Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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Websites have two main roles in marketing for chambers:
The website is the fundamental tool in developing new business for any set, since it will now be
the first point of contact most new customers will have with a chambers, whether they are
working with direct access or are receiving briefs in the normal way.
The website will be viewed as a reflection of the way chambers will communicate with potential
clients and the skills, ability and success of members of the set. Chambers should make use
of their website to show-case their successes, no matter where else that information may
already be published. It is always worth remembering that in using the website as a marketing
tool, one is particularly aiming at an audience that may not yet be aware of what chambers
does. Chambers’ marketing in the past has relied heavily on personal networking - the
knowledge of which set is the best for a particular circumstance. A well designed and
implemented website can be used to reinforce a position of dominance, or make it possible for
a set to quickly show ability in a particular area (see for example 2 Temple Gardens,
www.2templegardens.co.uk).
Web marketing removes the barriers that personal networking can present and allows a set to
demonstrate expertise and establish a reputation in a matter of years rather than decades. This
provides opportunities for new chambers to compete with existing sets by demonstrating their
abilities and successes, and opportunities for experienced chambers to demonstrate their depth
of experience as well as their expertise (see for example Hollis Whiteman Chambers at
www.holliswhiteman.co.uk ). One particular point cannot be over-emphasised: if the website
does not reflect an ability or a success, then it is as if it does not exist. The best practice of
website design follows this imperative to create sites that are reflective of chambers’ ability and
their approach to their clients.
There is some content that all websites should have, including contact details, a description of
areas of practice and a list of members, as one would expect in a printed brochure. Analysis
of access logs shows that the single most common use of a website is to find contact details.
The website, however, will also allow you to do other things which would not be practical or
affordable in print, such as to provide much more information about the individual barristers in
the set, including their photographs, areas of practice and successful cases (see for example
Farrar’s Building at www.farrarsbuilding.co.uk).
One must always be careful to observe the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act with
regard to website accessibility. If chambers offer any services via their websites then they are
obliged to make sure the site does not make it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use.
Avoid site design using Flash navigation with complex mouse-over effects. In addition,
text-based navigation rather than image or icon-based navigation is essential for ease of
browsing by disabled people.
It is also important that Java-based tools for modifying page displays are used with caution.
Java is a popular programming language for the creation of animation and interactive features
for the web, but client-side Java applications require the installation of a plug-in called a Java
Virtual Machine (JVM) before it will run on a user’s computer. Previous versions of Windows
included a JVM, but, following a legal dispute, Microsoft no longer provides it as part of the
standard distribution. Although it is possible to attempt to detect the ability of a client’s machine
to display Java content and offer access to download a JVM, it is normally not possible for a
business user to do this as their network security should prevent them from downloading and
installing software on demand. JavaScript, whilst having a similar name, is completely different,
and JavaScript tools and techniques are perfectly acceptable.
Provision should be made in the construction of the website to cross link barristers with their
areas of practice so that visitors to the site can quickly and easily see which members work in
which areas (see for example 17 Bedford Row at
www.17bedfordrow.co.uk). Avoid having separate lists
without cross linking as it makes it difficult for users of the website to see who does what.
Chambers should consider the website more as a rolling news service than a simple brochure.
This does have a financial implication since the website will not be a one-off expense but will
require a budget for the ongoing development of the site content. The overall cost of
maintaining the site can, however, be kept to a minimum if the site is constructed using a
content management system (CMS) which should not require any special skills on the part of
the people providing the material. Any initial extra cost is offset by the fact that the day-to-day
site maintenance can be done by chambers’ secretarial support staff or by the members
themselves, rather than needing to be carried out by the web design company.
CMS-based sites are easy to keep up to date and so are a very effective marketing tool. An
additional advantage is the ease of website development and expansion. Using XML and
back-end SQL database tables, the data held within the CMS site is kept separate from the
display, making it easy to add new content or to re-livery the site without having to commission
a completely new site. This greatly reduces the total cost of ownership.
The trend in the recent past has been for the provision of some form of free legal resource from
the website. The most successful chambers have made substantial investments in this area,
offsetting the cost of the provision and upkeep against the prestige - and therefore it is hoped,
additional business - that it will bring to Chambers. Probably the best example is One Crown
Office Row’s Human Rights Update at www.humanrights.org.uk.
