6 Best Email Marketing Tips For Lawyers For 2024

Email marketing is a compelling digital marketing channel for lawyers. It can help you nurture relationships with prospective clients and customers through value adding content.

But you still need to do this the right way for the best results, of course. Read on to learn tips to perform excellent email marketing for lawyers.

6 Email Marketing Best Practices for Lawyers 

These six tips will ensure the best results from your email marketing for lawyers. Don’t forget to complement them with a good email marketing platform.

1. Define Your Objectives Clearly

A clear email marketing goal helps guide your marketing efforts and ensures your emails have a purpose. As a lawyer, you can have many goals. These include building your brand, attracting future clients and keeping current clients informed.

After choosing your goal, break it down into smaller objectives. But you can only do this effectively if you understand your target audience. Let’s assume you specialize in personal injury. Then your target audience should be victims of an injury. If your goal is to build your brand with your emails, then, your specific objectives could be to:

• Notify potential personal injury clients about their rights after an accident to showcase your legal expertise
• Display testimonials from happy clients to inform recipients of the excellent personal injury legal services you offer

The more specific your goals and objectives, the better.

2. Choose Appropriate Email Types

Based on your defined goals and objectives, choose the best type of email for your email marketing campaign. You can pick from promotional, transactional, or informative newsletter emails.

Promotional emails like the one below create awareness about what you offer as a law firm. Use these types of emails wisely. You don’t want to overwhelm your recipients with sales pitches. 

Transactional emails are sent to customers with an established contract or transaction with your firm. They can discuss a wide array of topics like appointment confirmations, invoices, or case updates.

Informative newsletters do just that–inform. They tell clients what the developments are in your industry or company. You can also use this type of email to establish your expertise if you discuss relevant legal subjects. Here’s a sample email from Haliburton, Isaac, and Lawson:

Informative newsletters are powerful tools. Since they inform, they are likely to be opened. While the average email open rate in the legal sector is just 39.3%, yours may be higher thanks to this email type.

3. Keep Your Email List Updated

To ensure excellent email marketing for lawyers, you need an updated email list. Invalid or inactive email addresses are a no-no. Your sender’s reputation may be negatively affected when many of your emails don’t reach your recipients or just end up in their spam folders. That’s why it’s advisable to use an email verification tool to confirm that the email addresses you’ve collected are valid from the get-go. 

You shouldn’t, however, just give special attention to your email list at that precise moment you’re collecting emails. Make sure you check which subscribers are no longer engaging with your content even after you’ve gathered your email addresses. This way, you can prevent instances of them getting annoyed by your irrelevant emails. 

To remove inactive subscribers and email addresses, use email marketing platforms like GetResponse. Also, ensure subscribers can opt out of your emails anytime. 

4. Focus on Emails That Add Value

Regardless of the type of email you send, you have to make sure they provide value to the recipient. There are many ways you can provide value. 

For instance, you could answer questions from your audience. Check your marketing channels. See if there are questions that typically crop up there that you can answer with your marketing email. In this email, for instance, the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick give recipients tips on how to ace their interview with a potential US employer:

Another way you can provide value is by sharing educational or informational videos. Instead of answering your audience questions with written email content, why not send them a video instead? Video marketing is an effective strategy. Most marketers find they get a good ROI from videos. 

Whether with videos or with text, you could also share general information like industry-related news or any changes in the law. 

To provide value to email recipients who are thinking of availing of your legal services, why not showcase testimonials or case studies in your email? These will help them make a final decision about whether or not to push through with their decision. 

Don’t forget to promote your webinars and events as well. These are valuable especially for people who love networking.

5. Close Attention to Legal Compliance

When running email marketing campaigns, follow legal guidelines and standards. Complying with these guidelines is essential to maintaining your ethical standing and preventing legal issues with your email marketing campaigns.

The US’ CAN-SPAM Act, for instance, sets the following rules for commercial email:

• Identify the email sender. A valid physical postal address should also be included.
• Give recipients a clear option to opt out from your email list
• Get the recipient’s consent before sending emails. For this, your opt-in process should also be clear.
• Ensure your subject lines are non-deceptive. 

There may be other relevant laws that apply to you. Do your research to find out what these are and ensure you comply with them when running your campaigns.

