Laura Lee Sparks
Monday - Friday | 9am - 5pm Central
Laura Lee Sparks
Spring is a unique marketing time for attorneys that serve parents with disabled children.
Autism Awareness Month is just around the corner, and local organizations and groups are looking for legal experts to help educate their members on the importance of legal planning. There are events and workshops being planned RIGHT NOW that you should be apart of!
High school seniors with disabilities are getting ready to graduate soon, and many parents are beginning the process of filing for guardianship. Now is a great time to start educating parents and schools in your community on the steps to take when a child with disabilities turns 18 to retain complete legal and financial control.
These same parents of high school seniors are making plans for adulthood. They need your help to put legal plans in place that ensures their child is able to stay as independent as possible after graduation, that they are financially protected, that they are accessing resources and benefits as a soon-to-be-adult, and that their transition to the next phase of their life is a smooth one.
We know that your service to parents in these areas is an important one; we have loved ones with disabilities and special needs here at Legal Marketing Maven and can’t imagine life without a trusted attorney by our side. We want YOU to be able to give this same peace of mind and confidence to others in your community.
As one of our marketing services, we create campaigns that help you build relationships and reach more prospects effectively. We have seen the results of more conversions to appointments when we use these with our private clients. These campaigns work, and they provide piece of mind by helping guide prospects in the areas where they need guidance – whether that be caregiving, navigating probate, or knowing where to start in creating a special needs trust or estate plan.
We’ve created everything in such away that you can be ready to roll with each piece in under two hours. No need to hire designers, no need to hire copywriters, and no need to distract your staff with the task of create marketing materials when they could be serving your clients.
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you build relationships within your community? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.
What your valentine (and the rest of your family) REALLY wants from you is TIME. Preferably quality time with you present and not distracted worrying about your business.
Referrals are very valuable. If you aren’t actively and consistently taking action to give and receive them, do something now!
But, here’s a little tip that I wanted to share with you that many lawyers either don’t take the time to do or don’t think about-send handwritten notes.
I know that many think that handwritten notes are old school and that the primary form of communication is email. That is true, but handwritten notes will demonstrate to the recipient the value you place the relationship. It takes time and effort to write and mail a card, but you will be rewarded because it will place you higher in their minds than those that may, or may not, send an email.
In some cases, the low-technology and old school methods are the way to go!
Do you send hand written invitations and thank you notes to your referral sources? If not, why not? I’d love to hear from you so post a comment below and let’s chat!
We have a lot of little tips and techniques to help you market your estate and elder law practice. Sign up for our 21 Day Legal Marketing Bootcamp and we’ll deliver them daily right to your in-box!
Do you want to talk about other strategies to help you implement your marketing plan? Feel free to schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee to chat about your business. I promise you will come away with a good plan for turning your ideas in actions!
“Ack! My open rate is 25%!”
I’ve heard this a few times from lawyers who believe that they are shooting for a 100% open rate. The thing is, the open rate is not an accurate measure for determining how many people are reading your email or ezines. Here’s why:
Email programs are finicky!
There are some email programs that are not capable of displaying the HTML (the behind the scenes code that makes your email look good) and images. There are a few programs that only display straight text, and you really need nice looking, easy-to-read content. Even the email programs that allow HTML and images, gives the user the option to turn that feature off. So, if someone opens your email in text-only, the program does not count this as an open. Several email clients also have a preview pane option. Many people read through the preview feature so those would also not count toward the open rate.
Even the email development services will tell you not to expect high numbers. According to Mail Chimp, in the best case scenarios the open rate would be around 50%. When they measured open rate per industry, the found that the average open rate in the legal industry is 22%.
Once explained, we tend to hear something a bit different from our clients. Like this…
Oh boy! My open rate is 25%!
Almost the same words, but with a completely different attitude!
I’m not advocating for ignoring your open rate, just know that this isn’t an exact number and should be used as a guide. If you would like to learn how to get the best bang for your marketing buck, give us a call.
