Directory listing management for attorneys can be very time consuming if you don’t know what you are doing.
There are so many benefits of directory listings for law firms – once you figure out how to use and manage them, that is. With so many listings to select from and the different methods for building out profiles, the process can be daunting.
Here are some guidelines that can help lawyers directory listing management for attorneys, and how to use them appropriately to get the best results.
Consider what makes a legal directory valuable
Before listing your law firm in a directory, you should ask yourself whether the directory will have value for your firm.
- Does it give you a unique advantage that you couldn’t get elsewhere?
- Are potential clients actively using the directory?
Sometimes using law firm directory listings comes with a fee, so when you pay for them, where is your marketing budget really going?
Answering these questions beforehand can save you from wasting your money and time on directories that may have a negative impact on your business, or not provide any benefits for your firm.
How does this directory benefit your potential clients?
Choosing directories that will benefit your clients and your law firm is the best way for them to be effective.
Does this particular directory provide value to its users? Is it popular with they type of clients you want to attract? How likely is it that a qualified potential client is going to find your firm on this directory? Can you tell how many people are actually using this directory?
For example, if you are choosing between a directory platform such as Yelp and a more obscure legal directory, Yelp is going to be the wiser choice initially. Yelp is very popular and has millions of visitors each month. Your law firm is going to be found more frequently on Yelp than it will on a less-commonly used directory platform.
It is important to make sure potential clients find your law firm with directory listings.
Attorneys should start with popular directories initially
There are countless directories out there, but, claiming your profile on every single platform is not an efficient use of your energy or time. It is not the smartest tactic for establishing your digital presence either.
It is recommended that attorneys claim their profiles on directory platforms like Yelp, Avvo, and Google first, then move on to more obscure or less popular platforms. It is unlikely that your potential clients begin their searches on the smaller directories, but, there is a good likelihood that they will come across your law firm in the more prominent directories as a result of search engine results pages (SERPs). It is possible potential clients use these popular directories on a regular basis.
Yelp is a very popular directory platform with mobile users, especially in larger, tech-savvy cities such as San Francisco. Many people in areas like that use Yelp frequently. Many users look up businesses (law firms included) on Yelp before they make any decisions.
Build up directory profiles with reputation management tools
It is a good idea to claim your profiles on directory platforms like Yelp, Avvo, and Google, and then use those profiles to circulate insightful information about you and your law firm.
Your law firm can build up these profiles steadily as well with testimonials from happy clients. Potential clients value the feedback your previous clients have when making a decision to hire you. The importance of reputation management is growing all the time. For many people, online reviews carry just as much importance as reviews from a family member or friend.
The good news? The process of gathering, displaying and managing your law firm’s online reputation does not have to be tricky.
Use good reputation management tools for your law firm
The AdInfusion system has built-in recommendation engines that allow you to add reviews to your law firm website quickly and easily. In addition, our system generates an index that allows potential clients to see reviews that are most relevant to their situation. Our system gives law firms complete control over which of their reviews are displayed and where.
These recommendations will become a vital portion of your website, but they do not reach out beyond your website, like other directory platforms such as Avvo, Google, and Yelp.
Think about the smaller directories when you have time
Once you have taken the time to establish your law firm’s profiles on the larger, popular directories, and built them up with client testimonials, then it might be the right time to start considering some of the smaller directories.
Make sure this process does not hinder building up the resources on things that your firm controls or owns–like your blog and website. If you get too focused on things like directory listings instead of building up high-quality, captivating content on your website, you may dilute your web presence needlessly, and you’ll be investing your time (or money) in strategies that do not generate results for your law firm.
Let AdInfusion simplify your law firm’s digital marketing
At AdInfusion, we are driven by the pursuit of the best methods for marketing for each individual law firm. AdInfusion was designed to empower law firms to take control of their digital marketing and to have outstanding marketing success without wasting your valuable money or time.
AdInfusion offers more practical marketing solutions for attorneys. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help your law firm succeed online, call us at 916-798-5707 today.