6. Measure Your Email Marketing Results

You should monitor your campaigns as part of your email marketing. The good news is that email software already typically comes with built-in analytics you can leverage for this. 

Here are metrics you should consider monitoring with these tools:

• Open rate – refers to how many recipients opened your marketing email
• Click-through rate  – refers to how many clicked on the links found in your email.
• Conversion rate – refers to the percentage of recipients who took the desired action after they opened your email
• Unsubscribe rate – refers to the number of recipients who opted out of your emails. 
• Bounce rate – refers to the percentage of email addresses in your mailing list that didn’t receive your emails

When you measure your email marketing results, you can determine whether your campaigns are actually working. So, if they’re not meeting your set goals and objectives, you can make changes.

5 Strategies to Build an Email List

An email list is critical to email marketing for lawyers. Where else can you send your marketing emails in the first place? 

Don’t worry. Building an email list isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Just follow these email list building strategies:

1. Offer Content Upgrades on Top of Your Most Popular Content

Content upgrades involve creating valuable resources related to your top-performing content, and then offering them in exchange for visitors’ email addresses. The idea is to give readers an incentive that aligns with the content they’ve shown interest in, making them more likely to subscribe to your mailing list.

Start by analyzing your website to spot the content that’s already generating significant traffic and engagement. These are your popular pieces. For this, use Google Analytics or plugins like MonsterInsights if you have a WordPress site. See what a MonsterInsights dashboard looks like:

Once you’ve identified your popular content, think of other resources that complement it. For instance, if your top content is about real estate law, offer a downloadable legal real estate glossary in exchange for your visitor’s email address. 

You can use content formats like PDF guides, free templates, e-books, or even webinars. In the example below, Davis Polk offers a webinar recording.

Pro tip: Place a call-to-action (CTA) at the beginning, middle, and end of your chosen top blog post that will enable readers to download the content upgrade while you collect email addresses.

2. Add Popups and Sign-Up Forms on Your Website

Adding pop-ups and sign-up forms to your law firm’s website is an effective way to build your email list. These elements provide visible and convenient opportunities for website visitors to avail of your lead magnet–like your content upgrade—and subscribe. 

Pop-ups are attention-grabbing because of how they show up on a page. Here are some types:

• Exit-intent popups. They appear when a visitor is about to leave a page.
• Scroll-triggered popups. They’re activated as visitors scroll to a section of your page. Use this within long-form content that’s performing well, as we discussed earlier.
• Timed popups. This works with a specific time delay that you have configured. For instance, after a visitor has spent 10 seconds on your site.

Consider adding your pop-up with your lead magnet on your homepage. This is often the first page visitors see, making it a prime location to capture their interest.

For sign-up forms, place them in various website locations. You can include one in your website footer or at the end of your blog post. Like Wattel&York, you can also add the sign-up form at the top of your homepage so it’s the first thing visitors see:

Your popups and sign-up forms should be straightforward. Just ask the basic details like names and contact details. If you cater to a corporate audience, you can also ask for the company name.

To help with segmenting your contact list, you may also add a checklist that allows visitors to choose their email preferences. That’s what Davis Polk did in the above example.

3. Create Landing Pages

A dedicated landing page allows you to tailor your message so you can achieve a specific purpose–in this case, get an email subscription. The landing pages we’re talking about here are where people “land” after clicking on, say, a social media link or ads that promote your email sign-up offer. You can easily create a well-structured landing page with. Some landing page tools even allow you to customize your landing page so it can reflect your branding. We’ll look at some of these later.

Your landing page should be optimized for conversions. So, use a clear and straightforward headline. Keep the landing page copy concise and do what most law firms do: explain what value visitors will get from your emails. See how Goodwin emphasizes this on this landing page:

Use eye-catching visuals that enhance the CTA. For example, if you’re giving out a free e-book in exchange for email addresses, include an enticing image of the book’s cover page. Also, use a single call-to-action, not multiple CTAs that may confuse your visitor.

Overall, your landing page design should be similar to the design of the post or ad that carried the link visitors clicked on to subscribe. Visitors should feel they were directed to the right place when they clicked on that link.

Finally, make sure your landing page is mobile-responsive. Visitors are also likely to use their mobile devices when checking out your site.

