Law Firm Marketing: Something for Everyone at a Rainmaker Retreat
I am in Las Vegas today at our January Rainmaker Retreat, preparing to engage an enthusiastic crowd of attorneys eager to learn proven law firm marketing techniques and unveil the mysteries of social media and Internet marketing.
At every Rainmaker Retreat, attendees have a wide range of expertise when it comes to law firm marketing. Jim Negele, a business litigator in Southern California, attended our Los Angeles Rainmaker Retreat last month and told us what he liked about the sessions is that they are geared for everyone, from novices to experts:
No matter what your level of expertise is when it comes to law firm marketing, you will gain the knowledge you need to have to attract new clients and grow your practice at a Rainmaker Retreat.
Here are our upcoming sessions:
February 10-11, 2012 – Orlando, FL
March 30-31, 2012 – San Diego, CA
April 27-28, 2012 – Chicago, IL
Click here to visit our Rainmaker Retreat website, where you can also access online registration for upcoming events.
If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 8,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then click here to receive a free DVD of your colleagues (and even your competitors) describing their experiences at our 2-day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat.
Yes, we know you are skeptical. So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, you can listen to your peers describe their experiences in their own words.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
How Google Analytics Can Help Improve Your Law Firm Marketing Website and Blog
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What gets measured, gets done.
This quote is usually attributed to Peter Drucker, and remind us of the importance of measuring the efficacy of our law firm marketing efforts in order to keep focused on building on what works and not to waste time on what doesn’t work.
One of the most compelling tools for measuring the effectiveness of what you’re doing online is a tool called Google Analytics. You embed a snippet of code into your law firm website or blog and it provides you with a mountain of great data – for free! Google gives you all the guidance you need to get started using this tool here.
To get the most out of Google Analytics for your law firm marketing efforts, you need to pay close attention to three important areas:
Visits – by examining visits to your sites, you can see how many people are coming to your site, where they are coming from and if they are new or returning visitors. This is a basic metric to tell you if your efforts to drive people to your site are working. It can also tell you if a good number of your visits are coming from tablets or mobile devices, so you can be sure your sites are optimized for those devices.
Activity – here you want to examine Pages per Visit, which tells you how many pages visitors access when they come to your site; Average Time on Site, which tells you how long your visitors stay; and Bounce Rate, which tells you who looked at just one page and left. These metrics will let you know how engaging your site is and if you are holding your visitors’ attention. If you have a low Average Time on Site and a high Bounce Rate, you need to rethink your online strategies because you are attracting low quality web traffic.
Goals – Google Analytics allows you to input your goals for your site for tracking, so if your goal is to get visitors to download a free report, watch a video or sign up for an e-newsletter, you can track exactly how many people did what you wanted them to do.
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Practice Made Perfect for Lawyers CD Set
The Practice Made Perfect CD set and manual applies Stephen Fairley’s unique High Impact Marketing System to the practice-building challenges faced by solo practitioners and partners at small law firms.
It includes dozens of specific marketing and sales recommendations that can be easily and quickly applied to your firm, including:
- The only 7 sure-fire ways to get clients in your door NOW
- Why advertising doesn’t work for most small law firms
- The 7 reasons why people don’t buy from you
- How to market and sell with USP’s (Unique Selling Proposition)
- Using audio logos to attract immediate attention for your business
- Using low-cost, high impact marketing strategies
- Strategies for achieving maximum results from all of your marketing efforts
- How to discover your Ideal Target Market
- 3 critical factors to remember when looking for new clients
- The NEW sales cycle for professional services
- How to retain your best clients
Click here to order your Practice Made Perfect for Lawyers CD set and manual now.
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: How to Generate Leads From What People Do Online Every Day
You already know that people spend a lot of time online these days. That’s not news. But what exactly are they doing online? And how can you leverage everyday online activities to generate leads for your law firm? That would be news you could use!
The go-to resource for all things Internet is the Pew Internet & American Life Project Tracking Survey, which measures all the Internet activity in the U.S. Taking data from the past three years – 2009, 2010 and 2011 – Flowtown created an infographic showing what people are doing most – and least—online:
What People Do Most Online
- Send or read email
- Use a search engine to find information
- Look for health or medical information
- Check the weather
- Search for a product or service
What People Do Least Online
- Create or work on a blog
- Use Twitter
- Buy or sell stocks, bonds or mutual funds
- Use a dating website
- Visit virtual worlds like Second Life
Taking the activities people do most online and applying them to your law firm marketing program will tell you that email marketing and SEO activities should be a major focus for your legal marketing plan.
