Authentic conversation on social media is great, transparency is awesome – but you have to remember that you are a professional.

Just like the big law firms telling law school students to watch what they are putting on social media sites because it will be reviewed as part of the hiring process, you also need to pay attention to what you are putting out there on the public platform. There are some attorneys (many that I know and like) that simply share TOO MUCH information online and run the risk of alienating clients.

I know I’m going to get some flack for this, but blogs and social media are the new yellow pages. And of course it’s also where clients are going to get to know professionals BEFORE they contact their office.

(Just like what you would do before YOU would hire someone to work for you).

So let me ask you, is the image that you portray online something that would make a good “first impression” to potential clients? If it is not, I really want to encourage you to re-evaluate your social media plan and create a guidelines and policies handbook for your law business. Yes, written guidelines for how your law office handles social media (even if it is JUST for you right now!)

Now don’t get me wrong– I’m not saying you can’t have personality and must make social media all about business without any viewpoints or friendships. What I am saying, however, is the same thing I tell my daughter who is in college – think before you hit submit or post.

I know you can set privacy levels for your Facebook profile, but who knows how long that will be good for, and twitter is not protected at all. Google your name + twitter and read through your tweet stream as if you were a potential client because trust me, more and more people will be doing just that before they call your office.
So bottom line—remember, YOU are a professional. Convey that each and every time you post.

PS- On a final note, if you are spending all day on twitter I highly encourage you to stop that too. I know “I” don’t want to see that my attorney spends most of their day chatting on social media sites (ok so I shared 2 things!) instead of working on client matters. If you have content you want to share, consider pre-scheduling it with another platform so you can focus solely on interacting with your friends/followers when you do have a chance to chat.

The article also briefly touched upon the use of Pay-Per-Click  and Facebook ads as part of this growing strategy, which are undoubtedly helpful for lawyers who engage in “quick strike campaigns” or campaigns designed to reach plaintiffs as a breaking injury or product liability story hits.

And while I agree that social media sites are a place to find and engage new clients in a systematic, consistent and authentic way, it’s only a small piece of the puzzle as far as an overall social media strategy should be concerned.

Remember, social media conversations happen in real time.   Never in the history of man have consumers had the ability to express their feelings (positive or negative) about a product or service to thousands of people the moment they experience them.

Of course that could mean disaster for firms who are ignorant of such conversations (ever read about the Motrin Moms debacle?) or for those firms who give less than adequate service to clients who are actively involved on Twitter or Facebook.

In the ignorance category, I’m specifically reminded of a lawyer who called me a few months ago for social media help.

Essentially, his firm (which is nationally known) did not have a social media strategy and they never quite got around to developing one either.  Until of course they were notified that their social media profiles were hijacked and someone was posting comments and information that made them look VERY bad in the public eye.

The partners of this firm did their best to jump in and fix the problem, but the damage was already done.  Yet had they been more involved in monitoring the chatter about their firm to begin with, they could have caught the imposter and started damage control right away.

So in talking about social media, I like to encourage lawyers to take a four-prong approach to their strategy in which they will:

1. Consistently and systematically connect with, and educate,  prospective clients on their practice area/ services
2. Show their firm (and trial lawyers in general) in a favorable light to the local jury pool
3. Engage in real-time reputation management
4. Connect with and reach out to the local and national media

Again, I want to reiterate that an attorney’s presence on social media sites requires more than simply trolling for cases or potential clients.

Instead, resolve to implement a comprehensive approach to social media and you’ll find the cases and clients come naturally in time.

Of course if you need help implementing a comprehensive social media strategy that promotes, engages and ensures the good reputation of your firm, I encourage you to email help@legalmarketingmaven.com or fill out this contact form for more information on our team training programs or social media implementation services for attorneys.

The site is http://www.easyprompter.com and it’s just that—a web-based teleprompter that rolls a script across the screen as you record videos online.

With this tool, there’s no more stumbling for words or trying to figure out what to say next as you literally copy and paste your script onto their site, choose a comfortable font size, set the speed you want the words to scroll and start talking.

