2017 GUIDE TO GETTING QUALITY CASES WITH ONLINE MARKETING for Solo & Small Law Firms BY: WILL PALMER KANSAS & MISSOURI MARKETS
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Why an Effective Online Strategy Can Grow Law Firm Revenue 2. Top 5 Internet Trends in 2017 to Attract More Clients 3. How New Clients Find Your Firm in 2017 4. Why Integrating Online Marketing Channels Increases ROI 5. How Your Clients Search for an Attorney May Surprise You 6. Kansas Market Intelligence Report 7. Missouri Market Intelligence Report 8. The 2 Critical Questions to Ask Your Marketing Vendor 9. About the Author: Will Palmer 10. Should We Meet?
WHY AN EFFECTIVE ONLINE STRATEGY CAN GROW LAW FIRM REVENUE According to a recent consumer study, the internet is the most popular way to find and research a Lawyer. Consumers are most likely to turn first to the Internet to find and research a lawyer before hiring them, compared with any other methods including referrals, yellow pages, TV, and billboard ads. 53% of internet users have used online sources to validate an attorney to make sure that they seem well qualified and are as experienced as they claim they are. 44% of legal consumers use websites to make their final decision about an attorney. 1
TOP 5 INTERNET TRENDS IN 2017 TO ATTRACT MORE CLIENTS 1. Have a Mobile-Responsive Firm Website Google is moving at lightning speed towards a mobile-only world, and as such is implementing a gigantic change called Mobile-first indexing when deciding which law firm websites to display in search results. If your site is not mobile-responsive (adaptive on all screen types), then the firm will take a huge hit in it s mobile internet presence and online leads. 2. Be Visible in Local Search Results Getting your firm to display in Google Maps and local search results means a dramatic increase in new contacts. More legal consumers rely on local listings to choose which firm to call. Claim and optimize local listings and ask for reviews to help show up in local searches. 3. Add Videos Consumer video consumption on the internet is growing rapidly. Since 2013, the time spent watching videos online has increased by over 116% and climbing. Videos tell a compelling story about your firm, your experience, and your approach with clients. Don t forget about video to stand out from competitors. 4. Advertise on Facebook The average US adult spends a whopping 45.5 minutes/day on social media. Advertising your firm in this channel is extremely effective when done right. It s also highly-targeted towards certain niche audiences and can be filtered by things such as demographics, age, interests, jobs, and more. 5. Integrate Your Online Marketing Efforts For your firm to successfully compete in a crowded online space means having visibility in multiple channels where legal consumers are searching for an attorney. Examples include legal directories, search engines, social media, blogs, and video. Having a single vendor manage the entire strategy can exponentially increase ROI to your firm. 2
HOW NEW CLIENTS FIND YOUR FIRM ONLINE IN 2017 Prospective clients are searching on the multiple online channels shown below The days of being competitive with just a website and SEO are gone Your audience is smarter and doing more online research Integrating the below channels to target the right audience with a consistent message will lead to more quality cases and higher revenues 3
WHY INTEGRATING ONLINE MARKETING CHANNELS INCREASES ROI To be competitive online means having the firm visible across multiple online channels as illustrated on page 3. It s imperative law firms integrate their online marketing efforts to display a cohesive brand, message, and call-to-action that drives quality new cases to the firm. The Wrong Approach: Having multiple vendors on multiple marketing projects creates inefficiencies and makes it extremely difficult to track what investments have the best returns. One individual piece of your online marketing solution affects all the others. For example, a law firm can easily get sucked into a situation over time where they hire one company to monitor the firm website, another to help with social media, and another listing them in local directories. None of these pieces truly integrate with each other and act as silos. This is a mistake. The Right Approach: Having a single team of marketing experts monitor and advise on all aspects of your online presence has significant implications on receiving a higher return on investment. This is because each online channel performs differently and serves it s own purpose to attract new cases. As local markets and internet technologies change, a single integrated marketing solution can tweak these individual channel strategies in order to better achieve a firm s goals of generating new clients and increase revenue. The key to success is about aligning your team to optimize your online exposure channels to work in unison. They must have access to cross-channel collaboration in order to give you the highest return on investment. 4
