Find out how APAC’s fastest-growing commercial law firm uses Marketo Engage to better respond to customer needs in this piece by LegalVision’s Anthony Lieu.

The starting point for marketing strategy begins with the customer. That’s not an approach you often find in a commercial law firm. LegalVision didn’t start as a law firm, but as an online resource for business owners. We began as a website where business owners could come and download legal documents which they could edit and use themselves, without needing a lawyer. But over the years, in response to customers, we’ve pivoted several times to what we are today: a young and disruptive commercial law firm that assists SMEs, startups and corporates. From the beginning, we’ve differentiated ourselves by understanding customer needs and using a digital approach to serve them better.

Legal delivered differently

We’ve always taken a digital-first approach and played the role of disruptors. Instead of starting as a law practice that added a digital strategy to keep up with the times, we’ve used our digital-first approach to constantly improve our services to suit the needs of our customers. With Marketo Engage’s support and tools, we’ve been able to evolve and hone our service delivery continuously. Our business model, digital marketing strategies and use of technology are unique in this sector.

As a marketer with a legal background, it’s been refreshing and an interesting challenge to innovate in an industry I feel passionate about. Technology and data have been a significant driver of this innovation, as we can use collected information to effectively nurture leads. I get to work with developers, the marketing team and our lawyers to understand and adapt to the needs of our market.

An article for everything

Identifying these needs in real-time is the benefit of using a data-driven approach to marketing. And content is critical to delivering our nurturing efforts. Our free content library now holds 5,000 articles, written to address customer pain points in a language they can understand. That means we have specific downloads and articles curated for our personas, talking individually to their business needs.

We now get 350,000 monthly visitors: the most visited law firm website in Australia. But converting these visitors into clients takes robust marketing automation. We use content, teamed with an understanding of customer behaviour, to send personalised, relevant content at the right time. From the moment someone visits our website, downloads a document or attends a webinar, we can better assess their pain points and address their needs, sending them niche content.

The result of our approach has been astonishing. LegalVision has been recently named the fastest growing commercial law practice in the region, according to The Financial Times.

I credit this to our ability to think differently. Instead of thinking like lawyers, we take the approach of a retailer: focused on customer experience. And that’s how B2B needs to operate as customers (if you’re a business or individual) now expect personalised interactions.

Identifying customer needs

Since introducing Marketo Engage in 2016, we’ve developed an increasingly nuanced methodology to marketing automation and customer experience. Our personas are mapped out to a microscopic level, where we can analyse every touchpoint a lead experiences: from the second they click on a Google Ad, all the way through to contacting us, becoming a client, and then coming back for repeat business. These touchpoints carry throughout the entire enterprise, from click-through rates to telephone calls with sales support, to interactions with our lawyers, backed by strong custom integration with our CRM.

Understanding our customers facilitates an empathetic approach that goes to the very core of LegalVision. Traditional law firms aim to bill as many hours as possible and maximise profit. But that doesn’t necessarily give a client the best result, does it? That’s why LegalVision introduced a membership model late last year. Instead of a user-pays approach, customers can sign up for a flat monthly rate that allows them to book unlimited consultations with our lawyers and access free templates. And through this model we’ve been able to better help our clients with the unexpected events of 2020.

We’re seeing a rapid take up with our existing client base jumping onto this membership model. And it’s really exciting because it allows business owners to have a lawyer on demand whenever they need a legal question answered and then they don’t have to worry about expensive hourly rates.

Proactively helping clients

When COVID-19 started affecting businesses and the economy, we found many clients came to us with unexpected issues, like how to renegotiate their rent, or to handle problems around employment or accessing government assistance. We quickly identified the common questions and started holding webinars and providing relevant resources.

Our data analysis offers the ability to take an educative, proactive approach with clients, where we predict their next likely legal needs. We can deliver more personalised resources, something that continues to be critical. And when you’re already stressed with the economic uncertainty (and the pressure of running your own business), avoiding any nasty surprises helps tremendously.

Recent events have cemented the role of digital and marketing in driving pipeline contribution and overall business strategy. With the right technology, processes and approach, we better address customer needs in a timely and relevant manner that proves repeatedly valuable.

To hear more from Anthony Lieu, register for Adobe’s Experience Makers Live here.