Although most legal marketing initiatives focus on client acquisition – think lead generation , SEO-powered blogging and good old fashioned networking – client retention offers far more bang for the buck. Studies show that there’s a 60 to 70 percent chance of making a sale to an existing customer compared to just a 5 to 20 percent chance of snagging a new customer through diligent marketing and follow-up – plus, it costs five times more to bring in new customers than to retain existing ones. What’s more, existing customers are also more valuable: as the infographic bears out, existing customers typically spend one third more than new customers and overall, account for between 25 and as much as 95 percent of overall profits.
So what can lawyers do to encourage clients – particularly, consumer clients and small businesses – to stick around. Blogging and newsletters are popular options – but I’ve often wondered how effective these tools are for consumer clients. After all, if clients have just gotten their estate planning wrapped up or finalized a divorce, seems to me they’d rather put it behind them and aren’t likely to have interest in receiving ongoing tips or reading blog posts on how to hire a family law attorney or how a trust differs from a will. Sharing less substantive material – like news of a firm’s charitable activities or photos from the office – on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram may hold slightly more interest – but for privacy reasons, former clients may not want to friend or follow a law firm social media account.
But now, thanks to technology, lawyers can offer useful services to clients to encourage them to stick around. Here’s a sampling: