Key Statistics for Generating Leads in 2019

by Robert Wilson | Last updated Jan-09-19

Key Statistics for Generating Leads in 2019

For law firms pursuing auto accident leads and businesses pursuing new clients, lead generation is crucial.

Often, star-up law firms, doctors’ offices, and other retailers rely solely on third-party lead generators.  Due to competitive barriers such as cost and experience, this may be the best option.  Especially at the outset.

After all, it can take months and years to establish a credible brand that effectuates trust.  And trust is a primary factor that converts leads into clients.

So, while building a client base, a company may greatly benefit by leveraging the experience of seasoned lead generation companies.

Plus, it provides the opportunity to learn more about your target market during the initial growth cycle.  Adjustments to products and service offerings frequently occur, such as when a personal injury attorney becomes an expert in auto accident injury claims or a doctor becomes specialized in a specific surgical procedure.

What are Companies Focusing on When Generating and Converting Leads?

If your firm is interested in generating leads, then take a look at what is tested, tried, and true.

Hence, take a look at some of the statistics we’ve gathered from what other companies are doing to increase sales.

If your firm is interested in generating leads, then take a look at what is tested, tried, and true.

Hence, take a look at some of the statistics we’ve gathered from what other companies are doing to increase sales.

1. 69% of Marketers Believe that Converting Leads is Their Biggest Priority. (HubSpot, 2017).

   This is an interesting statistic. The reason is there are many businesses and attorneys whose biggest challenge is generating leads, which is the first step in the sales cycle. Nonetheless, converting them is a close second; as shown above, it ranks at 65%. Perhaps this is a lower priority because leads can be generated through many online and offline channels. Huffpost has a number of ideas geared towards increasing conversions.  What are the best ways to increase conversions? Offer an incentive. Discounts, free trials, and demos often work well. But keep in mind that you want quality leads, which means the customer should have some investment or they may not take your offer seriously. Set a time limit. This is partly and incentive to get the prospect to make a decision.  Time limits can setup a psychological and cognitive bias called loss aversion, which is a powerful sales and marketing method. One example is to tell a prospective claimant that the statute of limitations period could derail their claim.  Follow up. This could rank as the #1 most important element a business or law firm could use. Statistics show that it takes 5 emails and 6 calls to generate the highest contact rates.  And, increased contact rates generate increased retention rates when pursuing auto accident leads. Use automated marketing. Although not specifically on the list, we think this is huge. To assist car accident attorneys convert more leads, we offer TCPA compliant auto-response text messages and emails, plus follow up texts with a drip email campaign. Ever since these automated marketing methods have been employed, we’ve seen an increase in contact rates. Other statistics relevant to personal injury lead generation, auto related leads, and other retails leads are below. 68% of B2B businesses utilize strategic landing pages to generate new leads. (Marketo, 2018) 79% of B2B marketers believe email to be the most effective marketing platform for lead generation. (Content Marketing Institute, 2018) Only 18% of marketers say outbound practices provide the highest quality leads for sales. (HubSpot, 2018).

2. 91% of B2B Marketers Believe Email is the Most Important Distribution Channel for Content Marketing, and 92% of Them Use Email for Content Marketing. (Content Marketing Institute, 2018).

   Clearly, content marketing has become a mainstay when improving conversions.  Why is content marketing important? Content marketing builds trust and relationships. It provides additional data so prospect can make an informed decision. This marketing strategy keeps your products and services at the forefront of their mind during the purchasing cycle. We’re not suggesting attorneys and business owners abandon other channels, like social media, search, and pay-per-click.  Each has its benefits, and combining these channels has proven to increase conversions. But emailing has long been considered the most effective method for conversions. In fact, Custora’s 2013 study determined that email marketing was the top ranked strategy for customer acquisition and retention. When generating car accident injury leads, our company ads email remarketing packages to increase contact rates.  This allows attorneys to keep their message in front of the prospective client and drive calls to their office. Other important statistics to consider are below. 54% of marketers believe that number one marketing priority is say increasing engagement rate. (Ascend2, 2016) 11 a.m. ET generates the highest clickthrough rate for email sends. (HubSpot, 2018) Tuesdays are considered by marketers to be the best day to send emails. (Coschedule, 2018) 64% of people prefer rich text emails. (HubSpot, 2014) 56% of brands that insert an emoji within their email subject line experience a higher open rate compared to those that did not. (Forbes, 2017) Higher email clickthrough rates are achieved when the person’s first name is used within the subject line. (HubSpot, 2014).

