CREATE AN ONLINE PRESENCE

In our previous blog we discussed creating a niche and promoting it.  One of the most impactful ways to promote your law practice or to self promote in today’s digital age, is to have an online presence.

Virtual marketing is the way of the future and lawyers must adapt and carve out a space for their law practice in cyber space.  Here are a few tips for creating an online presence for you law firm:

• Build a stellar website.  You website is a representation of you and your brand.  It completes your image.  A well designed, easy to read website with fast loading pages give potential clients an initial peek into what they can expect from you as a lawyer.  It also gives an insight into your law firm culture.  This could be the first point of contact with potential clients.  Make it stand out, make a good first impression.
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• Register your business with various online directories.  You will find most directories like LegistLens (https://www.legistlens.org/request-business-listing/) offer a mix of paid and free listing services.  Capitalize on the services that you can afford.  You can always change your status or improve the services you receive as business progresses. The greater your interaction with virtual spaces, the greater will be your virtual footprint.  A good mix of free and paid promotional spaces should yield good results.  Don’t expect instant results.  You have to take the time to build and promote your business.  If you are a new lawyer / entrepreneur you may be doing double duty initially balancing your time between the practice of law and the business of law.  Eventually you should be able to seek out professional services to assist with your marketing and to keep your social media accounts active and up-to-date.
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• Sign-up for online lawyer referral services.  Lawyer referral services are a great option for new start-up firms and small firms.  They allow you the opportunity retain clients, build and grow your business.  They are also good for extended promotion of you, your business and legal services.
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• Get a listing on as many free promotional sites as you can.  There are a number of free listing sites that any business can register with (e.g. Yelp, Yellow Pages).  They may not be specifically geared towards lawyers, but most have categories and you can likely find a category that suits your needs.  Conduct a web search of free listing sites and register.
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• Create social media accounts and keep them active.  LinkedIn is a great starting point to get initial recognition, Facebook and Twitter can also be useful.  Find online groups that would be beneficial to your practice, share and participate.  These are great places to build rapport and influence and also for lead generation.
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• Work with a web professional to assure that your website is search engine optimized.
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• Sign up for Google my Business.
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• Don’t forget to register with www.LegistLensCanada.com.  We offer both free and paid membership services to be part of our online directory and referral system. 

Regardless of where you are in your business development an online presence can only improve your business status and recognition.