Nolo's Legal Marketing Blawgtag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2008-10-13://232010-03-18T02:20:22ZMovable Type Open Source 4.1How Lawyers Can Use Webinars to Attract and Retain Clients (Part I)tag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.18002010-03-18T09:22:19Z2010-03-18T02:20:22ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing, seminars and webinars are some of the most effective tools for attracting new clients and retaining existing ones. The Report found that professional services use in person seminars (66%) and webinars (45%) to identify service providers and make hiring decisions. The results apply with equal force to legal services; at the Marketing with a Book blog, Henry DeVries writes that:
In 1991 a random survey of the top 1,000 U.S. law firms found that 89 percent held at least one client seminar per year. In 1999, 94 percent of law firms were regularly holding seminars. Lawyers at the top 1,000 firms ranked seminars as the most effective tool for cross-selling and gaining new clients (Source: FGI Research, 1999).
I've already discussed at length the benefits and how-tos of speaking events. But for all their effectiveness, seminars and speaking events aren't without their drawbacks. For starters, if you have a national or multi-state practice, you may have to travel to the event on your own dime, and lose billable time while you're away from the office. Local events are more convenient if you can find a group that's willing to host you. But you may have to rent space and serve refreshments, which are an added cost that may outweigh the benefits if only a handful of people actually show up.
Though webinars can't replace face to face events, they are a cost-efficient way to supplement live activities. With today's low cost, user-friendly technologies, even a solo lawyer on a tight budget can put on several webinars a year and perhaps even make a few extra dollars by bundling and reselling the content. Below, I'll describe what a webinar is, suggest ways that a webinar can work for any practice and finally, give some practical tips on getting started.
THE WHAT, HOW AND WHY ABOUT WEBINARS:
1. What is a webinar?
Basically, a webinar is what the term implies -- a seminar delivered over the web. Webinars offer several advantages over their poorer relation, the conference call. During a webinar, you can present power point slides from your computer that participants can view on their screen. Many webinar products (I'll discuss them in more detail at the end of this post) allow you to use whiteboard and mark-up features, so that you can highlight parts of your presentation, or demonstrate a skill - perhaps how to fill in a form or improve a contract draft - in real time.
Other webinar products offer additional features that set them apart from conference calls. Some incorporate video, so that participants can see you while you deliver your presentation while others will tape the webinar so that you can post it on YouTube or distribute a copy on a CD or thumb drive. Some products allow participants to submit written questions or comments during the presentation which can be viewed by all other participants through a side bar. During conference calls, listeners are often intimidated from posing questions, either to avoid being recorded or because they're simply not comfortable doing so. All of these features make webinars are far more impressive and interactive for potential or existing clients than a simple conference call.
2. Are webinars better for existing or prospective clients?
Webinars work extremely well for both. A webinar gives a prospective client a more personalized and impressive introduction to your services. In addition, a webinar can educate prospective clients, making them realize a need for your services.
As for ongoing webinars, they're a great way to help existing clients keep up to date on developments in the law while showing them that you value their business. And of course, like newsletters, webinars let you stay in touch with existing clients so that you'll be first to come to mind when they're asked for referrals.
3. What kinds of topics and practice areas work best for webinars? Can webinars work even for a consumer oriented practice?
The scope of potential webinar topics is limited only by your imagination. Consider the following ideas:
Corporate, tax or regulatory attorneys: The law in these practice areas is constantly in flux and clients are subject to an array of compliance issues. Webinars are ideal for providing updates on changes in the law or offering tips on compliance and ways to keep out of trouble.
Small business lawyers: In addition to the issues discussed above, small businesses face a variety of legal issues, from leasing, zoning and property issues to employment, trademarks and copyright. Many times these businesses don't have in house counsel, and aren't able to determine whether they need a lawyer or not. Educating business owners about the legal issues they may face can help them figure out when it's time to call a lawyer - and that lawyer could likely be you!
Consumer and general practice lawyers: Holding a webinar on broad consumer issues, such as the need for will or how to draft a lease may not attract much attention if only because so many lawyers offer these seminars already. However, niche topics - such as estate planning for single parents or parents, tips on writing a contract to hire a nanny or the basics of special education law are more likely to generate interest because these audiences less frequently served by in person seminars.
Unbundled providers: Many lawyers are beginning to handle legal matters on an unbundled basis. For example, a lawyer might draft documents for a business incorporation or will but the client would have the responsibility to file the documents with the Secretary's office or execute the will before a notary. Though most lawyers provide written instructions to clients on how to perform these tasks, a webinar could also be used to supplement the information provided - and clients would have a chance to ask questions as well.
4.What kinds of materials should I prepare for a webinar? Again, you have many options. You can create a power point presentation that participants will be able to view when they log in to the webinar. Or, as you become more adept delivering webinars online, you could show websites to clients as part of your presentation. For example, many government websites contain information on rules or filings that may interest your clients, but they may not know how to navigate the site. You could show them how during the webinar.
5. What technology is required to put on a webinar? There are a number of different free and low cost webinar packages available. I recommend using those that are "cloud" based, i.e., accessible over the web rather than those that need to be downloaded onto your computer or participants' computers. In this way, participants can log in easily without any advance preparation and further, you avoid any Mac/PC compatibility issues.
As for specific programs, consider the following low cost options: DimDim - free for up to 20 users and also supports video (so participants can see you on the screen) and recording capability. Glance - $49 per month for up to 100 users who can call in free (or available as a one time day pass for $9.95). Go To Webinar - $49 per month, but only allows up to 15 users; up to 100 will cost $99/per month. WebEx $49 per month for up to 25 users; also offered with per minute charge. Huddle.net - Really a hybrid web conferencing/project management tool. $40/month for up to 5 users, but not an apples-apples comparison because the Huddle system includes document storage and other team management tools.
