Laura Lee Sparks
Monday - Friday | 9am - 5pm Central
Laura Lee Sparks
Spring is a unique marketing time for attorneys that serve parents with disabled children.
Autism Awareness Month is just around the corner, and local organizations and groups are looking for legal experts to help educate their members on the importance of legal planning. There are events and workshops being planned RIGHT NOW that you should be apart of!
High school seniors with disabilities are getting ready to graduate soon, and many parents are beginning the process of filing for guardianship. Now is a great time to start educating parents and schools in your community on the steps to take when a child with disabilities turns 18 to retain complete legal and financial control.
These same parents of high school seniors are making plans for adulthood. They need your help to put legal plans in place that ensures their child is able to stay as independent as possible after graduation, that they are financially protected, that they are accessing resources and benefits as a soon-to-be-adult, and that their transition to the next phase of their life is a smooth one.
We know that your service to parents in these areas is an important one; we have loved ones with disabilities and special needs here at Legal Marketing Maven and can’t imagine life without a trusted attorney by our side. We want YOU to be able to give this same peace of mind and confidence to others in your community.
As one of our marketing services, we create campaigns that help you build relationships and reach more prospects effectively. We have seen the results of more conversions to appointments when we use these with our private clients. These campaigns work, and they provide piece of mind by helping guide prospects in the areas where they need guidance – whether that be caregiving, navigating probate, or knowing where to start in creating a special needs trust or estate plan.
We’ve created everything in such away that you can be ready to roll with each piece in under two hours. No need to hire designers, no need to hire copywriters, and no need to distract your staff with the task of create marketing materials when they could be serving your clients.
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you build relationships within your community? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.
What your valentine (and the rest of your family) REALLY wants from you is TIME. Preferably quality time with you present and not distracted worrying about your business.
Referrals are very valuable. If you aren’t actively and consistently taking action to give and receive them, do something now!
But, here’s a little tip that I wanted to share with you that many lawyers either don’t take the time to do or don’t think about-send handwritten notes.
I know that many think that handwritten notes are old school and that the primary form of communication is email. That is true, but handwritten notes will demonstrate to the recipient the value you place the relationship. It takes time and effort to write and mail a card, but you will be rewarded because it will place you higher in their minds than those that may, or may not, send an email.
In some cases, the low-technology and old school methods are the way to go!
Do you send hand written invitations and thank you notes to your referral sources? If not, why not? I’d love to hear from you so post a comment below and let’s chat!
We have a lot of little tips and techniques to help you market your estate and elder law practice. Sign up for our 21 Day Legal Marketing Bootcamp and we’ll deliver them daily right to your in-box!
Do you want to talk about other strategies to help you implement your marketing plan? Feel free to schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee to chat about your business. I promise you will come away with a good plan for turning your ideas in actions!
“Ack! My open rate is 25%!”
I’ve heard this a few times from lawyers who believe that they are shooting for a 100% open rate. The thing is, the open rate is not an accurate measure for determining how many people are reading your email or ezines. Here’s why:
Email programs are finicky!
There are some email programs that are not capable of displaying the HTML (the behind the scenes code that makes your email look good) and images. There are a few programs that only display straight text, and you really need nice looking, easy-to-read content. Even the email programs that allow HTML and images, gives the user the option to turn that feature off. So, if someone opens your email in text-only, the program does not count this as an open. Several email clients also have a preview pane option. Many people read through the preview feature so those would also not count toward the open rate.
Even the email development services will tell you not to expect high numbers. According to Mail Chimp, in the best case scenarios the open rate would be around 50%. When they measured open rate per industry, the found that the average open rate in the legal industry is 22%.
Once explained, we tend to hear something a bit different from our clients. Like this…
Oh boy! My open rate is 25%!
Almost the same words, but with a completely different attitude!
I’m not advocating for ignoring your open rate, just know that this isn’t an exact number and should be used as a guide. If you would like to learn how to get the best bang for your marketing buck, give us a call.
Did you know you can join our Inner Circle Accountability & Private Group Coaching Program for just $1.00? That’s it! Click here and you’ll see all that you get for 30 days!