You can even insert pause brackets which physically stop the scroll for one second to remind you to slow down and take a natural break when you need to.

Not to mention, you won’t have the noise distraction of someone trying to hold a paper in front of your face or give away the fact that you’re reading a script by continually looking away from the camera.

It’s President Obama eloquence on a shoe-string budget.

I’m loving this tool and if you’re a lawyer hesitating to record videos, I know you’ll love it too.

But don’t just take my word for it, go over and try it and let me know what you think.  I’ll tackle WHY you should be doing videos as part of your law firm marketing strategy anyway in next week’s post.

The site is SocialTriggers.com run by SEO and web marketing guru, Derek Halpurn.  Over the past 5 years, Derek’s pushed more than 60 million page impressions for his own sites, maintained top rankings for competitive keywords, and most importantly, built a profitable online business with that knowledge (which many ‘self proclaimed’ gurus have yet to do!).

Here are some key things you’ll learn from socialtriggers.com about marketing your law firm online:

1. The true psychology behind how and why people buy online-  While you may not sell physical products through your website (although some of you do),  as a lawyer you ARE using your website to sell the legal services of your firm.  So it would behoove you to know what marketing elements immediately grab a reader’s attention and what elements will make your prospective client click off the page faster than you can say “hey get back here!”
2. How to increase contact form submissions and phone calls from your site–  It’s one thing to drum up traffic or clicks to your site. It’s an entirely different ballgame to get those same prospects to fill out the contact form or call the office.  Socialtriggers.com will teach you the simple psychological cues and tricks necessary to increase conversions and get more people to say YES passively through your website.
3. Data, data, data—Derek has a knack for data.  He knows what’s working online, what elements of a website test well, convert well and what seemingly clever and hot fads FAIL user tests every time.  You need this data and it’s conveniently broken down into English (not tech or geek speak) on this site.

So after talking to Derek (he personally gave us some great tips for our OWN site which you’ll see come to life in a few weeks) and reading the online sales strategies at socialtriggers.com, I truly believe the information there is vital to your online marketing strategy and I suggest subscribing so you don’t miss a beat.

And of course we’d love to hear what other resources out there have been beneficial or influential to your online legal marketing strategy.  Feel free to leave any useful links or product information in the comment section below!

As always, we’ll continue to share the resources we come across to benefit those lawyers not directly working with our marketing implementation team.   Stay tuned!

As I explained last week, I am turning the page and no longer working with Alexis Martin Neely and the Family Wealth Planning Institute.

Instead, I’ve realized it’s time to re-open the doors of my own business, which was extremely successful before my  decision to commit to one client in 2007—and ultimately one that changed the lives of many attorneys and practices all over this country.

So I’m excited to announce that I’ll once again be providing private coaching and high-end implementation services for qualified attorneys and attorney membership organizations in the US and Canada.

But here’s the really exciting part.

My company, Legal Marketing Maven, is now partnering with my good friend and well-respected implementation Goddess, Paula Woolley of Progressive Office Solutions and other incredible team members to provide full-service, complete marketing support for lawyers who are really serious about exploding their business this year.

So what does a full-service, complete virtual marketing team look like?

Basically, you’ll have a private coach, marketing director, copywriters, graphic designers, IT gurus, client service directors and administrative support staff virtually at your fingertips… devoted entirely to the growth, prosperity and vitality of your small or solo law firm.

You’ll also get the benefit of working with me as your personal mentor, coach and business strategist.  I’ve helped multiple businesses surpass the million dollar mark and I’m happy to give you the tools and strategies to do the same.

You will  also benefit from my network of service providers, marketing professionals and business gurus as I’m out there continuing my own personal education and staying up to date cutting edge strategies both in the legal and non legal communities. which of course is needed for long-lasting growth.

However, as I said this is a major time commitment on our part and we can only take a limited number of these high level relationships.  They are also limited geographically to ensure fairness and a true competitive edge to the lawyers we serve.