All of these services offer free service either on small scale or a trial basis, so play around with them to figure out which ones you like best. In Part II of this post, I'll go through the nuts and bolts of setting up a webinar. ]]>
Part II: Should Lawyers Advertise on Facebook? My Experiencetag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17992010-03-17T09:59:20Z2010-03-17T21:30:53ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
Part I of this series, I considered whether lawyers should advertise on Facebook? Though Facebook's traffic numbers recently surpassed Google, making Facebook the most heavily trafficked site on the web, most of the commentary that I found related to Facebook ads suggested that they were rather ineffective. In addition, I expressed concern that Facebook users, who are interested in socializing and escaping the stresses of daily life, might be put off by lawyer ads which might come across as an undue intrusion into their personal life. I concluded that if lawyers wanted to experiment with social media, they might do so by offering a class or an ebook on a lighter topic (e.g., copyrighting a blog rather than personal injury), but not by directing links to a law firm website. Still, they shouldn't expect great results. [but see the update at the end of this post]
As it happens, I've experimented with Facebook myself for a similar reason: to promote a program on Hanging a Part Time Shingle with my colleague, Julie Tower Pierce. In this post, I'll share the my thought process in creating the ad and the results of the campaign.
1. Background:
The part time shingle program is geared towards lawyers interested in starting a part time law practice. Julie and I identified three demographics:
Lawyers with children who are currently home raising them, thinking about leaving a full time job to spend more time with family or who'd left the work force to raise a family and now seek gradual re-entry. Though increasingly, it is common for men to work part time, we believed that even in the 21st century, women would continue to dominate this category.
Lawyers interested in starting a firm but who could not afford to leave a "day job" or give up contract work. While this category encompasses almost any lawyer, we assumed that younger lawyers and new graduates with large loans fit within this group.
Lawyers seeking to retire or who have retired but want to keep a foot in the law either for personal interests.
2. Set Up: Choosing A Demographic
As I described in Part I, Facebook allows users to specify the demographics of their target groups. After you select a particular demographic, Facebook will tell you how many users fall within that group and will recommend a price per click (CPC).
Once you've selected a demographic and specified a CPC (and daily or total ad budget), Facebook will determine when to run your ad based on the following guidelines:
For any given ad unit, we select the best ad to run based on the ad's
bid (CPC or CPM) and ad performance. Your ad's ability to win the
auction will change based on its past performance and as the pool of
available ads changes.
If you are not receiving as many clicks or impressions as you would
like, we recommend increasing your maximum bid. You should also take a
look at your ad's targeting to make sure you're reaching the most
appropriate audience. Your ad is more likely to run successfully if
you're targeting a highly relevant group of users with Facebook's
detailed targeting options.
[Source: Facebook website] Based on this information, I chose to target users who are college graduates and over the age of 50 (to capture re-entry candidates as well as retired lawyers); college graduates over the age of 28 (to capture those with day jobs) and married female college graduates between the ages of 29 and 33 (to capture mom lawyers home with children). I restricted the last group to a narrow demographic because the recommended CPC for all women users was more than I wanted to pay.
The results of my ad campaign, which lasted for approximately six days, are shown below, with the results ordered as just described (all college grads over the age of 28, college grads over 50 and women between 29 and 33): For the first two categories (28 and older; 50 and older), I used Facebook's recommended CPC. That wasn't very effective for the 28 and older category, as it resulted in 33,037 impressions. I had better luck with the 50 and older crowd, where I scored 203,151 impressions by paying the recommended CPC, presumably because the 50 and older demographic on Facebook is smaller and not as frequently targeted by advertisers. For the 29-33 married female category, I exceeded the recommended CPC by .25 because I knew that I'd be facing still competition. My decision paid off in that it yielded 148,908 impressions.
Of course, the more important metric than impressions is the click through rate - since that's the first step to converting to a sale. As predicted, click through rates were not impressive - just five from the 28 and older group, 58 from the 50 and older and 40 from the women ages 29 to 33. On the plus side, I didn't pay much for the click throughs - an average of 68 cents.
Did any of those click throughs result in a sale? The program cost $25, so three sales would have given me a positive ROI. Unfortunately, I didn't track sales origination closely so I don't have that data. But my guess, based on the pattern and timing of program registrations, is that all of the registrants learned about the program from list serves, blogs or Twitter rather than through Facebook ads.
My results don't tell the whole story because of other variables. I ran the Facebook ads just a week before the program which was a live call - so it's possible that those who clicked through and were interested had scheduling conflicts. In addition, since I'm not a professional marketer, my ads (I used different ones for each group) may have simply been ineffective.
Given the low cost, I might experiment with Facebook again for a similar type of program. I'd try to narrow my demographic groups further and also provide more lead time before an event. However, I don't really see Facebook as a valuable promotional tool just yet.
Finally, I would not use Facebook to market my law practice -- I don't market to consumers and even if I did, I strongly favor educational based marketing over pure advertising. Plus, I think that lawyer ads on Facebook are intrusive. Nevertheless, if the results of my efforts to market the Part Time Shingle program on Facebook are any indication, I don't think that lawyers who avoid Facebook ads to market their law firms are missing out on much. At least right now.
Update #1 (3/17/10) I've received several reactions to my posts. Two providers who serve attorneys (a legal marketing professional and a CLE company) have used Facebook for ads, with far better success. The CLE company reported 200,000 hits, 1300 click throughs for $25, while the marketing professional has generated several serious leads through Facebook and found two clients, for well under $100 per month. I already pointed out why my campaign may have been less successful - it ran only a week and my ad copy may not have been compelling. Though my experience was more aligned with those of others (discussed here who have used Facebook ads), apparently there are those who are experiencing success and it's important to portray both sides so that you can make an informed decision.
