Technology has changed the way attorneys run their practices.
Good practice management software can eliminate things like the outsourced practice management guide or the in-house file clerk, the constant texts and calls to an assistant or an associate, the need to pack files in your briefcase, and so on.
And today, the right web marketing software can render struggles with do-it-yourself website builders and the expense of marketing agencies obsolete. With the right web marketing software, attorneys are put in control of their marketing and are able to invest their time and money into things that bring them measurable value.
Unfortunately, a lot of law firm marketing and practice management systems don’t talk to each other.
Having good web marketing software or good practice management software is a step in the right direction for most firms. But when you have web marketing and practice management tools that work together, it becomes a powerful partnership that transforms how you market and run
your practice.
When it’s done right, your web marketing and practice management should do three things:
1. Save time.
When your web marketing and practice management software work together, they save you time as clients move through each part of their journey with your firm.
Your web marketing is the first part of the client journey, and it should make it easy to get the attention of qualified potential clients, whether or not they realize at that early phase that they need an attorney.
It should help potential clients become aware that your firm exists, and engage those potential clients to answer their questions. It should get them interested in your services and give them the confidence that you are the right person to assist them.
Your web marketing should build a relationship between you and the potential client with minimal time required on your part so that you can connect efficiently with more potential clients and so that potential clients can make the decision to hire you and then take action to reach out to your firm.
When potential clients do things like submit information on a form on your law firm’s website, you should be able to easily transfer that information to your practice management software without having to enter information redundantly (and risk scrivener’s errors in the process). At the point at which a potential client is ready to retain you, your practice management software
should help you easily transition that client to the next part of their journey with your firm.
2. Integrate seamlessly
Your law firm web marketing and practice management software should seamlessly integrate with one another — and it shouldn’t require any tech experience to make them work together.
Attorneys often try to use software that isn’t built for their needs — and they end up struggling and wasting time and money as a result.
It’s important to have your web marketing in place as you begin growing your firm — and using the right web marketing software is key to online success. When attorneys use the right web marketing tools — ones that allow them to effectively engage with potential clients — they often see their business grow quickly. And when that happens, it’s important to be prepared downstream to handle all of those clients.
That means using the right practice management software. Do you have an intake system that will help you capture and follow up with leads? Does your practice management software help you get contracts and retainer agreement signed? You’ll want to be sure that you’re prepared at every stage of the client lifecycle, from the potential client’s initial awareness of your firm all the way to the conclusion of a case or matter.
Clio and LawLytics, for example, are native integration partners; you can connect your Clio account to your LawLytics account in just a few clicks. LawLytics allows you to easily attract more leads; you can then automatically push leads from LawLytics to Clio, or send forms to Clio on a click-by-click basis.
3. Add transparency to your day-to-day operations.
When your web marketing and practice management software work together, they should add transparency to your day-to-day operations. You should be able to access and see everything happening at your firm in one convenient location, helping you avoid chaos and confusion and missed items.
Good practice management software should be the hub of your firm’s daily practice activities. It’s the source of truth about what’s going on with clients, their matters, and the practice as a whole. The result is software that enables you to get more done and be in control of your practice because you can clearly see what’s happening at every level.
Similarly, good web marketing software also puts you in control of your practice when it adds transparency to your marketing. You should be able to easily create new website content, cut through useless metrics to understand clearly who is engaging with your website, as well as make it easy for your potential clients to like you, trust you, and contact you. Good web marketing software should make it easy to operate strategically, saving time and money in the process.
Choose software for your law firm that works together.
There is a right and wrong way to build your firm’s marketing, just as there’s a right and wrong way to run your practice. And today, technology is creating better, less expensive ways to market and run your practice.
Making sure that your web marketing and practice management software work together results in a powerful, scalable law firm infrastructure that saves you time and money.
Victoria Blute is the Director of Education at LawLytics. She is passionate about legal marketing and helping attorneys learn what works for law firms on the web. She can be contacted at [email protected].
