Sales funnels provide law firms with a strategy for attracting new prospects, nurturing leads, and driving conversion rates. The reference to a funnel provides a visual comparison for understanding the ultimate goal of this marketing tool. The sales funnel starts wide, with the aim to attract attention from numerous prospects. It then narrows as the more serious prospects turn into viable leads and eventually convert into paying clients.
This sales funnel creates three distinct sections: top, middle, and bottom. At the top of the funnel, we consider clients to be in the Discovery phase. They know they need help with a legal matter, and they’ve begun their search for a law firm who can provide that help. These are your warm leads that may not know about your team. To reach them and draw them in, you need a strong online presence and reputation.
The middle of the funnel is the Consideration phase. At this point, they’ve discovered you, as well as potentially some of your competition. They’re considering which law firm they will use. You must remain in the forefront of their minds in order to land the client. You can’t disappear from their view at this point, or you will likely lose the chance to reach them as a potential client.
Finally, the bottom of the funnel occurs at the point where they are ready to convert into a client. Some law firms drop the ball by ignoring their clients at the Conversion stage. However, you still need to market to these clients while also providing exceptional legal service, as that’s how you retain them and replicate them through word-of-mouth marketing.
Just as sales funnels are vital to a successful law firm marketing plan, effective content is vital to a successful sales funnel. However, content extends beyond just your website content and blog posts. This post will explore the funnel and provide tips about the types of content that firms can use to maximize the results of each phase.
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Discovery
When consumers need help with a legal matter, they search for a law firm that matches their needs and expectations. It is during this Discovery Phase of the sales funnel that prospects develop awareness of a law firm. Therefore, this phase is all about expanding firm visibility, capturing prospects’ attention, and enticing them to learn more.
Discovery Phase content should be informative, but it also needs to be interesting. The legal industry is a crowded field, so firms need content that stands apart from the others and effectively introduces their brand.
One of the most important aspects of the Discovery Phase is identifying a target audience and ideal client. This information helps with creating content that speaks to the prospects that are most likely to convert. For instance, an Atlanta-based personal injury law firm should incorporate keywords and topics that speak to the types of legal issues that their ideal client would likely research. That might look like these examples:
- Best Atlanta Personal Injury Law Firm
- Georgia Automobile Accident Lawyer
- Atlanta Work Injury Attorneys
- Top Georgia Medical Malpractice Law Firm
The client persona also helps firms determine where to showcase their content. Suppose a firm specializes in cases that chiefly involve younger clients. While social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok may not be traditional options for law firms, they may be viable content mediums for these firms to be discovered by their ideal clients.
Leveraging Content in the Discovery Phase
The Discovery phase is the phase where many law firms focus much of their content marketing, and for good reason. You need a wide range of content to grab the attention of people searching for legal help.
Some content options for the Discovery phase of the law firm sales funnel include:
- Social media posts
- Guest blog posting and podcasting
- Website pages
- Landing pages
- eBooks and Whitepapers
- Publication contributions
- Webinars
- Videos
- Infographics
- Speaking engagements
To make this content, especially the online content, effective, you need to think like someone searching for legal help. While they might search for “personal injury law firms near me,” they may also search for “What to do after a car accident with injuries” or “What are the first steps to take after a car accident?” You could utilize a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on your website or an FAQ section at the bottom of each webpage to answer these questions. Not only will your content help the reader, but you can use it to draw them to your firm instead of the competition.
Video content can have a similar effect. If someone has a legal concern, they may head to YouTube to find information. If an attorney from your firm is the one they connect with, they’re more likely to enlist your help as they move forward with their case.
The goal of this stage of the process is building awareness and moving the lead into becoming a client.
Consideration
Once a prospect takes interest in a law firm for potential representation, the sales funnel moves into the Consideration Phase. Prospects are now viable leads, and they begin the process of evaluating the firm. They want to learn more about the attorneys they will potentially work with, including their skills, reputation, and ability to handle their legal matters. These leads also want to know more about the firm’s culture and how it aligns with their own personality and preferences.
During this stage of the funnel, a firm’s main goal is lead nurturing, which involves building relationships to determine needs and establish trust. Content strategies that work well during this phase include:
- Personalized email messaging campaigns
- A free consultation
- Chatbots
- Articles with information specific to the lead’s case
- Social media engagement
Quite often, leads disappear during the Consideration Phase of the sales funnel. This may happen for a variety of reasons. Perhaps their legal needs were met by another firm, or life changes may have forced them to postpone representation. Sometimes, even when leads fully desire to move forward, they still hesitate to do so.