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you turn ideas into action? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.
Our mission here at Legal Marketing Maven is to make law firm marketing easy, efficient and affordable. We do this by offering a wide range of services that will allow you to have access to professionally developed marketing that works. No matter what your budget is, we have something for you. But, there are a lot of things that you can do on your own that cost you nothing to catapult your law firm on the top of the heap of your competitors.
Here are a few very simple ideas for you:
Attend events in your community.
Business networking events are great, but the events that you attend don’t have to be situations where you sell. Attend community celebrations, fundraisers, religious events, the PTA at your child’s school, or any other gathering in your local area. The idea here is to be seen. People want to do business with people they are familiar with so give them the opportunity to get to know you.
Look for opportunities to teach.
You could offer free classes in your community or even serve as an adjunct professor in your local community college or university. Not only do you benefit from getting to know more people, you’ll also be in a position to demonstrate your expertise.
Remember that referrals go both ways.
You know how valuable referrals are to your law firm, right? They are also valuable to others so send referrals to other attorneys and other colleagues. Not only will you be doing a very nice thing for them, you are increasing the likelihood that you will get more from them.
Get to know your clients before you meet them.
Research your potential clients before they meet with you. You might want to pick the brain of the person who referred them or talk to others who may know them. You can even give Google a try. I’m not suggesting that you stalk them, but having an idea about who they are could go a long way in your first meeting.
Knock their socks off!
It probably doesn’t really need to be said because for most it is common sense but do a great job and provide great customer service to each and every client. This will set you up very nicely for repeat clients, but it will also help your reputation in your community.
Take advantage of social media.
There are just too many lawyers that fail to take advantage of social media. This is a big marketing miss. Unless you truly live off the grid, you must know that this is where people are communicating. Even if you aren’t using social media personally, you can still have a professional presence there. Social media can be used to attract new clients and to keep your past clients interested.
Regularly update your blog.
With so much information available on the internet people tend to turn to search engines for almost every purchasing decision they make. You should be the one who provides that information. You can attract the attention of a lot of potential clients simply by sharing your thoughts and providing basic information. Also, all that new content gives the search engines something to work with. T
Create a marketing plan.
Rather than aimlessly working your way through the year throwing money at this marketing agency or that ad publication, create a plan that allows you to more forward confidently and with much less risk. Not having a marketing plan is like constructing a building without blueprints. You might be able to muddle through, but you won’t be happy with the results. A strategic marketing plan allows you to understand the direction you want to go and determine the actions to take to get you there. Oh, and once you develop a marketing plan, don’t just sit it on a shelf. Use it! As they say, “Plan the work and work the plan.”
I understand that some of these things might not be easy for you to do. In particular, the more technical marketing things. That is why I created this “Keep it Consistent” program. In a nutshell, it is a very affordable service where we do all the heaving lifting to create your blogs, social media content and email newsletter – and, we even manage the implementation. If, while you were reading this blog, you thought, “Oh yeah, but who has the time!” you should take a look to see if this will work for you.
These are just a few of the things you can do to accelerate your marketing efforts. Do you want to talk about other strategies to help you implement your marketing plan? Feel free to schedule a time on my calendar for a no strings virtual cup of coffee to chat about your business. I promise you will come away with a good plan for turning your ideas in actions!
I am a big believer in the refocus and personal renewal the new year can bring. It’s that time of year when you can reset your path and chart a new course for the future. Although many people do this with enthusiasm as one year rolls to the next, the new direction and goals set in January are nothing but a distant memory by March for some.
But that doesn’t have to be the case for you! There are a few tips that I’d like to share with you that I use to stay the course with my New Year resolutions.
Writing things down does two things; first, it provides a visual reminder that is hard to ignore – especially if you keep them posted in a prominent location. Second, the act of writing helps set the intention. The physical act of writing helps solidify the goals in your heart and mind.
Here’s my process for writing my goals. First, I find a nice, quiet spot that helps me feel inspired. I love to grab my journal, wrap up in my favorite blanket and sit in front of my fireplace. It’s really cozy, but it’s also a place where I feel most inspired. I recommend that you find a location that makes you feel the same.
