Surveys from FindLaw pinpointed some of the most important things legal consumers are looking for right now. Here’s a list of statistics and what they could mean to your firm.

Reviews and Reputation

  • 87% considered “reputation” as a top hiring factor (Find Law, 2017)
  • 68% cared about reviews from former clients (Find Law, 2017)

Reputation matters and reviews have a huge influence. Make an effort to build your reputation by encouraging your current clients to review your firm. The more (hopefully) positive reviews you have, the higher up your firm could land in search engine results, leading to more referrals and ultimately more clients.

What happens if you get a bad review? Unfortunately, you can’t control what people say about your firm. Try not to overreact, and respond quickly. Apologize if necessary. Your client just wants to know you care, and responding to them will show them you do. Try using negative reviews as feedback to improve and help your firm grow.

Mobile & Social Media Presence

  • 71% will use their mobile phones to search for a lawyer (FindLaw, 2017)
  • 54% (of all legal consumers) would likely hire a lawyer who is active on social media; for younger consumers (for help with who to attract more Millennials to your firm see our past blog), that number reaches 69% (Find Law, 2017)

To keep up your mobile presence, provide your clients with a mobile-friendly version of your website, so those who use their mobile phones to search your law firm can easily maneuver it. You risk losing a lot of leads if your firm’s website isn’t easy to use on a smartphone.

When it comes to your social media accounts, be active. Post often. Stay engaging. Encourage communication. Try to utilize messaging and pay attention to what people are saying. It’s important to avoid “talking through” your followers. Instead, include them in the conversation. Most importantly, always remember to be authentic.

Be sure to offer potential clients something they want to hear and have pertinent information anticipating what they may need to hear. This will help your firm stand out even more.

Pick Up the Phone

  • 71% will initially try to contact the lawyer via telephone (Find Law, 2014)
  • 87% hired a lawyer, usually the first one they reached (Find Law, 2014)

All of the marketing efforts above should lead to one thing: a flow of potential clients calling your firm. If 87% of legal consumers usually go with the first lawyer they reach, it is vital that you are the lawyer they find the first time around. This means you need to pick up the phone, every time. More calls means more business!

If you can’t be there 24/7 to answer calls, consider hiring a legal intake call center.

Statistics is What We Do

If you aren’t sure where to start, well you are in the right place! You take care of the marketing efforts; we’ll take care of the calls. Our intake specialists are like an extension of your law firm, ready to answer the phone around the clock. If you can’t answer calls, we’ll be there—24/7/365, ready to serve your clients with our team of highly-trained, bilingual intake specialists. Whether it’s during busy office hours, after hours, or holidays, you’ll never miss a call again!