Most people seeking legal advice use Google to get initial guidance. Around 85% of them use online maps to find legal service locations near them, whilst 69% of customers use both a smartphone and a desktop computer to do their research.
Did you know that 74 per cent of people who visit a law firm’s website during a search for information, take action? Meanwhile, LinkedIn drives 45% of all traffic to law firm websites.
Your Online Presence is Important to Remain Competitive
Econsultancy’s report “Digital Marketing in the Legal Sector” focuses on digital marketing activities and priorities within the sector, as well as challenges to best practice.
The first trend is that content marketing is effective and in demand. Law firm websites have prioritised publishing more articles, publications, and videos to share sector-related insight. Amongst the law firms surveyed, most of them (at 32%) say that content marketing is the most effective digital platform to market their firm, followed by email marketing (24%) and data management (15%).
This works to your advantage because lawyers have so much knowledge to share. In fact, around 72% of lawyers who personally maintain a legal topic blog do so for client development. When your content matches what your customers are looking for, more people will be inclined to visit your website. Demonstrating your expertise in language civilians can understand helps establish your credibility. In fact, 42% of lawyers say that they had a client retain their legal services directly or via referral as a result of their legal topic blogging.
The second trend is the rise of mobile marketing strategies. Around 50% of lawyers surveyed feel their firms are adequately set up to manage the customer experience for mobile users; however, only nine% of them are “very much” set up, whilst the remaining 41% are “set up to a certain extent.”
With more people spending time on their mobile phones, it is important to start making your website mobile-friendly. Besides getting penalised by Google, 27% of consumers are more likely to leave a site if it is not optimised for mobile. What’s the use of all your relevant content if potential clients won’t even stay on your site?
Despite being aware of the importance of engaging with clients through digital content, most lawyers have a poor electronic customer relationship management strategy. Around 27% of lawyers surveyed say they have nothing in place currently and are scoping new systems. Another 30% say they are implementing a new system and processes.
Many of your Colleagues are Implementing Digital Marketing
According to the Law Society of Scotland Survey last 2015, only 54% of all law firms in the UK have LinkedIn accounts. Other social media platforms they maintain include Vimeo and/or YouTube (51%), Facebook (46%), Twitter (23%), and Instagram (16%).
Despite the abundance of social media accounts, only 41% of law firms monitor what their clients say about them on social media. Amongst all the members of the legal sector, licensed conveyancers (43%) and solicitors (26%) are the most likely to provide legal advice via email and Internet services.
The Jury’s Out and this is what the Future Looks Like
According to a student by Blue Hill Research, law firms with a digital inbound marketing strategy in place will see an increase in billable hours. Meanwhile, 52% of lawyers say that technology will be used for in-house legal tasks in the next five years.
We have the expertise to help you win more clients across online marketing channels by consulting with us today!
