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Think twice before setting up a “review station” in your firm!

I talked to an attorney this week who wanted to get some more reviews posted online from happy clients following the completion of their legal services.

He was thinking about setting up a “Review Station” in the firm where clients could spend a few minutes at one of 5 dedicated computers he would set up in the office and leave feedback about their attorneys before leaving.  He felt this would get around the issue of clients forgetting to review the firm when they got home… and that the reviews would be mostly favorable because he was “striking while the iron was hot” when clients were pleased with their service.

While in theory the idea of having a review station or a few dedicated iPads in the office for reviews is a great plan, it’s just not doable.  Why? You run the risk of not getting your reviews published, or worse, your entire account shut down.

The idea of “Review Stations” is nothing new to Google.  One business owner recently wrote the following post in the “help” section online:

“We work really hard at doing the right things with our customers and in doing so we feel we earn the right to ask for them to review us on Google Places.  As of 2 weeks ago our reviews stopped showing up.  We offer the use of our computers to make it convenient for the customer to write a review.  Are we being penalized for having reviews come from the same IP address?  We do business with thousands of people every month, so it is not unreasonable to have a very small percentage actually leave us excellent reviews.”

The Google team had a swift response to why reviews may not be showing up anymore:

There have been a lot of questions about reviews lately in the forum, and we wanted to address some of the more common ones.

1. Where did my reviews go?

Edit, December 12: Please note that the Review content policy now states that business owners or employees should not review their own businesses. We also discourage review stations or kiosks set up at your business location that are solely for soliciting reviews.

The same information is also found on the Review Guidelines for Google Plus.  The “conflict of interest” subheading specifically mentions Review Stations again by name:

  • Conflict of interest: Reviews are most valuable when they are honest and unbiased. If you own or work at a place, please don’t review your own business or employer. Don’t offer or accept money, products, or services to write reviews for a business or to write negative reviews about a competitor. If you’re a business owner, don’t set up review stations or kiosks at your place of business just to ask for reviews written at your place of business.

Sites like Yelp are even STRICTER about soliciting for online reviews.  They discourage the mere act of ASKING for reviews.  You can read more about that HERE.

Policies such as these have been put in place to stop folks from gaming the system.  A recent study shows that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they would a personal recommendation.  It is important for the Googles and Yelps of the world to put safeguards in place to help ensure people are only reading accurate and unbiased reviews of the companies they are investigating.

So, what’s a business owner to do?  How can you get more reviews without getting in trouble?

1.     Don’t think you can get around this.   It can be tempting to think you can “trick” the system and Google, Yelp, etc. would never know.  Reviews are tracked by IP addresses, so if multiple reviews are coming from one computer, there is a chance that all of your great reviews will suddenly disappear or your account will get shut down all together.  I have seen this happen!  Don’t take the chance, it’s not worth it!

2.     Make it easy as possible for people who ARE willing to leave you a review on their own time.   We make sure to put icons to review sites such as Google + and Yelp on one central page on our clients’ websites.  There is nothing wrong with telling people that you have a page where it’s really easy to leave their feedback with one click of a button.  When it’s easy to do and minimally time consuming, clients are more apt to take the time to help you.

3.     Keep an eye on your profiles.  While it may take you time to gather a bunch of great organic reviews, one bad review from a cranky client or prospect can really tarnish your online marketing efforts.  Take the time to watch out for such posts and respond whenever possible so that other people reading the review can see that you addressed the situation and that perhaps the reviewer was just a bad egg!

As long as you keep within the Terms of Service, online reviews are definitely something you WANT and need.  Again, it’s no secret that prospects often read such reviews before making a buying decision, so the more great ones you have, the better!  Just be sure to ask for them in an ethical way to protect your accounts and the integrity of your firm.

 

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.

A Summer Networking Challenge To Help Market Your Law Practice

 

Networking Tips to Market Your Law Practice

The legal profession is a competitive one, and each law practice needs to determine how best to market their services. As with any other type of business, networking can be a key to unlocking new and repeat business, not to mention those sought-after referrals. Make your legal marketing more productive with these networking tips:

·   Make a point to network with other lawyers in non-competing fields.  Once you’ve developed a relationship based on mutual trust, mutual referrals just make sense.  Bonus Tip:  Also network with professionals in other fields, as there are plenty of opportunities for referrals that way, too!

·   Be a helpful resource.  Instead of always looking for the payoff, make a point to use your skills and abilities to help others succeed at their goals.  They will remember the role you played and be happy to tell others about it.

·   In addition to offering help to others, make sure you follow through.  If you tell your doctor that you will make an important introduction for her, that needs to happen as soon as possible.  You will show yourself to be reliable, as well as providing her with what she needs.  Bonus Tip:  Follow through is important, but follow up is important, too.  Check back in with your doctor to make sure the introduction happened and see if it provided the desired result.

·   Always support your brand when networking.  Your brand should revolve around who you really are, not some idea that you want to project.  This allows you to be yourself in your interactions, and that kind of authenticity makes a big difference in the fruits of your networking endeavors.

It’s true that most lawyers didn’t go through years of school, testing, and practice so that they could become expert networkers.  They want to be lawyers!  The fact of the matter, however, is that you must market your law practice in order to stay in business.  Networking is a vital part of any lawyer’s marketing plan.

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.

 

I love this marketing strategy that NEVER goes out of date!

Lawyer Marketing Strategies: Direct Mail

As a strategy for marketing law firms, direct mail has been around forever. It was there before business websites, e-newsletters, and social media. Considering the convenience and low cost of digital marketing methods, many lawyers find themselves wondering if direct mail is even a good strategy for marketing a law practice in today’s world.

In a word, yes. Direct mail marketing might not seem as modern as the other strategies listed (which are also good strategies, by the way), but it’s still around for the simple fact that it works. We’ve told you again and again that the best way to succeed as a small law practice is to take care of the clients you already have. This keeps them coming back, as well as referring their contacts to you.

However, it’s impossible to overlook the need to cultivate new prospects, and that is where direct mail marketing really pays off. Direct mail allows you to target potential new clients based on a variety of factors such as income level and geographic area. One direct mail piece can reach thousands of potential clients at once, and it does it in a way that people don’t find particularly intrusive. According to a study done by Epsilon, 70% of participants reported that they prefer direct mail to email when receiving unsolicited information!

