It’s tough being a lawyer. Even after you pass the Bar, it takes hard work, dedication, and adaptability to succeed. But, the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are amazing!
No matter how you qualify success, in today’s competitive world, your degree of success is heavily dependent upon your online presence. And, not just having a presence, but having an online presence that is optimized to work for you.
Let’s examine 5 keys to a successful internet marketing campaign for your law firm!
#1 Professional Website Design
The consumer behavior of individuals looking for legal services isn’t traditional window shopping at a brick and mortar location. Legal representation or counseling is normally pursued because of a specific event (divorce, domestic violence, DUI, business formation, etc.).
When one of these events occur, a consumer has an immediate need and will “window shop” for legal services online. When they find your website, what they see and feel will influence their decision to call. Your website design needs to be spot on!
3 Elements of Effective Web Design:
- Modern Design Characteristics: a modern web design says a lot about your firm. It shows you are up to date, that you care about your practice, and you’re a leader in your space.
- Clear Call to Action: a call to action is designed to prompt a client into action. That could mean giving you a call, filling out a form or subscribing to your newsletter. CTAs help convert website visitors into paying clients.
- Mobile-Friendly Website: today’s consumers are mobile. More than 50% off all Google searches occur on a mobile device and Google will not rank non-mobile websites as high as mobile websites. If you don’t have mobile website, you can be missing out on a lot of potential business! See if you website is mobile friendly.
#2 Quality Content
Content on your website is more important than ever. There are two reasons for this.
High quality content:
- Supports your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. For example, when someone needs legal advice they may search, “What are my rights in a divorce?” or “I’m getting sued. What do I do?” or “I got a speeding ticket.”
- Provides a better experience to your customers. Users will find answers to their legal questions on your site, building an immediate relationship.
High quality content will bring more customers to your website and will convert them into viable leads (they’ll give you a call!).
Here are some great ways to add some quality content on your website:
- Spend some spare time writing. Write about topics, events, or controversies that are relevant you your practice and target market. Then put them on your website.
- Hire a professional to shoot a quick video about your practice.
- Downloadable content is always great! Do you have an e-book or a tip sheet you want to share with your prospects? Slap it on your website.
- Create an FAQ page that will quickly answer basic questions your customers may have.
- Solicit testimonials from happy customers and add them to your website.
When people have legal issues they will inevitably have questions. Where do you think they’re going to find those answers? Online! When they search for answers to their questions, the only question is – will they find your answers or your competitions?
#3 Online Business Listings
All over the internet, there are business listings directories, like Yelp, Bing, Yahoo, and MapQuest. These listings provide basic information about your business, including:
- Firm Name
- Address
- Phone Number
- Pictures
- Firm Reviews
The BIG problem is, the data within these listings degrades overtime. Each platform pulls in new information from various sources, and that information can be very wrong.
You need to put in time every month monitoring and updating these listings. Or, you can have someone like Townsquare Interactive do it for you.
If you’re asking yourself, why does this matter to me? The answer is simple.
Inconsistent business listing information hurts your visibility in search and provides consumers incorrect information about your business. Both impact your customer acquisition efforts in a negative manor.
#4 Engage Current, Past, and Prospective Clients
A strong presence on review sites (Avv0, Google, etc.) and social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is now critical for any business’s success.
These platforms allow you to show clients, past, present, and future, what your firm is all about!
When clients are looking for legal services, not only will they look at your website, they will look at your profiles on other platforms. They will read reviews, look at your posts, and then make a decision on whether they want to do business with you.
Here are 3 easy ways to let your law firm’s personality shine:
- Post industry relevant material on your social profiles. Show clients you’re the professional and know your stuff!
- Respond to client reviews of your services, good and bad. You want clients to know that you care what they think!
- Share testimonials of satisfied clients. Nothing facilitates trust between you and a prospective client better than an amazing testimonial!
#5 Consistent Newsletter
The more you can engage the clients of your law firm, the better. You build personal relationships with each of your clients and get to know very personal aspects of their lives. This is great, as it allows you to build trust and rapport!
Maintaining trust so that the next time legal services are needed, they call you, is a little harder. A newsletter is a great way to keep past clients up to date with current firm and industry news. Maintaining a relationship is invaluable, as bringing in more money from existing customers is always more cost effective than acquiring new ones.
Is Your Online Presence Working for You?
The road to success is littered with challenges. There is no doubt about that! Having an online presence that works for you provides stability within your firm while also propelling you forward!