You Need Online Marketing as your Potential Clients are Looking for Lawyers Online in all of the Stages of their Search Process. [Infographic]
Your Online Presence is Critical
It’s great your law firm receives good word-of-mouth recommendations and has a solid reputation, but the question is, do you have any visibility on the internet? When they need a lawyer, most of your potential clients don’t consult print directories or yellow pages any more. They’ve switched to other resources on the internet including law firm websites, online directories, and search engines.
More than 76% of adults (over three quarters) are currently seeking lawyers online while an estimated 60% of these adult internet users have, at one time or the other, sought for an attorney online. These statistics are according to the reports on the survey carried out by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG) commissioned by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.
Despite the fact that referrals from friends and family (trusted sources) is still an essential method your leads employ in finding an attorney, their final decisions remain heavily influenced by the resources they consult online. Law firms and attorneys need to be repositioned strategically if they want to be discovered by the 76% of adults that are using the internet to actively seek out lawyers, regardless of their specialization.
The Four-Step Process Internet Users Looking for Lawyers Go Through
The findings of LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell reveal that there’s a four step process or stages that the 76% of those who use the internet in their search go through. They are
1. Gathering of information.
2. Finding the lawyer.
3. Validating the lawyer
4. Selecting the lawyer
Searchers make use of multiple information resources through the entire four stage search process. These resources are made use of when searchers are in the information gathering stage. If law firms and lawyers want to take advantage or leverage on this and be found by their leads, they’ll have to reposition themselves strategically throughout the entire four-stage process.
It is now even true that your potential clients are relying more on online resources in every stage of their search process than on their friends and family’s recommendations. They are looking more into the online legal advice forums, legal blogs, law firm websites, social media sites, online directories and search engines.
During the information gathering process regarding the legal issues, the percentage of those who sought a lawyer by visiting online resources is 65%; 61% visited online resources when finding their lawyers; 53% validated their lawyers using online resources; while 44% visited online resources during the selection process.
The statistics of those who only consulted family (with the exclusion of social media) members during the process is in stark contrast. Those who sought lawyers with the recommendations of family and friends alone is 39%. For those who found a lawyer it was 45%; 36% consulted family and friends to validate a lawyer; while 36% consulted family and friends to select their lawyers.
Your Online Presence May Need a Serious Cross-Examination
In this digital age, though you may have taken years to build your law firm or private practice, word-of-mouth recommendation and a solid reputation alone will not be enough as an increasing number of your potential clients are switching to resources online to search for lawyers and satisfy their legal queries.
To cross-examine your online presence so you can be found and selected, you will need to ask yourself the following questions.
1. Will they find you when they use search engines?
Will your website be easily found when your potential clients run their search on the Yahoo, Bing and Googles of our time? Your website has to be visible on these search engines when keywords in everyday language of potential clients and technical keywords that pertain to various legal matters you handle.
2. Are you present in online legal advice forums?
You have to have a noticeable presence on legal forums online. This is because your potential clients will visit a good number of these forums, if not the best of them, during his information gathering stage. It will be to your advantage if you are there to provide the initial advice.
3. Are you visible in local online directories?
Your areas of specialization and clear contact must be clearly put or stated in local online directories since your potential clients will also be looking in these places. You should also strive to get a good number of positive reviews validating your expertise.
4. Do you have brand presence in social media?
What about social media sites? Since your potential clients and leads make use of these platforms, what stops you from having a good presence there also? They should see you, your network, your posts and testimonials or comments from other people on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.
5. Do you have your own legal blog?
Legal blogs are a great read for people needing legal advices. Your website should include a well-maintained blog that contain stories and/or posts demonstrating how several other clients have been helped with their legal cases. The blog should be regularly updated. As you share these experiences, insights and knowledge with your audience, you would be nurturing them and eventually turn these leads into clients.
6. Do you have a professionally designed website? Is your website mobile-friendly?
Truth be told: to be able to boost your conversions, a professional website is a requirement. Your website has to be outstanding and contain the information that your prospective client needs and not leave out a strong and clear call to action that guides them to take the next step of the process. Don’t forget that your potential clients will try validating you using your website. You will have to give them what satisfies them because when they are satisfied, you’ll be their attorney.
Just as important as a professionally designed website is a mobile-friendly website that’ll cater to those who use mobile devices.
Think about this: Just the same way you are here reading this, a potential client is also somewhere searching for some legal assistance that you offer! And if you do not have an already well-established online presence, you may never be able to connect with that person.
We can aide you in establishing and increasing your online presence. We will also exhibit your trustworthiness and competence as a lawyer to the very many potential clients out there.
We know all the possible angles of attacks when it comes to digital marketing which is our jurisdiction. We will deliver that action plan needed for your firm to be successful online.
Your online presence will be judged—so fill out the form or contact us now for a consultation!
5 Star Brand listens to your vision and goals before making any sort of service recommendation. Contact us at 951-821-8659 or shoot us an email to jim@5starBrand.com to schedule your free online marketing consultation.
