Law Firm Marketing: Secrets Top Rainmakers Use to Fill Their Practice
"In the 20 years I have been an attorney, I have never had to market my law firm," an attorney I'll call Ralph told me. "However, about six months ago, my biggest client was bought out by a Fortune 500 company and my revenues dropped from $600,000 to $60,000 in 60 days. I'm 55 years old and I feel like I'm starting over. What can I do to quickly find more clients?"
Ralph approached me just before I was scheduled to give a presentation on rainmaking to a New Jersey State Bar audience of 160 attorneys. Since I only had a few minutes before going on stage, I gave him my card and asked him to meet me after the seminar.
That evening at dinner, I shared with Ralph how our company has studied hundreds of top rainmaker attorneys to discover their secrets to building a financially successful and personally satisfying law practice.
I worked with Ralph over the next few months and with a lot of hard work he was able to build relationships with several referral sources that sent him dozens of new cases. He doubled his revenues in less than twelve months.
Fast forward two years. I had just finished up another bar association presentation when Ralph walked up to me. "I'm sorry I've been out of touch, Stephen," he said. "My business has grown so fast I couldn't keep up with it at first. I've had to hire three new people just to serve my clients. I drove in from out of town just to see you again and say thank you."
As Ralph discovered, the field of law firm marketing is highly competitive with more and more attorneys competing for the same clients. In my work with small law firms and solo practitioners, I have found there are at least four common strategies used by top attorneys to generate more referrals and fill their law practice. Here’s the first; I’ll talk about the others next week:
Strategy 1: Build Relationships With Strategic Referral Partners
Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs) are people who already have a relationship with the people you want as clients. For example, if your niche is business law for small business owners, possible referral partners would be accountants, financial planners, local bankers, commercial real estate agents, and insurance agents.
Here's the step-by-step referral building system we created that's used by hundreds of attorneys in a variety of practice areas:
- Identify several professions or industries that already have trusted relationships with your target market.
- Build or buy a database of potential referral sources (www. infoUSA.com and www.superpages.com are two great resources).
- Focus on refining your Unique Competitive Advantage by answering this question: "Why should someone hire me versus any of my competitors?"
- Create a form letter that includes who you work with, how you are different, and a personal invitation to get together to determine if/how you could work together.
- Send out 10-20 letters per week.
- Have your assistant call the people you sent letters to and determine their level of interest in connecting with you.
- Have your assistant set up appointments for you over lunch or coffee.
- When you meet with prospective SRPs, find out more about their businesses and how you can help their clients.
- Ask compelling questions to let them know you are interested in building a mutually beneficial referral relationship, and don't forget the best question:"How would I know if the person I'm talking to would be a great referral for you?"
- Ask them if they would be willing to send you referrals.
- If possible, try to send them a referral in the next 30 days.
- Follow up every 4-6 weeks to stay connected with them (send them a letter, article of interest, or one of your press releases).
Sounds simple, right? Not really, but it does work. Every week we help attorneys use this exact strategy to meet with two to three new potential referral sources. Just remember, referrals are a contact sport! You must leave your office and connect with local professionals in order to build your referral 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!
***For Blog Readers, Facebook Friends, Twitter Followers and LinkedIn Connections – we are offering you a $50 discount for Volume 2 and a $100 discount for both Volume 1 and Volume 2 because of your social media presence with The Rainmaker Institute.
Click here now to order!
Who Benefits Most From Social Media Marketing? Study Indicates Solos, Small Firms
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Out earlier this month was the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, authored by Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com. Stelzner surveyed over 3,300 marketers, nearly half of who were either self-employed or small business owners. Half of the respondents marketed B2B; the other half B2C.
These findings should resonate for solo practitioners and small firms:
Marketers place high value on social media: 90% of marketers indicate that social media is important for their business. 67% of self-employed and 66% of small business owners strongly agreed that social media was important to their business
Social media marketing takes a lot of time: The majority of marketers (58%) are using social media for 6 hours or more each week, and more than a third (34%) invest 11 or more hours weekly. Unsurprisingly, those who invest more time reap greater rewards.
Video marketing on the rise: A significant 77% of marketers plan on increasing their use of YouTube and video marketing, making it the top area marketers will invest in for 2011.
Marketers seek to learn more about Facebook and blogging: 70% of marketers want to learn more about Facebook and 69% want to learn more about blogging.
The top benefits of social media marketing: The number-one advantage of social media marketing is generating more business exposure, as indicated by 88% of marketers. Increased traffic (72%) and improved search rankings (62%) were also major advantages.
The top social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the top four social media tools used by marketers, in that order.
Social media outsourcing underutilized: While only 28% of businesses are outsourcing some portion of their social media marketing, that number was a 100% increase over 2010. Experienced marketers (3+ years experience in social media marketing) are more likely to use outsourcing than the less experienced.
I’ve always said that social media marketing can be the great equalizer for solos and small firms in competing with larger firms; this study appears to validate that belief.
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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:
- May 13-14, 2011 – Scottsdale, AZ
- August 19-20, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV
If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:
Thursday, April 28, 2011
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Thursday, May 12, 2011
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm 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: How to Grow Your LinkedIn Network
In February, LinkedIn introduced its Company Search function, which allows you to search by how you are connected as well as by company location, industry and size. This search function allows you to search using both your direct connections and your extended network connections.
Company Search is a great way for you to expand your professional LinkedIn network; here’s a short video from LinkedIn to show you how it works:
Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and LinkedIn is probably the most dynamic online tool to expand your referral network. However, just like getting referrals the old-fashioned way, you need to connect and engage. Building a robust list of direct connections is essential to having a successful LinkedIn experience!
I have blogged previously on how to build your LinkedIn network; here are some more tips from a SocialMediaExaminer.com post:
Always be connecting. Once you make a connection, keep the conversation going.
