Website Conversion: How To Turn Looky-Loos Into Paying Clients

Surfing through websites is more or less like virtual window shopping. And just like regular window shoppers, there are consumers who are looking to buy, and those who are simply checking out the online marketplace—the legal marketplace being no exception. However, if your website provides all the bells and whistles a potential client needs, you can convert a would-be window shopper into a paying customer.

Let’s take a look at how the structure and content of your firm’s website can turn looky-loo surfers into lucrative leads.

Clear Call-To-Action

One of the most effective, and often underused, conversion tools on a website is a clear call-to-action (CTA). If you’re not providing your visitors with a specific “next step,” or a prompt to contact your firm, there’s really no urgency to do so—this even applies to users who are faced with an urgent situation.

You should work on attracting visitors to your website by offering interesting articles that address common problems. These problems should match the types of challenges that your clients hire you to solve. Create guidance articles that explain how you can help. Readers of these articles will only be attracted to your site if the problems you illustrate resonate with them. Therefore, these visitors are bona fide potential clients. Put a button on your website that encourages visitors to enter their contact details. This makes them “leads” and gives you the means to communicate. Offer an incentive, such as a downloadable guide on common problems within your field of the law.

Legal matters are time sensitive matters, and you need to stress why it’s important, often critical, to contact your firm as soon as possible before too much time passes on a claim.
TIP: Use time-sensitive terms in your CTA’s, such as “Now,” “Today,” or “Get Started Here.” These action terms create a sense of urgency, which can lead to higher conversion rates. In addition, use call-to-action contact buttons that are easily visible and distinguishable from other content on the page.

DOUBLE TIP: Make sure you place your social media share buttons at easily visible areas on your website, too; e.g. Pin this, Tweet this, share this video, comment below, etc., as well as opt-in buttons to subscribe to your email, e-newsletters, and more.

Valuable Content and an Easy Navigation

It’s been said that it takes mere seconds for a visitor to like the look and feel of a website, and if they don’t, they’ll leave the site and won’t likely return.

Providing a website with valuable content and an easy navigation works wonders for conversions. Not only will your firm be regarded as tech-savvy, a website that is both valuable and user-friendly conveys that your visitors’ experience on your site is important to you, and you’ve made sure that they have quick and easy access to a list of your services, helpful legal articles, documents, and other quality content, and instant contact information.

Is your website in need of a redesign? Our expert web designers can help! Contact us for a free website evaluation.

Testimonials From Happy Clients

Testimonials and successful case examples from happy clients are law firm marketing gold, and one of the best conversion tools available. A strong testimonial promotes your firm’s skills and credibility, and lets a potential client see a more personal side of you. If you can get a satisfied client to film a video testimonial which you can upload to your website, this is even better.

Following up

Instead of merely sending them your non-representation letter and stopping there, you need to stay in close touch with these solid prospects. The most efficient way to remain top of mind, and to set yourself apart from the competitors these prospects may be speaking with, is to provide high-quality educational materials that answer their questions.

Follow-up phone calls should also be made, but only after you have demonstrated your expertise and your interest in helping by providing on-target resources that address common questions and pain points.  Some examples are:

Automate your follow-up

Not everyone that reads your promotional material is ready to commit. Keep reminding the prospect of your existence through retargeting and email newsletters. Retargeting is a method of displaying your ads on the Web pages that visitors to your site subsequently visit. You don’t even have to capture their contact details to implement retargeting, because the technology works through cookies that are downloaded onto the computers of visitors to your site. Email campaigns can lay a trail of advice to leads that transitions them from exploring solutions to their problems through to recognizing your ability to solve them.

You can easily automate the sending of these materials by using an auto-responder like MailChimp or Aweber. High-value prospects should receive print versions by postal mail. However sent, the materials should include a short cover letter expressing your interest in helping solve the prospect’s problem.

A more sophisticated and custom-tailored follow-up approach will use a CRM like InfusionSoft, for which you have to write your own content, or James’ Legal Content CRM, which comes preloaded with a 100-250 page book and multiple collections of lengthy follow-up series.

