In Part I of this two-part series on webinars, I discussed why webinars are an effective marketing tool for lawyers and identified suitable topics for webinars and free and low cost platforms to support webinars.  In this Part, I'll go through the nuts and bolts of setting up a webinar from start to finish.

1.  Choose your weapon.  As I suggested in Part I, test drive a few of the webinar platforms to figure out which ones work for you.  The platforms vary in price and features but what's most important is that you (or your staff) feel comfortable with the interface.  (One of my personal favorites for features and ease of use is DimDim).  Once you've decided on and registered for a webinar service, you can start planning your first webinar. 

2.  Decide on a topic for your webinar.  For prospective clients, pick topics that are timely and don't usually receive adequate attention at other seminars.  Remember - because webinars are so inexpensive to host, you can keep the topics narrow.  You may attract a smaller number of participants, but chances are, they'll be much more interested in the event and more likely to retain you.  To select topics for existing clients, why not ask them what interests them?  Clients will feel flattered that you've sought out their input and will appreciate your continued responsiveness to their needs. 
 
3.  Pick a date.  Choose a date for the webinar anywhere from four to six weeks out.  A shorter time frame will cut down on your ability to promote the webinar.  

4.  Pick a time for the webinar.  The best times for a webinar will depend on your audience.  If your target audience includes a 9 to 5 working crowd, an evening or weekend will work best.  For a national audience, a time slot after noon is necessary to ensure that West Coast participants will be awake in time for the call.  Limit webinars to no more than ninety minutes and preferably, aim for 40 to 60 minutes of content with 15 minutes available for questions.

As for your own schedule, try to set the webinar on a day that you won't be in court or at other meetings.  Though a webinar is only an hour and can be conducted from your office, you're better off hosting it on a day with few distractions.

5.   Set Up Registration:  Once you've set a presentation date, it's time to start marketing your seminar.  Prepare a snappy announcement and post it on your blog, website or a separately created landing page.  You can use auto-responder programs like Aweber or Constant Contact for registration, or even something free like Google Forms.  
These programs will capture registrants names and emails so that you can send them the log in information for the webinar. 

6.  Start marketing.   After you've set up the registration, begin promoting your program.  Use social media applications like a Facebook fan page or Twitter.  Disseminate information about the webinar through your newsletter as well as any listservs in which you participate (if they allow promotions).  Reach out to bloggers who cover the topics that you'll be addressing in the webinar and ask whether they can get the word out to readers.  You might also consider advertising on Facebook.

If you're targeting a consumer audience, don't limit your promotions to the Internet.  Depending upon your audience, consider announcing your webinar in school or PTA newsletters, through leaflets or fliers at the local coffee shop, bookstore and library and perhaps even through an inexpensive ad in a small local publication.

7.  Prepare the Webinar.  Once the marketing for the webinar is underway, begin preparing your materials as soon as possible, for two reasons.  First, getting the prep out of the way early on means you'll have less to worry about when the webinar date approaches.  Second, you may decide to send an outline to participants in advance to provide more details about the topics you'll cover. 

8.  Send Out the Access Information.  Two days before the webinar, send out the access information to participants.  Some of the services - such as DimDim can transmit an invitation for you, or you can simply send an email yourself.   In addition to sending the numbers to call and/or codes to enter to access the webinar, you should also provide participants with an alternative way to get in touch with you (such as email) if for some reason, the webinar disconnects.

9.  Test Run.   It's always good to do a quick test run a day before you put on the program whether you've used the product or not. Sometimes, companies may change the features of a webinar platform and if you don't check it out in advance, you may find yourself fumbling on "game day."  Also test out your recording options and run a sound check.  If the sound comes across weak, you may need to plug a microphone into the computer.

10.  Webinar.  Giving a webinar can be tricky since unlike an in person event, you can't judge reactions.  So stop from time to time to ask participants to send in questions.  Err on the side of keeping the webinar short.  Many people budget a limited time frame - typically not more than an hour - for webinars, so try to keep your presentation short, while allowing time for questions.   

Definitely record the webinar, either using tools included in the platform or screen capture programs like Camtasia (for PCs) or Screenflow (for Macs).

11.  Post Production  Once the webinar ends, there's still plenty of work to do.  For starters, you should email participants with a short survey (also something that can be done with Google Forms) asking them to rate the program and for testimonials (be sure to ask for permission about using them in your marketing materials). 

Next, save a copy of the recording and arrange to have the audio transcribed.  That way you'll have both a visual summary of your talk (on CD or thumb drive) as well as written materials for those who don't care for video.  If you're pleased with the product, you might consider selling the recording bundled with the tape and a written transcript or making it available on your website.

CONCLUSION  Though all of these steps to put on a webinar seem complicated, they become much easier over time once you've mastered the learning curve.  In fact, you may become so adept at webinars, you might decide to hold a webinar for colleagues or clients on...what else?  How to put on a webinar!  

It's official!  As of yesterday, 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. 

All too frequently, lawyers treat law practice management and marketing as mutually exclusive matters.   Many times, lawyers invest considerable thought and resources in developing and implementing policies that allow them to effectively and efficiently serve clients, maintain files and collect payment.  Yet lawyers rarely mention these practices in marketing their services - and in doing so, they miss out on an important opportunity to distinguish themselves from the competition. 

