Law Firm Marketing: 10 Steps to Build a Referral Machine for Your Law Firm
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If you have more referral business than you can handle, you are obviously doing something right. But from what I hear, most attorneys are still scratching their heads trying to figure out how to boost their referral business.
Follow these 10 steps to build a referral engine for your law firm:
Set specific goals. Set a specific goal for a specific number of referrals within a specific time frame as part of your law firm marketing plan.
Express gratitude. Thank your referral sources and keep in touch, just to say “hi.” Thank people online who say nice things about you.
Timely response. Always respond to a referral in a timely manner and let your referral source know when you’ve made the connection with the person they’ve referred to you.
Engage. Engage potential referrals on your social networking sites, don’t just use your posts to sell.
Respond. If someone comments on your blog, then follow-up with an email to further the discussion.
Participate. Don’t just join the social networks, actively participate by commenting on other people’s posts to encourage a connection.
Ask. If you don’t ask for a referral, chances are pretty good that you won’t get one. Encourage everyone you communicate with through email or e-newsletter or on your social sites to tell a friend about you and your services.
Consistent communication. Keep in touch with past and current clients, even if they are not currently shopping for an attorney. You never know when they may need you, so staying top of mind is important.
Give. When it comes to referrals, you need to give as good as you get.
Be real. Let your true self shine through in everything you do. People do business with people they like and trust.
New Study Says 3 of 4 Consumers Look for Lawyers Online
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New research prepared for LexisNexis by The Research Intelligence Group shows that 76 percent of adult consumers looking for a lawyer used online resources at some point during the search process.
If this surprises you, you are already well behind the curve.
Did you notice the news item last month that AT&T has sold its Yellow Pages business to private equity firm Cerberus Capital in an effort to “jettison shrinking parts of its business”? Yellow Pages revenue shrank 30 percent in just the last two years; the fingers are still doing the walking, they’re just walking over to the computer, smartphone or tablet.
Technology has changed consumer behavior forever and whether you spend your time lamenting or embracing this change will determine how successful your law practice will become. The very basics you need to successfully market your law firm today includes:
- A website
- A blog
- A social media presence across all major platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+
- Participation on lawyer-centric websites like Avvo, JDSupra, Lawyers.com, etc.
- An email marketing program
- A search engine optimization (SEO) program for all of the above
I know that for many of you, this sounds overwhelming. But it’s certainly no more daunting than running a business, which is what you are really doing, even though they didn’t teach you how at law school.
However, just as you learned the law, you can also learn the fundamentals of law firm marketing to take you the rest of the way toward building a successful law practice. You can start by attending a Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day law firm marketing intensive that give attorneys hands-on, real world training in both the art and the science of legal marketing.
Our upcoming sessions:
May 18-19, 2012 – Houston, TX
July 27-28, 2012 – San Francisco, CA
August 24-25, 2012 – Las Vegas, NV
You can find out more at www.RainmakerRetreat.com.
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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal
One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!
Still think blogs are a fad?
Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:
- Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
- 3 keys to successful blogging
- 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
- Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
- And much more!
Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.
New Study Reveals Best Times for Posting on Facebook and Twitter to Achieve High Click Rates
A new study out last week from Bitly, a link sharing and analytics website, takes a detailed look at how content propagates through social networks and how when a link is posted affects the number of clicks it receives.
The findings from the Bitly study for Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr posts reveal the best – and worst – times for posting on those three sites (times noted are ET):
The key takeaway from this study is that each social network has its own culture and behavior patterns, and being aware of these can help you publish your content at the right time to reach the most people.
For more information on optimal posting times, see my previous posts on Social Media for Lawyers: When Is The Best Time to Post on Facebook and Twitter? and Law Firm Marketing: When Is the Best Time to Post to Your Blog?
Study Finds Consumers' Appetite for Online Content Growing; How Attorneys Can Feed It to Generate Leads
A November 2011 study of U.S. Internet users for Broadcom, a semiconductor manufacturer, reported that 87% of respondents consumed more than 11 hours of online content per week and at least 54% percent said they consume over 21 hours of online content per week:
Content marketing is a critical component of a comprehensive law firm marketing program, and there are many avenues you can use to spread your content to potential clients, including your website, blog, online directories like Avvo and JDSupra, and social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.
With all these venues craving constant content feeds, how do marketing-savvy attorneys feed the beast? Here are some tips:
1. Plan ahead. Brainstorm a list of topics that would appeal to your target audience. Review your website analytics to see what pages of your site are getting the most visits, which can help stimulate ideas. Dig up speeches and presentations you’ve made over the last few years and repurpose those for articles, press releases and blog posts. Subscribe to blogs and news feeds that cover your practice area for ideas.