Even if you hand-send your follow-up effort by hand, what is important is staying in touch in a fashion that makes you stand out. Even if the prospect is not actively shopping, he or she will be seeing ads and market outreach from other lawyers.

Personalize and Empathize

All of the content on your website and all of the literature your law firm produces should by tailored towards a typical customer. You already know about the type of people that hire you because you have already won clients. Build a profile of a typical client and think of that persona when you publish content on your site. When you communicate with a lead, try as hard as you can to learn about them. That means their financial circumstances, their family, their goals, their problems. Even if you are dealing with a corporation, get to know the contact you are addressing to establish a rapport. Aim to talk for 20 per cent of your contact time and listen for 80 per cent of the time.

Use Positional Statements

When you actually get a chance to talk to a prospect don’t use sales jargon. By the time you are ready to push the lead towards becoming a client you should have already established a rapport. You should have discovered the problem that needs to be addressed. Explain how you can best solve that problem in comparison to the competition. Use examples of past cases that you have won. Show that you are trustworthy, reliable, authoritative, and a winner.

Strategy

Try to get contact details out of prospects as soon as possible and maintain regular contact. Be persuasive and friendly rather than pushy and make sure you learn as much about the prospect before you try to convert him or her into a client. Being forceful or trying to close a deal too soon will drive prospects away. Plan the journey any prospect will follow in order to arrive at the point of hiring you. If you follow this strategy you will increase the rate at which you convert prospects into clients.

Create A Strong Drip Series

The time from lawyer investigation to retention can be lengthy. During that time, a prospective client may consider several different lawyers.

You can greatly improve the odds that you are chosen at the end of this period if you work hard to (1) stay top of mind and (2) impress the prospect with your command of the subject.

An educational drip series is the best way to accomplish both goals.

Creating a strong drip series

By “drip series” we mean a lengthy series of helpful informational letters, booklets, and even videos sent automatically on a regular schedule. I’m sure you have received many examples after providing your email address to a website.

The first drip series to create should be aimed at new prospects. We believe teaching is more effective than selling, especially for lawyers, so recommend that your pieces be educational.

Prospects have many questions, so focus on answering them. And by providing answers in your written materials, you minimize the amount of time you have to spend providing the same information over and over to new clients.

You should answer common prospect questions a variety of ways:

  • Short, plain-text emails which are tightly-focused on a narrow topic
  • Links to lengthier, designed PDFs
  • Links to multi-media pieces like podcasts, videos, or slide shares

Download our free guide and learn about the importance of key performance indicators (KPIs)

Examples
Your answers should be provided directly with FAQs and indirectly with lists, tips, common mistakes, and “what lawyers wish you knew” pieces. Here are some samples from the drip series provided with our marketing automation software (please respect our copyrights):

Bankruptcy
9 Mistakes to Avoid When You Have Money Problems
Should I Sign a Reaffirmation Agreement?
What to Expect When Filing Bankruptcy

Criminal
Action List for When Your Loved One is Arrested
Flowchart: 4th Amendment Protections and Exceptions
6 Factors to Consider in Deciding Whether to Testify

Personal Injury
— 8 Common Mistakes Made by Personal Injury Claimants
Writing a Winning Demand Letter
Next Steps After Scheduling Your Initial Appointment

Delivery method

In our legal marketing automation package we use CRM (customer relationship management) software to deliver our various drip series because it allows variations by type of prospect and stage of case. For example, we provide drip series for new prospects, old prospects, missed first call, missed first appointment, and closed case.

However, you can create and deliver the most important series – the one aimed at new prospects – using a simple auto-responder like MailChip, Aweber, or Constant Contact.

Regardless of the method you use, we encourage you to implement this fundamental online lawyer marketing tactic as soon as you can carve out some writing time. You will find that a new prospect drip series will quickly lift both the number of incoming calls and the rate at which you convert those calls.

