I was interested to hear the outcome of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) recent year-long study into the legal services sector which revealed, among other things, that today’s legal services consumers need better information about the different options that are available to them.
According to the CMA, competition within the sector for consumers and small businesses overall isn’t working well, mainly because there’s not enough information available on key areas, including price, quality and service. (For details of the full findings, visit https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/legal-services-market-study).
As a result of this sector-wide lack of information, many people looking for legal services support find it difficult to source a service that’s a) right for them and b) offers them value.
Over the next three years, it’s clearly evident from the findings of the CMA study, that information will become a key priority for all legal sector companies over the coming years. That information sharing could involve giving more details about services, offering useful guides online, and/or engaging with feedback and review platforms to ensure their customers can benefit from the experience of others before making their choice. (These are just some of the recommendations listed in the study).
Of course, in this digital age, the winners in legal sector marketing will be those who make relevant information easily found online.
Why? Because that’s where their potential customers will be looking for it.
The explosion of social media has taken information generation and sharing to a whole new level – people want instant access and immediate answers, so how do you provide information without giving it all away for free? Just how much information should you share for free and what should be kept for those who are truly interested in your services? And how can you easily influence your search engine rankings through the information you’re prepared to share?
Take a look at our free ebook, ‘Inbound Marketing for Professional Services’. It’s a great overview of how Inbound Marketing works in your industry.
As leading inbound marketing specialists, we understand the power of information-sharing only too well. It’s no secret that the most successful inbound marketing strategies are fueled by providing today’s buyers with a constant drip-feed of relevant information that steadily guides them along their sales journey, from the top right through to the bottom of the funnel.
It’ll be interesting to see how marketing of legal services will evolve over the coming months to respond to the study findings, harness the full potential of the information-rich environment we now find ourselves in and provide potential and existing customers with more information, greater transparency and clarity.