Did you know you can join our Inner Circle Accountability & Private Group Coaching Program for just $1.00? That’s it! Click here and you’ll see all that you get for 30 days!
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you turn ideas into action? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.
As a business owner, it is critical for you to keep a sharp eye on how your team is doing. After all, your business is dependent on how well your team takes care of clients. But, the thing is, you only get an inside view. Have you ever wondered how your clients or prospective clients perceive your law firm? There’s an easy way to do this-mystery shopping!
Mystery shopping has been used in the retail industry for years and years as a way to gauge the establishment’s performance from the other side of the cash register. The idea is to get someone to come to the store or restaurant and simply act like a normal shopper. The mystery shopper would simply ask the staff questions, partake of the service or products sold, and make a purchase. The mystery shopper would then rate the performance and provide feedback. This feedback would then be used to identify where training is needed or where there might be a complete overhaul needed.
But, you might be wondering how a law firm can take advantage of this technique. It’s easier than you think.
Simply enlist the help of a few colleagues or even friends or family members. Ask them to call your office and ask some questions that you’ve agreed to in advance. You should even ask one or two to go so far as to book an appointment. Whether they book an appointment or not, you’ll want to also evaluate what happens after the call. That way you can make sure that your team executes the proper follow-up procedure. How are they supposed to follow up for the people who did not make an appointment? Are they taking the proper steps for the people who did make an appointment? Ask the mystery shopper to follow up with you after every step in the process. They not only need to let you know if the proper follow-up was executed, but how they are treated during the follow up process.
You will be amazed at what you can learn during this process. And, it’s not all about finding out what is wrong with your team. You may find out that team members are going above and beyond to encourage appointments and provide great customer services. Either way, the mystery shopping will be constructive and empower your team in ways you may not have thought of otherwise.
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you turn ideas into action? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.
Our mission here at Legal Marketing Maven is to make law firm marketing easy, efficient and affordable. We do this by offering a wide range of services that will allow you to have access to professionally developed marketing that works. No matter what your budget is, we have something for you. But, there are a lot of things that you can do on your own that cost you nothing to catapult your law firm on the top of the heap of your competitors.
Here are a few very simple ideas for you:
Attend events in your community.
Business networking events are great, but the events that you attend don’t have to be situations where you sell. Attend community celebrations, fundraisers, religious events, the PTA at your child’s school, or any other gathering in your local area. The idea here is to be seen. People want to do business with people they are familiar with so give them the opportunity to get to know you.
Look for opportunities to teach.
You could offer free classes in your community or even serve as an adjunct professor in your local community college or university. Not only do you benefit from getting to know more people, you’ll also be in a position to demonstrate your expertise.
Remember that referrals go both ways.
You know how valuable referrals are to your law firm, right? They are also valuable to others so send referrals to other attorneys and other colleagues. Not only will you be doing a very nice thing for them, you are increasing the likelihood that you will get more from them.
Get to know your clients before you meet them.
Research your potential clients before they meet with you. You might want to pick the brain of the person who referred them or talk to others who may know them. You can even give Google a try. I’m not suggesting that you stalk them, but having an idea about who they are could go a long way in your first meeting.
Knock their socks off!
It probably doesn’t really need to be said because for most it is common sense but do a great job and provide great customer service to each and every client. This will set you up very nicely for repeat clients, but it will also help your reputation in your community.
Take advantage of social media.
There are just too many lawyers that fail to take advantage of social media. This is a big marketing miss. Unless you truly live off the grid, you must know that this is where people are communicating. Even if you aren’t using social media personally, you can still have a professional presence there. Social media can be used to attract new clients and to keep your past clients interested.
Regularly update your blog.
With so much information available on the internet people tend to turn to search engines for almost every purchasing decision they make. You should be the one who provides that information. You can attract the attention of a lot of potential clients simply by sharing your thoughts and providing basic information. Also, all that new content gives the search engines something to work with. T
Create a marketing plan.
