How to Get Personal Injury Clients (2023 Updated)

Whether you’re a brand new personal injury lawyer just out of law school or a highly-seasoned firm, you need to know how to get more personal injury clients.

The good news is that there are multiple ways (both online and offline) to get more personal injury clients through effective marketing strategies.

In this article, we are going to discuss them in more detail.

Before You Start

Before you can even start marketing yourself and your firm, there are a few things you need to establish in order to get the most out of your efforts.

Niche down your practice.

If your firm focuses on many practice areas, it can be hard to truly be the top pick for each type of injury case. Even though it might seem counterintuitive, the more narrow niche you have, the easier it will be for you to grow and find new clients.

Unique selling proposition.

Establishing a unique selling proposition means setting your law firm apart from the competition and highlighting its uniqueness.

Take the firm Cahill & Perry, for example. They specialize in railroad injury law–and Attorney Cahill is a fifth-generation railroad worker. That gives him a unique selling proposition as he has personal experience on railroads.

Each law firm’s unique selling proposition will and should be unique. (You can also think of this process as perfecting your elevator pitch).

Put together your mission statement and brand identity.

What is your firm’s unique mission? Create a statement that can serve as a guideline for all that you do, including your brand identity.

A brand identity is the visual representation of the overall brand or mission of the firm. This includes elements like colors, logos, fonts, brand voice, and image style. Staying consistent with your brand throughout your whole marketing will be the best way you can keep your firm memorable and recognizable.

Be where your target audience is.

Even though we will suggest a full list of 30 ways you can market your personal injury firm, you shouldn’t do all of them. The marketing avenue(s) your firm decides to invest in should be determined by where your target audience is hanging out.

For example, if you specialize in auto accidents, billboards could work well for your firm (since your target market would be car owners and drivers).

Make sure you have a system after you get leads.

Getting leads for your firm doesn’t mean much if you don’t have a sales system in place for how to handle those leads. Things like follow-up calls, follow-up emails, and a plan for leads that don’t respond are all things that should be established before you start marketing.

Set a Budget

The last step before you start marketing is to create a marketing budget–without one, you might overspend where you don’t have enough resources, or you might be timid to invest in channels that require more funding. Establishing a budget will also help you calculate the ROI of marketing channels.

How to Get Personal Injury Clients (30 Ways)

Once you have established the six steps mentioned above, you’re ready to start marketing.  Here is a list of 30 personal injury marketing ideas and methods that will help know how to get personal injury clients:

#1. SEO
#2. PPC
#3. Local Service Ads
#4. Retargeting Ads
#5. Website Designed to Convert
#6. Social Media
#7. Social Media Ads
#8. YouTube and Video Marketing
#9. Podcasts and Podcasts Sponsorships
#10. Google Business Profiles
#11. Directories
#12. Answer Questions Online
#13. Build Up Reviews
#14. Receive Awards
#15. Give Back
#16. Local Sponsorship
#17. Become a Source for Local News Stations
#18. Host Virtual Events
#19. Speaking Events
#20. Attend Networking Groups
#21. Sign Up for a Referral Program
#22. Get Active in Your Local Bar
#23. Billboards
#24. Print Ads
#25. Buy Leads
#26. Email Marketing
#27. Newsletters
#28. Radio
#29. TV
#30. Books

#1. SEO

SEO stands for “search engine optimization”, and it is defined as the process of helping a website rank higher on search engines, which allows it to drive more traffic.

When someone types a search query into Google, such as “personal injury lawyer near me”, SEO strategies and results determine which listings appear first–the higher up on the page, the better!

It is important for lawyers to have law firm sites optimized for search engines because search engines are one of the primary methods potential clients use to find attorneys to hire.

There are many aspects that go into an SEO strategy– be sure to check out our beginner’s guide to SEO if this is something you are interested in.

#2. PPC

PPC (pay-per-click) is another effective marketing strategy that allows you to display your ad on various search engines.

By using this method, lawyers can grow their client base quite quickly.

