Make the Most of Your Online Legal Marketing
Let’s face it—without an effective online presence, you’re going to find it difficult, if not impossible, to compete for clients in today’s marketplace. Whether you’re just putting together a comprehensive internet marketing plan, or you’ve concluded that your existing efforts need to be overhauled, there are some fundamental things you should do, as well as some mistakes to avoid.
Internet Do’s for Attorneys—The Right Things to Maximize Your Online Efforts
- Take a comprehensive approach — On the internet, just about everything is connected in some way. You want to maximize your exposure online. More exposure means more contacts, and more contacts mean more clients. Accordingly, your strategy needs to include a wide range of components, from an attractive, informative and search-friendly website to a regular presence on social media, from well-produced videos that engage and educate, to directories that get you noticed. Make certain your internet marketing company can handle all your needs.
- Invest as much time and energy into developing your mobile-friendly site as your traditional desktop website — More than half of all internet searches are now done on mobile devices. If you want maximum exposure online, you need a user-friendly mobile presence.
- Pay attention to your content — There are few areas of agreement when it comes to internet marketing, but there’s near consensus on this—content is king. It’s important to effectively communicate your message, but there’s more to it—there’s search value to keeping your content fresh and updated. The better you perform with search engines, the more exposure you’ll have, the more web visitors you’ll have, and the more chances there will be to bring a new client to your firm.It’s important to understand, though, that effective online content is a delicate balance—it needs to perform well with search engines, but it also needs to be informative and readable. The best content will bring a web visitor to your site… and bring them back again and again. Make certain that your content answers the critical questions web visitors have.
- Identify your target market and aim for the target — An unfocused approach won’t work on the internet. You want exposure, but you want exposure to the right kinds of clients. The more tightly focused you are, the more likely you’ll get the traffic you want and the more likely you’ll see a conversion from web visitors to clients. Don’t try to compete in a geographic area that is too large. Let prospective clients near you know about the types of cases you handle.
- Ask for reviews — One of the most important aspects of your online marketing strategy will be managing what people say about you, on your website and other places online. One of the most effective ways to do that is to ask for reviews from satisfied clients. Reviews are also one of the most powerful ways to effectively expand your exposure online. Reviews can appear on many forums, which allows prospective clients to find you in different ways. In addition, positive reviews serve double duty—they enhance your exposure while simultaneously bolstering your credibility and reputation.
- Review your analytics — Make certain your service provider gives you understandable data that allows you to clearly understand your return on investment, and make certain you take the time to review the analytics and ask questions, if necessary.
Internet Don’ts for Attorneys—What You Want to Avoid Online
- Don’t vendor-shop based on search results — Building an effective online presence is a complex and time-consuming process. It also takes some time for the fruit of your efforts to appear. Don’t expect that you’ll be on the first page in Google overnight. Rankings are based on a variety of factors, all of which are cumulative. Every time you abort an existing strategy and bring in a new vendor, you have to start all over again.
- Don’t ignore negative feedback — Everyone has a disgruntled client or customer at some point. Don’t think, though, that the public understands this. If you get a negative review, find a way to counteract it. Ask other clients to write positive reviews or respond in a positive and professional way to the negative review. You can also use reputation management tools, such as GetLegal’s Catalyst product, to identify and manage online reviews.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help — As the client, you’re the boss. Your service provider is there to help you. When you don’t understand something, or have questions about how something is being done, always ask for assistance.
Service—Technology—Experience—Value: Our Commitment at GetLegal
At GetLegal.com, we are committed to using our experience and access to cutting-edge technology to provide the highest levels of customer service, so that we can help you maximize your return on investment. For a free website audit, and to learn more about how we can enhance your firm’s online presence in 2018, call us at 817-359-7077 or use our convenient online form.