Times are changing. Fast.
Connectivity to the Internet—and more importantly, the increasing speed of information—has fundamentally shifted the way we think and interact with each other. At this year’s Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP) conference, I had the opportunity to speak candidly to a room filled with lawyer’s taxed by a single question:
How do I use the Internet to land the best cases?
Although digital marketing can be a complex topic, I’m going to give you only the broad strokes necessary to improve your current marketing. So, let’s Recap MTMP 2018: 3 Key Takeaways to Becoming a Powerhouse with Your Legal Marketing.
3. Leverage the Power of Data to Target Your Ideal Clients
Next time you go home, count how many Internet-connected devices you have. Because if you’re like the typical American family, you have an average of twenty. And these devices aren’t just sitting there humming peacefully; they’re perpetually collecting data. Every second, every minute, the artificial intelligence inside them is learning the way you make decisions, shop, search, and communicate, and it’s using all of this information for one thing: to put more of the things you want (products, services, and information) in front of you, the moment you want them.
And it’s good at it.
Log into Facebook and you'll be hard-pressed to avoid seeing some pitch-perfect ad for a product you’ve been considering but haven’t yet pulled the trigger on. And Facebook knows that if you see that ad enough times, eventually you’ll say “oh, what the heck” and buy it. Although this can seem intrusive, it’s a godsend for marketing your practice. By utilizing data collection by social platforms like Facebook or YouTube, or search engines like Google, it’s possible to target your ideal clients with unprecedented specificity and a down-to-the-impression estimated return.
Compared to print media like magazines and billboards, where pay-and-spray approaches left you wondering whether it worked, what worked about it, and why, high-intent targeting through paid search ads have revolutionized digital advertising. Now, it’s possible to not only target a niche audience ideal for your practice but track the results and adjust to maximize your investment.
2. Take Advantage of Emerging Trends to Get Ahead of Competitors
If you haven’t noticed, voice-search is quickly becoming the norm in consumer behavior. So what is “voice search?” Simply put, it’s using digital assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon’s Alexa through a smart device (like your phone) to ask a question or request an action. And the reason that’s so important is that it’s set to completely change the way we search. Why? Because there’s a fundamental difference in how we search for something when typing and how we search for something when speaking.
Here’s an example:
Let’s assume someone was injured in an auto accident this past weekend and had questions on liability. Within traditional text-search, they may type something like “Omaha auto accident lawyer.” Within voice search, speech is more natural. Which tends to mean long-form questions that are HIGHLY specific, for example, “Who pays for my hospital bills after an auto accident?”
Those are two very different questions, which means if your firm’s website isn’t optimized for voice, and currently, 20% of search is done through voice search, you may be missing out on a full 1/5th of legal traffic.
1. Online Reviews Are the Lifeblood of Your Firm; Cultivate Them
Here’s a scenario: Your mom recommends a new Italian restaurant to you. She tells you the pasta is the best she’s ever tasted and that you HAVE to try it. Interested and trusting of your mom, you decide to look the place up on Google to see a few pictures of the food. Your jaw drops. The restaurant is riddled with negative reviews topping out at a lowly 2.1 out of 5 stars. And bonus: the food doesn’t look that great either.
Do you go with Mom or the anonymous collective?
Did you know 97% of prospective clients read online reviews for local businesses? On top of that, these prospects trust what they read, with a whopping 84% of prospective clients choosing to trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation from a friend. The final takeaway to these stats is that standards are high. With the leading majority of prospects (37%) claiming that a business needed to have a 4-star review minimum to be considered.
This means that not only do online reviews matter, but they’re a LEADING decision maker for someone new to your practice. Your reviews speak to the quality of your service and inspire trust in your visitors to reach out and choose your firm among your competitors. And this is important because, at this stage of the client journey, they’ve never met you and have yet to make contact.
Today’s consumer is doing their own research well in advance of ever speaking to your firm directly. So it’s important to bolster your online footprint as much as possible to shift that slide of prospects toward your doors and not your competitors.
To learn more about how to attract better online reviews for your law firm, click here.
Closing Thoughts
It’s cliche to say, but the world really is changing—or better yet, has already changed, we’re all just catching up. As technology continues to shift and evolve, it’s critical to the longevity of your practice to take a step out of the current and look ahead to see where it’s going. Only then will you be able to utilize the flow of consumer behavior to your benefit, and ultimately, to win better cases.
In the hyper-competitive space of your field, you deserve to come out on top, to know what’s ahead, and how to act on it for the betterment of your future. As your dedicated marketing partner, I’ll guide you through industry shake-ups, help you increase the efficiency of your time, and maximize your marketing investment to bring in more cases and outwit your competition.
For a marketing expert dedicated to bringing you the clients you want, give me a call.