2. Make it interesting. Nielsen research shows that most people spend about a minute on any given web page, so strive to make your content easily digestible in that timeframe. Use short paragraphs and subheads to keep readers’ attention. Punch it up with references to current events or pop culture to make your content timely. Include client success stories (not using real names, of course).
3. Optimize your content. Be sure to optimize your content for search by including your keywords and keyword phrases in your title, subheads and image file names.
4. Create backlinks. Sprinkle your content with links back to your website, blog, social media profiles or previous posts to create backlinks, which help boost your search engine ranking. Comment on other articles, blogs or forums with links back to a relevant post you’ve written, but be sure your comment adds value or it may be viewed as spam.
5. Go social. Promote your videos, posts, articles, press releases and other content on all your social network channels – not only on your own Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page, but also through submissions to the discussion pages of groups you’ve joined.
Are Moms in Your Law Firm Marketing Mix?
Happy Mother’s Day! Today we celebrate all those hard-working moms out there, most of whom do double-duty every day, at work and at home. Actually, work and home have blended for lots of moms who are veracious users of social media to stay connected on both fronts.
If you are targeting Moms as part of your law firm marketing program, this Nielsen infographic should be of special interest to you:
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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice
Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process. Stephen Fairley unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report. Read and discover:
- How to determine the best source for your referrals
- How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
- How to get referrals from other attorneys
- Whether online directories are a good referral source
- How to network effectively
- And much, much more!
Click now for your free report on 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice.
Survey Names Top 3 Marketing Tools: Email, E-Newsletters, Social Media
A March survey of U.S. marketing professionals by trade publication Chief Marketer found that when it comes to Internet marketing, email continues to be the most effective tool, followed by e-newsletters and social media:
When it comes to improving organic search results, the marketers surveyed said that the most effective tools for accomplishing this important task were adding social share buttons to their existing websites, optimizing their landing pages for search (SEO) and adding more fresh content more often:
When it comes to email marketing, you need to remember the old maxim, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” To ensure your law firm marketing email grabs your prospect right off the bat, remember these tips:
Test subject lines – remember the ingredients for effective email subject lines: deliverability, actionability, personalization, clarity, brevity and consistency.
Keep it brief – keep the copy short and extend your offer early.
Make it social – include social sharing buttons that allow readers to pass along your content. Research shows that adding these can increase your click-through rate by 30 percent or more.
Segment your lists – whether it’s by geography, new clients, current clients, prospects or practice area, segment your lists and talk directly to the subjects that interest that segment.
Personalize – not only by name, but also by interest. Make the most relevant offers to those who are most likely to be interested in those specific offers.
Remove distractions – don’t clutter your email newsletter with lots of “fun facts” or other esoterica that distracts from your message.
Strong call-to-action – hit your prospects in the face with a strong call to action in the first part of your email and make it impossible to miss.
Include a P.S. – these are irresistible to most readers, and should be used to reiterate your offer.
Optimize for mobile – research tells us that 70 million Americans access email via their mobile devices every day. Be sure your email messages are optimized for mobile.
For information on creating great e-newsletters, see my previous post on How to Create an Effective Law Firm Marketing E-Newsletter.
Waltzing to Tennessee to Open the TAJ Annual Convention on June 6
On Wednesday, June 6, I will be proudly opening the Tennessee Association for Justice Annual Convention in Memphis with a keynote address on the 6 Proven Keys to Marketing Your Law Firm Online. Here are some of the items I’ll be covering:
- The 5 biggest mistakes attorneys make with their websites and how to avoid them
- 3 ways to dramatically improve your website’s conversion rate
- The 2 fastest ways to get to the top of Google (and which one works better)
- Why you should never pay an SEO expert to “optimize your website”
- How attorneys are using blogs to become industry thought leaders
- Generating website traffic and leads using the Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint
- Real world case studies of lead generating websites and blogs
The theme for the TAJ Annual Convention – Tips from the Trenches: They Didn’t Teach This in Law School – demonstrates how the TAJ is helping attorneys craft a successful law practice in the real world. It’s a must-attend for area attorneys, whether you’re a TAJ member or not.
Click here to register online for the TAJ Annual Convention on June 6-8 at the Westin Memphis Beale Street; I hope to see you there!
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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book
In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors.
To get your complimentary copy online, click here.
Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice.
We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: How B2B Law Firms Can Leverage LinkedIn for Leads
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As we reported in January, LinkedIn has been found to be 277% more effective in generating leads than Facebook and Twitter. Since LinkedIn is a social network for professionals, it stands to reason that B2B law firms can get the most out of it when it comes to lead generation; here, adapted from a recent HubSpot post, is how:
Link your blog. If you use WordPress to publish your blog, LinkedIn has a WordPress app that automatically publishes each new post to your LinkedIn profile. You can also use an RSS feed to accomplish the same task.