As for posting lawyer ads on Facebook (rather than an ad for an ebook or webinar), that's a matter of taste. Personally, I am tired of lawyer ads littering every site that I frequent online. But that's just me -- and if you don't take issue with that approach, then Facebook advertising may be something worth considering. ]]>
Part I: Should You Advertise on Social Media Sites? tag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17972010-03-16T16:01:49Z2010-03-17T12:58:50ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
Hitwise confirmed what many had long predicted: that Facebook surpasses Google as the most visited Website in the U.S.
So what does this new development mean for those lawyers who've hedged their Internet marketing bets on Google-driven search engine optimization (SEO) or pay per click? This article from Fast Company discusses the implications of Facebook's ascendancy for advertising.
For starters, Google will continue to dominate search. So to the extent that you invested in professional SEO services or activities like blogging to build visibility online, your efforts will still pay off. Moreover, even if you're a diehard Facebook user, with hundreds of friends and fans, you won't get much mileage from that presence in Google search. And while users could also search Facebook to find you, as the Fast Company article points out, search is not why folks flock to Facebook:
Facebook does have a search ability inside the site, but what's really driving users to Facebook in droves is that it's a genuine phenomenon. Social networking is still riding that "oh you should try this, it's new and cool" wave and the site itself has reached a critical mass of user numbers whereby if you want to contact almost anyone, odds are that they have a Facebook account.
Of course, that doesn't mean that Facebook is without value - not just as a participant but potentially as an advertiser. Fast Company suggests that:
Facebook is now in a position to leverage those user visits to seize control of the online ad-placement business from Google--advertisers will begin to do the math and work out which site will get their ads in front of more eyeballs. And while Web 2.0 has been with us for a while, the fact that more people are visiting Facebook than Google indicates that this interactive revolution has really changed U.S. Netizen's online habits.
With enormous traffic numbers and still undiscovered advertising potential, there are certainly benefits to marketing legal services on Facebook. Moreover, Facebook makes the advertising process easy with these tools that enable you to design your ad and specify where you want it placed. Features of Facebook ads include the ability to:
include a photo or logo as well as a link to a website or fan page. The graphics feature makes Facebook ads snappier than the bland Google pay per click ads that dot the top and side of Google search results pages.
specify the precise demographic audience you want to target based on age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, and key words on a fan page.
choose amount to pay per click through, as well as a daily and/or total limit for the ad campaign.
But for all their benefits and low cost, Facebook ads haven't been terribly effective, as described here, here and here. That's not surprising either. After all, most people come to Facebook to interact with friends or socialize. Thus, an ad for lawyer website isn't going to be terribly appealing, and in fact, might be regarded as an annoyance (though a recent study from Australia showed otherwise). In fact, to the extent that Facebook ads are effective, they tend to work best for entertainment or recreational services rather than for the pharmaceutical or financial industry.
Like Facebook, Linked-In also offers advertising opportunities. My guess is that Linked In ads might potentially be more effective than Facebook -- since Linked In users are more likely be combing the site to find a service provider rather than to chat with buddies -- I haven't been able to find studies that corroborate my hunch.
Despite the ineffectiveness of Facebook ads thus far, some (for example, a few of the commentors at this post) suggest that Facebook ads may be worth a try for a couple of reasons. First, because the ads are cheap and users can limit their budgets, they have little to lose. Second, because users can include logos and pictures, the ads offer an inexpensive way to build brand - though branding of this type is arguably less important for lawyers.
As for me, I'll concede that Facebook ads might be appropriate, albeit not all that useful to publicize a discrete law firm activity or product, like a free webinar or ebook (In fact, I've used Facebook for that very purpose, and I'll share my results in Part II of this post). But as general tool to advertise a law firm, the the potential intrusiveness of lawyer ads ultimately outweigh any minimal benefit they might provide. ]]>
A Word About Logostag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17712010-02-25T15:52:21Z2010-02-25T21:13:55ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
logos which literally defined means "word," but actually encompasses concepts like storytelling and analogy. Which makes sense, because in some ways, a good logo succinctly encapsulates a company's story.
If done right, a logo also draws attention, conveys memorability and reflects a business' personality. Even if you believe, as Seth Godin does, that a great logo doesn't mean anything until the brand makes it worth something, if you do decide to create a logo for your firm (and opinions diverge on the need for logo, as discussed below), devote some thought to it or you'll be saddled with something hideous if you eventually hit it big.
So should a law firm have a logo? As with most topics related to marketing or branding, there are two schools of thought.
No Logo Needed
Several years, Tom Kane of the Lawyer Marketing Blog (absolutely not to be confused with this one, as Tom's been around forever!) downplayed the importance of logos, arguing (somewhat like Seth Godin) that if your service isn't excellent, then a logo is worthless. From Kane's post:
The point is, logos can be helpful if your product and service is
excellent. Otherwise, it can truly give off negative vibes, and it
would be better to not have a logo than to have one that generates
immediate disdain. I like logos, but a logo is much less important than
the impact of your legal services (both the legal product and the
actual client service experience).
Dan Hull of What About Clients concurs, adding that a logo is really nothing more than your firm's look -- the patterns, letterhead and colors reproduced on stationary, business cards and the firm website. Indeed, seems that a number of law firms subscribe to Hull's philosophy; even mega firms like this or thisone which could readily afford a fancy logo, instead use simple typography that one might find on letter head in lieu of a logo.
Which raises a second point about logos: great, professional design doesn't come cheap. As I'll discuss, there are some low cost and even DIY options, some which are more preferable than others. But if you can't afford more than a generic logo, you may be better off taking the approach that Hull suggests.
Tips for Logo Design
Let's say you want to take a chance on a logo - maybe you have a distinctive idea in your mind or perhaps you feel that it will make your firm stationary and business card look more prominent. If that's the case, here are some tips for getting started:
1. Identify what you like...and what you don't
Do you have a concept for a logo? If not, there are plenty of resources to stimulate your imagination. Steve Matthews of Stem Legal suggests SeekLogo.com, a tool that allows you to search a database of around 200,000 - though as Matthews points out, there are only 59 examples for law firms. Even so, you may find inspiration from other industries.
