It is important for lawyers to be more proactive when winning seeking new clients.
As the competition in the legal industry increases, and technology advances, as well as an ever-changing digital marketing landscape, it is only right for law firms to adapt and innovate. Not doing so can cause your law firm to go the route of once former titans such as Blockbuster and Kodak.
Law firms must stay ahead of the industry by watching the changing trends. But how? By monitoring new technology, new entrants and the current direction the industry is taking. By being well-informed, a law firm can take pre-emptive reaction to keep themselves relevant to existing and potential clients.
The following trends, also known as attorney marketing, are being adopted by top law firms in the country. To succeed through 2017 and beyond, you can adopt something similar for your own firm.
- Simple CRM solutions are driving growth
Many modern law firms are going technological; to ensure success, they have configured software and processes around their operations. Prior to now, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology had been associated major business establishments. It helps companies understand and engage their customers on a more personalised level.
Today, there is 70% adoption rate for law firms taking up CRM approach to managing their clients. However, there is still some reluctance among many firms because of the perceived complexity.
- The rise and rise of content marketing.
The popular mantra, “Content is king” is relevant and has pervaded the legal industry. Many firms are using content around their practice to win over potential clients. For instance, they have websites that discuss important issues such as, “how to recognise genuine lawyers”, what “family law marketing entails” and so on. As people turn to this content for more answers, they boost the credibility of their website, and thus the authority their practice online.
- Longform content is becoming more popular
It might sound unusual to juxtapose SEO and law in the same sentence, seeing as they are almost two different subjects entirely. But the involvement of legal firms in content marketing has inadvertently introduced common practices associated with the topic. To attract Google search bots and boost their SEO relevance, law firms are not just posting content, but longform content.
Longform, which refers to content that exceeds 2000 words is useful because it keeps users engaged. In a study, it was reported that people stayed on a page 40% longer than on other pages. It also revealed that the reader looked at 25% more pages that the average web visitor.
- Videos and Images are taking a stand
When it comes to content marketing, there is no way a well-intended post ignores the use of images, videos and other forms of visual content. Even the use of visualised data (infographics) are making it easy to communicate analytics between businesses and their customers.
Law firms are adopting the same methods to engage boost their awareness, engage potential clients and get them to sign up. A research study conducted by Pew, showed how over 50% of users on the internet have shared content with videos and images. It is projected that by 2020, 82% of traffic will be generated by video alone.
- More lawyers are benefiting from LinkedIn
LinkedIn is not just a social network for job seekers or entrepreneurs seeking venture capitalists. It is an online platform for businesses to connect with and grow their client base. Savvy law firms know this and there is an increasing use of LinkedIn to promote law firms.
LinkedIn boosts organic lead as the following stats show:
- 80% of B2B leads originate from LinkedIn
- 45% of web traffic generated by social media is gotten from LinkedIn
Regardless of your area of specialisation, adopting any of these trends at your firm will leapfrog it ahead of your competitors in the online space.