3. 79% of Top-Performing Businesses have Utilized Marketing Automation for Two or More Years. (Pardot.com, 2015).

   Marketing automation is software that assists with repetitive online-based marketing tasks that nurtures prospects through the sales cycle. This includes sending targeted and personalized emails, text messages, and social media posts without manual human interaction. One of the top reasons lawyers, retailers, and other merchants automate their marketing is because of the time it saves and the effectiveness it effectuates. And, quite simply, it leads to more sales conversions. How does marketing automation work? As mentioned earlier, our lead distribution and automated marketing platform is used by attorneys to increase contact rates with automobile accident victims.  Once a prospective car wreck claimant submits their information on a landing page, their data is posted to our platform.  Here’s what happens next: We immediately send the claimant’s data as submitted to the attorney’s inbox via email and cell phone via SMS text. We then simultaneously send the lead a text message with the law firm’s name, phone number, and TCPA compliant content between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. within their time zone. Next, we send the lead an email from a .org URL that mirrors the law firm and is redirected to their website. These are professional and customized, including images, branding, logos, and emotional triggers based upon cognitive biases designed to elicit direct responses.   Marketing automation can have a tremendously positive impact on converting auto accident leads, personal injury leads, workers compensation leads, and social security disability leads.  Moreover, it has proven incredibly effective with other sales and marketing driven companies when converting prospects into customers. What are the benefits of automated marketing? It’s a time saver. Automated social media posts can save companies over 6 hours per week. This is time that can be used to generate more leads and get creative. Increases personalization. Adding personal and demographically specific information in your marketing channels increases open rates and conversions. When you have the opportunity to tailor your message, positive sales typically are the result. Assists with data acquisition and analysis. Each marketing medium allows data acquisition, which can be helpful in determining buying behaviors. Having all your remarketing campaigns in one platform allows more in-depth analysis. In this data-driven world, data can significantly increase your bottom line. Here are some other relevant statistics on marketing automation: Companies that automate lead management see a 10% or more increase in sales in 6-9 months’ time. (Strategic IC, 2017) Spending for marketing automation tools is expected to hit $25.1 billion annually by 2023. (Martech Today, 2018) Companies that nurture leads generate 50% more sales at a cost of 33% less than non-nurtured leads. (Strategic IC via Hubspot, 2017) 67% of marketing leaders currently utilize a marketing automation system. (Salesforce, 2017).

4. 64.6% of Internet Users Click Google Ads When Considering Purchasing a Product or Service. (Wordstream, 2018).

   

