There are lots of law firms that pay lots of money to have a webpage developed.  Depending on the company used, many law firms can spend hundreds or even thousands a month on their web page.

With marketing changing quickly for lawyers, this makes sense for many.  Many lawyers who are internet savvy might opt to develop and maintain their own webpage.  This is possible for those lawyers who are internet savvy.  The reality is most attorneys have little knowledge as it relates to the internet.  Thus, like a person who has to take their automobile to the mechanic to fix it, they need an internet marketing firm to help them.

However, the reality is that these internet marketing firms cannot sit in the initial consultation room with you when clients make it into the office for an appointment.  The same internet marketing firms are likely not answering your phones or responding to e-mails when the calls or e-mails come into the office.  These internet marketing firms have little input as to the layout and overall look of your office.  The internet marketing firm cannot control your appearance, grooming, and demeanor in the initial consultation room.

To use an analogy, these internet marketing firms play the role of matchmaker for you.  They figuratively set you and your law firm up with blind dates.  What any attorney or law firm then does on the blind date is really beyond the realm of the internet marketing firm.  At this point, the duty shifts to the lawyer to respond to the leads appropriately.

Versus blaming your internet marketing firm if you are not busy enough, what are you doing to better your firm’s intake process?  What steps are you taking to make your law firm intake friendly?  What are you doing to make yourself more appealing to potential clients?  At the end of the day, this responsibility is on the lawyer to make a good impression, not the internet marketing firm.  All they can do is bring you the leads.

In many instances, you only get one chance to make a good impression with a lead.  If you pay a lot of money to get these leads through an internet marketing firm, you can’t afford to mess it up.

If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them below.