NZ Law Firms Digital Footprint Report
Ben Paul* Having a well-designed and useable website is pretty much a standard requirement for all law firms -and indeed the vast majority have them. However, with all consumers increasingly carrying out research or looking for new options online, the need to have a wider digital footprint across multiple channels, such as LinkedIn and other social media platforms, has never been greater.
Indeed, while people are coming back to offices, it isn’t to the traditional 9-5, 5 days a week model.
This means not only will Dolly Parton need to update her song, but firms will need to update their digital strategy to enable them to both reach and engage with an online audience.
Networking and client meetings will remain a strong and important part of law firm BD, but digital engagement will also become an integral part of a law firm’s growth strategy.
This context led us to collaborate with Commwiser, a leading law firm PR and communications specialist from India, to find out how our leading firms are currently doing online.
The Inaugural New Zealand Law Firm Digital Footprint Report
This report provides insights on the digital footprints of 10 leading law firms in New Zealand. We chose the 10 firms in our study based on their nomination for the Large Law Firm of the Year 2023 award at the recent NZ Law Awards.
Some were omitted as we could not obtain enough concrete evidence to represent them accurately, and others have a global digital presence, rather than a locally focused one.
Our intent is to create a report that is insightful, not ranking a list of the top 10 firms. We’ll leave that to the directories and other awards focused organisations.
However, in analysing the 10 firms selected we could get a good grasp on what firms are doing well, where there are gaps for improvement, and some key lessons that firms of all sizes can incorporate into their digital marketing strategies.
You can get your copy of the NZ Digital Law Firm Footprint Report 2023 here.
A summary of some of the findings
Unsurprisingly, most firms have a well-designed website with good functionality. However, many are simply still online brochures in effect, with little interactivity and requiring varying degrees of improvement in relation to thought leadership and engaging client-focused content.
All firms have a LinkedIn presence, some are utilising it very well and others are lagging a considerable way behind. This is a platform that we know law firm clients use and is one that increases brand credibility, and loyalty. It’s also one that produces concrete leads.
It is interesting that none of our main firms have yet embraced YouTube or video content marketing to a large extent. And yet according to Hootsuite 51% of B2B decision-makers use YouTube videos to research purchases. Clearly an area for the ambitious firms to steal an early competitive march in.
Conclusion
It is clear that firms have increasingly invested and focused on their brands over the last couple of years. However, this is, like all things technological and digital, a work in progress as law firms continue to adapt to the demands of an increasingly digital savvy online audience.
Author – Ben Paul is the CEO The BD Ladder, a consultancy specialising in growing Legal firms. He has held senior BD and marketing roles in leading law firms and has over two decades’ experience in business development and marketing.