Leverage events. If you are attending an event that has been highlighted in your LinkedIn network, visit the event RSVP page to see if any of your connections are attending. If they are, send then a message telling them you’re looking forward to meeting them in person.
Leverage travel. If you’re traveling to another city on business and have connections in that area, let them know you’re going to be in town and offer to meet for coffee. If you have a number of connections in your area you’d like to meet, offer to host a small networking lunch.
Ask for advice. People love to give their opinions, and asking for advice (legitimately; be sure you have a reason for it and explain that in your message) is a great way to begin building a deeper relationship.
Become a resource. If you can add value or insight or provide an introduction, always take the opportunity to do so.
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Free CD: Insider Small Law Firm Marketing Practices
Get your free CD on Insider Small Law Firm Marketing Practices by #1 Best-Selling Author And Nationally Recognized Law Firm Marketing Expert Stephen Fairley, and listen as he reveals A Proven System To Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice!
Discover:
- How 1 piece of simple technology in your practice will drastically increase your communication with prospects, clients and referral sources – resulting in a major revenue boost
- 5 ways to market and position yourself as a recognized expert
- How 2 Attorneys promoted their law firms to over 100,000 people for less than $100 in 2 hours
- The 1 item you must absolutely have to create a Million Dollar Law Practice (hint: Not having this will almost guarantee your failure!)
- 6 BIGGEST secrets to generating more and better referrals
- How to create a proven network of 30 new Strategic Referral Partners in the next 90 days
To obtain your free CD, click here now.
What You Will Learn at a Rainmaker Retreat
I understand making the decision to attend our intensive 2-day legal marketing seminar is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner, you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.
So you can gauge for yourself, here is just a partial list of what you will learn when you attend a Rainmaker Retreat:
You will discover over 65 different marketing techniques that are proven to work in the real world environment of a fast moving law firm. Only practical techniques will be discussed here. We leave the theory for the classroom.
You will know the 5 critical numbers you need to be tracking in your law firm and how to measure your Return On Investment (ROI) for all your marketing efforts.
You will understand the core concepts of search engine optimization (SEO) and Internet marketing for attorneys and how to create a dominant position on the Internet.
You will study specific tools to automate your marketing system and “fix your follow up” to increase your conversion rates from prospects to paying clients.
You will be introduced to several advanced Internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.
You will learn from dozens of real world case studies of how attorneys have gone from a good 6 figure practice to a great “7 figure lifestyle law firm.”
You will learn how to focus your money on the most effective marketing strategies based on your specific practice area.
You will learn how to better select, train and motivate your partners and staff to do Rainmaking activities.
You will learn where you can ‘cut the fat’ and reduce your costs by eliminating ineffective marketing strategies.
You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months.
You will have a realistic idea of how much money it will take to effectively market your law firm.
You will start building a network of other attorneys across the country who are dedicated to building a 7-figure lifestyle law firm.
You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.
You will discover over 30 low cost (starting at $20/mo.) and no cost marketing strategies to help you stretch your budget.
You will learn software tools that will help you automate your marketing system.
You will learn an easy to use system for tracking all your incoming leads.
You will be introduced to specific tools to help you and your staff convert more prospects into paying clients.
You will see how other solo attorneys have leveraged Internet marketing and social media networks to beat much bigger firms.
You will hear about best practices in legal marketing and gain new insight into what has and has not worked for other attorneys all across the country.
You will learn what the most profitable practice areas are in this economy.
There are two upcoming Rainmaker Retreats currently scheduled:
May 13-14: Scottsdale, AZ Millennium Resort
August 19-20: Las Vegas, NV Platinum Hotel
The Early Bird Discount – where you receive $200 off your registration – has been extended to May 6 for the Scottsdale Rainmaker Retreat.
To learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and to register online, go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891.
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Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!
If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:
Thursday, April 28, 2011
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Thursday, May 12, 2011
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
How Much Do You Need to Invest in Your Law Firm Marketing Efforts?
Implementing an under-funded marketing plan is just as bad as not using any marketing plan at all because of the Law of 7 Touches – which means it takes 7 to 10 meaningful touches to move someone through the sales process to get them to the point where they are ready to buy from you.
If your marketing plan only has enough steam in it to produce 3 meaningful touches, it will be almost as if you never touched prospects at all because it won't break through all the other marketing efforts made by other attorneys vying for that person’s time and money, including your biggest competitors.
So how much do you need to invest in your marketing efforts?
There are a lot of variables to take into consideration when answering that question. Here are a few you need to consider:
What practice area are you in? Some practice areas require significantly more time and money to market (litigation and personal injury to mention two).
What are your profit margins? The larger your margins, the more you can invest on marketing and new business development. Some practice areas have bigger profit margins (litigation) while others have notoriously low profits (insurance coverage and residential real estate).
What are your annual revenues? It is not unusual for successful law firms to spend between 15% and 40% of their annual revenues on marketing.
Are you targeting other businesses or individual consumers? Any time you are marketing directly to consumers, your marketing budget must be bigger because of the intense competition for consumer’s attention.
What is the size of your competition? Obviously companies trying to take market share from Wal-mart are going to need a lot bigger marketing budget than a beauty salon owner. Analyze your competition— what kind of marketing materials do they put out? How are they positioning their firm?
How sophisticated are your competitors when it comes to marketing? Typical companies in service-based industries and professional services (like law firms) are a lot less sophisticated than other industries.
How much time can you devote towards your marketing plan? In general, the more time you can devote towards implementing the plan, the less money you have to use. For example, if you use direct marketing as part of your plan, you can spend less money and send out fewer messages with less frequency if you're able to follow up with a phone call.
