In an increasingly competitive legal industry, advances in technology and an ever-changing digital marketing landscape mean that law firms must adapt and innovate. If they don’t, they risk being left behind as others move ahead.
So how do you ride the wave? A good start is to know the industry trends. By knowing them and keeping track of them, you increase your chances of not becoming obsolete.
With that in mind, I want to share today gambling data usa nine legal marketing trends that law firms should consider for 2018 and beyond.
Legal Marketing Trends for 2018
9 Legal Marketing Trends for Law Firms in 2018
Trend 1: Simple CRM solutions are gaining traction
There is a shift taking place in the legal industry. Modern law firms are now focusing on innovative tools, software, and processes to grow their business. A recent study by Ackert Advisory highlights this trend, with a 70% adoption rate for law firm CRMs.
Despite the proliferation of this trend, usage rates remain low. This is because CRM software is often complex and not tailored to lawyers. Have you experienced this as a lawyer?
In any case, software companies are listening to the market and have begun to produce CRMs that are easier for lawyers to use. A couple of examples are Base and Practice Pipeline .
Trend 2: Content marketing is on the rise
Like CRMs, law firms are also rapidly adopting content marketing . In fact, many firms recognize the power of content marketing to make their expertise visible, drive website traffic, increase lead attraction, and close sales.
This trend shows no signs of slowing down. But it faces a new challenge: how to stand out from the crowd? The short answer is to provide diverse and valuable content, with visual elements and longer form. And long-form content law firms can have plenty of.
Trend 3: Long-form content will become more common in legal marketing
It may come as a surprise to read that long-form content will lead the way. Especially in an age where people's attention span is really limited. If you think short content is better, you might be wrong. There are several studies showing that longer content improves search engine rankings.
For example, a study by SerpIQ found that the average length of content in the top 10 search engine results was typically 2,000 words or more. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should write long content for the sake of it. Content should deliver value, something Neil Patel emphasizes in his post, “ Why 3000 Word Blog Posts Get More Traffic .”
While written content drives search engine traffic, visual content also offers several benefits: increased brand awareness, engagement, increased social sharing, and more sales.
Trend 4: Visual content makes more impact
Visual content consists of photographs, graphics, and videos. A study by the Pew Research Center shows how almost half of Internet users have returned to sharing photos or videos. Not to mention that 54% of users have posted original photos and content, and by 2020, video is expected to account for 82% of traffic.
Visual content is powerful, there’s no doubt about that. And more law firms will move toward it over time. There are several examples of law firms successfully using visual content. For example, LexisNexis created an infographic titled, “ Bridging The Gap .”
Trend 5: Lawyers are realizing the power of LinkedIn
Many lawyers are already using Linkedin to showcase their expertise and make themselves known. If you still doubt the power of Linkedin, just look at this infographic : “Six Incredible Statistics That Prove Linkedin Is Important For Lawyers.” The most notable ones:
80% of B2B social media leads come from Linkedin.
45% of website traffic from social media comes from Linkedin.
The prediction is that this legal marketing trend will continue its rampant growth as lawyers realize the power of Linkedin as a marketing tool.
Trend 6: The gap between marketing and business development is closing
Marketing and business development have different functions. Where marketing provides the support to identify needs and create sales strategies, business development uses marketing as a foundation to build relationships and increase revenue in law firms.
But the gap between the two areas needs to be closed. In fact, it is advisable that marketing and business development work in a coordinated manner. This can be key for many companies and law firms.
Trend 7: Law firms are moving to the cloud
According to Law360, the number of lawyers using the cloud has increased in recent years, due to increased privacy and security.
Lawyers use the cloud in a variety of ways, from hosting their websites and sharing files to preventing cyberattacks and remote document management.
For example, cloud-based solutions like FreshBooks are helping lawyers stay organized, manage and track their time, and bill clients for all hours worked. Plus, lawyers can do all of this remotely, which is important considering the growth of remote work. So it's likely that cloud usage will only increase.
Trend 8: Mobile-optimized sites are on the rise
In 2015, Google announced that mobile traffic surpassed desktop traffic in 10 different countries, including the U.S. and Japan. That same year, Google also introduced an update to its algorithm that promoted mobile-friendly sites. If you’re thinking that your law firm is immune to mobile, consider that 31% of law firm-related website traffic comes from a search performed on a mobile device.
Mobile matters . There are no two ways about it, and it’s no surprise that some law firms have turned their attention to mobile optimization. But there are still those who are left behind. In 2015, one-third of law firm websites optimized their sites for mobile devices.
As mobile usage grows, more businesses will jump on the bandwagon to stay current, competitive and relevant. And for those that don't? Well, they'll just fade away.
Trend 9: Podcasts can be leveraged by law firms
The growth of podcasts in recent years is very significant . A recent study shows that the number of people tuning into podcasts increased by 23% between 2015 and 2016, and most of that growth was the result of increased use of mobile devices. A whopping 64% of people listen to podcasts via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
There are law firms that are already taking advantage of this trend. We are likely to see this type of content start to connect with more potential legal clients as low-cost podcasting services become more available.
The ability to remain competitive in the legal industry is no easy feat. Technologies and the digital legal marketing landscape are always changing. Not to mention the growing number of law firms out there. But by focusing on these top nine legal marketing trends, you’re sure to identify opportunities for improvement that will help you stay “surfing the wave.”
