2017 has already yielded some big changes in the way law firms and other companies do business, and changes will only continue as time goes on and more people use the web. If your firm is still relying on file cabinets and forever stamps, you may be in trouble. Here are some of the top legal marketing trends to watch out for in for 2017 that can help your firm sign more clients year after year.
Mobile Ads are Necessary
In late 2016, mobile overtook desktops for the first time as consumers’ primary form of accessing the internet. What does this mean for your firm? If you’re spending money on paid digital campaigns for desktops, you could be missing out on more than 50% of potential claimants.
Pay per click advertising can be challenging to set up for your firm as it’ll require constant monitoring, but is one of the most cost effective and cheapest ways to get your own marketing strategy off the ground.
Google is Big, But Don’t Count Bing Out
Google is overwhelmingly the largest search engine in the world. Nearly 3 of every 4 searches go through Google worldwide. But does this mean you should neglect other paid campaign providers? Not necessarily.
Bing has an average age that’s higher than Google. According to Bing’s own insights, 71% of its audience is age 34 and up. This is very important for Social Security disability firms in particular to keep in mind. The closer an applicant is to age 65, the better his chances of disability approval (usually, there are always exceptions of course). Starting a Bing campaign likely won’t give you as much traffic as Google, but the visitors should be higher quality.
Voice Assistants are More Common
Google recently announced that 20% of its searches are now done by voice, not keyboard. This is great for people with disabilities who are unable to type inquiries, but it does make marketing a little more challenging for your law firm.
What are some potential caveats here? If your firm has a difficult-to-pronounce name, voice search may pull up wildly different results than what the user intended. Voice intent is often radically different than typed search as well: A consumer may type “personal injury attorney” into Google, but ask Siri, “where is an auto accident attorney near me?” Be sure to do thorough keyword research to ensure your firm is prepared for both typed and voice search on its landing pages and other web content.
Lead Generation Eliminates Startup Costs
What’s the worst part about 2017’s trends? It’s wildly expensive to continually start new ads on Google or Bing or hire a digital marketer to handle your firm’s various campaigns.
Fortunately, purchasing legal leads eliminates all of the start-up costs associated with digital marketing. Instead of toiling away on a perfectly-worded Bing ad, you’ll instead pay for a claimant’s contact information to be sent to your firm in real time, as soon as he’s interested in legal help. If you’d like to discuss our Social Security disability, personal injury, workers’ compensation, or employment law leads, call us today at 617.800.0089.
Sources
https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/insights/planning-tools/bing-network-audience
http://marketingland.com/google-io-177651