The changing world of law firm marketing was brought into sharp focus with the relaxation of marketing for lawyers in Iowa, which has hitherto been a state with some of the toughest rules about legal marketing anywhere in the US.

Suddenly, as of 1 January, Iowa law firms are adding marketing experts to the mix and looking at how social media can drive more law clients to them.

However, the internet has opened competition for lawyers in Iowa just as it has for lawyers everywhere – in the US, Australia, the UK and every other place that requires law firms to market themselves more sharply.

In the United States, approximately seventy per cent of those seeking a lawyer do so online and of those, one-quarter do it from mobile devices.

The use of mobile devices is one of the key points that was disovered by law firms new to online marketing.  In Iowa, firms decided they should be redesigning their websites, looking closely at their names, trying to identify points of difference and all the other good things that come with law marketing – was that almost one quarter of all people seeking a law firm or lawyer are doing so from a mobile device.

And that means have a clean, uncluttered site that is simple to navigate and, of course does two other key things:  First, it permits easy visibility on a mobile device, smart phone or tablet and, Second, it still conveys the key message about why the law firm or lawyer is right for the client.

Of course the ‘fit’ between law firm and client may not be right, but lawyers are better finding they never get the client call in the first place in those instances.

However for those clients who do have a good fit, the law firm needs to be able to convey its message, its expertise and its story clearly and well.

Conveying messages clearly is one of the keys towards succeeding online.  A law firm needs to not only ensure its web design is right, but more importantly that the message or messages about the firm is also right.

By working on points of difference, key features and other stories about a firm, the big work can come from those little mobile devices that are now driving so much traffic to law firm websites.