MVA
How to Get More Car Accident Cases: 7 Channels for PI Firms
Seven ways personal injury firms get more car accident cases: referrals, SEO, paid search, TV and radio, reviews, lead generation companies, and live transfers or pre-signed cases. Which to add first.
Key takeaways
- The seven main channels are referrals, SEO, paid search, TV and radio, reviews, lead generation companies, and live transfers or pre-signed cases.
- Referrals, SEO, broadcast and reviews build demand over months; live transfers and pre-signed cases add cases on demand.
- Judge every channel by cost per signed case, and fix intake speed first.
- RingOnDemand's live transfers usually start within 24 hours of a signed order, with no recurring volume commitment.
Personal injury firms get more car accident cases from seven main channels: referrals, search (SEO), paid search, TV and radio, reviews, lead generation companies, and pay-per-call live transfers or pre-signed cases. The first five build demand over months and depend on your own intake to convert it. The last two buy cases on demand, so you can add volume this week. Most growing firms run several at once and judge every channel by one number: cost per signed case.
1. Referrals
Referrals from past clients, other attorneys and medical providers tend to bring in cases that already trust you. They are hard to scale on demand, so most firms pair them with a paid channel.
2. Search engine optimization (SEO)
Pages built around what accident victims actually search, such as a dedicated car accident page for each city you serve, bring in callers for free once they rank. SEO takes months to pay off and the competition for accident terms is intense.
3. Paid search
Paid search ads put your firm in front of people searching right now. Accident victims often want help immediately, which suits paid search, but clicks on accident terms are among the most expensive in advertising, and your team still has to screen and sign every inquiry.
4. TV, radio and billboards
Broadcast builds a name people remember when they need a lawyer. It needs a large budget and a long run before it pays off, and you cannot target callers by case criteria.
5. Reviews and reputation
A strong review profile lifts every other channel: people compare firms before they call. Ask happy clients for reviews as part of closing the case.
6. Lead generation companies
Lead generation companies sell you MVA leads, usually as web form leads that your team calls back. They are fast to start, but quality varies widely between vendors, and form leads have to be reached and qualified from scratch. Read MVA leads: what they are and how to buy them before you choose one.
7. Live transfers and pre-signed cases
Pay-per-call vendors run the ads, screen every caller against your case criteria, and either transfer the caller to your intake line while they are still on the phone or sign them to your retainer. You pay per transfer or per signed case.
With RingOnDemand, transfers usually start within 24 hours of the signed order, there is no recurring volume commitment, and firms sign 25 to 35% of our MVA live transfers, higher in California. Compare the two offers in MVA live transfers vs. pre-signed cases.
Which channel should your firm add first?
| If you need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Cases this month, with an intake team in place | Live transfers |
| Cases this month, without adding intake staff | Pre-signed cases |
| A lower cost per case over the next year | SEO and referrals |
| A known name in your market | TV, radio and reviews |
Whatever you choose, track cost per signed case for every channel, and fix intake speed first: the fastest answer usually signs the case.
Ready to add cases this week? See MVA live transfers and signed cases, or book a call with a licensed attorney on our team.