Reach More Legal Clients With “Second-Screen Marketing”

Remember the phone book?

In its heyday, it was a high-powered advertising machine. The book was indispensable; everyone cherished theirs. It contained the phone number for any business you could ever need.

It was the place for law firms to be. Here’s how the cycle normally went:

• Potential client sees your television advertising.
• They didn’t have time during the 15-second ad to write down the phone number or remember the full name of your law firm.
• They went to the phone book, flipped to the right alphabetical section, and voilà. There’s your print ad.
• They recognize you from TV. They call and become a client.

It just doesn’t happen that way anymore.

These days, TV advertising is still king, especially for lawyers. Instead of the phone book, however, viewers now whip out their smartphones, laptops or tablets to look up your firm.

How much are you paying attention to what they see there?

At the Firmidable legal marketing agency, we often find that attorneys have gaps in their strategies for reaching new clients as they switch from one screen to another. Law firms are used to the phone book approach because it always worked for them. They might not even realize the clients they’re losing now.

It’s why “second-screen marketing” is so crucial.

It puts you everywhere your potential clients are going. If you’re advertising on television, you’re reaching them in one place. If you aren’t employing a paid search ad campaign or a search engine optimization (SEO) program—if you just don’t have a strong web presence—you’re missing them in the second place they go.

Keep reading to find out how to incorporate second-screen marketing into your law firm advertising strategy. We’ll cover:

• Understanding the link between TV and mobile devices
• Creating marketing that’s crisp and consistent from one screen to the next
• Making sure your mobile website speed is robust

Figure Out Your Future Clients’ Second-Screen Habits

Mandy Lee, media manager for Firmidable, says you can see the trend of people using multiple screens simultaneously in law firms’ marketing results.

“We have plenty of data showing people still call the number that shows up on your TV ad,” Mandy said. “But we also have data showing that they’re going to the website, too. The tipping point—where people are searching more on their mobile phones and not looking at your TV ad alone—has definitely happened.”

Google has done significant research on the topic, too. Their study found that 84 percent of smartphone and tablet owners use their “second screen” while watching television.

Furthermore, in 2015, while the Academy Awards aired, Google studied the rate of search queries related to the award winners and found a spike. They then displayed real-time advertisements congratulating each winner.

Linking the online ads to the TV audience led to a 19 percent increase in people clicking on the content from Google compared to other ads without the TV tie-in.

Here’s more from the study:

“Two-thirds of smartphone owners say they turn to their phones to learn more about something they saw in a TV commercial. An effective TV ad can stimulate dozens of micro-moments, where your potential customer is looking for more: product specs, prices, details, or reviews. These mobile moments are great opportunities for brands to provide an engaging experience.”

So, your TV ad—while still extremely valuable in today’s media landscape—doesn’t reach its full power in isolation. In fact, according to another study, 81 percent of people who use their cell phones or tablets while watching TV are researching what they’re seeing. And 65 percent of them look up items from advertisements specifically.

“When you look at your client intake numbers, pay attention to how many new clients are searching for you online and finding you when your TV ads are running, compared to when they’re not,” Mandy said. “The majority of the time there’s a big difference when you’re airing ads every week.”

Make Sure Your Second Screen Advertising Matches the First Screen

Now how do you make the two forms of media work together?

At our legal marketing firm, we emphasize the importance of integrated marketing. You need a smooth transition between screens (and any other forms of marketing you use), so users are confident they’re on the right path.

That means you have to match the language, the message, the tone, the colors, the design and multiple other pieces of your TV campaign and your digital marketing.

As Google itself said, “Make it easy for consumers when they reach out to learn more. Align your ad copy and landing page with your television creative.”

“Everything needs to be integrated,” Mandy said. “We’ll see clients who have a different marketing firm doing their TV and their website, and it can lead to inconsistencies. That’s the last thing you want.”

When Potential Clients Get to the Second Screen, Don’t Keep Them Waiting

Talk to any SEO marketer today, and one of the first things they’ll mention is site speed.

It can be a huge ranking factor in internet search results. And it can be the difference between someone connecting to you on that second screen—or hitting the back button and finding your competitor.

Again, take Google’s word for it. In a 2019 study, here’s what they found:

“Fifty-four percent of people say that as the load time for a brand’s mobile site increases, so does their frustration. And that affects the bottom line. In retail, we’ve seen that a one-second delay in mobile load times can impact conversion rates by up to 20%.”

It takes a thorough tune-up of your site to improve the speed. You’ll need an audit of your site’s code, image sizes, interactive features and more.

Fine-tuning these little details can make a large difference in the cases your firm is snagging.

If you need help getting your second-screen marketing up to speed, talk to Firmidable today.

Firmidable has been a national expert in legal marketing for almost 30 years. It brings law firms customized, data-driven marketing strategies and services, including online and traditional media for a wide range of legal practices. From Maine to Hawaii, it has transformed the lives of attorneys—and their clients.