Legal Marketing Archives - Page 35 of 50

How to Talk Your Way Into Becoming a Recognized Expert, Part 2 of 2

I speak to bar associations big and small all over the country every year, and I can’t remember ever not having attorneys seek me out after the event to ask me how I could help them. In fact, some of my biggest clients have come to me that way. So I feel confident in telling you that nearly every time you speak, if you do it right, you can generate business as well as enhance your reputation as a recognized expert in your field of practice.

Of course, doing it right means following up. In fact, the number one reason why people who speak at events don’t get the results they are after is because of their follow up — or more precisely, their lack thereof.

public speaking expert conferences You must develop your follow up strategy before you speak. So what kind of follow up works? Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.

Let’s say you want to follow up your presentation with a series of emails. So you would send out email #1 within 24 hours after the seminar, thank them for attending and perhaps even offer a free gift or a free report. The free gift could be a free half hour consultation where you will give them an assessment of their case or how you could help them. Or you might offer them a free audio CD.

If you choose to follow up by telephone, this is something you yourself should not be doing. It is something to outsource to your staff, but essentially they would be doing the same thing as in the email, thanking them for coming and offering a free consultation.

If you use this kind of strategy every time you speak, you will get much better results from your presentations – building your reputation as a recognized expert and getting new clients at the same time.

Article by:

Stephen Fairley

Of:

The Rainmaker Institute

How To Obtain Local Ranking For Cities Where Your Law Firm Does Not Have An Office

If you do not have physical presence in a specific city then it is unlikely that you will be able to obtain local map rankings within that city. If you are targeting a small neighboring city there is a greater chance that you can work your website optimization and business listing optimization to get your business listed in the local rankings. In our experience, we have seen businesses achieve such local rankings, but this typically happens when city populations are under 60K, within a 20-mile radius, or without strong law firm competitors.

If you are in a larger city like New York and are trying to target small neighboring cities, it is much harder to rank locally due to the large amount of competition and distance from the center of the main business cluster for your industry. That center is one of the top 10 foundational ranking factors as seen in the image from the 2013 Local Search Ranking Factors from Moz. However, for local businesses that want to rank for local cities there is a viable option.

Ranking in Cities Where You Do Not Have an Office

The strategy is to build a page on your law firm website and dedicate it to the city. You want to have your title tag, meta description, your page content and page headings contain the term or terms for want to rank for . If you are pursuing personal injury lawyer rankings for Cary, North Carolina, you would set your title to have Cary personal injury lawyer in it, and the same goes for the rest of the previously mentioned locations. Do not stuff that keyword on the page multiple times in any one tag or area. Having that term once in the title, once in the description, once in a header tag, once in the description for the page content and in the content of the page two or three times is sufficient. Also consider incorporating the keyword into an image so the image file name mirrors the image Alt Tag. These are the basic foundations for your city-specific page.

What Content Should I Use On A Local Page?

You want to incorporate your business and the community into the content on that location page. Post pictures of client meetings, testimonials or case results that you have achieved in that city. If you have been in the local media for community service or cases you have worked, link to those sources. If you sponsor a school activity or are a member of a charity or non profit in that community, briefly mention the connection and link out. When you link out, make sure the links are going to relevant and related sites to your business and the location. Linking out to a legal nonprofit in that city that you are a member of or support is a great example, or even the city hall since that organization would have a physical location. These practices all tie in the location and make the page stronger for ranking in that location. Another good thing to do is link internally to your site. If you are trying to rank for Cary personal injury lawyer, then in the content on that local page you should link the words personal injury over to your main personal injury page. Also provide a link to your nearest office location – a link to your contact page or that office page which will have details such as hours of operation and directions.

Since your local page is basically a landing page where you will be driving potential clients, include a call to action. Try a form that they will fill out for more information or a phone number they can click on to call you, this way you are driving visitors to your physical office.

How To Build Links To A Local Page

The next important step, and often the hardest currently, is to build links back to this local page. One way to build links is to link from within your site to the location page. Examples of this are having phrases like “Cities we serve” or “Communities we help” on the page, then listing those locations and linking over to the specific local page. The next, and easiest, links to generate are to contact the organizations you are associated with for links. If you are part of the local chamber, you should already have a link from that location. If you sponsor a local kid’s sports team or another school related activity, see what it would take to get a link over to that page. The same goes for other non profits and any other association you are part of. Make sure you work with the organization to get a link to your location page.