Not all chambers, however, can afford the cost of such a large-scale development, so instead
they have focused on a more targeted approach to build ongoing relationships with client
solicitors.
Some chambers produce regular publications that can be distributed from their website; others
offer a range of individual notices and updates on various topics of interest. The website
mechanisms manage the announcement of the article, or control the email subscription to the
newsletter and both enable the creation and distribution of the material whilst minimising the
cost of managing the service. The website can also be used for distributing lecture notes and
publicising events (see for example the Family Law Bar Association at www.flba.co.uk and the
Criminal Bar Association at www.criminalbar.com).
In each case the key to getting the most marketing effect from the investment is to have the
website manage the subscription, and to have automatic email announcements of the release
of new information. These announcement emails should not simply distribute the “product”
directly, but instead should link back to the chambers website and thence to the new
information. This return visit is the pay-off for the marketing effort, so it is vital that the return
link goes via a page which has other up-to-date news and information about members and their
recent cases (see for example 1 Serjeants Inn at www.no1serjeantsinn.co.uk).
The “walled garden” is another trend that is beginning to emerge in the use of websites for
specific clients or for groups of clients, providing free legal resources of one kind or another,
including subscription services. The content may be similar to the free services on other sites -
newsletters, lecture notes, guides and reports - but their distribution is controlled by
subscription. These subscriptions may be free but restricted to current clients, or to types of
client. An example of this is 5 Essex Court at www.5essexcourt.com.
Access may be on a pay-per-use basis tied to Continuous Professional Development. The
emergence of widespread broadband technology has made it quite practical for chambers or
bar associations to use their websites to deliver full lectures, complete with audio, video and
lecture notes as a bundle. Video can now be streamed for a relatively modest cost, certainly
less than the production and postage cost for a video or CD.
In all of these situations, the website that was originally intended simply to reflect the ability of
chambers has been turned into a business development tool.
The near future will further integrate the website into the way that chambers conduct their
business.
The use of low-cost, virtual deal room technology allows websites automatically to create space
where case-related documents can be lodged and discussed without physically having to be
moved and copied from place to place. Similarly, data analysis tools can be integrated within
the website to provide intelligent querying of large data sets, such as email archives or
correspondence archives for use in criminal fraud cases. The provision of these services will
strengthen the relationships between chambers and existing clients, and make particular sets
stand out.
Chambers websites will continue to reflect the strengths of individual sets. They will form the
keystone of developing new business and reinforcing current relationships by the provision of
additional web services to clients.
David Rose is Marketing Director of Enstar www.enstar.net. Enstar are the developers of the
neatComponents™ website development system for the creation of content-driven websites
by web design companies and are also specialist producers of websites for law firms, through
justLawsites.co.uk .
Email ctoffice@enstar.net or telephone 01234 240211.
Back to Contents.
Web Marketing for Chambers
By David Rose
Design Considerations
Care must be taken in the design of the site to make sure that all this useful and interesting
content is readily accessible. The website is reflecting chambers’ ability to communicate and
a poorly designed site will suggest that the chambers does not take client communication
seriously. Design techniques that are perfectly appropriate in other contexts should be avoided
in chambers’ web design.
Keeping the content up to date
These basic technical issues, including ease of use, clarity of design, ease of navigation and
awareness of the DDA are half the battle and perhaps the easiest to accomplish. The other half
of the equation is to do with the content of the site itself and the commitment that chambers has
to the upkeep of the site. This is the area that has the most marketing potential for every set.
In principle, one can simply say that the website must contain as much information as possible
about chambers’ areas of practice, about the individual members and about recent successful
cases, and that this information must be up to date.
Trends in advanced content and services
A little while ago it was sufficient simply to have a website in order to show that chambers were
part of the leading edge. Now, as practically every set has a web presence reflecting their
situation, in order to stand out and develop a greater market share it is necessary to provide
additional services via the website. These services are usually free and fall squarely under the
marketing heading. They serve two purposes: attracting and keeping clients, and attracting and
keeping members of chambers.