There are a great number of PPC platforms available today, including Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, and others.

PPC benefits include the following:

• Establish your strong brand awareness
• Reach your exact right audience (you can set parameters of demographic information)
• You can test and see which ads perform better
• Detailed analysis and report of how your ads are performing, the results you are getting, and how much you have spent

PPC is a great option if you’re needing clients quickly, but the method can be more expensive than most other marketing methods.

#3. Local Service Ads

Local service ads (known sometimes as LSAs) are known as paid advertisements appearing at the top of Google search results. What makes this different than PPC is that you only have to pay for the ad when a person contacts you directly through the ad (the process is “pay-per-lead” as opposed to “pay-per-click”).

There is one significant reason why lawyers should use local service ads as a powerful marketing tool. These ads include lawyers’ photos and a “Google screened” or “Google Guaranteed” badge, which proves that the lawyer is a verified professional who you can trust.

There are several things that make local service ads different from other marketing methods:

• The major drive is the location because local service ads are for a certain local population.
• In order to receive a “Google screened” badge, a law firm must undergo a license, background check, and insurance from Google.
• You do not have to pay for every single click – you pay for valid leads only.

#4. Retargeting Ads

Retargeting ads are a low-effort and highly-customizable marketing way to show targeted ads to the users who visited the website of your law firm but did not complete a conversion (for example, they did not fill in a contact form).

With the help of this marketing tool, you can keep yourself front and center in your potential client’s mind. In addition, retargeting ads have a high conversion rate, which makes them an excellent investment in your marketing campaign. You can use retargeting ads on Facebook, Google, and other websites.

#5. Website Designed To Convert

There’s no avoiding it–if you want to utilize the internet to get more personal injury clients, you need to have a website, and you need to have a great one.

Your website will be the hub of your online marketing, as all other avenues will eventually point potential users back to your website.

There are many ways to encourage website visitors to contact you, but it all really comes down to having a great design, clear navigation, and compelling content.

However, it is important to note that creating this website is only the first step. You also need to maintain and update your website regularly to stay modern and relevant.

Need some inspiration? Be sure to check out our post on the Best Personal Injury Websites.

#6. Social Media

With the help of social media, law firms have a unique opportunity to connect with their current and prospective clients on a more personal and emotional level. As a result, this allows them to establish trust with the clients and increase their brand’s awareness.

Social media also gives lawyers an opportunity to repeatedly get in front of their target clientele for free—that repetitive reminder of your services can really help to solidify a lead.

Whether you’re starting a marketing strategy on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social platform, be sure to remember these three things:

1. Be where your target market is
2. Be active and interactive
3. Stay consistent in your posting and publishing content

Here are a few law firm social media accounts that we love (that will also give you some inspiration):

The Sam Bernstein Law Firm

This law firm is extremely successful with social media–especially their Facebook page. They’re consistent, very engaging, and entertaining to follow.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

This large law firm does really well with its LinkedIn strategy. The firm posts often about upcoming events and employee wins–both types of posts that are very popular and appropriate for the platform.

ATL Personal Injury Law Group

This firm does really well at creating content that users want to see–they’re relatable and entertaining.

#7. Social Media Ads

Today, social media advertisements are a great way to promote your personal injury services.

One of the most effective and popular options for social media advertisement for lawyers is personal injury lawyer Facebook ads. For example, Facebook offers call-only advertisements that generate calls to businesses. You can also try lead ads, where prospective clients can submit their personal information, including their name, phone number, email address, and case information.

There are also other options for personal injury Facebook ads, including article-based social media advertisements with texts and video advertisements. You can also run a campaign on your or your law firm’s Facebook page in order to generate likes and attract traffic to the page.

#8. YouTube And Video Marketing

Today, all types of businesses and industries use YouTube in order to get the attention of their prospective clients and promote their services. Creating videos for your law firm is a helpful visual tool, but it can also be quite challenging, especially if you have never done it before. There are tons of equipment and tools you can use to create these videos, but you can still create great videos with a simple camera, microphone, and editing system.

