This is Part One of our three-part series on how to maximize your immigration law firm’s growth.
Don’t miss Part Two: Become the Preeminent Immigration Resource in Your Market and Part Three: How to Close More Cases!
The Competition Is Intense
Take a drive on any highway and you’ll see countless attorney billboards. Likewise, the competition is getting tougher and tougher online as well, with more firms jumping into SEO or digital advertising every day.
How can a small or mid-sized immigration law firm stand out from the crowd?
The fight for new clients is competitive, and as a law firm owner, you’re up against it all the time. Every prospective client who calls might go with another firm.
So How Can You Become THE Go-To Immigration Law Firm?
It all starts with a robust, consistent online presence that shows how trustworthy your firm is.
Curate a Professional Appearance Online
A nice website is a must-have. But it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Sure, you can pay someone big bucks to build your firm’s site, but you can also start out with an easy, free site builder like Wix.
The most important thing about your immigration firm’s website is that it showcases your firm and services and provides an easy way for people to get in touch with you.
This can be achieved with a simple design – you don’t have to go all out with fancy bells and whistles! Additional content and features like a chat system can always be added later on.
In addition to your website, be sure to claim the Google My Business profile for your immigration law firm. Once you’ve claimed it, make sure to keep the information there (hours, phone number, etc.) updated.
Along with Google My Business, create social media profiles for your firm and claim directory listings such as Yelp or legal-specific directories like Avvo. Keep your information up-to-date here as well, and use updated pictures wherever possible. These profiles are a reflection of your business!
The tactic here is to get as much online “real estate” as possible so that wherever prospective clients go, they can find up-to-date, accurate information about your firm.
Showcase Benefits, Not Features
Once the basics are covered, you want to make sure you’re showing prospective clients what makes your firm stand out.
A great way to do this is to highlight the benefits of working with you, not just features of the process.
For example… Many immigration firms say that they do document prep. Great, but what does that really mean for a client? It means they have a stress-free experience where they don’t have to worry about tracking due dates and minutiae of the process.
Showing the benefit – what the client experiences – is way more likely to appeal to a potential client!
If you’re struggling to put the benefits of working with you into words, just ask your former clients! They’ll be able to tell you what stood out to them about your firm.
When in doubt – you can always tout your success rate, whether it’s the number of green cards granted, people released from detention… Positive statistics stand out.
Don’t Be Shy about Sharing Social Proof
Related to those benefits and positive stats – social proof matters to potential clients!
When we talk about “social proof,” we mean things like awards your firm has received or testimonials from your clients.
Testimonials are really the gold standard of social proof. These show that you’re successful and good at what you do, but most importantly, they allow prospective clients to see themselves in the stories of people like them.
One of our most successful immigration attorney clients says this is what he hears more than anything else: Clients choose him because of his successful reviews.
Make sure you are actively requesting reviews from satisfied clients, and don’t be shy about sharing these on your website and online profiles!
To Sum It All Up…
You don’t have to spend a bundle of money to begin establishing yourself as the premier immigration law firm in your market.
- Build a consistent, professional online presence
- Explain the benefits of working with your firm
- Share your wins
Don’t be shy! If you don’t advocate for your firm, who will?
