A legal online marketing strategy needs to be calibrated constantly in order to align it with changing client requirements. Most attorneys do the right thing by choosing a goal for their plan. They also identify the key performance indicators for measuring the success of their strategy. However, most of them fail to consider the dominant trends that influence best internet marketing for lawyers. These swings are key indicators of audience behavior and ignoring them can be costly. In this article, we are listing some major factors that are expected to affect lawyer online marketing. Attorneys must understand which way the wind is blowing in the digital promotional environment and shift their sails accordingly.
1. Increasing Trust In Local Results
The increased use of mobile devices led to a boost in local searches. More and more people are looking for products or services in their geographical location. Such users are looking for solutions on the go and are ideal for conversions. Google is displaying a 3-pack of local business listings just above the organic results on SERPs. The number of people making a selection based on local search results is steadily growing. This year attorneys must intensify their efforts to target clients in their geographical location. They must ensure that their NAP- name, address, and phone number is the same on all digital avenues. They must also target local search keywords and optimize their content accordingly. It will also be pertinent to include the practice area along with the location in the title and meta description of the relevant landing page.
Read Also: How Google Tag Manager Is Beneficial for Law Firms
2. Better Click-through Rates In Featured Snippets
A lot of people are asking questions instead of typing short phrases in the search box. This has been made possible by the emergence of voice search. As compared to other people, legal searchers are more likely to ask questions. The featured snippets shown on top of search results provide a brief answer to their query. In case they find it useful, they click to visit the website which posted the content. The click-through rates of featured snippets especially when people are looking for services are increasing. These brief replies provide an excellent opportunity for legal practitioners to position themselves as a knowledgeable authority in their practice area. They must find out the kind of queries being posted by their prospective clients and create informative and optimized content. This will help them appear prominently in front of relevant audiences.
3. Google Remains The Search Engine Market Leader
Google remains the undisputed market leader in search engines. Globally, it has captured over 90% of the total market share. Other search engines like Yahoo and Bing have just about 2% each of the market share. These two entities fare a little better in the US where Yahoo has cornered about 8% and Bing around 5% of the total market. These figures indicate that Google dominates the search engine domain. All law firm marketing strategies, therefore, must be crafted to align with Google’s updates and recommendations. Attorneys must implement the best practices suggested by the search giant and shun techniques which it considers black hat. However, they must also find out if a specific search engine is preferred by their target audience or is popular in their location. It will be sensible to optimize your website for an entity which is used by potential clients.
4. Consumption Of Video Content Is Increasing At A Rapid Pace
Do you know which is the most popular website in the world after Google? According to Alexa, it is the video-sharing network YouTube. A study says that mobile video consumption is rising by 100% every year. Another by Hubspot suggests that about 55% of people watch online clips every day. Legal professionals simply cannot afford to ignore these statistics. Their digital promotional plan will be incomplete without a video marketing strategy. They must create short clips about the topics their audience is interested in. These videos must be published on multiple digital platforms apart from their own website. They can post the clips on social media and video-based platforms like YouTube. In fact, many experts consider YouTube to be the second largest search engine in the world. Add a title and description to each video and do not forget to optimize them with keywords.
5. LinkedIn Is An Effective Platform For Networking
Referrals are the most productive source of new clients for all kinds of lawyers. In the real world, lawyers ask their existing clients as well as network with other professionals to find new clients. This tactic can be applied in the digital landscape as well. LinkedIn is the most popular social network for professionals. Attorneys must use it to build relationships not just with potential clients but also with other legal practitioners. They must search for professionals in their practice areas in their geographical location as well as other areas and add them to their account. They can also network with people in related professions. For instance, corporate lawyers can add chartered accountants to their accounts.
6. People Are More Inclined To Choose Domain Experts
Position yourself as a thought leader in your domain as people want to hire experts rather than a general adviser. For instance, a DUI lawyer has better chances of getting hired than a firm offering multiple services one of which happens to be DUI. This is because the potential client feels that the former will focus better on her case. Even law firm owners who are active in multiple practice fields must position themselves as a thought leader in one specific area before promoting other fields.
Conclusion
Attorneys need to be creative while promoting their practice. The ideas discussed here will help them create an effective law firm marketing for this year.
Author Bio
Sophia is an marketing expert & web designer working at Conroy Creative Counsel-Law Firm Marketing Agency in USA. She has a passion of creative and technical writing and always lookout for learning something new.