Are you marketing directly to the end user or through a referral source? Marketing to the end users of your service is more difficult than working through an established marketing channel like a referral source.
How long is the typical marketing cycle? How long does someone take to make a decision after they have gathered all the information they need? Is it measured in minutes, days, weeks, or months? The longer the marketing cycle, the more money you need to spend on marketing because after you have given them the information they need, you still need to stay in touch with them.
What's the geographical size of your prospect base? For many professional service firms, like doctors, lawyers and accountants, it is usually limited to up to 25 square miles.
What’s the size of the average sale? How much does your average client spend with you? $500? $5,000? $500K? $5 Million? Typically, the higher the price tag, the more you need to educate your customer as to the benefits of your services and provide more evidence of your credibility.
What's the lifetime value of your average client? How much does your average client spend with you over a given time frame? If they spend $1,000 a month with you year round and the average customer stays with you for 3 years, then the average customer is worth around $36,000 to you. If you know that, you know how much you can afford to spend on landing each customer before it starts to negatively impact your profit margins. If your average client only makes one “purchase” from you and never comes back, then you will need to use lower cost marketing strategies to reach them.
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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.
Can All The Law Firm Marketing Strategies To Create a 7-Figure Law Practice Get Stuffed Into One Box?
They CAN, if it’s the new Rainmaker Institute “Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2!”
If you know anything about online marketing and the Internet, you know that nothing stays the same for very long. Things that were effective last year now don’t work at all. Tricks that got your website on the first page of Google search results 6 months ago are old hat and ineffective.
Fortunately, we’re staying on top of the trends and cutting edge strategies for you. We have one aim in mind – to teach you how to use these little known strategies so you can get more and more qualified leads and dominate your marketplace; to help you create the law firm of your dreams.
Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2 includes:
8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals
Do you have a referral plan? An actual written plan where you can measure your success? 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
This recession has hit the legal industry incredibly hard! How is it possible that some attorneys are bucking the trends and having their best years ever? 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! You can’t afford to miss these!
6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media
Do you want to learn how to leverage LinkedIn? Feed Facebook? Tweak Twitter and use YouTube to generate more leads for your law firm? 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. We guarantee you have never seen any social media system like this one!
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!
***For Blog Readers, Facebook Friends, Twitter Followers and LinkedIn Connections – we are offering you a $50 discount for Volume 2 and a $100 discount for both Volume 1 and Volume 2 because of your social media presence with The Rainmaker Institute.
Click here now to order!
Law Firm Marketing: Which Market Should You Target?
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As a general rule, a small law practice will have great difficulty successfully targeting more than two to three different markets at the same time. It is much better to focus 60-70% of your time on one market, 20-30% on your secondary market, and whatever time you have left that cannot be put to better use on the first two markets, spent targeting a third market.
When trying to identify the target market that’s a proper fit for your practice, look at three areas:
Level of Interest. Energy, enthusiasm and passion are contagious. You must be able to consistently display all three when talking to or about your target market. If you are not truly interested in a particular population, you will not be successful in convincing them to hire your legal services.
Personal and Professional Experience. You will find it much easier to attract clients and consumers with whom you have something in common—work experience in a specific industry, holding a certain position in a company, being in a particular life stage, or living a particular lifestyle. Think about all of the life experiences you have had and find ways to capitalize on them. People are attracted to others with whom they have things in common and to others who project the life they want to live. Do not believe the myth that you can be all things to all people. You will only succeed in confusing your true target market. You will build your law practice faster if you focus on the practice areas that pertain to your core legal expertise.
Geographic Location. The overwhelming majority of small law practices find most of their clients within 30 miles of their office because it takes multiple contacts with a person or company before they decide to hire you – plus, the greatest likelihood of having multiple contacts is to be in close physical proximity to them. While some business owners tout how effective their website or e-newsletter is in attracting new clients, there are two realities you must realize: first, it takes an extraordinary amount of time and money to truly attract enough potential clients through Internet marketing to make a sustainable business; second, unless you practice in a low population area, you are missing 80% of your possible business if you minimize or ignore the people directly around you.
The more these three areas overlap, the better chance you have of finding an ideal target market.
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FREE Rainmaker Retreat Preview DVD – Learn Before You Go!
If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 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.
Law Firm Marketing: Advice on How to Grow Your Blog
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A recent post at SocialMediaExaminer.com polled the finalists of their Top 10 Social Media Blogs contest for tips on how to grow a blog. Here are some of those tips:
Engage with other online communities. Become known on other relevant blogs by contributing valuable content to pick up audiences for your own blog.
Write about what you know. If you are passionate about your law practice, share it.
Provide engaging content. Be the spark that starts smart conversations online.
Answer questions. Solicit feedback and keep the conversation going.
Offer real value. Dive deep into your subject matter to keep readers wanting more.
Create content to match needs. Speak to your target market in your blog about the legal issues that concern them.
Make readers feel good. If someone posts a thoughtful comment, respond to it with appreciation. If you disagree, do so gracefully.
Give more than you get. Offer readers something of value like a free e-book or newsletter subscription. Post on a regular schedule so your readers are always getting something new from you.
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Can’t Make It to a Rainmaker Retreat? Then Have One Delivered to You!
Over 7,000 attorneys from hundreds of law firms across the country have discovered how to generate more referrals and find new clients by simply applying our Rainmaker Marketing System.
Here's just a sample of what you will discover in our Rainmaker Retreat Live! 6 CD set audio program:
- Over 22 proven strategies for attracting more and better clients
- How to create powerful relationships with over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 90 days
- 7 ways to find more clients fast and how to select the best ones for you
- 2 ways to promote your firm to 100,000 people for only $100
- 5 ways to automate your marketing using technology and the Internet
- 6 secrets top Rainmakers use to dominate their competition
- 8 steps to creating a 6-month comprehensive marketing plan for your firm
- Much, much more!