The harder links to get are the ones that require considerable outreach and development. This is one reason many firms hire an agency to work out a strategy for obtaining these type of links. To obtain links from sites you are not connected to, but feel may be a relevant resource to, like a prominent legal blog, you have to organically build that relationship. Then, you have to offer to write high quality and attention-getting content so it will drive potential clients to your website from that website. Another wonderful technique is to leverage events. If you host or sponsor any local events then you have great opportunity to obtain local links and citations from those events.

Gone are the days that you could write quick, simple articles and post them anywhere. With all the Google updates in 2013 link outreach has taken a 360 and requires much more effort and skill to build a quality page and obtain quality links.

How To Use Social Media For Local Optimization

Finally, consider social media. While it may not directly help rank your page, it will increase your exposure and “signals” that Google monitors. Consider participating in discussions and groups that are in the location you want to build visibility. Post content to these groups and genuinely contribute to discussions. This can help raise your recognition in that community. If there are no groups or discussions going on, consider starting them yourself if you have the time. Post quality content that is shareable. Particularly, shared posts on Google can rank quickly if done properly and tied to Google Authorship.

While you will not be able to get a map pin for a city you are not located in, you can take these actions to optimize a location page for that particular city and work on ranking it organically. This is the next best thing if you have no physical location. If you think you can pull enough clients from a specific city or if you were able to rank there, then you can consider opening a location there. Both are large undertakings. Creating a strategic local page is more simple and less costly, but getting those rankings without the local physical presence does make things difficult and can take considerable time. This must be taken into consideration.

Article by:

Grant Brott

Of:

Consultwebs.com, Inc.

How to Talk Your Way Into Becoming a Recognized Expert, Part 1 of 2

For those of you who have done some speaking in seminars and presentations, you know that sometimes you are doing great, you have the rapt attention of the audience and it goes really well. Other times, it may feel as if you bombed, you just weren’t making a connection.

One of the reasons why that may happen is because you didn’t have the right group. If an organization asks you to speak, you need to make sure you are in front of the right people. Find out:

The number of people expected to attend
The demographic profile of the audience
A list of topics from previous presentations

The more you know about the group, the better you will be able to tailor your presentation, and you must avoid speaking to the wrong groups!

You should also remember that there are many different forms of speaking engagements. You could speak at a private client-only seminar where you invite a few of your clients or the clients of a referral partner. Or you could be part of a moderated panel discussion.

You can also utilize current technologies to host an online webinar or web conference where your PowerPoint presentation is what is seen on screen and you talk to your audience via a bridge conference call.

Next, your subject matter has to be educational. People do not want to hear legal jargon, they want practical, useful information without a sales pitch. Now, I can hear most of you thinking that you don’t want to give away the store! I don’t want to give so much information that they can just go do it themselves!

Look, there MAY be some who would try to do that, but they are not your clients! You want to target the people who have the money to hire an attorney so that they don’t have to do it themselves. You don’t want the tire kickers or the do-it-yourself crowd because they will beat you up on your price anyway.

You have to make sure you are targeting the right audience. And if you give a good, educational presentation, the right people will seek you out after the seminar to ask questions, plus in most cases you will be able to get the attendees’ contact information so that you can be ready to contact them later. If it is not you who is sponsoring the presentation, ask them to capture the attendees’ email addresses whenever possible, because as you will see in tomorrow’s post, follow up is the secret ingredient.

Article by:

Stephen Fairley

Of:

The Rainmaker Institute

Bedside Manner: The Key to Landing and Retaining Clients

Practicing law is very much a client-centric business and providing exceptional service is pivotal to a successful practice. Are you providing the service that your clients expect?

Survey after survey will tell you that the #1 reason why clients fire attorneys is “lack of responsiveness” or in general an overall lack of customer service. Correspondingly, the top reason clients hire lawyers is empathy and responsiveness. Keeping clients and potential clients happy is the key to not only maintaining, but growing your practice. The following are a few tips for ensuring that your bedside manner doesn’t impede your ability to attract and retain new clients.

client retention bedside manner law office management

Return Calls Promptly

The legal industry and in particular personal injury law is highly competitive. Speedy response time to new leads is the key to higher conversions (See our recent article about response time:http://www.rwlynchblog.com/the-key-to-converting-more-leads/). But your bedside manner doesn’t end there: lack of responsiveness is the most cited reason for firing a lawyer. Return client calls as soon as possible, even if it’s an email (or a call from a secretary or paralegal) that lets them know that their call is important to you and that you will respond as soon as possible.

