Winning over today’s legal client

Don't ignore online reviews

According to FindLaw’s survey, 82% of respondents who contacted an attorney after learning about them online used online reviews. Additionally, almost 40% of respondents said that online reviews were their number one source of information. Given the significant role that reviews play in swaying legal consumers, it’s important to consider the steps your law firm is taking, if any, to get more online reviews.

Your firm’s next steps: Establish a clear and consistent process for getting — or getting more — online reviews. As a client’s case wraps up, make sure to ask them to provide an online review. Make the request verbally and, if possible, in person, then follow up with an email that includes links to your firm’s Google Business Profile and social media pages. Additionally, it may be helpful to provide a few prompts or examples of what makes a good review in your email. Reiterate how important reviews are for your firm and how much you appreciate clients’ feedback.

Implement an SEO strategy

The practice of SEO is about making your website more visible to people who are searching for services your law firm provides. Clients are increasingly turning to search engines to find legal services; in fact, 99% of survey respondents used a search engine (particularly Google at 93%) to search for information about their legal need. These results make it clear that visibility in search results — the backbone of SEO — can significantly increase the chances of attracting potential clients.

Is your law firm’s website fully optimized for search? There’s a good chance you could be doing more to enhance your firm’s online presence and help search engines find and return your website in relevant results.

Your firm’s next steps: SEO remains a bit of a mystery for many attorneys. You know it’s important and something your website needs, but you may not be sure how to check if your site is fully optimized for both web and local searches.

To reap the full benefits of SEO, turn to an SEO expert who keeps up with trends and will continually monitor your website. They can make adjustments to ensure your website can easily be found, crawled for relevant information, and returned to potential clients who search for certain keywords and terms. It could also be in your firm’s best interest to hire a vendor that specializes in helping law firms and understands the ins and outs of how legal consumers search for legal information and attorneys.  

Follow video trends

Out of 2,000 survey respondents, one in six who searched for information about their legal online turned to videos for help. 79% searched for videos on YouTube, 69% on social media websites, and 58% on law firms’ websites. Year over year, the importance of videos in law firm marketing continues to grow. Are you taking advantage of these growing video trends? If not, you’re missing out on a highly effective way to quickly connect with legal clients.

Your firm’s next steps: As a digital marketing medium, video is arguably one of the most efficient tools you have to win over legal clients. The good news is you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on professionally-produced videos — although you certainly can if you’d like. You can record informative and helpful videos on a smartphone and upload them to your website, YouTube, and social media.

When planning what to discuss, keep the videos short and easy to digest by focusing on topics like “the top 3 things to do after a car accident” or “5 ways to prepare for divorce.” Practice recording yourself and do your best to come across as friendly, knowledgeable, and professional.

Consumer habits and trends are constantly evolving, making it essential for law firms to adopt a client-centered approach. By adopting a well-rounded digital marketing strategy, your firm can meet today’s legal clients where they’re at and start building a steady stream of new business.