This live recording of our highly successful 2 day law firm marketing boot camp will inspire you with practical examples, motivate you with sample case studies, walk you through best marketing strategies used by top Rainmakers, and provide a guide for you to quickly implement proven tactics in the next 30 days. You will also get the same 70-page marketing manual used at all our Rainmaker Retreats.
Click here to order your copy of Rainmaker Retreat Live!
Study Shows Legal Directories and LinkedIn Used Most by In-House Counsel to Vet Referrals
Legal research firm BTI Consulting was commissioned by LexisNexis to conduct an online study of how in-house legal professionals vet referrals. The study was conducted in December 2010 and January 2011, and includes responses from more than 570 in-house legal decision makers.
Key findings from the study:
- 77.1% of in‐house counsel and staff use a legal directory or online lawyer profile to validate the credentials of a referral.
- 80.8% of corporate counsel and staff use online lawyer profile services to identify attorneys in unfamiliar jurisdictions or areas of expertise when a referral is unavailable.
- In‐house legal departments use online lawyer profile services for an average of 4 key activities when selecting, evaluating and hiring outside counsel.
- Absence from a legal directory hinders up to 51.4% of clients from hiring a law firm.
The bottom line: if you rely on business from in-house legal sources, you better have a robust and up-to-date profile on the leading legal directories and LinkedIn.
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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. You can download them now free! Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Learn How to Produce Leads from Your Law Firm Blog at Wednesday Webinar
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As I’ve mentioned here numerous times, Google loves fresh content and when done right, a blog is the best way to push fresh content into the search engines.
Plus, social media research indicates companies with blogs generate 67% more leads than companies that do not have a blog!
There is no denying the value of blogging when it comes to law firm marketing. Yet many legal bloggers are encountering several challenges: how to get started, how to be consistent, and how to generate leads from their marketing efforts.
Join me this Wednesday, April 20 at 3 p.m. ET as I present a live one-hour webinar on Generating Leads From Your Law Firm's Blog: Top Strategies & Real World Results and discover:
- The 3-step system top Rainmakers use to acquire leads from their blog
- The fastest way to get started blogging right away
- How to implement a blogging strategy in your law firm
- The truth about how to obtain leads from your blog
- Answering critical questions: Who will write my blog posts? How often should I post to my blog?
- How to monitor and track results from your Internet marketing efforts
- The dangers of blogging and how to minimize your risk
- The only blog platform top Internet marketers recommend
- Real world case studies of where blogging worked
- Which practice areas should not use a blog
- How a law firm landed a multimillion-dollar client from their blog
To register for this information-packed webinar this Wednesday, April 20 at 3 p.m. ET, click here.
Law Firm Marketing: The 5 Key Benefits of a Mastermind Group
This weekend I’m meeting with the Rainmaker Mastermind Group, an exclusive group of non-competing attorneys and law firm marketing experts who meet three times a year for an intense, all-day strategy session.
Here, attorneys have the opportunity to learn in the company of other top attorneys where to find the necessary resources, tap into creative ideas and apply the skills they need to transform their current practice.
There are 5 key benefits to being a member of the Rainmaker Mastermind Group:
1. Specialized Knowledge: No one person knows it all, which is one of the most common reasons people fall short of their goal or choose not to take chances. People believe they don't have the knowledge or required education to get where they want to be. The fact is, no successful individual has become successful because he knew everything. The most successful people are not the ones who know how to do everything, but the ones who know how to get people to assist them with what they don't know. While it is your duty to be experts in your particular area of law, it is not possible for you to know everything there is to know about all aspects of the law or building a law practice. For instance, you may know little about law firm marketing, law firm websites, Law firm marketing plans and the like. But by being part of a mastermind group, you can leverage the knowledge and strengths of everyone around you to move forward more quickly toward your goals.
2. Definiteness of Purpose: Definiteness of purpose is a key to your success. If you do not know with absolute certainty what you want, you are not likely to reach the level of success that is possible. Mastermind groups offer knowledge, information, and direction.
Members will help you stay on track, call you out when you are not doing what you say you are going to do, and generally serve as the more rational voice inside you to keep your eye on the prize. However, you have to be clear on your own purpose if you expect to get the most out of the experience. The clearer you are about your purpose, the more success you will find.
3. Infinite Experience: An individual who is trying to develop a strategy to grow his or her law practice for the first time has a higher probability of failure because he or she has finite experience. You have only what you currently know to guide you. However, the mastermind group has infinite experience. It has years of combined experience, knowledge and insight from which you can draw to accelerate your learning curve.
4. Group Energy: Many attorneys at small and solo law firms struggle without consistent interaction with their peers on a daily basis. They may work with clients and attend events a few times a month, but working in isolation can limit your growth. Having a mastermind group keeps you connected, helps you to see that your struggles are not unique, and that you can have outrageous success even if you stumble once in a while.
5. Higher Levels of Accountability: When you have a group of likeminded people committed to you and your goals, it is much more difficult to let things go than when you are working alone. Having others who are expecting you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself can often add that little extra bit of motivation you need to follow through. In addition, when you know that others feel accountable to you, there is a sense of responsibility you have to do what you say you are going to do. Accountability works both ways and it is one of the primary reasons why mastermind groups are so effective.
If you are interested in being considered for membership in the Rainmaker Mastermind Group, email me: Stephen@therainmakerinstitute.com.
Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp: 5 Reasons Why a Rainmaker Retreat is Different
Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?
Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too.
So what makes a Rainmaker Retreat different than any other legal marketing seminar? These 5 things:
1. Specifically Designed for Owners and Managing Partners at Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners. While Associates, Of Counsel, and Partners at large firms (50+ attorneys) are welcome to attend and will receive benefit from attending, the Rainmaker Retreat is specifically designed to meet the needs, challenges, and financial budgets of solo practitioners and small law firms.