If you find that nothing resonates, you might find it useful to review examples of top logos, selected by others, such as this top 250 logo list or 20 great and 20 not so great logos. It's also interesting to read a designer's explanation of what makes a good logo. Logo Design Love offers a treasure trove of information on logo design, including samples and discussion of the design and redesign process (not surprisingly, Logo Design Love has a great logo!).
2. Setting a budget
Once you've got a couple of logos in mind, you'll probably want to set a budget. Great logo design costs money, which was something that I never fully appreciated until I actually explored the process. Six Revisions rounds up a bunch of posts like this one that depict the steps in developing a logo, from idea to inception. If you thought editing a brief or drafting a contract was time consuming, take a look at the design process: it's equally involved.
3. Design options for implementation
a. Professional designer or web company With a budget in mind, it's time to find a way to implement it. If you're able to spend several hundred dollars or more, you might decide to hire a professional designer. Seek recommendations from colleagues, but don't stop there, as your colleague's tastes may differ. In addition to references, you want to look at the designer's portfolio to get a sense of his or her style. Where a designer is local, an in person visit is useful. And for a designer who's in another location, a phone call is imperative. You'll be working with this person intensively, albeit for a brief period, so it's best to get a sense of how you'll interact (a phone call also provides added reassurance that the designer isn't fly by night).
Another option for logo design is to commission the work as part of web or blog design. Again, personal recommendations, followed by a review of the company's portfolio is important. In addition, if you see a logo on a site designed by your web or blog developer, don't assume that the web company did the design. Many times, customers hire a web company and provide their own logos that were prepared by another designer. So if you choose to use your web company for logo company, ask explicitly about their design experience and whether the company actually designed some of the other logos at the site.
b. Online options for more affordable design
If you can't afford a professional logo design now, not to worry. There are plenty of mid-range options that you can locate through the Internet. Results vary, but with some due diligence, you can may be able to find a satisfactory logo at a reasonable price. On line options include:
1. Craigslist and intern websites
Several designers offer logo creation services on Craigslist for fees ranging from $60 to $199. You probably won't get anything high end, but again, check the portfolio and see if the designer's work appeals to you. Another option for low cost work include websites like UrbanInterns or College Helpers where you might find new grads or students looking to build a portfolio and thus, willing to work for less.
2. Elance, Odesk and freelance sites
Instead of hiring someone for a flat or hourly fee, you can also bid out a logo project at sites like Elance.com or Odesk.com. You can sign up and provide some details about your project, and set a cost cap and see what kinds of responses you generate. Both sites include information about a designers' work history and feedback from other customers and provide an escrow type account to hold money in case there's a dispute later on. As an alternative, you can search for designers by project (e.g., design or logo) and directly contact those who've done work that you like.
3. Design Contests
Several sites, like 99 Designs or Cullego allow users to run a contest to select a logo. Essentially, users offer a prize and a description of the project, and designers submit a proposal, with the winner collecting the prize money. While I've seen law firms use contest design sites, I don't recommend them. Though characterized as crowdsourcing, in my opinion, logo contests are a way to get free work on spec, which isn't fair (would you work on spec?) In addition, there are a host of other concerns about logo design contests, including the likelihood of attracting low quality or inferior design, winding up with potentially plagiarized work and the legality of contests. (For another view of crowdsourcing design, see here.
4. DIY Sites
Some online sites allow users to design a logo themselves, by mixing and matching stock images, fonts and colors in an online template. Some of the online sites like LogoYes offer decent variety and themes; you can design the logo free and then pay $69 to $99 to purchase it. Logoease offers a similar concept but it's free, though its choices are more limited.
Conclusion
Though a professional logo can be fun to create and add some distinctiveness and pizazz to your website and business cards, ultimately, your logo won't carry much value unless you do the work to back it up. Oddly, when it comes to something as visual as a logo, seems that substance trumps form. ]]>
The Three Es of Cold E-mailstag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17702010-02-25T05:11:10Z2010-02-25T06:49:51ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
cold calling almost a year ago, but they're still relevant if you missed them the first time around.
But these days, what's perhaps even more relevant than the cold call is the cold email. After all, we interact so frequently online - through social media sites and listservs where we're more likely to have access to someone's email rather than their phone number. In addition, it's a little less intimidating to make a first crack at contacting someone we don't know by email rather than phone.
So what are some reasons you might contact someone via a cold email? Here are a couple of scenarios. Let's say that you're a family law attorney interested in generating more referrals from bankruptcy lawyers, since you've noticed that bankruptcy lawyers are already a good referral source. You might run some searches on a site like LinkedIn to identify bankruptcy lawyers in your area who also attended the same college or law school. Sending an invitation to "link" with them won't accomplish much if they don't know who you are. But an email explaining the connection and suggesting a meeting or phone call could lead to a relationship that might generate referrals.
Or, maybe you've just started a blog on estate planning for young families that you believe might be interesting to financial planners or new parents. Sure, you could compile a list of 50 planners or mom-oriented websites and send a canned announcement. Or, you could customize an email that introduces you and your site and gives recipients reason to check it out.
As with cold calls, you should follow certain best practices for cold emails to ensure that they satisfy the three Es: ethics, effectiveness and etiquette. These practices are discussed below.
1. Ethics Rules prohibiting client solicitation may apply to cold emails. For example, if you come across a tweet on Twitter that "en route to hospital. Drunk driver hit me," emailing the victim and offering your services would violate solicitation rules. To avoid running afoul of ethics rules (and, as discussed below, to avoid annoying people), you're best off limiting cold emails to lawyers and other service providers rather than prospective clients, potentially consumers.
