HOW TO OVERCOME LAW FIRM DIGITAL MARKETING CHALLENGES
Digital marketing has become the most important tool for marketing any business, and the legal industry is no different. It is much cheaper and more effective than the traditional forms of advertising, such as print and electronic media. Internet had already infiltrated our lives massively, and now, with the emergence of social media, whatever we do is in some way or the other linked to social media and other digital platforms. Businesses and even governments are pumping in huge money into digital marketing to consolidate their positions. Though a late entrant, the legal industry too has embraced digital marketing. However, it’s not an easy job and there are huge digital marketing challenges that lawyers have to face and overcome.
With most lawyers and law firms taking to digital marketing to enhance their positions, the competition has become really tough. You have to be present where your prospective clients are. Usually, when potential clients need legal aid they are clueless as to what to look for and where to look for. You have to be present to provide the requisite information so that you are among the first ones to be approached by them when the need arises. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. There are several aspects of online marketing for law firms that you have to account for.
Challenges faced by Law Firms
Besides representing your clients in courts and getting favorable decisions for them, you must not forget that it’s also your business. You need to grow as a law firm by fighting off the competition. You need to have a steady flow of new clients and at the same time retain the existing ones. Technology has induced dramatic changes in consumer behavior and you have to be in tune with the changing consumer preferences.
With the infiltration of the internet and easy availability of information on the web, consumers have access to all the information they want with just a click of the mouse. You have to devise new ways to engage with your potential clients, and that requires chalking out new strategies to better serve them.
A typical client, today, does not follow the traditional path when they look for a lawyer. They usually don’t approach you directly after seeing your advertisements on billboards or yellow pages, etc. They would rather search the net or seek recommendations. Clients search the net to get as much information as possible on the legal issues they are faced with before they actually start looking for a lawyer. Online reviews and testimonials have a great impact on their decision as they learn more about the credentials and experience of the lawyers, and the kind of cases they handle.
Law firms also have to compete with online legal service providers which have mushroomed all over the place.
Digital Marketing for Lawyers
Though most law firms understand the benefits of digital marketing, they still need to adapt to the new trend and implement the right strategies. In more than half the cases, it is tough to convince the top management to embrace digital marketing. Also, a similar number of law firms either don’t have the money to invest or they don’t have enough time. Further, lawyers do not understand the intricacies of digital marketing and how it would enhance their business. Measuring the exact return on investment is quite difficult for them.
Because of these challenges, law firms are reluctant to invest in digital marketing, losing out on the opportunity to achieve their marketing objectives and business goals.
How to Overcome these Challenges
Where there are challenges, there are ways to overcome them as well. The first step in this direction would be to know your target audience in terms of demography, employment, income and geographic location, and try to understand what they need from a lawyer. Review your marketing efforts to see what kind of results it has yielded.
You then need to analyze your competitors’ marketing strategy- the kind of digital marketing investment they have made, the use of keywords, and which digital channels have yielded the best results.
You would now be in a position to understand the importance of digital marketing. It allows you to engage with your current and prospective clients, build credibility, establish connection with other lawyers, update your achievements, etc. It also gives you the opportunity to get new referrals.
Digital Marketing Strategy
There are several aspects of digital marketing strategy, but basically it includes optimizing your website with respect to content, mobile friendliness, page loading time, accessibility, etc. Search Engine Optimization is paramount here as it determines your ranking in search results. There are various ways in which SEO for law firms can be made more effective, such as using the right keywords and hyperlinks, and also paying attention to local SEO. Reviews and automated email response are crucial.
You can implement different strategies to overcome various digital marketing challenges that your law firm might face but, it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss them in detail.