   According to Wordstream, one of the leading pay-per-click software guidance providers, Google Ads has a “2:1 margin over search for keywords for keywords with high commercial intent in the U.S.”  One of the reasons may be due to a change many users recently noticed. I sure did. Not to long ago, Google began placing their ads in more prominent locations on search results.  For example, nowadays, up to 5 paid ads will rank above organic listings. What does that mean for attorneys using Google Ads to generate auto accident leads, doctors generating patient leads, and CPA’s generating tax client leads? Simply that if you’re not using pay-per-click, you’re missing out on a massive market.  And, it’s time to jump on the Google Ads bandwagon. Now, before we go further it’s important to take a closer look at the statistic. You see, paid search ads don’t get more clicks in totality compared to organic search.  Rather, they rank higher for keywords with “high commercial intent.”  That means the most valuable keywords where the consumer is in the purchasing stage of the sales cycle. They’re not in the research stage, but are at the latter spectrum where the intent of their search is to buy a product or service.  What are the three types of keyword searches? Informational. These are searches where the user is at the educational stage and is pursuing answers to questions and looking for more data.  The objective is to be able to make an informed decision. Navigational. These searches are based upon locating particular websites they believe will provide more narrow answers and information to further fine tune their decision. Transactional. These are the ones deemed to have high commercial intent and are the most valuable.  That means they are the most expensive too.  It is quite possible you can move a prospect from the information gathering stage to transactional in one visit. Kind of like a one-call-close, if you will.  But that takes credibility and trust, which can certainly be achieved.  For example, think about a law firm that has a blog about how to properly pursue an auto accident claim.  And, suppose that site has valuable trust symbols, awards, and accomplishments. That blog could provide answers to the questions the user was searching, and the credibility and trust could elicit a decision to submit information on that site worthy of a credible auto accident lead.  The same can be said for an eye doctor with an educational post about contact lenses for those with astigmatism or nearsightedness, and who also has a number of awards and accomplishments that could steer a prospect into a valuable lead.  What are the primary benefits of Google Ads? I’m going to list and detail the top 6 benefits to Google Ads, many according to Digital Vidya. Increased brand awareness. If you’re looking to get your brand in front of your target market, Google Ads are terrific. And, it can be measured. One of the most popular methods here is to use the Display Network, which allows you to pursue consumers with particular interests. Hence, you can use images in banners on specific websites that target certain audiences, or you can use text ads.  And, you can use remarketing that follows users wherever they go. According to Hallam, the primary benefit with the Display Network is that you have options with how you target people.  But Google’s search network is beneficial too. When multiple search queries are conducted and your ads appear, you are increasing your exposure.  Eventually, your name will gain credibility, a user will land on your site, and you can engage in remarketing to follow them to other sites.  Eventually, that can lead to a lead, and then a sale. Quicker than SEO. Let’s face it. Success with organic search can take a long time.  So, how long does it take to rank on Google? According to many experts, it can take between 3 and 6 months to rank on Google.  And, if you’re in a competitive field like personal injury leads, it could take up to one year. There are many more factors involved in ranking organically, including age of domain, amount and value of content, and degree of competition. It all starts with a Googles bots or spiders (a.k.a., “Googlebots”) that crawl through billions of web pages and collect data and placing it into an index. Google has an algorithm that emphasizes certain aspects, and it changes it’s formula, or algorithm, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Some changes are more important than others. Some of the most important information collected includes backlinks as well as keywords located in title tags, content tags, and alt tags. Google uses its PageRank program that measures web pages level of significance based upon the quality of traffic from other websites. And at the end of the day, that typically is a relatively lengthy process compared to pay-per-click. For every $1 spent on Google Adwords, businesses earn an average revenue of $2 (Google). Search results gain 1.5 times as many conversions from click throughs as organic search results. (New Media Campaigns). Pay per click consumers are 50 percent more likely to buy than organic consumers. (Unbounce, 2012).Rank higher than competitors. With Google Ads, you have the option to use Google’s Outranking Share tool. This is an automatic bidding method that adjusts bidding to obtain higher rankings relative to your competition. Why is it important to outrank competitors?  Because higher ranking equals more leads. So, if you’re a law firm pursuing more automobile accident leads through Google Ads, you’ll want higher rankings. Same if you’re a cell phone provider selling smart phones, a pizza joint selling pizza pies, or a mechanic looking for more car repair leads. According to Chitika, the top-ranking position gets 32.5% of the clicks from a search result while the second gets 18%.  Naturally, clicks decrease as rankings lower, as seen below. How can Google Ads be improved? Testing. You never know what text or images are going to generate and convert prospects into leads.  As much as you may know your target market, things change.  There are new trends, influencers, and current events that can change the mindset of your clientele. And although copying competitors is a great place to start, you don’t know if they’re advertising comports with best practices or best results possible. Hence, testing different ad copy will allow you to generate the best return for your time and advertising dollars. Overall, you can increase bounce rates and conversions, then make adjustments on the fly without waiting for organic results. Timing of ads. Because Google Adwords is so flexible, you can advertise whenever your customer is online. It doesn’t always make good sense to advertise all day.  This is dependent upon your product, service, and audience. Typically, you may run an ad for as little as 3 days to 3 weeks, reflect on the data, identify the most responsive time of day click-through’s occur, then make adjustments accordingly. Likely, you’ll quickly see overall higher conversion rates. Remarketing. It is well-established that remarketing is one of the best methods of increasing conversions. Personal injury lead generation companies often engage in this tactic to lower overall costs, and other industries do the same.  Often, it takes 3 or more exposures of a product or service before a customer makes a purchase. That’s where remarketing can do wondersyou’re your lead generation. Google Adwords is among the best platforms for this strategy.  According to Smart Bug, below are the top 5 benefits to remarketing online. Increase branding. Since your text or banner ad will follow the user after they have landed on your site, you’ll be able to expose them to your brand. Increases conversions. Remarketing allows you to stay at the forefront of your prospects mind during the decision-making process. Additional exposure equates to higher conversions. Increased ROI. Since a consumer often requires multiple exposures of a product or service before making a purchase, having your product or service in front of them increases the funds you’ve already spent to get them to your website in the first place. Improve target marketing. Since you can pursue certain segments of prospects based upon demographics, you can send specific ads to specific websites.  Improve budget flexibility. Certain sites may cost more when using Google’s Display Network.  Remarketing allows you to advertise on the sites with the best conversion rates, thanks to their robust budget and reporting tools. Other important statistics regarding pay-per-click include the following: Although the average clickthrough rate for pay per click ads is only 2 percent, the average  rate for the top result paidresult hits close to 8 percent (Accuracast). $10.1 billion in pay per click ads from more than 7 million marketers occurred in 2017. (SocialMediaToday).