2.Effectiveness A cold email is effective when it meets with a fairly quick reply rather than a delete button. Tech start-up advisor Thomas Korte offered some great tips (and a template) for effective cold emails in a recent blog post. Specifically, he advises that you include the following information:
a description of who you are and where you are located;
an explanation of your connection to the recipient. Did you work at the same firm? Attend the same school? Or follow him on Twitter?
an explanation of the reason for the email. Do you simply want to inform the recipient about an article that you wrote that might prove useful? Or would you like to schedule a phone call to talk further or even an in person meeting?
a link to your website and any relevant attachments that can help the recipient learn more about you.
Bear in mind that cold emails don't become effective once you hit "send." If you don't get a response within a week, definitely send a follow up email. Many times, emails are accidentally deleted or a recipient may set it aside to respond and simply forget. Of course, if you send a follow up and still don't hear back, you can probably check that recipient off your list.
When you get a positive response, consider what steps you want to take next. For instance, if the recipient agrees that meeting in person over a cup of coffee might be a good idea, then the ball returns to your court to set a date. Do so promptly.
3. Etiquette Even if your cold emails are ethically compliant, that doesn't mean that they're not annoying. Take care not to send impersonal, mass emails, emails rife with misspellings or emails that make clear that you haven't taken twenty seconds to learn about the recipient.
So why not give cold emails a try? If you follow these three Es, you'll realize how very Easy cold emails can be. ]]>
Social Media Round Uptag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17152010-02-05T01:24:54Z2010-01-30T21:58:20ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
Nielsen Company, consumer usage of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter increased by 82 percent. In fact, consumers spent over six hours per month on Facebook, or more than three times the amount of time spent on Google.
Many lawyers give short shrift to the growing importance of social media, which is mistake. As described in this article excerpted from an upcoming book that I co-authored with Nicole Black, lawyers should keep in mind these three themes when they approach social media:
Social media is not a fad or a frivolity but a paradigm shift sweeping both the legal profession and society at large;
2. A social media presence is a tool for achieving other professional goals, not a goal in itself and
3. Use of social media does not transform otherwise appropriate conduct into something unethical, but nor does it insulate unethical conduct.
Take a look at the full article for more detail on these three themes. And if you're interested in learning more about social media, consider these additional resources:
Mashable - Premier online site for social media, packed full of demographic information, trends and how-to guides.
Social Media Law Student - Don't let the fact that this site is run by students and young lawyers deter you - this blog covers social media issues related to lawyers, judges and the legal system at large, and includes some product reviews of social media tools.
Web Strategist - Though focused on business use of social media, detailed discussions and statistics at this site make it a great educational resource for lawyers on intelligent use of social media.
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Using Excellent Client Service to Build Brand and Market a Practicetag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17132010-02-02T21:28:47Z2010-01-30T21:24:24ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/ Indeed, as this article by Gerry McGovern describes, your firm's law practice management practices are part and parcel of your firm's brand. In McGovern's case, she judges banks largely on the usability of their online service and unfortunately, they don't fare well. McGovern believes that's because banks treat customer service and IT issues separately - and fail to recognize how IT design can impact usability:
In fact, I have rarely, if ever, met a senior manager with more than a passing interest in the Web. They think this stuff is technical - something you give to the IT department. Where customers spend their time is where you build your brand. Organizations need to stop trying to use traditional advertising techniques to create false images. For an increasing number of customers, you are your website. It's about time senior management woke up to that fact.
Unfortunately, in a down economy, are cutting customer service programs rather than enhancing them reports BigNews.biz. That's a mistake, says Chris Coles, a CEO of HyperQuality, a customer service solutions provider quoted in the story, because quality service helps companies retain existing customers.
When you market your law firm, do you describe to clients how you'll serve them? If your firm has a 24 hour call return guarantee, a client portal, where clients can check the status of cases or Internet access in your waiting room, you should make those features part of the package that you sell to clients, along with your expertise and the results you've obtained in other cases. And if your firm doesn't offer a suite of client friendly benefits, realize that it's not just a law practice management issue. It's also a marketing issue that may be impacting the financial health of your law firm. ]]>
The Billboard: The Last Frontier of Conventional Advertising, But Should Lawyers Try It?tag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17162010-01-31T21:58:27Z2010-01-31T16:44:58ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
Declining newspaper circulation means fewer outlets for print advertising, and reduced visibility for ads in the print publications still in existence. The advent of services like Hulu or Tivo enable consumers to bypass television commercials entirely. Meanwhile, more and more consumers are spending time online, making the Internet and more recently, mobile technologies the hotspot for ads.
Still, there's one last bastion of conventional advertising: the billboard. As David Sparks discusses at SocialMedia.biz, the billboard survives social media because there's no way to avoid outside ads:
As I'm waiting for the bus, driving my car, or sitting on public
transit, I can't not look at the advertising. It's actually
something to do. I can't look at the people. You know what happens
if you make direct eye contact with anyone on the bus? They'll think
you're coming on to them or you're a psychotic killer. Isn't that
everyone who rides the bus?
But is billboard advertising appropriate for lawyers? Frankly, I don't know, so I searched around on the web, and here's what I found:
Traverse City, Michigan lawyer Enricho Schaefer also reports that billboards are effective, even for law firms such as his with a dominant internet presence. Schaefer's billboard is also tasteful, featuring many of his firm's local clients, who appreciated the added exposure.
2. Billboards can also be cheesy or carry negative connotations
Though billboards can be effective, there are also drawbacks. Some billboard advertising is cheesy and or controversial. And sometimes, it can reflect poorly on a lawyers' abilities.
Chicago, Illinois attorney Corri Fetman stirred up a controversy with her Life's Short, Get a Divorce billboard featuring the scantily clad torsos of a woman and man. Many fellow lawyers criticized the ad as trivializing divorce, or as simply undignified. There's no word on whether the ad attracted clients, but it certainly received wide media coverage.
