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Rainmaker Report
Practice Building Tips for Today's Attorneys
October 2016
888-588-5891

Stephen Fairley
Internet Marketing: The 4 Critical Questions You Must Answer to Get and Convert More Leads

Dear Contact First Name,

How effective your online marketing is in generating leads for your law firm and nurturing those leads to become clients depends on how successful you are at addressing your prospects' "point of pain" -- i.e., the problems they need your help in solving.

You don't have much time to engage them - industry research indicates most prospects spend less than 10 seconds evaluating your website or blog and if they find nothing immediately relevant to them, they quickly move on.

You must grab them from the very first moment they land on your site.

Here are four questions your prospects want answered when they visit your website.

Sincerely,

Stephen Fairley
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Four questions your prospects want answered when they visit your website: 

1. Do you practice the kind of law I need? Whatever type of law you practice should be spelled out clearly with words and visuals. Focus on your major practices, not the one that you helped one client with five years ago. Position yourself and your firm as a specialist.

2. Do you understand my specific problem? Get many legal words off your pages and speak to prospects in their language so that they understand that you understand. This builds trust. For example, only 5% of visitors that end up at personal injury websites even use the term "personal injury lawyer." 95% are searching for something else (car accident lawyer, dog bite attorney, etc).

3. Can I relate to this attorney? What people really want to know is whether they can relate to you. The best way to demonstrate this is through multiple videos on your website. Talk about why you got into law, what your passion is, what kind of clients you love to work with, frequently asked questions they have, and success stories your firm has achieved.

4. What are the benefits, value, results and solutions this attorney has achieved? When asked, "Why should I hire you?" most attorneys give the same stale responses about good quality services, experience, and a boutique law firm that will take care of you.

Instead, focus on the benefits you bring to clients, the results you have achieved, and the creative solutions you have developed. Use client testimonials to tell your story.

7 Essential Elements of a Great Law Firm Website 

Be sure to check your website for these features -- having them incorporated into your site can double your Internet and website leads:

1. Onsite optimization. If you don't know SEO, then you need to outsource. Your title tags should reflect each page's content and each one should be unique to the content on that page. Pay attention to your URL structure and be sure the terms in the URL represent the focus of each page on your website.

2. Strong content. When it comes to content, more is better because more content leads to more traffic. What is your prospective client going online to find? They are looking for usable information that is relevant to their situation. FAQs are a great way to accomplish this, with quick links to even more detailed content on that particular question.

3. Market like a news publisher. A blog is simply the best platform for lawyers to establish their credibility and build an online reputation that will help draw potential clients to your firm. 

Here's how it works: 
  • Create a blog on your website 
  • Post to it 3-5 times per week with relevant, original content 
  • Link your blog posts to your social media profiles and pages 
  • Watch your traffic and search results improve over time 
4. Great mobile experience. Mobile platforms have now surpassed desktop computers in terms of where consumers access online content. And if you do not have a website that is optimized for mobile, then you are letting leads fall through your fingers. Research shows that 40% of mobile searches are local, and 81% of those searches lead to action - a phone call or email to your firm.

5. Local search. Local search is critical when trying to improve the ranking for your law firm website on Google and other search engines. Google is all about delivering relevant search results to its users...hence, the importance of doing whatever you can to rank well for local search.

Here are some tips law firms can use to rank better in local search results:
  • Fix your NAP. All your NAP listings on local directories and review sites must be the same-name, address, and phone number. Check out your current listings on yext.com and moz.com and get them fixed fast. 
  • Use the proper keywords. Use the same words in your content and header tags that your prospects are using when they search online. List 20-30 key phrases you believe prospects use and then research them further online. 
  • Use Google My Business. List your firm on Google My Business (google.com/business) - it's free and keeps your information consistent and updated across Google Search, Maps and Google+. 
  • Use local terms in your content. Be sure you are using cities in your website content. Include your company name and address as well as a geo sitemap on your site. 
  • Obtain reviews. You need to proactively encourage clients who are happy with your services to review you online. Spread the reviews around Avvo, LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, and other directories. 
  • Optimize social network pages. Wherever your law firm is visible on social media be sure you have posted your firm's name and address information on those sites. 
  • Optimize your site for mobile. More than half of website visits are now made on a mobile device - tablet or smartphone - so your website must be optimized for mobile. Use responsive web design for your main website, which guarantees that it will perform well no matter what size screen a prospect is using to find you.
6. Updated photography and bios. Every attorney on your website should have a current photo; to make the quality consistent, you should have custom photography taken. Consider making it unique by having more casual shots taken outdoors at local landmarks people will recognize. Make your bio a narrative, not a resume. 

7. Easy to contact. On every page of your website you should have three ways for people to contact you:
  • Your phone number prominently displayed at the top right side of your website (in the header). 
  • A contact form that people can fill out that asks for their name, email or phone and a comments box. 
  • A live chat function that allows a prospect to chat online with someone immediately.
Our clients tell us some of their best and hottest leads are chat leads and many are converting into good cases.

If you need help with your online presence, content marketing, or social media I invite you to sign up for a complimentary strategy session with one of our trained Rainmaker Law Marketing Consultants by calling 888-588-5891 or filling out this form.

If you'd like to learn more proven strategies for business development, I invite you to attend a Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day law firm marketing workshop. We have sessions every month around the country - go to RainmakerRetreat.com to check the schedule.

We have helped over 18,000 attorneys across the nation discover the secrets in building a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice and we would love for your law firm be our next success story!
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How Law Firms Can Use Dashboards
StephenSpeakingStephen's Speaking Engagements
October 19-21, 2016
Las Vegas, NV
 
Stephen will present " How To Double Your Sign Ups Without Spending More Money: Leveraging the Power of Intake."
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