Deep Dive into Lead Management for Attorneys

What is lead management?

The phrase "lead management" encompasses all systems used to acquire new leads and convert them into clients. The process begins with lead generation through strategic marketing efforts.

Once on their radar, you'll have to pique a potential client's interest enough to take action and contact your firm. From there, you'll develop techniques to connect with the lead and show them that you are the right fit for their case.

In this article, we will dive deeply into the phases of lead management and provide practical solutions to stay organized and ultimately strengthen client relationships.

The first step to lead management is lead generation

Before you can manage leads, you need to acquire them, which can be challenging. Studies show that 53% of marketers allocate at least half of their budget to lead generation. Without proper lead generation strategies, there won't be many people to serve.

There are many modalities to begin acquiring qualified leads. For example, landing pages, social media, referrals, organic search traffic, and PPC ads are some ways people might discover your firm.

It's up to you to decide which channels are most beneficial for your target audience. Intaker's blog post, COMPLETE GUIDE TO DIGITAL MARKETING FOR LAWYERS, goes in-depth on the pros/cons of various social media platforms, email and text marketing, and SEO content and landing pages. Start with that article if you're unsure of where to begin when it comes to developing a digital marketing strategy.

Let's now explore an overview of the previously mentioned lead generation modalities. Landing pages allow you to create a focused call to action. Instead of landing on your website with multiple tabs and buttons to click, you can create specific landing pages for various topics such as "Florida divorce lawyer." With Intaker, you can add chats specific to each of these landing pages, thus customizing the experience for the potential client on a per-page basis.

Popular social media platforms for lawyers include; LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Once you know your brand voice and the target audience, you'll want to focus on at least two platforms to give yourself and your firm a diversified online presence.

Next is traditional organic search. With SEO-optimized web pages and articles, you'll work your way through the ranks of Google and eventually begin placing higher in search results. This way, new leads will find you while casually searching for lawyers in their area.

PPC (pay-per-click) ads are a paid form of advertising that you can put parameters on and direct toward your target audience. We recommend reading REMARKETING OR RETARGETING CAMPAIGNS FOR LAW FIRMS to learn more about the power of strong retargeting campaigns, which is a step beyond PPC. It shows ads again to people who showed interest previously in your firm.

Another way people may hear about your law firm is through word of mouth. If a client has a positive experience, they will likely share that with others and encourage them to use your law firm in the future. Lead generation is only the first step in lead management, regardless of how you gain clients. After you've secured the client, it's time to nurture the relationship and ensure a great experience from start to finish.

Lead intake management process

After initial interest is peaked, the client intake begins. One key to success is consistency. You'll want an organized lead management system to streamline the process.

Everyone on your team should understand intake procedures clearly and be able to assist. It's also best to keep the intake questions as brief as possible while capturing all necessary information.

If you are using the Intaker chat, we have an option called "simple" for most of our popular custom prompts. The chat conversation is scraped down to the most critical qualifying questions when using the simplified scripts. Most people want to get through the intake process quickly and will be deterred if it takes too long.

It's also recommended to differentiate yourself from others with video. It has been proven that interactive content generates 2x more lead conversions than passive content. That is why Intaker's chatbot is designed for you to film an intro and outro segment that establishes empathy and allows you to connect with prospective clients during the onboarding process.

Lastly, reply promptly to all inquiries. It might seem obvious, but it's an area where many law firms struggle. 42% of the time, law firms take three or more days to reply to a voicemail or web-generated form from a prospective client. Taking this long to respond is a horrible business practice if you care about capturing leads.

With Intaker, after someone fills out the chat, they will immediately be sent a follow-up text and email. They will also be offered the opportunity to schedule an appointment right away. Using advanced legal intake software such as Intaker will reduce the chance of clients wandering to another law firm.

Client intake and CRM software for lawyers

A couple of common attorney lead management systems are spreadsheets and CRMs. Firms that have not yet fully adapted to the digital age will often keep spreadsheets rather than invest in a CRM. There is much more room for error when using a spreadsheet than a CRM.

CRM stands for client relationship management, and in addition to being great for intake, they also generally offer billing, e-signature, time tracking, and more. You get the most bang for your buck, and the workflow is streamlined to minimize mistakes.

Intaker also has a lead management dashboard that allows you to set reminders, send items to other team members, and keep track of all communication with your clients. To learn more about Intaker's offerings, visit our LEAD MANAGEMENT page.

The most organized route is to use Intaker and integrate it with a CRM. Then you have the perks of Intaker's lead management system, chatbot, business texting, and workflow sequences while also having access to the additional features a CRM offers.

You might be wondering if it would be worth the investment. Lead management software will save you so much time you'll easily make up for it in the leads you generate, given the freed-up schedule.

Additional lead management tips

The number one takeaway we hope you get from this article is the importance of a personable and streamlined lead management system. No matter how you accomplish it, it is key to client satisfaction.

We recommend tracking where most of your leads are coming from, so you can better understand your target demographic and adjust your marketing efforts accordingly. You can do this by using GOOGLE ANALYTICS and integrating it with your website.

Lastly, track client satisfaction by offering surveys at the end of your time together. By doing this, you'll be able to track trends over time to see what you're doing well and where you need to improve.

Good luck & reach out anytime

If you made it this far in the article, you're basically a lead management expert yourself now. Good luck, and reach out if you have any questions about how to optimize your lead management process. If you see improvement in your firm's success based on the suggestions in this article, please let us know, as we are always excited to hear about your wins.