I had a very interesting meeting yesterday with a local law firm here in Salt Lake City, specifically meeting with one of the firm partners.
A couple of moments stood out to me:
- I felt like I was on trial (almost wanted to call a mistrial)
- How much he loved his “SEO guy”
- He spends decent money on digital, yet has no idea what his conversion rate is on his website
The grilling went something like this...
Rather than me being able to diagnose the situation like I normally would by asking questions, the table was flipped right off the bat, and I was in the hot seat being asked a lot of questions. That's fine, I love being asked questions (hence why I am writing this post).
I think the vibe he gave off stems from being a “small business" and having been screwed over by other internet marketing hucksters. By the end of the meeting, he changed his demeanor quite a bit and was much more receptive to what I was sharing.
Married to his SEO provider
I get it, if you are having good results why stop, right? His guy is getting him to rank for some general terms on the first page locally. So, there is that… it's the first page for heck's sake! I mean, being on the first page is the best KPI of all time, right? I joke here a little bit because page one doesn't mean jack squat if it’s not the term that will drive traffic, conversions, and sales. That led us to talk about metrics.
Spending money with no accountability
What are the results? How much traffic is being generated, or even more important what is the conversion rate? Unfortunately, he had no answer and I think that is where the conversation started to finally shift from defensive to receptive. I dug deeper asking:
- What is your customer cost of acquisition right now?
- What is the ROI you are getting on your SEO efforts?
And again, no real answer.
Law Firms Can Do So Much with Content Marketing
If there is ever a market that has an unlimited supply of content ideas, it’s law firms. Don’t believe me? Look at this graphic on questions people type into Google just about “divorce”.
4 Reasons Law Firms Should Deploy an Inbound Marketing Strategy
1. Inbound Lead Generation Leads To Better Customer Acquisition
If you can become the thought leader, the best educator, and the trusted source on law subjects, people will find you when they need you. They will read more of your content, and in turn, they will gain a much higher level of trust in you and will be a more educated consumer who is ready to have you represent them.
2. Marketing Intelligence Will Help You Become A Smarter Marketer
You can choose to continue to work with 3-5 different vendors, or maybe do marketing in-house, but if you don't have a rock-solid strategy to live and die by, you may as well take your piles of cash out back and burn it. You should have a marketing strategy based on your goals when you need to hit those goals and have a system in place that can track the effectiveness as well as the ROI.
3. Your Future Clients Expect It. Your Existing Clients Will Appreciate It.
The days of having a large site that is impossible to find information are over. So are the days of a small micro-site where people can't learn about you or get the answers they need. Over 70% of your site visitors' mind is made up before they even fill out a form, or dial your number. Your site needs to be educational, easy to consume and set up to convert visitors into leads.
4. Leads, Sales & Revenue… PERIOD!
If your sales and marketing strategy is not designed to help you increase your leads, sales, and revenue, then don’t deploy it. If what you are doing doesn't have a proven ROI, or a KPI that you can measure that actually matters, stop wasting money on what doesn't work, and shift to something that does.
These are just 4 reasons, and I could rattle off 50 or 100 more, but you get the point.
As I left the meeting today he realized what he needs more than anything else is THE STRATEGY. He wants to build a plan that is accountable and will work based on goals and metrics that matter. Whether or not I end up working with them is to be determined, but I have him thinking more about the numbers, and understanding more about a strategy that delivers results.
So, what do you think? Should law firms invest in Inbound Marketing? As far as I am concerned, the answer is a resounding YES!
I rest my case, your honor.
Until next time,
Doc
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