Another advantage of direct mail is that it’s less likely to get lost in the shuffle than email. For one thing, you can make a direct mail piece completely unique. Skip the boring form letter and find cool and unusual ways to market your law practice by using different types of paper, dye-cut brochures, interestingly folded documents, and so much more. A surprising direct mail piece can really capture potential clients’ imagination and is more likely to be kept for reference than an unsolicited email that would probably get no more attention than is necessary to hit “delete.”

Remember, prospects (and everyone else, it seems) can receive hundreds of unwanted emails a week. Because it’s an easier approach, many law practices rely on it far too heavily for marketing. That’s certainly not to say you shouldn’t use email to market to current clients, but it’s not necessarily the best path to take to reach new folks. On the other hand, it’s been found that direct marketing pieces can also bolster your email marketing. Consider sending a unique direct mail piece to current clients letting them know to watch their email inbox for an upcoming offer, and you’ll likely find that the open rate on that future email outpaces most of your others by a long ways. Similarly, you can use your direct mail piece to invite prospects to log on to your website in order to access a special promotion.

Law practice marketing is certainly a different beast than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. That doesn’t mean, though, that the old-school marketing techniques don’t still have their place in your strategy!

 

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.

This is a little personal, but there’s something in it for you, too.

I don’t know about you but Spring is my absolute favorite time of year…even when we have April showers move in for a few days. Everything is coming back to life (yes, I live in Florida, but up here in the Panhandle we do have seasons). And, we are entering the 2nd quarter of the year where everyone seems to get a burst of energy to get things moving in their business.

I love spring so much that it’s the season I chose to get married in.  Tomorrow would have been my 23rd wedding anniversary. So now, along with my anticipation of the season, there is also some sadness that comes at this time of year since Nick lost his battle with cancer.  Although, I’m learning to focus on all of the good times with my husband and the fact that I was so blessed to have found my best friend to spend 20 years of my life with.

Without a doubt, the work that we do for our Estate and Elder law attorneys not only comes from my many years experience as a senior paralegal and office manager of a top estate planning firm, but even deeper than that, I’m inspired by my personal struggles and “hard knock” lessons I learned while caregiving and preparing for end-of-life transitions with my husband, mom, dad, and mother-in-law over the past 10 years.

It is truly my passion to help attorneys reach as many people as possible with the message of solid estate planning and the importance of developing a lifetime relationship with a lawyer that will be there for them and their families, no matter what happens in the future.  It makes all the difference in the world when facing such challenging times.

If you’re reading this note right now, chances are you share my vision…and I love that.  I want to support you in reaching as many people as possible in your community! So in honor of my anniversary and my husband’s memory, I am going to lower the price on our DFY program by $200 a month for anyone who signs up in the next week. This is our dedicated marketing program that will put effective materials and campaigns in your hands each month to reach more families and local individuals with the important message of what you do.

Here’s where you can get all of the details about the program at your own convenience: https://legalmarketingmaven.com/dfy.

If you choose to join us, the discounted price will lock in for the entire time you are in the program. To get started, simply fill out this Authorization Form.  If your geographical area is already taken, you will not be charged and we will contact you ASAP to let you know.

That said, if you have been on the fence about signing up, now is the time to go ahead and lock in your territory because we do not work with competitors! And, remember, there are no long term commitments.  You can cancel at anytime without pressure or headaches.

Have questions? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee where we can talk determine if the program is a good fit for you and your practice.

 

Your Website Needs Attention

“Your website needs attention.”

Chances are you’ve heard those words quite a few times this week.

Here’s the scoop:  Google is changing its algorithm again, and this time around it plans to “slap” websites that are not mobile friendly by April 21st .

If you care about your rankings in the search engines, read on.

I’m going to break down these changes for you, without “end-of-the-world” scary hype, so that you know what you need to do, what needs your attention and how to quickly take action.

Basically what’s happening is that Google is adding a “mobile friendly” component to its algorithm to help determine whether your site is mobile friendly on devices such as smart phones and tablets.  Any site that is found not to be mobile friendly will be automatically dropped in the rankings below those that are, when the searches are made from mobile devices .

A few years ago, having a mobile site was just a novelty. Now it’s a must. It’s estimated that in 2015, 50% of all search traffic will come from a mobile device.  If your firm is being buried or even dropped from search results for mobile users, it’s easy to see how this could have a significant impact on your practice.

So How Will This REALLY Affect You? What If You already HAVE a Mobile Site?

Maybe you already HAVE a mobile site or you’ve had your website recently re-designed.  You’re probably feeling confident that all this doesn’t apply to you.  However, I’d challenge you to still take a deeper look.

Here’s why: my friends at Solamar Marketing, who are BRILLIANT designers and coders in their own right, had a personal run-in with this new Google Slap that warrants everyone’s attention.

Even though Solamar has a mobile site, when they ran their domain through Google’s Webmaster Tools, they were notified that 100% of their website was NOT MOBILE FRIENDLY.   How could that be?

Turns out, they had a few old HTML pages that were outside of their main company site that were left over from previous versions and just kind of floating around in cyberspace.  Thanks to those rogue, unused pages, it did not pass Google’s “mobile friendly test”!  It would have been unknowingly dropped from the rankings if they didn’t catch it in time!

The fix? They simply deleted all the rogue pages and solved the problem.  They are 100% mobile-friendly again.

It’s Not Time To Worry… It’s Time To Take Action

If by this point of my email you are hyperventilating, please take a deep breath.  This is not the end of the world.  Here’s why:

  • Some sites can become mobile friendly by simply adding a plugin. It’s a super easy and inexpensive fix that can get your site compliant in no time.
  • Perhaps you have rogue pages out there in cyberspace that are causing your entire site to be penalized.  All you or your webmaster must do is find them and DELETE.
  • You may need additional coding on your current site to make mobile friendly, could be a little time consuming but doesn’t necessarily require an entire site remake.
  • Or, if there is no easy fix for you beyond creating a mobile-friendly site from scratch, consider it for the best.  Again, with mobile search traffic constantly on the rise, it’s an investment in your practice that will definitely pay off if you are quick to become compliant while your competition is asleep at the wheel!

