Internet has completely transformed the legal industry. Students can now attend law school entirely online, through educational institutes such as Abraham Lincoln University, a Los Angeles based option that's been around since 1996, and firms, old and new must leverage digital marketing to attract new clients and business.
Digital marketing trends come and go, so it's important to stay up-to-date on what is currently working. Here are five effective tips to help your law firm generate more business online.
1. Focus on measureable results.
It's easy to throw your marketing budget at a bunch of different options -- search engine optimization, pay-per-click, paid social media, content marketing, content distribution and email marketing are a few popular options.
If you do so blindly, you are destined to fail. Make sure you can account for every single marketing dollar you spend by focusing your efforts on outlets that allow you to measure its success. When you completely analyze your marketing data you can find out where you are generating new clients from at the lowest cost and scale up those winning campaigns. This is how you experience exponential firm growth.
2. Use paid Facebook ads to build firm awareness.
Social media isn't going anywhere -- it's the one place that you have all the attention you could ever desire if you know how to capture it. Facebook has 1.39 billion monthly users, of which more than half log in daily.
Facebook's advanced targeting options allow you to place your ads in front of any custom audience you desire. This allows you to market locally, placing your advertisements in front of people that might be in need of your firm's services at the present time, or in the future.
I'd suggest running a campaign that advertises your specific services in order to generate leads, as well as a campaign that is designed to build awareness within your local community. Think of something fun and memorable -- over time this brand awareness starts to generate referrals.
3. Create value-packed content and downloadable assets.
Successful marketing campaigns that drive a lot of traffic to your firm's website is just half of the equation. Once that traffic is on your website you need to generate conversions, whether that's a phone call to your office, or a lead submission form.
A value-packed blog is a great place to start, but you need some enticing "bribes" to get your visitors to hand over their contact details. Consider writing a valuable series of eBooks and case studies that highlight your firm's experience and knowledge. You don't want them to appear to be glorified advertisements, so focus on publishing some great information-packed resources. Provide value and watch the leads start to come in.
4. Prioritize for mobile traffic.
Shockingly, there are still some law firm websites out there that are not mobile-friendly. Not only will a mobile-friendly website help your website perform better in the search results, it will also deliver a much better user experience for your visitors.
You could have the best roster of attorneys, but if your website is a nightmare to navigate, your traffic is going to leave and find another option that doesn't frustrate them. You have to have a mobile-first mentality when creating content and offers for your website. Does your navigation require little to no effort? Are your forms easy to complete and submit with finger tips and thumbs? If not, make it a priority to get it re-worked. If you aren't sure if your website is mobile-friendly run it through this test.
5. Automate aggressive lead nurturing.
When someone submits a form on your website they are more than likely in need of an attorney now, rather than later. While other industries can have a more relaxed follow-up sequence, such as every 15-days, law firms need to be much more aggressive.
Set up a lead nurturing system that immediately emails the lead after a submission to offer a free consultation call on the spot. If you don't do this there is a chance they will be on the phone with a competitor before you have a chance to contact them.
Not all leads will respond to that initial offer, so set-up your sequence to email them in 24 hours with a follow up consultation offer and then again every day or two until they either contact your firm or opt-out. Time is of the essence, so you need to be aggressive in order to convert a higher percentage of your leads.
Jonathan Long is the Founder of Market Domination Media®, an online marketing consulting agency, blerrp™, a social media influencer agency and Sexy Smile Kit™, a consumer teeth whitening brand.