28 Feb 7 Digital Marketing Mistakes That Hurt Law Firms
In today’s fiercely competitive legal marketplace, firms must use every advantage to attract and keep clients. Unfortunately, most firms fail to use one of the most cost-effective options available: digital marketing.
Digital marketing sounds complicated, but in reality, it is quite simple. Digital marketing refers to advertising campaigns that rely on digital channels such as websites, search engines, apps, social media platforms, and email. Because today’s consumers practically live online, law firms need digital marketing to stand out from the competition.
Despite the importance of digital marketing, most law firms don’t know how to use digital marketing to their advantage. Read on to learn about seven digital marketing mistakes that can hurt your law firm.
Mistake #1 – Your Firm Hasn’t Gone Digital Yet
In the not-so-distant past, a successful law firm marketing strategy might have used business cards, billboards, or an ad in the Yellow Pages. Those days are long gone. According to Pew Research, nearly 80 percent of Americans go online at least once a day. This shift has completely reshaped the way clients look for attorneys.
A recent study found that 80 percent of clients look for lawyers online. The same study found that 35 percent of clients found lawyers using social media. A 2013 Google survey found that 69 percent of clients used computers to search, while 57 percent used smartphones. (By contrast, only two percent used phonebooks!)
These studies show that today’s clients are using a variety of digital tools to find lawyers. Therefore, today’s law firms must use digital marketing to reach them. Yet, few firms have fully leveraged digital media. The New York Law Journal found that 26 percent of large firms had no staff dedicated to digital marketing; another 62 percent committed fewer than five employees. Because so few firms have fully committed to digital marketing, making the switch now will set your firm apart from the competition.
Mistake #2 – Your Firm Uses Digital Tools Poorly
While using digital platforms is important, using these platforms well is equally – if not more – important. As stated above, people use websites and social media platforms to find lawyers. Because potential clients are using these tools to make snap judgments about your firm, every piece of content on each of your firm’s digital channels must be crisp and professional.
For example, creating a website is a step in the right direction for any law firm. However, a website that is poorly designed, badly written, or infrequently updated may be worse than not having one an all. One study reported that 38 percent of potential clients leave a website due to poor design, slow loading, or other flaws. Thus, engaging with digital media is not enough. Your firm must take the time to do it well.
Mistake #3 – Your Firm Uses Too Few Digital Tools
Everyone has a favorite digital platform. But law firms that want to maximize customer outreach should use a variety of digital tools.
For example, a firm might have a well-written, regularly updated website. But if the website is the firm’s only digital tool, it will miss the hundreds of clients who search using social media. Similarly, if a firm uses only one social media channel, it will miss clients that use other social platforms. Because clients use a variety of digital tools, law firms must do the same.
Mistake #4 – Your Firm Doesn’t Know its Target Market
In the days of billboards and business cards, the key to legal marketing was casting the widest net possible in hopes of capturing a few clients. But digital marketing requires a more targeted approach.
Every firm has its “ideal client” – the person who is most likely to seek its services. This person has certain attributes such as age, gender, and occupation. Geography is also an important factor. Knowing these characteristics will help your firm create campaigns that target your ideal client.
If your firm doesn’t know much about its client base, do not fret. Your firm can hire a demographic – or in this case, firmographic – consultant to help you find the qualities of your ideal client.
Mistake #5 – Your Firm Doesn’t Understand the Key Components of Digital Marketing
Every type of marketing has its own terminology. While it may be challenging to learn new jargon and new skills, a failure to learn the basics about digital marketing can hurt your firm.
Learning about subjects such as search engine optimization will help your firm create blog content that reaches readers. Understanding how to analyze search engine and social media data will help you evaluate your digital marketing efforts. Taking a bit of time to become familiar with these and other concepts will pay dividends for your firm over time.
Mistake #6 – Your Firm Doesn’t Have a Clear Digital Marketing Strategy
The first five steps advised firms to create quality digital content using multiple platforms, update digital content on regular basis, target the ideal client, and learn about digital marketing. All of this may seem overwhelming – and it will be unless your firm adopts a clear digital marketing strategy.
Creating a digital marketing strategy need not be a herculean task. In creating the strategy, the firm should simply consider the who, what, where, and when of digital marketing. After determining who your ideal client is, consider what types of content are most likely to appeal to that client. Once you decide where and when the client is most likely to see your content, you have the beginnings of a digital marketing strategy.
Mistake #7 – Your Firm Hasn’t Properly Invested in Digital Marketing
Most digital marketing tools are free or low cost. All social media platforms are free to use. Most email suites offer free versions and many content management systems offer low cost options. However, creating a digital marketing budget is still a wise decision.
While many digital tools are free, creating a budget will help you plan for those that are not. Moreover, while social media tools are free, most allow businesses to purchase ads. Even better, these ads can be designed to target your ideal client. Creating a clear budget will also allow your firm to track which expenditures are worthwhile and where money could be better spent.
Creating a comprehensive digital marketing plan can be challenging, but it’s far from impossible. If your law firm needs help creating or implementing a digital marketing strategy, the Social Channel Marketing Group can help. Our expert professionals can design and implement a digital marketing plan that helps your firm attract and retain clients. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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