All that said, if you want to make sure your website is up to par and don’t know where to turn or who to trust, my two recommended resources for web design are:

Solamar Marketing

http://www.solamarmarketing.com

hello@solamarmarketing.com

or

Lisa Beers Design

http://www.beersdesign.com

lisa@beersdesign.com

If you choose to contact them, let them know that you were referred by Laura Lee. I don’t make one red cent by sending you to either company, but I know that they take great care of my readers and extend even better pricing.  Win-Win.

If you have specific questions about what to expect with these upcoming changes or you don’t have the time to manage this process and want some help, “email us” and let’s chat about how we may be able to assist you.

 

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.

20 Ways to Get Other People to Market Your Law Practice for You

20 Ways to Get Other People to Market Your Law Practice for You

Putting together a smart marketing plan takes some balance. After all, there are only so many things that you have the time and budget to make happen.  If you can harness your good reputation and other hard work in ways that make it so others market for you, then you can extend your law firm marketing to even deeper levels without a ton of extra effort on your part.  Here are 25 ways to do that, with varying amounts of resources required from you.

Promotional Products

Designing, ordering, and distributing promotional products will cost both time and money, but once they’re released “into the wild,” they continue spreading the word about your law practice, even when you’re nowhere in sight.  Promotional products can—and should—double as gratitude gifts for clients, but in order for them to be effective lawyer marketing, you need to make sure that the items you choose are ones that will actually get used.

1.     Travel coffee mugs

2.     High-quality sweatshirts

3.     Personalized pens

4.     Funny bumper stickers for clients

5.     A unique, branded item relevant to your area of law

Helping Others

There’s not much in this world that feels better than helping someone in need, and by engaging in these kinds of activities you can benefit your law practice, not just by marketing it, but also by building a culture of caring and loyalty amongst your staff and the organizations your law firm supports.  It’s a win-win.

1.     Underwrite a charity event

2.     Sponsor a youth sports team

3.     Donate services to fundraising auctions

4.     Put together a volunteer team

5.     Run a food/coat/toy drive for a good cause

In Writing

When someone quotes you in an article or provides you with a testimonial, others see it as a direct endorsement of your skills.  When it comes to lawyer marketing, it doesn’t get much better than that.  Even if you put in the work to write a press release, once it’s picked up by media, they suddenly become the ones doing your marketing for you.

1.     Ask for testimonials for your marketing materials

2.     Send out press releases

3.     Provide clients with referral cards (and a referral program)

4.     Join HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

5.     Exchange brochures with a non-competing colleague

Online

Every time you comment on a blog or Facebook post, you are getting your name (and probably a link to your business) in front of a new audience.  You can also gain the attention of those you admire by retweeting or sharing something they’ve posted, and oftentimes all of their followers or “friends” will also see what you’ve had to say due to the networked nature of social media.

1.     Encourage others to share or retweet your posts

2.     Share and retweet others’ posts

3.     Purchase advertising on targeted websites

4.     Run an ad campaign through Google

5.     Comment on relevant blogs and sites with a link back to yours

As you can see, these are just 20 marketing ideas out of THOUSANDS you could put in place this fall.  My advice is to focus on 4-5 and follow the tasks all the way through to completion. You can even recruit staff members who have a little bit of extra time on their plate to help.  The time and effort you spend now will be well worth it to have a full calendar when 2017 comes!

Generate more business, speaking engagements & expand your influence with our free 21-day legal marketing bootcamp.  Click here now to discover more.

 

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.

Ramp Up Speaking Engagements to Promote Your Law Practice in Multiple Ways

Ramp Up Speaking Engagements to Promote Your Law Practice in Multiple Ways

It’s pretty common for lawyers to be advised to incorporate speaking engagements into their overall marketing strategies, and we don’t mind jumping on that bandwagon…because it works!  A lawyer’s original goal in doing these types of talks might be to have someone from the audience come up and hire them on the spot, and while that does happen from time to time, it’s good to recognize that there are actually several other ways that speaking engagements benefit your practice and boost your marketing.

Building Your Reputation

If you’re doing it right and presenting good information, every speaking engagement you do helps put you in the position of “expert.”  The more people who see you giving advice and insight on a particular topic, the more will recognize you as the go-to person for it.  It’s not all for show, either.  The more presentations you give on something, the more you actually do understand and become an expert.  It’s a win-win situation that markets your law practice in a really positive way.

Cost Effective

Most of the time, the chance to do a speaking engagement costs you nothing other than the gas to get there and the time it takes to present.  Heck, you might even get a free lunch out of the deal!  There aren’t a lot of marketing methods for lawyers that are so incredibly cost effective.

Minimal Work

When an organization invites you to speak to its members, they generally do 90% of the work for you.  They take care of scheduling.  They set up the microphone and any other needed technology.  They even bring you the audience!  Your only real preparation is to put together a presentation that the audience will find valuable.  Plus, once you’ve got your notes, slides, or other materials created, you can give the same presentation to many different audiences.

Opportunity for Further Marketing

When you leave the speaking engagement, the marketing doesn’t have to end.  Instead, make sure that everyone who is interested is able to take some sort of branded material away from the event so that they know how to contact you if they need further information.  This is also a great opportunity to follow through on one of a lawyer’s favorite marketing practices: offering a free consultation.

Finally, make sure everyone at the event has the opportunity to sign up for SOMETHING so you can continue reaching out to them long after the event is over. In my opinion this is the NUMBER ONE goal of speaking engagements and where I see the most mistakes made!  Just because someone is not ready to hire you on the spot doesn’t mean that they (or their family members) won’t need your services in the future.  But, if you don’t continue to “touch” these leads, they’ll find their way to someone else.  I don’t care if you offer a free book, an exclusive free service or even just raffle off some hot sports tickets or a massage at a local spa, do whatever it takes to entice audience members to fork over their full contact info to you.

Speaking engagements represent some of the best free or low-cost marketing for law practices, and as you can see, there are a lot of benefits that stem from even a single presentation.  Imagine how these compound when you make them a regular part of your firm’s marketing calendar.

 

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.

[News] Helping Clients Take Advantage of Facebook’s New “Legacy Contact” Feature

As our lives become increasingly digital, more and more of the assets we accumulate are based in technology or created online.