5. 97% of Consumers have Conducted an Online Search to Locate a Business, and 12% Conduct Local Searches Daily. (BrightLocal, 2017).
   

   These numbers are very informative. Virtually every consumer with internet access in the U.S. is doing local search nowadays.  And the top provider is Google My Business. So, if you’re an attorney advertising legal leads online, you definitely need to consider Google Maps and Google My Business.  Same if you’re an apartment searching for apartment rental leads, or any merchant with a local presence interested in expanding your customer base. A big part of this is online reviews, which we will discuss next.  What are the benefits of local search? There are a number of positive benefits to lead generation when conducting a local search campaign.  Below are some ideas from seo Tuners. Attract new customers. Since most people have access to the internet, it’s a no-brainer that local search can be beneficial. Many people drive take the same route to work and shop in the same retail outlets every week, month, and year.  Hence, they likely won’t get exposed to your firm if you’re hidden.  That’s especially the case with law firms pursuing legal leads and mortgage companies pursuing mortgage leads, since their offices typically reside within office towers.  It’s free! Getting listed on Google My Business doesn’t cost a dime.  But, it could be time-consuming when you first start.  Like everything in life, you’ll have to invest something, but there are a number of local SEO tools that don’t cost anything. These can greatly assist with tracking and adjusting your local ads to improve conversions. Increased website traffic. Often, the only way to obtain exposure of your product or service is through online advertising. And, if you’re selling something appealing to regional buyers then local SEO can be greatly beneficial. According to Search Engine Land, there are a few things you can do to improve your website traffic with this strategy.  That includes writing keyword centric title tags and description tags, having accurate information in directories and citations, having positive online reviews, and using local structured data markup. Higher conversions. Pursuant to Go-Globe, local search queries through mobile phones generated an offline purchase. That’s a big number, and it tows the line with the premise that local searches drive leads to merchants and auto accident attorney leads to lawyers.   Increase customer engagement. More and more consumers are writing reviews and relying upon reviews when making a purchase.  And with Google My Business, you can respond to reviews.  This increases engagement, and also shows that you are responsive to your customers.  Further, when you generate a profile, you can provide the information you want your prospects to read.  That gives you the opportunity to provide the right anchor and frame for your prospect, which often leads to higher conversions.  And when pursuing local search, don’t forget that 93% of local searches resulted in a “Google 3-pack” displaying. That says a lot . . . use Google My Business.  Below are some additional statistics about local search you should know. 50% of mobile users visit stores within one day due to local searches. (Google, 2018). Nearly one-third of all mobile searches are location-based queries. (The SEM Post, 2016) 92% of internet users will choose a merchant whose search results are on the first page. (Chitika) 75% of local-based searches result in an in-store visit. (Acquisio, 2017).

6. Click to Call Advertising Will Hit Approximately $1 Trillion and Expected to Double to $2 Trillion by 2019. (Marchex, 2016).