If you’re interested in becoming one of the few lawyers we serve at this level (and FYI a number of spaces are already filled—and filling fast just via word-of-mouth) please email me directly at help@legalmarketingmaven.com

Yet for those of you simply looking for a la carte legal marketing , virtual administrative services or regular marketing support on a less-intensive level, we still have plenty of options to meet the growing needs of your small or solo firm.  You can see all of our services or request more information by visiting our services offered page.

Again, I am so excited to embark on this journey with you and look forward to completely transforming law firms across the country this year.

To your success & productivity!

Laura Lee

That mission was, and is very dear to my heart, not because it is the means to my monthly income but because I know from personal experience the importance of that relationship with a lawyer.

You see, I grew up middle class, my dad was an electrician with his own business, my mom a waitress and yet, they had a lawyer who played a role in our life.  It wasn’t a transactional role, it was one of a caring trusted advisor…and I recognized the importance of this even as a child.

Fast forward a few years.

After high school, I began working for a local GP lawyer that had relationships with his clients and worked from a converted house that he turned into an office.

I started as a file clerk and thought that one day, perhaps I would become a lawyer as well.  But that wasn’t what was in store for me.  Instead, by the age of 21 I was working in a larger firm with 3 partners as the senior paralegal/office manager.  It was an estate planning/tax law office and the lawyers were awesome lawyers.  They gave excellent council to the clients, but they were stuck in the traditional model of billing by the hour and many times, it was me that had the relationship with the clients—NOT them.

I always knew there were better ways, and I have been fortunate to work, and learn from, some of the greatest trendsetters in the legal industry  (especially over the past 6 years), that are making a difference in the way attorneys in small firms are running their businesses.

In August of 2007, I made the decision to focus completely on one budding program to help build, create and coach the members. Unfortunately, over the course of the past 8 months it became clearer and clearer to me that the partner I was working with had very different views on the direction the business and what the various roles and responsibilities I typically held were…. and would be going forward. I found myself in the unsustainable position of having my reputation tied up into a program that was moving in a direction that I couldn’t agree with and could no longer effectively influence.

Despite my love for the members of that program, and my passion for what we were teaching, it became clear that it was time for me to go back to my own business of helping lawyers in the way that I always have in the past, in my own way,  bringing even more experiences to the table.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. Was this the perfect time in my life to make a change? (definitely not, – but is it ever?) I am absolutely certain of one thing, when one door closes many will open, and my needs will always be met.  I do not regret the experiences that I have had over the past 2 ½ years, and I’m proud of the many accomplishments that were made.  I have made some of the best friendships of my life, some with people that I have never even met in real life.

Spring is the perfect time for transitions, changes, and as much as it excites me, it saddens me at the same time.  I will miss the lawyers that I worked with so closely, the team members that I helped grow professionally, and working in the program that I put my heart and soul into growing that has helped many lawyers and made a difference in their lives.  I truly believe I was part of building something that will continue on, and will continue to be a resource for lawyers and make a difference in their practice and their clients lives.

It’s time to turn the page and close that chapter for me, knowing that I made a difference that mattered and will have a lasting legacy.

The exciting part is that with this new chapter the difference can be bigger and better, because of the lessons learned, experiences had, the relationships created and how they have all played a role in who I am today and the difference I can continue to make going forward.

I love new beginnings and look forward to sharing my opportunities with you.

There are many times in business where sending a personal note or card goes a long way, but as a busy attorney, it’s not always something you can fit on your plate.  However, there is a new tool that allows you to personalize such notes and cards to your clients or referral sources….and you don’t even have to do it yourself!  In fact, this “handwriting font”  allows you to outsource the drafting of these notes to your team members, all while keeping the personal integrity of the note intact.

And hey – isn’t it just cool to be able to have a font in your handwriting?

Brought to you by Fontifier it is simple to do:

• Go to www.fontifier.com
• Print out the template
• Write your characters on the template (use a good dark pen)
• Scan, save and upload
• Preview and purchase the font (only $9)
• Install the font on your computer (not complicated & they give good instructions)

Have fun with it, I’ll keep you posted with marketing ideas that you could use the handwriting font on (they are already running through my mind).

