Lawyers
You can be the best criminal defense lawyer in the world, but you will still go out of business if nobody hires you. Law firm marketing isn’t about likes and page views. It’s about getting clients. Follow these tips to improve your client acquisition systems.
1) Offer Initial Complimentary Consultations
Consultations build relationships with clients, earn their trust, and allow them to know and like you. The better you present yourself and answer the client’s questions during the consultation, the more likely they will hire you over another lawyer.
2) Capture Emails on Your Website
Email capture converts website traffic into leads. Have a newsletter signup form on your blog page and individual blogs to grow your email list (see ours below). Always be collecting email addresses for your newsletter. If you host an event, have attendees sign in at the door and collect their email.
3) Start A Newsletter
Your newsletter is your pillar content. It’s more direct than SEO, PPC, and social media because it goes straight to people’s inboxes. Send newsletters as often as you can produce high-value content.
We suggest converting each blog into a newsletter. Doing so ensures your newsletter is always fresh, useful, and contains high-value content. Send at least one newsletter per month, but always prioritize quality over quantity.
4) Update Your Practice Area Pages
People visiting your practice area pages are ten times more likely to become clients than those visiting your blogs. As such, you should have a practice area page for each practice area and sub-practice area. Each page should be 2,500-5,000 words long and answer every question a client may have about the topic. Go into deep detail. Use geographic keywords in each page’s title, heading, and content to improve local search results.
5) Update Your Testimonials
A great testimonial has several features, including the person’s name, company, title, company logo, links to the person’s profile and business, and a headline. Our testimonial below is a good example.
6) Put Testimonials on Every Page of Your Website
Testimonials and five-star reviews are the most powerful proof that you are great at your job, but few people read testimonials pages. Thus, put your testimonials, reviews, and case studies on every page in visible places where people will see them. Your best evidence is useless if nobody sees it.
7) Promptly Follow Up with Leads
Many lawyers lose clients because they are bad at following up with leads. Put systems in place so that you or someone from your office follows up with every lead. Follow-up is essential for an effective client onboarding system.
8) Always Set the Next Appointment with Leads
Schedule the next appointment with leads before you get off the phone with them. If you cannot get an appointment on the calendar, tell the lead that you will follow up with them. Always take the initiative to follow up with leads – don’t wait for them to call you.
9) Use Various Marketing Channels
A multi-prong marketing approach is more effective than any single marketing channel. Each marketing channel has strengths and weaknesses, and they work better when combined. For criminal defense lawyers, we recommend engaging SEO, PPC, Linked In, and email newsletters simultaneously. The better you are at all these marketing channels, the better you will be at lead generation.
10) Network with Other Lawyers
For many lawyers, the bulk of their cases come from referrals. The way to generate referrals is to build relationships with other lawyers. Join professional associations and attend networking events. Look for ways to add value to other lawyers and develop relationships, such as by commenting on their social media posts. The gold is in the relationships.
11) Segment Your Market
Market to potential clients by case type. People want to know that you can solve their specific problem, whether it is a DUI, drug charge, or something else. Focus your marketing on your ability to solve particular types of cases. Have specific marketing materials for each type of case you want, and focus on the types of cases that you want the most.
12) Repurpose Your Blogs
Convert your blog content into social media posts and newsletters. Doing so maximizes the reach of your best content, keeps your messaging consistent across platforms, and saves time.
13) Highlight Positive Results
Demonstrate your skill at handling particular types of cases and highlight positive results. Discuss defense strategies that you have used successfully and provide examples.
14) Market Geographically
All of your marketing should target clients within your jurisdiction and geographic reach. Use geographic search terms in your SEO. Geography is critical for criminal defense attorneys because defendants need a local attorney who can show up to court hearings.
15) Focus On What Makes You Unique
Focus on what makes you different from other criminal defense lawyers and better able to serve your client’s interests. Are you a former prosecutor? Do you have decades of experience? Do you speak Spanish? Have you been published? Do you specialize in a certain type of case? Highlight what makes you different and how it benefits your clients. Describe why you bring unique value.
16) Optimize Your Website for Speed and Mobile Friendliness
Check your website’s speed and mobile functionality at Google PageSpeed Insights. If you haven’t updated your website recently, it is probably slow. Contact your developer or hire us to get your PageSpeed scores up.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Up to 80% of your traffic may be coming from mobile. Make sure your mobile site is uncluttered and easy to use. Think mobile-first.
17) Warn Against Self-Representation
Highlight the pitfalls of self-representation. Highlight the importance of hiring a lawyer without delay. Emphasize that there are important dates and deadlines in their case and that waiting to act could result in major penalties. Describe why hiring a private criminal defense lawyer is more advantageous than using a public defender.
18) Make Testimonials A Priority
Your biggest asset is your reputation. Build your reputation with testimonials and case results. Develop a routine for getting reviews and testimonials. Not every client will give one, but many will if you ask.
19) Optimize Your Intake Process
Streamline your onboarding process so you are not losing clients due to disorganized intake. People get turned off when lawyers don’t respond to their inquiries or are slow to respond – especially with pressing issues like criminal charges. You’re much more likely to land clients if you make people feel they are your priority.
20) Use Plain English
Write in simple terms – avoid technical terms and legal jargon. An 8th-grade student should be able to read and understand your website easily.
21) Simplify Legal Processes
Write blogs that simplify the criminal justice process. Make the law accessible to your readers. Talk about bail and bail conditions. Talk about parole and parole conditions. Talk about the differences between a felony and a misdemeanor. Explain the role of jurisdiction and how it applies in specific contexts.
22) Tell People What Not to Do
Give tips about what to do and what not to do when you get pulled over, stopped at a checkpoint, arrested, or charged with a crime. Explain 5th Amendment rights. Emphasize the importance of hiring a good attorney as soon as possible.
23) Address Clients’ Most Burning Questions
Address clients’ core concerns: Will I go to jail? For how long? How much will this cost? Will I lose my driver’s license? Am I going to go on trial? Will I have a criminal record? Will I have to do community service? Try to answer every potential question a client may have about their case.
24) Invest in SEO
PPC is good for getting immediate attention, but SEO is a long-term investment that keeps working for you long after you created it. You will be successful if your SEO answers clients’ questions better than anyone else’s.
25) Hire A Top Criminal Defense Law Firm Marketing Company
Not all law firm marketing companies are equal, so choose wisely. We have developed systems to create highly successful marketing campaigns for criminal defense attorneys. We seamlessly integrate SEO and PPC to rank your law firm at the top of local search results.
But we don’t just get rankings; we get clients. We structure your site and your content to convert readers into leads. Anyone can build a website. Building a website that generates leads is a different story.
Contact us today to schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation. We will ask questions about your firm and create a detailed content plan based on your answers. There is no charge, and the marketing plan is yours to keep.