Rather than aimlessly working your way through the year throwing money at this marketing agency or that ad publication, create a plan that allows you to more forward confidently and with much less risk. Not having a marketing plan is like constructing a building without blueprints. You might be able to muddle through, but you won’t be happy with the results. A strategic marketing plan allows you to understand the direction you want to go and determine the actions to take to get you there. Oh, and once you develop a marketing plan, don’t just sit it on a shelf. Use it! As they say, “Plan the work and work the plan.”
I understand that some of these things might not be easy for you to do. In particular, the more technical marketing things. That is why I created this “Keep it Consistent” program. In a nutshell, it is a very affordable service where we do all the heaving lifting to create your blogs, social media content and email newsletter – and, we even manage the implementation. If, while you were reading this blog, you thought, “Oh yeah, but who has the time!” you should take a look to see if this will work for you.
These are just a few of the things you can do to accelerate your marketing efforts. Do you want to talk about other strategies to help you implement your marketing plan? Feel free to schedule a time on my calendar for a no strings virtual cup of coffee to chat about your business. I promise you will come away with a good plan for turning your ideas in actions!
I am a big believer in the refocus and personal renewal the new year can bring. It’s that time of year when you can reset your path and chart a new course for the future. Although many people do this with enthusiasm as one year rolls to the next, the new direction and goals set in January are nothing but a distant memory by March for some.
But that doesn’t have to be the case for you! There are a few tips that I’d like to share with you that I use to stay the course with my New Year resolutions.
Writing things down does two things; first, it provides a visual reminder that is hard to ignore – especially if you keep them posted in a prominent location. Second, the act of writing helps set the intention. The physical act of writing helps solidify the goals in your heart and mind.
Here’s my process for writing my goals. First, I find a nice, quiet spot that helps me feel inspired. I love to grab my journal, wrap up in my favorite blanket and sit in front of my fireplace. It’s really cozy, but it’s also a place where I feel most inspired. I recommend that you find a location that makes you feel the same.
Once I am in my zone, I start writing. I normally have about 5 major goals that I choose to focus on for the year. You may choose to write more than 5 or fewer. Just find the goals that will take you to the place that you’ve envisioned to be by the end of the year.
Here’s where the resolution-keepers leave the resolution-breakers behind in the dust – make a real, step-by-step plan for reaching those goals. It’s not critical that you create your plans at the same time that you are writing your goals, but if you feel inspired to do so at that time, move ahead! However, it may be necessary for you to do research or enlist the help of a coach or technical expert to create a plan that will allow you to achieve the life you are dreaming of. If you do decide to do your plan later, give yourself a timeframe to get it done. Actually block time on your calendar to do your plan. Just whatever you do, do not allow too much time or you will lose steam and allow your daily grind to get in the way.
Each goal would be a different plan, so a good way to start with your plan is to put your goal at the top of the page and then brainstorm the steps. At this point, you may want to get the help I mentioned before. If so, find that help right away. Remember, while you are creating your plan, you will have specific tasks that you will need to do so make sure you capture everything you’ll need to do to reach that goal.
You will need to take steps to hold yourself accountable to the plans you created. A great way to do this is to add deadlines for each plan and every task. Again, your daily life will constantly whisper in your ear encouraging you to focus on what you are doing right now – the “same ole.” Don’t allow that to happen. Write these dates in your calendar and stick to them!
If you find it difficult to keep these critical appointments, you may want to get additional help keeping yourself accountable. Join a mastermind or coaching program where you will be encouraged when your plan is on schedule, or nagged when you are not. For some, that voice that whispers in your ears telling you to ignore your goals is more of a screaming banshee! I totally understand this! That is what makes accountability groups like our Inner Circle so valuable. I have been a member of several type of groups and they have taught me more about building a profitable company than all of the business books in Barnes and Nobles!
Sometimes, people who are building a business tend to move as fast and furious as possible and simply place a checkmark next to each goal they achieve. Take time to celebrate! Celebrate at many milestones along your journey. You find the right coaching group? Take your family for a nice dinner! You complete a task early? Allow time to get outside and enjoy nature, or to call a friend, or to sit with a café latte at your favorite coffee shop. What you do to reward yourself doesn’t really matter. Just make sure that you recognize and celebrate steps along your journey. This will not only allow you to celebrate the moment, it adds fuel to your burning fire that will take you to your goal.