Turn Free Information Into Paying Clients

Competing for clients is something businesses in every industry do every day. When qualifications, products, and services look equal on the outside, businesses that get ahead of their competitors often do so because of the perks they offer; buy-1-get-1-free promotions, free shipping, free e-Books with subscriptions, or in regard to attorneys, free legal information.

Let’s take a look at what kind of information you should be providing free of charge, why you should be giving it away for free, and how doing so can lead to paying clients.

What Kind Of Content Is Best To Give Away For Free?

Content ranging from legal articles, checklists, FAQs, podcasts, webinars, videos, and infographs are all great pieces of content to provide for free. This content can be accessible through your website, blog, and social media pages.

It’s important to note that free content should be informative, but should stay as general as possible. If someone comes seeking specific case information, that is when a client-attorney relationship develops, and information/services you provide going forward should be charged accordingly.

Why Give Away Free Content?

There are a number of reasons why providing content free of charge is good for law firms. Here are a few key reasons.

  • Free content can attract your specific target audience
  • Free content can inform clients of your value
  • Free content can position you against competitors
  • Free content can show proof and results through case examples
  • Free content can show clients who you are as a person

Free content—valuable, thoughtful, and personal—also builds trust, as it shows potential clients you took the time and effort to compile helpful legal advice and tips to point them in the right direction—whether they choose to use your services or not.

How Can Free Content Lead To Paying Clients?

Free content can act as an appetizer that builds hunger for a full meal. If the free content you’re providing is valuable, clear, and informative, this is a surefire way to get potential clients to want to learn more about you, what you know, and what legal help you can lend.

If your content is presented in a way that positions you as an expert in your field, not only will prospective clients eat up all the free content you provide, they’re likely to pay for content specifically tailored to their situation, and set up a consultation with you to discuss case information.

Looking for great content you can provide to your clients? Check out our downloadable content here.

A/B Split Test to Skyrocket Conversions

To change your attorney website or not to change, that is the question. It’s time to take the guesswork out of these important attorney marketing decisions. Using the following five steps, set up an A/B test (a comparison between two versions of a webpage) on your attorney website to produce cold, hard data that determines which version of your webpage results in a greater conversion rate.

Find your purpose.

The underlying purpose of any A/B test is to promote conversions and most importantly, increase revenue for your law firm. This could involve accruing subscribers for your email list or prompting more people to complete the online contact form in order to promote warm leads. Determine why you would like to pursue an A/B test by asking: what question am I trying to answer, and how will the answer ultimately help to increase my attorney website’s conversion rates and drive greater revenue?

Set a goal.

Once you have determined your purpose for A/B testing, it should be easy to set a goal for the A/B test. For example, a law practice may want to know which version of their attorney website results in a greater number of email subscribers—warm leads who would then receive email newsletters, blog articles, and promotional materials urging them to consult the firm or refer others. Specifically, the marketing team wants to answer the question: which call to action button produces a higher subscription rate?

Download our free guide and learn about the importance of key performance indicators (KPIs)

Determine the two options.

In the example above, the next step would be to brainstorm which call to action buttons to test. The law practice could decide to keep the blue call to action button they currently have as option A and test that against a new, red button (option B).

Set up the back end.

Then comes the back end portion—actually setting up the test online. There are a variety of programs and resources out there to streamline this process, from Google Analytics to WordPress to Kissmetrics. It all depends on where you’re hosting your attorney website, which programs you are most comfortable with, and your marketing budget.
If you are new to A/B testing, Google Analytics Content Experiments may be a good place to start. Sign up for a Google Analytics account if you don’t already have one, and then follow their latest instructions for setting up a Content Experiment.

You will need to decide upon a few test parameters including:

  • The length of the A/B test: this should range from a few days to a few weeks—anything shorter or longer could result in a skewed sample size and produce inaccurate results
  • The percentage of visitors that will see your test page(s): 25%, 50%, all?
  • Analytics to track: the number of clicks on your call to action button, for instance 

Monitor performance and examine results.

