Lawyer Marketing

A recent ABA survey showed that Web site penetration among solos has tripled over the last five years, from 17% to 52%. For small law firms, more than two out of three now have a presence on the Internet. Increasingly, it becomes more important to consider how to set yourself apart.

Every law firm has a brand. Your brand describes the total experience of having a relationship with you, and is a perception in someone else’s mind. Success hinges on these relationships. How do you develop a distinctive, relevant and consistent brand as a solo practitioner, or as a small law firm as a whole? A good start is to study the best global brands.

For the ninth consecutive year, BusinessWeek has teamed up with Interbrand, a leading brand consultancy, to publish the ranking of the top 100 global brands by brand value. Google, Amazon, and Thomson Reuters are among this year's top gainers. Coca-Cola remains the No. 1 brand for the ninth year in a row.

Add a Video to Tell Your Firm's Story

In recent years, video on the Web has soared in popularity. In terms of making an instant impact online, few things compare with video.

Web sites that are marketing their services can especially benefit from adding video. Law firms are marketing to people with an unresolved legal issues. Because of the personalized nature of the services offered by an attorney, video can help the firm make a connection with a potential client.

If you are considering adding video to your firm's Web site, it is important consider how you want your firm portrayed. Keeping your video consistent with your other marketing channels is important.

The internet is as vast as the universe and yet at the same time can be as focused, niche and specific as a grain of sand. With these opposite and intertwining realities working both with and against each other it’s daunting to think about how a single website is ever discovered let alone becomes a popular destination.

Traditional SEO tools and practices still play an important role in search visibility however the landscape is always changing. One of the more recent and well-known changes is the role that social media plays with search visibility. I think John Battelle says it best in his blog post “On FaceBook, Comments, and Implications” September 30, 200. Mr. Battelle comments that:

“With search, we declared private intention, then chose our links to click.

With social media, we publicly declare our intentions and our links. It's a shift of models that is very, very meaningful.”

Think of the web as an ocean, your site as a sole shipwreck survivor and Google (or another search engine) as the Coast Guard. Both parties can use tools to aid discovery. In this example tools such as flares, beacons, reflective surfaces, binoculars, satellite imagery, and good old-fashioned birds-eye view fly-bys can help the survivor’s chances of discovery. 

With sites and search engines traditional tools such as optimized meta tags, relevant/unique/attractive content, sitemaps, back-links, etc. can help with a site’s discovery. Much like the shipwreck survivor floating out there in the ocean waiting for the Coast Guard to find them a site sits and waits to be discovered by search engines. 

The moral of the story is, the more tools you have to aid discovery the better your chances are of being found. With the semantic web still charging ahead, it is now more important than ever to embrace the paradigm shift of sharing links via social media as a valid and useful method of driving SEO value to your site. 

Add Photos to Make an Impact

Is a picture really worth a thousand words? If it's the right picture, and it's displayed prominently on your Web site, the answer is "absolutely". A picture makes an instant impression, so it is worth the effort to find the perfect shot to add to your site.

While your logo and general pictures will likely be a part of your Web site's design, adding personal pictures can be especially effective.

• Consider taking photos of your law office to give potential clients an idea of what to expect when they come in for their consultation. Many of your potential clients may be looking for a lawyer for the first time in their lives, so giving them a visual introduction to your firm can help to ease any anxiety.
• Take high quality photos of your firm's lawyers and professional staff. Photos can be a powerful marketing tool, putting a "face with a name", and an idea of what to expect when coming to your office.

The Benefits of Video          

Many lawyers today market themselves by having a website. With more and more websites being created each year, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to stand out in the crowd. So what’s the best way to get a leg up on the competition? Video.

Having a customized video on your website provides a variety of benefits.  Although photos and text are a good way to pique interest, a video establishes a personal connection with the viewer. If they feel as if they’ve already met you, they are more likely to call you over a firm that does not have video.

You can utilize video to discuss your background, experience, passion for representing clients, etc. If boasting on your achievements seems a little intimidating, many lawyers create videos to educate the viewers. You can give an overview on how a case like theirs works, why it’s important to hire an attorney with experience, or even the benefits of a particular topic such as Bankruptcy or Mediation.

