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And All that Jazz, Part 2—How to Take Your Website from OK to Dynamic

Lance Tarrant — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:14:38 GMT

In my last blog post, I described three options for making your website more dynamic and converting visitors to clients: video and podcasts, blogging and live chat. Here, I'll delve a little more deeply into each one:

Video and Podcasts

From a technical point of view, video and podcasts can be the most complicated choices. They can also seem intimidating, but they provide an excellent way for you to differentiate yourself and let your personality come through.

A couple of years ago, Lawyers.com^SM compiled statistics about firms that have law firm videos associated with their Lawyers.com profiles. According to that information, consumers email lawyers with video on their profile pages 127 percent more that those without video; click-throughs to a firm's website increase 138 percent when they have video on their profile page; consumers view profile pages with video 169 percent more than those without video; and profile pages with video generate, on average, 175 percent more impressions.

Attorneys should carefully think through the images and scripts they use, so videos and podcasts don't come across as poorly done. But you don't have to spend a great deal of money to create a memorable video — according to a report in Entrepreneur, the first video for Dollar Shave Club cost less than $5,000 to make and has had more than 8.5 million hits on YouTube^TM.

For professional-looking video, you can utilize stock footage with a voiceover. For podcasts, use stock images. These images and footage should be carefully selected to reflect and complement the look and feel of your website. Your videos and podcasts don't have to be long. Just be sure that they tackle an issue that you can assist potential clients with, and end it with a clear call to action.

Blogging

Blogs are one of the best ways to keep content on your website fresh and to position yourself as knowledgeable and credible. When potential clients Google^TM Search a legal problem in your demographic and practice area, a well-written blog with effective search engine optimization (SEO) techniques will improve the odds that your firm is one of the first results to pop up.

You can also link to your blogs on social media sites such as Facebook^® and LinkedIn^® and tweet about them through your Twitter^® account, allowing you to leverage its power across multiple platforms.

Live Chat

A live chat feature on your website allows you to connect instantly to potential clients, any day of the week. Since most law firms don't have staff on call 24 hours a day, this option can really set your firm apart from others.

A live chat option can be used on your firm's website, but it can also be used on landing pages for pay-per-click sites. It can help ensure that the dollars you spend on clicks really pay off. You will need technology and manpower to make this feature run smoothly and professionally, so small firms and solos often use a vendor. It's important to do some research to make sure you choose the right one.

Before you go live with any of these, though, be sure to check with your state bar association. Some states broadly interpret what constitutes client solicitation. You also want to be very clear about when an attorney-client relationship begins.

Have questions? Want to learn more? We can help! Contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

And All that Jazz, Part 1—How to Take Your Website from OK to Dynamic

Lance Tarrant — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:29:01 GMT

So you've got your website up and running. It features snappy graphics and enough flavor to differentiate you from the all the other law firms and attorneys throughout Alabama and Tennessee with practices that overlap your own. But now it's time to consider making your website even more dynamic and interactive. Consider this one of your goals in 2013: Converting more website visitors to clients.

So how can you increase the visibility, credibility and personality of your practice? I'd like to suggest three options to help your website and online presence: video and podcasts; blogging; and live chat. These may sound intimidating, but they really aren't — especially if you take your time and wade in thoughtfully, rather than jumping in with both feet.

Clients want to feel a personal connection with their lawyers, and you can let your personality and experience shine through your website. This will make people more likely to call you with their legal issues, rather than the law firm down the street.

In my next blog post, I'll talk more about each option, but here are some thoughts to get your creative juices flowing — start thinking about what you can do to leverage the strength of your website and make it pay off through attracting more clients:

Video and Podcasts
People love to watch videos and listen to podcasts online. According to YouTube, over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on its website and 72 hours of video are uploaded to the site every minute. Through video and podcasts, clients and potential clients can gain real insights into your firm.

Blogging
Internet-savvy consumers are paying attention to legal blogs. Nearly 30 percent turn to these online resources when researching a legal issue and slightly more than 20 percent read legal blogs when finding a lawyer according to the Attorney Selection Research Study by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG).

Live Chat
When potential clients have issues and questions, they often want answers right away, even if it's Sunday at 3 A.M. (sometimes that's when clients need a lawyer the most!). By offering a live chat option through your website, you can provide that resource. If you make prospects wait an extra hour or until the next day, they may find another attorney who can help them immediately.

Want to learn more about creating a dynamic website? To get a free Website Evaluation and Consultation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

Search Engine Rankings and Conversions

Lance Tarrant — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:44:00 GMT

Due to the competitive nature of the legal industry, I often get asked by firms what is the best way to maximize the return on investment for their online marketing efforts. Is getting page one rankings on the search engines going to be enough to yield a consistent return? My answer: Now that you're on page one, what is going to make a potential client want to call you at that point? What seperates you from the other firms that are also getting good rankings? Remember, the goal here is to CONVERT!

Don't get me wrong, rankings are very important. If your site doesn't rank well, it will not get the traffic necessary to yield a return. However, rankings are only a piece of the puzzle. Rankings help drive the traffic. It's your website that will provide the conversion. Keep in mind that if you are on page one, you still are competing against 10-20 other firms! Therefore, your site needs to be designed in a way to convert prospective clients.

Here are some things to consider when evaluating your website's ability to convert:

Does the home page of your site clearly communicate that your firm can provide a solution to a potential problem a prospect is having?
Do you have an easy way for them to contact you?
Is your phone number large and prevalent on every page of your site?
Do you have a "Contact Us" email box on every page and is it placed in a position to be noticed?
Have you communicated a track record of success via client testimonials?
Is you website engaging enough to make a prospective client want to stay on the site for an extended period of time?
Do you have a blog?
Do you have videos on your site?

I will be writing future blogs detailing conversion ideas. I'm interested in hearing other "Best Practices" and would love to hear from you.