Estate Planning Marketing: Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Practice

To be successful, estate planning law firms must have a comprehensive marketing strategy. We'll dive into marketing tips that will help you attract new clients and grow your estate planning business. We will begin by addressing estate planning and then discuss the skills required to work in this area. After that, we will dive into a variety of digital marketing tips that you can use to attract more clients. These tips include social media, SEO, email chains, and many others. Finally, we'll provide a few words about Lawmatics – an online marketing platform designed specifically for lawyers.

As an estate planner, getting in front of as many potential clients as possible is key to a successful practice. But how do you do that? This blog post will discuss tips and tricks for marketing your estate planning law firm. We will begin by addressing estate planning and then discuss how to market your firm using social media, SEO, and email chains. We will also discuss the benefits of using Lawmatics services to help grow your practice!

The rising number of individuals aged has contributed to the increasing demand for estate plan services. Is your estate planning practice effective at attracting more clients? A successful estate planning campaign should incorporate all relevant marketing methods. The best plan for lawyers beginning their clients' development should be based on a clear plan to leverage their knowledge to gain clients.

Overview of estate planning law

Estate planning is a process that helps individuals and families protect their assets while also ensuring that their wishes are carried out after death. It can encompass various activities, including estate tax planning, drafting wills and trusts, and creating estate administration plans.

A solid estate plan should take into account everything you own. To get you in the proper frame of mind, consider the many forms of property that make up your estate:

• Real estate and property (e.g., houses, land)
• Personal property (e.g., cars, artwork, jewelry)
• Bank accounts
• Retirement assets, stocks, and securities
• Life insurance policies

Many individuals overlook all of the aspects that go into a finished estate plan. Estate planning entails more than simply putting your last will and testament in motion. You'll help families anticipate as many circumstances as possible.

Skills required to be a good estate planning lawyer

Estate planning law is a specialization within the legal field that deals with estate-related tasks such as estate tax planning, drafting wills and trusts, and creating estate administration plans. As an estate planning lawyer, you must comprehensively understand these areas to provide sound advice to your clients. In addition, you must also be able to communicate with your clients and understand their needs effectively.

You think ahead

Estate planning lawyers must think long-term because they often work with clients for many years. During this time, estate planners are responsible for helping their clients safeguard their assets and ensure their wishes are fulfilled after they die.

You like to help people

Some estate planning lawyers work with families through generations. When one client passes away, estate planners may be enlisted by any surviving family members, which means decades of service. Your client relies on you to safeguard their family assets. They entrust you to craft the plan that aligns with local and federal laws, manages taxes, and passes most of the wealth to the beneficiaries upon death.

You like dealing with financial, trust, and taxation issues

You must also communicate with your clients about their financial situation and estate planning goals. Many estate planners need to track a client’s assets, liabilities, and estate taxes.

Why implement a marketing strategy for estate planning attorneys?

Estate planning attorneys face a competitive marketplace that makes attracting clients difficult. An effective marketing program that attracts new business clients will be essential for achieving the company's objectives and growth.

Beating out the old guard

It can be challenging to break into markets with an "old guard." Established players in a market often have a decisive advantage, and it can be hard to dislodge them. This is especially true in estate planning, where many attorneys have been practicing for years. Young attorneys must be prepared to work hard and develop creative marketing strategies to attract new business.

Competing against do-it-yourself (DIY) options

Many individuals may be tempted to take on writing their will themselves to avoid paying for a lawyer's services. After all, many online resources, like LegalZoom, RocketLawyer, and other DIY kits, are available to help people create a comprehensive estate plan without legal assistance.

Competing with financial industry

The financial industry has been increasingly targeting estate planning to expand services. As a result, estate planners must continuously adapt their marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition. There are many estate planning law firms, but how do you make yours stand out from the rest?

However, we know that estate planning is a complex process that requires the expertise of a qualified lawyer.

Foundations of marketing best practices

A well-crafted marketing strategy can help you attract new clients, expand your client base, and grow your estate planning law firm.

Track your leads with call tracking

Call tracking is a valuable tool that estate planning law firms can use to track the success of their marketing campaigns. By monitoring the number of calls generated by a campaign, your estate planning law firm can measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Use a call-tracking service that offers local or toll-free number options, call recording, and detailed reporting.

Use a CRM to manage relationships

A CRM, or customer relationship management system, is a valuable tool that estate planning law firms can use to manage their qualified leads and clients.

A CRM can support your estate planning law firm's marketing efforts by helping you keep track of all the essential details about your clients. With detailed information about each client's assets, liabilities, and estate, your estate planning law firm can more effectively market to them. Additionally, a CRM can help you track the progress of your estate planning services, so you can more effectively measure the success of your marketing campaigns.

