Law Firm Marketing Plan Template: The 90-Day Launch Framework

The managing partner walks into the monthly meeting. Revenue is down. The phones aren't ringing. The question comes: "What are we doing about marketing?"

What follows is usually a scramble. Someone suggests Google Ads. Someone else mentions that competitor who seems to be everywhere on Facebook. A partner volunteers to "work on the website." An SEO company cold-called last week—maybe return that call.

Six months later, you've spent $50,000 on disconnected tactics. Some might be working. You're not sure which ones. There's no measurement system in place. When revenue picks up, you assume marketing helped. When it doesn't, you blame the economy.

This pattern—reactive spending without strategy—is why most law firm marketing fails. Not because the tactics are wrong, but because there's no plan connecting them to business outcomes.

Why Law Firm Marketing Fails (And How to Fix It)

According to industry data, law firms with documented marketing strategies are over 300% more likely to report success than those without. Yet only 32% of small law firms have formal marketing budgets, and even fewer have written plans.

The pattern we see repeatedly:

Reactive spending cycles. Marketing budget spikes during slow periods ("we need leads now"), then gets cut when things pick up ("we can't afford it"). This inconsistency means campaigns never have time to optimize, and you're always starting from zero.

Tactic-first thinking. "We should try TikTok" or "I heard Facebook works for family law" leads to scattered experiments without clear goals. Without knowing what success looks like, every platform seems promising and nothing gets the sustained investment needed to work.

No connection to revenue. Marketing reports clicks, impressions, maybe leads. But how many of those leads became signed cases? What's the actual cost per client? Without this data, budget decisions are guesswork.

The 2026 competitive reality. You're no longer competing with other lawyers who might not be marketing. You're competing against firms using AI-driven intake, sophisticated marketing attribution, and data-backed budget allocation. The gap between strategic firms and reactive firms is widening.

A 90-day marketing plan fixes this by forcing structure. It's short enough to maintain focus, long enough to see results, and includes built-in review points to adjust course.

The 90-Day Framework Overview

Annual marketing plans work when you have a team to execute them. For most law firms, they become shelfware—impressive documents that no one follows.

A 90-day plan works because it matches how business actually operates. According to planning research, quarterly planning allows for regular review and adjustment while being short enough to maintain accountability.

Here's the structure:

The framework follows a simple principle: foundation before action, measurement before scaling.

Too many firms launch campaigns before they know their baseline metrics. They scale spend before they've proven a channel works. They optimize before they have data. The 90-day framework prevents these sequencing errors.

Month 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

The first month is about preparation. No campaigns launch. No money flows to ads. This discipline feels slow when you want leads yesterday, but it prevents the most expensive mistakes.

Week 1: Marketing Audit

Before planning where to go, you need to know where you are. A proper audit takes one week and covers:

Current Channel Review

Document every marketing activity currently running:

If you don't have lead and case data by channel, that's a finding in itself. It means your first priority is implementing marketing attribution.

Website Assessment

Your website is often the first point of contact for potential clients. Audit these elements:

• Mobile experience: Load the site on a phone. Is the number clickable? Can you navigate easily? Test the contact form.
• Page speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights. Aim for 90+ on mobile.
• Trust signals: Attorney photos, reviews, credentials, case results—are they visible on key landing pages?
• Calls to action: Is there a clear next step on every page? Phone number visible?
• Google Business Profile: Accurate hours, photos, practice areas, reviews?

Competitive Quick Scan

You don't need a full competitive analysis in Week 1, but spend a few hours understanding your competitive landscape:

• Who ranks above you for your target keywords?
• Which firms dominate the local pack?
• Who's running Google Ads in your practice areas?
• What's their messaging emphasizing?

Document this. You'll use it for positioning in Week 2.

Conversion Rate Baseline

Check your Google Analytics (or equivalent) for:

• Website visitors per month
• Form submissions per month
• Bounce rate on key landing pages
• Traffic sources breakdown

If call tracking isn't in place, you're blind to most conversions. Week 1 is the time to get this setup started.

Week 2: Goal Setting

With your baseline established, set clear goals for the 90-day period. Use a framework that creates accountability.

