By Richard Granat, Founder DirectLaw, Inc.
We have been evaluating the successes and failures of lawyers who subscribe to the DirectLaw platform, and we want to share those experiences. Delivering legal services online successfully depends on a number of variables. There is no single formula for success, but understanding some of the key factors that impact performance will help you create an effective law firm online marketing strategy.
Consumers of Legal Service Don’t Need Another Non-Lawyer Document Provider
Some DirectLaw subscribers mistakenly expect that simply adding automated legal documents to their existing website will generate thousands of dollars in new revenue and internet-based clients as soon as the site launches. Unfortunately, the idea that putting documents up for sale will automatically attract clients is far from reality.
There is a segment of the public that will avoid lawyers and prefer purchasing legal solutions from non-lawyer document providers, even though those solutions are very limited. For these consumers, such documents are what I call a “good enough solution.”
With limited resources, a solo practitioner or small law firm cannot compete with large companies that provide documents online because those companies have extensive marketing resources to be present across the web, on cable TV, on the radio, and in other media outlets that influence the purchasing habits of the typical middle-class consumer who could potentially be your client. Small or solo firms must think differently if they want to capture clients who might otherwise seek non-lawyer solutions and instead recognize the greater value that a lawyer provides.
If you are a small or solo firm, you must play a different game: narrow your focus to engage consumers who value the services you offer. Build your personal brand around your uniqueness as an individual lawyer, your specialized expertise, and your approach as a trusted advisor — something online document providers cannot replicate.
Your Brand Promise as a Lawyer
Delivering legal services online can help define your brand, but it is not a substitute for the core brand of your law practice and what that brand represents. Your brand promise is a perception of your expertise and the value you offer clients. Defining this brand promise and the business plan that supports it should precede your decision to sell services online.
DirectLaw provides another way for you to deliver legal services. The nature and quality of the services you deliver create your brand promise. Offering legal services over the internet by itself does not define your brand, but it can help shape it when done consistently with your professional identity.
New Lawyers
If you are just starting your career, the same steps apply. You can establish an online presence, but you should view it as just one element of a total marketing plan to create a new brand for yourself as an attorney. If you have limited capital, minimal marketing knowledge, no experience in a specialty area, no referral base, and cannot afford even shared office space, subscribing to DirectLaw will not solve these foundational challenges.
You can create your own online law practice, but you will still have to work hard to make it successful.
Success Factors for Online Legal Services
Lawyers who get maximum leverage from offering legal services online:
- Establish a reputation in their community for competency and reliability in a specific practice area.
- Maintain some physical office presence that enables in-person client meetings when necessary, even if it is in a shared-office arrangement.
- Have undertaken offline marketing in their community to build name recognition.
- Have built sources of trusted referrals through other lawyers, community networks, friends, and business relationships.
Adding online legal service delivery simply expands these brand-building efforts and accelerates the law-firm building process because of the reach and power of the internet. Enabling clients to connect with your law firm online signals that you understand today’s expectations for how legal services can be accessed and delivered.
The delivery mechanism should be secondary to your brand as a source of trusted expertise in your practice area.
Factors That Help
Your website must be findable on the internet. If it is not findable in search engines, you will not generate prospects or leads; without prospects, you cannot convert to clients, and therefore no new revenue will be generated. Many law firm websites are poorly designed and do not contain the elements that make them discoverable. Such sites often do not incorporate the right keywords or are not sufficiently focused to get good search engine recognition. See our Law Firm Web Design Tips, for ideas about what your front-end website needs to incorporate to be effective.
Assuming your website is properly designed, it takes time for it to be indexed by search engines and to deliver meaningful results, often six months or more. A commitment to a pay-per-click advertising program can help jumpstart your visibility.
Your website must reflect your law firm strategy and practice focus to achieve visibility in search engines because your strategy determines the content you publish. Remarkable content drives search engine results and strong organic placement.
Avoid Being Generic
DirectLaw provides libraries of automated documents in multiple areas (e.g., family law, estate planning, small business law, and consumer law). It was never our intention that a law firm display all documents from all libraries on their site, even though they are available. Offering too many choices can overwhelm prospective clients. You have options, and you should focus on the areas that reflect your strengths and local reputation.
If your site is too generic, it becomes impossible to select the right keywords for search engine success. Your goal should be to achieve first-page ranking for searches relevant to your practice area. Niche sites perform better than generic ones. Defining a clear brand promise is essential to this effort.
If you don’t have a reputation in a specialty area or in your community as a competent attorney, launching a “virtual law practice” will not remedy those issues. The virtual component can extend your reach but should complement other marketing strategies including referrals, speaking engagements before local groups, selective offline advertising, and more.
Even with a fully online presence, you should maintain a business address and the ability to meet clients in person when necessary.
You can develop a role as a trusted authority by creating extensive, relevant content on your law firm website that is indexed by search engines and kept fresh with new updates and blog posts.
Conclusion
When you subscribe to the DirectLaw platform, we can help you understand how our technology supports your practice. Ideally, DirectLaw’s tools will complement your business strategy and marketing efforts, but they are not a substitute for a well-defined strategy and commitment to building your brand online.
