Legal Marketing Online - The Fundamentals
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by Brandon Cornett
When it comes to subject of legal marketing online, everyone has their own ideas about what works and what doesn't. But here's the important thing to remember. The only thing a person can factually say about online legal marketing is what has or hasn't for them.
The First (and Only) Law of Legal Marketing Online:
You never know if a certain marketing tactic will work for you until you try it.
A online marketing tactic that fails miserably on one lawyer's website could be a huge success on another lawyer's website. Only testing and experimentation will reveal the truth. So don't ever confuse conjecture with facts when it comes to online legal marketing.
Legal Marketing to the Info Savvy
The modern consumer is highly skilled at using the Web for research purposes. It's a skill born from necessity. The sea of information we face every day has led to a nation of information-smart consumers — or "info savvy" as I like to refer to them. Accepting this basic fact about your audience is the first step to success with online legal marketing.
The info savvy consumer will only get more savvy over time. In fact, a lot of colleges and universities offer courses on techincal communication, information architecture, and similar high-level subjects having to do with Internet communications.
In other words, information overload has created a new generation of information savvy consumers. Here's what they have in common.
- They can scan web pages and websites with the utmost efficiency
- They can quickly assess the value of a legal website
- They are more selective of what they read and have high expectations
What This Means for Online Legal Marketing
Here's what all of this means to your online marketing program. You have to work hard to develop a high-quality website that combines the best practices of content, usability, and online lead generation. You have to create the kind of legal website that would impress these info-savvy consumers. Otherwise, they will pass you right by.
On a lawyer or law firm website, the primary goal is usually to evoke a response from website visitors ... a response that, ideally, leads to a working relationship. But in order to do that, you must (A) stop the reader, (B) channel the reader, and (C) offer the reader something that motivates them to action.
- You can stop the reader with quality content, eye-catching headlines, and good website usability / appearance.
- You can channel the reader toward a specific action (like contacting you) by making that path easy to find and follow.
- You can offer anything from an onsite visit to a special report to motivate your visitors into action.
In parting, let me restate the salient points of this article. To succeed with online legal marketing, you must first understand the info savvy nature of your audience. Then you must create the kind of website that stops people in their tracks, drives them toward a specific action / response, and motivates them into taking that action.
Good luck with your online marketing!