If you are thinking of creating videos, there are some things you need to know and keep in mind:

Write a script first.

Before shooting a video, you need to write a script and rehearse it several times. Nothing screams unprofessional more than stumbling words and an unsure speaker. It might be a good idea to start with a list of bullet points that describe what issues you want to discuss in your video.

Show your professionalism.

Professionalism, authority, and confidence are three important components of video marketing, especially for lawyers. It is obvious that clients are looking for a lawyer who sounds (and is) professional and exudes confidence. The tone of your video should be professional too, meaning that you should avoid humor and be extremely careful in choosing the right music.

Be empathetic.

Keep in mind that personal injury clients looking for legal representation are likely to be extremely stressed. Therefore, it is extremely important to look, sound, and be empathetic in your video.

There are different types of YouTube videos you can create and post for your law firm and service. They include introductions, videos about corporate culture, case studies, success stories of your current or past clients, and others.

#9. Podcasts & Podcast Ads

Podcasts are extremely popular today, and new content is still needed to fill the large demand, so this provides a great opportunity for marketing. Luckily, there are many ways you can utilize podcasts, depending on how much time, money, and energy you are willing to give.

Create Your Own Podcast

The most expensive and time-consuming way to use podcasts would be to create a podcast yourself. You’ll have to keep in mind the equipment, production, and editing costs–not to mention having to create scripts or topics to discuss for each episode. If it’s something you’re willing to put sufficient resources into, it could have great reach to your target audience.

Podcast Sponsorships

Another option is to become a sponsor for another podcast, where you could have an ad run during each episode. If you choose to sponsor a podcast, be sure that the podcast’s audience is similar to your target market.

Guest Appearances

An often free way to get your name out there is to appear as a guest on another podcast. This is the easiest and cheapest way to reap the benefits of the podcast world, as these are often conducted in an interview format and don’t require much preparation.

#10. Google Business Profiles

Google Business Profiles (or “Google My Business”) is an extremely important tool for lawyers who want to get more local clients.

You most often come across Google Business Profiles in Google searches when you look up a specific business, like below.

You also need to have a Google Business Profile to appear on Google’s “Local Pack”, which is incredibly beneficial for local SEO.

Claiming the profile is fairly simple–all you need to do is go to business.google.com/add. Enter your business information, and claim the profile! Depending on your location, Google might send you a postcard to verify that you’re actually working at the location specified.

Once you’ve claimed the profile, make sure to keep all of the information up-to-date and completely filled out.

#11. Directories

Don’t make the mistake of only focusing on your website to build your online presence. In reality, many prospective clients are using online directories to find legal services. In fact, according to statistics, 31% of people looking for a lawyer turn to legal directories.

There are several reasons why directories are worth trying in your marketing strategy. First, they allow you to become credible and visible online with little effort. Your presence in legal directories helps you improve your search rankings, increase local traffic, and get more positive reviews. Directories tend to get the highest rankings for valuable search queries, so getting listed can bring you the exact traffic you’re targeting.

In addition, the profiles are either free or low-cost, they are easy to use and set up. Moreover, some directories allow lawyers to receive badges and awards if they pass a particular selection process. The most popular and reliable directories today are Avvo, FindLaw, Justia, Martindale.com, Super Lawyers, HG.org, Nolo, Lawyers.com, and others.

#12. Answer Questions Online

When you answer questions, you demonstrate your credibility and knowledge. It is also a good opportunity to break down important legal information into easier and more digestible content for clients. As a result, they will feel more inclined to talk to you. Often, people look for a lawyer who will explain to them certain legal information, so that they can be more informed about their legal issues or situation.

There are many legal websites and directories where you can answer questions from your prospective clients. Websites like Avvo.com and Quora.com will provide opportunities for this.

