As you focus on building your legal practice, it’s important to consider the different paths that potential clients may take before they decide to work with you. A former client may recommend your law practice to a friend, who may then decide to retain your services. Perhaps you were recently recognized for your professional accomplishments in a local newspaper article or blog post, and this attention invited more calls from potential clients. In many cases, people in your community may start their client journey by entering a simple question into Google’s search engine and looking for information about a legal issue. By taking some time to explore the different ways in which clients arrive at your doorstep and making sure each step is attuned to their needs, your firm will gradually emerge as a trusted and responsive law practice—ultimately connecting you with more clients.
User Experience and User Interface: Both Are Important
The best way to explore the quality of the client experience is to put yourself in the shoes of potential clients. As you map out the various ways in which clients may interact with you or become aware of your legal practice, you may hear terms like “user experience” (UX) or “user interface” (UI). While these terms may be used interchangeably at times, there is a subtle difference in meaning.
UX encompassess the questions you ask to ensure that your services are customized and responsive to client needs. While UX concepts are often associated with digital marketing strategies, any service you provide or client interaction you have can benefit from UX principles. For instance, the speed at which your website loads on a mobile device, the ease of scheduling an appointment, and the tone you use in your email communications can all benefit from UX strategies.
When you focus on UI, you are looking at intentional design decisions that promote a positive user experience. Think of UI as the elements that support your UX efforts. For example, an elder law attorney may purposely choose a calming color scheme and use a larger font on their website in order to serve elderly clients better.
UX Goes Beyond Digital Marketing Strategies
It’s important to keep in mind that a sleek website and content-rich blogs are only a small piece of the client experience. While these efforts may gradually generate more website traffic and make your firm more visible to potential clients, you’ll need to convert this traffic into client calls in order to grow your practice.
Can a visitor to your website easily schedule a consultation with you? Does your website offer answers to frequently asked questions? Does the tone of your website inspire potential clients to trust you with their complex—and often deeply personal—legal matters? It’s essential that the reassurance and support clients feel when looking at your website and reviews from former clients aligns with their subsequent interactions with you. The more you can bring your virtual professional reputation in harmony with who you are in person, the more trust and confidence you will inspire in your clients.
Wondering how implementing UX and UI principles can boost your firm’s visibility and grow legal practice? Give LegalRev a call today at (800) 893-2590 to discuss your digital marketing goals.