Did you take time to refocus and concentrate on where you want to be on December 31? If not, why not? If you did, tell me how you are going to achieve those goals. Just respond to this post and let’s chat. Maybe we can share more tips and tricks for evolving our businesses and lives in this next year. After all, we both deserve it, right?
Is implementing a social and content strategy in your plan? If so, let us take care of your email marketing, content, and social media this year. Schedule a no-strings virtual cup of coffee with me, and let’s chat about how many hours we can save you each month.
We often come across law firms that are unintentionally throwing their money away using what we call “shotgun marketing.” Shotgun marketing works like this:
Two months go by, and then…
1 You look at your calendar for the next several months and discover that you have a LOT of time on your hands. Panic sets in.
2. You quickly throw together a marketing campaign…..
On and on and on it goes…
Shotgun marketing is very flawed. This feast and famine is no way to run a business. The good news is that there is an easy answer…
Consistency.
Your marketing needs to be consistent to keep the flow of new client appointments coming in. Keeping your pipeline full will increase your number of new clients. No more months of panic!
Here’s how to achieve consistency:
Many lawyers mistakenly believe that consistent marketing will take too much time and cost too much money. But, with advanced planning you’ll spend less time than you think and you’ll see a steady flow of billable work – no more periods of famine!
There you have it! You now know the secret sauce of marketing. Having a consistent marketing schedule really will change the way your law firm operates for the better. There will be less stress for you and more money flowing into your firm.
We have a select number of private clients for which we serve as their marketing department, as well as a “Done for You” marketing program where we send you professional and fully-tested marketing material automatically every month, ready for you to customize and execute. Schedule a no-strong virtual cup of coffee with me to talk over which of these programs is right for you!
Networking is really all about developing new relationships and opportunities. That seems simple enough, right? Well, some lawyers are really great at it. Others….not so much.
You are building a law firm. You are doing that by seeking out potential clients and converting them into paying clients. If you have been connected to me for any length of time, you know that I frequently share ideas for doing that. I speak a lot about referral marketing because word-of-mouth is probably the most effective way to get clients. We have several plug-and-play referral marketing campaigns from which to choose to obtain referrals from professional acquaintances, colleagues and friends and family. But, another great way to get referrals is to attend networking events. Networking events are really great because all you need to do is show up. No pre-work necessary. But there is a process that you should follow so that you spend your time at networking events wisely.
This is no time to be shy! Constantly look for people to speak to and when you have their attention, make sure they have yours as well. Keep the conversation going by asking questions about their business and then listen carefully to the answers. Resist the urge to look at your phone! Be sure to pass out your business cards and gather ones from people you’d like to continue getting to know.
Generosity gets you everywhere. There are many ways to show your generosity. You could offer to give presentations or speak to civic groups, let them know about the free reports you have to offer that teaches them the basics of your area of practice, and even doll out a little free advice if warranted. Beyond sharing your knowledge, you should share opportunities. Look for opportunities for your networking colleagues to provide their services to you and others you know. The “give” part of give-and-take is important and will go a long way in cementing solid business relationships.
As you probably know, following up with your potential clients is a really effective way to turn them into paying clients. You also need to follow up with your networking colleagues. Send them a card or call them immediately after the event and let them know you enjoyed meeting with them and suggest that you meet again over coffee or lunch. You would be surprised how well people respond to gestures like this.
Once you have made a solid connection, you should start to see referrals come in. But remember this; relationships go both ways, be sure to send referrals to them as well.
Many lawyers understand and can easily do number one above, but you’d be surprised at how many don’t do the next two. Networking is a process just like everything else. Follow this process and let me know how it goes. I love hearing networking success stories!
If you want to discover the basics of legal marketing join our FREE 21 Day Legal Marketing Bootcamp. Click here to join 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’ve had the pleasure of speaking with a bunch of attorneys this past week about their marketing, what they are doing, what they are NOT doing, what is working and what is not working. In almost EVERY conversation, I found a huge hole that NEEDS to be filled to convert more prospects into clients. I wanted to share it with you because, I’m worried that you may have it too, and it is easy to fix.
