The need for faster, more instantaneous access to law firms and their fee earners has intensified since the dawn of social media. The need for legal sector to keep-to-date with technological advances is great. But the key question has always been what do clients want?
At Conscious, we have always strongly advocated the need for an up-to-date website and online marketing strategy. Keeping clients well informed whether it be face-to-face or online has always been one of the key metrics to a strong relationship between firm and client. Indeed, keeping valuable content on the website fresh and current will always indicate to the visitor that the firm is up to speed.
Social media has greatly highlighted the importance of this area. Twitter, LinkedIn and yes, even Facebook in some cases, have enabled professional firms to get closer to their clients, opening up the channels of communication. This need of rapid information have seen the likes of http://www.rightsolicitor.co.uk try and provide even faster access to the answers that clients are looking for.
We have seen from our own statistics that the most popular part of any law firm's website is their staff profiles, giving the indication that people still buy people. Such is the need for close communication with each individual client and the changes afoot in the legal sector over the coming months with Legal Services Act, is it possible that we will see a structural change in how firms physically see the client?
Will we see client meetings via video link perhaps? Are fee earners going to need a Social Media Executive as well as a PA? We shall see. The legal sector is really taking to social media as a whole and in my opinion, finally realising the potential of close engagement with clients directly online.
The deciding factor in this however is not the law firms themselves but the people buying their services. This has and always will be the casting vote as to whether firms adopt a new concept is part of the wider marketing strategy.
But I will simply leave you with this: Who dares to engage with the client, wins.