Well, I can’t quite believe it’s here already but it’s time to set out some specific marketing predictions which I think law firms will be focussing on in 2020.
With 2020 just around the corner, it is time for firms to think about their marketing strategies for the upcoming year.
Here are my hot tips on what firms should be focussing on:
Video Marketing
Social media, the rise of stories and everyone’s thirst for viewing content is growing. Google owns YouTube and with the increase in virtual reality products, there’s only one way in which the importance of video content is going and that’s up!
Law firm video marketing can be achieved by creating explainer videos, whiteboards, interviews and brand videos.
Slicker and New Websites
Law Firm website design is becoming more modern with easy to navigate information crafted with the potential client in mind. Gone are the days of not having a responsive and mobile-friendly website.
We’ll also see the rise in more bespoke crafted content and blogs, as firms invest in good quality information on their website. This is a change away from ‘brochureware’ style websites as firms recognise the importance of generating content.
Live Chat – On-Demand
Driving traffic to your website is just the beginning for most law firms. Converting those visitors and enquires into new clients, can be a challenging process because of the “on-demand” culture in today’s society. No one wants to wait for a call back these days.
Using live chat for law firms and chatbots on your existing website will help convert new clients, as well as offer that additional level of service to existing clients who just want to ask a quick question.
Voice Search
Estimates by Alpine AI in early 2018 stated that the number of voice searches per month to be over one billion and we believe that it’s only a matter of time before search engines and devices will monetise this area, potentially introducing voice adverts in the near future.
With voice search on the rise and more connected devices being sold across Christmas, it makes sense that firms should be looking ahead and adapting their strategies accordingly.
Better Employer Branding
We’re now in a digital era and attracting new staff and keeping them is the lifeblood of most firms. All law firms have their primary law firm brand, but apart from this, they also have their employer brand, which reflects how you are viewed by potential candidates and your employees.
In today’s increasingly competitive job market, a positive employer brand is crucial. Without one, hiring and retaining the best employees becomes a challenging and expensive process, distracting you from driving your company forward.
More firms will be investing in creating the right cultures and marketing that to potential candidates.
Downsizing of Physical Offices
Part of being competitive can be in offering competitive pricing structures. There’s a growing trend for a lot of individuals and companies wanting to spend money on great legal advice and they aren’t so impressed with the flashy city-centre offices. They would rather see companies are restructuring their office portfolios and creating efficiencies in order to pass on savings to their clients.
Hot desks, working from home and virtual offices are in fashion and on the increase. Back-office functions are also being located outside of London and city centres across the country.
Less TV, Print & Radio Advertising
The methods by which media is being consumed are changing, like it or not, media consumption trends are far removed from what they were only a year ago, never mind 10 years ago. It’s about leveraging the right kind of marketing techniques in order to reach out to your specific target audience and then converting them into leads.
Interruption marketing is being replaced with far cheaper and more demographic driven alternatives such as LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Also, digital marketing is able to present adverts to potential clients when they are actively looking for your services. This is now the case for both B2B and B2C markets. The growth in digital marketing and law firm PPC (Pay Per Click) is seeing costs for advertising increase slightly but there are still untapped markets and the cost is still far cheaper than other alternatives.
The growth in this area has also lowered the barriers to entry for small law firms.
Conversion training
There is still a slow uptake in handling enquiries in a business focussed way by some firms. Often calls bounce in through receptions perhaps without much tracking and mapping.
Having a dedicated team who capture, review, help convert and track enquiries is now a must to maximise your return from marketing channels. More firms are realising this as they may not have had a conversion strategy before and by converting more of your existing enquiries you can improve your work-levels without having to increase marketing spend.
Well, that’s it for my 2020 law firm marketing predictions, if you want to reach out to discuss your views drop me a line directly on [email protected]