Creating video testimonials of previous clients is a great way to establish credibility. It’s one thing to mention what past clients have said about you, but how compelling is it to have an actual client sing your praises! They can talk about their experience working with you, what a magnificent job you did for them, and how you helped change their life.

Video is an extremely popular medium on the internet right now. Recent studies have shown that around 80-90% of web users watch some form of video online during the average week.  Video marketing is becoming a necessity for any serious marketing plan. Not only does it open the door for new business, but it keeps you one step ahead of your competition!
 

Tara Lieser

Video Field Producer

Kohn Communications just announced the publication of their new book with The American Bar Association: “Selling in Your Comfort Zone: Safe and Effective Strategies for Developing New Business.”  

If you want to be better at bringing in new clients, this book will help you and everyone you know who is uncomfortable with selling. It provides comfortable techniques for meeting new people, and maintaining a consistent, positive presence with existing contacts. Web sites play an essential role. The book includes some helpful tips for creating effective Web sites and the section is available with permission from the authors and publisher.

To order your copy or to send a copy to a friend, click here.

 Search Engine Optimization is changing the way business spend their marketing and operating budgets.  To be found by your target customers via the big search engines takes time, strategy and in the case of PPC….money.  But now that you have potential customers on your site, are you converting them?  Do you even know?  The answer to both of these questions should be yes.  Too often today the emphasis of your site being found overshadows the importance of whether or not your site is designed optimally for conversion.  Visiting a website is not like driving to the store to look for something you want to purchase….it’s very easy to leave a website thus making it even easier to shop around. 

 So how do you design your site so that it maximizes visitor conversion? Well, that in itself is an art and unique to the site itself, but there are some guiding principles. 

 1.       Decide on what conversion means to you.  If you’re selling products online perhaps conversion is synonymous with a sale.  If you’re providing a service such as mortgages or something else, perhaps you measure success by inquiries for rates and other information via an online form.  Depending on what your website strategy is, there are many different ways to measure conversion. 

2.       Be wary of long introductions (e.g. Flash) where visitors are forced to wait.  People have a reason to be on your site; to accomplish something.  To sit through a cool intro is probably not it. 

3.       Don’t overdesign.  Don’t crowd out important information about you for the sake of design.  You now have the visitor’s attention (if for only briefly) , present them with what they are looking for…not with what you want.  I’m not suggesting a completely spartan looking website, but am rather suggesting you search for the delicate balance of just enough design.

4.       Study site metrics.  Learn where people are going on your site (and where they leave).  What are the trends you are seeing?

5.       Employ site conversion tools.  This is taking studying metrics one step further by actually implementing testing software and learning what is driving conversion. Whether this is through A-B testing, or some other manner, site conversion tools can give you quantitative proof as to what is and is not working for your site.   

 Don’t underestimate the need to optimize conversion and don’t rely on aesthetics alone to get it done.  Decide what conversion means to you and your business and look at it quantitatively…because your competitors probably are.

This is written in response to a comment made on a previous blog entry titled “Finding a Lawyer Online”. The comment stated that having an online photo or video of an attorney has a “cheese” factor. Well if that’s true, then bring on the Cheddar.

I’ve got three words for the author of that comment, “Head On” and “ShamWow” (ShamWow technically being one word). I am not certain about many things in life, for example my cat’s birthday, what my blood type is, when I need my tires rotated, etc. However, two things I am absolutely and unequivocally sure of is that Head On gets applied directly to the forehead, directly to the forehead, and ShamWow is the only towel I’ll ever need.

Call it cheesy, but these marketing campaigns have effectively and permanently branded the products into my mind. Now when I’m 85 years old and senile I won’t remember what I did yesterday but ill surely be able to tell you where Head On gets applied to and that ShamWow holds 12 times its weight in liquid. That’s the power of a great marketing strategy. 

Within a great marketing strategy are great tactics and these tactics must be applied correctly for the target audience. The “cheese” factor is always present but it’s the intensity of the cheese that affects the outcome. Too much cheese can drive people away (think Lindberg cheese – really potent and stinky), just the right amount of cheese can keep people coming back for more (think Cheddar – mild, flavorful and appeals to most pallets).   