#13. Build Up Reviews

Another important part of your personal injury lawyer marketing strategy is to build up reviews and testimonials for your law firm. This is critical because most prospective clients look for attorneys that drive results and have a good reputation. Therefore, they usually read reviews and testimonials that give an insight into whether a lawyer is capable of getting the best results or not.

Try to encourage your current and previous clients to leave reviews on Yelp, Google, or your firm’s Facebook page. Encourage them to be honest and share the details of their experience with you and your law firm.

If you want to get more testimonials to post on your website, you should contact your clients directly and ask them if they would like to share their short stories about working with you. You can conduct short interviews and post their quotes on your website. You can also create a video and post it on your Facebook page or YouTube Channel.

#14. Receive Awards

Having awards is important for any professional, as awards can boost your credibility as a legal professional. As a result, you become more recognized, especially locally.

Once you do receive an award or recognition, be sure to share it on your website and social media profiles. Often, awards will come with an online badge–be sure to feature this on the majority of your website’s pages.

#15. Give Back

Did you know that giving back to your community is another way you can market your firm? It can be just one annual event during the holiday season or a regular initiative that you participate in several times a year.  Whatever the case, giving back is a great opportunity and brand-building tool for your law firm to tell the community about itself.

Giving back is helping people in need and addressing their certain needs. The most common ways that your law firm can make a difference within your community include the following:

Monetary donations.

You can choose one or several nonprofit organizations or fundraisers to do your monetary donation. Using a website such as charitynavigator.org would be helpful to find these opportunities.

Pro bono work.

A great way to show your support for the community is to provide your legal services for free. This is usually applicable to low-income clients who cannot pay for legal services.

Volunteering.

There are always plenty of opportunities available for volunteers in any community.

You can find volunteering opportunities through websites such as volunteermatch.org, justserve.org, and your local city websites.

Mentoring.

There are multiple mentoring programs for school-aged children and college students who need help. You can help them with their homework, creating resumes, and life skills courses.

You can use a website such as mentoring.org to look for opportunities to mentor.

#16. Local Sponsorship

Sponsoring local events allows you to increase your brand awareness amongst your local community.

You should choose an event that is relevant to your business and make a financial contribution. For personal injury attorneys, sponsoring a local sports team might be a good fit.

For some events, you even have the opportunity to provide promotional materials, including banners, posters, T-shirts, souvenirs, etc. For most sponsorships, you’ll get a shoutout from the event organizer and will get your logo printed on event materials.

Local sponsorship is uniquely beneficial because you have an opportunity to get exposure for your law firm on TV, social media, and radio at a reasonable cost.

#17. Become A Source For Local News Station

As a personal injury lawyer, you and your law firm can become a valuable source of news for TV, radio, social media, and newspapers. You can inform news media about any accidents and incidents, and they will share it with the local community by mentioning your name and the name of your law firm.

This might not be the most effective marketing method, but it can often be free and it helps to attract the attention of people from the local community.

#18. Host Virtual Events

There are almost endless possibilities when it comes to hosting a virtual event.

Is it open to the public? Invite only? Is it taking place on Zoom?

Hootsuite posted a fantastic blog on hosting virtual events that you should check out if this is something that you’re interested in for your firm.

#19. Speaking Events

One of the best ways to boost your reputation and credibility as a personal injury attorney is to participate in speaking events. Speaking on hot topics and issues that are related to your practice allows you to build your brand and possibly get new clients. Moreover, your speech can be recorded and shared online, so thousands of people can get to know you.

When you participate in a speaking event, you have an opportunity to interact with the audience. You can answer their questions, provide more information on legal matters, and tell them about your practice. Just be sure to choose speaking events thoroughly and make sure that attendees of these events are your target audience and prospective clients.

#20. Attend Networking Groups

Even though online marketing is getting more and more popular today, meeting in person is still very powerful.  Therefore, if you want more people to know about you and your practice, you should attend networking groups often.

Luckily, there are many networking groups of different types, including your former classmates, colleagues, people sharing the same interests, etc.  As a personal injury lawyer, you should keep meeting people in different industries because your prospective clients can be anywhere. You never know who and where will need your services, so you need to make sure to get to know as many people as you’re able.

