LexisNexis last week launched Martindale-Hubbell Attorney Match--Direct Call Service, a pay per call service that will be hosted on the newly launched attorneys.com assisted search lawyer directory. LexisNexis worked with pay per call advertising provider Ingenio Inc. to create the Direct Call Service.
When they sign on (with a set-up fee) to Attorney Match--Direct Call Service, attorneys advertise, but are only billed for calls they receive in response to their ads. Law firms that subscribe to the service will receive phone calls via attorneys.com, lawyers.com, and the Ingenio advertising network of Web search engines, Internet Yellow Pages directories, mobile search providers and free directory assistance services. Attorneys can set the price they want to pay for phone calls received.
LexisNexis officials believe that Attorney Match--Direct Call Service is a complementary service to Martindale-Hubbell's Attorney Match--Email Inquiry Service, which sends email inquiries from potential clients to a subscriber's in-box. Both services enable attorneys to easily recognize the value of their marketing efforts.
Pay per call is very important in the business-to-business world because very few transactions are actually entirely concluded online. The same is most likely true for legal transactions, especially since potential clients usually prefer verbal contact with a legal professional. Online services such as attorneys.com are great for the client who needs to identify an appropriate attorney and for the attorney who wants to be found. But web pages, which are great for finding background information, can only do so much. Pay per call services are really a necessary component to help close a deal. With the direct call service and the email service, LexisNexis has all its clients' marketing bases covered.