While it is true that the web allows law firms to market their law practice in more innovative ways than in the past, careful thought and planning must go into making Internet marketing effective. If a law firm does not take certain basic steps to make the marketing more effective for clients that are outside of their local market, the law firm is not likely to see much of a return from their out of market legal advertising efforts. Below are a number of steps which can be used to improve a law firm’s retention rate for clients that outside of the firm’s immediate area.
Lease/Share Office Space: If a law firm plans to have a significant online advertising presence with clients that are some distance from the office, it can justify leasing office space in a professional suite or share space in a law office. This can be done for a fairly nominal fee, but in return, this makes the client feel confident knowing that the attorney is local and accessible. It may be the case that the attorney has very few clients that use that office location, but if the clients are good clients or the cases are lucrative cases, it can justify the nominal cost that comes with leasing a space or space sharing arrangements.
Obtain Local Toll Free Number: A law firm can obtain a toll free number so that it is not as obvious to callers that the firm is not just down the street. This toll free number must then be used for out of area marketing purposes only. Many law firms list both the 800 number and a local number in all online legal advertising. This sort of defeats the purpose of having an 800 number as most clients will assume the local number reflects the actual office location of the law firm. It is even possible to obtain a toll free local number which is even more effective because many clients initially choose to call someone local, though they may decide distance is not an issue after speaking with an attorney.
Listing Office Address: A firm’s office address often determines whether or not it will be considered an out of area law firm by potential clients. Many law firm marketing programs and web-based legal directories will permit a law firm to use phrases such as “Serving all of Southern California,” or “Offices conveniently located to serve you.” This can be an effective tool to generate an opportunity to speak with a client and deal with the distance issue once an attorney has had a chance to build a relationship with the prospective client.
Listing Cities/Counties: Law firms can also get around the distance issue by listing cities and counties served by the law firm in online attorney directories and on the firm’s website. Oftentimes, clients will look at the list and decide that the firm must have the ability to service the client’s needs, regardless of where the law firm is located.
While the Internet has created unprecedented opportunities to advertise outside of a law firm’s immediate area, such online marketing efforts require planning in order to be effective. The way the firm describes itself and its location, as well as its choice of published phone numbers, can greatly impact an attorney’s retention rate. If a firm expects many opportunities from a distant location, this might justify seeking a local office sharing space.
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