#21. Sign Up For A Referral Program

Many law firms rely on referrals, especially when it comes to finding new clients. When someone refers a client to you, this client will more likely to hire you as their attorney than if they found you otherwise. Trust is one of the most important factors when it comes to hiring a lawyer, and referrals create trust.

You can find these professionals online through social media (Facebook, LinkedIn) or by looking up programs in your local area.

#22. Get Active In Your Local And Niche Bar Associations

As a professional lawyer, you should always try to remain active in bar associations. This will help you maintain your competence and social utility. Being active in a bar association allows you to continue developing as a lawyer in the areas of community achievement, business development, and professional service.

Moreover, when you are active in bar associations, you can create more professional connections, which is also helpful for acquiring new clients. There are regular annual and midyear events that you can attend in order to know news related to your practice and learn best practices from your coworkers.

Being active in bar associations is especially important for young attorneys and new law firms as this allows them to join a large referral base.

#23. Billboards

Billboard advertising is still a very popular marketing tool for lawyers–especially personal injury lawyers. If you’re a car accident lawyer, specifically, you have a unique opportunity to get in front of your precise target market (car drivers).

Compared to other marketing options, personal injury lawyer billboards have a number of benefits. Billboards help boost your brand awareness and reach a larger audience, and they are usually very eye-catching. However, there are also certain drawbacks that you need to keep in mind.

Even though billboards are still effective, especially in larger cities, they only provide limited information and give only quick exposure time for viewers. Billboard advertising is a great visual method to attract potential clients’ attention, but it should be used in combination with other marketing methods.

#24. Print Ads

Believe it or not, print advertising still works.

In fact, according to a study published by Marketing Sherpa, consumers trust print ads the most compared to all other advertising methods.

Why does it still work in the digital age?

For one, print advertising helps you stand out from the crowd. Digital marketing avenues can be overly saturated with your competitors, but in print, you can set yourself apart a lot easier.

Print advertising is also a sign of professionalism.

Even though more and more people use online and digital sources of information, most people still trust printed sources of information more.

So, here’s how you can do it.

First, you’ll want to find a magazine or newspaper that you want to advertise in. Since you probably practice primarily in your local area, it’s wise to start with a publication that is local.

Next, you’ll want to figure out the following information about the magazine or newspaper.

• Audience profile. You don’t want to be advertising to an audience that doesn’t include your target clientele.
• Cost. How much are they charging for the ad?
• Ad specifications. How large is the advertisement? Where will it be located in the print?
• Deadlines. When does the publication need the advertisement?
• Frequency. Often, if you pay for advertisements in multiple prints, (say, you do 3 months’ worth of advertising for your local business magazine) you can get a discounted rate.
• Remnant space opportunities. Sometimes publications need last-minute spaces filled, and they’ll often sell these at a discounted rate as well.

Once you’ve determined the publication you want to advertise with, now it’s time to actually write and design the advertisement.

Here are 9 things you’ll want to keep in mind when designing your ad:

Look at Color Psychology

The colors you choose for the advertisement will influence how the reader perceives your firm. Reds will often evoke a passionate or strong emotion, while blues can evoke a calming and trusting feeling.

Of course, you’ll want to stick to your firm’s branding colors, but you can keep color psychology in mind even within the bounds of your brand color scheme.

Consider Using Your Face

Personal branding doesn’t work for every industry.

But it works really well for lawyers. Potential clients are looking to work with individuals rather than organizations, so why not show your face right off the bat?

If you aren’t able to get a high-quality picture taken of you, you don’t want to put it in print. A high-quality image will have a high-quality impact.

Use a very specific CTA

Not every person who sees your ad is immediately going to contact you since most of the publication’s audience isn’t actively looking for a personal injury attorney.

Your audience members that are ready, however, need a helping hand to know what to do next–your firm name isn’t enough. That’s where specific “call-to-actions” come in.

