Marketing Tech: Going Mobile

Based on research from Greenfield/Belser and the Brand Research Company, more than 75% of potential clients locate and research lawyers online, and that these clients are profoundly influenced by the quality of your website. Amazingly, it takes users only about 1/20 of a second to form an initial impression of your firm! So, what are your potential clients first experiencing when they view your site on the many smartphones and tablets? Take a look NOW on your smartphone. If you want to analyze how your website renders on a device, go the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) at www.iab.net/mobilecenter/tapintomobile/analyze. If your firm has not already implemented a mobile/tablet strategy to adapt to your clients' change of behavior online, it should be at least be a priority for your 2013 agenda.

How to Go Mobile

A great place to start your research is on a site that Google created called Go Mo at http://www.howtogomo.com/. This site explains in simple, yet compelling terms, the case for mobile as well as options you can take to get there.

There are several types of mobile websites. One type can be called a “code redirect.” Simply put, this means that when a browser from a mobile device goes to a website, it is automatically redirected to the html coding for the mobile version of the site. These options are often seen in the free versions of mobile sites offered on the Internet. All that is needed is the domain name and companies automatically generate code to put within your site to make this happen.

One of the limitations in going this route is the lack of customization and control of graphics. This would not be the best option for branding purposes, but at least it a “free” option. The question that might be asked to determine if this is the best option for a firm is, “Does this design represent us in a professional way and is it in line with our overall branding and marketing strategy?”

Another type of mobile site is one created with a unique URL/domain name, e.g., www.yourfirm.mobi. Internet browsers on non-desktop devices know to render (show) this site on the device. This “.mobi” option allows for more customization, but it is also a separate site altogether, and requires changes be made in two places. Still, this option allows for more control for design and content.

'Reponsive Web Design'

A relatively new term in the mobile design realm is called “responsive Web design” or RWD. While sites built for mobile/tablet technology are made to accommodate various users, there is less control of the content and overall image and impression that a firm can convey to the end users on these devices. Responsive Web Design builds sites that are adaptable to the media that is rendering them. But Responsive Creative Design (RCD) brings RWD to a different level altogether. RCD is creation of design considering all graphics representing a firm (ads, logos, etc.) that uses design technology to render specific sizes and experiences to specific types of devices.

Conclusion

Using a smart mobile technology to better address the needs of your existing and potential clients and to better represent your firm and individual attorneys is no longer tomorrow's option. As mentioned above, it is expected that more people will be using mobile devices than PCs as early as this year. Are you in the game?

Greg Sutphin is GetLegal's north-east consultant. Reach him at 610-
757-8411, [email protected], or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gregsutphin.

You are losing clients if your website is not mobile ready.

As of November 2012, 10.4% of all Internet traffic was from a non-desktop device. (Source:netmarketshare.com). This number is up about 270% from 2011. As for my own law firm clients, the range of visits on their websites from mobile devices ranges from 14% to 33%. Before reading further, here is my “disclaimer”: It is hard to do justice to a discussion germane to perception of graphics in a written document ' this is best seen live on a PC or mobile device screen. So, get out your devices!

Why the Push?

Based on research from Greenfield/Belser and the Brand Research Company, more than 75% of potential clients locate and research lawyers online, and that these clients are profoundly influenced by the quality of your website. Amazingly, it takes users only about 1/20 of a second to form an initial impression of your firm! So, what are your potential clients first experiencing when they view your site on the many smartphones and tablets? Take a look NOW on your smartphone. If you want to analyze how your website renders on a device, go the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) at www.iab.net/mobilecenter/tapintomobile/analyze. If your firm has not already implemented a mobile/tablet strategy to adapt to your clients' change of behavior online, it should be at least be a priority for your 2013 agenda.

How to Go Mobile

A great place to start your research is on a site that Google created called Go Mo at http://www.howtogomo.com/. This site explains in simple, yet compelling terms, the case for mobile as well as options you can take to get there.

There are several types of mobile websites. One type can be called a “code redirect.” Simply put, this means that when a browser from a mobile device goes to a website, it is automatically redirected to the html coding for the mobile version of the site. These options are often seen in the free versions of mobile sites offered on the Internet. All that is needed is the domain name and companies automatically generate code to put within your site to make this happen.

One of the limitations in going this route is the lack of customization and control of graphics. This would not be the best option for branding purposes, but at least it a “free” option. The question that might be asked to determine if this is the best option for a firm is, “Does this design represent us in a professional way and is it in line with our overall branding and marketing strategy?”

Another type of mobile site is one created with a unique URL/domain name, e.g., www.yourfirm.mobi. Internet browsers on non-desktop devices know to render (show) this site on the device. This “.mobi” option allows for more customization, but it is also a separate site altogether, and requires changes be made in two places. Still, this option allows for more control for design and content.

'Reponsive Web Design'

A relatively new term in the mobile design realm is called “responsive Web design” or RWD. While sites built for mobile/tablet technology are made to accommodate various users, there is less control of the content and overall image and impression that a firm can convey to the end users on these devices. Responsive Web Design builds sites that are adaptable to the media that is rendering them. But Responsive Creative Design (RCD) brings RWD to a different level altogether. RCD is creation of design considering all graphics representing a firm (ads, logos, etc.) that uses design technology to render specific sizes and experiences to specific types of devices.

Conclusion

Using a smart mobile technology to better address the needs of your existing and potential clients and to better represent your firm and individual attorneys is no longer tomorrow's option. As mentioned above, it is expected that more people will be using mobile devices than PCs as early as this year. Are you in the game?

Greg Sutphin is GetLegal's north-east consultant. Reach him at 610-
757-8411, [email protected], or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gregsutphin.