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Local Marketing Strategies for Estate Planning Law Firms

By Marc Apple   ●    January 8, 2025   ●   7 min read

Local Marketing Strategies for Estate Planning Law Firms

Table of Contents

TL:DR Using local marketing strategies for estate planning law firms is an effective way to put them on the map in their respective cities. Local SEO is especially useful for law firms seeking an edge over nearby competitors.

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Over 200,000 estate planning law firms exist throughout the U.S. This might make it difficult for some firms to stand out, regardless of how hard they work to develop successful digital marketing for estate planning lawyers.

The good news for your estate planning law firm is that it doesn’t have to compete with all these law firms. Instead, it must simply outdo the marketing efforts of other law firms in your immediate area.

Local marketing strategies are an excellent way to separate your estate planning law firm from the pack.

See what these strategies are about and check out several surefire options that should produce real results for your firm.

Why Your Estate Planning Law Firm Should Use Local Marketing Strategies

Since so many estate planning law firms have spread out across the country, most cities and towns have at least a few options for people in the market for them. If you own or help operate an estate planning law firm, get familiar with your main competitors and understand what they offer.

By discovering as much as possible about these competitors, you can pinpoint their weaknesses and turn them into your strengths.

Smiling businesswoman with red headscarf using phone

You can also go the extra mile by investing time and energy into the top local marketing strategies.

When you utilize the right strategies, you will improve your law firm’s brand recognition and increase the chances of people thinking about your firm when they need estate planning services. You might also ensure your law firm’s name shows up near the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when people in your community search for an “estate lawyer near me.”

The Leading Local Marketing Strategies for Estate Planning Law Firms

When you consider utilizing local marketing strategies, what comes to mind first? A big billboard on the side of a local highway with your law firm’s name may have popped into your head.

For a long time, buying billboard space was one of the most popular ways for law firms and other small businesses to market services to their communities. However, this method isn’t as effective as it once was. While some companies still rely on billboards, better marketing strategies have replaced them.

Let’s look at a handful of marketing strategies that your estate planning law firm should consider using.

Using Local SEO To Optimize Your Law Firm’s Website

Google “estate planning law firm near me” or “estate planning lawyer near me” and figure out how long it takes to find your firm. This could indicate trouble if it requires scrolling down the first search engine results page for too long or clicking to the next SERP.

Professional man smiling in modern office corridor

It means your law firm isn’t as easy for local people to find as you would like.

It means your law firm isn’t as easy for local people to find as you would like.

How can you change this? It isn’t as difficult as you think. Give your law firm website’s local SEO a boost by:

  • Conducting geotargeting and adding location-specific words to your site’s content
  • Creating localized service pages for each city or town in your general vicinity
  • Making sure your homepage and “Contact Us” page include your full address

Law firms and other small businesses sometimes overlook local SEO and don’t realize its potential impact.

Creating Localized Content for Your Law Firm’s Website

In addition to making a bigger push to incorporate local SEO into your estate planning law firm’s website, you should focus on creating localized content.

This involves doing more than adding keywords that include your location.

Let’s say your law firm operates in an area filled with retirees. Rather than writing generic blog posts about estate planning for your firm’s site, how about creating content that caters specifically to retirement-age individuals?

Examples might include:

  • “At what age should I do estate planning?”
  • “Should I do estate planning before retiring?”
  • “How should I handle retirement accounts when doing estate planning?”

The more relevant you make content to your local audience, the more organic traffic your site should get.

Claiming and Optimizing Your Law Firm’s Google Business Profile

Some estate planning law firms believe they need a gigantic budget for marketing their businesses. This is far from the truth.

Smiling man in suit seated, office background

Some local marketing strategies will require your firm to invest money.

Some local marketing strategies will require your firm to invest money.

However, others cost nothing, such as claiming and optimizing your firm’s Google Business Profile.

Claiming your Google Business Profile will prevent someone else from doing it. You will have the opportunity to optimize your GBP with the necessary information to make it even easier for people in your community to find your firm online.

