There are a lot of choices available when it comes to deciding what digital channels you are going to invest time & money in. The most important part of this process is to remember that is NOT about you but about your audience. Your decisions need to be based on how, where and when your audience wants to interact with your business.

Remember these two words – audience & data. They will form the foundation on deciding what channels are right for you. Your goal is to match your customers with the perfect channels to communicate with them.

So where do you start?

Your start by understanding your clients and that often starts by looking at your existing data which is often overlooked by most law firms. Data, what data?

Every website should have Google Analytics set up on it. (if you don’t then do something about it today). It is free and it is a basic requirement as part of your digital assets. You need this information to determine who is actually interacting with your business. Your data will tell you so much information about your target audience and this will help you determine what digital channels you should be using, rather than just copying your competitors or because someone told you needed a Facebook page.

Like many other aspects of today’s digital world, law firms need to reframe their thinking when it comes to marketing. In order to do this, business owners should put themselves in their customers’ shoes to determine the marketing channels that will work best. You need to reverse engineer the process you are used to following.

What do the numbers tell you? You are likely already using various digital channels, so look at the data & insights to paint a picture that will help determine where you should be focusing your time & money.

• Are your clients highly engaged with your Email marketing?
• Are clients active users on your Facebook page or is there silence?
• Do you get regular new followers on LinkedIn?
• Is your audience more active on mobile devices over PCs?
• Are you getting lots of regular views on your videos?

The information you can get from your data and social media insights is invaluable yet no one ever takes the time to look at it. Today’s consumer is looking for information on the run. Your potential customer needs to be able to find your business, no matter where they are, or what device they are using. How do you create content until you know your audience and you do this through analytics and social media insights? It is free and accessible, you just need to take the time to look at it. This data will tell you what they want to know more about, which digital channels they are using and how they want to receive information?

Deciding on your digital channels is all about your audience & data. You need to be on the channels that your audience is on, not where you ‘think’ they are. This is the one vital mis-step most law firms take so don’t make the same mistake.

Once you have done your research you should create persona’s or profiles for them which allows you to better understand your clients & candidates, and as a result, create marketing that will reach, resonate, and generate qualified leads!  Your goal should be to create a long term relationships with your audience.

Now the first thing you need to do after reading this is…. you said it… go and look at your data!