So what about what people do least? According to Pew research, they don’t create many blogs, but they do read them – which is a great opportunity for you to be heard via a legal marketing blog.
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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.
Get your complimentary copy online 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.
How to Boost Your Law Firm Marketing SEO With Twitter
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Social media is increasingly being integrated into search engine results, and even though Google and Twitter are not playing nice right now, user preference will eventually win out and Twitter should be back in the Google game before long.
That said, tweets are included in the first page of Bing and other search engine results, and need to be part of your law firm marketing SEO strategy. Here are some tips on how to boost your law firm marketing SEO with Twitter:
Select SEO-friendly names. When you set up your Twitter account, you choose two names – a real name, which is yours or the name of your firm, plus your user name. Think of what your prospects would use to search for you, and use the most relevant term(s).
Keep it professional. When you’re using any social network to further your business goals, be sure you keep it professional and relevant. Tweet about things that are top-of-mind to your prospects, using relevant keywords and #hashtags.
Link. Put links to your websites and blogs in your Twitter profile. Include links to topical blog posts and promote on Twitter – even though Twitter adds a “nofollow” attribute to links in tweets (which basically tells a search engine to ignore it), if you drive more traffic to your website and/or blog, that will help your SEO.
Promote. Add the Twitter button to your websites and blogs and ask people to follow you. Be sure to link your Twitter account from all your other social network profiles.
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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms & Solos Should Publish an E-newsletter + 3 Steps to Get Started
In less than a few hours a month, you can produce an effective electronic newsletter, also known as an “E-newsletter.”
An E-newsletter is a customized electronic newsletter that is commonly used in business, but rarely in the field of law. If you are truly interested in the long-term success and sustainability of your practice, you need to learn how to leverage technology and the Internet to build it.
Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:
- The cost benefits of an e-newsletter
- How to incorporate your e-newsletter with your social networking
- How an e-newsletter supports your marketing efforts
- How to get started right away with your e-newsletter
- And much, much more!
To get your free report now, click here.
Top 10 SEO Essentials for Your Law Firm Marketing Websites
Happy New Year to my readers celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Dragon today! In ancient China, the symbol of the dragon was traditionally reserved for the Emperor and is a highly auspicious sign, portending prosperity and good luck.
If you are relying on your law firm marketing websites to bring you prosperity in 2012, you cannot just count on luck to make it happen. Those sites will not do you any good if prospects are not finding them – which is why it is critically important that you follow these top 10 SEO essentials for your legal websites and blogs:
- Keywords in title tags – title tags are those words that appear in the title bar of web browsers and what generally shows up in search engine results pages. For example, when you open this blog, you will see this title tag: The Rainmaker Blog: Law Firm Marketing and Business Development: The Rainmaker Institute: Stephen Fairley: Professional Legal Marketing. Title tags are coded into your site and should contain the most important keywords relevant to your prospects.
- Keywords in URLs – ideally, your URL will contain primary keywords – i.e., www.fortmyersestateplanning.com
- Header tags – these go in your main content, separating thoughts and/or paragraphs with keyword-rich subheads.
- Fresh content – creating new content and updating old content regularly boosts authority and news ranking.
- Content diversity – search engines reward diversity in format and content, so include photos, videos and presentations wherever possible.
- High quality inbound links – creating high quality, unique content that others will want to link to and reference can have a huge impact on your website ranking.
- Authority – build authority for your site through participation in social media, providing commentary and links to other authoritative sources in your space and quality inbound link building.
- Feedback – syndicate, promote and provide people with an easy way to share feedback via a blog hosted or linked to your website.
- Quality user experience – Google rewards sites that are well designed, easy to navigate, load quickly and keep visitors engaged (low bounce rates).
- Browser compatibility – your site needs to be compatible with the latest browser versions, including mobile.
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Becoming a Rainmaker: Business Building Strategies for Lawyers
Based on Stephen’s highly successful seminar series by the same name, this 3-audio CD program covers dozens of practical recommendations and step-by-step sales and marketing techniques for solo practitioners and small law firms.