Do they need to call you? Visit your website? Scan a QR code? It’s better to be overly clear than ambiguous with the next steps.

Show your brand

Keeping a consistent visual brand will help your firm stay memorable long-term, so be sure to keep this consistency on your print ad as well.

Utilize Copywriting Principles

Copywriting (note that this isn’t “Copyrighting”) is the practice of writing for advertisements or publicity material.

While there are many different strategies for copywriting, here are some common ones you can utilize in your print ad:

• Use Customer-Focus Copy. Write like your customers write and talk.
• Treat each line of copy as if you’re trying to entice the reader to read the next line
• Use the AIDA formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)
• Focus on “benefits” over “features”. How are your services going to truly impact the clients’ lives?
• Use social proof. You can use case results, testimonials, and ratings to show your qualifications in the ad.

It might be worth hiring a freelance copywriter to come up with some ideas for your print ad, especially if you’re not used to copywriting.

Stay Simple

No one wants to look at an ad that’s stuffed full of information–it can be overwhelming and outdated.

Instead, go simpler!

Don’t be afraid of print advertising! It still works, and you can design an ad that helps you stand out and show your firm’s values.

#25. Buy Leads

There are many lead generation companies that you can work with. However, it is important to spend sufficient time researching and choosing the one that is trustworthy and reliable. The perfect lead generation company should have the following qualities: measuring performance, experience, the exclusivity of leads, bar marketing compliance, and testimonials.

It is also important to find a company that will understand the exact needs of your law firm and knows who your target audience is.

#26. Email Marketing

Another effective method to grow your law firm is to use email marketing, and this can be used with “buying leads” as discussed previously. Email marketing helps your potential clients to learn more about your services and practice by integrating them into your marketing automation efforts. With the help of email marketing, you can also keep your law firm in front of your potential clients and gain new referrals. You should consider this marketing option for the following reasons:

• It is cost-effective
• It shows your professionalism and expertise
• It is easy to implement

Try to find competitors that also do email marketing and try to get ideas from what they do. To do this, use an anonymous email and “contact” them through their website. Be sure to take notes of how often they reach out to you and what types of emails you receive.

#27. Newsletters

One of the recommended parts of your marketing strategy for the law firm should be creating a client newsletter. It is not just a simple newsletter – it is a mailed newsletter. Since emailed newsletters are easy to delete and ignore, mailed newsletters are more effective. Moreover, only a few law firms keep using mailed newsletters today, so you do not have much competition.

You should apply the following content marketing principles in your newsletters:

• Creative headlines and a strong introduction
• Valuable content
• No legal jargon that your prospective clients cannot understand
• Clear CTA (call to action)

#28. Radio

Believe it or not, radio advertising still works for law firms and lawyers.

Why does it still work? There are a couple of reasons:

• It’s fairly affordable (you could get an ad out for as low as $200 in some circumstances)
• It reaches a large audience
• Studies have shown that it’s an effective way to market

#29. TV

Marketing has evolved far beyond TV advertising, but that doesn’t mean that this marketing method is obsolete. This marketing tool has the following benefits:

• Often has a large audience
• There’s a lower risk of viewers “turning away” if the advertisement is in between their desired program.
• You’re not fighting for screen space–you get a full-screen advertisement

However, there is one disadvantage to keep in mind – TV advertising can be quite expensive, so be sure to do a lot of research before investing in this marketing channel.

#30. Books

Finally, you can write and publish your own book on personal injury law. It is a perfect method to demonstrate your knowledge, and expertise and tell about your practice. However, the full publishing of a book can be very time-consuming and quite expensive.

It would be wise to start with a small booklet and offer it as a free digital download on your website. This is a great way to collect emails and further market to the individuals that downloaded it.

Get additional help with your marketing efforts

If you need to get new personal injury clients but don’t have the time or energy to do these strategies on your own, feel free to reach out to our team at Law Firm Sites. Our team has helped personal injury lawyers get more cases for over 20 years.