Gone in 30 Seconds – How Subtle Law Firm Marketing Can Save a Visitor and Create a New Lead

The violinist plays as the camera pans across a shiny black metallic surface. You see a closeup of a gentleman’s hand shifting gears. His bright white cuffs contrast the wood grain finish of the center console as just a glimmer of light reflects from his cuff links and briefly strikes the lens. Before the next scene shows the leather interior, you are already aware this is a luxury car.

Had the commercial started with “Buy this luxury car!” or “Feel like a million bucks!” the commercial would not be a success, nor would you feel the luxury that the car manufacturer wants you to experience. Your law firm’s website should rely on the same subtleties to help your visitors feel the emotion that will trigger a positive reaction.

A television commercial has less than five seconds to catch your attention. A website has 30 seconds. Comparably, your website is basking in a time surplus, however, those 30 seconds go by quickly. Let’s walk through them by using a personal injury law firm as an example. Somebody in Sacramento has just been in an accident. The driver was an employee of a local bottling company who did not stop at a red light. The injured person is still in the hospital and is wondering how his small business is going to survive while he is immobile. He starts thinking about the incident and decides he is going to need legal help. A family member brought him his briefcase, so after everyone leaves, he opens up his computer and searches for an auto accident attorney in Sacramento.

Upon doing the search he clicks on the one of the non-paid listings. The clock starts.

First 10 Seconds
In the ten seconds, the visitor is not reading content. His eyes are scaling the site. He looks at images, icons, and headlines. After the first couple seconds, he sees an image in a slideshow that shows a truck and badly damaged car. He clicks on it.

20 Seconds
He just entered your website 10 seconds ago and has now clicked onto a subpage. At this point you have a greater than 50 percent chance of the visitor contacting your firm. He reads the first paragraph, which talks about years of experience and mentions commercial truck accidents. You identified his problem on the first page and now again on the second page. He clicks on the commercial truck accident link.

25 Seconds
On the commercial truck accident page, you have testimonials where people talk about getting compensation. Then you talk about having real trial experience. This strikes the victim as he thinks about how the driver that works for a big corporation has injured him and how, as a small business owner, his business is in jeopardy without him and this company’s legal team could delay the case and it could ultimately end up in trial.

30 Seconds
The user fills out the contact now form.

Had your website not addressed each of his needs in an intuitive manner, you would have lost the lead. Remember, this person was in a commercial truck accident but did not search for that keyword. Instead, through subtle imagery, wording, and intuitive website navigation, you were able to identify his problem, prove you could handle the case, and earn his trust.

Look at your website from your client’s point of view. How obvious is the navigation? How quickly does it identify both the problem and solution of the visitor? Does your website help a visitor feel like you are a competent lawyer without directly saying it? Or will you lose your next client in 30 seconds?