Online Marketing for Law Firms and Lawyers
The question of marketing for law firms and lawyers has been on my mind since hearing about large firm collapses such as Thacher Proffitt & Wood's
( a 160-year-old New York-based law firm), the news that in September 2008, 375 law firms closed in the UK,
and the ever-increasing layoffs in the American legal industry due to the current economic crisis.
There is a Large Gap Between Consumer Demand
for Quality Online Legal Information and Supply
For some, the question remains: is marketing necessary for the just the lawyer, or the firm? It seems that for most solos and small firms, how a marketing campaign is managed may be interchangeable, that is,
indistinguishable between the law practice itself and the attorney.
For others, however, and certainly for larger firms, it is two completely separate and distinct concepts. A firm should have a campaign to capitalize on its strengths in the marketplace, and each attorney within that firm should be branding themselves according to their particular expertise.
Both strategies are very important—and in large part, both are done pretty poorly, especially online. Yet online marketing should be an essential component to any advertising strategy for a firm. The fact is, if its done right, online marketing for law firms can give returns far in excess of most other advertising mediums.
According to a report by Findlaw, 56% of U.S. consumers had a legal need in the years preceding July 2006. Although 95% of those surveyed researched information on their legal need, only 34% believed that the internet is a great source of legal information.
What does this tell us? Obviously, there is a huge gap between customer demand (for quality legal information) and supply (from law firms and lawyers).
Take a minute and type in some search terms relative to your practice in your favorite search engine. Chances are, what you will find, for the most part, is what I call "brochure marketing."
What do I mean by this? Well, "brochure marketing" online, to me is a website that has the basics: the firm, where the firm is at, what the areas of law the attorney’s practice in, and a short bio about the attorneys. For the most part, if there is additional information contained within that site,
its written in a way that is fairly incomprehensible to the average consumer—in other words, its written for other attorneys, not clients.
When viewed this way, it becomes clear that a "brochure site" does not meet the needs of consumers, because not only are they left with their
questions answered, but more importantly, potential clients are left without a definite and firm conviction that the
law firm or attorney represented on the site is the one best suited to provide for their legal services.
How to make your online presence convince the client that you are best positioned to provide legal services?
Websites, Part 1: The Winning Formula For a Successful Law Firm or Attorney Website
Websites, Part 2: What are Clients Looking for In Law Firm Websites?
(Or, to put it another way, how do I engage in effective search engine optimization?)
Need help with attorney web site marketing? Contact Nicole Wipp today!
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