   According to the 2015 Click-To-Call Commerce Mobile Performance Report and more recent Call Commerce: A $1 Trillion Economic Engine, the click to call business has hit the trillion dollar threshold.  Moreover, it is expected to break the $2 trillion mark during 2019 and generate 162 billion calls. And for those personal injury attorneys pursuing auto accident attorney leads, this could be something of great interest.  Just look at the charts above and you’ll see auto related businesses are snagging a large piece of that pie. Some additional key points from the report include: Mobile calls now equal 85 billion calls during 2016 Phone calls generate valuable sales and are highly valuable The automobile, financial services, and cable-telecommunications industries show the biggest opportunities Phone calls will continue to grow in this demand economy Click to calls are driven by search, but social media is gaining prominence The industry may have received its biggest initial boost in 2007, which is when the iPhone was first released.  This is because it was the first portable device that you could truly use search, and that served as a natural progression. Source: BIA Kelsey Notably, the number one reason consumers engage in pay per calls is to speak to someone and get a quick answer.  Following, are to speak to a real individual, ask additional questions, and accomplish something that they couldn’t online. More accurate information and convenience trailed towards the end. What are the benefits of Pay Per Call? The pay per call business is growing, and there are significant benefits businesses, law firms, and merchants can obtain. Increased contact rates.  Although 1 in 5 calls get abandoned in click to call campaigns, once a consumer is on the line you have a terrific advantage. Simply, your conversion rate for leads will improve. Like many personal injury lead generation companies have discovered, higher contact rates for attorneys equate to higher retention rates for workers compensation, social security disability, and automobile accident injury leads.  Some prospective claimants will submit a form online to get the process going, but may be hesitant to timely answer calls or respond to email and text messages from attorneys following up.  Unlike tax leads, these leads can have a shelf-life.  That does not mean lawyers should take more than 5 minutes to respond since that prospect may have submitted their information to multiple law firms. Nonetheless, many claimants who complete a form online may be non-litigious and hesitant to begin the legal process. Hence, getting the lead on the phone will greatly assist converting the client.  Ultimately, it boils down to whomever obtains contact first wins. Less saturated. The click to call business is not as competitive as traditional pay-per-click. It’s a younger business. But Adwords can be expensive. However, many lead generators are not setup to properly bill or track these call types. Our third-party lead generation business provides auto accident lead generation and other attorney leads for law firms, and many do not have staff immediately available to handle live calls. If you’ve got a company with available staff to handle live calls with interested prospects, often who are in a decision making stage of the buy cycle, this online direct response marketing strategy could be highly beneficial to generating and converting leads. Positive ROI.  Because the contact rate is essentially 100%, the conversion rate is higher.  That naturally leads to lower ROI.  Ultimately, this is about efficiency too. Agents receiving inbound leads are not tasked with making numerous outbound calls over several days attempting to get a hold of valuable leads.  Nor are they having to manage remarketing campaigns and keep up with emails and text messages. Although those tasks can be streamlined with automated marketing platforms, which is something we provide when generating personal injury leads.  Nonetheless, the amount of time saved combined with the increased contact rates equates to better returns on your marketing dollars. The main sources for click to call currently are Google Ads and Facebook. What tips should firms consider for calls on Google Ads? Click to call ads can be expensive on Google Ads, so be sure you are as knowledgeable as possible.  Here are some tips to consider from Wordstream. Limited text ad space. Remember that when setting you pay per click calls there is less text.  You can, however, place phone numbers on your website once a user lands on your page. Don’t drive calls to voicemail or unanswered phones. Essentially, you need to run your ads during business hours.  Look at your traditional ad campaigns tot see peak hours for click-through rates.  This will allow you to identify and apply consumer preferences, which will guide you to proper days and times for online ads. Use location targeting. This tip is important if you’re generating calls for a local-based business.  Additionally, try to use a local number that routes calls to the closest location. Use the URL.  Because you are limited in the amount of text you can use relative to traditional pay per click ads, you’ll want to put your number in the URL. Do A/B testing.  This is no different than traditional pay per click advertising.  Although you only have access to 35 characters, which limits the message you can change, make sure you have a call to action that elicits consumers to make the call. Bid high at the outset.  This is often a tactic used in traditional pay per click campaigns. It may be less cost effective, even be a loss, but you need to obtain data to better optimize.  Plus, if you get the top ranked position you’ll be more likely to generate calls and sales that will offset costs. Schedule ads properly.  As mentioned earlier, take a look at your traditional campaigns and run call ads when click through rates are highest. Engage remarketing ads. Remember that it often takes multiple exposures for prospects to make a purchase. Hence, if a call is dropped (which occurs about 20% of the time), remarketing campaigns can get them back. The timing of a highly engaged conversation may be premature for a prospect at the research stage of the sales cycle. Don’t neglect the opportunity to stay at the forefront of an interested consumer since the conversion rate is higher. Below are more statistics regarding call campaigns. 70% of mobile-based search queries result in a phone call to a business. (Google). 61% of the mobile searchers studied rated click to call as either ‘Extremely or Very Important’ in their purchasing decision-making phase. (Caller Ready, 2017). 35% of the study consumers felt disappointed when a brand or organization did not have a click to call button.  (Caller Ready, 2017). 70% of the mobile searchers studied used click to call buttons. (Google, 2013).