SMART Goals for Law Firm Marketing

Each goal should be:

• Specific: "Increase personal injury leads" not "grow the firm"
• Measurable: "Generate 40 leads" not "get more leads"
• Achievable: Based on your budget and market, is this realistic?
• Relevant: Does this goal connect to revenue?
• Time-bound: "By end of Q1" not "eventually"

Example 90-Day Goals:

Setting Realistic Targets

Your targets should push performance without being fantasy. Consider:

• Current lead volume and conversion rates
• Budget available for marketing
• Typical cost per lead in your practice area and market
• Intake capacity (don't generate leads you can't serve)

Industry benchmarks can help calibrate expectations. According to 2025-2026 data, cost per qualified legal lead typically ranges from $200-$500 depending on practice area and market. Personal injury in competitive markets can exceed $500-$1,000.

Week 3: Channel Selection

This is where strategy decisions happen. Based on your audit, goals, and budget, which 2-3 channels will you focus on?

The Core Principle: Do fewer things well.

Research consistently shows that most small businesses don't fail because they picked the wrong marketing channel—they fail because they picked too many. Spreading a $5,000 monthly budget across five channels means nothing gets enough investment to optimize.

Channel Selection Matrix:

Selection Criteria:

1. Urgency vs. sustainability. If you need cases in 30 days, paid channels come first. If you're building for the long term, SEO and content matter more.

2. Practice area match. PI performs well on LSA and paid search. Estate planning does better with content marketing and referrals. Family law responds to Facebook targeting.

3. Budget reality. If your total budget is $3,000/month, you can't do everything. Pick one primary paid channel and one organic effort.

4. Competitive landscape. If all competitors are on Google Ads with huge budgets, LSA or Facebook might offer better ROI.

For most law firms just starting organized marketing, a solid starting configuration is:

• Primary paid: Google Ads OR Local Services Ads (depending on practice area)
• Primary organic: SEO + Google Business Profile optimization
• Supporting: One social platform where your clients actually spend time

Week 4: Budget Allocation

With channels selected, allocate your budget using the 70-20-10 framework:

Budget by Practice Area:

• Personal injury: 10-20% of revenue, heavy on paid search and LSA
• Family law: 7-12% of revenue, balanced between paid and organic
• Estate planning: 5-10% of revenue, content and referral focused
• Criminal defense: 8-15% of revenue, urgency-based paid channels

Month 1 Checklist:

• Complete marketing audit with current spend/results
• Assess website for mobile, speed, trust signals
• Document competitive landscape
• Establish baseline metrics (traffic, leads, conversion rate)
• Set 3-5 SMART goals for the 90-day period
• Select 2-3 primary marketing channels
• Allocate budget using 70-20-10 framework
• Set up call tracking if not already in place
• Configure CRM to capture lead source data

Month 2: Launch (Weeks 5-8)

With foundation in place, Month 2 is execution. Campaigns go live, tracking is confirmed, and you start generating real data.

Week 5: Campaign Setup

Google Ads Launch Checklist:

If Google Ads is in your plan:

1. Account structure

   • One campaign per practice area (PI, family law, criminal)
   • Ad groups organized by intent ("car accident lawyer" separate from "PI lawyer")
   • At least 3 ads per ad group for testing

2. Keyword strategy

   • Start with high-intent terms: "[practice area] lawyer [city]"
   • Include negative keywords from day one (free, DIY, how to)
   • Use phrase match or exact match; avoid broad match initially

3. Landing pages

   • Each ad group should land on a relevant page
   • "Car accident lawyer" ads should land on car accident page, not homepage
   • Clear CTA, phone number, contact form above fold

4. Tracking

   • Google Ads conversion tracking installed
   • Call tracking numbers in place
   • UTM parameters on all destination URLs

Local Services Ads Setup:

If using LSA:

1. Complete lawyer verification (background check, bar verification)
2. Set service areas and practice areas accurately
3. Upload professional headshot
4. Set budget based on lead volume targets
5. Configure business hours for when leads arrive

SEO Foundation:

If SEO is part of your plan:

1. Technical audit complete (site speed, mobile, crawlability)
2. Google Business Profile optimized (categories, services, photos, posts)
3. Core practice area pages reviewed for keyword targeting
4. Monthly content plan created (blog topics aligned with keywords)

Week 6: Tracking Verification

Before scaling any spend, verify tracking works end-to-end:

Call Tracking Test:

1. Call each tracking number yourself
2. Verify call appears in call tracking dashboard
3. Confirm source attribution is correct
4. Check that call recording works (if enabled)

Form Tracking Test:

1. Submit a test form
2. Verify form submission registers in analytics
3. Check that UTM parameters flow to CRM
4. Confirm lead source is captured in CRM record

Conversion Tracking Test:

1. Click an ad, submit a form
2. Verify conversion fires in Google Ads
3. Check conversion appears in Google Analytics

Document what's working and what needs fixing. Launch issues are much cheaper to fix in week 6 than week 12.

