By Stephen Fairley , CEO , Rainmaker Institute

Two-time international bestselling author , Stephen Fairley is CEO of The Rainmaker Institute , LLC , the nation ’ s largest law firm marketing company specializing in marketing and lead conversion for small to medium law firms . Over 18,000 attorneys nationwide have benefited from learning and implementing the proven Rainmaker Marketing System . Over the last 16 years , he has become a nationally recognized legal marketing expert and been named , “ America ’ s Top Marketing Coach .” He has spoken numerous times for over 35 of the nation ’ s largest state and local bar associations and has a large virtual footprint with his highly successful Rainmaker legal marketing blog and has over 200,000 followers on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn . For more information , please visit www . TheRainmakerInstitute . com or call 888.588.5891 .

Last year , an Avvo survey of 1,000 consumers who purchased legal services provided some important insights into what attorneys need to know about the modern legal consumer . The Avvo study offered a three-point description of today ’ s legal consumers . They are :

Informed — access to legal information online has made consumers more savvy than ever about the options available to them . They read legal articles , research their particular legal issue , research an attorney and visit legal forums online .

Connected — people now have immediate access to other legal consumers online and they are reading reviews about others ’ experiences with attorneys . An overwhelming 95 % said that online reviews were important when choosing a lawyer . Of those who received a referral , 45 % still researched attorneys online .

Picky — legal consumers know there are a number of different ways to purchase services , including online forms , fixed fee options , etc . They are increasingly attracted to unbundled services , an a la carte solution for their legal issues . In fact , 76 % said they prefer fixed fee billing arrangements .

To connect with legal consumers today , attorneys must :

Have a strong online presence . When it comes to online marketing , you should focus on two things : ( 1 ) go where your potential clients are , and ( 2 ) implement what you can measure . You have to be able to measure your success ( or failure ) to discover what works for your area of practice and to be able to build on those successes . When it comes to social media , Facebook is a must for consumer attorneys . One of the most powerful features of Facebook is ad targeting , the ability to layer targeting options on top of one another to create a highly specific audience . This enables you to target locally and get your ads in front of people who need your services now . Facebook ads are low-cost , so you can experiment to see what resonates with your potential clients and then repeat what works .

Encourage online reviews . Attorneys need to create a process for making reviews happen . Always look for those moments in your relationships with clients to create a review opportunity – when you have won a case for a client , when you have helped someone avoid litigation – all opportunities for you to generate a great review . Make it easy for clients to review you by emailing them a link to post a review on Google .

24 CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY JOURNAL Spring 2017 National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys