Growing your practice through referrals is a must. In addition to providing knowledgeable legal advice and excellent service, asking your clients to share your name with their friends, family and colleagues is invaluable. Yet it is one aspect of marketing that many attorneys are uncomfortable with. Even though you have provided good service, you may wonder whether it was good enough, whether the client is truly satisfied, and whether asking for a referral makes you seem salesy or desperate for new business. Nothing could be farther from the truth. People would rather do business with someone they know than with a stranger, and getting a name from a friend is the next best thing.  Clients that you have good relationships with do not mind passing along your information to others in need. The challenge is to make it simple and easy for them. Online reviews and mobile applications are two stress-free ways to get referrals. Online reviews allow your current clients to write about their experience as your client quickly and easily. Mobile apps like “AttorneyConnect” not only include a  “write a review” feature but also a referral button that lets a client forward your contact information to a friend in one touch.

This Massachusetts law firm specializes in elder law, estate planning, and real estate law, with clients ranging in age from young couples buying their first home to seniors preparing to pass on their estates. The one thing they have in common is that most of them have mobile devices. “We see the Google reports and a good number are searching for us on smartphones and tablets,” said Marco Schiavo, Esq. The firm began offering its clients the “AttorneyConnect” app earlier this summer. The app allows them to share their bios, firm information, legal articles and Q&As, and clients can use it to make referrals, request an appointment and get directions. “People love the layout. It’s easy to use. It does everything we wanted it to,” said Marco. He noted that having an app gives the practice a competitive advantage, since some other firms don’t even have a website, never mind an app. “The app puts us miles ahead of everyone else. It shows that we’re on the forefront of technology. We’re a tech-savvy firm and people like that. It only makes sense to have an app,” said Marco.

Marketing a product or service on a mobile phone is a new and growing practice. There have been several big turning points in marketing history, and we’re living through another one. Beginning with the first newspaper ads in the 1700s, the first radio ads in the ‘20s, the first TV ads in the ‘40s, and the first Internet ads in the 1990s we’re now seeing the first mobile phone ads, apps, and more. It’s the beginning of a new opportunity for businesses of all types and attorneys would be wise to get on-board. That’s because it’s where your clients and prospects are. Smartphone use is booming in all demographics, not just teens. In fact, 37 percent of smartphone owners are over age 35 (Google). Mobile phones now outnumber TV sets by over 3 to 1,and laptop and desktop PC users by nearly 5 to 1 (CBS News).

The mobile phone is the most widespread and most rapidly adopted technology of all time. In the past few years, usage has grown dramatically. There are now almost 6 billion active mobile phone subscriptions around the world – almost 84% of the people on Earth have a mobile phone! In 2011 more smartphones were sold than all types of personal computers added together including desktops, laptops, and tablets like the iPad. Mobile Apps for Attorneys One way for individual attorneys and small law firms to take advantage of the boom in mobile phones is by offering their clients a mobile app. A mobile application (or mobile app) is software designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices. Most importantly, a mobile app for solo practitioners and small firms can help you increase client loyalty, generate referrals, differentiate your law practice from the competition, and stay on the forefront of this exciting new technology.

Mobile phones are a growing part of everyday life. We get directions, find local businesses, play games, and more. Here are the latest statistics on how Americans use our phones. Accessing maps and directions is the number one mobile activity, followed by social networking, finding local information and reading news (comScore). Mobile searches have quadrupled in the last year (Google). One in seven searches are now mobile and one in three mobile searches are local (Google). After looking up a local business on their smartphone, 61 percent of users call the business and 59 percent visit (Google). 80 per cent of mobile time is spent on apps (Flurry). People are now using more apps than ever, launching 7.9 per day (Flurry). When given a choice, consumers prefer using an app (85%) over a mobile website (Compuware).