Your GBP will also enable you to collect online reviews from locals after patronizing your estate planning law firm. The more positive reviews you get, the better your odds of attracting and retaining more clients.

Adding Your Law Firm’s Information to Local Business Directories

Are there any local business directories that include law firms?

Don’t hesitate to look around to see which ones are out there.

You might come across:

  • Legal directories
  • Chamber of Commerce listings
  • Other online business directories

Add your law firm’s information to them. It might surprise you to see how many prospective clients come across it.

Smiling businesswoman in office setting

This is another local marketing strategy that won’t cost a thing despite delivering benefits to your law firm.

Running Targeted Google Ads for Your Law Firm

Online advertising has come a long way over the last decade or two. Once upon a time, businesses looking to advertise online ran banners on websites and hoped for the best, but they no longer have to resort to this unreliable marketing tactic.

Instead of taking this approach, they may leverage platforms like Google Ads to run targeted mobile ads that will only appear for those who live in a specific area and exhibit an interest in obtaining estate planning and other legal services. This is one of the costlier local marketing strategies, but it’s also known to offer a fantastic return on investment when businesses choose the right geotargeting and keyword options.

Sponsoring Local Events on Behalf of Your Law Firm

Your city or town likely hosts its fair share of local events, including 5k runs, community fairs, and more. Why not sponsor these local events to get your law firm’s name out into the world more than it is now?

Your community outreach efforts won’t go unnoticed.

Many people strive to support the small businesses in their communities, especially when these companies are willing to help communities right back by sponsoring events.

Starting a Client Referral Program for Your Law Firm

We briefly touched on how invaluable positive online reviews are for estate planning law firms earlier. If you rack up enough of them, consider taking things to the next level by setting up a client referral program.

Offer incentives, like discounted legal services, to clients who refer others to stop by your law firm.

Confident businesswoman in formal attire smiling

Your clients might be more than happy to recommend your law firm when they know they will get something out of it.

You can also keep the momentum going by encouraging those who receive recommendations from others to spread the word about your business even more.

Even in 2025, word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most effective local marketing strategies. Take full advantage of this with a client referral program that allows everyone involved to win.

Estate Planning Law Firm Local Marketing Strategies

These are just some local marketing strategies your estate planning law firm can implement. You can also create accounts on Facebook and use social media marketing to command more attention locally.

Is your law firm already busy and unable to devote much time to local marketing? Trust Forward Push Law Firm Marketing to step in and provide assistance. Reach out to us at (800) 692-4037 today for all your law firm’s digital marketing needs.

FAQ About Estate Law Firm Marketing

Still have questions about marketing your estate planning law firm locally? Look for answers to them below.

Why Are Local Marketing Strategies Important for Estate Planning Law Firms?

Local marketing strategies are important for estate planning law firms because they help get their business names in front of more people from their communities. Prioritizing local SEO is one of the many ways that estate planning law firms may separate themselves from the competition in their cities.

What Happens If Your Estate Planning Law Firm Doesn’t Do Local Marketing?

If your estate planning law firm doesn’t do local marketing, it might impact its ability to capture the attention of the people who live in your area. It may also prevent your law firm from landing anywhere close to the top of search engine results pages.

What Will Local Marketing Cost Your Estate Planning Law Firm?

Local marketing costs anywhere from nothing to thousands of dollars, depending on your local marketing strategies. Select the strategies that fit into your law firm’s preferred budget.

Marc Apple - Forward Push Law Firm Marketing
Article By

Marc Apple
Partner & Founder

Marc Apple is a Legal Marketing Expert and Author of The Legal Marketing Playbook, an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the Legal Marketing category. He is a Partner and Founder of Forward Push Law Firm Marketing, an Inc. 5000 award winning agency, dedicated to helping law firms grow their practices through strategic marketing and advertising. With a background in Fortune 500 marketing, his expertise in integrated marketing strategies has helped countless attorneys and law firms build a strong online presence, expand their client base, and increase their revenue.