In the spirit of FindLaw’s reports on
Millennial and
Spanish-speaking legal consumers, we now introduce
The New Old School: Why Attorneys Must Pay Attention to Generation X. The new report sheds light on how Gen X finds an attorney when they’re looking online. Specifically, how they use a hybrid of pre-internet behaviors and modern technology. FindLaw gathered this information by plumbing the depths of its 2017 U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey, researching the behaviors of people who turn to the internet when they may need an attorney.
The Gen X demographic is often left out of marketing discussions because they’re sandwiched in between two influential generations. But that doesn’t mean attorneys should ignore a group of people that can be valuable clients and essential to a law firm’s success.
Gen X straddles the line between the tech expertise of the millennial generation and the tech aversion of Baby Boomers. Most are experienced internet users, comfortable in the world of social media, blogs and mobile computing. You may think your online solutions are only reaching people 35 years-old and under, but that’s simply not the case. Gen Xers are looking for an attorney, and they’re looking online.
FindLaw's report found a generation that uses the internet to find and vet an attorney through search engines and websites. Gen X prospects also use multiple ways to contact a lawyer – as long as he or she has a great reputation.
Gen X legal consumers are patient, taking their time to find the attorney they want since many don’t have to hire the least expensive firm they can find. That’s because they’re financially healthy, many being at or near the high-point in their career. They’re valuable clients but not always an easy hire.
Law firms looking to increase their Gen X client base should plan their marketing around a legal consumer who wants to understand the qualities of an attorney and is willing to do so via multiple digital platforms. That means turning your marketing content toward the consumer and not yourself.
Trusting tradition
The internet still feels new to many consumers and businesses alike, so using a word like “tradition” may seem counterintuitive. But for Gen Xers who were pre-Y2K early digital adopters, search engines are as traditional as it gets.
You’ll find that Generation X still has the same search engine mentality that was around when the internet was dial-up and there were relatively few ways of finding what you needed online. One thing that has changed since then is who understands the web, and what they can do with that knowledge. The amount of research now available on how to leverage search behaviors to gain more clients is staggering, and it's accessible to anyone who cares to look for it. FindLaw's report explains how “long-tail” searches effectively reach this demographic – in large part because of the value Gen X places on search engines like Google. For a lot of Gen Xers, a traditional search is still their first stop on the information superhighway.
More than just a phone call
Gen X is a blend of old school and new, and nowhere is that more apparent than in how they contact an attorney. Unlike younger generations, some Gen Xers are still contacting law firms through a landline. However, they’ve also adopted email and mobile in their daily lives, so be prepared for one client to employ multiple forms of contact.
The Gen X report gives an overview of attorney intake practices and why they’re essential to successful law firms, especially ones trying to court 35- to 55-year-old prospects. Legal consumers rarely tolerate late or no return phone calls or answering the same questions multiple times. Luckily, organized processes don’t take a lot of time to implement. You’ll find simple ways to improve your intake process so you’re not
losing clients at the last minute.
It’s all about your reputation
Because Gen X is concerned with hiring the right attorney, they care about your reputation. That goes well beyond the law firm you attended or your win-loss record. Because they’re search engine savvy, Gen Xers know how to find online ratings and reviews from former clients, discover any marks against your record and even "facebook stalk" your personal social media posts.
In this report, you’ll read about the factors that the average Gen X legal consumer uses to judge the quality and performance of an attorney. If you’re not up to date on the ratings and reviews from your old clients, now’s the time to learn. Understanding what a consumer can find on the internet will go a long way to attract more prospects looking for your firm, not just Gen Xers.
It’s time to understand more about the consumer behaviors of a generation that often feels stuck in the middle. You’ll find all this and more by downloading
The New Old School: Why Attorneys Must Pay Attention to Generation X.