Estate planning attorneys have the important job of educating their clients on how to handle “digital assets” in the event of a person’s death or incapacity, and then helping the client document such wishes in a will or trust.  Whether it’s an email account, blog, collection of domain names, hosting accounts, apps, ebooks, etc., a good estate planning attorney can help ensure that only a person the account owner trusts can access and maintain digital assets in their absence.

One area of digital asset planning that has received a lot of attention lately is the management of one’s Facebook profile page.  Until recently, loved ones of the deceased only had two choices: 1) Keep the wall public so everyone could continue to post messages and thoughts on the wall or 2) request to have the page “memorialized,” which meant the profile was no longer searchable or visible to those who were not already friends of the individual.

What Facebook did not allow to happen was for someone to manage the profile in the owner’s place.  Without explicitly having the password (and the permission to use it!), loved ones could not accept new friend requests, pin important information about memorial services to the top of the profile or update pictures.

That’s all changed this week, though, with the roll out of Facebook’s Legacy Contact feature.  Facebook users now have the opportunity to choose a “legacy contact,” either a family member or a friend, whom they want to manage their account when they pass away.  Or, they can let Facebook know that they want their account deleted immediately upon their passing.

From Facebook’s Newsroom:

Today we’re introducing a new feature that lets people choose a legacy contact—a family member or friend who can manage their account when they pass away. Once someone lets us know that a person has passed away, we will memorialize the account and the legacy contact will be able to:

  • Write a post to display at the top of the memorialized Timeline (for example, to announce a memorial service or share a special message)
  • Respond to new friend requests from family members and friends who were not yet connected on Facebook
  • Update the profile picture and cover photo

If someone chooses, they may give their legacy contact permission to download an archive of the photos, posts and profile information they shared on Facebook. Other settings will remain the same as before the account was memorialized. The legacy contact will not be able to log in as the person who passed away or see that person’s private messages.

Alternatively, people can let us know if they’d prefer to have their Facebook account permanently deleted after death.

As your clients plan for the handling of their digital assets after death, the Facebook Legacy Contact Feature is an important tool to mention during the process.  By simply logging into their account and following the directions below, they can easily make their wishes for their Facebook account known.

How do you feel about the creation of Facebook’s new “Legacy Contact” feature?  Will you take advantage of the opportunity to name a contact and share this information with your clients?  Sound off why, or why not, in the comments below!

 

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.

I Stink at Marketing My Law Practice—Now What?

A trash can full of smelly garbage. Not really sure why he is smiling, but he is!

The weather couldn’t be prettier down here in the Florida Panhandle this time of year.  I’ve been enjoying some beautiful weather here at the beach soaking up some much needed sunshine after battling the flu for weeks!

If you get a chance to come down to the Panhandle be sure to let me know so we can meet up!

It is October now, and I hope that the marketing plans you made for your firm in January are rolled out and implemented full steam ahead.  Because 2017 is right around the corner.  You should have been reaching out to organizations about speaking opportunities, setting up coffee dates with key referral sources, or making fabulous offers for prospective clients if you’ve dropped the ball.

However, that window of opportunity in 2016 is closing fast, so strike while the iron is hot!  Even seemingly small connections can turn into bigger and more lucrative opportunities down the road.  Just a few months ago, we had a heck of a time getting a client into a well-known organization to speak to a group of HIGHLY targeted prospects.  So…we put our marketing hats on and got creative. We thought, “How can we get in the door just in time for the New Year?”

Here’s a big secret: When you get stuck, always approach things from the perspective of “What’s In It For THEM.”  Shift your mindset!

So, with 2017 approaching, we gave another call back and explained how much we love what the organization is doing and wanted to support them financially to help meet THEIR goals.  We were basically making a sponsorship donation.  And, as we had hoped (and planned for), the small donation FINALLY cracked the door open for the coveted speaking opportunity that other law firms in town would kill to have!

Even if you think you stink at marketing, there are so many ways to get the visibility for your firm that you want and deserve.  Sometimes you just have to think outside the box. My feature article below has some pointers for you…

I Stink at Marketing My Law Practice—Now What?

Not every lawyer has a gift for marketing a law practice.  On the other hand, pretty much every law practice depends upon marketing.  It can be a very difficult dilemma, indeed!  So, for those who don’t feel like they’ve got what it takes when it comes to marketing, what’s the answer?

Actually, there are a few good options.  Being a less-than-skilled marketer doesn’t need to spell doom for your law practice, rather it means that you need to dig deeper to uncover what will work for you.

Go With Your Strengths

If you’re reading this, then it’s probably because you already know the importance of marketing your law practice.  You’ve probably also noticed that there seems to be no shortage of ways to do just that.  But, it’s quite likely that you don’t feel comfortable with all of the possibilities.  For example, if you’re someone who doesn’t like speaking in front of a crowd, we could tell you all day how beneficial it is to give presentations without you deciding to give it a try.  It’s just not your thing!  On the other hand, you might be hugely charismatic in one-on-one situations.  If you also happen to like to eat, then you might just have hit on an area of marketing in which you excel: the lunch meeting!

  • I never want to cold call someone, but I love writing = direct mail
  • I have tons of info to share but no desire to do a seminar = blogging
  • I want to reach out to others, but I don’t have time to go in-depth = social media

Take the time to analyze your strengths and then build on those for an authentic and results-oriented way to market your law practice.

Educate Yourself

Maybe you don’t know a ton about marketing a business, but it sure does look like fun to you!  In that case, why not take a marketing class at a local college or even take a course online.  Nothing quite beats the enthusiasm that goes along with implementing new ideas, and classes are a great way to gain exposure to those ideas.

If a class doesn’t seem like it would work for you, you might also consider hiring a business coach.  This person will get to know your specific business, along with your personality, in order to make suggestions for strong methods to market your law practice.

Hire a Pro

Let’s face it.  Not every lawyer has an interest in marketing his or her firm.  With few exceptions, it’s just not typically why someone goes to law school.  If you’ve determined that you don’t enjoy marketing and/or that you’re just not getting good results from your efforts, it might be time to bring in the big guns.  Hiring a professional, especially one with a proven track record of marketing lawyers, can actually be the best course of action.  Not only does it free up the lawyer’s time to do Lawyer Stuff, but it can also save a fair amount of money in the long run by avoiding newbie mistakes and giving your legal marketing a more professional appearance.

