I wrote about the difference between hunting and farming (marketing metaphors) in April 2024, but the confusion around this basic concept is deep enough that it bears repeating. As someone who works with attorneys daily, I can attest that many are laser-focused on hunting. In other words, they are searching for cold leads and turning to overly-priced marketing strategies, such as SEO, that fail more often than they succeed.
They work with clients, provide exceptional representation, and search for the next one. And the kicker is that they assume all these potential clients are centrally located in Google’s search bar. The “hunt” is that they think they can set a trap at Google and divert the traffic toward their website.
Why This Doesn’t Work
There are two significant drawbacks to this idea. The first is the type of person who searches for an attorney online but doesn’t know who they are looking for. I’m thinking about the person who needs an estate plan and then searches for “Best estate planning attorney in Boston.” The results they find will either be sponsored or tied to SEO gimmicks. 60% of people will click on one of the first three organic results, and less than 2% will reach the bottom of the page.
Even if they click on your website, it must convey credibility and expertise through value-based content to make them want to book a consultation. Getting people to the restaurant is insufficient; you must have great food to keep them there. Having SEO doesn’t negate the need for content. Although this blog is not about SEO, you can read more about why it doesn’t work here. The other primary reason this mindset doesn’t work is because there is less space on Google than firms competing for it.
Embrace Farming & Lead Nurturing
What if there was a marketing strategy that everyone could win regardless of their firm’s budget or size? Lead nurturing is precisely that strategy; using it can attract tremendous business.
Lead nurturing maintains and builds upon relationships with potential clients over time by providing valuable and relevant information. Instead of hunting for cold leads, farm from and live off your established network. The goal is to stay top of mind until potential clients are ready to reach out or hire you. For law firms, lead nurturing focuses on educating, informing, and demonstrating your authority in your practice areas so potential clients trust you when they need legal help.
This also involves staying in touch with your past clients. Regardless of how many of your clients will only need your help once in their life, they will still generate referrals for you. The reason why this works for everyone is because each firm has its own network. The largest firm in New York likely hasn’t worked with your clients. Your past clients trust you because of the work you did for them. Lawyers have strong relationships with their clients because they protect them.
How To Nurture Leads
The key is to provide valuable information. Give people in your network access to videos, blogs, newsletters, and social media posts. The more information and content you give away for free, the easier it will be to maintain a relationship with someone, even if you are not actively working with them. Spotlight Branding generates this type of content to close the referral gap. Our content blueprint was designed to work for everyone. To learn more about how we do this or generate more referrals for you, contact our Business Development Manager; she loves answering these kinds of questions.
Spotlight Branding
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