Marketing for Family Law Attorneys: Strategies to Attract and Retain Clients

Marketing for family law attorneys has evolved in the last couple of decades, with more people now looking for the perfect law firm to handle their sensitive family issues. So how can your law firm stand out and attract more clients without breaking the bank? It’s quite simple: establish a sensible budget for marketing (it doesn’t have to be huge), focus on communicating in a way that’s friendly and understanding, and use more personal channels like text messages and social media to connect with potential clients.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, legal marketing has become more commonplace, which means consumers are becoming more discerning in their choice of law firms. Marketing for family law in particular must satisfy some of the highest customer discernment, as matters of family bonds dramatically raise the stakes for those facing a family legal issue, which are inherently much more sensitive legal matters. How can your family law firm make the best use of digital marketing, and generate more paying clients while maximizing ROI on your marketing budget?

Creating a Budget for Legal Marketing

First off — what is your marketing budget? The majority of law firms (55.4%) set less than five percent of their budget on marketing, with some firms setting aside no budget for marketing at all. Only 5.4% of firms allotted a sizable chunk (11–15%) to marketing efforts. Fortunately, family law doesn’t necessarily require a high marketing budget.

When marketing for family law attorneys, we see that they have an easier time meeting clients in at least somewhat less formal ways that don’t carry a high price tag. Compared to elder law, for example, there’s less of a market demand to prove competency through ultra-polished marketing media. Family law, by comparison, must be much more approachable and empathetic in nature.

Think, though, of the advantages if you set aside a respectable marketing budget anyway: you’ll be able to absolutely dominate your local legal market, and marketing dollars can accomplish more, more easily. Blending your approachable, earnest qualities with a polished branding campaign is, above all, ideal.

The Importance of Communication in Family Law Marketing

Lawyers are no strangers to refining their communication habits, and in family law more than anything, communication must be equal:

• Compassionate
• Articulate
• Rapport-building
• Motivating
• Confident & solutions-oriented

Chances are, you’ve already gone to great lengths to iron these qualities into your and your staff’s demeanor. Your marketing partners must fully understand and match these subtle qualities because they make all the difference for strained and wounded families.

If saving time (and in the long run, money) by hiring out your advertising services, ensure they’re a competent and attentive full-service marketing partner, not a one-size-fits-all clearinghouse. Test them to see if they’ll take quality time to reach out and really learn what your marketing challenges are, along with your major goals and growth ambitions for the firm — because it’s just as you do with your clients.

Leveraging Google Ads, Social Media, and Text Messages in Family Law Marketing

Because of the more personal nature of family law, it’s wholly appropriate to use more personal communication channels as well. From a marketing perspective, this is extremely helpful, as open rates for texts are much higher (and faster) than for email. When requesting client reviews, for example, text requests tend to successfully result in a review 35% to 38% of the time, compared to an abysmal 1% (or less!) with email.

As for new clients, take heart in the fact that the marketing channels preferred by down-to-earth, family-first people are also the most approachable and nonspecialized. Emphasize your own approachable qualities by leveraging the most popular and family-friendly mediums, such as:

• Google ads
• A Google Business profile, replete with glowing reviews
• Facebook, including participation in family-friendly Facebook groups
• Nextdoor, for a more community, feel and social proof of your involvement in your clientele’s neighborhoods

Once leads are warm, don’t hesitate to leverage personal channels more, albeit more tactfully as well. If your law firm is particularly big or intends to scale quickly, it may be a good move to start marketing through text.

Maintaining Ethical and Legal Standards in Text-Based Marketing

Be advised, legal text marketing requires strict adherence to consumer consent protections, which require making it crystal clear to the customer what text-marketing content you’re asking customer permission to send them.

For estate planning firms short on time but eager to expand, it doesn’t get much better than this. If you have any questions or would like to request a quote, don’t hesitate to contact us, and embark on your custom-built, full-spectrum marketing campaign today.