A Chicago employment lawyer answers her phone at 9 PM only to hear another worker who couldn’t find her firm online. Meanwhile, her competitor three blocks away books five consultations that week because he shows up first on Google. Competing in cities like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago isn’t easy when dozens of employment law firms fight for the same clients.
This article covers practical strategies for employment lawyer marketing in competitive cities. You’ll learn how to attract potential clients seeking assistance with workplace disputes and wrongful termination cases.
Our goal is simple: to help you fill your calendar with high-quality cases without wasting money on ineffective marketing efforts. So let’s start with the foundation.
What Is Marketing for Employment Lawyers?
Marketing for employment lawyers is the process of promoting your legal services to workers who need help with workplace disputes, discrimination claims, or unfair dismissal cases. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Employment law marketing includes online tactics like search engine optimization and paid ads, plus offline methods like networking events and referrals. Your target audience includes employees dealing with wage theft, harassment, retaliation, or contract disputes.
These prospective clients search online for answers before they hire a lawyer. That’s why digital marketing helps employment lawyers reach potential clients at the exact moment they need legal services.
The thing here is that the right marketing strategies connect you with workers who’ve been wrongfully terminated or discriminated against. And unlike general practice law firms, employment law marketing targets a specific group of people facing specific workplace problems.
Local SEO: Getting Found in Your City
What happens when someone in Denver searches “employment lawyer near me” and your firm doesn’t show up? After years of working with employment law firms across the country, we’ve seen how local SEO determines whether potential clients find your firm or scroll past it.
Yes, it’s a harsh reality that Google prioritizes law firms with complete profiles, positive reviews, and location-specific content in local search results.
Here’s how to improve your visibility and start showing up when workers in your area need help.
Set Up Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the first thing potential clients see when they search for employment lawyers near them. Claim and verify your profile so people can find your address, office hours, phone number, and directions. (Something most law firms overlook until they lose clients to competitors).
Next, upload photos of your office, your team, and even your conference rooms where you meet with clients. These images build trust before someone picks up the phone.
The most important step? Ask satisfied clients to leave honest reviews. Workers dealing with employment law issues read reviews carefully before reaching out. Even three or four detailed reviews can set you apart from competitors with empty profiles.
Use Location Keywords
Think about how someone in your city searches for help. They type phrases like “Minneapolis employment lawyer” or “wrongful termination attorney in Chicago” into Google. If those exact phrases don’t appear on your website, search engines won’t connect you with people in your area.
That’s why we emphasize adding your city name naturally throughout your website copy, blog posts, and service pages. For example, instead of writing “our employment law practice helps workers,” try “our Minneapolis employment law practice helps workers facing discrimination.”
This keyword research tells search engines where you practice, which helps you show up when people need an employment attorney in your specific city.
Content Marketing That Attracts Clients
Content marketing is one of the fastest ways to build trust with potential clients before they even pick up the phone. Why does this work? Well, workers search online for information before hiring a lawyer, so helpful content positions you as the expert they need.
However, content marketing means creating blog posts, videos, or guides that answer common employment law questions. Topics like “how to prove workplace discrimination” or “what counts as wrongful termination” attract your ideal clients.
When you educate potential clients through valuable content, you’re not just promoting your legal services. Instead, you’re showing workers that you understand their problems and know how to solve them.
If creating content feels overwhelming, agencies like Matter Solutions specialize in helping employment lawyers produce informative and engaging content that ranks well. The reason this approach brings fruitful results is pretty simple.Workers remember the employment attorney who answered their questions honestly, not just the firm with the biggest ad budget.
Google Ads: Fast Visibility at a Premium Cost
Should you spend $65 per click to appear at the top of Google for “employment lawyer Chicago”? Yes, they work because Google Ads deliver immediate visibility. When push comes to shove, and you need clients fast, paid ads put your employment law firm at the top of search results the same day you launch a campaign.
