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Statistics illustrate the marketing trends happening both inside the legal industry and in the larger marketing community. Check this post out for 54 statistics about marketing that can help your law firm stay ahead of the curve.
As you already know, leads need to be coming through the door for your law firm to succeed. As one matter closes, you generally need another file to take its place. That is why legal marketing is such an important part of a lawyer’s long-term success.
In 1920, marketing and advertising largely happened in print and radio. There were no televisions in every home. People were still widely using telegraphs, and the telephone was a recent invention. The proliferation of new media sources (and new advertising channels), the internet, and mobile phones were unfathomable.
Fast forward 100 years, and the rapidly changing landscape of digital marketing defines advertising and marketing strategies for companies across the globe. Law firms are no exception to these changing trends. In order to stay relevant and reach certain goals, lawyers must keep up with evolving marketing trends.
Statistics are often eye-opening glimpses into current marketing trends and can help you better understand how to reach your ideal clients.
Search & SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of maximizing a website or other web property’s visibility in the organic results of Google and other leading search engines. It is an important part of ensuring that potential clients can find you when they are looking for a lawyer.
- Google was the most visited website last year. (Source: Oberlo)
- In July 2021, Google had 89.88 billion total visits, with an average of 8.61 pages viewed per visit. (Source: Similar Web)
- 68% of online experiences begin on a search engine. (Source: BrightEdge)
- SEO drives 1000%+ more organic traffic than social media. (Source: BrightEdge)
- The number one result on Google has an average click-through rate of 31.7%. (Source: Backlinko)
- In the second quarter of 2021, 61% of organic search engine visits in the United States occurred on mobile devices. (Source: Statista)
- More than half of all web traffic comes from smartphones and tablets. (Think With Google)
- 64% of marketers actively invest time in SEO. (Source: HubSpot)
- The average number one ranking page also ranks in the top 10 search results for nearly 1,000 other keywords. (Source: Ahrefs)
- More than 33% of clients start their search for a lawyer online. (Source: Nivan)
Content Marketing
Content marketing is the strategic process of creating and distributing content that is valuable, relevant, and consistent to attract new leads and retain a particular audience.
- 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. (Source: HubSpot)
- 24% of marketers planned to increase their investment in content marketing in 2020. (Source: HubSpot)
- 87% of marketers believe that content marketing helped them meet their brand awareness goals. (Source: Statista)
- Almost 40% of marketers say content marketing is a very important part of their overall marketing strategy. (Source: HubSpot)
- Blogs are one of the three primary forms of media used in content strategies today. (Source: HubSpot)
Video Marketing
Video is an increasingly popular marketing channel that drives engagement and reaches clients in new and innovative ways.
- Last year, video became the most commonly used format in content marketing, overtaking both blogs and infographics. (Source: HubSpot)
- Adults spent two hours and 13 minutes each day with digital video in 2020, which represented an increase from one hour and 46 minutes per day in 2019. (Source: Marketing Charts)
- YouTube is the fourth most-used social media platform by marketers, following Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. (Source: HubSpot)
- Seven in 10 YouTube viewers watch videos for help with a problem related to their job, studies, or a hobby. (Source: Think With Google)
- 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. (Source: Wyzowl)
- 84% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads. (Source: Wyzowl)
Social Media
Social media burst onto the scene over a decade ago and has not shown any signs of disappearing. With social media here to stay, it has become a fundamental part of developing a well-rounded marketing strategy.
- Facebook is the primary content distribution channel for marketers. (Source: HubSpot)
- Over 50% of the world’s population is on social media. (Source: Smart Insights)
- User-generated content on Facebook impacts up to 26.4% of consumer purchase decisions. (Source: eMarketer)
- Adult usage on TikTok is increasing with the average time spent on the app by adults up five minutes in 2020 from 2019. (Source: Marketing Charts)
- The number of adults in the United States using TikTok doubled in 2020. (Source: Marketing Charts)
Email Marketing
Email marketing continues to be a very important channel for companies (and law firms) looking to connect with potential clients and maintain relationships with current and former clients. This is an ideal channel for reaching clients in a medium where you can fully control the message.
- Personalization is the number one tactic used by email marketers to improve the performance of messages, followed by mobile-friendly messaging at number two. (Source: HubSpot)
- If a recipient’s name is in the email subject line, the message typically has an 18.3% open rate. (Source: Business 2 Community)
- 35% of marketers send 3-5 emails per week to their customer base. (Source: HubSpot)
- 30% of marketers use audience segmentation tactics to improve email engagement. (Source: HubSpot)
- 47% of people open emails based on only the email’s subject line. (Source: Business 2 Community)
- Six to 10 words in an email subject line appears to be the sweet spot for open rates, receiving 21% of opens. (Source: Business 2 Community)
Law Firm Marketing
While many of the previous statistics refer to marketing as a whole, this section is dedicated to trends in the legal industry. Below are statistics pulled from the American Bar Association 2020 Legal Technology Survey Report.
Marketing Staffs & Budgets
- 97% of law firms with 100+ lawyers have an internal marketing staff.
- 33% of law firms of 10-49 lawyers have an internal marketing staff.
- 66% of solo practitioners handle their own marketing.
- 63% of law firms of 10-49 lawyers have a defined marketing budget.
- 32% of law firms with 2-9 lawyers have a marketing budget.
- Only 14% of solo practitioners have a marketing budget.
- In total, 46% of lawyers and law firms reported having a marketing budget in 2020.
- 26% of law firms increased their marketing budget in 2020, while 11% said it decreased.
Use of Outside Consultants
- 19% of firms with 10-49 lawyers use outside consultants.
- 21% of law firms with 2-9 lawyers use external marketing consultants
- 23% of law firms with 100+ lawyers use external marketing consultants for their marketing efforts.
- 5% of solo practitioners use external marketing consultants.
- Site design, search engine optimization, and social media are the most likely tasks to be outsourced to an external consultant.
Websites, Social Media, & Video
- 87% of law firms report having a website.
- 98% of law firms include attorney profiles of their firm’s partners on their websites, while 73% feature their associates.
- 68% of lawyers and law firms with a website reported that their site is mobile-friendly.
- 27% of law firms report having a blog.
- 25% of firms with a blog report that a client has retained them as a result of their blog.
- 81% of law firms and individual lawyers have some sort of presence on social media.
- 76% of lawyers and law firms using social media use LinkedIn, followed by Facebook at 60% and Twitter at 37 percent.
- Instagram is one of the least used platforms by lawyers.
- 24% of lawyers and law firms report using video as part of their marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts: Why Do You Care?
You want to stay ahead of the curve to maximize the return on your investment in legal marketing. This means staying up to date on the changing trends in the marketing industry, as well as being ahead of the curve for marketing trends in the legal industry. Hopefully, these statistics can help you catch up on any marketing trends where you may be behind the curve and then stay at the forefront of the latest in marketing as you continue to develop your legal marketing strategy into the future.
