The Trouble with Boutique Law Firms in the Digital Age
The trouble is: most boutique law firms have a bad website, or have no website at all!
The saturation of the market, suppression of fees, and knowledge shift from provider to consumer means that law firms (especially boutique law firms) can no longer solely rely on referrals to grow their client base. Competition is just too stiff. Yet, boutique law firms remain reluctant to invest in branding and marketing themselves.
You’re busy. We get it. You fully grasp that consumer behavior is heavily influenced by a company’s digital footprint, but haven’t spent enough time to improve your web presence.
Deliver Your Message Effectively
Focus on two things: (1) the value you create, and (2) how your services solve your clients’ problems. Avoid jargon at all costs. Put yourself in your prospects’ shoes and consider how they wish to be engaged and have their immediate needs addressed.
On the technical front, incorporate relevant keywords on your website, because that matters when ranking in Google’s search engine. Many people who need legal advice start off by searching online for answers. Most will find those answers and clickthrough to your (or competitors’) website. But even more people (75%) won’t get past the first page of Google. Relevant keywords make a difference.
The Visual Experience Matters
Your prospects are now more dependent on their own “self-discovery” of your online presence even before the first meeting happens. A website that has a distinctive brand (i.e. logo, typeface, colours, imagery, etc.) creates an impression of professionalism.
The little things matter. Times New Roman looks neat on court papers, but will cause your website to appear dated. Dead links (i.e. Error 404) damage your credibility as a detail-oriented lawyer.
The Way Forward
Of all the sole proprietorship firms in Hong Kong, less than 30% have a website. Of which, more than 50% contain dead links, are too wordy, do not have a meaningful domain name, fail to establish an attractive brand story, or all of the above.
In a world where your potential clients have hundreds of options to choose from, stagnancy is death. The question is: what are you doing about it?