You won't find any strategies that cost tens of thousands of dollars in this seminar. In fact, many of our strategies have little to no cost and with many of them we will tell you how to trade more of your time instead of spending your money if you're marketing your practice on a shoe-string budget. Nor will you hear about generic marketing ideas that only work if you have a large staff or a separate marketing department.
2. This is an Advanced Legal Marketing Workshop. We work very hard to make the material easy to understand and simple to apply, but please understand this is an advanced, in-depth, hard-hitting law firm marketing course!
If you are just starting out or have never done legal marketing or business development before you will likely find the volume and depth of our strategies to be a little overwhelming at times. A common remark we hear from experienced attorneys is that attending the Rainmaker Retreat is like “trying to drink from a fire hydrant” because we will provide you will dozens of time tested legal marketing strategies each day of the workshop.
At the Rainmaker Retreat, you will not hear any generic marketing advice like “just buy more Yellow Page ads” or “try to get more referrals from clients.” The Rainmaker Retreat focuses on in-depth discussions of cutting-edge strategies and revealing secrets of highly successful attorneys used by only an elite group of lawyers.
3. You will be taught How to Track and Measure Every Legal Marketing Effort! You will find a big emphasis on tracking the results of your attorney marketing efforts so if you are a numbers kind of person you will LOVE the Rainmaker Retreat!
There are 3 major areas you need to analyze and every one of your current challenges is directly related to problems in one or more of these 3 areas. We will teach you what the 3 areas are and how to use this tool to diagnose your problems and what “marketing treatment” you need to prescribe.
4. You will learn a Proven Lead Conversion System. The biggest area attorneys overlook in their legal marketing efforts is how to convert more prospects into paying clients. You will learn the 5 numbers you need to track in your law firm.
We will give you the tools and teach you how to use them so you can start tracking: (1) where every incoming lead is coming from, (2) how many of those leads turn into appointments, (3) how many appointments show up, (4) how many of those appointments retain at the initial consult, and (5) how many retain at a later date. We will introduce you to our Rainmaker Follow Up System that can be used to determine your Cost Per Lead (CPL) and Cost Per Client (CPC).
5. It is a Working Retreat. This means that several times each day you will be given specific marketing tasks to complete with step-by-step instructions. You not only come to listen, learn and discover, but also to practice and apply.
The next Rainmaker Retreat is May 13-14, 2011 at the Millenium Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Co-sponsored by CLE West, this session may qualify for 9 hours of MCLE credit, including 1 hour of Ethics credit.
For more information and to register for the Early Bird discount ($200 off!), go to http://www.rainmakerretreat.com/events/ or call 888-588-5891.
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Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!
If you want to learn more about the Rainmaker Retreat and why it is a proven legal marketing system that has helped over 7,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Thursday, April 28, 2011
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!
Do Law Schools Really Teach Lawyers How to Be Lawyers?
An opinion piece in The National Law Journal by a third-year law student echoes what I’ve been saying for years: law schools are great at teaching their students how to think like lawyers, but fail miserably at teaching them how to actually be lawyers.
The article comments on the ABA’s Standards Review Committee’s proposal to require law schools to provide greater transparency when it comes to providing a clear picture of the value of a law degree. The author argues that many law schools paint a far rosier picture than what the cold reality is once law school graduates hit the streets looking for work. He writes:
"The ABA's proposal is an adaptation of performance measurement — a management technique often used to transform private and public organizations. At its core, performance measurement is about using data to demand accountability and drive innovation.
"For the first time, law schools would have a potent incentive to reduce tuition and accelerate the so-far glacial movement to incorporate practical skills into legal education. By accurately measuring employment outcomes, schools will for the first time confront an unambiguous basis for evaluating their activities. And schools that perform poorly on the measure of job placement will face increased pressure to re-evaluate their educational model."
I have been teaching law firm marketing and business management to attorneys for years through state and local bar associations and our own Rainmaker Institute programs, including the Rainmaker Retreat. In a vast majority of these sessions, at least one attorney will always ask me why they don’t teach these principles in law school.
Apparently, more and more attorneys are finding their voices when it comes to demanding more of the legal academy, which they accuse of being disconnected from the actual practice of law. With crushing debt loads, more and more law school graduates are finding it difficult at best to “learn on the job” what they actually need to know to start and sustain a successful legal career.
Where is your voice on this issue? I’d be interested in hearing your comments.
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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.
Ask Yourself These Questions Before Outsourcing Your Social Media
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Good post yesterday at Mashable.com on four key questions to ask yourself if you are considering outsourcing your social media:
1. Can effective social media drive your business growth? It doesn’t make any business sense to spend time and money on something that won’t have a positive impact on your practice. When considering participation in social media, attorneys should study their target markets first to see if this is a medium they can engage them on.
2. How well is your social media working today? If you’ve already launched a social media initiative as part of your law firm marketing program, how’s it going? Are you finding enough time to engage online with potential clients? Or is it a chore that you dread facing each day? If it’s the latter, and social media is important to you, you should consider outsourcing it.
3. Could outsourcing free up your time to focus on your business? Social media takes time, and small firms and solos usually don’t have much of that to devote to something other than client work and running the business. If all your time is taken up with focusing on what you can’t outsource, you should consider outsourcing your social media to someone who can be just as effective at it – or more – than you are.
4. How do you measure ROI? Make sure you have measurable goals if and when you outsource your social media so you can see if you’re getting the bang you want for your buck.
It’s no secret that I have some skin in this game...we operate a turnkey blogging and social media program for attorneys that is experiencing enough growth to show me that many solos and small firms have already decided that outsourcing is the best option for them.
