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Laura Lee Sparks
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I’ve heard this question over and over from lawyers who are wondering why they would want to invest their valuable time into what they consider to be some frivolous conversations that take place on social media outlets.
And yes, social media CAN be just that. However, it is also much more importantly the new media way of marketing. People are no longer turning
to the yellow pages or ads run in newspapers and magazines when they
are looking for a service provider. Instead they are going to their network,
their “social network”. And YOU need to be there!
The question then becomes about how you show up once you are there.
I see a lot of lawyers making what I consider to be three huge mistakes.
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.
Prospects are looking for you. Chances are, there is someone in your local community right now who is looking for the exact services you provide.
Marketing is and always has been about finding people who need you. The question is, how do you get found? The answer has changed quite a bit over the last several years. Gone are the days when people searched for you in the yellow pages (No matter what the yellow pages ad salesman tells you!).
Instead, today’s consumer is looking for you online. They are seeking you out in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Therefore, it becomes clear that if you don’t have an active, consistent, and relevant online marketing strategy you are losing business.
Yet the question remains, “How does all this work?”
Simply put, Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines have advanced algorithms for which they determine which websites are the most appropriate based on the words typed into their search bar. These algorithms are secret and constantly evolving. However, based on practical experience and search engine optimization (SEO) experimentation it is fair to state that they are also based on simple human logic. In simple terms, this logic is based on content relevancy and how many other quality websites link back to you.
So with that said, here are three easy ways to give the algorithms what they want and ensure you are found when customers come looking for your services:
Content
Back in the day, people who called themselves SEO experts would cram websites full of popular but irrelevant keywords. The belief was that if you put lots of keywords on your site and you’d zoom to number 1 in Google. But Google quickly got wind of these “black-hat” techniques and changed their algorithm.
Today search engines are constantly changing the game as far as how websites rank to avoid people taking advantage of the system, but one thing remains the same – you must have quality, optimized, content that will engage your readers. And lots of it! It is critical that you post to your blog on a consistent basis and frequently – at least once per week.
That’s simply because the search engines value fresh content optimized with one or two quality keywords that naturally flow within the text. And how do you know which keywords people are searching for? We recommend trying your hand at Google’s free keyword tool found at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Takeaway Tip – Post to your blog at least once per week. Make sure that you write articles that provide information that your potential clients are seeking and include targeted keywords so the search engines can find it and rank it appropriately.
Local Directories
Local results are becoming more and more common in online searches, and will continue to grow as a way that clients seek local services. If you’re not familiar with local search, do a quick experiment in Google by typing in “estate planning lawyer near (your city)”. You’ll notice results that link to a map above the regular search results. These “local” results are generated by a different algorithm as the organic (or regular) results, as they seek to provide users with service providers near their desired location.
A quick way to get yourself included in such local search is to visit getlisted.org. That will take you through signing up for several well-established data sources for local businesses like Google Local, Yelp, Bing, and Yahoo Local. And don’t forget to optimize your profiles as well, as your keywords will dictate how you are found by local consumers.
Takeaway Tip – Go to getlisted.org and list your business in the most popular local search directors and do research to find niche directories.
Article Marketing
Article marketing is yet another way to get your information out to hungry consumers. Not only is this a great way to gain positive public exposure, but it is a smart way to improve your search engine rankings. When done properly, articles you post on syndicated article sites become “link bait” for other sites. They also give you quality “link-backs” to your site—which leads Google, Yahoo or other search engines to believe your site is “popular” among consumers. Think of links on your articles as little steps toward that number one ranking in Google!
The first thing you should do, even before you write the first word of your first article, is to do keyword research to determine what your potential clients are searching for. Keyword research is the practice of balancing the popularity of a keyword or search phrase against the competitiveness of the keyword phrase. You certainly wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time and money targeting keywords and phrases that no one is likely to use in a search. Likewise, if 80 million plus results come up when you search for your keyword phrase you may have a difficult time getting ranked for that competitive of a keyword. So it is important to find the right combination of popularity and competitiveness.
Once you determine what keywords you should be using to allow your prospective clients to find you, begin writing articles that target such keywords– and lots of them. You should be writing at least one article per week. If you aren’t able to devote that much time to writing, it is possible to outsource this. (If you’re an estate planning attorney, our DFY service is s a good outsourcing resource.
Then once you have quality, keyword rich articles, it is time to submit them. Look for article submission sites or article directories that receive a high volume of traffic and are considered authority sites by search engines. Submitting to these sites will result in lots of free traffic to your site.
Finally, there is one more step to ensuring your site ranks well in the search engines and that’s being consistent with your search engine optimization strategy. The steps above aren’t something you do once and never do again. Instead, you must be working on your SEO strategy weekly to ensure your site ranks on page one (or close to it) when prospects come calling.
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.
