Let’s make 2020 the year that your law firm conquers digital marketing. While you can choose from a myriad of legal marketing options, the LaFleur team wants to help you identify the most impactful and important ways to use your time and marketing budget.
Keeping this in mind, here is your definitive guide to legal marketing strategies in 2020.
Your Law Firm Can’t Ignore These 3 Marketing Trends
The marketing world moves a mile a minute, and most lawyers don’t have the time or bandwidth to spend following digital marketing trends and best practices. Fortunately, we’ve done the hard work for you. Here are three of the most important legal marketing trends for 2020.
Your Clients Want to See Your Firm on Social Media
Compared to many industries, lawyers were slow to embrace social media. However, in 2020, it must be an essential part of your digital marketing strategy. While you may associate social media with young people, data suggests that nearly everyone is engaged with Facebook, LinkedIn, Google My Business, and other platforms. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey:
- 69% of U.S. adults use Facebook, but 73% of them regularly visit YouTube.
- Almost 75% of Facebook users visit the platform at least once per day.
- 44% of people between the ages of 25 and 29 are LinkedIn users.
- People who earn at least $75,000 per year are more likely to use YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn than individuals with lower incomes.
For Gen Z, which includes many 20-somethings, social media is where they turn to for information about products, services, and brands. Millennials are more evenly split between social media and search engines.
Today, social media’s influence on consumers is undeniable, but you don’t need to be a national powerhouse to compete on these platforms. Increasingly, consumers and prospective clients are turning to social media to assess local lawyers’ credentials, client experience, and reputation.
According to a 2019 BrightLocal study, about 92% of Google My Business (GMB) searches involving law firms are “discovery searches,” meaning that the potential client is using general terms like “trust and estate lawyer near me,” rather than typing in a specific law firm’s name. Once on your GMB profile, readers can quickly access reviews, contact information, and other data.
If you haven’t claimed all of your social media profiles and built a robust social media plan that involves regularly scheduled posts and engaging content, 2020 is the year to start. We can assure you that your competitors are eying the social media’s opportunities – at least 77% of lawyers already have a social media presence.
RELATED ARTICLE: How to Choose the Best Social Media Platform for Your Law Firm
The Road to the Future Is Paved With 2–Minute Videos
According to a survey of over a thousand marketing professionals, their main focus in 2020 is video content. This is unsurprising. Users prefer video content, and when there’s a video included in other marketing efforts, even a simple animation, the results jump. With video included:
- Email open rates increase by 19%
- Email click-through rates increase by 65%
- Email unsubscribe rates drop by a whopping 26%
- 53% of social media users interact with a brand or company after watching video content, and these rates are higher among users under 40
In 2020, law firms interested in creating video content should focus on short (under two minutes) video testimonials, FAQs in plain English, and other trust-building informational videos.
RELATED: 6 Steps to Better Video Marketing
Personalized, Automated Content Will Become More Mainstream
In 2020, personalized content goes beyond sending emails with the recipients first name in the subject line. Now, based on user data, companies can customize their web experience for each user. This powerful tool can help you send information that is targeted directly to your readers’ interests and needs.
For example, you can automate a user experience show them to content or pages they frequently visit, like information on how to file for divorce, what to do after a car accident, or troubleshooting ERISA disability claims. When you know what your users want and need, you can begin to offer them those things, which means connecting clients with valuable resources while gaining leads for your firm.
You Can’t Be a Trendsetter Without a Strong Foundation: Audit Your Website in 2020
While it’s exciting to track trends, you need to have a strong foundation before you start your Facebook campaigns and YouTube channel. Simply put, all of these tools direct people to your website and office. But if your website is outdated, contains poorly optimized content, or is hard to navigate, your ideal clients may continue their search elsewhere.
A good website is two things above all else: functional and findable. But what does that mean? And how do you assess your website’s functionality and search optimization?
What It Means to Have a Functional Website
A functional website has a great design, an intuitive user experience, and clearly guides the user on their journey. It is also written specifically for your target audience. If you’re writing law review notes and calling them blogs, your efforts will be in vain; the average layperson won’t understand what you’re trying to say and, as a result, won’t try and get in touch. They may not even find you in their Google searches, since your content is in legalese and doesn’t target them.
Other aspects of a functional website include:
- A big, prominent button on the home page that encourages readers to contact your law firm
- High-quality imagery that inspires confidence and enthusiasm
- Strategically placed copy and headlines on the homepage, but no long blocks of text
- Clear site hierarchy, navigation, and design to make using it simple and intuitive
What It Means to Have a Findable Website
A findable website is built for search, meaning it has great descriptive headers, thoughtful meta descriptions, and copy that has been search engine optimized. Google uses complex and ever-changing algorithms to show search engine users the content they think is most relevant and important. Populating your website with high-quality copy is one of the best ways to make it findable by Google, and therefore findable by clients who may want to use your services.
Assess and Improve Your Website’s Performance in 2020
If you haven’t reviewed your website’s performance lately, now is the time. This will involve a comprehensive assessment of your website’s design, performance, and top keywords. However, while a one-time site optimization is useful and worth doing, it’s not a magic bullet or an end-all-be-all solution.
Your law firm should also consider implementing a complimentary content strategy. By publishing regular content targeting keywords and phrases that your ideal clients frequently search for, your website will rank higher and be seen more by the people that matter to your firm the most. And because all the traffic generated by these content strategies is organic, you’ll be able to continue reaping the benefits far into the future.
If you’re not sure where to start, reach out to LaFleur. Our team of talented web developers, designers, writers, and content specialists can help you identify missed opportunities and improve your website.
LaFleur: Your Goal-Focused Digital Marketing Partner in 2020 and Beyond
Creating brilliant digital marketing efforts doesn’t have to be a mystery. When you need assistance creating effective, targeted advertising, building a social media strategy, or writing high-quality web content, we’re here to help! We’re happy to chat with you about your goals; give us a call at (888) 222-1512 or fill out this simple online form.
We look forward to hearing from you!
References
Cannon, J. (2019, August 27). Video marketing tops list of markers’ priorities, voice search ranks low. Search Engine Land. Retrieved from https://searchengineland.com/video-marketing-tops-list-of-marketers-priorities-voice-search-ranks-low-321138
Google My Business insights study. (2019, July 15). BrightLocal. Retrieved from https://www.brightlocal.com/research/google-my-business-insights-study/
Perrin, A., Anderson, M. (2019, April 10). Share of U.S. adults using social media, including Facebook, is mostly unchanged since 2018. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/
Shields, A. (2017, December 1). 2017 social media and blogging. American Bar Association. Retrieved from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_practice/publications/techreport/2017/social_media_blogging/
Video marketing statistics to know for 2019. Smart Insights. Retrieved from https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-platforms/video-marketing/video-marketing-statistics-to-know/