Listen

Our most successful attorneys can attest to this advice: listen to everything a potential client has to say about his/her potential case. Yes, some potential clients can run off on tangents that are seemingly unrelated to a case. However, some of the best cases our clients say they’ve landed are cases that other attorneys turned away; simply because they didn’t take the time to listen and ask the right questions. Don’t lose potential clients because “you don’t have the time” to sort through all of the “riff-raff”. Giving your full attention and asking questions will allow you to uncover the important nuggets of information you may miss otherwise.

Don’t Use Legalese

Take the time to explain legal issues in a way your clients can easily understand them. These are complicated issues and clients are often scared and confused. Explaining issues in a clear and concise manner devoid of legal jargon will put your clients at ease.

Above All Empathize

Taking the time to care, explain the process and reassure clients will not only help you retain clients but will create a lasting impression that will ensure those clients will continue to refer new business your way.

Article by:

Brian Lynch

Of:

RW Lynch Company, Inc.

Can Law Firms Get Business From the Internet?

Yes, but…

Law firms can absolutely get business from the Internet when armed with a strong plan and backed by an appropriate investment.

How Has Internet Marketing for Lawyers Changed?

The Internet is no longer dominated by single industry websites that people simply visit and read. Today, consumers can interact. They can browse a website, look at and comment on a firm’s Social Media pages, view a law firm’s rating and write their own review.

Business from the Web

A few years ago, a law firm could set up a website, do some on-page search engine optimization (SEO) work, add a few links and get site rankings and cases. Today, search engines look at a variety of factors to determine if a site has value. Search engines look at content to ensure that it is relevant and has true value. They look at visitor activity. They analyze incoming links for quality and relevance. They look at a law firm’s online presence, including other websites and social signals.

The potential for attracting new clients through the Web is tremendous. While other advertising mediums are shrinking, the Web’s growth continues to be explosive. Law firms that take the right approach and are selective in choosing their vendors are drawing more clients and cases to their firm.

What Should Law Firms Seek in a Web Marketing Vendor?

Law firm SEO vendors who have been watching the Internet as it changes know what it takes to make a practice succeed online. When searching for the right vendor, look for one with proven success and a team of experts.

Successful Internet marketing for lawyers requires more than just a designer with an eye for professional flair. The vendor should customize websites and SEO campaigns. Some of the larger vendors employ great salespeople, but clients are provided with cookie-cutter designs and template SEO processes.

Your marketing provider should be legal specific. The firm should not have to push the vendor through projects to get work accomplished. The vendor should understand and be able to easily navigate the world of legal marketing. The vendor should have licensed attorneys who understand and can navigate the ethics of law firm marketing. Prior to hiring us, one of our clients had been forced to spend more than twelve painful months and significant staff-time to launch his site.

Look for a Web marketing company with sufficient staff to support your campaign. The staff should include professional designers, attorney content managers, programmers, a Social Media team, marketing consultants and strong account managers.

The best vendors are those that endeavor to be a law firm’s partner, not just a vendor. When you find a company that gives your firm the personalized attention it needs, they can be a true asset. This type of vendor will grow with your firm instead of making a sale to you and then going down the street to sell to your competitors. They commit to your firm’s long-term success and return on investment.

What Kind of Return Does Internet Marketing for Law Firms Offer?

If law firms are partnering with the right SEO vendor, there can be huge return on investments for the firm. One of our clients, Ken Hardison, receives a 10 to 1 return on every dollar he invests. Another client recently settled a case the firm acquired from the Internet for close to $10M. Our Motor Vehicle Accident, Social Security, Workers’ Compensation, Family Law and Bankruptcy clients receive several cases from the Web each month.

Today, very few prospective clients go to the Yellow Pages to find a lawyer or law firm; they search on the Internet first. Achieving a successful ROI through online marketing takes time and strategy, but there are solid results available to those to who invest properly. We work hard for our clients to rank high in the search engines and have compelling websites so they will get the call.

Article by:

Consultwebs.com, Inc.

Of:

LeAnna Easterday

What's Ahead for Legal Marketing in 2014?

WebDAM, a web-based digital asset management company, took the time to gather data from industry experts and leading sources on digital marketing to create the infographic below, which illustrates the trends and statistics they believe will drive marketing in 2014.

Of primary interest to attorneys looking to strengthen their marketing program next year:

78% of marketing executives think custom content is the future of marketing(Google agrees!)
B2B companies say blogs generate 67% more leads than those that don’t blog
Marketers are finding actual, money-paying clients on LinkedIn and Facebook
Customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating for content marketing (89%)
Inbound marketing delivers 54% more leads than traditional outbound marketing

Article by:

Stephen Fairley

Of:

The Rainmaker Institute

10 Blogging Tips for Your Law Firm

Everyone blogs.