For example, the Head On or ShamWow strategies would probably not be the best approach for marketing an attorney, too much cheese. Think about an attorney’s target audience. Prospective legal clients need a professional, trustworthy and experienced partner to assist them with serious matters. They are often intimidated by the process of selecting an attorney so having a photo or a video is a great place to start. Showing who you really are creates the first bonds of trust and people tend to remember images better than words or numbers. 

So in the case of a photo or video in your marketing campaign being “cheesy”, I say bring on the Cheddar, it takes cheddar to make cheddar……

-Brian Ledis

Product Development

We’ve all had clients say “I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it” in regards to their website design or content. The same can be said with video that is added to our clients’ websites. The average person may not be able to put their finger on what makes a quality video, but they’ll know it when they see it.   That is why having a FindLaw video field producer with you through the creation of your video is so critical; we help the client shine on camera.

Similar to when a designer or writer is given the task of representing the attorney, the field producer is also given the task of bringing the attorney’s personality and experience to life in a captivating and professional way via our studio or custom shoots. While each producer may have their own unique way of eliciting the best out of our clients, like all FindLaw products, you can guarantee quality and an excellent customer experience will be part of the final product.

The team frequently trains and critiques each other, shares field learning experiences and has round table discussions on different approaches taken while out on a shoot. We strive to continue to bring high energy and professionalism each time we’re in the field recognizing what an honor it is to be allowed one on one time with our clients in their offices.

Whether it is a custom or studio shot, the field producer will take the time to extensively research the client, their practice and their goals for the video(s). Each producer also brings in their own goals for the video which are universal across the board: to communicate who the firm is and help each attorney make an emotional connection with their potential client.   This diligence on the producers’ part ensures both a great customer experience and a well thought out video that the client can be pleased with.

The video field producers have varied backgrounds in the fields of video, communications and even law thus creating a dynamic team that sets the standard for online legal marketing videos. As with all FindLaw products, the video team continues to look for new ways to enhance our product and create successful, well produced marketing vehicles for our clients and their websites.

To be successful, any business must identify its consumers and market to them. A law practice is no different. In the case of Web sites, it is important for any law practice to identify the target audience and create the site around that demographic.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing your site’s content:

• Identify your audience — If the goal of your Web site is to get more clients, you should be writing for those clients. Your target audience changes according to your goals.
• When in doubt, simplify — The first rule of writing for the Web is to simply the content and make it short. Web readers do not read entire pages. Rather, they jump around from paragraph to paragraph, page to page. The content you write should be easy to read, navigate, and understand. Write for your target audience, and then simplify it.
• Balance writing for your audience and writing for search engines — Many people are tempted to write Web content based on what search engines want. This approach disregards readers. Good content should feed search engines naturally. When in doubt, write for your audience, but implement search-engine friendly strategies.

Proving that you can’t advertise effectively in print without an online presence, Telmetrics, a provider of call tracking solutions, recently released data demonstrating that

many Yellow Pages users visit a business’s Web site after reviewing their print ad. Telmetrics measured consumer Web activity generated by more than 1,200 print Yellow Pages ads from November 2008 through April 2009. Each ad included both a unique URL and phone number. The study found that on average, URL visits represented 44 percent of leads, while call traffic generated 56 percent - so half of the people that used the print Yellow Pages to find a source then went online. The full release can be found here.

Edwin Van Riessen

In the face of change, law firms’ hesitance to adopt technology is revealing: According to an American Bar Association Technology Survey, only 40% of solo practitioners and 65% of small law firms have an established Web presence. The statistic suggests that both the worlds of technology and marketing can be intimidating to the most seasoned legal professional.

Full-service marketing and Web development firms provide vital services to law firms, removing both technological and marketing burdens. Ultimately, the best vendor solution is one that covers a full range of key areas:

• Web site design and development: Visual impact and imagery reinforce a firm’s brand and identity, and serve as critical components of a law firm’s presence online. Experience, in-house expertise, and design awards bolster a vendor’s credibility.
• Consultation: An online presence must meet a firm’s individual goals; direct conversation on key objectives with an in-house expert is critical to success.
• Knowledgeable sales support: Your sales contact should ultimately serve as a partner and consultant, helping to identify needs and meeting them with the best available solutions.
• Dedicated account management: Ongoing relationship management is vital; vendors must be responsive and committed to delivering value, offering any corrective solutions required.
• Products that drive performance and business: Ultimately, value will be measured in the volume of business received; performance-driving components such as content, search engine marketing, and online advertising are keys to success. These solutions must be flexible and scalable, with a range of offerings to address a variety of objectives.