Keep an eye on your A/B test’s progress and pore over the results at the end to make informed decisions about your attorney website design. Also, don’t be afraid to redo a test if you feel that the data is inaccurate.

Our web experts will craft you a customized, affordable website to increase traffic and leads. Ask for a free attorney website evaluation today!

5 Ways To Stay Top of Mind With Prospective Clients

After prospective leads have contacted you via Live Chat, you need to stay top of mind with them while they’re in the consideration phase. These leads are likely contacting your competitors during this time, too, so by staying top of mind, you can encourage a potential client to take the next step towards becoming a paying client. And if your competitor’s don’t offer Live Chat, you’re already ahead of the game!

Here are 5 effective ways to stay top of mind with your Live Chat leads.

1. Follow Up With an Email

A follow up email to a Live Chat lead allows you to introduce yourself, albeit virtually, without engaging in an in-depth phone call—which many people actually prefer when shopping for a law firm. These leads are still in the consideration phase, so an email is a great way to send information about your legal services, case examples, and testimonials from happy clients to give the lead something to chew on.

TIP: If a lead left their phone number with the Live Chat operator, use this before sending an email. If not, let them know you’ll gladly give them a direct call to personally discuss their situation at any time.

2. Follow Up With a Phone Call

As stated, if a Live Chat lead leaves a call back number, use it. And be sure to call back quickly; within 24-hours if possible (if this isn’t possible, make sure someone at your office calls and lets the lead know when you’ll be available by phone). An immediate response via phone can separate your firm from the competition, as it shows your attentiveness and concern.

3. Share Valuable Content

When you follow up with a lead via email, send valuable, interesting content such as legal tips, instructional videos, photographs, and infographics that they’ll take interest in, and find useful. Provide answers to frequently-asked questions tailored to their legal situation; e.g. DUI defense guidelines, what steps to take next for a personal injury victim, etc.

4. Engage Leads Through Your Social Networks

Many would-be clients appreciate that a firm they’re considering maintains an active social media presence, because it shows that you’re a part of a larger community. Forward links to your social media pages and encourage your leads to become involved with your social circles. There are few platforms that have the marketing muscle as social media to keep you top of mind with potential clients.

5. Remind Them Why They Sought Your Services

Even if a business relationship doesn’t immediately develop, check in with your Live Chat leads periodically and inquire about their situation. Ask questions pertaining to their legal needs, such as if a hit-and-run victim received proper medical attention, and if there’s anything you can do to help. This is also a great time to pass along relevant content that might be useful.

Our Live Chat Product Will Keep You Top of Mind!

We provide Live Chat services for attorney websites at a fraction of the cost of our competitors, with many perks including a follow-up educational series. For more information on how our Live Chat product can effectively promote your firm and turn leads into conversions, contact us today.

Sales Conversion

Although it is nice to get lots of traffic to your website, those visits do not help your law practice if they do not translate into clients. Encouraging website visitors to actually come into the office and hire a lawyer is a delicate psychological process called sales conversion. If your website isn’t increasing your client list, then the time and money you spent on your Web presence has been wasted. Fortunately,Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land have some useful tips on sales conversions this week. Here are five of the most useful that will get your website funneling customers to your practice.

Content Marketing For Local Businesses: Get Creative & Pay To Play

“Content” refers to all the information you post on your website and that includes the written word, images, video and audio files. Your content has three key roles to play. First, you need to encourage other sites to link to pages on your website. Interesting content attracts links. The content on your site will also encourage potential customers to come to your site. Finally, the content has to convince visitors to the site to make an appointment to come and see you.  This article focuses on content that will attract a local audience and that is of prime importance to lawyers, because your customers are more likely to come from your immediate neighborhood. The article gives you some ideas of themes to consider when planning your content and also suggests that it might be worth paying a little in order to draw attention to the information you post on your site.