7. 86% of Consumers Read Online Reviews When Considering a Local Business. (BrightLocal, 2018).

   For the past few years, reviews have become a stronger influence in generating and converting leads. Google has added reviews to their local SEO results, and those frequently display towards the top. If that’s not enough, a whole industry has spawned from online reviews. Not only do websites like Yelp and TripAdvisor center around reviews, but marketing companies that help businesses get reviews from consumers have proliferated.  Significantly, law firms generating personal injury leads can generate credibility and leverage the resources from local search campaigns with good reviews.  Same for retailers, restaurants, doctors, and other merchants. How important are reviews in the decision-making process? Moz conducted a survey and discovered online reviews influence 67.7% of buying decisions. This is a hefty percentage.  But how impactful are these reviews?  Well, the same survey showed 54.7% of consumers believed online reviews, “fairly, very, or absolutely an important part of their decision-making process.”  In fact, and according to Brightlocal’s survey, 91% of 18-34 year-olds interpret online reviews the same degree as a personal recommendation. And here’s the kicker when it comes to lead generation:  people are looking every day, every week, and every month at reviews. Below are the most important stats to consider regarding online reviews and the impact they have on consumer buying decisions. 27% of consumers looked online daily for a local business in 2018 – more than double the proportion in 2017 69% look online for local businesses monthly (up from 54%) 56% search for local businesses weekly (up from 41% last year) As you can see, these stats are eye-opening.  Especially if you’re in the business of generating car accident leads, personal injury leads, medical patient leads, and other auto-related leads. Truthfully, virtually all local business should take note. And if that’s not enough, 65% of consumers believe search results provide the most trusted source regarding people and companies…higher than any other online or offline source.   What about the negative impact of online reviews? This is a good question. As many of you know, people are more likely to tell others about their bad experiences with a company compared to good experiences. This could be because of the emotional impact bad results have on the psyche.  Consumers have certain expectations, and when they are met then they feel comfortable.  But when they are not met, it surprises them and they may feel a stronger emotional impact.  This is similar to the impact of loss aversion and fear of loss.  Studies have shown that the fear of losing something – even something you may have never wanted or something you may lose forever if not acted on – will have a higher emotional impact that obtaining something. To that point, Moz’s research (including their chart below) determined that a company can lose over one-fifth of their clientele due to one negative article. And, three negative articles can cause approximately 60% loss, and four could generate a whopping 70% loss. Where do consumers go to see online reviews? The first destination most people think about when looking up a company’s reputation is Google.  So, if you’re generating auto accident attorney leads, you’ll want to be listed in the Google My Business directory and have positive reviews. Everything else is second. Other sources for reviews include Amazon, Wikipedia, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.  How can I protect my reputation? Marketing and public relations firms must think about the impact and influence reviews have on their brands.  Clearly, a company’s reputation has a powerful affect on buyer’s decisions. While positive reviews can assist in generating and converting leads in to clients, negative ones can push others away. Below are some ideas law firms and other businesses can consider when protecting their reputation. Social media.  When doing an online search of an attorney, law firm, or retailer, social media accounts often display at the top.  And,  that’s a terrific place to get positive exposure.  Additionally, you don’t have to make many posts to get top listing for a search query on your brand. Simply get an account with Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, and LinkedIn.  Then, complete your profile and images.  Subsequently, you can post occasionally – not every day or even every week – and you will see your social media account listed in search results.  Importantly, you may even see positive reviews posted in the form of stars, which offers a quick barometer for consumers. Monitor reviews. You should receive a notification whenever a review is submitted to a review site. Nonetheless, monitoring these sites on a relatively frequent basis is suggested. Read up on best practices on improving results as well. Respond to reviews. When you receive a positive review, you should thank the client.  This shows you are engaged and appreciative of the person’s gratitude, and that you follow up with your customer base.  People like that.  Importantly, you should respond to negative reviews.  Think of what attorneys do: they try to get both sides of the story to the forefront, and there’s always two sides.  You have the opportunity to defend bad reviews, and even turn a disappointed customer into a happy one.  And, that could reverse a negative review into a positive one.  The objective is to generate a positive frame and context of your business. Don’t let this opportunity slip away, especially since Consider online review and reputation software. Online Reputation Management is the practice of overseeing and influencing a company’s reputation as it appears in the online world. These tools can reach out to clients following the purchase of a product or service and ask for their opinion.  Often, this is done in the form of a survey.  For example, when law firms are generating car accident leads, they may use a tool that engages previous clients and asks them to submit a testimonial about their experience.  Positive reviews would be published, while negative reviews may be held internally so an attorney or paralegal can communicate with the client.  The cost can range from $15 to $500 per month.  These software tools will track all sorts of online sources, including social media, Google reviews, Yelp reviews, Angie’s list, TripAdvisor, forums, BBB complaints, Rip-Off Report, and other online sources.  With smart apps and AI, lawyers and merchants can uncover negative reviews before their damaging effects occur. If you’re serious about positive reviews and testimonials, this is something to consider. Key statistics from BrightLocal’s survey: Consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business. 40% of consumers only take into account reviews written within the past 2 weeks – up from 18% last year. 57% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars. 80% of 18-34 year olds have written online reviews – compared to just 41% of consumers over 55. 91% of 18-34 year old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews.