4. Leverage Social Media

Social media can be a powerful strategy for boosting email marketing for law firms. Thanks to social media, you can turn Instagram likes, X followers, and LinkedIn engagement into email subscribers. How?

Use social media platforms to share your blog posts as part of your law firm’s marketing strategy. Then, include a call-to-action within the posts, encouraging followers to subscribe to your email list for more updates. For a platform like Instagram, you can add the link to your sign-up landing page to your bio, like Goodwin Law does:

Also, consider hosting live webinars or Q&A sessions on social media platforms about legal topics. Leverage the engagement you get by encouraging attendees to subscribe to your mailing list for in-depth resources or event recaps.

Finally, run social media ads to promote your email sign-up offers. With these ads, you can target a specific audience based on interests that are relevant to your legal practice. 

5. Start a Referral Program

A referral program is a great way to maximize your existing network and client base. A whopping 92% of consumers say they are more likely to trust what their friends and family recommend.

But to get them to participate, offer good incentives like a discount on your legal services, a free consultation, or a free case review for every referral they make who signs up to your email list. You may also offer similar incentives to the referee. Whatever you offer, make sure people won’t have a difficult time participating in your referral program. Your rules should be simple enough to follow.

Once you have your referral program, promote it on your marketing channels. You can also assist your existing subscribers in promotion. Why not give them access to pre-written social media posts, SMS messages, and WhatsApp messages? This way, they won’t have to create promotional materials from scratch to get other people to subscribe to your email list.

You can use tools such as Referral Factory to assign referral links to each of your participants. This will help make it easy for you to monitor the effectiveness of your referral program.

3 Email Marketing Software for Law Firms

Sending emails to subscribers manually can be time-consuming. That’s why the right email marketing solutions are key to successful campaigns. Here are solutions to consider in email marketing for lawyers:

1. GetResponse

GetResponse is an email marketing platform that’s known for its flexible email builder. GetResponse can help you easily set up a well-structured marketing automation that enhances your customer’s experience.

You can also gain access to a wide array of tools and email templates with GetResponse. You can leverage these to ensure engagement with your old and new customers. The platform also offers features such as SMS, push notifications, live chats, and paid ads. You can also build custom landing pages and websites with the popular email marketing solution. 

GetResponse also makes it easy to create different types of conversion funnels, even if you have little to no experience. 

You can get started with an affordable email marketing plan at $19 per month, with additional discounts for longer plans. With this plan, you gain access to key features like autoresponders, unlimited landing pages, and websites. 

2. Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor has a good number of basic features for creating a successful email marketing strategy. Sign-up forms, marketing automation, autoresponders, and an email builder, for instance, are readily accessible. Plus, the platform is easy to use.

The pricing for Campaign Monitor starts at $11 per month for 400 contacts. If you opt for the essential plan, it costs $19 per month. The premier plan costs $149 per month. 

3. Constant Contact

Constant Contact is a good tool for sending simple newsletters. It offers multiple pre-built templates for this. With the platform, you can also create signup forms and basic landing pages for your lead magnets and special offers. 

With Constant Contact, you can also set up basic marketing automation based on website user interactions. 

The pricing for Constant Contact starts at $12 monthly with a Lite plan. Its standard plan is $35 while the premium plan costs $80.

Final Thoughts

Law firm email marketing is a viable channel for attorneys. It typically has a much better return on investment than social media. Indeed you can combine SEO and social with an effective email marketing strategy to catapult your leads.

So start your email list today. Pick one of our mentioned email service providers and get in touch with your existing clients to enquire if they would be willing to hear over email from you. Then create an email template that you can use to send updates every week or so, create a email marketing content calendar (if you want to) and follow our tips from the article.

And you’re on your way to become a successful legal email marketer! Get in touch with On The Map Marketing to discuss your lawyer marketing needs.

Author: Meet Michal Leszczynski, Head of Content Marketing and Partnerships at GetResponse. With 10+ years of experience, Michal is a seasoned expert in all things online marketing. He’s a prolific writer, skilled webinar host, and engaging public speaker. Outside of business hours, Michal shares his wealth of knowledge as an Email Marketing lecturer at Kozminski University in Warsaw. You can reach out and connect with Michal on LinkedIn.