Marketing Tips and Tricks You Need to Know for Personal Injury Law Firms
It can cost a personal injury attorney more than $900 per click of a Google ad. Some of the most highly competitive CPC terms are in the personal injury legal category. In fact, Search Engine Watch reported that 19 of the top 25 most expensive terms are related to personal injury law. That’s why it’s essential to understand your audience and know how to get the clicks you want.
Personal injury lawyer marketing has always been competitive. From phone book squares to billboards and television appearances, advertising for personal injury attorneys has always been expensive. The trend does not appear to be stopping anytime soon, if Google ads is any indication of search and cost.
Marketing in the Personal Injury Legal Environment
Because personal injury legal marketing is so competitive, these law firms have had to develop unique marketing strategies. Legal marketing campaigns for PI firms are very different than they are for other types of law.
A criminal defendant will pay an attorney a flat rate to take their case from beginning to end. Same with a family law client. Those fees may increase depending on extenuating circumstances. However, at the beginning of the case, the attorney generally knows how much their fee will be.
Personal injury fees are much different. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. That means they don’t get paid until their client wins and is awarded compensation. In the majority of situations, personal injury attorneys take 33% of a settlement, plus costs. The higher the settlement an attorney negotiates, the more their fee will be.
In many cases, an attorney will not know how much their fee will be at the beginning of a case. There are many variables that determine the value of a case. Because of this, it is also difficult to determine ROI for legal marketing campaigns. This presents opportunities for high returns if you’re able to outsmart the competitors.
Digital Marketing Tips and Tricks for PI Firms
Instead of using traditional ROI standards, use “Cost Per Case” goals.
It can be difficult to determine how much a case is worth. A car accident case may be worth $5,000, while another Mesothelioma case may be worth $50,000. However, knowing a desired CPCase can help you set reasonable expectations for the firm marketing strategy.
In order to get a CPCase number, use the following steps:
- Find your firm’s average case settlement value over the past two years. You may want to exclude outliers, but don’t cut off too many.
- Multiply that number by 10%, 20%, and 30% to obtain three CPCase possibilities.
Your percentages of average case values should be used to determine how much you are willing to spend on average case marketing. You can play it conservatively and use the lowest number, or go aggressive with 30% of your CPCase value. Personal injury attorneys usually fall somewhere in between, depending on your market and desired growth.
Track Every Lead You Get
You should be tracking every lead to find out how much they cost and which are the most effective for your firm. Easy tracking includes website submissions and online chats. Google Analytics allows for simple conversion tracking.
Many PI law firms are focused on getting phone calls, so it’s important to set up a process of tracking those as well. You should be tracking calls from websites. You can even use keyword-level call tracking from landing pages.
Some commonly used call tracking platforms include:
- Google Call Tracking – This integrates nicely with Google Ads (formerly AdWords), and is free; however, it provides you very little information about the call. Additionally, Google Call Tracking only works with Google Ads Campaigns.
- WordStream Call Tracking – This allows you to see detailed information about the call and works on a keyword level; however, it is limited to PPC and only works with WordStream software.
- Call Tracking Metrics – This offers detailed call data and changes numbers on the website depending on the source of the visitor. However, it is more expensive than other software.
- CallRail – This offers dynamic changing of phone numbers on a website depending on where the visitor came from, and it’s a bit less expensive than other software. However, it does not offer as many options as other call tracking services.
Protect Your Brand Name in Google
Most PI lawyers are well aware of PPC and how it impacts their business. However, you may be focusing on commonly clicked terms, such as “car accident lawyer” and “truck injury attorney.” You should also protect your own brand name by bidding on it. Average CPC for a brand name is $0.50 to $3.00. The cost is low, but value is high.
If you fail to bid on your brand name, your competitors may take advantage of the situation. Then, if someone does search for your firm name, their firm will show up in the ads before yours does organically.
Make Sure Your Website is Mobile Friendly
The majority of searchers use mobile devices, according to Google and other sources. You are likely familiar with this and use your phone as frequently as anyone else. However, when you’re building a website, it can be easy to forget that you should have a mobile focus. Mobile is no longer a trend, but is necessary for businesses.
Use the following steps to make sure your website is mobile-ready:
- Make sure your website is usable on a mobile device. That includes links, menus, buttons, and more.
- Run Google’s Mobile Friendly Test. This tool can give you insights about why your page is or is not mobile friendly.
- Test your page speed. There are tools available to test speed. If it’s in the red, optimize the page until it’s in the green.
Dominate Search Results with Ad Extensions
You can enhance your ads with ad extensions. This will give you advantage over the competition. You may be able to list your address or business hours in an ad, which will give users more information and draw them to your website. Common ad extensions that can be useful include:
- Sitelinks – These are additional website links that allow searchers to click directly to different areas of your website.
- Call extensions – This allows you to add your phone number to your ad. Don’t forget to track conversions and metrics.
- Location extensions – This allows you to pull information from Google My Business to enhance your ad with content.
Seek Google Reviews from Clients
Personal injury law firms work in a highly competitive atmosphere. However, one constant is that people want good service. They will go to the firm that they believe will give them the best service and obtain the most money. One way to tout this information without adding it to your website, which can seem like boasting, is to obtain detailed Google reviews from actual clients.
Trust is extremely important in the legal industry. You may have very little time to build trust with someone on the internet. Google reviews shows potential clients why they should trust you without having to pay for additional marketing.
Use Ad Spend with Facebook Retargeting
Consumers often search for PI firms on a variety of platforms. So, in addition to Google, you may want to invest in Facebook marketing as well. Get the most out of your digital presence by putting yourself on as many platforms as is effective. One of the most efficient ways of doing this is Facebook retargeting.
Retargeting will seek out people who have already visited your site and put your name in front of them again. This builds name recognition. It may encourage them to come back to your website or directly call.
While many law-related searches can cost hundreds on Google, Facebook retargeting is an average of $1.35. You can spend much less money and still put an effective face on your firm. People spend more time on Facebook than any other site, so you will be utilizing Facebook’s presence as an avenue for your marketing.
Marketing with PI Law Firms
Personal Injury lawyer marketing is a difficult game in the advertising world. Their marketing techniques must be unique and well-thought out. Instead of following the trend, PI firms must do something different. Take a step forward with these tips and tricks to help you build your business.
Our passion is helping law firms reach their goals. We are a results-driven agency and believe your success is our success. We provide law firm marketing to lawyers across the country, helping them reach their business goals. We provide a custom approach to make the most of our clients’ resources. Contact us today to find out how we can increase your leads, hires, and revenue.