The Psychology Behind Marketing a Law Firm - Part II

Your law firm web designcould very well be what’s keeping potential clients from contactingyou. Think about that for a moment. Your web site is the firstimpression someone from the internet is going to have.

Disappoint a visitor with an unprofessional web site and you havechased away a new client. A solid design also means you need tocommunicate with your target audience. Communicating the right image isvital for your legal marketing strategy.

Last week we talked about communicating a professional,compassionate, design for personal injury lawyers, divorce lawyers, anda tougher image for bankruptcy lawyers. This week, we will talk aboutdesign communication for immigration law, criminal defense, andemployment law.

Immigration Lawyers
Whereas many areas of the law should project a compassionate image,immigration lawyers can be less fluffy and more inspiring. A designthat instills hope will best communicate with their target market. Itwould be completely inappropriate to stand in a dark room, lookingtough, arms crossed, holding a gavel. That would not communicate withhopeful citizens. You should inspire hope with your design whileinstilling confidence with credentials.

Criminal Defense
Criminal defense attorneys have it a little easier. Depending on theirtarget client base (white collar, DUI, domestic violence, sex crimes,etc) depends on the style they should approach. A white collar criminaldefense lawyer should pursue a corporate look emphasizing historicalsuccesses. Whereas a DUI lawyer should focus on a personable look sincetheir average client won’t respond to a sharp corporate image.

Employment Law
The image of employment law varies. Employer rights should be corporatebut employee rights needs to appear personable. Employees needingemployee rights attorneys are generally stressed, fearing their future(especially if they have already lost their job at the time), and willbest respond to an image of compassion and competence. What exactlydoes that mean? The use of calming colors and imagery for the site’sdesign.

We have put a lot of time in this two part series on the branding psychology of a law firm’s web site.

Now take a look at your firm’s web site and see if you are truly getting the most out of it and your law firm marketing strategy.