Omnichannel Marketing Guide For Lawyers and Law Firms

Law firm marketing today is very different from days of the past. Potential clients are constantly connected to various platforms through a wide range of devices. The overwhelming number of marketing options can be challenging for lawyers and their marketing teams.

What’s the best channel to build your brand image? How can you connect with current and prospective clients? Are you establishing a clear and consistent brand message?

Instead of trying to use a single channel to reach new clients, omnichannel marketing makes it possible for you to generate results through multiple mediums.

An effective omnichannel marketing strategy for law firms is more than just having a presence on multiple channels. This guide will teach you how to have success with your omnichannel marketing strategy.

What is Omnichannel Marketing?

Let’s start with the basics—what exactly is omnichannel marketing?

By definition, omnichannel marketing establishes a brand’s presence across multiple channels. It also ensures a seamless user experience as prospects interact with your brand through different platforms.

Omnichannel marketing encompasses both digital touchpoints and offline touchpoints as well. So your law firm’s message on a park bench or billboard needs to be the same as the message on your website and Facebook page.

Omnichannel Marketing vs. Multichannel Marketing

The terms omnichannel marketing and multichannel marketing are often confused with each other. But the two are not synonymous and shouldn’t be used interchangeably.

Anyone can establish a multichannel marketing presence. This just means that clients and prospects have multiple ways to engage with your firm (social media, website, phone, office, etc.).

But omnichannel marketing takes this one step further and connects all of the channels together. That’s the difference between omnichannel and multichannel marketing.

Multichannel marketing starts with your firm and flows outward towards your marketing platforms. But Omnichannel marketing begins with the customer and guides their interaction with your firm for a positive and seamless experience.

Unlike multichannel marketing, an omnichannel approach understands that prospects will likely start on one channel and move to another as they interact with your brand.

How Lawyers Can Successfully Implement Omnichannel Marketing

The first thing you need to do is understand how people find lawyers today. 10 or 20 years ago, someone might turn to the Yellow Pages and find a law firm with expertise based on their needs.

But now people find business services, including lawyers, through a wide range of different channels. Examples include:

• TV commercials
• Radio ads
• Social media
• Online review websites
• Emails
• Organic search
• Google Ads for lawyers

The list goes on and on. As a lawyer, you need to understand that these channels are not independent of each other. These channels must be intertwined and accommodate prospects as they move from one channel to another in search of the right lawyer.

Here’s a very basic example to illustrate this process.

Let’s say you have a radio advertisement for your firm that specializes in workplace malpractice and workers’ compensation. The ad tells listeners to visit your website to schedule a free consultation.

When that person lands on your website, the homepage better tell them that you specialize in workplace malpractice and employment law. If you have brand messaging for divorces and estate planning, it’s really going to confuse the prospect and likely cause them to look elsewhere.

You should also make sure that the landing page clearly has a place for new visitors to schedule an appointment. If your website directs prospects to call your office, it kills the fluidity of the user experience. This is just an extra step that could have been avoided altogether, and it’s not consistent with your messaging on other channels (in this case, the radio ad).

Here’s an example of a Facebook ad from Robert P. Ramirez Law Firm PLLC:

Look at the brand messaging here. Some of the keywords include:

• Personal injury
• Accident law
• Phoenix
• Arizona

There’s also a picture of Robert himself. Now let’s head over to the firm’s website to see if the messaging is consistent:

The first part of the page shows another picture of Robert and asks a simple question—have you been injured? So far, the messaging is consistent.

As you continue to scroll, you’ll see more information about the firm’s experience with Arizona law and dealing with injuries based on someone else’s negligence.

And finally, when you look closer at the firm’s services, you’ll see that they are all related to personal injury and accident law:

Again, this is a very simple example of omnichannel marketing explained at its most basic level. But it’s easy to understand when you break things down this way. Now it’s just a matter of applying these concepts at an advanced level across all of your marketing channels.

Omnichannel Marketing Best Practices For Law Firms

Perfecting your omnichannel marketing strategy takes time and practice. There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve when you’re first getting started.

Apply these best practices to improve your chances of implementing a successful omnichannel marketing plan for your law firm:

• Make sure your brand, tone, and vision are consistent and identifiable on every channel
• Create personalized campaigns based on client segments and practice areas
• Ensure past interactions are taken into consideration as prospects move through your funnel
• Establish trust with clients and prospects through your marketing messages
• Make sure you’re tracking the user journey as they move across different channels
• Understand the unique pain points of prospects and how they search for lawyers
• Use CRM software to manage the user journey and collect data at each touchpoint
• Use lead generation forms to capture prospect information so you can target them with emails

At the end of the day, your omnichannel marketing strategy needs to focus on what’s best for the client. What are they looking for? How can you deliver it to them in the most convenient way possible?

If you can answer these questions properly, you’ll have a good chance of succeeding with this strategy.

Final Thoughts

While the concepts of omnichannel marketing are simple, applying those practices and achieving strong results isn’t always easy.

If you want to nail your omnichannel marketing strategy out of the gate without too much trial and error, contact John McDougall at Legal Marketing Review.

I specialize in marketing for lawyers and can put together a customized omnichannel strategy for your law firm.