You can attract and retain clients more effectively by using a CRM to support your estate planning law firm's marketing efforts.

Nurture leads with email campaigns

One of the most effective ways to keep potential estate planning clients in mind is through email nurture campaigns. An email nurture campaign involves sending targeted emails to potential clients to persuade them to become clients. Creating a simple birthday email campaign can delight and remind your potential clients.

Each of the three foundations of marketing efforts - call-tracking, CRM, and email nurture - is necessary for estate planning law firms to succeed in attracting new clients.

5 Channels to market your estate planning firm

Estate planning law firms have a unique opportunity to market their services in various ways. Networking, Google My Business, Content Marketing, Social Media, and Paid Advertising are five effective methods that estate planning law firms can use to reach more clients and grow their business.

Estate planning law firms should create a marketing plan that encompasses all of these strategies based on your goals, budget, and target audience.

1Referrals, online directories, & local involvement

Start your marketing strategy by leaning on and growing your network. You can't just sit and wait for clients to come to you. You need to be proactive and generate leads by getting the word out about your law firm.

Referrals and networking

Start your marketing efforts by tapping into your network and community.

One of the best ways to market your estate planning firm is to receive referrals from other professionals. Financial advisers, accountants, insurance agents, and other attorneys are all potential sources of referrals for estate planning law firms.

Get involved in local events

Attending and sponsoring local events allows estate planning law firms to gain exposure and build relationships with the community. Consider sponsoring a Fun Run or 5k that donates to cancer research, a local choir, theater, or museum, or buy a little league's baseball shirts.

You show that you care and are committed to the community. Sponsoring local events is also a great way to get links to your law firm website.

When another website links to your estate planning law firm's website, it is called a backlink. This strongly indicates to Google that your website is an authority on the topic and should be ranked. Backlinks are essential to SEO, and estate planning law firms should take advantage of them to improve their website's ranking.

Online directories

One of the most effective ways to market your estate planning firm is by listing your firm in online directories. Online directories are websites that allow businesses to list their contact information, products, and services. Listing your estate planning firm's online directories can help you reach more clients and grow your business.

Some standard legal online directories you should consider are: 

• Avvo
• Nolo
• Justia
• Lawyers.com and Lawyer.com (yes, they are different)
• HG.org
• Martindale-Hubbell

2Google my business

While, in a sense, Google My Business (GMB) is an online directory, it is also the best way to get in front of your community. It allows you to control your estate planning law firm's appearance in search results and Google Maps.

The best part about using Google My Business is that it is a free business listing.

Claim & fill out your GMB profile

Claiming your GMB profile is the first step in taking control of your estate planning law firm's online presence. To claim your business, you must log in to Google and either claim an existing profile or create a new one. You will need to coordinate with Google to receive a verification code to verify your profile. The default method for obtaining the code is by postcard to the address.

After you have claimed your listing, it is time to fill out your GMB profile. Your GMB profile should include:

• Your business name
• Your contact information (i.e., address, phone, website)
• A description of your estate planning services
• Your hours of operation
• Answer questions

When filling out your Google My Business profile, include keywords that people may use to search for your services in the description.

Use GMB like it's social media

Did you know that you can post on GMB? When you post new content on your GMB profile listing, you provide local customers with helpful information about your company. This contributes to increasing your local authority.

Treat posts as additional ways to answer FAQs, promote your website, and add additional keywords.

Add photos and videos to your GMB listing

Showcase your firm's office, team, and services by adding pictures to your profile. Adding photos allows potential clients to understand you and your firm better.

Take it one step further and get 360 photography of your law office- think Street View, but indoors. To get 360 photos on your Google My Business, you must work with a Google Trusted Photographer.

3Optimize your website

Creating and updating content on your website will increase your authority on Estate Planning in the search results. The more information you provide on your website will help your site appear prominently online.

Practice area pages

When we talk about web content, we don't only mean blogging. Make sure your website details all of your practice areas. Explain your topic and how you would handle that issue, and end with a call-to-action (e.g., "call today for a consultation).

Blogging for busy lawyers

An estate planning firm should consider blogging to keep its website up to date with relevant content. Use your blog to answer questions that your clients ask you over and over again. A blog is a great way to show your expertise on the topic and can also act as a resource for potential clients.

Experiment with other forms of content

Once you've built your website and started blogging as part of your estate planning marketing strategy, you can experiment with different media.

Estate planning can be a complex process, and many people have questions about it. Try filming a video to answer some of the most common questions. This is a great way to show your expertise and help potential clients understand estate planning better.