So if you want to do this at no risk (well, actually for $1.00 to kick you off) click here to learn more about our Inner Circle Accountability & Private Group Coaching Program! What do you have to lose besides getting the phone to ring and revenue?

 

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.

 

 

Creating a Marketing Plan That WORKS for Your Law Practice

There are so many parts and pieces when it comes to marketing a law practice, that it can get a little overwhelming.  Instead of taking a helter-skelter, see-what-works approach to marketing the practice, it’s a good idea to come up with a consistent plan to follow.  A law practice marketing plan doesn’t have to be set in stone, as you’ll want to monitor it and make occasional adjustments based on results; but it is a practical way to organize your approach and stay on track.

Just as with any other part of marketing, the marketing plan can be done in many different ways.  For those who need a place to get started, though, here is a great way to do so:

Legal Marketing Plan Step 1: Strategize

If you have no idea where you want to go, all the maps in the world aren’t going to help you get there.  The first step in creating a legal marketing plan is to figure out what it is that you are trying to accomplish.  Are your goals monetary?  Are you looking to serve a certain number of clients?  Perhaps you want to branch out into a new area of law.  It’s possible that you want all three!

Before deciding how you’re going to make your business successful, you have to define what success means to you.  By doing this, you can develop reasonable steps to take in pursuit of those goals.

Legal Marketing Plan Step 2:  Develop Goals and Objectives

The goal is what you want.  The best goals are quantifiable and have a deadline.

  • Increase billable hours by 15% in the third quarter
  • Sign XXX Company to a retainer by the end of the year
  • Conduct four new consultations a week

Each of these goals can be measured in order to see if they’ve been met or not.  Again, you can’t reach your destination if you don’t know what it is!

Objectives are the steps you take to reach the goal.  So, for the goal to develop four new contacts a week, you might implement the following objectives:

  • Pass out ten business cards a week
  • Check in with referral contacts once a month
  • Lead four workshops a year

These objectives are action steps that you intend to take in order to make the goals real.

Legal Marketing Plan Step 3:  Set a Budget

Once rent, payroll, association fees, etc. have been paid for the month, it can feel like there’s just nothing left to be spent on marketing your law practice.  Instead of looking at it as an expense, however, it’s a good idea to think of your marketing budget as an investment.  How much per year are you willing to invest in making your goals happen?  Spending a few hundred dollars for marketing collateral should lead to considerably more income as you reach that 15% billable hour increase goal!

Decide what you can/are willing to put toward marketing and make it a monthly part of the business’ budget.  Using those numbers and your best judgment, you can then tackle individual objectives on the way to meeting your goals.

 

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.

[SWIPE] Our Best Email Subject Lines of 2014

I love January.  A New Year always brings new opportunities to review the inner-workings of our businesses and see how we can proactively make changes, or improve upon things that are already working for the year ahead.

This week I’m actually battling walking pneumonia (BOO!), so in between rest and loads of chicken soup, I decided to dig in and take a peek back at our top performing email subject lines of 2014.

Email marketing is such a HUGE part of our business and a huge part of our attorneys’ businesses, as well.  Whether it’s sending out weekly email newsletters, promotional emails for legal workshops or upcoming events or persuading referral sources to send new business and collaborate, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to communicate with the prospects and clients of your firm.

But, please don’t be fooled.  Just because email makes direct response marketing more cost-effective and accessible, doesn’t mean that it’s EASY.  If your communications are constantly getting filtered into junk, or worse, no one is opening your messages, it’s a huge waste of your time and effort.

I always say that there’s a fine art to getting an email open and read, and it’s something we really focus in on here at Legal Marketing Maven.   And, once the email is opened, it’s a whole ‘nother animal to get people to respond and take action.

If you’ve sent out email communications in the past and felt ignored or that your efforts produced little to no response, I’d challenge you to go back and review the content of what you sent out.

Start with the subject lines.  Here are a few tips to get your readers to open up:

Make it personal:  If a prospect believes the email is coming personally from you, they are more likely to open it and respond.  Ex:  Can we talk for a second, <insert name>?

Create a little mystery:  Be purposely vague or intriguing with a subject line to entice readers to open and learn more.  Ex.  We announced the overhaul of a client’s new website with the subject line: “I got a facelift!”  Imagine the clicks!

Use numbers:  People like numbered lists and steps.  Examples include, “5 Ways to Avoid Probate” or “6 Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing An Attorney.”

Shed a little light on your personal life.  Readers are nosy and want to know what’s happening with YOU behind the scenes. Give them a peek at your life outside of the law.

Get to the point:  Let them know upfront if there is an invitation or gift inside that requires their attention.  Ex.  I have a gift for you… open quick!

The other piece of advice I would offer you is to make sure that you are including a CLEAR call to action in your emails.  Are you TELLING the reader what you want them to do?  Are you letting the reader know HOW you want them to respond?

Many times we’ll help our attorneys spark communication with their readers by clearly asking for responses or suggestions about a whole host of topics that simply catch people by surprise, humanize the attorney and open up the lines to chat.  Try it in your own mailings.  For example, ask clients for their top suggestions of places to vacation within a two hour drive, or favorite local spots to buy art or discounted furniture for the office.  You may be shocked when your inbox fills up with responses and the occasional…”oh by the way, I’d like to come in and get your help with something.” I promise, this REALLY works!

And, if we want the reader to take fast action on something, we ASK.   There’s no beating around the bush.  The call to action is clear, concise and easy to act upon.

Remember that when it comes to email marketing, and marketing in general, a confused mind always says “no.” If it’s not clear what you are promoting or what you want the client to do, your emails will get deleted or lost in the shuffle.  Be sure to have a CLEAR call to action in every communication that you send.

I hope you find these tips helpful and that you are able to use some of these suggestions to craft more effective email marketing campaigns this year.   And, feel free to swipe some of our top performing subject lines from 2014.  You can see how they easily fall into the guidelines and tips I gave you above:

My facelift  (Note: This was the launch of a new website)

I’m moving, AGAIN + Info on our scholarship opportunity!

Thanks (insert name)

My naked mermaid saga

Hey… I need your help with something real quick

How Did We Get So Much Stuff?!