8. 51% of Budgets from Marketers and Advertisers Go Towards Mobile Ads. (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2016).

   Mobile advertising is growing by leaps and bounds.  In fact, according to ____ mobile advertising as a percentage to digital advertising growth rose from $21.8 billion to $30.9 billion from 2017 to 2018.  That’s a 43% increase.  Further, it accounted for 63% of all ad growth in 2017, up from 54%.  As you can see, mobile phone ads are an important part of online advertising.  Law firms need to consider this in their digital marketing budgets when pursuing auto accident attorney leads, just like merchants when generating ecommerce and offline prospect leads.  What is mobile advertising? Mobile advertising is a type of digital marketing that targets, communicates, and connects to consumers via mobile devices, including cell phones, smart phones, and tablets.  Mobile phone consumers and users with smaller screens and portable devices have different buying behaviors and expectations that require different marketing methods.  Why is mobile advertising becoming important? We’ve already mentioned the upward trend in advertising spending for mobile devices.   The reasons include the rate that mobile devices are being adopted, which has passed 80% in 2016.  Additionally, conversion rates have improved 64% relative to typical desktop for ecommerce sales.  That said, mobile ads are an important part of digital advertising and lead generation.  Below are some reasons to consider. Google emphasizes mobile responsiveness. As you know, Google is among the biggest sources of lead generation for most industries.  That said, you need to follow their lead.  It’s likely the #1 reason mobile friendly websites should be an element in your online advertising.  Back in 2015, Google updated its search algorithm to include mobile responsiveness as a ranking signal.  The update was called Mobilegeddon.  There are plenty of free mobile friendly testing tools online, so check them out.  In case you’re wondering, mobile responsiveness is a means of optimizing online experience by adjusting the data to more adequately fit smaller screens.  Hence, it improves the online experience of browsing and reading emails and searching websites.  And, a better experience leads to more time on the website, more lead generation and more conversions. Google offers mobile specific ad campaigns. One extension of Google’s emphasis on mobile responsiveness includes the company’s Enhanced Campaigns  This option allows digital marketers the ability to bid across different devices within on campaign.  Previously, the only option was mobile vs. desktop.  One of the prominent options is the ability to increase bid prices specifically for mobile devices. Google mobile ad extensions. Yup, this is another extension of Google’s focus on mobile devices.  First, advertisers can setup mobile site links that make it easier for mobile users to jump to certain pages on a website.  Additionally, Google offers click-to-call mobile ad extensions that ads a “call” button below an ad.  This entices consumers to click the button and contact the merchant.  If you’re pursuing car accident leads, auto-finance leads, and mortgage leads, you’ll want to consider this.  Just don’t forget that you’ll need an agent available to take the call.  Moreover, Google provides offers for mobile that encourages clicks from mobile users by offering a coupon under the ad.  These are catchy and can grab their attention when they might otherwise be ignored.  Finally, Google offers a click-to-download ad extension, which provides a “download” button instead of the “call” button.  Consumers spend more time on mobile devices. Mobile devices incurred 10 hours per day by consumers in 2016.  That’s more than 500 hours every year checking out websites, social media, texting, and talking.  That provides a tremendous platform to pursue knowing the importance people place with mobile devices. Higher open rates. Open rates for text messages have been said to reach 98%, and are read within the first three minutes of receipt. That’s far higher than email marketing.  But when considering open rates and click-through rates, mobile devices are far higher.  According to Text Request, mobile devices accounted for 55% of email opens, 28% from webmail, and 16% from desktops.  But there’s more to it.  