The Rainmaker Blog : Law Firm Marketing and Business Development : The Rainmaker Institute : Stephen Fairley : Professional Legal Marketing

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If there is one thing law firm Internet marketing can do for virtually any quality law firm, it is to give you access to more of the cases you prefer and more clients of the caliber you desire.

The reason why goes beyond the vast reach law firm Internet marketing provides.

Certainly, by marketing your law firm nationally rather than locally, you reach a large pool of potential clients.

But logic would say that, the competition for clients several states away would be tighter than the competition in your locale.

However, if you execute this law firm Internet marketing strategy correctly, you may just find media opportunities are easier to get, competition is smaller than you thought, and new clients are easier to attract.

The reason this is so is due to several factors.

Greater opportunity for niche services: If you choose your area of specialization carefully, you can define a corner of the legal market that clients are searching for but cannot find locally.

The Mystery of Distance: In essence this strategy leverages the perception in clients’ minds that the further they have to travel (even it is only via the Internet) to get the service they need, the more valuable it is.

You can see this principle in mind when you order French wine instead of California wine, or a Swiss watch over an American-made watch.

National, trade and Internet media have less law firm competition: Consider that there may hundreds of other law firms trying to get articles and ads listed in visible places in your local media.

Interestingly, there are less law firms operating at the national level. So opportunities to get an article placed in national newspapers, client trade publications and Internet article directories as part of your law firm Internet marketing approach are much easier to do.

Five Steps to Take to Develop National Presence and a Winning Law Firm Internet Marketing Approach

To take advantage of those forces and opportunities, there are five steps you should take:

1. Identify the niche you would like to serve – What particular legal services will you provide. What expertise do you have that makes you unique?  
2. Identify your target clientele – What business are they in? What is the size of the business? What portion of the country are they in (this may be the entire country or you may realize that your area of specialization demands that you focus in a geographic region)?
3. Create a list of mediums where you promote your firm – Gather lists of trade associations and publications your target clients use, and referral sources in various areas of the country. Identify national media to advertise in or contribute articles to. Collect law firm Internet marketing article directories and law firm Internet marketing social media sites.
4. Develop marketing messages and materials that clearly define your unique value proposition.
5. Build a web site as a base camp for all other law firm Internet marketing activity. This is where clients will go to find out more about your firm after reading about you in the newspaper or hearing about you from a trusted source.

Do these things, and you will be on your way to building a strong national resence and law firm Internet marketing brand.