Did Interest in Digital Marketing Just Pass Business Development?

Don’t look now, but interest in law firm digital marketing just passed interest in business development.

We jumped on Google Trends to get a sense of how law firms are looking at marketing and business development since the pandemic started — and now, as we move into a hybrid work mode. A few things jump out:

1. Searches for law firms’ digital marketing took a leg up as the pandemic hit in March of 2020. It was spotty all the way through January 2021, then interest rose a little higher — with a peak in April of 2022. It took a brief breather and is heading back up as we go to press.
2. You can see in April 2021 there was a peak of interest in SEO — suggesting SEO is becoming more of a centerpiece of the strategy, it was searched 5 to 7 times more than digital marketing. Interest started to wane last May, and law firm digital marketing and business development picked up.
3. Business development searches started to increase in January 2022 and have remained at high levels through May — and was in lockstep with law firm digital marketing for a while. Look for more interest in business development as it becomes tougher to land business and law firms look for changes to business development strategies and tactics.

Searches for all 3 areas increased in 2022. Law firms are bringing more digital marketing into the fold  – and upping their game.  We see an increased need for all 3 areas — the firms who can integrate the stack will perform best. A digital approach creates new opportunities — and clients expect their partners to be fluent in the business development tactics to get their business.