More than 8,000 attorneys from law firms all over the country have experienced powerful results from attending the Becoming A Rainmaker seminar. It has been sponsored by more than 22 of the largest state and local bar associations.
In this information-packed audio program, you will discover:
- How to generate more leads by using education-based marketing
- The relationship between credibility, visibility, tangibility, and consistency
- How to position your small firm as an industry leader
- The importance of being perceived as a specialist
- Why most advertising is a waste of your money
- What to expect from a Yellow Pages ad
- The 3 marketing strategies that will produce 80% of your results
- How to influence the Know, Like and Trust factors
- Common marketing mistakes lawyers make and how to avoid them
- How to answer the question, "Why should I buy from you?"
- Specific ways you can set yourself apart from low-cost lawyers
- What to do with the 15% of the population that always buys on price
- Ways to attract your Ideal Target Market
- The 6 stage sales process you must follow for maximum success
To order yours now, click here.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Fans Aren't Just for Sports Teams Anymore
The NFC and AFC Championships are on today, and millions of fans across the country will be gathered in front of their flat screens rooting on four teams, hoping to see their team advance to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
Last fall, Forbes published an article on the NFL’s most valuable teams. The #1 team – the Dallas Cowboys – didn’t even make it to the playoffs this year, and has not made a trip to an NFC Championship game for 15 years. So what makes the Cowboys America’s (most valuable) team? Fans. Not only the average Joe football fan, but sponsors who pay big bucks – a highly profitable fan base that Jerry Jones leverages to build his brand.
Attorneys need fans too, to build their brand and develop referrals, and social media plays an increasingly important role in achieving that goal as demonstrated by this infographic:
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Stop Wasting Precious Time and Money
Feel like you don’t have time for marketing? Let us show you how to make a plan that runs on “autopilot” – one that attracts new and lucrative clients while you focus on your practice.
Learn how easy it can be to create an effective law firm marketing plan that performs by getting our Free Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Plan.
After working with many ultra-successful lawyers we found five common threads in their marketing plans. This guide outlines these shared elements to provide insight into strategies that work and how to make them work for you.
There are two versions: one for Attorneys in Solo Practice and one for Attorneys in a Small Firm. Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: SEO Makes Biggest Impact on Lead Generation
According to WebMarketing123’s 2011 State of Digital Marketing Report, which surveyed 500 B2B and B2C marketing professionals, SEO makes the largest impact when it comes to generating leads.
53 percent of all survey respondents said SEO makes the largest impact on generating leads, followed by 28 percent for PPC and 19 percent for social media. Not surprisingly, 75 percent of the B2C marketers are most active on Facebook (75 percent), while B2B marketers are more active evenly across the three leading social networks – Facebook (34%), Twitter (26%) and LinkedIn (25%).
Here is an infographic outlining the findings from this survey:
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Want to Learn More Social Media Marketing Techniques for Attorneys? Attend a Rainmaker Retreat!
If you are interested in building a lifestyle law practice through effective law firm marketing, then come to one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:
January 27-28, 2012 – Las Vegas, NV
February 10-11, 2012 – Orlando, FL
March 30-31, 2012 – San Diego, CA
April 27-28, 2012 – Chicago, IL
If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 8,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:
Thursday, January 26
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Thursday, February 2
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Wednesday, February 8
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
Law Firm Marketing: Follow These Steps to Turn Prospects into Clients
Successful law firm marketing includes not only determining which people and businesses are truly interested in your services, but those that are not. Wasting time chasing bad prospects is a business-killer, one you can ill afford in these recessionary times.
These 5 simple steps will help you turn more prospects into clients. Incorporate these into your law firm marketing strategy and watch your conversion rate grow:
1. Identify those with genuine interest. This requires some work on your part, to separate the real prospects from those who are merely responding to you out of politeness or shopping around. To make the separation, create a list of qualifying questions to determine those who need, want and can afford your services. If they meet those three criteria, they are good prospects for converting into paying clients.
2. Interview good prospects in person. Be sure you are speaking to the real decision-maker, who can pull the trigger and hire you, not just a gatekeeper.
