Digital marketing can be tricky. In fact, it’s so tricky that even the best marketers can make digital marketing mistakes from time to time. Digital marketing is like a game of cat and mouse: It changes so quickly that if you blink, you could miss something important.
Also, it’s not always easy to keep up with the latest trends and software updates.
And because there are so many different components to digital marketing, it’s easy to lose focus on what matters most – your target audience.
When you boil everything down, your marketing strategy should be based on one simple principle: Achieve your law firm’s marketing goals by reaching the people who will take action.
With the right plan and execution, lawyers can use digital marketing to attract new clients and grow their firms. A successful digital marketing strategy requires organized planning, attention to detail, and constant monitoring.
Unfortunately, many lawyers do not understand the nuances of online marketing, which leads them to make common mistakes. The inability to see the big picture combined with a failure to maintain consistency often results in missed opportunities and wasted time and money.
So, how does this happen?
You’ve got the skills, you know your audience, and have the marketing materials. It should be smooth sailing from here, right?
Not exactly.
As it turns out, even professionals like lawyers can make errors when developing a marketing campaign. By avoiding certain mistakes, you can stay ahead of the competition, who may be making the errors you’re steering clear to avoid.
What Are the Most Common Digital Marketing Mistakes Made by Lawyers?
With the number of digital marketing services featured today, you can easily get “lost in the weeds,” so to speak. Ideally, you want to start with the basics and then build on that foundation over time. This is done by basing your decisions on what is or what is not working.
Common Errors in Planning
Some of the common errors in planning that lawyers make include the following:
- Not having a clear idea of their target audience
- Not knowing what they want or need
- Trying to do everything themselves instead of outsourcing the work
- Focusing on the wrong metrics or KPIs
- Not understanding their business model
- Not having a clear idea of what their ideal client wants
- Using the same marketing message for everyone who visits their site
- Focusing too much on the competition
- Not having a backup plan in place when the unexpected occurs
- Not establishing a marketing budget
- Not creating a marketing calendar
Why It’s Important to be Aware of Common Mistakes
If you’re not aware of the common digital marketing mistakes that lawyers make when planning a marketing campaign, you can easily hurt your reputation. Instead, you want to be the lawyer who gets results.
So, if you’re not getting results from your digital marketing efforts, it could be because you’re making some of the above-listed mistakes. The sooner you identify and correct these issues, the sooner you’ll start seeing better results.
Therefore, the only way to win at digital marketing is by staying focused on what matters most: your target audience. You need to know who they are, what they need, how they think, and what drives them to take action. Marketing is all about creating a relationship with your ideal client and helping them solve their problems.
Your Website is Your Foundation
Your website is the foundation of your online marketing efforts. It’s your hub for everything digital, so it’s where most of your clients begin their journey.
It’s not enough to have a website though. People need to know it’s there, and they need to know that it’s relevant to them. Therefore, you want to set up your website so it is easily found by your ideal clients.
Claim your website and verify that you’re the owner – list your law firm details in Google My Business (GMB). When using GMB, list your legal firm- name, address, and contact info so you’re easily found in the search results.
Using the services of a digital marketing agency will also enable you to schedule direct consultations from your GMB listing, thereby making it easier to secure new clients.
How to Develop an Actionable Marketing Plan
Every marketing strategy needs to start with a plan. At a minimum, your plan should answer these three questions:
- Who is your target audience?
- What do they need?
- How will your marketing efforts help them?
You may also want to pose the following questions:
- Why are you different from your competitors? What is your marketing budget?
- What marketing channels do you plan to use?
- What KPIs will you be tracking?
- How do you define marketing success?
It’s common for lawyers to jump right into generating content without having a plan. This can lead to a lot of wasted time and effort, as well as a lot of frustration. You need a plan so you can focus on the right priorities.
What Are Your Digital Marketing Tools?
Digital marketing is a constantly evolving field. New tools and platforms are being created all the time to help lawyers reach their target audience. The problem is that you have to stay on top of these new tools so that you’re using the best ones for the job.
Many marketers make the mistake of sticking with an old, outdated tool even though a new one has come along that is better suited for the job. For example, many lawyers still use email marketing when Facebook ads or Google ads are a better option.
Therefore, it’s important to stay on top of the latest marketing trends. You can do this by reading industry blogs, joining online marketing groups, and attending marketing conferences. You’ll also want to align yourself with a digital marketing agency – and let them do the “heavy lifting.”
How are You Tracking Your KPIs?
Most lawyers track the wrong KPIs when they’re measuring marketing results. For example, they may track the number of new subscribers or record their email activity.
However, these are vanity metrics that don’t tell you how your marketing plan is working.
Instead, you need to track the metrics that matter like –
- How many clients you’ve acquired as a result of your marketing efforts; or
- The cost of acquiring a new client.
Bottom Line
Your marketing efforts are only as good as understanding your target audience and what drives them to take action. The more you know about your ideal client, the easier it will be to create targeted content that resonates with them.
Contact Attorney Marketing.Online Today
To avoid making digital marketing mistakes, you need to work with a digital marketing agency that can give you the resources you need to stay competitive. In Los Angeles, your go-to source is Attorney Marketing.Online. Call (888) 992-9529 today to schedule a consultation.
