Web trends: 10 best practices for using the web to drive your firm's success.
Author | Belser, Burkey |
The Internet is the most powerful marketing tool available to law firms today, but most firms still aren't using it effectively. Think about it: The web gives you a means for conveying what makes your firm special and what differentiates you from your competition. But if your firm is typical, your site is having just the opposite impact. Most firms rely on cookie-cutter websites and inadvertently give the impression that they lack creativity and fresh thinking. Why should prospects--or strategic partners, for that matter--entrust themselves to a firm that looks and sounds exactly like every other firm out there?
How important is the web to law firm marketing? Eighty percent of all purchasers of legal services turn to the web when making buying decisions. And three out of four executives say that the quality of a firm's site influences whether they shortlist that firm. Clearly, firms that don't have effective websites demonstrating their expertise and experience, while grabbing the attention of potential clients and strategic partners, are sacrificing an enormous opportunity. Unfortunately, this describes the majority of law firms today.
What should firms be doing to market more effectively? Here are the top 10 tips for developing a website that will make your firm stand out above the crowd:
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Choose Invention over Convention
It's a sad fact that the vast majority of professional services firms' websites look the same and work the same way. The first consideration for any firm should be to differentiate itself. Be distinctive, not descriptive.
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Focus on Your Clients and Prospects--Not Yourself
Too often, firms focus on what they are selling, rather than their clients' needs. Their typical message is: "We've got hours to sell. Wanna buy some consulting hours?" If a prospective client comes away from your site still asking what you can do for them, your site has failed. Your goal is to communicate this: "You have challenges. This is how we can solve them."
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Design for How People Actually Behave
"First they wouldn't scroll; now they won't click." Understanding how user behavior changes as Internet savvy increases will improve your site's favorability rating, resulting in more time spent on the site and more learned about your organization.
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Preview What It's Like to Work With You
No more high school black-and-white head shots! Color on the Internet is free. To see you and begin to know you, visitors need visual information. Ideally, put your...
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