When this occurs, law firms can use re-engagement campaigns targeted at bringing lost leads back into the Consideration Phase. Content regarding statute of limitations or case studies highlighting past firm successes can prove very effective in these situations. Client testimonials and positive reviews may also be used to re-target lost leads.
One more important point about Consideration Phase content. Tracking and reporting are very important. Firms need a good understanding about which types of content yield the best results, so that necessary pivots can be made. Legal technology has come a long way in assisting with this task. For instance, Law Ruler is legal Client Relations Management (CRM) software that offers law firms the detailed analytics they need to gauge the health of their marketing strategies for the greatest return on investment.
Leveraging Content in the Consideration Phase
At this point in the sales funnel, your marketing becomes more direct. Frequency and message are both important as you guide prospects to the point of conversion. Building trust and establishing yourself as an authority are both vital.
Personalized email campaigns are highly effective at this point. Your potential client’s legal needs stay at the forefront of their minds, but not necessarily your firm. If you can present emails at regular intervals that hold informational content while also pointing to your firm, you’re more likely to convert that potential client into a signed client.
For example, an immigration law firm works with people who have intense, immediate, and frightening needs, such as facing deportation. Sending emails regularly that educate about immigration law can put minds at ease while also helping your firm stay relevant in this difficult time. Feeding emails into an automated marketing system, such as Law Ruler, streamlines this process.
SMS campaigns perform a similar role. They send targeted, personalized messages to the client on their phone, ensuring your firm is the one they consider as they move forward with their legal need. Law Ruler’s legal marketing automation allows you to set up these campaigns, launch them, and then focus on other areas of your firm’s growth.
Law Ruler’s Ultimate Guide to Marketing Your Law Firm
Law firm marketing can seem overwhelming, but Law Ruler can help your firm drive growth with data-backed decision-making. Our guide lays out the basics of creating a legal marketing strategy, so you can demonstrate your expertise to potential clients via a timely, helpful, and interesting marketing message that converts.
Conversion
This is the final phase of the sales funnel and likely the most gratifying. Conversion happens when leads make their final decision. They have been effectively nurtured through the funnel, and they have developed trust in the firm. They are ready to become paying clients. But there is more to this phase than a retainer agreement and a payment. This is also an excellent opportunity for setting both the new client and the firm up for a successful working relationship.
New clients enter this phase with all types of questions about fees and payment options. They may also inquire about their assigned attorney and how often they can expect matter updates. Conversion content should provide comprehensive answers to their questions. That could happen through:
- Follow up emails
- Information sheets with success tips
- An intake informational video
- A face-to-face intake meeting
Leveraging Content During the Conversion Phase
Content used during the Conversion Phase should reinforce the new client’s confidence in the firm and their decision to become a client. It should also promote strong customer service to encourage client satisfaction.
Follow-up emails are the heart and soul of post-conversion content. They provide valuable information to the client about their case and the best steps to take as it progresses. Keeping clients informed throughout the process can improve their overall feeling of support and client satisfaction. They also provide a place to link to review websites at the conclusion of the case. If you carefully craft an email campaign and then launch it through your CRM, this process will not add work to your plate, even while being highly effective. Leveraging the AI email writing features with Law Ruler can make this even easier.
Strong Content is Essential to a Successful Law Firm Sales Funnel
Sales funnel content is not a one-size-fits all strategy. What works for a criminal law practice may not work for a business law firm. The key is to understand the needs of an ideal client and make content that addresses those needs.
Automation is also vital. A busy law firm does not have time to spend hours monitoring its content marketing campaigns. A legal CRM, like Law Ruler, puts content marketing on autopilot, freeing your firm to focus on building and growing those client relationships through face-to-face interactions while your CRM does the content marketing work for you. Leveraging AI features to plan content and provide marketing suggestions adds to the benefits of a CRM designed specifically with law firms in mind.
With a legal CRM in place, firms can efficiently manage their sales funnel and lead nurturing within an organized and easy-to-use platform. To learn more about Law Ruler’s law firm CRM software, schedule a demo today.
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