COVID-19 has changed each aspect of our lives and each segment of the economy. Like other sectors, the pandemic has also disrupted the legal sector. Disruption provides a healthy ground for innovation and creativity. In response to the curveball thrown by COVID, law firms need to pivot their marketing game. This is the time to show their community presence and leadership skills. This article discusses marketing strategies to capture new files and create unique opportunities.

With the webinar fatigue setting in amongst all. It is time to focus on targeted pain-points of the client. The time to discuss generic topics is well past us. Keep the webinar focused on a select sector, topic, or client is imperative. Instead of gathering a large audience, focus on a smaller participant pool. It will allow you to tackle a specific legal issue. The client needs focused attention on their current or potential pain points.

By understanding the root cause of the issues, law firms can pre-empt the client's needs. Understand specific client issues by updating your knowledge of the client industries. The clients are struggling with liquidity, crashing sales, and uncertainty. There are several clients, hungry for investing their surplus cash in struggling companies. Understand the unique issues faced by your clients and make the winning pitch. Razor-sharp focus is imperative to engage in a meaningful conversation.

The client is no more looking for only a legal solution, neither should you only focus on that. Move away from the traditional approach of tackling only the legal issue. Law firms should offer complete business solutions. 

There is never a better time to explore the online avenues than right now. Add an interactive video to your bio. The most visible change during this pandemic is that everyone is stuck at home. Clients are looking for answers online (legal or otherwise). Explore the platforms where your potential clientele hangouts, you should be there too. Customize the content as per the platform. The virtual world offers huge scope to network with the right set of people. Use infographics, pictures, and videos to tell the stories. Give free and relevant content such as e-books, brochures, blog subscriptions, etc.

Law firms can help the young lawyers, fresh out of college, who are facing the heat. Firms can also sponsor online events or charity outreach programs to spread awareness. Further, lawyers can also help businesses in availing government grants. Showcase the human side of your business by putting marketing dollars behind it.

There is no better way to market yourself than educating the prospects. The website is your virtual office. It must have all the resources up to date, including the COVID resource center. The law firms should have a dedicated resource center on their website homepage. If you specialize in a specific area, make sure to tailor the resource center to suit your client's needs.

In the internet era, there is no dearth of information. If at all, we are drowning in information overdose. Lawyers are generally great orators. Now, it is time for those blessed with a penchant for videography to take a shot at bite-sized videos. Clients prefer watching a 2-minute long video than to go through many pages of articles. Zoom fatigue is real as the audience requires focused and snackable video clips. Clips also give a feeling to meet someone in person. Social platforms, including LinkedIn, promote video content more than text-based content. Seize the opportunity and take advantage of video content.

The firms already have state of the art technology for the day to day affairs. It is time that law firms pay heed to virtual client experience. If the content is the king, technology to share it with the highest ROI is the queen. Invest in high-quality equipment and webinar technology partners. Add bells and whistles to your online tech to provide a great experience to your audience.

Virtual avenues offer a significant opportunity to market yourself. Yet, it comes with a catch – the attention span of the audience is much lower on virtual platforms. Your content must offer high-quality insights. It should be bite-sized and SEO friendly else it may go unnoticed by your target audience. Your content must be creative and show your human side. The goal should be to educate your audience in plain English in a digestible format.

Prepare for good times ahead – With everything said and done, we should try to find the light at the end of the tunnel. These obstacles will pass too. We would be heading back to our offices and to our previous routines. You should be ready with your 100-day plan once you resume office and are open for walk-ins.