recent’The future of legal servicesThe conference in Birmingham (UK) highlighted the challenges many lawyers face as they try to survive or grow. Many of these have been mentioned in various blogs and articles, such as Jordan Furlong’s “Farewell to All”.
A few words from the meeting stand out:
- As institutional operators and larger practices move into their turf, some traditional high street firms will struggle to compete unless they adapt;
- Law firms that use technology in the right way will gain an advantage in the future.
The business models used by many law firms do not help them survive the competition.
Lawyers should, says Jordan Furlong, “…look at the way sales to clients is done and determine whether and to what extent you can adopt new technologies and processes to improve not only efficiency but also quality, relevance and responsiveness.”
This got me thinking about social media, and how lawyers should respond.
As law firms begin to use social media to gain attention, provide better service, and build relationships with prospects or clients, it has become increasingly difficult for most law firms to consider how to use the media platform in their marketing communications. more and more important.
Differentiating yourself from your competitors and improving your ability to engage with prospects or customers are benefits of a well-thought-out social media strategy.
The key question lawyers need to ask themselves is “What channels do I need to use to differentiate myself and be the lawyer of choice for potential clients, does this include social media?”
Basically, lawyers need to figure out what their strategic business goals are, and then how they can use social media or technology to help me achieve those goals.
Many lawyers who simply choose a social media strategy without integrating it into their lead generation or client nurturing programs can quickly become frustrated. It’s not enough to build a Facebook page (which looks like a company website), a company Twitter handle and a LinkedIn profile, or attract 5,000 followers. Anyone can do it!
Lawyers must make social media support overall business goals, which means integrating it tightly into a measurable lead generation and conversion strategy. If social media doesn’t make it easier for potential clients to find you, stick with you because you’re pointing them to what they’re actively looking for, and ultimately choose you because you’ve articulated the benefits of working with you, then it’s pointless of!
And if social media doesn’t make it easier for lawyers to engage with clients more effectively, resulting in more time for them to focus on delivering high-quality service to their target niche, then it’s time to rethink.
Social media technology platforms can have a very positive impact on the bottom line and, more importantly, can help law firms establish an authoritative position in an increasingly competitive legal services market.
However, it must support overall business goals and be measured in terms of new leads generated, sales volume, increase in referrals and improved customer retention. It should also significantly improve the way attorneys handle any negative comments about the services they provide and the speed at which they resolve client issues.