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. 

If Shakespeare were alive in today's Internet-based, search engine optimization (SEO) obsessed world, instead of asking 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. 

Every fourth Friday of the month, for more than a decade, the Washington D.C. area contingent of Solosez, the ABA's online listserv, has had a standing lunch date at an area restaurant, thanks to  Terry Berger, the Maryland solo who started it all.  Over the past ten years, the location and time of the lunch have changed just twice (the restaurant that played host for the first seven years closed down).  The agenda never deviates: fifteen minutes for informal mingling, then it's time to be seated and go round the table with introductions -- name, jurisdictions where licensed, and a quick elevator speech on practice areas.  Then the floor opens for discussion and questions on any topic, from an aspect of law practice to recommendations on different law products and services. 

Each month brings a diverse mix of anywhere from a dozen to forty lawyers of different genders, ages, and races.  The lunch group includes forty-year veterans to new grads and the occasional law student; corporate specialists who represent large clients to general practitioners who deal with only consumers.  Yet the conversations flow more smoothly than any other bar event I've ever attended because we all share the common goal of running a successful law practice and serving our clients' needs.  But perhaps one of the best kept secrets of this informal monthly lunch is that it's been responsible for the exchange of tens of thousands of dollars in referrals as well as the creation of longstanding business relationships and personal friendships.

In the Internet Age, it's all too easy to forget the value of personal, face-to-face interaction when it comes to building and marketing a law practice.  I'm equally culpable.  Most of my posts here at the Legal Marketing Blawg focus on 21st century concepts like search engine optimization, social networking tools, or video. 

But even these seemingly magical, modern-day tools have their limitations.  For starters, many lawyers still aren't engaging social media, which means that if you rely exclusively on those tools, you miss out on meeting older lawyers who can serve as mentors or a source of referrals.  In my own case, I've met several older lawyers through Solosez lunches who have helped me with my law practice but whom I would have never met if I'd limited my marketing efforts to social media tools.  Second, personal meetings can solidify online relationships, making them more likely to produce referrals or other financial opportunities.

There are myriad opportunities for lawyers to interact with other lawyers in person, from bar association meetings to business networking groups to pro bono activities.  All of those activities are worthwhile and should comprise at least a part of a lawyer's marketing portfolio. Yet as far as I know, none of these organization-sponsored events have consistently produced the same number of referrals and personal friendships as the Solosez lunches that I frequent and other similar, "organically-grown" networking groups with which I'm familiar.  So below are some simple but foolproof steps for creating a good old-fashioned regular get-together which provides a respite from the online world and can prove lucrative opportunities besides.

1.  Choose An Event and Location That Caters to A Broad Spectrum of Preferences

Don't try to be original in arranging an event or choosing a location.  You might think that hosting a monthly happy hour at a local punk rock or hip hop club is an original idea, but that kind of event is likely to exclude many older lawyers.  Ditto for holding a monthly lunch at a costly, five-star restaurant which may deter financially strapped new solos from attending.  Instead, focus on locales which cater to the greatest common denominator in terms of prices and menu choices. 

Location is also important.  Try to choose venues with access to parking and public transportation.  If you can't find a convenient location, encourage potential attendees to carpool.

Finally, if you're choosing an eatery with table service, be sure that the establishment will provide separate checks (if attendees are brown-bagging or purchasing food at the counter, a separate check isn't needed).  Nothing puts a damper on a companionable meal than trying to equitably settle up the check afterward.

2.  Make It A Regular Event From the Outset

Don't just organize a single lunch event because the event may take time to gain traction.  In addition, many times, potential attendees won't be able to attend the first event, so having a second event planned will help hold their interest.  You can start out with a few pre-scheduled quarterly or monthly breakfast or lunch events and refine the frequency depending upon interest.

3.  Open Up Your Contact List

Once you've decided on a location and a couple of dates, decide who you want to invite.  Do you want to reach out to all solo and small firm lawyers or your area?  Or limit the event to a certain sub-category, such as female lawyers or family lawyers?  Once you've come up with the group you want to include, invite everyone on your personal contact list who meets the criteria as well as those whom you know virtually through social media.  If you think that attendance may still fall short of what you'd like, ask your contacts to pass the invitation along to others who might be interested.

4.  Maximize Networking Opportunities

One reason why most networking functions fall short is that they do not offer any meaningful opportunities for attendees to get to know each other.  In planning your event, take care to structure to facilitate networking.  For example, when you send out invitations, remind attendees to bring business cards.  Allow time for attendees to mingle informally, but be sure to provide time for formal introductions and elevator speeches.  In that way, attendees can easily single out those whom they'd like to get to know.

5.  Relax and Have Fun

Too many networking events can feel awkward or tense, particularly if participants have spent a lot of money and feel pressured to come away with contacts to "get their money's worth."  But since folks need to eat breakfast or lunch anyway, they're less likely to feel that they've wasted their time by sharing a meal.  So encourage people to simply relax and have fun.

Marketing with Web 2.0 tools may be the current trend, but getting together for breakfast and lunch is a networking technique that never goes out of style.  More importantly, in an era where we increasingly spend more and more time online, getting together for a meal satisfies our all-too-human appetite for personal connection.