Week 7: Initial Optimization

After 2-3 weeks of data, make your first optimizations:

What to look for:

• High-cost, low-conversion keywords: Pause or reduce bids
• Ads with low CTR (<2%): Test new headlines
• Landing pages with high bounce: Review for relevance
• Negative keyword opportunities: Search terms that triggered ads but aren't relevant

What NOT to do yet:

• Don't drastically increase budget (not enough data)
• Don't cut channels entirely (need more time)
• Don't judge SEO results (too early)

This is optimization, not transformation. Make incremental adjustments based on early signals.

Week 8: Content and Authority Building

While paid campaigns generate immediate leads, invest time in organic growth:

Content priorities:

1. Practice area deep dives: Comprehensive guides for your main services
2. FAQ content: Answer questions prospects actually ask
3. Local content: "[City] [practice area] guide"
4. Case study frameworks: (Without revealing client identities)

Google Business Profile:

• Post weekly updates (legal tips, firm news)
• Respond to all reviews within 48 hours
• Add new photos monthly
• Update services if anything changes

Month 2 Checklist:

• Google Ads campaigns live and tracking confirmed
• Landing pages optimized with clear CTAs
• Call tracking verified end-to-end
• Form submissions flowing to CRM with source data
• LSA profile complete and ads running (if applicable)
• Initial optimization based on first two weeks of data
• Content calendar created for next 8 weeks
• Google Business Profile updated and active
• Weekly performance check-ins established

Month 3: Optimize (Weeks 9-12)

Month 3 is where your 90-day plan pays off. You now have real data to guide decisions instead of guesses.

Week 9-10: Performance Analysis

With 4-6 weeks of campaign data, you can now do meaningful analysis.

Core Metrics Dashboard:

Build or update a simple dashboard tracking:

Channel Performance Comparison:

This is where marketing attribution becomes critical. You need to connect leads to signed cases to know actual cost per acquisition.

What Good Performance Looks Like:

Based on industry data:

• Cost per lead: $100-$500 depending on practice area
• Lead to qualified lead rate: 30-50%
• Qualified lead to consultation: 50-70%
• Consultation to signed case: 30-50%
• Target marketing ROI: 5:1 to 10:1 (for every $1 spent, $5-$10 in revenue)

If your numbers fall significantly outside these ranges, that tells you where to focus optimization efforts.

Week 11: Strategic Adjustments

Based on your analysis, make strategic decisions:

If a channel is working (positive ROI):

• Increase budget by 20-30%
• Test new ad variations
• Expand keyword or audience targeting
• Document what's working for repeatability

If a channel is underperforming:

• Diagnose root cause (traffic quality? Landing page? Intake?)
• Test significant changes (new audiences, new messaging)
• Set a deadline for improvement (another 30 days)
• If still underperforming after changes, consider reallocating budget

If you don't have enough data:

• You may have underspent; consider increasing budget for data
• Check if tracking is working correctly
• Extend testing period before making decisions

Common Week 11 Decisions:

• Pausing underperforming ad groups
• Increasing budget on top-performing campaigns
• Adding new keywords based on search term reports
• Testing new landing page variations
• Adjusting bidding strategy based on conversion data

Week 12: 90-Day Review and Next Quarter Planning

The final week is about assessment and forward planning.

90-Day Review Meeting Agenda:

1. Results vs. Goals: How did actual performance compare to 90-day goals?
2. Channel Performance: Which channels met expectations? Which didn't?
3. Budget Efficiency: What's our actual cost per signed case?
4. Key Learnings: What do we now know that we didn't know 90 days ago?
5. Next Quarter Goals: Based on this data, what are our Q2 goals?
6. Budget Adjustments: How should budget allocation shift?
7. New Experiments: What should we test in the next 90 days?

Quarterly Review Template:

Planning the Next 90 Days:

Your Q2 plan should:

1. Double down on what worked. If Google Ads produced 60% of cases at good ROI, it gets more budget.

2. Cut what didn't. If Facebook produced clicks but zero cases, either restructure dramatically or reallocate.

3. Graduate from emerging to proven. Move channels that proved themselves from the 20% bucket to the 70% bucket.

4. Add new experiments. Keep testing with that 10% bucket. What's the next channel to evaluate?

5. Raise the bar. If you hit your goals, next quarter's targets should be higher. If you missed them, either lower targets to realistic levels or increase investment.