Meanwhile, in Houston, Texas, DWI lawyer Tyler Flood put up a billboard on a street known for a high number of drunk driving arrests. Flood's billboard, depicted here, asks drivers to keep Flood's number on their cell phones, prominently warns them that if arrested, DON'T BLOW (i.e., take the breathalyzer test). Not surprisingly, law enforcement officials are critical of the billboard, claiming that it provides bad advice since drivers who decline to take a breathalyzer test can have their licenses suspended for three months, or in certain cases, be subjected to a blood test. However, Flood's billboard passed muster with the state disciplinary committee which reviews billboards in advance of publication.
Billboards can also carry negative connotations. Memphis, Tennessee lawyer James Ferrell has a poor impression of "billboard lawyers" in his neck of the woods, many of whom have never taken a case to trial:
Of all the lawyers who heavily advertise on billboards,
city buses and television, I know of only one (and I won't say which
one) who is actually a credible trial attorney. Most are virtually
unknown in professional circles, except by reference to their
advertising. Most seldom if ever try a case in court. Most never speak
at continuing legal education programs, and attend barely enough CLE
to keep their licenses. Hardly any are active in professional
organizations.
When clients have asked me to consider taking over cases that those
firms had been handling, I have been appalled at the lack of the most
basic forms of investigation and preparation.
Conclusions regarding billboard ads
Based on my review of lawyers' experiences with billboards, I arrived at the following conclusions. First, billboard advertising may survive social media, but that doesn't mean that it's for everyone. Billboard advertising doesn't come cheap so unless you receive some tangible returns like McLees or Schaefer, it's probably not worth considering.
Second, if you're going to advertise by billboard, keep it simple and tasteful. Billboards that are cheesy or brazen generate controversy but they can also offend prospective clients and harm the public image of all lawyers.
Finally, bear in mind that a billboard is no substitute for excellence: high quality work and scrupulous ethical standards in every case that you handle. Even if you put the resources into advertising by billboard, you're not going to attract clients if you're a lousy lawyer because those clients may still ask around about the quality of your work. Billboards may be the last bastion of conventional
advertising -- but there's nothing to stop consumers from Googling you
on the Internet after they've found you on a billboard. ]]>
Why Are You Marketing Your Law Firm?tag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.17112010-01-29T19:59:17Z2010-01-29T21:28:41ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/ Maybe that sounds that a stupid question. After all, isn't marketing all about making money?
Not necessarily. True, in some instances, a law firm may initiate a marketing campaign that's designed to attract more clients. For example, marketing techniques like special discounts on estate planning or incorporating a small businesses or free consultations in a market where they're not traditionally offered are largely intended to bring more client matters through the door to generate more revenue.
Trouble is, if your primary goal isn't short term cash infusion, then discounts or free consults or doing whatever your competitors are doing won't help - and in fact, may actually hurt your practice. Let's take the hypothetical case of Louis, a busy immigration lawyer. Due to a couple of contacts in his country of origin, Louis has dozens of clients beating down his door. He's so busy he can barely keep pace. And yet, neither can he afford to hire an associate to share the workload. That's because to date, Louis' business model has consisted of charging less than other lawyers but making it up in volume. For Louis, additional discounts would exacerbate his stress rather than improve his practice.
Louis' immediate goal isn't necessarily making more money. Instead, he needs to be more concerned with keeping his income at the same level by cutting down on the number of clients. To do that, he needs to implement marketing techniques that will help him improve the quality of his client base. How to do that? Education based marketing initiatives like ebooks or blogging might be one place to start. Clients who take the time to learn about the immigration process are often better educated and therefore, potentially higher earners. In addition, by using educational tools to explain the complexity of the immigration process and the need for expertise, clients will come to appreciate the value of the service provided and may be willing to pay more. Another way to find better quality clients is through use of testimonials. A former client's recommendation is powerful and lets potential clients know that you have the ability to assist them effectively - which also enhances your value to them.
In other cases, a lawyer's primary goal in marketing may be to expand or diversify a practice. Here again, discounts and free consults aren't the most effective way to go. Instead, stepping up networking events with other lawyers would help more because they give you a way to get the word out about your new practice area. Likewise, speaking engagements on your new practice area are a way to introduce yourself to new audiences who may need your services.
Ultimately, better quality clients or an expanded practice will yield more money in the long term. But if quality of life or diversity are your short term goals with money being an added reward, then discounting services or running expensive television or newspaper ads aren't necessarily going to bring you closer to those goals. ]]>
More on Mobile Marketingtag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2010://23.16902010-01-14T04:16:13Z2010-01-14T12:10:03ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
mentioned a Pew Internet Report which found that approximately one third of African Americans access the Internet through a cell phone or other mobile device. I recommended that lawyers serving African American clients make their websites and blogs mobile compliant to facilitate easy access via a hand held device.
Now, I realize that I should have expanded my advice. Because even if only a tiny portion of your target clients currently access the web through mobile devices today, very shortly, many more will. By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device, predicts Gartner Research. Thus, as we move through the second decade of the twenty-first century, all lawyers will reap benefits by expanding their marketing efforts to the mobile arena, while those who fail to will lose out.
the total number of PCs in use will reach 1.78 billion units in 2013.By
2013, the combined installed base of smartphones and browser-equipped
enhanced phones will exceed 1.82 billion units and will be greater than
the installed base for PCs thereafter.
Mobile Web users are typically prepared to make
fewer clicks on a website than users accessing sites from a PC.
Although a growing number of websites and Web-based applications offer
support for small-form-factor mobile devices, many still do not.
Websites not optimized for the smaller-screen formats will become a
market barrier for their owners -- much content and many sites will need
to be reformatted/rebuilt.