These days, that sweet grandma down the street probably blogs.

With so many voices chiming in on the Web, how can yours stand out?

More to the point, how can your blog pique the interest of your target audience? You can accomplish this by simply providing unique content that answers your prospective clients’ questions and builds up your firm as an authority.

Attracting interest in your law firm by offering useful information is the essence of inbound marketing; making it easy for people to find you and making your marketing appealing enough for them to convert. Content development is a prime inbound marketing component and there is no better place to test out the effectiveness of content than through a blog.

Here are ten blogging tips for your law firm:

1) Be You

Just as your law firm’s website design reflects your practice, so should your blog. If your brand is that of a serious litigator, you would not want to share humorous or carefree content on your blog. If your firm’s goal is to provide a listening ear to personal injury victims, you should steer away from hardball posts. Embody your personality and keep your blog content consistent with your brand. Perhaps you want to be an authority on court opinions from your state appellate courts. If so, you’ll want to post about the latest appellate rulings, as Millar & Mixon does.

2) Develop a Writing Voice

Since your blog is driven by the written word, it is through your words that you will make the strongest impression. Try to echo the way you talk, using phrases that are unique to you or language that reflects your education in your writing. A simple way to pinpoint your writing voice would be to write a mock blog post or a few paragraphs about why you are a lawyer. Then, get someone who knows you well to read the piece and ask them if the content “sounds” like you. If the answer is no, keep working at it. If yes, then congratulations! You’ve just discovered your writing voice.

3) Be Interesting

It goes without saying, but your posts should be worth reading! Your blog should not be a dry repetition of facts or, worse, a carbon copy of another post. Rather than simply reporting on a new law or verdict, write on the implications of that legislation or decision for your readers. Maybe you have a unique opinion on a legal trend, a knack for explaining legal matters or you have the opportunity to interview a mover and shaker in the field. Leverage such strengths and your blog will quickly become bookmark-worthy. Here’s an example from Texas lawyer Kevin Krist, who explored the dangers posed by kids operating personal watercraft.

4) Think Outside the Box

The struggle to find compelling material is a challenge all writers face sooner or later. If you find yourself in a downward spiral, it’s time to get more creative. Grab a few people in your practice and have a five-minute, intentional brainstorming session. You will be delighted with the results a quick, focused chat can bring. Also consider using tools such as Google Alerts to prompt ideas for upcoming posts.

5) Use, Don’t Abuse, Keywords

While you should thoughtfully employ targeted keywords in your blog posts, don’t overuse them. Unnaturally using keywords in your content, a black hat SEO tactic called keyword stuffing, is seen as manipulative and spammy by search engines. Research the keywords that are competitive for your practice area and use them naturally.

6) Stay in Your Niche

Don’t blog about everything. Not only will you be drained by trying to keep up too many industry changes, your readers will become confused and not certain of what they should expect from your blog. It is in your best interest to choose specific topics that are connected to your firm’s practice areas. There may be opportunities to blog outside of your niche, but you should choose those moments wisely.

7) Don’t Duplicate Content

Not only is copy and pasting someone else’s thoughts an act of plagiarism, it is duplicating content. Duplicate content will be penalized by search engines and can eventually cause your site to fall in rankings. Quoting portions of other blog posts (with appropriate links back to their site) is perfectly fine, when done in moderation. When in doubt, use your own wording.

8) Track Results

The devil may be in the details, but the profits are in the data. Use Google Analytics to track which of your posts are gaining the most traction. With this information, you will know exactly what kinds of material your readers prefer.

9) Feature Guest Posts

Do you have a mentor who has taught you much of what you know about being a lawyer? Or maybe you know someone who is an expert in matters concerning your practice area. Reach out to these industry connections for guest blogging opportunities.

10) Don’t Force It

If writing just does not come naturally to you, don’t force it. Play to your strengths. If you are an excellent litigator but a mediocre blogger, don’t feel as if you have to be someone you are not to succeed online. Honestly assess your abilities and your time obligations.

Article by:

Victoria Wilson

Of:

Consultwebs.com, Inc.

5 Ways to Boost Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Right Now

On October 21, I posted an interview that originally appeared on LawMarketing.com about the latest Google Penguin update andwhat it may or may not have done to affect legal websites.