If you're in that group, then whomever you choose to outsource your social media program to, just make sure they have experience working with attorneys. When you interview a legal marketing company, be sure they meet these criteria:
- They can point to other attorneys they work with;
- They have a written blueprint for how they intend to generate leads for your law firm;
- They clearly integrate blogs and social media and see one as an extension of the other;
- They charge a flat fee that’s reasonable based on results;
- They have clearly identified strategies to track and measure actual results from your blog and social media. Having a written guarantee of results is even better.
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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 Attorneys: LinkedIn Debuts New Platform
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Last week, LinkedIn announced a new platform that provides members with Facebook-like tools, including a number of dynamic new plug-ins you can integrate into your firm’s website or blog:
- Sign In with LinkedIn, which makes it easier for users to authenticate or register for your site using their LinkedIn identity
- Share, a button which enables users to share your website with LinkedIn’s professional audience
- Member Profile, which brings LinkedIn profiles to your site
- Full Member Profile, which brings larger, more detailed LinkedIn profiles to your site
- Company Profile, which displays key company info at-a-glance
- Company Insider, which shows rich company data from several different views
- Recommend, a button that enables users to recommend your products and drive traffic back to you
This is a welcome addition for attorneys who use social media primarily for professional reasons. For those of you who don’t (yet), we have a program for attorneys to manage their blog and social media you may be interested in checking out.
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Find Out How to Generate Leads from Your Law Firm Blog at April 20 Webinar
Join me on Wednesday, April 20 at 3 p.m. ET as I present a live one-hour webinar on Generating Leads From Your Law Firm's Blog: Top Strategies & Real World Results, where you will discover:
- The 3-step system top Rainmakers use to acquire leads from their blog
- The fastest way to get started blogging right away
- How to implement a blogging strategy in your law firm
- The truth about how to obtain leads from your blog
- Answering critical questions: Who will write my blog posts? How often should I post to my blog?
- How to monitor and track results from your Internet marketing efforts
- The dangers of blogging and how to minimize your risk
- The only blog platform top Internet marketers recommend
- Real world case studies of where blogging worked
- Which practice areas should not use a blog
- How a law firm landed a multimillion-dollar client from their blog
This information-packed webinar will answer all these questions and help you focus your efforts and maximize your results.
For more information and to register, go to www.mylawfirmmarketing.com/sm/
Are You the Master of Your Law Firm Marketing Domain?
This weekend is the Master’s at Augusta National, which got me thinking...how many of you practicing attorneys feel like you have mastered the art (and science) of law firm marketing?
Assess your proficiency by watching this short video:
As you see in my short video, there are three critical areas to focus on in marketing your law firm. I guarantee you that if you are losing business, your problem lies in one of these three areas.
But which one? And what do you do if you determine which one... or all three?
That's what the Rainmaker Retreat is for: a 2-day marketing boot camp where we identify which area you need the most help with, and give you the prescription to fix it.
Once you fix your marketing 'problem', you will be amazed how quickly your fortunes change. You will begin to understand how to build the law firm of your dreams, and see your law firm with new eyes.
Click the link below to see what attorneys all across the nation are saying about the Rainmaker Retreat. You will also see the Rainmaker Retreat dates and locations, with the ability to get registered now:
www.RainmakerRetreat.com
This is an intensive 2-day program and you will leave with a complete marketing plan by the end of the second day.
You will also know that you now have the ammunition that lets you compete with much larger firms and win.
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Exclusive Rainmaker Retreat Preview Call – Learn Before You Go!
Do you want to learn some powerful marketing tips and hear a sample of what you will learn at the Rainmaker Retreat? Attend one of these upcoming complimentary 60-minute Rainmaker Retreat Preview Calls:
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
12-1pm PT | 1-2pm MT | 2-3pm CT | 3-4pm ETTuesday, April 19, 2011
1-2pm PT | 2-3pm MT | 3-4pm CT | 4-5pm ET
Sign up at www.RainmakerRetreat.com/attorney-marketing-preview-call/.
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
April 20 Webinar: How to Generate Leads from Your Law Firm Blog
Blogging is one of the top trends in Internet marketing for lawyers. Yet many legal bloggers are encountering several challenges: how to get started, how to be consistent, and how to generate leads from their marketing efforts. This information-packed webinar will answer all these questions and help you focus your efforts and maximize your results.
Join me on Wednesday, April 20 at 3 p.m. ET as I present a live one-hour webinar on Generating Leads From Your Law Firm's Blog: Top Strategies & Real World Results, where you will discover:
- The 3-step system top Rainmakers use to acquire leads from their blog
- The fastest way to get started blogging right away
- How to implement a blogging strategy in your law firm
- The truth about how to obtain leads from your blog
- Answering critical questions: Who will write my blog posts? How often should I post to my blog?
- How to monitor and track results from your Internet marketing efforts
- The dangers of blogging and how to minimize your risk
- The only blog platform top Internet marketers recommend
- Real world case studies of where blogging worked
- Which practice areas should not use a blog
- How a law firm landed a multimillion-dollar client from their blog
Generating Leads From Your Law Firm's Blog Webinar Details:
Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Time: 12-1pm PT | 1-2pm MT | 2-3pm CT | 3-4pm ET
Cost: $97
To register for my live one-hour webinar on generating leads from your legal blog, click here.
Law Firm Marketing: Take a Systematic Approach for Converting Leads into Clients
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Do you have the right system in place for converting leads into clients, and then from paying clients into staying clients?
If the answer is no, you’re not alone. Many law firms fail to take a systematic approach to lead conversion and client retention. But you most definitely should.
First, identify any software needed to assist in automating the process. The more you can automate, the lower your costs will be. Tracking software is readily available at a relatively low cost, compared to the expense of doing it manually. Good client-tracking software can be shared across multiple computers and can generate easily interpreted reports for the firm’s decision makers.