If you’re trying to keep your facebook page professional and strictly dedicated to networking for your law practice, a smart thing to do is disable “tagging” on your page right this minute.
If you’re not familiar with tagging, this feature basically allows anyone to upload a picture of you and attach it to the “photo” section of your page. As you can imagine, this can cause a number of problems for lawyers, as pictures showing you in unprofessional or even just private situations can easily make their way on to the web (not to mention, some lawyers have lost their JOBS over pictures tagged on Facebook!).
So to ensure the only photos on your facebook page are the ones you authorize, use the following steps to disable the tagging feature for good:
1. Go back to your profile page.
2. Click on the top right “Account” link.
3. A pull down menu will appear. Locate the “Privacy Settings” on this list and click on it.
4. Then click on “Applications and Websites”
5. Now, to the right of the “What your friends can share about you” option, is a “Edit Settings” button. Click on that.
6. Find the checkbox next to the “Photos and videos of me” and UNcheck it.
7. Save Changes.
Enjoy!
We’ve spoken to many attorneys throughout the country and Canada and the answer we get to this question over and over is a resounding, “No!”
Well, that isn’t surprising. According to the American Bar Association there is one attorney for every 300 people in the United States and 1 for every 450 people in Canada.
Yikes! So, how does an attorney stand out in this very large and ever-expanding crowd? You need to become the expert in your community in the niche that your serve.
How you become this is through a combination of efforts– many which are quite affordable (sometimes f’ree) but often overlooked. Once such great tool is the development and implementation of a public relations strategy.
Inside of the public relations strategy you will have many tasks but the goal is to demonstrate yourself as an expert in your field to increase your presence in your industry and attract new business. The question is…how do you accomplish this? Simply put you must inform the public (your client base) and referral sources of the services you provide and how you are different from the thousands of other attorneys in your community. And there’s no better way to do that than being quoted and identified as an expert in the media. Being interviewed on television, in your local newspaper or other publication can vastly increase your credibility.
So, how do you gain this type of exposure?
One of the best ways is to create relationships with reporters and become their ‘go-to’ source for stories or news broadcast reports. You have to reach out to reporters and prove to them that you have expertise but if you make the right connection it can result in huge rewards. But, building this type of relationship takes work. A great way to start building this relationship is to help them do their job! They are constantly looking for ideas for stories. Be sure to keep an eye out for trends or news where you can showcase your expertise that would also be interesting to the public. Pitch the story idea to them in a complete package so they can easily pick it up and make it news.
Here’s three other ways to increase your chances of getting picked up by the press:
-Spend just as much time on your “pitch letter” as you do on your press release! In most cases, it’s the pitch letter that opens the door for f’ree publicity. The press release is often a secondary tool in this process.
-Recognize the media’s interest is to cover timely stories– not just to provide free advertising to any small business owner that wants it Before you pitch, think “is this something I would care to read if I saw it in the paper about another local business in town?” If the answer is no, go back to the drawing table.
-Tie into holidays and national observances when possible. These “hooks” dramatically increase your chances of getting covered as they automatically provide you with a timely platform when pitching the press.
Image above is of one of our private clients Heather Chubb on being interviewed on her local morning television show. If you pitch the right story at the right time you may find yourself sitting in a chair during a news broadcast showcasing your skills and abilities.
Want to learn the step by step process on how to build these relationships, and obtain great PR for your firm, check out our training “Behind the Scenes Secrets of Great Legal PR Campaigns That You or Your Team Can Implement Now”
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 stumbled upon a great legal marketing resource the other day which has the potential to take the fear, anxiety and sheer excuses out of recording online videos so you can incorporate this media back into your overall law firm marketing plan.
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.
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.
WoW! The flood gates have opened which is such a lesson in marketing.
Since making the announcement of the relaunch of Legal Marketing Maven and the awesome team I have put in place, I have been overwhelmed at the response from attorneys across my networks who are interested in working with us or who want to help us by referring business.
The important lesson here, it is important to nurture your list, and your relationships all the time, no matter what!
I confess, other than this blog and social media, I haven’t been PERFECT at this but I have been CONSISTENT with it and because of that, my calendar is full of phone conferences with attorneys and other service providers that would like to work with us going forward or simply want to reconnect to see how we can serve each other.
During these conversations, something else became clear to me as it should be for you. Not everyone is going to be a perfect fit to be your client, and there are a multitude of reasons that can contribute to that. Sometimes, it is simply timing and you should always look for a way to bring value to those that are in your tribe.
Because of this, and because there have been so many that do want to stay more closely connected to me and my team, I have decided to set up a F*R*E*E private forum for attorneys and service providers, to share resources, ideas and conversation – introducing LM2 Connections.
If you would like to join this private forum there are some basic guidelines you must meet:
1. You must be an attorney (law students will be considered email us for more info)
2. You must have a website where this is verifiable.
3. You must have a phone number where this is verifiable.
All membership requests will be subject to our approval.
