Digital marketing yields ROI through reputation building, brand awareness, and clientele expansion. Everything from big corporations to small businesses has some form of an online presence. And yes, it’s also used for marketing for criminal defense lawyers.

That said, owning a small law firm or being a newbie can seem intimidating. There’s a lot of competition, including big, established, and well-funded law firms that can afford expensive campaigns and ads.

However, everybody needs to start somewhere. Every Lawyer SEO expert will tell you that it’s still worth it, even if you’re approaching it slowly but surely. You might not be a megacorporation funding million-dollar ads, but you can still successfully attract new potential clients and build reputation for your criminal defense law firm.

Let’s look at some accessible, effective, and low-cost digital marketing for criminal defense attorneys.

Why Digital Marketing Is A Must For Criminal Defense Attorneys

People transact, learn, and find entertainment from online apps, websites, and programs. So, naturally, you want these people to see you in these online spaces.

Remember, people nowadays have the luxury of using search engines (like Google) to find solutions to their needs and problems. This is a much easier way to discover law firms instead of driving around or browsing the yellow pages to find the nearest office.

For example, if someone needs a criminal defense lawyer, they could simply type it into the search bar and find an endless list of choices. They can also find reviews, photos, and law firm contact information this way.

The main goal of Lawyer SEO and digital marketing for criminal defense lawyers is to be more visible. If your law firm doesn’t show up in these spaces, you lose out to others who are savvy enough to build an online presence.

Isn’t Digital Criminal Defense Marketing Expensive?

It doesn’t have to be. The thing about digital marketing is that there are different entry points for all kinds of brands and firms.

You can start marketing for criminal defense lawyers with high-budget, full-service Lawyer SEO and expensive ad campaigns. But you can also start small by running a blog, implementing basic SEO, and using free marketing tools all on your own.

You can always start with some basic marketing strategies, see how it works, and invest in pricier options later. Not to mention, you have access to millions of free SEO and digital marketing resources through a few simple Google searches.

Starter Strategies For Digital Marketing For Criminal Defense Attorneys

Whether you’re testing the waters or looking to start small, there are several ways to implement and improve digital marketing with little to no cost. Here are some tips:

Tip #1: Start Learning With Free Online Resources

One simple Google search will yield millions of guides for criminal defense marketing.

Lawyer SEO, legal blogging, social media marketing, and email marketing have been used by experts and businesses of all kinds. This means a lot of testing and research has gone into these strategies, so you know most of the tips and information you’re getting will be effective.

This also means there are endless resources to help you do the basics of each marketing strategy. You can even do them all on your own! If you’re doing it right, you can yield some ROI. So, research how it’s best done before posting your first blog or building your brand-new criminal defense website.

Do note that the optimal marketing tricks are different for every website. So, your best keywords and strategies will differ from others based on your niche, location, and target audience. You want to ensure you’re looking for specific content on marketing for criminal defense lawyers.

Tip #2: Use The Countless Free Tools Available To You

If you’ve researched the most effective marketing strategies, you might have read that people use all kinds of tools to improve their implementation. Hence, newbies assume they can’t be efficient with their strategy implementation because of this potential paywall.

However, several online tools are free to use and are great starting points for marketing for criminal defense lawyers.

For example, Google has a long list of SEO tools that are entirely free to use, including the Google Search Console, Google Ads’ Keyword Planner, Mobile-Friendly Test, Google Trends, and many more! In addition, third-party SEO tools like Ahrefs and AnswerThePeople also have limited free versions of their paid tools, which already have enough utility to support your SEO efforts.

For your social media marketing efforts, you have access to dashboards and data to help manage your strategy. For example, Twitter Analytics provides data on your monthly performance, allowing you to monitor your progress.

Tip #3: Keep Your Website Simple And Easy To Use

Don’t think about complicated website design right now. Instead, pay attention to user experience and performance. A clean, well-structured, and fast-loading website is enough if you’re just starting out. In fact, too many embellishments and busy pages might even distract people from the content and CTAs on your website.

If you’re using a preset or theme, go for something more “lightweight.” Fancy themes might have a lot going on, so they could load slower than others. If you’ve done some research on website optimization, you know that slow, buggy, and busy pages don’t appeal to audiences.

Remember, you have a lot of competition. If people close the tab or click away because your site loads too slowly or isn’t well-designed, they’ll go to another competitor who’ll do it better.

Tip #4: Legal Blogging Is Still An Effective Content Marketing Strategy

Legal blogging is probably one of the most accessible law firm content marketing strategies. You don’t need specialized skills and equipment; you need to research and write about what you already know.

Legal blogs work by posting content (usually useful or engaging legal information) to attract people who might need it. So, for example, if someone looks up “common defenses to DUI,” they’ll get a results page full of relevant blogs, articles, and listicles. If you rank high enough, your content (in this case, a legal blog) will lead people to your website.

You’ll need SEO to ensure your content is found by the right people. In addition, getting indexed and ranking in the SERPs gives you more long-term benefits through organic traffic.

Tip #5: Get Listed On Google My Business

Google My Business listings show up in the SERPs, giving people a list of businesses and establishments related to their search. So, for example, if you do a Google search of “law firms near me,” you’ll see a list that will help you sort through nearby law firms.

Each listing will also have crucial business information like:

• Law firm name
• Contact information
• Operating hours
• Address and directions
• Photos
• Reviews
• Average ratings
• Links to your website

Do note that the target audience for GMB listings is nearby users. These users are probably actively looking for or wanting to learn about nearby criminal defense lawyers. With GMB listings, you’re not only visible to them, but you’re also making it easy for them to reach your law firm.

You Can Get Effective Criminal Defense Marketing With Little To No Cost

Unlike traditional criminal defense marketing methods, the entry point to digital marketing only requires a device to access the internet and some time to learn the ins and outs of your chosen strategies. You don’t have to fill out flyers or commission a TV ad to attract people to your law firm.

Author’s Bio

JC Serrano is the founder of 1000Attorneys.com, one of the very few private enterprises certified to process lawyer referrals by the California State Bar. His marketing strategies have continuously evolved since 2005, incorporating ever-changing SEO strategies into lawyerleadmachine.com.