Share your slides. Your treasure trove of PowerPoint slides contains some great content; why not repurpose them for sharing on LinkedIn? Add a call-to-action and share with LinkedIn’s SlideShare app.
Promote your practice to a targeted audience. Your LinkedIn company page has dedicated tabs you can use to promote your practice. If you have multiple practice areas, create a tab for each one and promote to the target audiences that are relevant – you can target based on industry, location, company size, job function and seniority level.
Create banner ads. LinkedIn has a Product and Service Spotlight feature in its products/services tab area that allows you to create banners that promote your next speech, your free report or whitepaper, or any other service or product you desire. You can use the same targeting feature mentioned previously to promote to the right target audience.
Email your group members. If you have set up a group on LinkedIn, the site allows you to send one email every week to all members. Use this to promote your latest blog post, thought leadership pieces and so on.
Use LinkedIn Answers. LinkedIn Answers lets people ask and answer questions, which provides attorneys with a great platform for thought leadership, networking with influencers and even gathering information on hot topics for your own blog posts. When you answer questions, you can promote your own content as well.
How to Answer The #1 Question Prospective Clients Have to Win the Business
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Standing apart from competitors is increasingly difficult for attorneys today. When I routinely ask attorneys, “Why should someone hire you versus your competition?” almost all of them respond with the same four answers: quality, service, years of experience, and price—none of which has any impact on prospective clients!
Quality is not a feature people will pay extra for. It simply means you meet the minimum level of expectation.
For every service you provide there are a thousand other law firms that offer the exact same service.
Regardless of how long you’ve been in practice, someone has been there longer.
And trying to compete on price is a losing proposition.
Every prospect that walks into your office is looking for the answer to the same question: Why should I hire you? While they may not verbally ask it, they are all thinking it. To win their business, you need to answer that question for them. Here are three things to emphasize in your response:
Focus on the benefits, value, and results. When meeting with a prospective client, emphasize the benefits you offer to clients, the value you bring, and the results you achieve. Be careful not to run afoul of your state’s ethics in advertising regulations.
Focus on your service, not the list of services your firm provides. Explain how you serve your clients better by going out of your way for them and by treating every person as a VIP. Ask yourself what kind of “client experience” you want each client to have. Be very specific and write down your ideas. Put an action plan into place with your staff to ensure that every experience a prospect or client has with your firm is a positive one.
Focus on solutions. People don’t buy legal services; they buy solutions to their legal problems. Prepare a case study of how you found a creative solution to another client’s problem. Explain how you came up with it and the results.
Marketing your law firm is both art and science. There are no magic wands or silver bullets. It takes time, energy, money and advanced planning. Too many attorneys view marketing as an event you go to or an ad you place in the Yellow Pages (and who uses those anymore?). Top Rainmakers recognize marketing is a process, a systematic approach to building referral relationships, cultivating contacts, and staying connected to clients.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Is Facebook Making an Offer You Shouldn't Refuse?
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Late last week, Facebook rolled out its Offers marketing platform to U.S. businesses after a four-month test with select retail users.
Now you can create an Offer on your Facebook Business Page free of charge and it will be distributed to likes/fans in your Page’s news feed. This is a great opportunity to create Offers for free reports, articles, even a free consultation. Click here to find out how to create an offer for your Facebook Page.
I’m not necessarily recommending that you create a Groupon-type purchase offer, although three state bar associations (South Carolina, North Carolina and New York) have weighed in on the daily deals model for attorneys and found them to be OK, according to an ABA Journal article on the subject.
Free reports, white papers or e-books – whatever you want to call these informative downloadable documents – are a wonderful tool for attorneys to generate leads by driving traffic to your website or blog, get sign-ups for your newsletter and engage your followers on social media networks. To create a impactful free report, follow these steps:
1. Identify your prospect’s point of pain. The best reports provide a solution to a problem, so you need to identify what problems are plaguing your prospects – i.e., their “point of pain” – and then provide them with a solution.
2. Give some secrets away. You don’t have to give it all away, but entice your readers with a few secrets so they feel they have something of true value. Secrets are another way of demonstrating your experience and expertise, and that you know what you’re talking about.
3. Be brief. Your report should be 3-10 pages long and should start with a brief summary.
4. Make it attractive. The layout should be easy to read with appropriate graphics and saved as a PDF file for easy download.
Facebook is now providing another great avenue for you to generate leads, build your database and grow your social media following with their Offers marketing platform.
