Law firms are among the fortunate businesses that can still thrive during this crisis. Not only can you connect with your clients online and through technology, but your services are still in demand. Now is not the time to retreat out of fear or anxiety. This is the time to adapt and to come out on top. Here are some tips to help guide you.
1.Leverage Social Media
If
you haven’t already implemented a strong social media strategy, now is the time
to do so. People are spending more time online these days, especially on social
media platforms. Many are working from home and scrolling through social media
for entertainment. Your firm should be active on your profiles as well as
through social ads.
That
also means doubling down on your engagement efforts. Reply to comments, create
conversations, connect with your peers. Use the different features on each
platform like stories, live videos, hashtags, and regular text and image posts.
What should you be posting about right now? How your law firm can help your clients through this difficult time. Show that you understand the challenges many are facing. What kinds of solutions can you provide? Be proactive, helpful, and authentic.
2.Optimize Your Website
Your
law firm should already have a website that allows interested visitors to learn
more about your services and contact you. Now is the time to optimize your
website and make it even more useful. If your office is closed, people will be
looking at your website for answers instead of calling your phone number. Have
you made it easy for them to find those answers?
Here
are some key elements of your site to focus on:
Clear and easy navigation
Cohesive branding
Downloadable forms and resources
Obvious contact information
Ensure
your e-forms have e-signature capabilities. This makes signing documents even
easier and more convenient for your clients.
Your contact page should now also include information regarding the crisis. If your physical office isn’t currently open, make that clear. Show them the best ways to contact you instead.
3. Offer Services Virtually
Service
providers, like law firms, are fortunate because they don’t depend on brick and
mortar locations as much as retail businesses do. Law firms don’t usually rely
on window shoppers or walk-in traffic. Your essential tasks can all be done
online with technology. For example,
To meet with your clients, set up Zoom or Skype calls
Communicate with your team through Slack
Scan paper documents into digital forms with mobile scanner
apps
As
long as you have a space to set up your laptop and take meetings, your business
can continue as usual. Remember to adapt to your clients’ new realities by
being more present on social media, optimizing your site, and making the most
of technologies.
As
for the court closures, request teleconference
hearings when possible. Most hearings and general sittings of the court are
being postponed, so be aware of that when creating timelines and deadlines with
your team and clients. Ready to level up your social media marketing
strategy? Contact us today to get started.
Businesses
that offer financial services are being faced with a huge opportunity right
now. People everywhere are evaluating their finances and wondering how they’re
going to make it through this crisis. Your business can provide immense relief,
support, and information. Taking advantage of this opportunity in an adaptable
and effective way is your challenge. Here are some ways you can serve your
customers.
Provide Information
This
pandemic is changing every day. For most people, that uncertainty is alarming
and unsettling. You can ease their nerves by providing accurate and timely
information regarding finances. How are the pandemic changes affecting
financial services? Are you communicating those changes to your customers?
You
can provide this information in several ways. Send regular email updates to
your clients. Write blog posts. Be active on social media. Research the
questions your customers are asking and find different ways to answer them.
Take telephone and video meetings with clients who want to talk in person.
Now
is the time to get in front of your community and provide valuable insight.
Your reliable information and guidance can be amazing for easing minds and
nerves.
Be Present Online
You
know where most of your customers are spending their time right now. At home
and online. They’re scrolling through social media for entertainment, news, and
advice. Your business needs to be leveraging its social media strategy to take
advantage of this increase in traffic.
How
can you leverage social media? By posting relevant, accurate, and empathetic
content. Use stories and live videos to share helpful information and to give
tips. As an expert in the field, your opinion on finances is hugely valuable
right now. Don’t hesitate to help your audience.
Consider
hosting a live video discussion where customers can ask you questions and get
answers in real-time. Talk about the state of the economic climate right now.
You can easily host this discussion through your smartphone from home. Remember
to be authentic to the situation. It’s okay to share how you’re struggling and
relate to your customers. Just be sure to follow with real solutions.
Adapt to Technology
Most
financial businesses use technology quite a bit, so adapting even further
shouldn’t be a problem. The biggest changes you’ll have to make are switching
to online meetings and communicating with your team and clients remotely. Some
tools that make this easier are Slack, Asana, Zoom, and Skype.
If
you weren’t doing this before, start making your application forms usable
online. Clients should be able to fill out forms from their laptops and send
them back to you. Make sure your forms have e-signature capabilities. Insurance
advisors can continue to attract and convert leads by making the most of different
technologies.
The
demand for financial services is high right now. People are ready to learn
about protecting their financial future and stretching their money further.
It’s up to your business to seize this opportunity and adapt to the changes.
For
help optimizing your social media strategy, contact us today.
