How Lawyers Should Communicate With Millennials for Max Engagement

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Not all clients are created equal. While there are plenty of different ways to segment your target audience, generational splits are one simple approach. And if you’re going to focus on one generation moving forward, millennials should be at the top of your list.

Who Are Millennials? 

While generational cutoff points are far from an exact science, those born between 1977 and 2000 are typically considered millennials. (Though some restrict it to a more focused 1981 to 1996.) They make up roughly 25 percent of the population and account for 21 percent of all consumer discretionary purchases (a figure that’s growing by the day).

Roughly half of all millennials are more willing to make a purchase from a company that supports a specific cause, something that speaks to the social backbone of the generation.

Millennials are 2.5-times more likely to be early adopters of technology (when compared to other generations), they expect brands to entertain, and they feel a responsibility to interact with companies after good or bad experiences.

Four Ways to Maximize Engagement

Millennials represent over a trillion dollars in spending power and have quickly become the largest demographic in the workplace. As an attorney who wants to run a profitable practice, emphasizing this portion of the marketplace sets you up for success both today and tomorrow.

The challenge is that millennials aren’t easily stimulated. They’re exposed to thousands of marketing messages, advertisements, and offers on a daily basis. In order to cut through that noise, you must engage them in appealing ways that acknowledge who they are, what they like, and what they value.

Here are some specific ways you can do this:

1. Convey Tangible Value

Millennials aren’t the healthiest bunch when it comes to personal finance. They tend to have lots of debt (student loans, in particular), lower wages than older generations did at this point in their careers, and higher expenses. So before they spend for an attorney, they want to know precisely where their money is going and how it’ll pay off for them.

The trick is to convey value at each step along the way. You can do this through clear communication of fees and expectations.

“When in doubt, overcommunicate about the different scenarios and possibilities. The fewer surprises for your clients, the better for your working relationship,” legal industry advocate Jean Clauson writes. “Obviously, in some situations, you won’t know what is going to happen, but try to draw as clear a roadmap as possible for them, pointing out what usually happens.” 

2. Use Engaging Content Mediums

You know you need to produce digital content to reach millennial prospects online, but what kinds of content perform best?

While written copy serves a purpose (and is especially important from an SEO angle), you should also give video a try. Firms like Alper Law actually use video on their service pages (in addition to text) as a way of extracting maximum value from each page. This Florida residency requirements page is a good example.

3. Meet Face-to-Face 

The common myth is that millennials only care about digital interaction. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Research shows that millennials would actually much prefer to meet face-to-face in an office – something that surprises a lot of attorneys.

While there are obviously challenges with meeting face-to-face during today’s current pandemic, there will come a time when welcoming clients into your office is normal and accepted. And when that time does come, be sure to keep the doors open to millennials!

4. Be Available 

Millennials have a high expectation that attorneys will be available to them through a wide variety of channels and mediums. In addition to meeting face to face, you need to have options for phone, email, SMS, online chat, and even video chat.

This might sound like a lot of time to invest in communication, but it’s the sentiment that counts most. Millennials want to know that you’re there for them, even if they never actually take advantage of the majority of these modes of communication.

Adding it All Up

Millennials need to be a focal point of your marketing and lead gen strategies moving forward, but it’s imperative that you pursue this audience via the right methodologies and tactics. Try implementing a couple of the techniques from this article over the next week and see if they have any positive impact on your results. It can take time for these principles to take root, but once they do, the progress will be evident.