Month 3 Checklist:

• Performance dashboard updated with 4+ weeks of data
• Channel comparison analysis completed
• Cost per lead and cost per signed case calculated
• Underperforming elements identified and addressed
• Top performers scaled where budget allows
• 90-day review meeting held
• Q2 goals set based on Q1 data
• Budget reallocation plan for next quarter
• New experiments identified for testing

Marketing KPIs: What to Track and Why

Without measurement, marketing is guessing. Here are the KPIs that matter for law firms:

Lead Metrics

Conversion Metrics

Revenue Metrics

How Often to Review

The Complete 90-Day Marketing Plan Template

Here's a condensed template you can copy and customize:

Executive Summary (fill in)

Firm: [Name] Plan Period: [Start Date] - [End Date] Total Budget: $[Amount] Primary Goal: [One sentence]

Current State Assessment

Marketing spend (monthly): $[Amount] Lead sources (current):

• [Channel 1]: [X] leads/month
• [Channel 2]: [X] leads/month

Baseline metrics:

• Website visitors: [X]/month
• Form submissions: [X]/month
• Phone calls: [X]/month
• Signed cases from marketing: [X]/month
• Current cost per case: $[Amount]

90-Day Goals

1. [Goal 1 - SMART format]
2. [Goal 2 - SMART format]
3. [Goal 3 - SMART format]

Channel Strategy

Monthly Milestones

Month 1:

• Complete marketing audit
• Set goals and select channels
• Allocate budget
• Implement tracking

Month 2:

• Launch campaigns
• Verify tracking
• Initial optimization
• Begin content execution

Month 3:

• Analyze performance
• Make strategic adjustments
• Conduct 90-day review
• Plan next quarter

Success Criteria

This plan is successful if we:

1. Generate [X] qualified leads at under $[Y] each
2. Sign [X] new cases from marketing channels
3. Achieve [X]:1 marketing ROI
4. Have clear data showing which channels work

Building a Sustainable Marketing System

The 90-day framework isn't a one-time exercise. It's a repeatable cycle:

Quarter 1: Build foundation, launch, learn Quarter 2: Scale what works, cut what doesn't, test new experiments Quarter 3: Refine and optimize based on 6 months of data Quarter 4: Annual review, set next year strategy, adjust for market changes

Each quarter builds on the last. Your first 90 days will have imperfect data and learning-curve mistakes. Your fourth 90-day cycle will run with proven channels, documented processes, and predictable results.

The Compounding Effect

The gap between firms that plan and firms that react widens over time:

Reactive firm (Year 1):

• Month 1-3: Panic spending on whatever agency called
• Month 4-6: Pull back because "marketing isn't working"
• Month 7-9: Try something new, start from zero again
• Month 10-12: Same cycle
• Result: $60,000 spent, no idea what worked

Planning firm (Year 1):

• Q1: Foundation + launch, learn what works
• Q2: Scale winning channels, 30% improvement
• Q3: Optimize, 20% more improvement
• Q4: Refine, entering Year 2 with proven playbook
• Result: $60,000 spent, know exactly what works, 50%+ better results than month 1

By Year 3, the planning firm has compounded improvements. They've cut wasteful spend, doubled down on winners, and built brand presence that reduces acquisition costs. The reactive firm is still cycling through agencies.

Next Steps

If you've read this far, you understand why planning matters. The question is whether you'll actually do it.

Here's your immediate action plan:

This week:

1. Print the Month 1 checklist
2. Schedule 2 hours to complete your marketing audit
3. Pull your baseline numbers (website traffic, current leads, current spend)

Next week:

1. Draft your 90-day goals
2. Assess which channels fit your budget and practice
3. Make channel selection decisions

Week 3-4:

1. Finalize budget allocation
2. Set up or verify tracking systems
3. Create your launch plan for Month 2

The firms that succeed with marketing aren't the ones with the biggest budgets—they're the ones with the clearest plans. A $10,000/month budget with strategy beats a $20,000/month budget without one.

Start with the audit. The rest follows from there.

Irfad Imtiaz is Director of Technology at My Legal Academy and Co-Founder & CTO at Ranql. He has helped 400+ law firms implement marketing and technology systems that drive predictable growth.

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