Compelling Reasons for Law Firms to have a Mobile Website
At a recent meeting of the Network of Trial Law Firms I described compelling reasons for law firms to have mobile website, especially because 3 out of 4 people who search for a lawyer go online to find a lawyer.
What's changed is that smart phones are now outselling PCs, and the number of mobile internet users is now at 1.5 Billion. But mobile users operate differently from PC users. Many homes now have three-screen setups -- watching TV, using apps on a tablet and texting on a smart phone.
In this presentation, I cover:
- How mobile websites differ from regular websites
- What IS and is NOT mobile-friendly
- Duda mobile: creating a mobile site on the fly
- Responsive design vs. mobile first
- Case Study: McCarter & English mobile site
Having a mobile website will help a lawyer sell more effectively to clients, in several scenarios:
- Lawyer-to-Lawyer Referral: A lawyer’s name is given to a GC as the best person to handle a matter. The GC goes to your website on his iPhone to validate the lawyer’s credentials. Your mobile website or profile on a legal directory should highlight your attorney profile, the firm’s practice areas, and your expertise (e.g. Blog).
- A lawyer is at a conference and meets a prospective client. The lawyer mentions an alert the firm issued and is able to display it instantly. Your mobile website or profile on a legal directory should highlight your alerts, publications and news.
- Client meeting at firm: A client is going to a meeting at the firm and needs directions. The client can’t recall the address. Your mobile website or profile on a legal directory should highlight your offices, maps and directions.
Obviously, the most important link to click on a mobile website is "Find a lawyer." Smart firms will design mobile bios that allow one-touch functionality to send an email, call you, get directions and view your website.
For more on this topic, see Get New Business with Mobile Marketing. Larry Bodine is a journalist, lawyer and business development advisor to law firms. He is currently pursuing a project to publish legal news for consumers in newspapers, TV stations and web sites. For more information, you can reach him at 520.577.9759 and larrybodine.com.
Hi Larry- Just spent some time last weekend updating the site to a new (more) mobile friendly platform. As you so clearly state, it is the future.
Thank for the great input Larry. We will in short time updating our website to a mobile platform.
A lawyer is at a conference and meets a prospective client. The lawyer mentions an alert the firm issued and is able to display it instantly.