With Thanks

A tribute to my young client killed in a horrific crash

Saying goodbye to my old love  (NOTE: this was about a purchase of a new car)

I can’t stop laughing at this (truly) + a new workshop for you!

A friendly reminder for you… + my epic mom FAIL moment

See you this month?

Thanks for the pics + heads up for these warning signs!

Have a great week!

Laura Lee

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.

New SEO Techniques for Lawyer Marketing

Anyone who is marketing a law firm online understands that Google is very important.  Most computer users will go directly to Google, type in their search term, and hope they get back good information.  Your goal, of course, is for your law firm to show up in results that come back.  There are methods for improving your ranking in those results, referred to as SEO, or search engine optimization.

No one knows with absolute certainty how exactly Google determines which sites to pull into a user’s SERP (search engine result pages), and the algorithms used change as much as 600 times a year.  The search engine giant is always tweaking the system to try and make it more accurate and helpful.  By being aware of what some of the algorithm’s criteria are, though, you can improve how you market your law practice online.

In a fairly recent major change to the algorithm, Google has placed more emphasis on location.  So, someone from California is more likely to get results from LA and Sacramento law firms than from some practice in Delaware.

There are some things that you can do in your law practice marketing that can have a positive effect on how and where your firm shows up in results.

First of all, Google tends to give more attention to businesses that have a Google+ page.  Law practices will often rank better when they have optimized their Google+ Local page.  This means making sure that you have chosen the right business category.  It’s also a good idea to ask your clients to leave positive reviews on your Google+ page.

The other aspect of improving your law firm’s marketing with SEO is to pay attention to your actual web site.  Sure, you want to do things such as keeping fresh, keyword-enhanced content going up on the site, but you can also make other minor changes that are helpful.  One suggestion is to add a “location” page.  In doing this, double check that the information you include on this page reflects exactly what you have on your Google+ page, especially when it comes to your address.  Additionally, it can be helpful to add “Services” pages.  Create an individual page for each service your provide and make sure that your location is included.

Search engines are a huge part of modern law firm marketing strategies, and being aware of important criteria and changes like these can help your web site rank higher when folks are looking for a lawyer in your area.

 

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.

Holy Excuses!

Theoretically, every small business owner understands that marketing is a basic need for success.  Still, it can be intimidating and leave lawyers wishing they didn’t have to develop this skill.  It’s impossible to overstate the importance of marketing for lawyers, though.  If you find yourself procrastinating due to any of the following excuses, you’re not alone.

I Have Enough Work

When you’re busy filing briefs and meeting with clients, it can seem like there’s just no time in the day to devote to marketing your law firm.  You might even think that you don’t need to market because, “Hey, look how busy I already am!”  All businesses are cyclical, though.  Busy today does not mean busy tomorrow, ESPECIALLY if you’re not marketing today.  In order to keep your business thriving, it’s imperative to constantly be cultivating new clients and new projects.  Otherwise, you’ll end up in a dreaded “slump” where you’ll be wishing you’d thought ahead.

I’m a Lawyer, Not a Marketer

You spent years studying and working to get to the point where you could be the best lawyer, and now you’re expected to market your law firm, too?  Yep!  While you are obviously a lawyer, you are also a business owner, which means you have chosen to take on the responsibilities that come along with that role, too.  You don’t have to get an MBA to be a success, but you do need to take steps to market your business in order to make sure you have a business to market!

I Don’t Know How to Market My Law Firm

Great news!  You don’t have to know everything.  Learn one skill at a time and build on that knowledge base.  There are also companies like ours that can take a lot of the marketing stuff off your plate.  Work closely with the company to figure out what your goals are and then let them do the job for you.  That’s not to say that you don’t have to put any personal effort into marketing your law firm, but we can definitely make it a lot easier on you.

I Feel Uncomfortable Marketing to People I Know

The point of your marketing doesn’t have to be about selling yourself or your service.  Instead, it should be about building relationships and helping people solve their problems.  You don’t need to be pushy or take advantage of others in order to market your business.  What you have to offer is helpful and valuable to others, and your job is to let them know what you can do for them.

No matter how you look at it, you need to be marketing your law firm all the time.  Some efforts are more overt that others, say sending out email newsletters or purchasing an ad.  Others are less obvious but arguably even more important, such as providing great service, being an active member of your community, and helping others understand how you can help them.

 

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.

I did your holiday shopping for you!

The holiday season is upon us, and that means for the next eight weeks our schedules are going to be hectic, offices will be closed and our professional and personal calendars are going to become chaotic!

On the list of things to do before the end of year is show appreciation to top clients and referral sources, and I know you WANT to make that happen.

However, I can’t even tell you how many times I have talked with attorneys about the holidays and showing appreciation to top clients and referrals sources and heard, “Well, I really wanted to do that, but time just got away from me,” or “I just didn’t know what to send,” or a plethora of other excuses why year after year their good intentions remained just that and never got implemented.

In fact, that is the story I hear about a lot of great marketing ideas…but let’s stick with this one.

Your top clients and referral sources should be feeling the love from your firm this holiday season and since there is PLENTY of time to make this happen, I’m *giving * you THIS RESOURCE to help you knock this task off your to-do list in less than a week!

Just click the link: you’ll find my personal holiday gift guide with options for every budget. There are even links that go directly to the product order page. It couldn’t be easier!

So let’s break this down into action steps.

Choose your list of top clients and referral sources and export their names and addresses into a spreadsheet.Choose the gift you would like to send (from my recommendations)or your own but if your own go ahead and put the order link on the spreadsheet).

Write what you would like the gift card to say.

Decide the date you would like your gifts delivered.

Give the list and your credit card to your assistant to place the orders.

Isn’t that easy?!  Don’t put it off, get it done early…even if your delivery dates are in December. Keep this holiday season as stress free as possible and show your appreciation to your top clients and referral sources! They are an important part of your business and deserve to be celebrated.

Happy Holidays!!!

PS:  This is just one of the many services we provide to the clients that
work with us. We are the marketing team that they hand these types of
tasks off to so that they know it is handled without having to worry about
it.

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.

Good Deeds Can Also Be Good Marketing for Lawyers

Planning ImageThere’s nothing quite like being able to market your law practice while also doing something wonderful for someone else.  Fall and winter are the perfect time to consider hosting a food or clothing drive, for example.  With the weather getting colder many people have difficulty affording weather-appropriate clothing, not to mention the added expense of heating their homes.  With the holidays coming up, many are also wondering how they will be able to purchase a few gifts for their children and other loved ones or to travel for family get-togethers.

