Law firms and other service providers often struggle with effective ways to use email to find qualified leads.  Often, a call-to-action to schedule an appointment includes just a phone number to call or a reply email. 

However, there are more creative ways for law firms to entice prospects to take that step to schedule an appointment; here are three:

1.  Web forms and surveys.  Law firms that offer free appointments can repackage that offer in a more creative way by including surveys or web forms in their newsletters and making a free appointment the “prize” for subscribers who fill these out. 

2.  Free reports.  Free reports that are offered to prospects on your website, via social media or through your e-newsletters are a great way to discover qualified leads.  First, you have to have a good handle on topics of interest to your target market.  Then you generate a 3-4 page report with a snappy title that addresses any of your prospects’ problems.  In exchange for receiving the free report, you ask prospects to provide you with an email address and phone number, which you can then use to reach out to them personally to further develop your relationship.

3.  Webinars.  Hosting a free webinar on a topic of interest to your target market is another good way to gather qualified leads.  You can promote your event through your e-newsletter as well as on social media, which helps you build your email list of qualified leads.  At the conclusion of your webinar, offer something of value like a free consultation and make it extra enticing by limiting it to the first five people who respond. 

You may need to tinker with various tactics to discover what works best for your prospects, as not every tactic will convert at the same rate.  The important thing is to keep making your engagement with prospects interesting for them, and not serving up the same old thing in every communication they receive from you.