• By Laura Lee

Where do you want to be at the end of the year?

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.

1. Put pen to paper and write your goals!

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.

2. Convert those goals into a plan!

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.

3. Integrate accountability in your plan!

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!

4. Reward yourself for succeeding!

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.

• By Laura Lee

5 Ways To Spark More Engagement With Your Law Firm Email Newsletter

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from attorneys sending email newsletters is that people seem to ignore them and open rates suggest they aren’t being read.

If you’re also concerned about this, or you just want to make sure your email marketing is bringing in maximum results, take a few minutes and read the 5 strategies I’ve outlined for you below.

5 Ways To Spark More Engagement With Your Email Newsletter

If you’re sending an email newsletter but feel like it’s not getting much attention….or perhaps not even getting read at all, it may be time to change your approach.

The purpose of email marketing is to build relationships, not just occupy inbox space.  It’s one of those low-cost “touches” that help people get to know, like and trust you, so that they feel comfortable doing business with you down the road.

But if you’re not being heard, or worse, your email is not being delivered–all of your efforts will be in vein.

Before we get into the 5 steps you can take to get more mileage out of your ezine , an important first step would be figuring out your current email marketing “stats” as they stand.  This will help you to track your results as you implement some of the suggested strategies below.

Specifically, pay attention to your current open rate and deliverability stats if you have them.  Then try some of these small, but powerful changes to increase your engagement and help ensure your hard work doesn’t end up in the virtual “trash”:

1. Spark curiosity with your subject lines– If your email open rates are low, start using creative subject lines that make opening your email irresistible. Pull something from the ezine that leaves them hanging so they feel the need to click and learn more.  Here’s a few examples of highly clicked titles we recently used for our clients: “My Valentine,” “I stole the chairs,” and “I never saw this coming…”.

2. Open with a personal note– People want to do business with people–not law firms.  Don’t be afraid to add a few personal tidbits before your article each week to help people relate and connect with you on a personal level.  Talk about your family, vacations, weekend activities…and even include some pictures, too!

3.  Avoid too many “promotional” or “spam” words– One reason your emails may not be getting opened is that you are using too many words that cause your email to be filtered into spam.  Free is a big one, and so are other promotional phrases like “50 % off!”  and “call now !”.  In some cases, email providers won’t even deliver these messages to their users at all…filtering them instead into the black hole of the internet.

4.  Make your email newsletter interactive.  Ask your readers questions and seek out their opinions.  You can even go outside the box and ask questions that have nothing to do with the law.  One of our clients recently moved into a new office, so we asked readers to share their favorite places to find inexpensive artwork and décor.  Responses came pouring in from people she hadn’t heard from in years.  It’s great to know that people are listening, asking questions helps to build relationships without sacrificing too much of your time.

5.  Tell people what you want them to do– If people aren’t taking action after reading your newsletter, it might be that you aren’t telling them clearly enough what to do. Don’t be afraid to include clear calls to action asking readers to sign up for an event, take advantage of a discount, follow you on social media or forward your email to a friend.  As long as you are providing quality content and are not being overly promotional, people will appreciate you helping them take the next step.

Try implementing these changes and pay close attention to your results.  If more people are interacting with you and open rates improve, you’re on the right track!

Have any other tips to increase engagement with your email newsletter? Please come share them on our facebook page.

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.

• By Laura Lee

Three Things You Should NOT Include in Your Law Firm Newsletter

If you dread writing your law firm newsletter each month because a) it’s not fun or b) clients are generally unresponsive to your efforts, you’re probably committing one of three legal marketing sins.

Remember, the point of your newsletter is to develop a relationship with your leads and prospective clients on their own turf.   It’s so easy to just “start a newsletter” because a marketing guru tells you to, but you really must understand the “why” behind the “what” if you want to be effective and generate leads/referrals in this area.

So with that said, let’s jump right into the top three things you should NOT be writing in your newsletter:

1. Case Briefs– It seems logical that a law firm newsletter would have case briefs of relevant decisions in your practice area, right?  Wrong. While information on recent case law may be valuable to your clients, what you have to say about it is probably WAY over their head.  Unless you can write on a third grade level and explain what the case means for THEM in plain English, leave complicated case briefs out of the newsletter.
2. Promotional Hype– Your newsletter isn’t another opportunity to pitch your firm and services.  You might get by with that here and there, but eventually the client will get sick of “being sold” and throw it in the trash.  Instead, stick to useful content, tips and how-to’s that will improve or add value to their life in some way.
3. Legalese– Again, you’re trying to reach clients on their level so try to leave complicated legal jargon out of the mix.  And if you’re trying to educate your client on a certain area of the law and absolutely must drop a few legal terms, be sure to provide clear and alternate definitions so your prospects can actually follow along with the article.

Hopefully you’re noticing a trend here with my emphasis on words like them, their, etc.  Understand that if you can bring the focus of your newsletter back on the client and away from the firm, you’ll be much more effective in bringing in referrals and converting existing leads.

And of course, if you still hate the newsletter process and can’t seem to unleash its true potential, then consider this a job to be outsourced!  In today’s economy, a newsletter is one marketing tool that you MUST have, so commit to having one that works for you—even if that means bringing in outside help!

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.