Should Digital Marketing Be Important to Lawyers?

• Author: Lynn Foley
• Date: November 16, 2016

2016 has seen a continued focus on digital strategy in the Canadian legal market. Legal industry professionals have been late adopters of digital processes. However, the continued disruption in the Canadian legal market has placed pressure on law firms to find new ways to increase brand awareness and to meet client expectations. So what do law firms need to implement digital policies that improve their bottom line and the client experience? Information and a thorough understanding of client needs.

For the second year in a row, fSquared Marketing has gathered data on the Canadian legal market, to help law firms customize their legal marketing efforts in the realm of digital processes and content strategies. We distributed surveys to three different kinds of professionals— in-house counsel, managing partners and chief marketing officers/senior legal marketers—all to understand the function of digital in their lives.

The surveys were focused on traditional digital interaction, web and social media engagement, content marketing, client feedback programs, electronic billing, client portals, legal process outsourcing, and directories.

Our analysis revealed a few notable trends that have continued from last year’s survey:

1. Canadian in-house counsel are consuming legal related information online — and the various new media found there — more frequently than before.
2. Although lawyer bios remain important, content marketing is a vital aspect of lawyer business development, with lawyer-authored articles and speeches, blogging and social media profiles influencing in-house counsel who are searching for an outside lawyer.
3. Not surprisingly, a recommendation from a trusted source is still the most important factor for in-house counsel who are looking to hire.

Our survey found that in-house counsel use lawyer bios, lawyer-authored blogs and articles, LinkedIn profiles, and lawyer social media activity to research potential hires. We also discovered that the perceived credibility of these digital sources has increased from last year. In addition, in-house counsel are more frequently using social media to find legal industry information, and to share legal news with in-house and outside counsel colleagues.

The Chief Marketing Officers of large law firms in Canada understand the importance of the digital profile of their firms and lawyers, and as a result have adopted robust digital processes and content marketing strategies. Now more than ever, the Internet is where...