<b><i>Marketing Tech:</i></b> The Compelling Case for Mobile Marketing

Less than half of AmLaw 200 firms have mobile websites, but that may change soon. In January, Google started sending messages to web operators to “fix mobile usability issues.”

Google is already labeling sites that are “mobile friendly,” and penalizes sites with a bad mobile experience. It is clear that mobile-friendly sites will be rewarded with a ranking boost.

This reflects a sea change in the way that clients communicate. Cell phones have been outselling computers for years. People have shifted from interacting on a 22-inch monitor to a 4×5-inch screen, from sending e-mails to sending texts, and from viewing the web on a desktop to a handheld device.

Website marketing is no small matter. A law firm's website is the primary way that clients gain information about a professional firm, more so than referrals from colleagues, according to Hinge Marketing. Accordingly, what a law firm displays on a mobile phone makes a big difference.

Obsessed

We all know that people are obsessed with their cell phones. Time spent with digital media among U.S. adults has surpassed time spent with TV ' with mobile driving the shift, according to eMarketer. We use cell phones to set an alarm, pay for coffee, check the time, use the calculator ' and occasionally, make a call.

In fact:

• Local mobile searches exceed desktop searches.
• Half of all mobile searches lead to a purchase.
• Test yourself: Use your cell phone to visit your own firm's website. Is the text too small to read? Are the images too small to see? Can you read your logo? These are a sign of bad marketing. The mobile site of some law firms is merely a directory listing, which is hardly a compelling experience.
• Essential elements for a law firm's mobile site is big, simple buttons. There should be:
• A click-to-call button (no need to type the firm's phone number).
• A click-to-message button.
• An interactive map button.
• More than that, your mobile site should convey a “mobile moment” or “brand experience”:
• The message should be viewable in one glance. This is why Infographics work so well.
• It should anticipate the needs and motivations of your clients.
• The mobile site should offer something to act on immediately.
• It should offer a giveaway, such as a printout, checklist or guide.
• The site should provide something for visitors to sign up for, such as your marketing list.

For instance, we published a blog post on Personalinjury.com that asked, “Are You Driving One of the 19 Deadliest Cars?” Readers could not resist clicking to find out. We published a video interview, “9 Questions to Ask Every Lawyer You Interview.” Potential clients eagerly played it to hear the answers.

A good brand experience was created by the directory Accidentattorneys.org. It created a document, “How to Stay Safe After an Auto Accident,” which can be printed out (yes, cell phones can print documents). The document is designed to be folded into a holder for the car registration and proof of insurance, and kept in the car. When a person is in an accident, who will they call? Now they know.

Smart marketers will puzzle out what the trigger is that makes clients contact their firm. The more successfully that this trigger is converted into a click-worthy mobile experience, the more potential clients will contact the firm.

'Click Bait'

Marketers need to learn the art of “click bait,” which has been perfected by Buzzfeed. That site creates the kind of things you'd want to pass along to your friends:

• “Listicles,” or list articles, such as “26 Pictures That Will Give You Some Peace.”
• Questions, such as, “Can You Guess the Jelly Belly Flavor from a Photo?”
• Pictures and emotions, such as “Grieving parents are pictured in the final moments with their dying newborn.”

These examples don't fit a law firm, of course. But the site bears studying, because a site that gets 14 million visits a day can't be all wrong.

Bear in mind that mobile users are action-oriented. When clients are in a situation where they need legal help, they will turn to their cell phones. Accordingly, law firms should publish mobile content such as “Your copyright was just infringed. Now what?” or “What to do when a class action lawsuit arrives” or “7 ways to avoid an EEOC charge.”

Mobile phones are especially useful in getting positive online reviews. Because so many clients habitually look to review sites before buying anything, lawyers will have to pay close attention to reviews about them on Avvo, Personalinjury.com, Yelp, Google and Facebook. Note that this is happening already ' clients and others don't need your permission to post a review about you, so it makes sense to solicit positive reviews.

Reviews

Many law firms are already asking clients to write a positive review at the successful conclusion of a matter. However, it is a mistake to sit a client down at a law firm computer, because the review site will see that the review came from the firm's IP address. Accordingly, the smart move is to ask a client to write a review on their own cell phone, meaning that the review site will be more likely to take it seriously.

It's time to consider mobile advertising as well. Simply do a Google search for your top practice area, and you'll see listings at the top with the little yellow “Ad” icon ' from competing firms. Research shows that most law firms will under-invest in mobile advertising, which creates an opportunity for rival firms that start advertising now. Bear in mind that:

• 70% of mobile searches lead to action on a website within one hour.
• Consumers are less likely to comparison shop when using a mobile phone.
• Facebook mobile users continue to exceed Facebook desktop users.
• The social media networks that are most heavily visited by mobile users include Facebook, Twitter and Google+ ' Linkedin much less so.

Get a Plan

So here is what to do next:

• Plan your mobile website first. This is where clients look first, so you should also start there as well.
• Create your mobile moment, with a printout, guide, picture or checklist.
• Get online reviews from clients on mobile phones.
• Start advertising.

Attorney Larry Bodine, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the editor of several websites, including LawMarketing.com, The National Trial Lawyers, Personalinjury.com and Law Practice Advisor.