While 2013 is still three years away, lawyers are better off getting out in front, rather than scrambling to play catch up. So what can lawyers do to expand their presence in the mobile online world? Below are four ideas:
1. DO design websites and blogs with mobile use in mind. The Online Marketing Blog recommends keeping fonts basic, stripping out images to optimize loading time, remove third party services from side bars and focus on delivery of content. For those running WordPress based blogs, design for mobile devices is even easier: you can use a WPtouch iPhone If you run a WordPress blog, you can use a Word Press iphone theme plug-in to automatically create a small-screen friendly version of your blog.
2. DO develop content with search in mind. As web access goes mobile, find-ability will be critical. After all, users aren't likely to have the patience or agility to run Google searches and scroll through results on a 2" x 3" screen that downloads slowly. Moreover, a significant percentage of mobile users will be searching for local assistance: consider, for example, an abused wife who's left her home and needs a lawyer to file a restraining order or a businessman arrested for DUI. In both of these scenarios, the prospective client will be searching for a lawyer away from home and will want to find someone within a specific jurisdiction.
The Online Marketing Blog suggests focusing on local directories (a topic I wrote about here) to improve find-ability in mobile search:
The best way to ensure you are found on mobile devices is to make sure your site is in all the local search directories with full and accurate profiles. Places like Google Local and Yahoo local probably receive more traffic from users who want to find business in a certain area. When I've used my phone to search the web, I was searching for specific businesses to visit. Social networking through mobile is also popular and through links, can drive web site traffic. A combination of search and social is the direction where I see the bulk of mobile traffic going.
3. DO explore creative ways to establish a mobile presence, but DON'T be tacky. Fort Lauderdale, Florida based lawyer, Jason Turchin just released the free iphone MyAttorney app, reports the Florida Sun Sentinel. Granted, the MyAttorney feature which enables cell phone users to call their lawyer at the touch of a button arguably meets the tacky test. But in my view, MyAttorney is redeemed by inclusion of useful tools, such as a checklist of what to do in an accident and a feature for submitting a case inquiry and uploading and submitting photos.
4. DO get moving on video Nearly a year ago, I wrote about the importance of video to online marketing. As user access moves to mobile devices, video marketing takes on even more importance. For some users, reading text on a mobile device, can prove cumbersome even at an optimized site. By contrast, video is much easier to view on a phone, and users can still listen even if they have difficulty seeing the video, they can listen. Most mobile phones already integrate YouTube seamlessly into their design, and consumers have grown adept at watching videos on the small screen. Chances are, they'll be equally adept at listening to education-based videos or scrolling through video interviews with attorneys on their phones as well.
Are you good to go in this decade's on-the-go marketing world? And if not, what are you doing to prepare? ]]>
Marketing a Law Firm On Facebooktag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2009://23.16632009-12-23T06:03:11Z2009-12-23T06:49:46ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
New York Times reported last month. And why not? With 300 million users, Facebook is likely to be home to a substantial portion of a business' prospective and existing customers. For that reason, Facebook helps businesses find new customers, build online
communities to retain and provide perks to existing customers and even to access demographic information.
Just like businesses, lawyers can also realize marketing benefits through Facebook. At Inside Facebook, Sara Ines Calderon offers ten tips for ways that lawyers can use Facebook to market a practice. I'll discuss some of those tips below and throw in a few of my own:
1. Goals and Target Audience Definition: Just like there's more than one way to skin a cat, there's more than one way to market a law practice on Facebook. To figure out which marketing approach (or approaches) are right for you, you need to define your goals and identify your target audience. For example, if you market to consumer clients, you may want to attract them with direct ads or try to educate them with articles or links to blog posts on relevant topics. As discussed below, creating a Fan Page would support these goals. By contrast, if you're trying to attract more conservative corporate clients who don't spend much time on Facebook, direct advertisements wouldn't have much value. However, you might locate these clients indirectly through referrals from colleagues whom you can get to know personally through a Facebook friends page.
2. Set Up A Fan Page: A Fan Page is a Facebook page for a business or corporate entity rather than for an individual. As a lawyer, a Fan Page is important because it provides a way that you can interact with clients without allowing them to become privy to personal information and photos that you might share with close friends. You can use a Fan page for a variety of purposes - to respond to questions about legal matters (in a general way, of course, to avoid any perception that you're giving legal advice), to share links to recent blog posts or to engage "fans" of the site in conversation. You can also use a Fan page to issue invitations to events or to make special offers available - for example, free consultations or a discount on certain legal services.
3. Direct Advertising: With so many users on Facebook, advertisements can potentially attract a large audience. Moreover, you can very specifically target ads to various demographics, including, country, state and city, gender, age and workplace. There's more information on Facebook ads available here.
4. Building Relationships: Personal referrals are the primary source of business for most lawyers. And most people prefer to make referrals to lawyers whom they know on a personal basis. Facebook offers a way to get better acquainted with colleagues and build a relationship that goes beyond the office or the bar meeting room. In addition, when you interact with colleagues more frequently, you'll be at the top of their mind if they're asked to refer a matter.
Have you thought about using Facebook to market your practice? How are you using it? ]]>
Update on Email and Newsletter Marketingtag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2009://23.16432009-12-11T02:18:50Z2009-12-10T16:43:41ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
here. And even though since that time, the the benefits of social media for SEO have become more widely recognized, marketing via newsletters still remain a powerful tool. For starters, bear in mind that many of your prospects may not participate in social media, so sending an email newsletter enables you to target a population that you might otherwise miss on social media alone. As for existing clients, newsletters help you stay in touch long after the attorney-client relationship ends, thus laying the foundation for future referrals or other work. The Law Gazette offers a couple of examples of how firms in the UK are using newsletters for everything from promoting seminars to simply keeping clients up to date on news.
