Most people don’t think too much about trying a different brand of pasta, and they probably don’t pay a lot of attention to the label on their socks. But those same people probably DO have strong feelings about something—whether it’s the make of the car they drive, the smartphone they use, or the running shoes in their closet. If it’s something crucial in your life that has to work for you without fail, it’s not unusual to develop a strong sense of “brand loyalty.”
And it’s really not so different when someone chooses an estate planning attorney. If they have a good experience with you, they’re likely to tell their friends and family and stick with you for life.
But how do you inspire brand loyalty? How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors and show that you’re the trustworthy law firm that really understands what it’s like to be a client? Today, we’d like to share three of our time-proven tips for standing out from the crowd and creating long-lasting relationships with your perfect clients.
1: Understand Your Perfect Client Better Than Your Competitors Do
If you market your estate planning practice online, you probably already optimize your website for search engines. But do you also optimize for the people those search engines send your way?
Ultimately, your keywords and rankings don’t matter if your website and content don’t make a connection with the people that find you. And that’s the key to standing out from your competitors. If you know your potential “perfect clients” better than anyone else does, you can create a memorable connection that goes beyond keywords and traffic.
You have to really sit down and think about your perfect client:
- Who are they?
- Where do they live?
- How do they talk about their issues and describe what’s happening to them?
- What do they ask first?
- What are they feeling when they decide to look for an estate planning attorney?
If you let those answers inform your marketing strategy, you’ll be well on your way toward building the kind of practice that effortlessly rises to the top and generates brand loyalists.
2: Don’t Wait to Show Potential Clients What Makes Your Estate Planning Firm Different
Show potential clients from their very first contact that you are someone that understands their situation and cares about their needs. If you wait until after they’ve already become a client, you’ve missed a huge opportunity—and probably more than a few great leads.
Lots of law firms overlook this, but it’s important to really think through the experience a potential client has when they first hear about you. What do they see when they visit your website? If they reach out, do they get an immediate response from your office? Do you follow up with them, even if they don’t schedule with you right away? Do you educate them and explain what to expect?
People notice and appreciate when you treat them with care. It’s what they remember long after documents are signed or estates are settled, and it’s what makes you stand out from competitors that don’t care about the pre-client experience.
The best part is that, with the right software and integrations, it’s actually remarkably easy to automate a lot of this customer-relationship work and nail down your consistency. Every contact matters!
3: Let Your Brand Have a Personality
Most estate planning attorneys produce generic websites and marketing messages because they seem “safe.” The problem is that those generic messages are also completely ineffective. You can’t hope to stand out when you look like every other estate planning practice out there!
People work with people they like. You have to let your personality shine through in your marketing, and you have to reveal a little bit about yourself to help potential clients feel comfortable opening up to you. You don’t have to get wild and crazy or give up too much personal information. Instead, it’s just about highlighting those little things that make you human and approachable. Are you passionate about a hobby? Do you excel in niche areas? Do you run a charity event or serve your community in another way? Do you have an awesome office culture? Let it show!
And don’t worry about not appealing to everyone—you’re not trying to be a “drain catch” for everyone that ever searches for an attorney online. Instead, you’re trying to attract perfect clients that love what you do and are a great fit for your practice. When you show yourself as a real person with a thriving practice and authentic personality, you’ll get more targeted leads and fewer irrelevant leads that go nowhere.
Brand Yourself as the Perfect Fit for Your Perfect Estate Planning Clients
It’s not easy to build a marketing strategy that stands out from fierce competitors. You have to go the extra mile to show potential clients who you are, how you help, and why you’re the estate planning attorney that’s worthy of their trust and loyalty.
Not sure how to brand yourself as your potential clients’ estate planning attorney for life? Struggling to stand out from the local competition? Foster Web Marketing develops personalized marketing strategies with your needs and goals in mind, along with expert support from our friendly team. You can learn more—and get valuable information about the performance of your current marketing strategy—when you join us for a complimentary marketing analysis.
RELATED EDUCATION
If you found this article interesting, here are some other educational programs that you might find helpful:
- Generating Business from the Internet: Best Practices for Estate Planning Professionals
- The 6 Ways to Grow Revenue in Any Business
- How to Develop a More Consistent and Steady Stream of Revenue from Your Existing Clients!
- How to Use Online Reviews to Get More Business!
- How to Set Your Fees: For Estate Planning Attorneys with a Living Trust-Centered Practice
- Convert Prospects with Other Attorneys’ Trusts Into Clients!
ABOUT FOSTER WEB MARKETING
Since 1998, Foster Web Marketing has provided boutique website design and digital marketing services to lawyers, doctors, and other professionals across the U.S. and around the world. We use our in-house website design, content writing, search engine optimization, and coaching teams to strategize more effective marketing plans for our clients. We also provide powerful marketing software that supports businesses in attracting their “perfect clients” and achieving consistent success online.
Foster Web Marketing is the current web designer of nationally renowned estate planning attorney and Ultimate Estate Planner’s President, Philip Kavesh’s, law firm’s website. Take a look at www.kaveshlaw.com.
For more information about Foster Web Marketing and to get a free website analysis, click here.