To apply, simply email help@tremendous-arm.flywheelsites.com from your business email account with your name, contact information (including website and phone number) and a short line or two about why you would like to be part of our community.
We look forward to seeing your application!
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.
For legal marketing professionals and attorneys, getting signed up and active on Twitter is an important step in any social media marketing campaign.
But what’s the point of signing up if you can’t be found?
That’s where twitter directories come in.
Twitter directories are third party apps that allow you to submit your twitter handle and profile so that potential clients or colleges can find you and follow in a matter of minutes.
Clearly, this is an extremely valuable tool when it comes to networking with other legal marketers, attorneys, and members of the media that may be looking to use you as a source. Likewise, these directories allow potential clients to search by practice area (i.e, personal injury, criminal, estates), so if you don’t utlize the 5 minutes it takes to get listed, you might miss out on a great case!
You also want to make sure you are following the key players in your industry and Twitter directories make it so much easier to do that. They also help the key players find YOU and follow what you have to say. Obviously, it’s a win- win situation as far as networking is concerned.
So without further adieu, here are a handful of Twitter directories to get started with. The first two are specifically for the legal profession, while the rest offer general directories and categories in which your twitter handle and profile can be named:
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.
Do you want to explode your legal marketing efforts and show up on the first page of Google without the help of an SEO firm or an expensive Ad Words campaign? Fortunately, that’s possible with the help of a separate search engine known as Google Maps. Google Maps is a free, quick and easy way to ensure your law practice can be found by local clients by simply setting up an optimized account.
What is Google Maps, aka Local Search?
Local search is a special algorithm (or search method) that helps the searcher (or your potential client) find more relevant results closer to home. The following screen shot of the search “divorce attorney, Moorestown, NJ” will illustrate what I mean by this:
As you can see by the image, there are 10 law firms listed next to a map at the top of the page. You’ll also notice these listings are well above firms that spend thousands of dollars a year on SEO and PPC campaigns for better search rankings. This happened because the client “googled” a search term + a specific location or zip code and the local search engine kicked in to trump the regular search results.
As mentioned before, Google does this to provide more relevant results for those that look for goods and services in their immediate area. If people weren’t searching this way, Google wouldn’t have created local search. Therefore, by simply recognizing this trend and setting up an account, your firm can snag the best clients on a shoe-string marketing budget.
How to Get Your Law Practice Set Up on Google Maps
Setting up your law practice on Google Maps only requires 15 minutes of undivided attention and access to a few good videos or pictures to upload with your listing. To get started, you’ll have to create an account with Google’s Local Business Center (www.google.com/local/add). Fill out your personal information and follow the instructions given. When you’ve successfully completed this step, you can then choose “add a new listing” on the following page.
From there, you will be taken to a screen asking for general business information and a brief description of the company. Now, before you rush through and put a blanket statement such as “Florida family law practice” in the description, remember this is a search engine similar to regular Google search. Therefore, you must use as much optimized content as possible if you want to show up above the other listings. Going on the example above, a better way to set up your description would be, “ABC Company is a Florida (FL) family law firm specializing in divorce, wills, estates, prenups and child support cases”.
Get Personal and Showcase Your Firm
The next screen will bring you to a more personal page where you can add the firm’s hours or acceptable payment methods, in addition to pictures, YouTube videos and a personal message from the firm. It’s important that you take the time to utilize each of these optional areas, as Google is essentially giving you the chance to add some personality to a generic listing. Similarly, it’s a known fact that seeing pictures of the building, the staff, or maybe a video of a key attorney saying a word or two about the firm can help a client overcome the fear of calling an attorney in the first place.
This page also gives you the opportunity to add 5-7 categories in which your business qualifies. Start by typing in the words “lawyer” or “attorney” into the blank field and see what specific categories populate. Then choose among the drop down list the categories that best describe your law practice. Always be sure to utilize every category possible, as this too can determine when and how your firm is shown in the local search results.
Validate Your Listing
The final step in setting up Google Maps is to validate the listing. The following screen will give two options on how to do this: 1) an automated system can call the main phone line ask for a password or 2) Google will mail a postcard within 2-3 weeks with a password to confirm the listing. The second option will be necessary for those firms that bounce their calls to a switchboard or a pre-recorded message, as a live response must be given with the phone option. But whichever option you choose, follow the instructions and confirm the listing to complete the set up process.
Congratulations! You Have Now Mastered Local Search
Now that you’ve mastered Google Maps, go ahead and try your hand with Yahoo and MSN local. The larger your web presence is in this area, the more clients you will draw in for the firm. And as a final warning, if the listing is not optimized correctly or your firm is entering a crowded industry, it may take some time before your listing shows up near the top of the map. Remember, at the end of the day Google Maps is just another search engine, in which time and keyword popularity will always dictate who holds the top spot on the first 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.