Newsletters also carry SEO value, as discussed here. The newsletter can drive readers to a law firm website, thus increasing traffic and online visibility. And, you can repurpose that newsletter content too. Many law firms upload newsletters to article archiving sites which can further bolster online visibility.
So if you're thinking about starting an email newsletter or improving the one you have, check out Small Business Trends which provides 30 email marketing applications, ranging from free to fee.
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A Portfolio Approach to Social Mediatag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2009://23.16442009-12-07T15:06:40Z2009-12-04T03:10:02ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/ That's what I've done with the chart below: organized social media platforms into functional categories, given a brief description and the "old school" analogy. All you need to do is pick a tool from at least two different categories, preferably more, and start moving forward with a social media strategy for 2010. (click on the chart for a better view)
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Blog Early and Oftentag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2009://23.16422009-12-03T18:48:36Z2009-12-04T01:58:12ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
blog early and often.
Most commonly, it's the "often" component of this equation that generates the most discussion and debate. For example, a
recent Portfolio story on lawyer blogs pointed out that:
[...] many are finding that feeding the blog beast with fresh content is a
legal challenge unto itself. Lawyers and blog specialists say the best
legal blogs generate at least several posts per week.
While it's important to blog often, particularly when getting a blog off the ground, timing is equally, if not more important than frequency. In other words, you don't need to blog often so much as you need to blog early.
First to press: One component of blogging early involves reacting quickly to a big news story, getting a post up on breaking news or a recently issued decision before other bloggers come on the scene. When you post about a new development early, you make your blog indispensable to readers; a go to source of up to date information. In addition, an early post on a topic ensures that other bloggers or media sources will link to or comment on your blog, therefore giving you more exposure. A couple of rules about posting early, however.
First, if there's a hot news story or just-issued judicial decision, don't just throw out a link with a single line like "read this!" or "breaking news!" To make your post valuable, you must offer some original insight or prediction, even if it's based on a quick first impression. You can always update the post or write a follow up as events emerge. Second, you don't need to be first to press with every single news item, or you run the risk of converting your blog into a news feed rather than a source of analysis and conversation. If you enjoy providing rapid feed on new developments, share your blurbs on Twitter, which offers a better platform for short form writing than a blog.
Early in the morning: When I say that you should blog early, I also mean it literally, as in early in the morning. Many heavy blog readers like newspaper reporters (who can give you more exposure) or other lawyers (who can generate referrals) tend to scroll through their news feeders first thing in the morning in search of fodder for their own blog posts and stories. If you can get your posts up early in the morning, they're more likely to be read when fresh. By contrast, if you post on a time-sensitive topic later in the day, by the time your post comes up on an aggregator, it may be yesterday's news.
Early in the week: Posting early in the week is important for two reasons. First, (and though the evidence is hardly scientific), based on my experience at several different blogs, readership is generally highest on Mondays or Tuesdays. A survey of various design blogs reached a similar conclusion, though Thursdays were a close second. Tuesday is also the most popular activity day for Twitter, which can also be a source of traffic to your blog if you tweet links to your posts. Statistics aside, there's a second reason to post early in the week: it will allow more time for conversation to brew throughout the week which will also generate more traffic.
Early adapter: Finally, if you're just starting a blog, you gain a tremendous advantage if you can establish yourself as first to market on a particular topic. Indeed, many of the earliest blogs, like Howard Bashman's appellate law blog, How Appealing continue to dominate not just because of quality but also a strong first mover advantage that helps keep competitors at bay. Even though blogging is more common than five years ago, there's still plenty of room for lawyers to establish a blog on a topic that's not yet been covered and benefit from a first mover advantage from that particular niche.
In short, I can't emphasize this point often enough: blog early!
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What's in a [Key] Word? Here's how to find out...tag:www.legalmarketingblawg.com,2009://23.16212009-11-18T14:51:08Z2009-11-18T15:52:52ZCarolyn Elefanthttp://www.nolo.com/
What's in a name, he might well have had Juliet ask "What's in a [key] word?" Because when it comes to SEO, keywords matter, as Jay Fleischman emphasizes over at Legal Practice Pro. But whereas Juliet idealistically believed that "that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," her observation wouldn't apply to SEO where subtle differences in terminology can yield less-than-sweet SEO results.
So how can you determine whether the keywords will be effective in attracting traffic to your site? Jay's Legal Practice Pro post offers a couple of starting points. In addition, there's an even more recent post by Marshall Sponder of Entrepreneur that identifies seven free tools for evaluating the potential effectiveness of key words.
One tool suggested by Sponder is Microsoft AdLabs, which can help determine whether your intended service has commercial value based on the words you're using to describe it. From the post:
For example,
"Ultra-Thin Insoles" is considered to have a 68 percent commercial
value while "Comfortable Shoes" is considered by the tool to have a 96
percent commercial value. Finding the right way to describe what you're
looking for will help you find it faster and cheaper, and help you
monetize your offerings once your products or services are ready.
Other tools include Quantcast Marketing which you can use to obtain demographic information on customers which in turn, can inform keyword selection, and Wordstream Keyword Search, which will generate keyword suggestions. For example, if you select "bankruptcy law," you'll see that many searches relate to the changes in bankruptcy law. Since this term drives traffic, you may want to use it as a keyword and also target blog posts or web content to address this topic.
By using free tools to select effective keywords, you can create a rosy presence for yourself online without spending a bundle. And that is sweet, indeed. ]]>
For the first two categories (28 and older; 50 and older), I used Facebook's recommended CPC. That wasn't very effective for the 28 and older category, as it resulted in 33,037 impressions. I had better luck with the 50 and older crowd, where I scored 203,151 impressions by paying the recommended CPC, presumably because the 50 and older demographic on Facebook is smaller and not as frequently targeted by advertisers. For the 29-33 married female category, I exceeded the recommended CPC by .25 because I knew that I'd be facing still competition. My decision paid off in that it yielded 148,908 impressions.