Recruitment Marketing for Law Firms

Medium to large-sized law firms are likely to have a stand-alone recruitment strategy as well as one for marketing. These strategies will fall in line with budgets as well as spend and growth targets. In some cases, especially at larger firms, the addition of recruitment marketing will feature as a fundamental tool for hiring the best talent, with a dedicated team assigned to its fulfilment.

The competition for experienced legal professionals is fierce, we know that only too well. How can a small, high-street firm compete against those with big budgets? For some employers, a regular presence at recruitment fairs, visiting universities across the country and dedicated social media teams are a part of their recruitment planning. 

But not all firms can stretch to such lengths. That said, not all is lost as even without a department or team dedicated to recruitment marketing. it is still possible to attract legal staff to your firm. The answer lies within your everyday marketing planning.

Here are five reasons why and how.

Brand Awareness

The beauty of marketing is that for any firm of any size, regardless of the message you are communicating, you are getting your brand ‘out there’. Marketing is critical to enabling you to build a strong brand. Having a compelling brand not only keeps you top of mind with your clients but also your potential employees. Investment in marketing is money well spent, especially when you consider it can help you find the right talent who would want to work for you. Without it, you risk impeding your firm’s growth. 

Social Media – It’s Free!

As many law firms know and already use as a key marketing channel, social media is a huge enabler when it comes to brand awareness. If your firm is consistently posting within your community and about your legal specialism, you are likely to be seen and heard by potential new employees. It’s not just clients who are attracted to your brand! Social media allows a great insight into your business – from posting pictures of team events and special occasions on Instagram, to tweeting success stories and sharing links to your firm’s blog on LinkedIn. You can even post for free about your job openings!

Be Seen and Heard in the Community

Law firms lie at the heart of every community and there’s no better way to ensure your brand is seen and heard than by getting involved in community events. Again, this benefits your pipeline business as much as brings to the forefront of peoples’ minds that your firm exists, cares and would make a great place to work. In communities there are the Lawyers of tomorrow, hence joining in activities with schools and colleges can benefit. You may also have frustrated qualified Lawyers living in your midst, tired of a lengthy commute or desperate for a more flexible work/life balance. By reaching out to the community, you may just meet your future employee match.

Not Just the Job Boards

Online job boards are likely the first port of call when we look for a job, the same for Lawyers. However, you can’t get across everything about your firm and your brand in a few paragraphs. Your advert is just one of many in a sea of adverts people are scrolling through. If you do use job boards, we’re not saying stop using them, on the contrary as they are effective. However, imagine how much more success you could have with them if your marketing is strong. Half the hard work is already done - while candidates have been passive in any kind of job search, they are building a subconscious awareness of your brand. Whether it’s through community links or following your Instagram, the fact that they know your brand brings a reassuring sense of commonality. We humans love a connection with a brand.

Stay Relevant and Speak to your Audience

One of the fundamentals of marketing is to make sure your messages are relevant for the audience intended. Most of the time that might involve your law firm posting about the services you offer or sharing nuggets of advice about the practice areas you specialise in. What about including prospective employees as part of your audience? You can post facts and stats about your firm, from gender split to average hours worked or promotions gained, to help shape an understanding of life at your firm. Producing regular content by way of interviews with staff members can benefit your audience two-fold too. It gives customers and clients the opportunity to learn more about who’s managing their affairs, meanwhile potential new staff members get a real-world view of what life’s like behind the scenes.

Recruitment marketing is a valuable tool but all firms can benefit from a little more marketing overall. Bring recruitment into your marketing strategy as a goal, think of how you will speak to that audience and what messages you need to convey to make Lawyers see your firm as their next career move.