Sourcing potential clients online in the form of legal leads is still new to many attorneys. Even if it’s not, technology changes fast, and law firms often review their strategy to find the most effective solutions. One of the first questions our support team at 4LegalLeads.com hears from new account holders is about which method we recommend–web leads or live calls. The answer might surprise you.
Web leads have been available for more than 20 years now. That’s where our business started, at the very beginning of the industry. Then, a few years ago technology matured to the point where it was possible to route leads captured online direct to an attorney’s phone as a live call lead. That’s when the questions began. We were quick to adopt the new technology and have been helping clients nationwide to sort out the two tactics ever since.
First, let’s make sure the options are clear.
What are Legal Leads?
Legal leads transform the online marketing experience for law firms and make it easier to succeed. Lead providers have the online advertising expertise needed to make sure that potential clients in your region can find your practice. As they search for an attorney, the provider routes them to you as a legal lead either online as a Web Lead or live on the phone.
What are Web Leads for Attorneys?
The idea behind Web Leads, and legal leads in general, is pretty simple. Someone sees an ad online that links them to a website. There, they fill out a form and submit it in order to connect with an attorney. The steps look like this:
- Targeting – Your law firm sets up a custom targeting solution that covers two main criteria. What areas of law do you practice? What geographic area do you want to target for your leads? That way, you only target leads that are relevant to your law firm.
- Capture – Leads are captured online, and both the form and the system that sorts the leads before delivery are designed to run through several layers of quality filters. This helps prevent mismatches or mistakes.
- Delivery – A lead is sent to you in the ways you designate, usually by email and text/SMS.
You take it from there in responding to the lead, and there are certain advantages providers may offer.
- Exclusivity – This is hugely important. There are providers who will send a lead to multiple attorneys in order to maximize their profits. This forces the attorneys into an unfair race to see who reaches the lead first. Your law firm deserves a “one lead per one attorney” policy, and you’ll want to ask in that plain, simple language to be sure you receive that advantage.
- Real-Time Delivery – This is also essential. Real-time means pretty much just what it says. It means that after that lead hits “submit” online and sends their form, there is a near-instant notification sent your way.
Speed is the most important aspect of successfully converting online leads into sales. Exclusivity and real-time delivery work together to help you respond quickly to a lead and be the first attorney to reach them. Literally, mere seconds can make the difference in your ability to connect with a lead. People are impatient, and once they have sat down to search online for help, they will keep searching and submitting more forms on other sites if they don’t hear back quickly.
That’s the essence of a web lead. Someone is connected with you online, and your law firm bears responsibility for responding to that lead as quickly as possible. That’s why many people like option two, the live call.
What are Live Call Leads for Attorneys?
Live calls are very similar in setup and function to web leads. As mentioned above, they are targeted, captured online, and routed through a sophisticated online system to your law firm. The big difference, of course, is that the lead calls you direct.
With Live Calls, there’s no lag time between a lead submitting a form and the law firm responding. It’s simply an instantaneous connection. The real-time delivery is baked into the call itself.
It’s also a very personal connection, which is not to be dismissed or underestimated. Legal leads are typically in a pretty vulnerable spot when they reach out for an attorney online. Making that personal connection right away goes a long way in earning the trust of the lead before the conversation even begins.
With all that in mind, it’s pretty easy to see why live calls have become a big favorite of law firms in connecting with potential clients. In many ways, live calls were a step forward for the industry, and it begs the question for many attorneys whether they want to continue receiving web leads.
So, Which Is the Best Tactic for Converting Legal Leads Into Sales, Web Leads or Live Calls?
Here’s the simple answer: both.
In spite of the surface appearance of Live Calls being the stronger option, web leads and live calls are an essential pairing for a successful legal lead strategy. Here’s why.
- Using web leads and live calls together gives people options. The truth is, not everyone wants to call directly. Some people feel safer beginning their communication online through a web lead, and there are more of them than you think. Law firms who use only one or the other tactic cut themselves off from a large source of leads.
- Having both kinds of leads gives you options as well. Live calls are best used when you or your staff are ready and able to answer the phone. (These hours can be scheduled.) Sending someone to your voice mail just isn’t a good option or best practice. However, it’s not always easy to keep that kind of time on the calendar. Web leads need an immediate response, but there are ways you can automate a response if you’re not available, which can be effective. Having both tactics in play gives you more flexibility in managing your lead flow and response.
Ultimately, there are more important questions to ask when using legal leads.
Choosing to use both web leads and live calls together is an easy decision. The more critical and important work follows that decision. There are at least two things you want to ensure.
- A strategy for responding to leads quickly. We can’t say it enough. A fast response is the way you get the most value and conversions out of your leads. It often sounds too simple, but it’s true.
- A strategy for organizing your response. The other way law firms lose value from leads is by failing to have systems and practices in place that provide an organized, thoughtful journey for people to take from being a lead to becoming a client. Believe it or not, law firms will simply forget to follow up with a good lead, or worse, the lead will begin to feel they aren’t a priority and lose trust in their attorney.
Using lead intake software and legal CRM systems is really the best way to meet these challenges. These solutions allow your law firm to make automated email responses to leads so that people know they’re being cared for. They keep your team organized and track tasks and progress for each lead.
Our support team at 4LegalLeads.com is always happy to recommend a good software solution and point you in the right direction. We’ve spent more than 20 years answering attorneys’ questions about using legal leads to grow their law firms so they can find success. When fully supported by best practices, legal leads provide an incredibly affordable, convenient, and scalable solution for solving the challenges of connecting with potential clients online.
Create your free account today at https://4legalleads.com/lawyers or call (844) 844-0480. There are no contracts, setup fees, or minimums. It just takes a minute, and our support team will help you complete your setup so you can start finding new clients online as soon as possible.
