by Ben Dahl
Did you know that up to 25 percent of leads come from outside normal business hours?
Times have changed in the midst of this mobile revolution. Little do people want to burden themselves with calling your law firm, much less visiting your office. When someone gets in a car crash, needs advice on their estate, or when they are pulled over for a DUI and aren’t sure what to do, they want to text your firm for help. What’s more, they want your service to be available 24/7. Seems like people are a bit demanding these days doesn’t it? Well, whether you find clients through paid search or acquire them organically through your website, there is a solution.
You might be wondering why this is so important, or if it is even important at all.
We recently had our quarterly Google Partner call and these are some numbers they shared with us:
This past year mobile’s share of online sessions, the amount of all online activity from cell phones, increased by 20 percent.
With that, the average time spent per visit to a site decreased by 18 percent. People are looking for answers and they want them fast.
The answer to their problems ought to be served on a silver platter with a “Contact” button beneath.
And don’t mistake haste for lack of intention. Mobile conversion rates increased 29 percent. So, not only are more people searching from their phones, but also they are searching faster and buying more.
This means you better be ready to cater to people searching from mobile phones. Even at home where a desktop computer is readily available, 68 percent of searches are still done via mobile (Bright Local 2016). The way these numbers are growing, that could easily be a significantly higher number by the end of next year.
So how should your firm take advantage of the mobile revolution?
There is a price you pay if you are not “available” 24/7. Can your firm afford to be missing out on a fourth of its potential business?
The first solution is live chat, a simple piece of code on your website which allows visitors to chat in real time with either you, your office admin, or a customer support agent. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, live chat allows you to capture leads while you sleep. The best part is that you get to decide which chats are qualified leads, and only pay for the leads that you want. Many law firms already use this to provide 24/7 service.
We have seen this tool provide massive results for our clients. Those who have implemented it on their site are generating between 20 and 25 percent of all leads outside of normal business hours without putting in any extra effort. This is a great investment for your firm. Not only does it increase your business, but it adds value to people who need help immediately.
Imagine someone gets pulled over for around 9:00 pm after having a couple glasses of wine with dinner at their favorite restaurant. They know they can’t hide the alcohol on their breath and will likely have to answer for it. In this situation, they don’t want until tomorrow for help and can’t browse your website for useful content. A quick Google search brings them to your website where they are greeted by a live support person who can help answer their questions. The next morning you can review and decide if you want them as a client.
Text message ad extensions for your paid ads work much in the same way. These are the newest addition to Google’s arsenal of ad extensions, and implementing these for your ads is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. What makes text message ad extensions especially useful is that people don’t have to make it to your site. They can text you or a live support agent straight from your ad on Google. In an era where speed counts, providing answers straight from the search results page is an effective way to harness those leads.
At GNGF, we see live chat and text message extensions for you ads as no brainers for your firm no matter your practice area. We recommend to all our clients that they use live chat. Our clients that have implemented it are glad they did, and it has become a great tool in helping them grow their business.
Leave a Reply