HOW YOUR CLIENTS SEARCH FOR AN ATTORNEY MAY SURPRISE YOU When it comes to marketing, few law firms can resist the temptation to search for a marketing silver bullet, the one magical online tactic that will guarantee a steady flow of business. Today s perceived silver bullet for law firms is the belief that achieving top page 1 rankings for select phrases in Google is the key to digital success. Many companies that sell search engine optimization (SEO) services understand this assumption and consciously build their sales pitches around a promise of high rankings around Head-Term searches. Head-Term search examples include: Kansas City Divorce Lawyer DUI Attorney in Olathe Personal Injury Lawyer in Missouri But is that how your clients really search for an attorney? The data may surprise you: 80% How Consumers Search For an Attorney Online 60% 71% 40% 20% 26% 0% 3% Head-Term Long-Tail Research Chasing a page 1 rank for Head-Terms is a waste of marketing dollars. 71% of legal searches are longtail searches. Your marketing partner must understand the science behind legal searches to ensure your firm is getting strong results. Long-Tail search example: Attorney to help sue my insurance company for medical bills after my car accident Research search example: Can I lose my license after getting a DUI in Olathe, KS? 5
Source: FindLaw Market Intelligence Reports Copyright 2012-2016 7 KANSAS MARKET INTELLIGENCE REPORT 6
8 MISSOURI MARKET INTELLIGENCE REPORT 7
THE 2 CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR MARKETING VENDOR 1. Are you local? Why this matters: They live in and understand your local market They know the competition and what strategies are working right now for local firms They understand spend levels and can help your firm avoid wasting money or over-spending They can be held accountable to the online solution they recommend They can sit in your office to better understand your firm s goals, culture, and growth plans 1. Do you work exclusively with Law Firms? Why this matters: There is a science behind legal marketing, does your marketing partners understand it? How consumers search for a law firm is very different than how they would search for other small businesses such as the best coffee shop or car mechanic. Can your marketing partner articulate these differences and build a strategy to give you a leg up on the competition? 8
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WILL PALMER IF YOU WANT TO BRING IN MORE QUALITY CASES I WANT TO BE YOUR MARKETING PARTNER. I am a Senior Client Development Consultant with FindLaw & SuperLawyers with over 10 years of experience in digital marketing. I hold a Journalism degree with an emphasis in strategic communications & advertising from the University of Kansas, and bring a unique blend of creativity, savvy business sense, and real world marketing experience to the table. I apply this skill set to help my clients reach their shortterm and long-term goals faster and with maximized Return on Investment. In addition to my expertise on the Internet s role in a changing consumer landscape, my business consulting background allows me to understand the big picture; growing profitability and top-line revenues. I am a technology and Internet lover, and constantly challenge myself to gain a deeper understanding of consumer buying habits and the impact a law firm s Web presence has on their brand, reputation, and ability to generate new business. My passion for Internet technologies and access to market-leading Web development tools give my clients the advantage they need to succeed within our local digital marketplace. In working with me, my clients have a long-term advocate continually working to make their business increasingly successful. 9
SHOULD WE MEET? If you have any interest in the ways you can generate quality new clients and cases from outside of your referral network then let s discuss. During our free initial consultation I have two primary objectives: 1. Understand your firm, the types of cases you want to attract, and your short-term/long-term business growth goals. 2. Diagnose gaps in your current marketing plan and then recommend opportunities to close those gaps to achieve a higher return on investment and put you on a faster path to achieving your revenue goals. WHY DO FIRMS CHOOSE FINDLAW? They want access to findlaw.com and SuperLawyers to generate more clients They want new leads to the firm in the form of calls and email inquiries They don t have time to handle the marketing details on their own and trust an industry expert They appreciate a local and knowledgable consultant to hold accountable to their success SCHEDULE A TIME TO CHAT Call Will Palmer: 913-522-5101 Email: will.palmer@thomsonreuters.com Visit my website: www.willpalmerkc.com 10