In the past few years mobile device website traffic has surpassed PC-based traffic, accounting for some 51% web traffic worldwide. In the United States, 81% of the population owns a smartphone, up from just 35% in 2011. Personal injury leads are no longer sitting at home browsing the family computer for legal services. Rather, users search for and interact with law firms on multiple channels – making mobile marketing for personal injury lawyers a strategy that can’t be ignored.
The implications of the mobile trend for law firms are increasingly clear – reach potential clients on mobile channels and provide superior experiences or risk falling behind competitors who are. In this article, we will look at some mobile marketing tips that can help you generate high-quality legal leads.
Your website must be optimized for mobile
You have likely accessed a website at some point on your smartphone that appeared almost microscopic, tiny buttons and form fields that are impossible to click on. You end up getting frustrated, hit back, and continue your search for a product or service on a competitor site.
With the widespread adoption of smartphones, a user-friendly mobile site is no longer an optional feature. In addition to improving the user experience, search engines like Google reward mobile-friendly websites in the search rankings. When optimizing your website for mobile use, it is important to be aware of three different types of mobile design:
- Mobile friendly. Mobile friendly sites will work for mobile users. However, these sites were designed for desktop users and are essentially just a slimmed-down version of the desktop website.
- Mobile optimized. With this design your website will reformat itself when viewed on a user’s mobile device and offer a better user experience.
- Responsive. A responsive design reformats and restructures a website depending on the screen size of the device it is being viewed on. For instance, mobile devices, tablets, or even widescreen monitors.
Since many personal injury leads will search for legal services using a number of devices you will likely want to opt for a responsive design. To ensure that your website looks good on different devices, use a free tool like mobiReady.
Create responsive email newsletters
An estimated 71% of people open emails on mobile devices. Newsletters are a great way for law firms to engage with current, former, and potential clients. Even for personal injury lawyers, educating your clients on the full range of services that you provide can lead to future work. Moreover, it keeps your firm at the forefront of your clients’ minds, making it more likely that they will refer potential personal injury leads to you.
Creating a mobile optimized newsletter is simple if you use an email marketing service provider like Mailchimp or GetResponse. These services make it easy to design and test your newsletter in mobile view prior to sending it to your clients.
Focus on Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) is an essential component of an effective local marketing strategy. Businesses with physical locations, like personal injury law firms, can create a profile so that customers can find them via Google Search and Google Maps.
People typically search for law firms near their homes. By showing up in these searches, you are more likely to receive calls from quality legal leads.
Google “call only” ads
Google “call only” ads are a great option to generate personal injury or auto accident leads. Ads that are created in Google call campaigns will only show on devices that are capable of making phone calls. This is advantageous for several reasons.
First, you are only charged when personal injury leads call your firm. Unlike other types of Google Ads where you are charged on a per click basis, “call only” ads are most cost-effective. Second, the lead quality is better. By getting a prospective client on the phone, he or she is more likely to schedule an appointment than someone that fills out a contact form on your website, for instance.
Use video
A few weeks back we wrote an article that offered tips for generating personal injury leads through video marketing. Research shows that more than 70% of YouTube video consumption occurs on mobile devices. Videos are way easier for users to see on smartphones than text. Incorporating video into your mobile marketing strategy will help you to stand out from your competitors, rank higher in search engines, and generate more legal leads.
Mobile apps
Mobile apps have gained some traction in the legal industry. Apps have a broad range of potential uses. For instance, Locke Lord, a large nationwide law firm created an app for the iPhone and iPad that makes it easy for users to call or e-mail lawyers, view attorney bios, and receive news.
More than standard law firm website features, apps help law firms stand out by offering unique user experiences. For instance, Sheppard Mullin, a firm specializing in corporate and financial law, created an app called “SM Interviews.” The HR support app allows graduate level trainees to prepare for interviews with sample questions and other resources. Not only does this app provide value, but users are also more likely to remember the firm as they advance through the corporate world.
Personal injury law firms can employ similar approaches by developing apps that offer personal injury leads useful information like tips, streamlined communication with attorneys and support staff, and even view case updates in real-time. With the emergence of user-friendly low-code development platforms, firms can create their own mobile apps using popular tools like Zoho or AppMakr.
As mobile website use continues to increase in popularity, law firms will need to reevaluate and redeploy their marketing strategies with mobile users in mind. Those firms that provide superior mobile experiences will generate far more legal leads than their competitors.