Infographic about things that improve a person’s Google Ranking like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and WordPress Blogs.
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Tag: Marketing
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.
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.
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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
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How Lawyers Can Leverage LinkedIn to Build Their Practice, Part 2 of 2
Continuing from our previous post, here are 5 more tips for leveraging LinkedIn to build your client and referral base:
5. Include All Your Web Links. You can add up to three links to your firm’s websites. There are default settings, but these are also customizable. So instead of www.TheRainmakerInstitute.com, I customized it to say “law firm marketing experts”, but it still links to my website. This is another place where you should use your keywords like: “Scottsdale bankruptcy attorney” or “Chicago divorce lawyer” and link it to your website, blog or even your Facebook fan page.
6. Make Your Profile Public. Remember, it’s called “social media” for a reason—you need to be social. Be sure to make your LinkedIn profile “public”, which means all the information you put in it is available to search engines to make it easier for people to find and connect with you.
7. Don’t Use The Same Copy For Your Summary As Your Bio. The summary is not a place to talk about all the things you have done in your life. This is the place to position yourself as the go-to attorney in your particular practice area and geographical region.
8. Use LinkedIn Groups. LinkedIn Groups can be a very effective way to increase your visibility among niche audiences, like your target market. It takes a little while to get used to how this works. I recommend you start by ‘listening’ before diving in. There are some places you should start with, such as alumni groups and groups in the industry segments you follow. We run several LinkedIn groups you can join for free including: Phoenix Arizona Attorneys, Personal Injury Attorney Network and the Rainmaker Law Firm Marketing Group. Simply log into your LinkedIn account and search under groups. Once you understand how groups work, start your own focusing on your target market or potential referral sources (like CPAs, financial advisors or business brokers).
9. Add LinkedIn To Your Email Signature. Most attorneys put their contact information in their email signature; add a link to your LinkedIn account. Here’s mine: http://Rainmaker.MyLinkInvitation.com. I would welcome the opportunity to connect with you on LinkedIn.
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As soon as you start networking with LinkedIn, you increase your chances of reaching new clients and referral partners. However, be prepared, and be willing to work at it. This is not something you can “set and forget”.
If you’re not into social media or can’t make the commitment to put in the time and effort to network in several sites at the same time, this is the ONE social media site you should focus on. You may not see it at first, but with the combined use of the strategies and tips I have shared here, you will start to see your online network mature over time, leading to more prospects and referral partner relationships.
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How Lawyers Can Leverage LinkedIn to Build Their Practice, Part 1 of 2
I think we can all agree that building long-term, meaningful and influential relationships is foundational to a successful legal practice. People don’t hire law firms; they hire an attorney. The more people you connect with, the more opportunities you have to build meaningful relationships, and the more potential clients you can generate.
With over 225 million members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn has quickly become THE ‘go to’ business-to-business directory and the most popular social networking platform dedicated to professional business development.
Here are some of the top tips from attorneys who have used LinkedIn to their advantage and know they have gained new clients from its smart use:
1. Complete Your Profile! You must commit to do this. You can’t ever hope to get the benefits without this. Put in as much information about yourself as you can. Use the same keywords and phrases prospects would use to search for an attorney in your practice area on Google.
Sometimes just where you went to college or law school can drive business or referrals to your firm. I know plenty of attorneys who have generated referrals because they went to the same school as someone else on LinkedIn, or grew up in the same hometown. Creating a shared reality with a prospect can be a powerful step toward acquiring their business. Also, certain applications with LinkedIn require that your profile be at least 50 – 75% complete in order to benefit from them.
2. Upload A Photo. Don’t be shy here. Don’t think about whether it’s right or wrong, just do it. A profile with no picture is a bad thing. LinkedIn is a social network for business professionals so your photo should convey that. Stay away from the photo of you on the golf course or holding a glass of wine. If you don’t have a professional headshot, they are available from any photography business for a nominal fee.
3. Use The Headline Below Your Profile To Make People Want to Know More.
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When you set up your profile, LinkedIn uses your name, title or position as your headline, but you can edit this to make it more powerful. Try to think of your headline as your professional tagline. You have the opportunity to describe the type of attorney you are and the type of work you are currently doing. Do not make the mistake of listing more than two areas of law here, as you want to appear as a specialist. Specialists generate more referrals than generalists. Remember the phrase, “jack of all trades, master of none!”
4. Use The “Sharebox” Often. If you want to see the social power of LinkedIn, this is where you will find it. This area of LinkedIn allows you to add a brief update of what you are doing, any new professional certifications you have received, interesting cases or any other information you feel comfortable sharing. This is not a ‘chat’ site; it is for information that is professionally relevant.
In tomorrow’s post, I will share 5 more tips for leveraging LinkedIn to build your client and referral base.
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