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When you run a small law firm or solo practice, it is essential to continue to do market research. This is especially true as we approach the start of a new year. Doing so can provide you with crucial information that can help you better prepare your marketing materials and other plans for the upcoming year.
With that being said, 2022 is looking like another exceptionally competitive year for the legal industry and the small law firm market. Here’s what you can expect.
COVID-19 and the Small Law Firm Market
The small law firm market has been dramatically affected by COVID-19 over the last nearly two years. First, you need to offer virtual consultations. No matter where you are in the country, all of your major competitors have already started offering virtual consultations and have continued to provide them despite some of the world opening back up to in-person meetings.
The market is also even more competitive than it was pre-pandemic. More and more attorneys began working from home and saw the benefit of branching out and opening up their solo practices or small law firms. You will need to keep up with the trends and the legal market as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact the country.
How To Stand Out in the Ultra-Competitive Legal Market
You know you have to make sure that your target clients know who you are and why your small law firm is the one to choose among the countless other attorneys in your area. You know you must offer virtual consultations and adapt to the technology of virtual court hearings and the like.
But it would help if you also devoted a good chunk of your attention to making sure you are marketing online. One industry that was not negatively impacted by the global pandemic was the digital marketing industry. More people are online than ever before. This is a new normal where your small law firm must focus its efforts.
There are multiple digital marketing areas where you could direct your attention. But choose carefully based on which area you are most likely to see the most leads. For example, if any of your clients come in through Facebook, social media marketing is the right choice for you. But if you are a small law firm just starting to get your name out there, you might instead focus your efforts on building your website and working on your search engine optimization and content marketing strategies.
These are just a few ways you can help your law firm stand out in a market as competitive as the legal industry is going to be in 2022. You will need to continue to do your market research every few months or so to make sure you’re staying on trend and appealing to your ideal clients.
Small Law Firms in 2022: What You Need to Offer Clients
Now that COVID-19 has changed the way we live and do business, your law firm adapting to the times is essential if you hope to find or remain successful in the small law firm market in 2022. In addition to being prepared technologically, offering virtual consultations, and focusing on digital marketing, there are other steps your small law firm can take to meet your clients with what they need.
Now is the time to refine your current onboarding processes. After everything your clients have been through, you need to guide them through their legal journey seamlessly so as not to overwhelm them. You also want to be sure to set expectations for communicating. In the digital age, your clients will expect to get a hold of you and get answers to their questions promptly. Disappointing them in this area could mean the loss of a client or, worse, a poor review.
But do not forget that your clients are human, and they still need to connect with you. They need to feel they can trust you during some of the most challenging times of their lives. Make sure your small law firm keeps this pivotal point in mind in 2022 as the market continues to be over-saturated with options for legal representatives.