Why are there more than 200 million people on the national Do-Not-Call List? Similarly, what compels more than 85% of television viewers to skip through commercials or a whopping 91% of email recipients to unsubscribe from email mailings? Answer: We are all tired of unsolicited advertising.
Known as outbound marketing, this old method of reaching out to potential customers is intrusive, annoying, and increasingly ineffective. Marketing-savvy professionals understand that intruding upon, and annoying, your potential client is a poor starting point for a business relationship. If you are looking to generate real leads and cultivate real relationships, inbound marketing is the approach to take.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Whereas the focus of outbound marketing is closely akin to the notion of jumping up and down and waving your arms like a crazy person to get someone’s attention, inbound marketing seeks to draw in quality leads via a four-step process known as attract, convert, close, and delight.
In less esoteric terms, inbound marketing means providing excellent and useful content to would-be clients through a variety of interactive media platforms–from blog articles to social media interactions to email discussions. The key to this outreach is the desire not to gain a client, but rather to open a rapport with a stranger, which is an advertising methodology that not only attracts new prospects, but also sets you up as an expert within your field and helps engender trust with prospective clients.
Nowhere is trust more important than in the relationship that exists between an attorney and his client. So an inbound marketing strategy is the ideal fit for firms desiring to increase their clientele within a competive landscape.
Marketing for Law Firms in the Digital Age
If you entered the field of law because you were thrilled at the idea of seeing your picture plastered on bus benches all over town, you can, of course, continue to follow those old advertising practices. However, if you are looking for effective ways to expand your legal practice, then you should consider adopting inbound marketing techniques to deliver results for your law firm.
Like all industries from real estate to catering, marketing for law firms has changed based on evolving consumer tastes and available technology. With answers only a Google search away, most consumers prefer first to address problems or questions with a cursory web search prior to reaching out to any professional for contracted services. Imagine that you had a body of material online, which was both easily identifiable and findable to answer those tenuous initial questions of the consumer. Your firm would be providing real value for your potential clients, which would demonstrate your expertise and begin your relationship with potential clients on a foundation of trust. That scenario is what inbound marketing for law firms provides.
Operating in a digital environment governed by Google algorithms means that the legal websites that are populated with robust, timely, and relevant content, engaging the reader’s appetite for information and answers, will be the first search results seen when a prospective client runs their search parameters. If your law firm’s website provides that relevant information, then those potential clients will contact you! Having clients reach out to you–rather than their responding to a shotgun blast of unsolicited advertising–is the proven method of expanding your legal practice. Indeed, it is an efficient and effective way to attract new customers and build trust, while promoting your law firm without pushing your services onto a hesitant client.