Do you need print collateral for your firm?
Your logo is the most prominent visual for your brand. It should be simple, memorable, versatile and appropriate for your audience. If your logo doesn’t meet these criteria you might want to consider an update. There’s a great company that I recommend to lawyers who are just getting started and need a new logo, or those looking for a refresh. The company is 99designs and it is very affordable and offers a wide range of talented designers. Actually, there are a lot of great design agencies and independent designers that will be happy to work with you. Maybe you even know a talented designer.
But no matter who you work with, there are 5 things you’ll need from them after the design is final. Most lawyers aren’t graphic designers and don’t speak “design-speak” so I wanted to be sure that you know what to ask for.
Do you want to talk about other strategies to help you implement your marketing plan? Feel free to schedule a time on my calendar for a no strings virtual cup of coffee to chat about your business. I promise you will come away with a good plan for turning your ideas in actions!
As you know, I am a big believer in using social media to advertise your law firm. Our clients have had significant results from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other channels. But, just like everything in life, it’s not a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket. You need to use a wider range of advertising channels to stay competitive.
Print media is another important outlet and is still very relevant. Some attorneys, especially those just starting out, shy away from this lucrative advertising method because they fear the cost.
But, print media in the form of post-cards and ads in publications still work! However, you need to pay close attention to details when you are creating print media advertising. It is possible to completely waste your money on print if you make one (or both!) of these devastating mistakes.
Let me tell you about a recent experience that could have been very painful for an attorney that I know.
This attorney had all the right pieces for what could have been a fabulously successful print ad campaign.
When she asked me to take a look at the campaign, I had nothing but praise for the pieces of the campaign. Then I took the next step, the step that a lot of attorneys forget, and that is to go through the entire process.
By the process, I mean to go through the steps as if you were a prospect. Start at the ad and follow the steps.
If the prospects look at the ad, do they know what to do next? If so, GREAT! Continue your testing process by actually taking that next step, then the next step, all the way through all the pieces of the campaign: (type the url into the computer, call the phone number, read the follow up emails/letter, etc).
When I tested this process, I found two painful and potentially devastating mistakes.
The ad was promoting the awesome eBook. I went to the page that was on the ad and successfully downloaded the eBook. So far so good! As I have already mentioned, the eBook content was great! At the end of the report there was a link on the PDF directing me to a page where I should have been able request a consultation. Guess what, the URL in the eBook was broken! It took me to a “Page Not Found”! Ugh! But, that was not the only problem.
When I realized that the URL was broken, I then thought that there could be a way to save a potential prospect. Even though there are a lot of prospects that would give up there (remember – short attention spans!) maybe they would look through the eBook to find the contact information to make an appointment. Guess what? There was no contact information in the eBook! Most people download eBooks and read them later. There’s a small chance that someone might remember the law firm name, but that’s doubtful. Put your contact information on every piece of your marketing campaign!
Between these two devastating mistakes – this attorney would have gotten VERY FEW, if any, responses on that ad.
Luckily, this attorney was part of my Inner Circle and had asked me to review her campaign. We caught everything and corrected it before the ad hit mailboxes. But, because many people fail to test the process, this happens more than you might think. It may have already happened to you!
The moral of this story is to test, test, test! Have multiple people test every link, call every phone number, check every URL – you get the idea, before an ad hits the street. With all of the pieces in order and the process in place, you are going to see results.
Ad review is just one of the many benefits of our Inner Circle program, to learn more and take a 30 Day trial for only $1 – click here.
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.
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.
