How Law Firms Uncover Their Target Audience for Digital Marketing

When it comes to marketing, there are dozens of variables at play.

Each works together to deliver a marketing experience that’s – hopefully – engaging for the clients and profitable for the business. But there are two elements that matter more than most: messaging and audience.

In this article, we’ll be zooming in on the latter half to help your law firm uncover and reach your target audience.

 

Why You Need a Specific Audience

It’s easy to take a generalized approach to law firm marketing – addressing anyone and everyone who will listen. After all, American culture teaches us that bigger is always better. However, reality is different than perception. Narrowing your focus down to a specific audience allows you to develop a more powerful message.

“Niche targeting helps you in a few ways. Most importantly, it helps you avoid competition; there are thousands of lawyers writing about generic topics, and if you try to compete with them, you’ll end up wasting your time,” AudienceBloom’s Sam Edwards explains. “If you’re writing content for one specific group of people, you’ll have fewer competitors to worry about, and more ranking opportunities. It also gives you a chance to optimize for long-tail keywords that often get overlooked.”

In a world of macro, top-down marketing strategies, law firms that aren’t afraid to zoom in and adopt a micro, eye-level approach will experience superior results.

 

4 Tips for Clarifying Your Audience

You might already have a pretty decent idea of who your audience is, or you may be totally clueless. Either way, there are ways for you to make progress.

Here are a few helpful suggestions to assist you in clarifying your audience:

 

1. Identify Your Niche

Ironically enough, the audience research process begins by looking inwardly at your law firm and what it is you want to focus on. While you may be proficient in multiple areas of law, your marketing efforts will be far more effective if you drill down to a specific niche.

For example, your law firm might offer a wide array of personal injury representation. But if you specifically focus on car accident related injuries, you’ll find it easier to reach a specific audience with an articulate message.

Furthermore, is there a specific geographical market in which you’re trying to serve this niche? In other words, is it nationwide, statewide, or in a specific city? You might even drill down smaller and go after an audience in a specific part of the city. This doesn’t mean you never work with anyone outside of this area – it simply focuses your approach to allow for greater clarity.

 

 

2. Establish Demographics

Within your practice niche and geographical location, you’ll have to determine the demographics of your audience. This includes things like education level, income level, gender, age, and profession.

You can gather demographic information by reviewing your Google Analytics account, studying your social media followers, and tracking who is walking through the doors of your practice on a regular basis.

 

 

3. Determine the Primary Pain Point

 

What is your target audience’s biggest frustration or pain point? This is the element that will shape the flavor of your entire marketing messaging.

The biggest pain point isn’t always the most obvious need. For example, a car accident victim’s biggest pain point may not be money. It’s financial assistance that allows them to feel the peace of mind that comes with providing for their child’s future. It might seem the same on the surface, but the latter pain point shapes an entirely new message that isn’t present when the primary emphasis is on cash.

 

 

4. Figure Out Where They Spend Their Time

Where does your audience spend their time? This includes both online and offline environments.

Based on these insights, you can learn more about who your target client is, how they absorb information, and who or what has influence over them.

 

Set Your Marketing Goals

It’s never too late in the year to establish some specific marketing goals and begin working towards a big-picture objective. But to achieve your big-picture goals, you’ll need to start by narrowing your focus down to a specific audience that will respond to tailored messaging.

t’s hard work, but it pays off in the end.