Marketing Analytics for Law Firms: 20 Variables Every Legal Marketer Should Be Testing

We are big believers in marketing analytics, particularly for law firms. Concrete data helps legal marketers to make better, smarter decisions in a more timely manner. Another way of obtaining data is through testing. Testing is a key component of optimizing your law firm’s marketing efforts. But are you testing the right things? Here are 20 variables we recommend every legal marketer regularly test to ensure their marketing activities are performing as best as they can.

20 Marketing Variables to Test

1. Layouts

This applies to any individual content item like an email, blog, or landing page. 

2. Calls-to-Action (CTA)

Try different verbiage or placement to discover the preferred version for getting traction. A good CTA should stand out from other content on your web pages. See: A Checklist For Creating an Effective Law Firm Website Call To Action.

3. Offers of content

Many CTAs involve downloading something. Try different subjects and topics for content offerings to see what resonates. Rather than “click here” try “discover how to” or “discover why”.

4. Color schemes

From overall color patterns of your website to the color of specific buttons or banners, try swapping them out and see if your law firm’s marketing analytics reports results change.

5. Size

Are certain items prominent enough? Try making your headlines or buttons bigger to see what happens. 

6. Email subject lines

Hopefully you’re already testing this once in a while! Subject lines are critical in obtaining opens and click-throughs, so make sure you test multiple versions. 

7. Blog titles

You’d be surprised how much this can make a difference. For example, did you know that 36% of people prefer list-based headlines? Try republishing an underperforming blog post that you know has great content with a new title!

8. Email sender

A specific name tends to work better than a general company sender.

9. Email templates

Ideally you have a few different templates created (if not, spend some time developing them). When developing a campaign, try a few different versions and see if one template performs better than others. 

10. Content length

This is another one that applies to several mediums. Try different lengths for forms, landing pages, content items, etc. 

11. Firm messaging

Try tweaking your general message or positioning to see if you find any differences in reception. 

12. Tone of voice

Does being more serious work better than being witty? How about adding humor? You might think you have your firm’s tone nailed down, but you can always try new things and see what happens. 

13. Images

People respond well to images. It’s important to try different ones and see what happens, since they can make a big difference in emails, social posts, etc.

14. Timing

Do you know the best times of day to send an email, or when your social posts get reshared most? Try sending things or posting things at different times of the day and week to determine ideal times. 

15. Frequency

Do people enjoy hearing from you more or less? Whether via email, social updates, etc – try one schedule and then change it to see if your engagement increases. Altering your sending day can improve or lessen your engagement, so it’s worth finding out the optimum day for your law firm.

16. Keywords

SEO is crucial, so you should regularly assess your keywords. Try developing content around new keywords and see how it performs against the old keyword content. Consistently perform keyword research to learn what your target audience is searching for when their intent is to find a lawyer or information on legal services.

17. Paid search campaigns

There are a number of variables you can test here, from images to headlines. Try new graphics, headlines, or copy. If your law firm’s paid search campaigns are garnering you a lot of traffic, but not many conversions, then look to test out different variables on the campaign landing page.

18. Hashtags

Make hashtag research and testing a priority. It’s not just a guessing game. Each platform has a search bar for you to browse possible hashtags for your content, but those search features don’t always give you an idea of how popular and relevant the hashtag is. Use a tool like hashtagify.me to help you gauge interest in hashtags on Twitter and Instagram.

19. Targeting

You should have plenty of data on your client personas. That’s law firm marketing analytics 101. Try personalizing content or programs around different audiences.

20. How you visualize data

How does your audience like to digest information? For example, in a pie chart, or a graph? Infographics are popular because they can distill advanced ideas into a simple visual form and allow readers to take in a lot of information quickly.

Takeaway

There is so much information available within the marketing programs you already execute. Consider testing any of these variables to get information that will help your law firm create more proactive and impactful marketing. Regular testing can uncover patterns that will benefit your law firm’s marketing ROI in the long run.

Contact us today if you need help applying data intelligence to your law firm’s digital marketing strategy. We can help you measure, test and make the most of your digital marketing efforts.