3. Make your best case. Are you a persuasive presenter? If not, take a presentation skills seminar. Focus on benefits and results, not services and features. Identify your prospect’s problems and let them know how you can help. Develop good listening habits, and become more fluent in speaking your prospect’s language.
4. Ask for the sale. A common mistake too many attorneys make is not asking for the sale. Make sure to ask your prospect for their business, and ask in a way that makes it clear to them you want it.
5. Follow up. You should be following up with prospects within 24 hours of an interview, thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in their business.
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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 Fairly 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 here to get your free report today.
Law Firm Marketing: The Importance of KPI in Marketing & Managing Your Law Practice
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Key Performance Indicators – KPIs – are quantifiable measurements that help you gauge the progress you are making toward realizing the critical success factors for your law firm to flourish.
Some examples of typical KPIs for law firms can include:
- How much money you need every month to make payroll and keep your doors open
- How many new clients you need to bring in every month to break even
- Your average profit margin per client
- The types of cases that produce the highest profit margin
- The percentage of people who visit your website that end up calling your office
- The percentage of prospects that call your office and then come in for a free consultation
- The percentage of prospects that come in for a free consultation and become clients
To be useful to you, your KPIs must reflect the goals of your organization and they must be measurable. Done correctly, KPIs will help you determine whether you are on target to achieve your objectives or if you need to retool and refocus your marketing efforts. Your KPIs provide the critical data you need to drive good decision-making.
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, I will present a one-hour webinar on Key Performance Indicators: Knowing The Numbers That Run Your Law Firm at 2 pm ET/11 am PT.
Sponsored by the Legal Marketing Association, my webinar will teach you how to determine which analytics you need to measure, and how to communicate the relevant data to Partners so you are viewed as a valued member of the decision-making leadership team.
Discounts are available for LMA members. For more information and to register online, click here.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Why You Need to YouTube & How To Get Started
Yes, YouTube is so ubiquitous its name is now a verb. And important enough that a senior YouTube executive was the keynote speaker this month at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where he predicted that video would soon account for 90 percent of all the traffic on the Internet.
According to Nielsen, in November 2011 there were 167 million unique U.S. video viewers who spent more than five hours during the month watching online video. YouTube had the lion’s share of this audience, with 131 million unique viewers.
But YouTube is so much more than just a video channel. It is now the second largest search engine on the Internet, just behind Google. Another big reason why attorneys who are nowhere to be found on YouTube are missing great opportunities for branding as well as for SEO.
Here are some tips on how to get started marketing yourself and your law firm on YouTube:
Create a branded channel. Name your channel in a way that explains what you do, not with the name of your firm – for example, if you are a family law attorney in Phoenix, you may want to call it something like Phoenix Divorce Legal Network.
Tag your video content with keywords. Tagging and titling your video with the keywords your target market uses to search for the information you are providing is key. YouTube has a keyword system called Tags that is a useful tool for helping you do this.
Use annotations. YouTube offers several different ways for you to annotate your videos: Speech Bubbles are graphic pop-ups you can use to highlight what someone is saying during the video, Notes are boxes that you can locate anywhere on your video where you can embed a link to your website or blog, and Spotlights are transparent boxes with text used to highlight specific areas of a video that appear when a user rolls their mouse over them.
Use Promoted Videos – this is a paid search option similar to Google Adwords, allowing you to create ads for your videos to promote them across the network.
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Get All the Law Firm Marketing Strategies You Need to Create A 7-figure Law Practice with Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2!
Newly released! Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:
8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals
Discover the proven step-by-step system used to double your referrals from current and former clients and how to build a network of strategic referral partners. Top attorneys have used this exact system to double their referrals in 6 months or less!
7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm
Watch and learn as I walk you through the specific strategies top lawyers are using to increase their revenues in this tough economy-and it doesn’t include reducing their fees!
6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media
Social media has emerged as the fastest way to build a massive platform of prospects! I pull back the curtain and let you in on little known secrets of how attorneys are generating dozens of leads every month from social media.
5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs
My interview with nationally recognized personal injury attorney John Bisnar on how his law firm uses search engine optimization and internet marketing to drive tens of thousands of unique visitors every month to his 30 websites and 10 blogs. Discover proven techniques for converting website visitors into paying clients.
Data DVD: Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you experience these information-packed DVDs!
Click here now to order!