You pay each time someone clicks your ad (and the costs add up quickly in competitive markets). What you’ll spend depends on what workers are searching for:
| Search Term | Average CPC |
|---|---|
| “employment lawyer [city]” | $45-$68 |
| “wrongful termination attorney” | $62-$85 |
| “workplace discrimination lawyer” | $54-$77 |
Our recommendation is to pair your ads with a website that converts visitors into consultations. If people can’t easily schedule a call or understand your legal services, you’ll burn money on clicks that go nowhere. When done right, Google Ads connect you with workers actively searching for an employment attorney in your city right now.
Social Media for Employment Law Firms
Social media gives you direct access to thousands of potential clients in your city who might need legal help right now. Our experience in legal marketing showed that employment law firms that maintain an active social media presence see higher quality referrals than law firms that skip these platforms entirely.
Since different social media platforms attract different audiences, we’ll focus on the two that work best for your employment law practice.
1. LinkedIn Brings Professional Clients
LinkedIn is where white-collar workers spend their professional time, which makes it perfect for reaching potential clients dealing with executive terminations or severance disputes. The best way to show your expertise is through content that educates your target audience without selling.
One approach that works well is posting short case summaries that don’t name clients but show how you’ve helped others with employment law issues. For example, “Helped a marketing director recover six months of unpaid overtime after her employer misclassified her as exempt.” These real examples demonstrate your legal services without sounding like a sales pitch.
You can also join local business groups and answer questions about employment law. When you give helpful advice for free, potential clients remember your name when they actually need to hire an employment attorney.
2. Facebook Connects You Locally
Facebook works differently because it’s where people talk about everyday workplace frustrations. So, to connect people out there, start by joining neighborhood groups and local community pages where workers vent about their jobs.
You’ll see posts like “My boss just cut my hours without warning, is that legal?” Answer these questions briefly and helpfully without pushing your legal services. The goal isn’t immediate clients but becoming the go-to employment lawyer people think of first when workplace problems escalate.
What’s next? Run social media marketing campaigns targeting people in your city between the ages of 25-55 who work in industries where employment disputes happen often. These targeted digital marketing efforts cost less than broad ads and reach workers who actually need help from employment lawyers.
How to Track What’s Working
Now that you know which marketing strategies to use, let’s talk about measuring what’s actually bringing in clients. Think about it this way: tracking your marketing efforts shows which tactics bring in actual cases versus wasting your marketing budget (which explains why many firms waste budget on ineffective channels).
So, you need to monitor website traffic, phone calls, consultation requests, and where new clients found you. Here’s how to keep an eye on what works:
- Website Analytics: First of all, set up Google Analytics to see which pages potential clients visit most and how long they stay on your site. Then, look at where your website traffic comes from, whether that’s search engines, social media platforms, or direct visits. These numbers show which marketing channels deliver the best lead generation for your employment law practice.
- Call and Form Tracking: Now, we need to focus on identifying which marketing campaigns trigger phone calls to your law firm. Use call tracking software to see which ads or blog posts drive calls, then monitor contact form submissions the same way. This data reveals which content marketing pieces convert potential clients into leads you can actually work with.
- Client Source Questions: This is the most important step because it shows real ROI. During your first meeting with new clients, simply ask how they discovered your employment law firm. Many will mention a Google search, a social media post, or a referral from someone they know. Write down these answers because they show which digital marketing strategy produces real cases, not just clicks or likes.
Pro Tip: Review your key performance indicators monthly to spot trends early. If one marketing channel stops delivering results, shift that portion of your marketing budget to tactics that are working better right now.
Start Bringing in Better Cases
We understand that marketing for employment lawyers feels overwhelming when you’re already managing cases and client meetings. You can achieve real results by starting small with local SEO and content marketing, then adding Google Ads once you see what works. Employment law firms that take this approach build a strong online presence without burning through their marketing budget in the first month.
The reality is that consistent marketing efforts over three to six months bring in more clients than expensive one-time marketing campaigns. Law firms that track their digital marketing strategy see better long-term success. Start now unless you’re comfortable watching potential clients find your competitors first.
You don’t need perfect marketing strategies to begin. Focus on showing up where workers search for help with employment law issues, answer their questions honestly through legal marketing, and make it easy for them to contact your employment law firm when they’re ready.