Competition among law firms to acquire new clients—and to retain the ones they already have—has never been more intense. As a result, firms are increasingly reexamining the ways they market their services. And, increasingly, a larger number of forward leaning law firms are turning to digital marketing to gain a competitive edge.
As the Legal Executive Institute correctly observes, recent changes in the way law firms operate are forcing law firms to change the way the do business:
“After years of warnings, the revolution in the legal industry finally may be crashing law firms’ gates. Growing competitive challenges from the Big Four accounting firms and more nimble alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) should make many law firms question long-standing assumptions and re-examine traditional business models that may not be suited for tomorrow’s legal marketplace.”
The marketing of legal services is changing because consumers have changed. Gone are the days when someone who needed a lawyer turned to the Yellow Pages. Today, consumers in need of legal services begin their search for competent legal representation on the internet. And those firms that don’t have a compelling presence through a digital marketing strategy fall behind.
Just how effective is digital marketing? For the answer, consider these digital marketing metrics from Campaign Monitor:
Every law firm is different, of course, with different clients, different business goals and different marketing challenges. That said, a wide variety of law firms have achieved remarkable success leveraging the following 3 digital marketing strategies:
Content marketing works by establishing trust with consumers before talking sales. Imagine for example the following scenario. Someone needs a lawyer to defend him in a DUI case, he’ll probably type something like “dui lawyer” into Google. The first result he clicks on takes him to a law firm web page that rattles on about the firm’s “expertise.”
The second result takes him to an article, “The 5 Things You Need to Know to Win Your DUI case.” The law firm asks for his email address in exchange for the article. He complies because he really wants to read that article. The article helps him solve his problem. That’s a win-win scenario: he gets the help he needs. The law firm gets a new lead—and very likely a new client.
You can become more visible on the internet using search engine optimization (SEO), but that process can be complicated and typically takes a long time to see results. Paid search (using Google or Facebook ads) is less complex and gets results immediately. For example, businesses that effectively leverage Google ads increase brand awareness on average by more than 80%.
To be successful with paid search ads, you’ll need a smart keyword strategy and compelling ad copy. You’ll also need to ensure that the landing pages your ads take prospective clients to help them answer their legal questions and solve their legal problems. In addition, unless you have the in house talent to effectively manage pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, it’s probably a good idea to invest in a competent digital marketing agency to increase the odds of success.
If you think consumers don’t pay attention to the reviews and testimonials they read online, think again. According to one recent study, for example, almost 85% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much (or more) than recommendations from friends and members of their own family.
That means if your firm isn’t currently posting testimonials from satisfied clients on your website, you need to start doing so now. One of the best (and easiest) ways to increase reviews from satisfied clients on your site is simply to ask them to write one—you might be surprised how many will be willing to do so.
Many recent studies unequivocally demonstrate the effectiveness of digital marketing across a wide swath of industries—from medicine to auto dealerships to law. Of course, leveraging the power of digital marketing can be both complicated and confusing, especially if this is your first go at it. That’s where we can help.
The team at VIP Marketing are specialists in providing digital and traditional marketing services for law firms. As such, we have helped law firms become the choice and not a choice in their market. To learn more about the ways our digital marketing strategy, video production, content and social media marketing and website design services can be a game changer for your law firm, contact us today.