Less than half of AmLaw 200 firms have mobile websites, but that may change soon. In January, Google started sending messages to web operators to “fix mobile usability issues.”

Google is already labeling sites that are “mobile friendly,” and penalizes sites with a bad mobile experience. It is clear that mobile-friendly sites will be rewarded with a ranking boost.

This reflects a sea change in the way that clients communicate. Cell phones have been outselling computers for years. People have shifted from interacting on a 22-inch monitor to a 4×5-inch screen, from sending e-mails to sending texts, and from viewing the web on a desktop to a handheld device.

Website marketing is no small matter. A law firm's website is the primary way that clients gain information about a professional firm, more so than referrals from colleagues, according to Hinge Marketing. Accordingly, what a law firm displays on a mobile phone makes a big difference.

Obsessed

We all know that people are obsessed with their cell phones. Time spent with digital media among U.S. adults has surpassed time spent with TV ' with mobile driving the shift, according to eMarketer. We use cell phones to set an alarm, pay for coffee, check the time, use the calculator ' and occasionally, make a call.

In fact:

• Local mobile searches exceed desktop searches.
• Half of all mobile searches lead to a purchase.
• Test yourself: Use your cell phone to visit your own firm's website. Is the text too small to read? Are the images too small to see? Can you read your logo? These are a sign of bad marketing. The mobile site of some law firms is merely a directory listing, which is hardly a compelling experience.
• Essential elements for a law firm's mobile site is big, simple buttons. There should be:
• A click-to-call button (no need to type the firm's phone number).
• A click-to-message button.
• An interactive map button.
• More than that, your mobile site should convey a “mobile moment” or “brand experience”:
• The message should be viewable in one glance. This is why Infographics work so well.
• It should anticipate the needs and motivations of your clients.
• The mobile site should offer something to act on immediately.
• It should offer a giveaway, such as a printout, checklist or guide.
• The site should provide something for visitors to sign up for, such as your marketing list.

For instance, we published a blog post on Personalinjury.com that asked, “Are You Driving One of the 19 Deadliest Cars?” Readers could not resist clicking to find out. We published a video interview, “9 Questions to Ask Every Lawyer You Interview.” Potential clients eagerly played it to hear the answers.

A good brand experience was created by the directory Accidentattorneys.org. It created a document, “How to Stay Safe After an Auto Accident,” which can be printed out (yes, cell phones can print documents). The document is designed to be folded into a holder for the car registration and proof of insurance, and kept in the car. When a person is in an accident, who will they call? Now they know.

Smart marketers will puzzle out what the trigger is that makes clients contact their firm. The more successfully that this trigger is converted into a click-worthy mobile experience, the more potential clients will contact the firm.

'Click Bait'

Marketers need to learn the art of “click bait,” which has been perfected by Buzzfeed. That site creates the kind of things you'd want to pass along to your friends:

• “Listicles,” or list articles, such as “26 Pictures That Will Give You Some Peace.”
• Questions, such as, “Can You Guess the Jelly Belly Flavor from a Photo?”
• Pictures and emotions, such as “Grieving parents are pictured in the final moments with their dying newborn.”

These examples don't fit a law firm, of course. But the site bears studying, because a site that gets 14 million visits a day can't be all wrong.

Bear in mind that mobile users are action-oriented. When clients are in a situation where they need legal help, they will turn to their cell phones. Accordingly, law firms should publish mobile content such as “Your copyright was just infringed. Now what?” or “What to do when a class action lawsuit arrives” or “7 ways to avoid an EEOC charge.”

Mobile phones are especially useful in getting positive online reviews. Because so many clients habitually look to review sites before buying anything, lawyers will have to pay close attention to reviews about them on Avvo, Personalinjury.com, Yelp, Google and Facebook. Note that this is happening already ' clients and others don't need your permission to post a review about you, so it makes sense to solicit positive reviews.

Reviews

Many law firms are already asking clients to write a positive review at the successful conclusion of a matter. However, it is a mistake to sit a client down at a law firm computer, because the review site will see that the review came from the firm's IP address. Accordingly, the smart move is to ask a client to write a review on their own cell phone, meaning that the review site will be more likely to take it seriously.

It's time to consider mobile advertising as well. Simply do a Google search for your top practice area, and you'll see listings at the top with the little yellow “Ad” icon ' from competing firms. Research shows that most law firms will under-invest in mobile advertising, which creates an opportunity for rival firms that start advertising now. Bear in mind that:

• 70% of mobile searches lead to action on a website within one hour.
• Consumers are less likely to comparison shop when using a mobile phone.
• Facebook mobile users continue to exceed Facebook desktop users.
• The social media networks that are most heavily visited by mobile users include Facebook, Twitter and Google+ ' Linkedin much less so.

Get a Plan

So here is what to do next:

• Plan your mobile website first. This is where clients look first, so you should also start there as well.
• Create your mobile moment, with a printout, guide, picture or checklist.
• Get online reviews from clients on mobile phones.
• Start advertising.

Attorney Larry Bodine, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the editor of several websites, including LawMarketing.com, The National Trial Lawyers, Personalinjury.com and Law Practice Advisor.