9 Predictions That Will Impact Law Firm Marketing in 2015

There are just a few weeks left in 2014. As the New Year looms on the horizon, it’s time for law firms of all sizes to create a plan to boost their marketing efforts in 2015. The face of law firm marketing changed drastically in the past year. Chances are, we can expect similar fast-paced changes in 2015. With a little initiative and knowledge, your law firm can react early to the marketing trends expected for the upcoming year. Get ahead of the competition by being prepared for what’s going to change – and what’s going to stay the same.

What will the New Year bring for law firms? Here are 9 trends to be aware of as you develop and implement your marketing plan.

1. High-quality content will be more important than ever before.

Content marketing and SEO used to be almost interchangeable terms. However, the face of marketing has changed drastically over the past year. No longer can keyword dumping and copy-pasting give you an advantage over the competition in the law firm world; these content strategies are now penalized by Google’s algorithms.Content itself remains important for driving search engine rankings and attracting customers. However, high-quality content is the only kind worth investing in. If your law firm creates informational content that searchers can benefit from, you can beat the competition.

2. Visual stories that spark emotion will help lawyers separate themselves from the competition.

Text-heavy websites will be old fashioned in 2015. To make yourself stand out from other law firms, visual content is the way to go. Videos, photos, colorful design, and other visual elements are the best way to grab potential clients, particularly since so many of them will be finding your site through their mobile devices.Social media is a field of growing importance, and here’s where the emotional content comes in. By creating emotionally driven visual stories, you prompt potential clients to share your site on social media. This boosts your rankings and allows your page to reach more people.

3. Your friends will influence your spending decisions.

Almost everyone has a social media profile today, and most people have more than one. This trend will continue to grow in 2015. When your friends, relatives, and coworkers post about the latest products that they bought or services they experienced, it may be difficult not to be influenced by this information and make purchases yourself. In 2015, expect your clients to be increasingly influenced by their peers’ purchasing habits.

4. Advertising on Facebook and Twitter will rise.

Advertising through social media will become essential when developing your marketing mix. As a law firm, you may not currently be advertising on sites such as Twitter or Facebook. In 2015, however, you’ll want to reconsider this decision. Facebook is increasingly limiting the amount of posts that are visible on your page by fans. Therefore, the demand for advertisements and posts that are promoted will continue to grow. Prioritizing this social media advertising is a wise move for your reputation as well as your SEO.

5. Publishing on LinkedIn will increase in popularity.

LinkedIn is the most popular social network for professionals.Therefore, you should give LinkedIn’s publishing platform a try before 2014 ends. Throughout 2015, LinkedIn will continue to grow in popularity and be the dominating social network among the business crowd. Having quality publishing on LinkedIn will boost your law firm’s reputation as well as visibility.

6. Social media will continue to impact customer service in 2015.

Unsatisfied customers and clients have been able to publicly embarrass many major brands through the use of social media. This indicates that your clients have the power to say whatever they want about the products and services that you offer. Pay attention to reviews and continue to engage online in a helpful and friendly manner. It’s good for your law firm to respond not only to negative comments, but also to positive ones. This shows everyone viewing your page that you care about your clients’ experiences.

7. Mobile-friendly content will be necessary.

If you haven’t already optimized your site for mobile, it’s time to stop procrastinating. Earlier this year, it was discovered that 60% of all internet traffic came from mobile devices. This widespread (and quickly, continually growing) use of smart phones and tablets means it’s necessary for companies to create content accessible to mobile users. Failing to do so means missing out on clients.

8. Video and audio content will be on the rise.

Podcasting and short video content on YouTube will be a major driving force in law firm marketing in the upcoming year. This humanizing, fun content will help you engage emotionally with customers, showing them the quality of your service.

9. Expect more user-generated content.

As marketing becomes more social, it’s time to begin bringing users into your content marketing. Next year, we expect to see more lawyers facilitating the creation of user-generated content. With this content, lawyers can learn what’s of interest to their users – and even use this content as building blocks for their own writing. We are launching a Q and A site called www.askanimmigrationlawyer.com, where site users will ask questions, and we will be answer on a weekly basis. The tag line is: “The only show where you create the content”. Users like being asked to suggest content, and it creates less work for savvy lawyer marketers.

There are likely to be other law firm marketing changes in 2015 that we have yet to predict. As the New Year begins, we’ll start to have a better grasp on this rapidly changing marketing world. Until then, prioritizing these 9 facets of your marketing strategy will get you ahead of the pack as 2014 draws to a close.