Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) isn’t as easy or cheap as some marketing companies would have you believe. It’s a highly competitive marketing channel, especially for lawyers. That constant competition drives up the cost of popular keywords, even when those keywords aren’t necessarily effective at attracting the clients and cases you want.
It also takes high-level research, technical know-how, and constant adjustment to get a good return on your PPC investment. So, if you approach it with the expectation that it’s going to be this simple, single-channel solution to all your marketing woes, you’re going to be disappointed.
All kinds of estate planning firms jump into PPC, start bidding on the keywords they think they need, and end up losing time, opportunity, and money in the process. But you don’t have to make the same mistakes.
Here are three ways to approach PPC responsibly and still drive the clients and cases you want.
1. Make PPC One Part of a Diverse Marketing Strategy
PPC works best when it’s just one part of an omnichannel marketing strategy. So, make sure you’re also using your website to its full potential. Go for rich, relevant content that drives organic traffic to your door. Nurture your list and encourage referrals. Get into email outreach and direct mail. There are so many ways to free yourself from dependency on any one method!
The stronger and more diverse your marketing strategy becomes, the less likely it is that you’ll suddenly get the rug pulled out from under you or get stuck paying for some kind of $500-a-pop keyword as your sole source of leads.
2. Lean Into Longtail Keywords
Most estate planning firms target “short tail” keywords with their PPC ads, like “probate lawyer florida” or “new jersey estate planning attorney.” The problem is that those are some of the most expensive types of PPC keywords you can bid on, and most of the clients you want aren’t actually using those terms to search for you!
This is why I encourage estate planning lawyers to go after some “longtail,” voice-search-style keywords. Your best clients are far more likely to search for phrases like, “who needs an estate plan” or “what’s the difference between a will and a trust” or “what is a guardianship.”
You have to think about what your potential clients are asking in the moment to act on a need. Why do they start a search? What problems are they really trying to solve? If you can get this right, you’ll drive better leads for your spend—and it doesn’t hurt that these keywords are typically much less expensive and competitive.
Sure, Google Ads might tell you that there isn’t enough search volume to bid on some of these keyword phrases. However, it’s worth the effort to find some lower volume, more targeted queries to add to your mix.
Need a hand building a review strategy that puts you ahead of your competitors? Looking for better ways to attract potential clients and nurture past clients? Our websites and marketing experts have been growing law firms for more than 25 years, and we are focused on time-proven strategies that produce measurable success.
3. Start With a Small Budget Before You Go Big
PPC can quickly become an obsession, and I’ve seen lawyers bet big on it and lose. So, start with a very limited budget, and keep a tight rein on your spending. If you maximize clicks early and collect data while your budget is low, you can more easily and effectively maximize conversions later. You’ll gain confidence in your data, and you’ll have a better understanding of who is converting.
That’s when you can make smart decisions about increasing your budget and allocating it wisely.
Build a Secure PPC Strategy With an Expert by Your Side
PPC is a powerful tool for marketing an estate planning firm, but you have to use it responsibly to protect your budget and get positive results.
Are you interested in getting started with PPC advertising? Have you tried PPC in the past without getting the kinds of results you expected? Foster Web Marketing has been helping estate planning lawyers build powerful marketing strategies for more than 25 years, and we can help you manage your PPC effectively. Give us a call at 888.886.0939 to learn more, or take advantage of a complimentary marketing analysis with our team.
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.