The separate ingredients of a successful marketing program are widely available. The rarer solution is an inclusive vendor whose range of competencies offers the highest level of success.

Over the last several weeks I have been frantically selling my dirt bike and dirt bike equipment on craigslist. I took this money and purchased my first boat. I purchased a little 14ft aluminum used boat, so my teenage son could go fishing together.

  This is the before picture              This is the after picture.

Once we had the boat all fixed up with new paint, a fish finder, rod holders etc. we went out fishing. Once we got out on the water my son and I were talking and he said to me “Dad what are some good fishing knots?” This really got me thinking of getting back to the basics. Here we were so busy on making sure we had the newest and best technology that we did not learn how to tie a good knot so the fish won’t get off the hook or break the line.

This made me really go back to the basics that I have learned over my 10 years of working with lawyers in the Denver, Colorado area. In these economic times the majority of people are trying to maintain or grow without spending any more money. So what are some things, based on that thought process that can help us stay afloat during times like these?

1.       Take really good care of your clients. Listen to them. Care about them.

2.       Ask those happy clients for referrals. Maybe even send out a postcard or email to all your former clients announcing a new website, or recent award, etc. Chances are they will know someone at this very moment that will need your services.

3.       Get yourself on free social networking websites like LinkedIn, Face book, etc. This will give you more exposure, but also help you take up more space on the first page when someone searches your name or your firm’s name.

4.       Start a blog. There are a lot of free blog services out there. Put links from the blog back to your website, or link out to other websites that will help the reader.

5.       Take a good look at your website. Is there content you could add? Are there some recent victories you could describe? Does your website talk about everything you could do for potential clients? Do your existing and former clients know everything you could do for them? I.E. you handled their DUI, do they know you could also handle their divorce?

6.       Make sure your website address is EVERYWHERE! Do you have it on your business cards, letter head, voice mail message, fax cover pages, invoices, etc.

These are just a couple of simple, inexpensive/free ways you can help yourself during these tough times. A simple knot will work, but a better knot will catch you more fish and make the lures act like the manufacturer intended.

Sincerely,

Kevin Mullikin

www.kevinmullikin.com

Understanding Your Clients’ Concerns

We live in the age of the Internet. Technology allows us to order goods and have them delivered to our homes, download movies online, do our banking and business with the touch of a button, and if we run into legal problems — search for an attorney online who can help.

As easy as it sounds, many people are reluctant to trust the Internet and content that exists online. As a lawyer who has a Web site, it is important to be aware of your online presence and the message you are sending to potential clients. If you want to resonate with potential clients, consider implementing the following when creating your Web site:

• Video — Make a solid first impression by putting a video on your site. Online, nothing makes a faster impact than video.
• Photos — Potential clients want to know who they’re dealing with. Adding photos of your firm’s attorneys and office will give clients a visual representation of your law firm.
• An effective marketing message — Advertising still works, but Web browsers are skeptical. Think “subtle” and avoid outrageous sales pitches. Rather, include concrete examples of your services and facts to back up your marketing message.

Haley Nelson
Web Content Writer

If you've created a Facebook page for yourself or your firm (we definitely recommend the latter, which you can do here. You'll want to make sure and secure your brand this Friday, 6/12. Starting at 11:01pm CST, (9pm Pacific / midnight Eastern), you'll be able to claim an applicable vanity URL associated with your Facebook business or personal profile by logging in here.

Currently, Facebook profile URLs are essentially a long string of random, meaningless numbers and letters. For example, John Smith's URL might read:
www.facebook.com/.php?id=133455989

but after Friday, John will have the option to grab this URL for himself:
www.facebook.com/johnsmith

Securing a vanity name for your personal or firm Facebook profile is highly recommended. You need to take control of your online brand associated with your firm name to prevent someone else from exercising undue influence on your firm and your image.

For more information, view this post on the Facebook blog addressing the topic.

Grant Wright

Project Manager - FindLaw