Second, try to automate the firm’s follow-up process. Develop follow-up sequences for:
- Direct mail – what do you send to prospects and clients? Postcards? Email? Letters? This can be a very labor-intensive process or it can be highly automated. It’s your choice.
- Autoresponder Email Series – Develop a series of email messages to be sent at regularly scheduled intervals that can convey your messaging in a timely manner to your prospects.
- Phone calls – Develop a schedule of calls so that they don’t fall through the cracks. Some of the tracking software can automatically place them into your calendar for you.
Third, develop rules of engagement for a sales driven law firm. Some things to identify from the outset are:
- What is being said? - Know your key messages about your firm, as well as information about your prospect’s business and needs
- Who is saying what? – Who are the principal contacts for prospects? Is the task shared or centralized?
- How often are prospects contacted? – Staying top-of-mind without being obnoxious is a delicate balance
As you ramp up your legal marketing efforts, these questions and systems will serve you well.
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Phoenix Legal Networking Group Networking Event is April 20
If you are like a lot of Phoenix attorneys you have spent a lot of time, energy and money building your website and trying to attract qualified prospects to your site. So the real question is, what happens when they get there? How many of them pick up the phone and call you? How many set up an appointment with your office or email you to request a free consultation?
Attorneys who really see the power of the Internet and want to learn how to leverage it to generate qualified leads understand that it's not only important to measure how many unique visitors are coming to your website each month, but also quantifying your “conversion rate” from website visitors into phone calls or emails. If you want to know how to convert more prospects into paying clients from your website then you absolutely need to attend this month’s event!
Come join us for a powerful evening of networking with your local peers as Stephen Fairley presents What Prospects Love! How to Compel Your Website Visitors into Picking Up the Phone & Calling You on Wednesday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m. Discover:
- How to track and measure leads from your website
- What metrics really count when measuring the success of your website
- How to easily add a free tracking tool to your website that will tell you everything you need to know
- What techniques do not work on your website
- 3 low cost tools that can dramatically and immediately increase conversions from your website
The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.
Cost is $25 if you register by April 18, $30 if you register by April 19 and $35 on the day of the event. This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.
To register for our April 20 networking and legal marketing event, co-hosted by FindLaw, Attorney at Law Magazine, Coash & Coash Court Reporting and The Rainmaker Institute, visit www.therainmakerretreat.com/network or call 888-816-8935.
Is Your Law Firm Marketing Mobile?
According to a recent Nielsen study, the number of Americans watching video on mobile devices jumped 40 percent year-over-year in both the third and fourth quarters of 2010. In total, more than 25 million of us are watching an average of four hours and 20 minutes of video a month on a mobile device.
Online video is a highly underused form of law firm Internet marketing that promises a big return. Whether you place your video on the homepage of your web site, or upload it to YouTube, the benefits are undeniable.
We are finding more and more that not only does it establish your credibility, it also gives you an edge over firms (even the big ones) who aren't using video by rocketing your rankings on Google exponentially.
Use these simple guidelines to make a highly effective online video for use in your law firm Internet marketing efforts:
Keep your videos under 4 minutes long. Most people will not watch long videos and stop after only a few minutes so keep them short and to the point.
Be sure the sound quality is good. People will watch 'rough' video, but they won't watch a video where they can't hear your voice! Be sure there are no loud noises or distractions in the background.
Use real people, using real words. One of the biggest mistakes attorneys make is using video the way they use PowerPoint. Stringing together static images accompanied by a faceless voice on audio is not an effective use of online video. While this may get seen by some potential clients, it is not nearly as valuable as giving them a chance to see your face and hear your sincere words.
Give them good content. I've seen many videos where it's nothing more than a sales pitch for the attorney's services. Don't be afraid to give good content on your video. There will always be people who have a "do it yourself" attitude-they are not your perfect client! Your perfect client wants to know that you are competent, capable, and caring. Don't be afraid of giving away a "secret" because it's probably already out there somewhere on the Internet.
Focus on your Target Market. Remember, you are not doing videos to impress other attorneys. It is easy to get caught in the trap of thinking potential clients want to hear about all of your qualifications. The real truth is they want a law firm that understands their problems, and knows how to solve them. So focus your video topics on their needs, challenges, and points of pain. Your script should describe some of the problems clearly, and then explain how you can solve them.
Use case studies. Facts tell, stories sell! To get your point across tell the story about how you helped a client. Don't reveal their name or specific details, but you can always say something like, "I was working with the CEO of a 100 employee technology company..." or "A medical doctor decided to get a divorce..." or "A young couple were facing significant financial struggles. He had just lost his job and their house was in danger of foreclosure...". Then do the reverse - share a story in which someone has failed by not implementing some of your strategies.
Include a call to action at the end of the video. Tell them what you want them to do: call your office for a free consultation or visit your website or read your blog or connect with you on Facebook or LinkedIn. Be specific and if you give a free consultation be sure you tell them that.
Here are 2 tools we highly recommend to help you create and host your online videos:
Flip video camera: very easy to use for non-techies. You can get them at Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/g67dHC
Audio Acrobat: we've used this for years to host our videos and audios and never had any issues. It's very easy to use. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/fl8tCf
It's only $20/mo., and yes, we get a little kicker if you sign up using our link.
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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. You can download them now free! Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
How to Use Avvo.com to Market Your Law Practice
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I am fully aware that there are attorneys out there who are squeamish about sites like Avvo and I get it—one of the major reasons why a lot of attorneys don’t like social media sites like Avvo is because they cannot control it.
Ironically, this is the same reason so many consumers are flocking to sites like Avvo -- to find "unbiased" reviews of services and products to guide them in their own decision-making.
