Small Law Firm 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.

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.

My legal education began after law school when I started working for Dakota County’s largest employer: Thomson Reuters.  I sold Westlaw online legal research and print publications to new and existing customers, all of them sole practitioners and small law firms.

During my tenure as a sales representative, I learned the features of Westlaw inside and out – as I learned the lawyer’s mind inside and out – through 50 cold calls a day, relating to varied personalities, and closing contracts.  My job in sales was to market our products to lawyers. 

In my current role as attorney editor at FindLaw, my job is to market the legal services of those same lawyers to prospective clients.  I am still a “humble peddler”, as a fellow cube mate in sales often said; instead of hawking the company’s wares, I hawk those of the lawyer.

I am uniquely situated for this – like every member of my team – not only because I am a lawyer but because I grew up fused to the computer since birth.  I understand the Web’s mind as I understand the lawyer’s. 

The lawyer craves authoritative pillow talk on the common law.  The Web, however, craves hits and clicks.  My job is to introduce hits and clicks to the common law and create a Web site with, as we say at FindLaw, “well-written content specifically designed to achieve your business goals – the conversion of Web visitors to clients.”    

When Mr. Smith is charged with drunk driving, you want the Web and the lawyer to understand each other.  If they do, Mr. Smith will be client Smith, and that’s lawyer marketing.

Memorable, Not Mockable

How Much Personality is Too Much Personality

You have an office dog (or cat). You serve on the board of a controversial nonprofit. You wrote...a law book, a series of legal advice columns, a mystery novel. You feel strongly about holding nursing homes accountable because your own grandparent was abused in a long-term care facility.

In addition to being a lawyer, you are a unique individual with a story of your own. But how much of that uniqueness do you want to share with prospective clients on your law firm Web site?

Standing out from the crowd

When your prospective client is searching for a law firm on Google or Yahoo, they are going to visit several sites on that first search engine results page. Will yours stand out enough that they click on it? Is it memorable enough to go back after looking at a few others?

It's vitally important that you stand out from the competition. In earlier articles I wrote about using credentials and service statements to position your firm in the minds of your prospective clients. Giving your Web site a distinct "personality" is one more way to differentiate yourself.

Unfortunately, many lawyers think that the very idea of personality is extreme. They equate "professional" with boring and settle for forgettable.

Don't fall for that.

There are many excellent legal Web sites that reach viewers hearts and have them reaching for the phone because they've communicated who the lawyers and law firm really are.

• He shared why he became a lawyer.
• She told stories about cases that were important to her.
• They demonstrated that they are involved in their community.
• She included inspirational quotes.
• They've convinced readers that they understand and they care.

Think it only works for small firms? Think again.

Sure, it's easier for a solo practitioner to share personal stories, but big firms can have personalities, too. I wrote a site for a law firm that had been working in labor law for more than 100 years. Their Firm Overview page had a wonderful photo of their founder with labor leaders from the turn of the last century. You just knew that they were a dedicated group carrying on a proud tradition.

Far out and too far out

Local conditions should figure prominently in determining how much personality will be acceptable.

For example, in some states and in smaller towns attorneys often ask me if it's a good idea to acknowledge their Christian faith on the law firm Web site. I ask them if it informs their practice of law (usually family law or estate planning). If they say it greatly influences their approach to clients, then I think they are only being truthful when they mention it on their site. It may be an important selling point to someone looking for a lawyer who will take their religious views seriously.

On the other hand, I've seen a few prima donna personalities who engage in things I think never work on the Web, such as:
• Political rants (unless you're running for public office or willing to exclude a sizeable percentage of your potential clientele)
• Fanciful imagery that fails to capture the serious nature of your work (I can't think of a time a unicorn belongs on a law firm Web site)
• Irrelevant information, like restaurant reviews or photos of lawyers schmoozing at social events... ho hum.

So take a little risk-a calculated risk-and let your personality shine through, but stay focused on how that ultimately serves the client.

Watch for upcoming blog on how to help your law firm Web site stand out:

• About Your Firm: The Firm Overview Should Be the Heart of Your Web Site

We Answer Our Phones

Differentiating Your Firm with Real Service Statements

You're going to think I'm kidding, but it's not uncommon for lawyers to tell me that what differentiates their law firm from the firm down the street is the fact that they answer their phone.

I'm here to tell you that answering your phone is NOT a marketing differentiator. It's a basic expectation. You're not going to get brownie points for doing it. Neither will returning phone calls, or offering a vague promise of "personal service."

Service can be a strong market differentiator in law firm Web marketing but only if it reflects your law firm's concern for the needs of your clients and demonstrates your effectiveness in providing quality legal representation.

What IS personal service, anyway?

Here are more than a few service statements that stand out in my mind:

• Phone calls returned by the end of the business day or within 24 hours
• 24-hour answering service
• A cell phone number to reach the attorney
• Weekend and evening appointments
• Handicapped accessible office space (especially for personal injury firms or those that serve seniors)
• A playroom for children of clients
• Exceptionally experienced staff with specialized skills
• Staff or lawyers who speak the clients' language
• A team approach to handling cases
• A dedicated investigative team
• Assistance processing insurance claims
• A shared computer workspace that allows lawyers and clients to work together online
• Videoconferencing capabilities that allowed the law firm to work effectively with clients in other states and overseas

Large firm, small firm dimensions of service

Service statements work for both large firms and solo practitioners. Large firms can make the most of their extensive resources. But the challenges a large firm face are those of creating a human face (you're more than a corporation), and communicating that every client is treated with care, as an individual, not as a case number.

Smaller firms can really excel with service statements because of their greater ability to work one-on-one with clients. Think creatively about ways to communicate that benefit. And don't be afraid to use the first person singular voice. "I work hard to protect your interests" is a very strong statement that, coupled with credentials and testimonials can quickly earn you your readers' trust.

So before you talk with your Web writer, talk with your partners and staff. Think about what clients have had to say about your firm...what they've appreciated about working with you. And turn those positive traits into positive service statements.

Watch for upcoming blogs on how to help your law firm Web site stand out:

• Memorable or Mockable: How much personality is too much personality for a Web site?
• About Your Firm: The Firm Overview Should Be the Heart of Your Web Site