The following is an excerpt from the free playbook, Legal Marketing 110: Getting More Out of Legal Directories.
Once you list your firm online with whatever information a basic profile allows, you’ll have the opportunity to boost your listing by adding features. These “advanced” options can provide more opportunities for you to highlight your listing so that you get noticed above everyone else. Different directories offer different standard features, but most of the time, the “optional” add-ons do indeed merit serious consideration.
In the competitive world of legal marketing, “optional” usually means “mandatory.”
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For instance, some directories don’t allow photographs in their basic listings. If adding a headshot or a group photo of yourself, your partners and staff costs extra, bite the bullet. Trustworthiness and professionalism are inherent signals emitted via photos. (By the way, this is also true for video, so long as it is professionally done. If a directory offers an opportunity to host a video that highlights your firm, go for it.)
- Additional information
Adding additional information to your listing can be extremely valuable for attorneys who specialize in multiple practice areas. Having the opportunity to explain your philosophy and expertise beyond the constraints of a basic profile affords you a much greater opportunity to attract new clients. A word of warning, though: Don’t treat this as an opportunity to ramble. Including too much information in this section can actually muddy your message and cost you clients.
- Featured listings
Similar to a search engine results page, being at the top of the page in a directory has definite value. Featured listings go by many names – they’re called TopSpots on FindLaw.com – and they’re sold in limited quantities based on both geography and practice areas. Firms are placed at the top of organic directory listings where consumers are most likely to see them first.
- Reviews
When you consider the value legal consumers place on ratings and reviews, this add-on could have a powerful impact on your firm. According to FindLaw’s 2015 Ratings and Reviews Survey, 86 percent of respondents find written reviews by verified clients “useful” to “very useful” in their hiring decision.
If directory advertising is a major source of new clients for your firm, options like these are a no-brainer. They may cost you a little extra, but their increased visibility makes the investment worthwhile. And if your firm has already tried boosting its directory listings with one of these options, you may see want to consider switching things up and trying another approach from time to time.
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