A great way to market your practice and really make a difference is to raise goods or funds for folks in these situations.  Food banks and other nonprofit organizations that serve the needy are also very stressed at this time of year, so you could even partner with one of them to help get the word out.

Speaking of partnering, why not reach out to your contacts, especially businesses, and invite them to host the charity event with you?  This gives them the opportunity to also promote their organization and can really strengthen their relationship with your law practice.  It’s like doing multiple forms of legal marketing all at the same time.

Once you’ve determined what kind of event you’d like to do, make sure to get the word out.  Pass out flyers, complete with information on how to get involved (and your practice’s name, of course).  It’s also a great reason to reach out to past clients in order to let them know about the opportunity to get involved.  Not only will they get a little reminder that you’re out there, but they’ll also realize that your practice is involved in the community in positive ways.

It probably goes without saying, but these types of events shouldn’t be all about marketing your law practice.  Raising the funds or collecting donations and getting them to those in need should always be the highest priority.  While you can reap the benefits of name recognition and fostering good will, the marketing aspects of a food/clothing/etc. drive should be secondary to actually helping the cause you’ve chosen.

If you don’t have the time to coordinate an entire event, consider joining in someone else’s.  For example, your law practice could co-sponsor a fundraiser or you could make your office a drop-off site for Toys for Tots or a similar charity.  You get to do a good deed, and the organizations actually do some of your legal marketing for you!

 

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.

Online Reviews…The Good, Bad and Ugly

There are so many ways for clients to tell everyone they know about you, and thanks to the Internet, they can even tell people they don’t know!  This is great if the things they’re saying make you look good.  If they’re posting negative reviews and comments, however, it can feel like a punch in the gut to someone running their own small firm.

So, what do you do if someone is trying to sabotage your legal marketing plan by saying nasty things on Yelp, their blog, or your Facebook page?

First, don’t panic.  This is a time to keep your cool, because how you respond is more important than whatever this person had to say in the first place.  Keep in mind that even though this negative comment is out there, it is certainly not the only thing out there.  It is one person’s opinion in a sea of opportunities for you to present yourself as you’d like.  It’s annoying and infuriating, but it is not the end of the world.

Once you’re calmed down, not just pretending to be calmed down—take a day or two if you need to, you can plan how to respond.  Because of their background, a lot of lawyers jump right to the idea of writing a cease and desist letter.  There are some problems with this.  For one thing, it could theoretically add legitimacy to whomever made the claim against you.  It can also be really hard to even find out who made the comment as so many of those things are done anonymously.  And in the grand scheme of things, the letter might not even work.

With the idea of a letter considered and thrown away, you can now look at actually responding to the comment.  Most of the review sites will allow you a way to respond to the negative comment.  In doing so, you don’t want to come off as anything but professional.  You can use the opportunity to explain your side of the situation—oftentimes the individual is mad that they lost their case, not because there is actually anything wrong with you—but do it in a calm, rational way that doesn’t sound overly defensive.  If the person responds back, make a point to only engage if you can do so calmly and in a way that shows you in your best light.  Remember, too, that there’s no rule saying you have to respond at all.

Finally, consider asking your clients, colleagues, and supporters to visit the site and leave their own feedback. This will “bury” the negative comment down to a lower position that will probably not be seen by many.  In addition, when you have a bunch of five-star ratings or comments about your professionalism, it shows that the negative comment is not par for the course and is likely coming from someone who is bitter.

A bad review here or there isn’t going to completely destroy your legal marketing efforts.  If you find that you are getting a lot of negative reviews, however, it may be necessary to take a look at what you’re doing and make some changes.

Could you use some individualized help growing your practice?

Summer is almost here, our team has expanded significantly and we have room this quarter to accept a few additional private clients who could use some more individualized help growing their practices.

This is NOT exclusive to just Estate Planning and Elder Law attorneys.

This is more than just receiving marketing materials that your team can implement on their own (if that’s what you need, check out our Done-For-You program here).

Instead, this is OUR TEAM, doing your marketing FOR YOU, so that you can focus on what you do best: practicing law!

We serve attorneys in the following areas:

  • Copywriting and ghostwriting
  • Blogging
  • Website management
  • Email marketing
  • Email newsletter creation and management
  • Print newsletter creation and management
  • Graphic Design
  • Public Relations
  • Social Media management
  • CRM or Infusionsoft management
  • Mailing and fulfillment
  • Team coaching

 

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.

 

P.S. Curious about what it’s like to work with us? Here’s what a few of our clients have to say:

“Laura Lee is a great motivator and implementer. She is passionate about helping her clients grow their practices and she has certainly helped me grow mine. Laura Lee and Legal Marketing Maven have been instrumental in helping me transition my practice from all divorce and family law to its current 50-50 mix with estate planning and probate, and that side of the practice growing each year. As a direct result of their materials, I have been on local television and radio shows featured as an expert on the topic of estate planning and probate. I have several ready-made and often-requested educational and promotional e-books and legal guides which they prepared and taught me how to deliver them to my prospects in a systematic and effective manner. Their team is highly trained in communicating the legal principles I with which I wish to educate my potential clients, so that they are already prepared to retain me before we even meet. Best of all, they are great people to work with and very loyal and dedicated to their clients and their needs. ”

~Steve Worrall
Attorney at Law

“Laura Lee is AWESOME. She listens, asks questions and works closely with you to achieve the best results, quickly and at a reasonable cost. She is number 1 in my book!”

~Nancy Cavey
Attorney at Law

The dirty “D” word for law practice owners

 

Make Your Law Practice Marketing Plan Work for You

Let’s be real.  You didn’t go into law because you wanted to be a marketer.  You studied and worked so that you could become a lawyer.  But, you are also a business owner, and that comes with the need to market your practice.  So, how does a lawyer successfully get the message out without becoming a full-time marketer?