Realtors
everywhere are wondering how to continue business as usual when the climate is
anything but normal. How can people buy houses if they’re in isolation? How can
I best serve my clients right now? These are great questions that can be
answered with technology. Specifically, through leveraging social media.
Social
media has long been aiding in realtors’ marketing plans. Right now, more
homebuyers/sellers are spending time on social media and the internet in
general. This is the best place to communicate, connect, and engage with your
clients.
Let’s
start with one of the main tasks of being a realtor: showing your clients
new listings through open houses and tours.
You
can still provide these services through technology. Consider filming a tour of
the listing and then posting it to your Instagram feed. It’s best to film it as
a story so it can be watched later. File the story in a highlights reel for
current listings. Your clients can see every aspect of the home from the safety
of their current dwelling.
If
your client is trying to sell their home, guide them on filming a tour. Take
their video and edit it. Then, send it to your network of realtors.
Collaboration with other agents has never been so important. Make sure you’re
connected to other realtors on social media so you can see their new listings
quickly and send their videos to your clients.
Should you still focus on database building right now?
Absolutely!
Email was important before Covid-19 and it’s still important now. People are
spending more time on their laptops and computers, many working from home, so
they have more access to their email than usual. Take advantage of this by
creating email campaigns that cater to your clients’ needs. One campaign could
be for buyers and another for sellers. Give them tips that pertain to their
goals in the current climate.
Remember,
not addressing the current climate can make you seem tone-deaf and insensitive.
Don’t avoid talking about the situation, be authentic and real about it.
How can you continue building your reputation?
Again,
through social media marketing. Your profiles are still great places to build
authority and credibility in the industry. Plus, now is the perfect time to get
authentic with your audience. Show your community that you’re also being
affected and that we’re all in this together. You could do this by filming a
live video on Instagram or Facebook. Share how you’ve been coping with the
situation and any tips you can give others.
If
you can come through with effective tips and real solutions to their problems,
your reputation will grow. Consider all the different ways you can be of
service to your clients right now.
Can you really sell houses online?
Totally.
The reasons people want to sell their homes or buy new ones haven’t changed.
The process of doing the selling and buying has. Being adaptable and proactive
as a realtor is key in a time like this. Use technology and social media to
your advantage and support your network of realtors. If you need some guidance when it comes to
social media marketing during this pandemic, we can help. Contact us today to get started!
Businesses
everywhere have been impacted by the coronavirus and many owners are anxious
about taking next steps. If you’re in this situation, you’re not alone. And,
there are plenty of things you can do to stay busy and keep moving your
business forward.
Communication is Key
With
so many people practicing social distancing, face-to-face communication is
uncommon. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t maintain regular communication
with customers, clients, employees, and your community.
You
just need to find new ways to communicate. For your customers, consider sending
out email newsletters or getting more active on social media. For your team,
join a real-time communication platform, like Slack, to support each other.
We
may be physically distancing ourselves from our communities, but online
communication has never been easier.
Get Your Team on the Same Page
If
you’ve sent everyone home to work remotely, you’ve taken a noble first step.
Managing your team remotely is the next challenge.
Platforms
like Slack and Asana are great for keeping everyone on the same page. Slack
allows for real-time conversations between the whole group or select individuals.
Make
your expectations for your team clear from the start. If you want everyone to
be available on Slack from 9 to 5, say so. Ask your team for their input on how
to ensure everyone is productive and focused. Remember, for many people, this
is their first time working from home. It may take some time to adjust to
working in a new environment.
Adapt to Appropriate Technology
If
you sell tangible products but had to close your storefront’s doors, you can
still keep your virtual doors open. This is an amazing excuse to explore
e-commerce channels and get your business online.
Where
would your products sell best online? Through Facebook, Instagram, or Shopify?
Can you offer fast delivery or curbside pickup?
If
your business is service based, how can you provide your services without
physical contact? Zoom and Skype are great tools for online consultations and
meetings with clients.
Strengthen Your Online Presence
As
mentioned above, communication with your community is super important right
now. Be a strong and supportive source for your customers and followers. Now is
the perfect time to double down on your online strategies.
Start
by brainstorming new content ideas. Putting out fresh and relevant content is
crucial to your online presence. Keep it authentic, on-brand, and timely.
Some examples are:
Resources for the elderly community
If you’re working from home, show how you’re using your time
Shoutout different #HealthcareHeroes in your community
Cooking recipes, music playlists, cute pets
Another
idea is to start a virtual book club. Look for ways to unite your online
community and spur engagement.
Make
sure you’re optimizing your engagement online. That means responding to all
comments and encouraging positive conversations. Perhaps you can post polls or
questions in your Instagram Storied to get new discussions started. This is an
amazing opportunity to learn more about your audience and new ways to provide
value.