Once I am in my zone, I start writing. I normally have about 5 major goals that I choose to focus on for the year. You may choose to write more than 5 or fewer. Just find the goals that will take you to the place that you’ve envisioned to be by the end of the year.
Here’s where the resolution-keepers leave the resolution-breakers behind in the dust – make a real, step-by-step plan for reaching those goals. It’s not critical that you create your plans at the same time that you are writing your goals, but if you feel inspired to do so at that time, move ahead! However, it may be necessary for you to do research or enlist the help of a coach or technical expert to create a plan that will allow you to achieve the life you are dreaming of. If you do decide to do your plan later, give yourself a timeframe to get it done. Actually block time on your calendar to do your plan. Just whatever you do, do not allow too much time or you will lose steam and allow your daily grind to get in the way.
Each goal would be a different plan, so a good way to start with your plan is to put your goal at the top of the page and then brainstorm the steps. At this point, you may want to get the help I mentioned before. If so, find that help right away. Remember, while you are creating your plan, you will have specific tasks that you will need to do so make sure you capture everything you’ll need to do to reach that goal.
You will need to take steps to hold yourself accountable to the plans you created. A great way to do this is to add deadlines for each plan and every task. Again, your daily life will constantly whisper in your ear encouraging you to focus on what you are doing right now – the “same ole.” Don’t allow that to happen. Write these dates in your calendar and stick to them!
If you find it difficult to keep these critical appointments, you may want to get additional help keeping yourself accountable. Join a mastermind or coaching program where you will be encouraged when your plan is on schedule, or nagged when you are not. For some, that voice that whispers in your ears telling you to ignore your goals is more of a screaming banshee! I totally understand this! That is what makes accountability groups like our Inner Circle so valuable. I have been a member of several type of groups and they have taught me more about building a profitable company than all of the business books in Barnes and Nobles!
Sometimes, people who are building a business tend to move as fast and furious as possible and simply place a checkmark next to each goal they achieve. Take time to celebrate! Celebrate at many milestones along your journey. You find the right coaching group? Take your family for a nice dinner! You complete a task early? Allow time to get outside and enjoy nature, or to call a friend, or to sit with a café latte at your favorite coffee shop. What you do to reward yourself doesn’t really matter. Just make sure that you recognize and celebrate steps along your journey. This will not only allow you to celebrate the moment, it adds fuel to your burning fire that will take you to your goal.
Did you take time to refocus and concentrate on where you want to be on December 31? If not, why not? If you did, tell me how you are going to achieve those goals. Just respond to this post and let’s chat. Maybe we can share more tips and tricks for evolving our businesses and lives in this next year. After all, we both deserve it, right?
Is implementing a social and content strategy in your plan? If so, let us take care of your email marketing, content, and social media this year. Schedule a no-strings virtual cup of coffee with me, and let’s chat about how many hours we can save you each month.
We often come across law firms that are unintentionally throwing their money away using what we call “shotgun marketing.” Shotgun marketing works like this:
Two months go by, and then…
1 You look at your calendar for the next several months and discover that you have a LOT of time on your hands. Panic sets in.
2. You quickly throw together a marketing campaign…..
On and on and on it goes…
Shotgun marketing is very flawed. This feast and famine is no way to run a business. The good news is that there is an easy answer…
Consistency.
Your marketing needs to be consistent to keep the flow of new client appointments coming in. Keeping your pipeline full will increase your number of new clients. No more months of panic!
Here’s how to achieve consistency:
Many lawyers mistakenly believe that consistent marketing will take too much time and cost too much money. But, with advanced planning you’ll spend less time than you think and you’ll see a steady flow of billable work – no more periods of famine!
There you have it! You now know the secret sauce of marketing. Having a consistent marketing schedule really will change the way your law firm operates for the better. There will be less stress for you and more money flowing into your firm.
We have a select number of private clients for which we serve as their marketing department, as well as a “Done for You” marketing program where we send you professional and fully-tested marketing material automatically every month, ready for you to customize and execute. Schedule a no-strong virtual cup of coffee with me to talk over which of these programs is right for you!
