In the cut-throat legal industry, it’s all about hitting the right audience.
Yes, throwing marketing dollars at broad demographics might get traffic, but this does not often produce a consistent, qualified customer prospect. What if your law firm could place a digital fence around the most lucrative neighborhoods and show ads only to potential clients in those high-value areas? That’s just what geo-fencing for lawyers does—and why it’s quickly becoming the next big thing in local legal marketing. “geo-fencing for lawyers”
So whether you’re a personal injury attorney who’s trying to attract hospital visitors, or an estate lawyer who wants to attract high-net-worth individuals, geo-fencing ensures that you’re reaching the right audience in the right time, in the right place. Here’s a closer look at what this technology is and how to use it effectively for your law firm.
What Is Geo-Fencing?
Geo-fencing is a location-based mobile marketing technique that uses GPS, Wi-Fi or cellular data to set up virtual lines around certain physical locations. When someone enters or leaves that “fenced” zone — a given zip code, hospital or office building — they can be served targeted ads on their mobile devices, apps, or even websites they visit.
For law firms, that’s the death of the days of generic local campaigns. Instead, you can target your advertising like a laser on zip codes or geographic areas that statistically will generate more qualified leads.
Why It Works for Law Firms
Displaying your ads to the right people is important.
Legal services are inherently local. People often look for lawyers close to where they live, work, or where events played out (such as accident scenes or hospitals). This sort of micro-level activity isn’t factored into traditional digital advertising. But geo-fencing does.
Here’s when for lawyers that the geo-fencing technology iscomes most handy :
- Hyper-targeting: Reach only people in neighborhoods that may want to become clients.
- Cost effectiveness: Don’t waste your budget on low value or off-target audiences.
- Timely relevance: Reach prospects shortly after a trigger event (ER visit, accident).
- Competitive edge: Target markets you know competitors aren’t serving, or geofence the law offices of your competition.
Think about advertising to people just returning from a local orthopedic clinic after a car accident or people coming from a seminar on real estate who might also be in need of estate planning. That’s laser-guided marketing in action.
How Lawyers Can Incorporate Geo Fencing Into Their Marketing Strategy
Geo-fencing could help a range of legal professionals—from personal injury and criminal defense to family law and estate planning. Here are practical applications:
Personal Injury Lawyers
Ad target auto body shops, hospitals and urgent care centers in zip codes with the most accidents. Send them ads such as, “Injured in an accident? Get a free case review now.”
Criminal Defense Attorneys
Geo-fence courthouses, police departments or jails to target individuals in legal trouble who are actively seeking help.
Family Law Attorneys
Target particularly high-divorce-rate or wealthy neighborhoods or areas of the city—we’re talking contested divorces, custody/hotel fights and alimony clients.
Estate Planning Lawyers
Focus on higher-end areas, which will have a higher percentage of people that need wills or trusts or asset protection.
Immigration Attorneys
Establish geo-fences around community centers, embassies or legal clinics where potential immigration clients gather.
Best Practices for Geo-Fencing Campaigns
As with any digital marketing tool, geo-fencing is most effective when used effectively. The following are important considerations for lawyers who want to employ geo-fencing:
Define Your Ideal Zip Codes
Don’t guess—use data. Review your case-history to find out what areas of town or zip codes that most often produce the highest value cases. Consider income levels, population density proximity to legal hotspots, or accident frequency.
Create Tailored Ad Creatives
Your message needs to connect with that portion of the audience you are after. Use direct, problem-aware language like:
“Injured in [City Name]? Call a lawyer near you today.”
“Just left the ER? Know your legal rights.”
“Estate planning in [Affluent Neighborhood]? Let us help.”
Include a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
Direct the user to do something: Call your firm, schedule a consult, or read a landing page.
Track Conversions by Location
Configure your analytics so you can track which zip codes are driving leads, phone calls, and conversions. This is possible to continue optimization and budget controls.
Time Your Ads Right
You can also set delivery to show ads during certain times of day (such as rush hour, weekends or business hours), depending on when your audience is most likely to be active.
Geo-Fencing vs. Traditional Local Ads
Traditional local advertising (like billboards, newspaper ads or even more general Google Ads) speaks to more people. It is unlikely, on its own, to lead directly to vaccinations, and does not get and so does not discriminate when it comes to determining your behavior or your proximity. It’s geo-fencing, if you will, or digital sniper likes: right on target, smart to engage and with a much better ROI return overall.
Plus, geo-fencing offers unique information that traditional advertising cannot, including dwell time (how long a person stays in the area), how often a person visits and engagement with your ad content.
What Results Can You Expect?
Some benefits law firms who do geofencing right can experience include:
- Higher lead quality
- Lower cost per lead (CPL)
- Increased local brand visibility
- More efficient ad spend
- More conversions from leads that live or work close to your office
Except that success is contingent on strategic planning, relevance in ad copy and the correct platform integration – typically either through a mobile ad network, social media or the Google Display Network.
In Conclusion: The Geo-Fencing Future of Local Legal Marketing
And in a saturated legal market, standing out means being more focused, strategic, and relevant than the other guy. Geo-fencing is how your law firm can get ahead by appearing where your perfect clients are – right when they need you the most.
If you are serious about making the most of your advertising money and getting your message in front of the right customers in the right places, location-based marketing is something you need to start thinking about.
Apply for your FREE Discovery Call to discover how Law Pro Nation can help you set up, run, and optimize a geo-fencing campaign that delivers real, measurable legal leads.
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