Remember, This Too Shall Pass
The
uncertainty is affecting everyone right now, not in the least small and
medium-sized businesses. Remember that we’re all in this together. Remind your
team, customers, and community that they’re not alone. This too shall pass.
How
are you preparing your business for when it passes? If you need help getting your business online
and creating a strong online presence, we can help. Give us a call at
416-938-1240 or send us a message today.
(January 28, 2020, 11:24 AM EST) — Legal
marketing has gone through a major shift and notable evolution over the years.
There was once a time where the law society prevented lawyers and firms from
marketing themselves and in some cases even forbade many forms of marketing and
soliciting business via means of advertising strategy. Lawyers were not allowed
to advertise on TV, billboards, buses, via Yellow Pages, radio, etc.
There was reasoning behind these restrictions:
protection of the legal industry and profession as a whole and preventing the
power of advertising persuasion and influence.
Law firms and lawyers today must adhere to and
obey the Rules of Professional Conduct
by the Law Society of Ontario. Chapter 4 addresses marketing of
professional services. Section 4.2-1 states that: “A lawyer may market legal
services only if the marketing a) is demonstrably true, accurate and
verifiable; b) is neither misleading, confusing or deceptive, nor likely to
mislead, confuse or deceive; and c) is in the best interests of the public and
is consistent with a high standard of professionalism.”
In today’s world, marketing strategy is now not
just the norm, but a necessary practice embedded in most successful firms’
business development plans. Traditional marketing now co-exists with inperson
networking and digital marketing — and most large national firms today
implement a holistic strategy comprised of various marketing, technology and
business development tactics. This has been pegged as innovation.
Today we see all sorts of legal marketing
happening in mainstream media, magazines, e-newsletters, direct mailouts, but
also online on blogs, social media, websites, YouTube, podcasts and more. In
fact, marketing has now become an essential element of a law firm and lawyer’s
practice.
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, the Internet
era started rolling and businesses started to use the power of the world wide
web to market their business. Law firms started to create their own websites.
Over the next decade, out came paid digital advertising practices, search
engine optimization tactics and social campaigns. Lawyers and law firms were
slow to the race, however; by the time we reached 2012-2013, we started to see
law firms beginning to adopt.
As a marketing and business development
co-ordinator at a mid-size Toronto boutique litigation firm, part of my role in
2014 was conducting a competitor analysis and online audit of digital best
practices among other firms. Launching the firm blog, getting the firm’s lawyers
using LinkedIn and debuting a solid social media strategy fell within the scope
of my work and by 2015, the firm was utilizing the power of online marketing to
raise awareness of the firm and its lawyers.
Modern
day legal marketing
We still see billboards, we still hear radio
ads, we still advertise in magazines and newspapers.Traditional marketing and advertising still exists and there are
definitely ways of getting exposure inall
traditional media opportunities, whether earned or paid.
Today, however, law firms and lawyers are
utilizing online marketing strategy to gain exposure, target a market and raise
their profile. The power of the Internet cannot be ignored and while at the end
of the day, word-of-mouth and in-person networking are crucial, in today’s
world, reputation is not enough on its own to build business, attract clients
and grow.
Legal discussions and engagements are happening
on platforms like Twitter in real time, a platform
largely attended by lawyers. It is becoming
more and more important to be part of the conversation
as a means to understand the landscape and be
part of this online community.
Technology is ever-advancing and each month
there are new strategies, platforms, tactics and best practices to consider:
from Facebook to LinkedIn to YouTube and now platforms like TikTok, innovation
and modernization is necessary to evolve, adapt and reach new audiences.
With change comes opportunity, innovation and
the ability to reach clients like never before and
establish authority, leadership and
credibility.
Digital
marketing’s competitive advantage
There is no doubt that business development
tactics like taking a client for lunch, attending networking events, staying in
touch with contacts and referral sources are important practices. These
practices should be maintained.
Traditional media also still has significant
value and weight. Exposure via traditional marketing is a
valuable tool for brand exposure and profile.
Digital marketing is a whole different ball
game when it comes to analytics and target marketing. A magazine and newspaper
have distribution numbers, readership demographics and circulation rates;
social media analytics disclose reach, click-through rates, cost per click
results, cost per acquisition; website analytics provide time spent on page,
page views, bounce rates and consumer behavior data. Taking things a step
further, social media and digital media buys allow users to target their market
by demographic: geographic location, age range, interests, occupation, job
roles and more.
The
digital revolution is a powerful marketing tool
Stay tuned for part two of this article, which
will touch on the power of analytics, target marketing and tips to optimize
digital marketing strategy for your legal business and practice.
Marly Broudie is the founder and CEO of
SocialEyes Communications Inc., a digital marketing agency
based in Toronto. Broudie started her career as
a paralegal and then worked at a litigation firm in
business development and marketing, where she honed
her skills in social media, marketing, content