In the meantime, if you have an idea or suggestion on how you are going to use this – post it below I’d love to hear about it and I’m sure the other readers would too!

I’ve seen it happen over and over again, lawyers notoriously work by deadlines and when it comes to working ON your business, most solo’s aren’t very good at creating self imposed deadlines. What inevitably happens is all of those great ideas you keep learning about never get implemented, and of course because they don’t happen you never reap the rewards of seeing the RESULTS!

The lawyers I work with get results….and they get to them quickly. I have worked with lawyers for over 20 years and I have the ability to laser into where you are STUCK and come up with the ‘simple solutions’ to get you UNSTUCK and moving forward, whether it is with marketing your practice, building a team, or simply streamlining the systems in your practice so you are not recreating the wheel from scratch each time.

In the past, monthly strategy accountability calls with me have cost at a bare minimum $397 (they haven’t even been available outside of the Personal Family Lawyer program for almost 3 years!) but because of my Irish heritage and in honor of St. Patty’s Day,  I decided to offer these calls for 10 attorneys for only $247 a month.

Each month during our 60 minute call, I will review with you where you are in your practice and where you want to go and outline 4-6 attainable steps you need to take that month to get you there.  I will also hook up with resources to get these action items completed if you are not the one that wants to or should be doing them!  We will have a weekly check in via email each week in between our calls and I will then become your “deadline” because you will know the following month you will be talking to me again, and we will be checking your progress!  Not only do you get to tap into my vast knowledge, experience and resources – you get me to be your personal nag (and that is priceless – ask my kids)!

To take advantage of this opportunity go here and select “Special St. Patty’s Day Strategy Accountability Call” to get your first call scheduled!

Here are some of the things attorneys that work with me personally have to say about the experience:

“Laura Lee has that rare combination of extensive knowledge about her subject and a passion for the people and businesses that she helps to succeed. During our personal accountability phone calls, Laura Lee has helped me to refocus and shift my mindset to solve problems, and she has helped me to develop specific strategies to overcome the challenges that I face in my business. I consider Laura Lee to be both a professional and personal mentor. She truly cares about the businesses and people that she works with.”

Candice Aiston
Law Office of Candice Aiston

SteveWorrall -Great marketing strategy call w/ @LauraLeeSparks this week (perk of being a PFL). Attys, you need her help!

JackieBedard -@lauraleesparks Enjoyed our call this afternoon. As always, thanks for the awesome advice!

victormedina -Loving the help I’m getting from @lauraleesparks – she’s totally undervalued as an “ideas” lady.

dgvelaw- I’d shout it from the rooftops, “I love you, @lauraleesparks!” Thank you *so* much.

Don’t delay – my time is limited and I can only offer this to the first 10 attorneys – it will come down once those slots are filled.  Go here now to sign up.

These team meetings can be done in person, via phone, or on a video platform like skype.  Yet no matter which platform you choose, the key is to ensure they happen each week without fail….schedule it at the same time every week as if it is your most important client.

That’s because your team needs at least an hour of your undivided attention to ask questions, go over open items, provide feedback and discuss future projects in a way that’s organized. And by setting aside a specific time each week for this to occur doesn’t interrupt your daily work flow on a regular basis.

You, in turn, need these meetings to check up on the progress of your team, give them the time to hear their feedback and answer questions, hold everyone accountable, brainstorm future projects and keep everyone informed of the happenings in the firm.

Having a weekly team meeting, is a great way to do this in a controlled and focused environment where everyone gets their needs met and your team is empowered to tackle their work load without struggle, confusion or lack of clarity each week.