You can also create long-form, helpful content like an eBook that people can download. This is a great way to show your expertise and provide potential clients with additional information about estate planning.

4Social media and reviews

Estate planning lawyers can use social media to connect with potential clients and build their businesses. Estate planning lawyers can attract new clients and grow their practices by creating interesting, engaging content.

Go where your clients already are

Your prospective clients are online. They are watching videos, reading articles, and checking social media. Social media can be highly effective for keeping in touch with existing clients, reaching new ones, and expanding your referral network. That said, choosing the proper social media channels is important.

It makes sense for estate planning lawyers to be visible on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Lawyers can use these platforms to share blog posts, answer client questions, and connect with potential clients.

Linkedin, where everybody knows your game

LinkedIn is the most useful channel for estate planners. LinkedIn users are usually more professional, more established, and better educated, so it's only natural to have a presence on this platform.

Like most social platforms, you can use it to share analyses or insights about changes in legislation or other timely news. You can promote your new blog articles, share information about your business, and add videos or images to enhance your posts.

Regular posts will help you establish yourself as an estate-planning expert and help you reach more potential clients.

Ask your clients for reviews

Online reviews are incredibly important and give social proof to prospective clients. Make it easy for your clients to leave a review by providing them with a link to your online profiles to leave a review.

In an ideal world, every happy client would leave a 5-star review on Google, but sometimes clients are shy about leaving reviews on Google because it will list their name publicly. If your client feels more comfortable leaving a review on LinkedIn, Facebook, or even an online directory like Avvo—encourage them to do so.

5Social media and reviews

As with all marketing strategies, you want to strike a balance in your approach. SEO and social strategy require consistency over time. Building strong relationships through networking and community involvement also take time.

Paying for advertising is a great way to ensure that your company is always at the top of the search results, and it can keep the phones ringing when your firm is in a slump.

Paid advertising campaigns for estate planning attorneys

Law firms can also consider using paid marketing strategies to reach potential estate planning clients. Placing ads in relevant online and offline publications or websites targeting your desired audience can be extremely effective.

Additionally, law firms can use targeted online advertising, such as pay-per-click advertising or display advertising, to reach individuals interested in your services.

Use a dedicated landing page to track and convert leads

If you are investing in paid advertising, you need to take the extra step to include a dedicated landing page for each of your paid campaigns.

If you choose to have your landing page on your website, remove all site navigation so the lead will stay on that page and convert. You can also build out landing pages on platforms that specialize in converting PPC leads.

Your PPC landing page will be specifically designed to capture the contact information of individuals interested in learning more about estate planning services.

The advantage of using a landing page is that you can track how many people are visiting the page and how many are filling out the contact form. This data will be extremely valuable as you assess your ROI for your paid campaigns.

Test Google local service ads

Google Local Service Ads is a relatively new advertising platform that allows you to place ads for their services in the local search results. These ads appear as a sponsored listing at the top of the search results and include a call-to-action button that allows potential clients to contact the law firm quickly.

To be eligible to participate in Google Local Service Ads, all of the attorneys at your firm must meet specific requirements, such as being licensed and insured. Additionally, your firm's attorneys must undergo a background check conducted by Google.

Despite the effort, Google Local Service Ads can be an extremely effective way to reach potential estate planning clients who are searching for estate planning services in your area because you will appear at the top of search results (even above other PPC ads), and Google will have verified you.

Grow your estate planning practice with Lawmatics

Some of the most effective marketing strategies for an estate planning practice include creating helpful, optimized website content to address FAQs, sponsoring local teams or charities, and filling out your Google My Business. These strategies will help you reach prospective clients and connect you to the community.

Take your marketing to the next level with Lawmatics. Lawmatics also offers a case management system to manage long-term relationships with your clients easily.

FAQs

?What are the best places for estate lawyers to have an online presence?

There are several great places estate planning lawyers can have an online presence.

A website is a must-have. Your website should accurately represent your practice and what you provide. Consider an search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to optimize your website so that potential consumers may locate you online with ease.

You should also consider social media sites, as they are ideal for establishing connections with potential clients. LinkedIn is a fantastic platform for estate planning professionals to network and develop relationships with new clients.

?How can Google attract clients who need help with wills & estate planning?

You can use Google products like Google My Business and Google Local Service Ads to get in front of prospective clients.

To start, you need to claim and verify a Google My Business listing and optimize it for search engines, making it easier for prospective clients to find you. Once you have your GMB listing, you can write posts related to estate planning.

Google Local Service Ads will display your law firm information at the top of the search results page and push people to call you.