Invisible Is Good … for Superheroes, Not Lawyers
Why “Blending In” Online Equals Missing Out on Potential Clients
The imagined power of invisibility can work to your benefit in some instances: observing something that may not have been seen and conversations that you may have not have been privy to otherwise. But in the real world and from a professional standpoint, it is important to be noticed, especially in the digital sphere. It’s best to leave the ability to disappear into the background to the superheroes.
The real problem with not being able to “find yourself” online is that current clients, as well as prospective clients, certainly won’t be able to get a full picture of your professional expertise.
There are more than 1.2 million lawyers in the U.S.1 and that translates to the fact that your firm needs to be visible to set it apart from others, as well as remain increasingly competitive. If no one can find you, chances are slim that you will indeed be chosen for legal representation.
According to Larry Bodine, Editor in Chief of Lawyers.com, “If you don’t have an online profile, you are a ghost to your prospective clients. Potential clients will look you up online long before they ever meet you. If they can’t find your profile, or worse yet, find one without a picture or any client-oriented text, you’ve lost that new business opportunity.”
The times have changed. Searching for a lawyer has moved away from the traditional, antiquated flip through of a chunky yellow phone book. So where do consumers really look for legal help? Three out of four seeking an attorney over the last year used online resources at some point in the process.2
Think about the ways in which you promote your law practice. Is it easy for those searching for legal help online to find you?
By having a presence on Lawyers.com, you can increase your visibility, demonstrate your credibility and showcase your personality. And by connecting with a broader audience through your profile it opens the door to being seen; in fact, last year, 5.8 million consumers hired a lawyer they found on Lawyers.com.2
“The key elements of a Lawyers.com profile that attract new business for lawyers are reviews by actual clients and ratings by other lawyers,” Bodine says. “A client can see if a lawyer is respected in the legal community and is highly regarded by their own clients. Consumers can compare lawyers just the way they compare things on Yelp or Google Shopping … the experience is good for clients and equally as good for lawyers.”
Do you have a profile on Lawyers.com? Take a moment to do a quick search to see if you appear. Thirty-four million consumers visit Lawyers.com each year seeking legal assistance3, so displaying your full credentials makes a difference—prospective clients can use it to contact you—and it allows you to highlight your areas of expertise, ratings, and location, with content that’s easy to expand and update to help them select your firm with confidence. “With thousands of choices for consumers, being found and being accessible are of utmost importance to lawyers. That means being on the profile site with the longest history of operation. A lawyer can capture many leads with a fully-completed profile – including a picture, a client-oriented description about the law firm, and links to send an email or make a phone call,” says Bodine.
If you are interested in finding out how to maximize your online presence and grow your practice, click here, or give us a call at 866-925-9528 to speak with a LexisNexis® Law Firm Marketing Specialist. Not everyone can be a superhero … but here is a way to be found, so that you can be chosen.
1 Source: American Bar Association 2011 National Lawyer Population Survey, http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/state_of_the_union_the_nations_lawyer_population_continues_to_grow_but_bare/, December 2010 2Source: Based on a survey of 4,000 adult internet users (internet users comprise 78% of the US adult population*and the US adult population comprises 235 million according to the US Census 2010) conducted by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), March 2012, which found that 32% of US adult internet users sought an attorney in the past year, equating to an estimated 58.5 million people. *According to The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project’s Spring Tracking Survey conducted April 26-May 22, 2011. 3Source: Self-reported LexisNexis Web Statistics, 2012
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