If you’re not already holding weekly team calls for the employees or subcontractors of your firm, now is a great time to start.  Here are a few things you should ALWAYS do during a team meeting to ensure it is always a productive and efficient use of your time:

1. ALWAYS have an agenda- This keeps the meeting focused and on track.  Essentially, one person should be in charge of compiling the agenda and gathering talking points (from every person that attends the meeting) that they would like to cover in advance of the call.  You’ll then use this to guide the conversation and ensure all issues are discussed and resolved appropriately.
2. ALWAYS Share the Stage- It’s important that meetings are a collaborative and safe space and not just what you want, need or expect from your staff.  While that will ultimately be addressed on the call, it’s equally vital to make sure everyone has a chance to voice their needs, questions and/or concerns for feedback from the group.  In fact, I recommend starting each call by celebrating the successes of the week so it naturally pulls everyone into the conversation.  You can then proceed into the agenda from there.
3. ALWAYS look ahead two weeks in each meeting- This gives everyone the big picture as to what’s coming up so no one is scrambling at the last minute…or worse…misses an important deadline for your firm.   This two week run down should include everything significant on the company calendar—and if you don’t have a company calendar, now’s a great time to start one!
4. ALWAYS take notes- meeting notes are a great point of reference…and even a refresher as your team moves through their work load for the week.  It’s also a great point of reference for you or your manager to stay on top of what was assigned and to whom.

So there you have it….4 things you should ALWAYS do during a team to ensure they become an effective…and extremely beneficial use of your time.  Once you get started with these simple tips, you’ll be on your way to having more productive, efficient and happy team and hence a more productive business in no time.

Be sure to leave a comment below with any team meeting tips you find beneficial for you and your team.  Next week we’ll discuss the top things you should NEVER do on a team call, so stay tuned!

*****

Online Business Manager and law firm marketing expert, Laura Lee Sparks, is one of the most authoritative and well respected voices on attorney outsourcing, legal marketing and virtual assisting for lawyers on the web.  Her advice and legal marketing campaigns have helped lawyers reach and surpass the million-dollar mark in their businesses numerous times thanks to her straight-forward advice and ability to make legal marketing principles easy to understand and implement.  For further information on lawyer outsourcing programs or to contact Laura Lee directly, please email help@legalmarketingmaven.com

That’s simply because consumers now search for EVERYTHING online, and lawyers who aren’t savvy to this trend (or sadly believe people under 50 still use the yellow pages) are missing out on business because of it.

Not to mention, getting listed in local directories gives you extra links back to your site and takes up more real estate  in Google, both which are great for SEO and standing out in an oversaturated legal market.

So with that said, one of the most popular local directories right now is yelp.com.  Yelp.com provides hyperlocal results for people actively looking  for services in their immediate area.  The site also allows consumers to leave reviews of your services—which can quickly help you stand out (for the better I hope) in the crowd.

Fortunately, getting your business listed on yelp is free and can be done in 3 easy steps.  They are as follows:

1.       Get Started

Simply click here to get started on yelp.com’s business page.   The screen should look like the one below:

2. Find your business

Enter the name of your law firm and city to “claim” your business.  If your business can not be found by yelp, you’ll come to the screen below and have the ability to create your own business profile:

3.       Complete your company profile

Simply fill out as much information that you can regarding your law firm.  Once you’ve done that, check your email address, confirm your listing and you’re firm will be live on yelp!

As a bonus (and for even better results), ask a few happy clients to leave a detailed review about their experience working with you.  You’ll also want to make the review process as easy as possible for your clients, which means giving them the direct link to your profile page and offering a “gift of thanks” (i.e. a gift card, discount on future services, etc) as an incentive for following through with your request.

That’s it!  Now go claim your business and get listed on yelp.com!

Online Business Manager and law firm marketing expert, Laura Lee Sparks, is one of the most authoritative and well respected voices on attorney outsourcing, legal marketing and virtual assisting for lawyers on the web.  Her advice and legal marketing campaigns have helped lawyers reach and surpass the million-dollar mark in their businesses numerous times thanks to her straight-forward advice and ability to make legal marketing principles easy to understand and implement.  For further information on lawyer outsourcing programs or to contact Laura Lee directly, please email help@legalmarketingmaven.com