Legal project management systems can be a great way to increase efficiency in your law firm, which leads to more clients and more revenue. Introducing project management strategies to evaluate your practice, identify strengths and weakness, and implement a plan for strategic growth may be one of the best investments you could make in your law firm. But as with any practice management change, you’ll have to get buy-in from your staff. Here are 5 tips for presenting legal project management to your staff in order to get the best outcome possible:
Guidance
Let’s face it, even if your staff needs help in becoming more efficient, it doesn’t mean that they’re completely incompetent – in fact, no one knows how your law firm works better than your staff. That’s why any project management approach should not be about teaching your staff things they already know, but more about guiding them to the path of more efficient outcomes. Acknowledge that your staff is aware of the basic tenets of project management, and explain that you’re merely putting their knowledge and experience into a more structured and streamlined approach in order to become more efficient and effective.
Simplicity is Key
Don’t try to achieve grand goals all at once, or take up copious amounts of work time on training sessions. Instead, focus on the simple aspects of the practice that you can turn around and make more efficient through proper project management. In fact, in order to get better buy-in from your staff with this approach, you should come to your staff and ask them what they need help with or what processes they’d like to see improved.
Concentrate on One Thing at a Time
As stated before, simplicity is key. That means you should focus on improving just one process at a time when engaging in project management in your law firm. This way your entire staff can focus on improving one aspect of the firm without losing track and getting caught up with other projects. Once this pattern sets in, your staff will become more efficient at identifying issues and – more importantly – discovering effective solutions.
Follow Up
Track your staff’s progress and follow up with them so your project management strategies don’t fall through the cracks. It’s very easy for new initiatives to fall by the wayside, especially when there is a glut of day-to-day work to contend with, but it’s important to stay on track in order for your law firm to grow.
Discuss and Debate
The most valuable information you’ll receive during the project management process is the feedback from your staff. Allow them the opportunity to discuss and debate the effectiveness of their undertakings and learn from what they’re saying. However, it’s extremely important to make sure that discussions and debates have a positive focus and that the end goal is about improving your law firm – there should never be a discussion or debate that ends without a resolution.
Would you like to learn more about implementing project management strategies in your law firm or discuss how we can save you time on your marketing? Schedule a no-strings virtual cup of coffee so we can discuss how you can become more efficient and gain staff buy-in!
Constantly having to replace employees who quit is a huge drain on your time, money, and patience. Training team members only to have them leave within a year can be painful and demoralizing, and your practice will suffer because of it. Below are some things to think about if you want to keep your employees happy and reduce turnover:
Compensation: The Be-All End-All?
When asked, most employees say that compensation is the most important factor when staying at job. And it is – but it’s not the only factor. Make sure you’re paying your employees a decent wage for the type of work they’re doing, and compare the wages you pay with what your colleagues pay their employees. If you notice that you’re paying much less than everyone else, you might want to consider upping your pay scale before your employees become their employees. But like I said, money isn’t the only factor. I’ve heard stories about plenty of employees who were making decent money at their law firm jobs, but left because they just couldn’t deal with the stress, felt like they had no work-life balance, or didn’t get any additional benefits like flexible PTO. Find out what’s important to your employees (besides money) and do your best to provide it. You can only work within reason, but it will mean a lot to your employees if you go the extra mile trying to provide them with a good workplace environment.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Don’t wait for the exit interview to ask employees why they’re leaving; instead, conduct interviews with current employees to ask them why they’re staying, what might motivate them to stay longer, and what might make them leave. You’ll get valuable information on your strengths and weaknesses as an employer, and you’ll be getting it straight from the people who it applies to. Most importantly though, you need to act on this information where possible, because in a year from now, it could be the difference between a stay interview and an exit interview.
It’s the Little Things
Small gestures of kindness can go a long way for your employees. Does it seem like one of them is having a bad day? Take a couple minutes to ask how you can help or even just give some encouraging words. Do your employees come in early or stay late consistently in order to keep your firm running smoothly? Buy them lunch or dinner to let them you know you appreciate it. You never know how much a tiny gesture will mean to someone, so it’s a good idea to always be aware of what’s going on and how you can help, even in the smallest of ways.
If you have more questions about lowering turnover in your office or you are interested in implementing some of the strategies listed above, please feel free to schedule a no-strings virtual cup of coffee. We can also talk over how we can help you save time on your marketing.