The simplest way to do so is to develop a marketing plan that works for you.  That means identifying the things you can or should do on your own while looking to others to take on appropriate tasks.  You can narrow this down by asking yourself a few questions:

  • What do I enjoy doing?  If you’re the kind of person who loves to mix and mingle, then in-person networking could be a great opportunity for you.  Consider joining some groups or associations that allow you to meet others face-to-face to talk about how you can help meet their needs.  If you like being “the host with the most,” it might be fun to put together a referral group of attorneys with different specialties that gets together for dinner once a month.  When you turn something you enjoy into a marketing opportunity, it can make that aspect of being a business owner kind of fun!
  • What do you not enjoy?  You’ve got enough on your plate with running your business, taking care of employees, and—of course—representing your clients.  There’s no time in there to be forcing yourself to do marketing tasks that you don’t enjoy.  Maybe you really don’t like writing, for example, which means that your blog is never updated or your email newsletters are half-hearted, if done at all.  Skip the headache and the drudgery by hiring someone you trust to take on these tasks.
  • What are you good at?  Are you a heck of a carpenter in your spare time?  Do you have a way with animals?  By identifying those things that you do well, you can narrow down volunteer opportunities or speaking engagements that complement both your interests and your area of practice.
  • What should you leave to the pros?  Generally speaking, things like graphic design, search engine optimization, or even video production take some specialized knowledge that most people just don’t have.  Instead of forcing yourself into a role that will likely end up hurting your business anyway, recognize that there are times when you really do need to bring in the professionals.

What much of boils down to is being true to yourself.  You don’t want to adopt some sort of phony marketing persona for the sake of drumming up business.  It’s not authentic and will end up putting people off.  Instead, focus on the things you like and do well, and take a pass on those things that would benefit from outside assistance.

 

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.

Exposing yourself (decently, of course!)

When it comes to successful marketing, the name of the game is exposure.  You’ve got be willing to “put it all out there,” as much as possible so more people can become acclimated to your practice.

I always say there are two ways to do this.  You can throw money at it.  Or, you can get creative and invest your time.

If your budget isn’t where you would like it to be at the moment, one of the easiest ways to expose your business to others is to simply TALK about what you do to everyone you meet!

At first glance, this might seem icky, slimy or embarrassing. But it shouldn’t!  Let me give you an example of how beautifully this can work when done the right way.

My right hand gal, Amber, went on a cruise to Cozumel last week.  While sitting on the beach with her 3-year-old daughter, a woman walked up to her and asked to share a bucket and shovel.

She casually asked Amber where she was from and what she did. She then proceeded to tell her that she was a swim coach who teaches children to swim in 5 days and people from all around the country fly in to use her services.   In fact, her toddler was swimming freely in the Caribbean, while Amber’s toddler was still wearing swimmies close to the shore.

But the “exposure” of her business didn’t stop there.  After the trip, she found Amber on Facebook.  She wanted to stay connected and reminded her that she was there if she ever needed anything for the kids.

Amber was so impressed that she’s now considering flying her two kids down to take her classes after many failed attempts with private instructors (and her own lack of patience lol).

But my point is, if the instructor had been afraid to EXPOSE herself and what she did, she wouldn’t have earned a potential client who was willing to fly halfway across the country to use her services.

If she was too afraid to open her mouth and share how she helps children and parents have peace of mind to swim safely, her business wouldn’t have the national reach that she currently enjoys.

You must be willing to expose yourself, all the time, every day about what you do and who you serve.  For some people, this is a natural thing, but for others, it’s more dreadful than having teeth pulled.

But remember, it’s FREE marketing!  And nothing beats that in my book!

I would love to hear if you have had similar experiences like this.  Please feel free to email me and let me know how it worked out for you and if it generated new business.

 

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.

 

3 Online Legal Marketing Updates You Should Know About

There’s only one thing certain about marketing your practice online…and that’s constant change.

Practice owners and their teams always need to be on their toes and adapting to the latest changes in SEO strategies, social media techniques, email marketing best practices and more.

This week brings a few new changes in the online world that I thought were important to share with our readers.

1. Google Will Now Encrypt Most Keyword Searches

In plain English, this means that you will no longer be able to see the keywords that people are using to access your site when browsing through your Google Analytics account.  This article http://blog.hubspot.com/google-encrypting-all-searches-nj  explains why this is happening and some workarounds for accessing at least some of that valuable data.

And while this month also marks the death of Google’s free keyword tool, this article http://kimgarst.com/rip-google-keyword-tool-4-free-alternatives-keyword-research from our friend Kim Garst offers 4 alternative tools that you can use to find the best keywords from the start.  Remember, SEO and optimized content still matter…you just won’t have that end-result confirmation of exactly which keywords are causing people to visit your page.  So choose carefully from the beginning!

If this is still too complicated (or annoying), we always recommend talking to local friends, family and neighbors to ask how they would search for your services.  You may be surprised to hear keywords with specific geographical slang that you wouldn’t have thought to use otherwise (i.e. bankruptcy attorneys in South Jersey) or more layman’s terms to describe your services (i.e. will lawyer vs. estate planning lawyer)

2.    Fake 5-Star Reviews Are A BIG No-No

For local search engines like Google Plus, Yahoo Local and Yelp, reviews are a MUST.  Most firms know this….and they also know how hard it is to get clients to visit each and every site to leave a review.  It’s not uncommon when a client sends in a testimonial for a staff member to post their happy experience on these sites for them as a matter of convenience.

Of course, some firms post fake reviews with ill-intent. But regardless of motive, the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/technology/give-yourself-4-stars-online-it-might-cost-you.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  reports that local search engines are cracking down on these practices BIG TIME….even imposing hefty fines on offenders.  Lawyers are specifically mentioned in this article, so it’s important to take note and make sure all reviews are from legitimate clients and referral sources ONLY.

3.    Attorney Charlie Thomas is Blogging

While we mostly focus on marketing for estate planning lawyers and large membership organizations, more than half of our newsletter subscribers are in other practice areas and email regularly for assistance or referrals to trusted help.  This week, we were excited to learn that a very good friend of LM2, Charlie Thomas, has decided to pursue his passion of writing about the law, rather than continue to run his solo practice.  For those of you who have emailed us about ghostwriting and blogging services for your criminal, immigration, real estate, business firm (etc!), Charlie is your man.  With some of these new SEO changes, having great content is more important than ever, so don’t wait to get in touch.  You can email him directly at charles.thomas.esq@gmail.com and let him know we sent you!

 

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.