It is important to market your practice in a variety of ways to remain competitive with the current trends of today’s marketplace. It has been proven that 65%* of consumers searching for products or services are using online resources to help make their final decisions. While having a strong online presence is important, it is also crucial to keep in mind the below tips to ensure that you are taking advantage of as many mediums as possible to convert clients:
Useful Conversion Tips
- Respond to Client Inquiries Quickly
- Appear Current and Relevant by Updating Your Site Regularly and/or Maintaining a Blog
- Use Strong and Clear Calls to Action
- Promote Credibility with Earned Awards, Large Verdicts and Settlements, and/or other Positive Marks of Achievement
- Use Video Marketing and, if Possible, Star in Your Own Videos
1. Respond to Client Inquiries Quickly
One of the most important aspects of converting users into clients is making sure that each person who inquires about your service receives a response. Although many clients want to talk to an attorney immediately about their legal issue, this isn’t always possible. However, many potential clients who call your firm in need of legal representation do not want to leave a message on an answering machine. Making sure that a live person intercepts your firm’s incoming calls and takes a personal message is not only an element of professionalism, but may help prevent the caller from dialing other firms. This personal contact could be the make or break factor in gaining the client.
2. Appear Current and Relevant by Updating Your Site Regularly and/or Maintaining a Blog
Attorneys often make the mistake that having a static website is sufficient for a web presence. Without fresh and constantly updated content that is easy to navigate and interpret, you may compromise clients from contacting you for your services. Your homepage must be simple and immediately inviting, contact information and an About Us section should be regularly updated, and a contact form is also a great way to encourage online inquiries.
Composing legal blogs for your firm’s site is a great way to drive traffic from users that might not be strictly looking for an attorney in your practice field or geographic area. Since many consumers are using online content to gain answers to their legal questions, creating a generalized FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section is a powerful contribution to the validity of your site, as well as potentially increasing your appearance in search results. Another option to increase knowledge of your services in your area is to offer to write an article for your local paper on a topic such as ‘Why Everyone Should Have a Will’ or ‘Questions to Ask a Contractor.’ Make sure the byline includes the name of your firm and your contact information.
For more guidance on creating content for your website, be sure to read our White Paper in the Resources Section of the LawInfo Legal Marketing site.
3. Use Strong and Clear Calls to Action
As potential clients have spend time on your site researching your firm, they begin to decide whether you can help them and whether they want to hire you. Tell these users what to do next by providing a clear call to action. If you are willing to offer a free consultation, or would like for them to contact you via email for an initial introduction, be sure to tell them how you want them to make their next step(s), such as: “Call Us Now!” or “Sign up here for a Free Consultation”.
Use the following checklist provided by Abacus Law, Inc.** to make sure your site isn’t missing a strong call to action:
- Does every page on your website have a clearly visible call to action?
- Are your calls to action succinct and direct?
- Do your calls to action actually motivate visitors to do something, such as contact your firm?
- Does your site repeat calls to action on your contact forms?
- Does your site naturally blend in calls to action into page content?
4. Promote Credibility with Earned Awards, Large Verdicts and Settlements, and/or other Positive Marks of Achievement
Establishing credibility, trust and dependability with a potential client are all imperative to reducing their typical feelings of apprehension when they are facing a legal issue. If you have met any or all of the following criteria on this list of credibility builders, be sure to include them in a accessible place within your site:
- Client Testimonials and Feedback (Be sure to get the author’s permission to post each review and check with your State Bar to determine whether this is an acceptable form of advertising)
- An Ongoing List of Successful Verdicts or Settlements
- Professional Affiliations
- Current Attorney Profiles and Practice Area(s)
- Awards, Prestigious Honors and/or Distinguishing Rewards
- Practice Area Specializations
- Education Honors
5. Use Video Marketing and, If Possible, Star in Your Own Videos
While many attorneys have simple websites that portray and market their firm, it is also important to distinguish your practice from your competitors through video marketing. Video marketing allows you to add a professional multimedia element to your site while welcoming potential clients personally, educating them on the benefits of hiring your firm, and finishing with a strong call to action. These videos are important in their personable aspect because they allow your client (or inquiring client) the ability to meet you and build rapport immediately. LawInfo.com can produce these personalized video marketing tools for you if your firm is interested.