John Jantsch over at the Duct Tape Marketing blog had a good post last week about the 5 ways you can boost your SEO right away, taking into consideration the latest Google search engine update:

1. Boost your social share. Google is giving a lot more juice to social share signals, so add the Google +1 and Facebook Like or Share buttons at the top of each page of your website or blog.

2. Use larger embedded images. This can help your blog posts you put on Facebook get shared more, and sharing is the name of the game right now. Facebook recently redesigned their posts to make images a lot more prominent; the new standard for images is 600 x 1200 pixels.

3. Zero in on long tail keywords. In a competitive category like law, going after the long tail keywords that people use to search for your services will help your SEO. Jantsch recommends using Long Tail Pro, a keyword research tool that is easy to use and inexpensive.

4. Use micro data with rich snippets. If you use WordPress for your blog or website, be sure to add the micro data plugin. Micro data is HTML code used by search engines to identify categories of text and Google uses it to understand website pages better. You can learn more about this on Google’s Webmaster blog.

5. Build relationships with authorities for your category. Just like it is important to build a good referral network offline, it has become increasingly important for you to do it online – it’s just known as building authority relationships. Find authors in your practice area that rank high in search and find ways to connect with them to foster a value-added relationship.

Article By:

Stephen Fairley

The Rainmaker Institute

Need Ideas for Your Legal Blog? Here's a Bunch

If there is one thing I hear over and over again from attorneys when it comes to blogging, it’s this: “What do I blog about?”

The reason to have a blog is to establish your authority as an expert in your field of practice. You must keep your target market in mind at all times when writing a blog – it needs to be about topics your clients and prospects are interested in, providing good in-depth information on each topic (now more important than ever for SEO) that they can’t find anywhere else.

Still, the creative juices do run dry at times. Which is why it’s so great that the LexisNexis Law Marketing blog has started highlighting monthly events, anniversaries, holidays and observances that have a legal connection.

Here is their list for October/November, categorized by practice area:

Civil Rights Law:

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is Gay and Lesbian History Month
Oct. 14: Native American Day
Oct. 17: United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Oct. 20-26: Freedom from Bullies Week
Oct. 21-27: Freedom of Speech Week
November is National American Indian Heritage Month

Corporate Law:

October is National Crime Prevention Month
October is National Cyber Security Month
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Oct. 16: National Boss’s Day
Oct. 16: Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day
Nov. 3-9: International Fraud Awareness Week

Education Law:

October is National Bullying Prevention Month
Oct. 20-26: Freedom from Bullies Week
Oct. 21-25: National School Bus Safety Week

Elder Law:

October is Health Literacy Month
October is Long-Term Care Planning Month
October is National Organize Your Medical Information Month
Oct. 15: Medicare open enrollment begins
Oct. 20-26: National Save for Retirement Week
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
November is National Family Caregivers Month
November is National Home Care and Hospice Month
November is National Long-Term Care Awareness Month
Nov. 1-7: National Patient Accessibility Week

Environmental Law:

Oct. 18: Forty-first anniversary of the passing of the Water Pollution Control Act

Estate Planning:

October is Long-Term Care Planning Month
Oct. 20-26: National Save for Retirement Week
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

Family Law:

October is Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Gay and Lesbian History Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
October is National Organize Your Medical Information Month
Oct. 17: Get Smart About Credit Day
November is Military Family Appreciation Month
November is National Adoption Month
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
November is National Family Caregivers Month
Nov. 1: National Family Literacy Day

Health Care Law:

October is Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Health Literacy Month
October is Long-Term Care Planning Month
October is National Organize Your Medical Information Month
Oct. 15: Medicare open enrollment begins
Oct. 17-24: Food and Drug Interaction Education and Awareness Week
Oct. 24-31: Prescription Errors Education and Awareness Week
November is National Home Care and Hospice Month
November is National Long-Term Care Awareness Month
Nov. 1-7: National Patient Accessibility Week

Insurance Law:

October is National Crime Prevention Month

Intellectual Property Law:

Oct. 29: 44th anniversary of the creation of the Internet

Labor Law:

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Oct. 16: National Boss’s Day

Personal Injury Law:

October is Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
Oct. 21-25: National School Bus Safety Week
Oct. 24-31: Prescription Errors Education and Awareness Week

Real Estate Law:

October is National Crime Prevention Month

Category: Legal Marketing

How to Talk Your Way Into Becoming a Recognized Expert, Part 2 of 2

Like this:

How To Obtain Local Ranking For Cities Where Your Law Firm Does Not Have An Office

Ranking in Cities Where You Do Not Have an Office