Engagement is higher on mobile devices too, as users spend more time reading emails.  What are best practices for mobile advertising? We’ll leave you with some strategies to consider when designing and launching your mobile ads. Be direct. Mobile devices have smaller screens, and buyer behavior is different.  There’s not enough space for fluff, so you’ll need to be direct and to the point.  Too many ads will cause users to scroll past relevant text, so be concise.  According to ClickZ, if a mobile ad cannot be understood inside of 2-seconds, it needs to be redesigned. Local optimization. There is a heavy amount of traffic that retailers get from local search.  So, if you’re generating motor vehicle accident leads, make sure you optimize for local users.  More and more “near me” searches are occurring too, and those are all local-based queries. Include multi-touch capabilities. Engagement with mobile users is higher compared to desktops.  Capitalize on this by adding swiping, tilting, and clicking capabilities.  That will make the experience more entertaining and increase engagement.  Higher engagement typically means more leads. Call to action and urgency. Common text in mobile ads includes “click here for your exclusive discount,” “download free app,” and “tap to play.”  Moreover, these often are done using images, which can be more powerful than text.  Since you’re limited in time, an image can be comprehended faster.  And, you’ll want the user to take action faster since their attention spans could be shorter in the smaller space available with mobile devices. Naturally, consider the word “free” since it’s a no-brainer.  Along these lines, the most effective calls-to-actions include urgency.  Consider behavioral psychology in your marketing pitch.  Using “limited time offer” and “act now” offers often work well as a loss aversion cognitive bias tactic.  Time sensitivity could be crucial for discretionary products and services. And, people using mobile devices often are on-the-go when considering a purchase and looking for a quick answer and solution.  Hence, for those people that are in a “need it now” mode, you should use advertising that converts them now too. A/B testing. This should be an integral method within all your advertising platforms.  Combine different images and text with slightly different prompts.  You never know what works best. You’ll want to measure results from different click-to-call options with different offers.  You’ll be fascinated with how you could double and triple lead generation and conversion when you test different combinations.  Make ads contextually relevant. Nowadays, personalization is possible with the data available.  One study indicated 78% of users would be interested in mobile ads that was relevant to their interests.  Of those, 64% would be willing to give details about themselves if it could improve ad relevancy.   Using the weather and time of day can be helpful when promoting products.  If you’re a personal injury lead generation company, you could remarket driving carefully on an app designed to generate auto accident leads.   Location is an option as well.  One report determined that 60% of people use mobile phones while shopping, and 56% bought a product based upon relevant content.  You can even use mobile apps to search for products and pricing while shopping.  For more informative data showing the importance of mobile ads, check out the statistics below. Google drives 96% of mobile search traffic. (Jody Nimetz Co., 2018) Close to one-third of all mobile searches are location-based queries. (The SEM Post, 2016) 51% of digital marketers budgets goes towards mobile ads. (Impact, 2017) 4 out of every 10 mobile users use Facebook Messenger. (eMarketer, 2016) 48% of customers began searching for the product they bought on mobile first. (Google, 2018).

Key Statistics Can Help You Rank Higher And Generate More Leads

Identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses in your lead generation efforts can be greatly helpful. 

By applying the knowledge of what your competitors and industry experts are doing, you can generate more car accident leads and convert more personal injury leads for sale. 

And, if you’re a merchant who provides prospects with different digital marketing methods, applying these statistics could keep you at the forefront of your sector.