Resources & Articles Law Firm Website Not Getting Enough Leads? Your Online Forms Could Be the Culprit
Your online contact forms are the workhorse of your website. They need to do the tough job of enticing new clients to convert and contact your firm. Check out these 5 mistakes we typically see law firms making with their online forms design and web design – and what you can do to make sure your website forms are converting and generating new client leads for you.
Online Form Mistake #1: Not Utilizing Online Forms
Many firms use an email address on their Contact Us page instead of a contact form. While it may seem like giving an email address makes you more accessible, in our experience, most people actually prefer to fill out a form rather than email a company. Why? It comes down to user friendliness and convenience. A form asks their name, contact info and may ask what they’re inquiring about. That extra effort in having to think and write that up in an email sometimes detracts people from actually taking the step of contacting you. By NOT having an online form on your website, you end up giving users extra steps (and increasing resistance) to completing that “conversion step of contacting you. An alternative to an e-mail link is an online form that simplifies the process and increases conversion.
Online Form Mistake #2: Failing to Ask Permission to Email or State Your Privacy Policy
Canadian anti-spam legislation (CASL) requires you to ask for permission to send emails if you wish to be compliant with the law. You can achieve compliance by using online forms. A user can opt in to your email updates by checking a box on an online form, such as “Yes, please subscribe me to future updates from your firm”. This not only puts you in compliance with CASL, but also allows you to market to them in the future and nurture that relationship.
Online Form Mistake #3: Lack of An Auto-response Email
One problem with many online forms is when they are filled out, the submission goes into a “black box”, and the user doesn’t really know if the company received it or not. A common complaint is not hearing back from a company within a reasonable amount of time after e-mailing them. One way to address that is making sure that each time someone contacts you via your online form, they get an automatic email from your firm, confirming receipt of their inquiry and acknowledging that they will hear back from one of your team members within 1 to 2 business days. By using Formstack forms, you can easily set up auto-response emails that are sent to users automatically after completing the form.
Online Form Mistake #4: Failure to Make Use of Video on Your Landing Page
Filling out an online form is the digital equivalent of saying “yes” to a date. And before your potential client accepts a date with you, they need to know, like and trust you. A short video introducing your firm, ideally with a friendly intro from the firm principal can provide the client with a sense of trust – something often overlooked but necessary to get someone to want to fill out your contact form. You may want to consider adding a short video that will both serve as a an introduction to your firm and its services. In our marketing practice we’ve seen videos hugely increase the response rate on our clients forms. See video contact form examples here from Shift Law, a Toronto Trademark Lawyer and Ken Pope Law, a disability estate planning lawyer.
Online Form Mistake #5: Not having an Appointment Scheduling Form
The process of having a user fill out a form to book a consultation with you can be cumbersome. In the best case scenario, someone will contact you and you may end up having to go back and forth by phone or email trying to nail down the best time to meet. Instead, many of our clients are offering an online calendar booking form. Offered by Calendly or ScheduleOnce, these apps typically integrate with your Google or Outlook Calendar and are highly customizable to show only the available time slots you want to offer, as your schedule permits. It’s a great way to give potential leads the “immediate gratification” of being on their way to a solution to the problem they sought you out to resolve. You’re in their calendar immediately, without the chase.
Watch our latest video where we go through the 5 biggest form mistakes law firms make and what you can do to avoid them!
Ready to take your law firms online forms and digital marketing to the next level? Contact us and let’s talk! Legalwerx is a law firm marketing agency that supports law firms with their web design, SEO digital marketing, social media and lead generation.
Legalwerx and our parent agency, napkin marketing have been helping law firms and businesses with digital marketing since 2010.