2 Digital Advertising Praxes to Convert Your “Nearly There” Prospects

Anyone who visits your law firm’s website is probably tackling a legal problem and needs help. If they go away from the site without contacting you, then they are probably looking at your competitors’ sites. You don’t want to let that browsing potential customer get away. In this article you will read about “remarketing,” which enables you to place ads on sites that your potential customer visits. The targeted marking section of the article explains that advertising on the Web can now be limited to just those surfers who are located in a particular zip code, which is a great tool for focusing your advertising budget on your local area.

How to Create Meaningful Marketing Experiences Before, During, and After Conversion

This article is a comprehensive guide to evaluating your law firm’s marketing goals. It recommends identifying your firm’s core values and then coordinating all marketing channels along those themes. If your website is not enticing people to make appointments with your practice, it could be that the firm’s ideals are not being effectively communicated.

5 Expert Tips That Will Get You On the Road to Conversion

Unbounce is a website design company. They are putting together a tour of major US cities, to promote their services and give companies advice on how to make their websites gain actual sales. Five of the experts on the Unbounce Road Trip give tips to the general business community in this article. This is quite a long article, so schedule some time away from your case load to read it through.

5 E-Commerce SEO Tips You Can Use Today

There may be things wrong with your website that you can’t see, but that are putting off visitors from placing their business with your law firm. This article covers a number of content issues that you might need to fix. There are links through to more information on each of the five topics covered in the article. You will also find links to some tools you can use to evaluate and correct problems on your firm’s site.

The main reason you put up a website for your law firm was probably to get clients. Digital marketing has two basic steps: find potential customers and get them to come into the office. There is no point attracting people to your site who are not looking for legal services and there is no point investing time and money in your website if few of its visitors actually hire you. The SEO news sites have some enlightening advice on how to attract potential clients and how to encourage interested parties into a visit to your practice. These articles currently appear on the Search Engine Journal, Moz Blog and Search Engine Watch news sites.

12 Tweaks to Increase Customer Conversion Rates

The first article in our review this week contains twelve tips – one each from successful entrepreneurs – on how to improve the sales conversion of a site. None of these experts work in the legal profession, so you might wonder whether these ideas are relevant to you. However, most of the tips concern the layout and facilities on Web pages and these ideas apply across all industries.

How Much Do You Invest in Relationship Building?

This article discusses “relationships,” but could also justify a title relating to trust and credibility. Building credibility in the general community is a very important step in attracting potential clients and establishing trust and a rapport is vital in sales conversion in the legal sector. Luke Guy provides some cogent thoughts on the task of finding people who need your services and getting them to sign on the dotted line.

Social Media Fails: How Not to Ruin Your Campaign

Social media is a very useful forum for lawyers to establish a reputation and engage with potential clients. You can interact with potential customers and let them know that “hey, I’m just like you (only with a lot of legal knowledge).” Social media methods can also be integrated into your own site to assure potential customers that you know what you are talking about and that you will be able to help them with their legal problems. However, mistakes committed in social media are very public and can cause your practice a lot of damage. This article runs over a few simple tips that will help you avoid social media pitfalls.

For Writers Only: Secrets to Improving Engagement on Your Content Using Word Pictures (and I Don’t Mean Wordle)

It is a good idea to have articles and case studies on your website, because they can explain to potential customers how you helped previous clients. This encourages them to come in and see you because if they know that you won cases similar to theirs they can have the confidence in you to solve their problems. Stories of previous cases are probably the most effective method of sales conversion that lawyers can use. This article explains a writing technique that will make your content more effective.

5 Storytelling Best Practices to Make Your Content More Compelling

Here is another article that discusses ways to make your content enhance your credibility and establish trust, thus attracting visitors to your site and converting them to clients. Most of the ideas in this article should be pretty straight forward for lawyers. For example, the suggestion to know your ideal audience is pretty much taken care of by your practice specializations. Probably the most useful tip here is the suggestion to use video. Imagine inserting clips of satisfied clients into your site – powerful stuff.

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