Just like anyone can go on Google or Yelp and write a positive or negative review of your business, so they can go to Avvo and do the same. At least Avvo has a clear mechanism whereby you can dispute a false or misleading review and they will even remove it if proven false (which most other sites don’t do). These types of consumer review sites are becoming more and more popular and influential with the search engines.
If you're thinking about ignoring your profile on Avvo, here's something to consider: Avvo is very good at search engine optimization. So in all likelihood, when you type your name into Google, your Avvo profile will often come up on the first page of results. I believe they are quickly becoming a major force in Internet marketing for attorneys.
Here's my advice: You don’t have to like Avvo to benefit from Avvo. They are here to stay and are becoming a force to be reckoned with so...learn how to use them to build and influence your law firm’s Internet presence and generate more business!
Here are the steps you should take for incorporating Avvo into your law firm marketing program:
Claim your profile. This process is free and allows you to update your contact information and add information about you and your law firm.
Put your full resume into Avvo. This can go a long way to improving your rating.
Add all the seminars you have given, awards you have received, and articles you have written. These items can also improve your rating.
Add your photo. I have heard reports that profiles with a photo are clicked on up to 10 times more than profiles without photos.
Add videos. If you have videos put them into your Avvo profile. While they won't improve your rating, it will give potential clients who are checking you out online an opportunity to see who you are, how you articulate your answers, and will position you as more of an “expert.” The production quality of your videos does not matter nearly as much as the information you include in them. It's all about education-based marketing—educating your prospects.
Answer user’s questions. Over 5,000 consumers every week ask legally related questions on Avvo. Please be sure to put a standard disclaimer on each response, i.e., that your reply does not constitute legal advice or the establishment of an attorney-client relationship, etc.
Create Avvo “Legal Guides” for your top 10 questions. If you're like most attorneys, you constantly get asked a common set of questions. Write down these FAQs and write a short (1-3 pages) response to each one. Make each question a legal guide. Keep the questions and answers highly focused on a specific topic. Be sure to add a disclaimer on each guide.
Ask all your attorney friends to endorse you. This can make a big difference in your rating. Just like a referral from another attorney in the real world makes a big impression on a prospect, so having a reference from another attorney or a judge on your Avvo profile can improve your rating.
Ask your clients to write a testimonial for you on Avvo. Client testimonials do NOT have a positive or negative impact on your rating. However, I assure you, potential clients read them!
Put your Avvo badge on your website or blog. Avvo allows you to create a “badge” with your profile score on it that links directly to your Avvo profile.
Consider signing up for Avvo Pro. There is a small monthly fee for this, but it provides you with all sorts of statistics like, how many people clicked on your profile, etc. You should also consider advertising on Avvo. If you read my blog frequently or have attended our law firm marketing boot camp, you know I'm not a big fan of advertising. However, I've heard anecdotally from two attorneys now who are finding some success with an Avvo ad campaign in their local area. In fact, one of my criminal defense clients signed up his first client within 6 hours of his Avvo ad going live. Please note, I'm not saying those results are typical because I'm sure they aren't. However, if you have the budget, I think it's worth testing it out.
You can either ignore Avvo and hope they will just go away (they won’t) or you can learn how to leverage them to your benefit.
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Are you looking for specific marketing strategies you can use in your law firm?
Then order the Rainmaker in a Box 5-DVD set! Some of the information and strategies you will learn include:
The 5 Immutable Secrets to Building a 7 Figure Law Practice:
How to create an automated marketing system to transform your law firm from a practice into a business. Stephen has studied best practices in law firm marketing and shares with you the 5 unchanging secrets they use to build a multi-million dollar law firm.
Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners:
Every lawyer wants more referrals, yet for many the steps to get there remain an elusive secret. Listen in and watch as Stephen lays out his 8 step proven system to triple your referral sources in 90 days or less!
The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys:
Internet marketing is one of today's fastest growing and most powerful marketing tools for lawyers. Yet much of how to generate more business and attract more clients online is still a mystery. Watch as Stephen pulls back the veil and walks you through the core concepts and key principles every attorney must understand in order to dominate their competition online and build a powerful Internet presence on a shoe string budget.
Action, Accountability and Next Steps:
Knowledge is power. The most difficult part for most attorneys is putting that knowledge into action. In this DVD you will discover an 8 step system for creating your law firm marketing plan and how to take action immediately.
This program includes a data DVD which includes the PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations.
To order this information-packed set click here.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Turn Pain Into Gain
It can be argued that one of the primary reasons why a person or company hires an attorney is to alleviate their "pain." They may use the words "goal," "challenge" "problem" or "issue," but easing their pain is why they are asking for your assistance.
I encourage lawyers to start actively looking for a prospect’s principal "pain," because when their "pain" becomes too big for them to ignore or too excruciating to handle is the time they call out for help.
Unfortunately, when a person or company is in pain, there are some common problems:
- They may not be thinking too clearly and may make irrational decisions (like hiring the wrong lawyer).
- They don't use the right terms to describe their pain (they ask for mediation when they really want a divorce lawyer).
- They may not see what's really causing their pain (they may focus on the immediate or surface problem and not see the root cause, in which case their pain may resurface in the future).
- They may use things or people to conceal the true source of their pain (they may point to the wrong person or company as the source of their pain).
- You can use this knowledge to increase your effectiveness.
Key Points to Remember:
- You must know how your prospects typically define and describe their "pain."
- You must talk about the problem using their language.
- They will feel you listened to them if you ask them a lot of questions about their problem and their pain.
- Don't waste time describing the process you will use to resolve their pain, instead focus on helping them understand your solution and results.
- You must give them a sense of hope, that things can get better and you know how to help.
- You must project confidence in your ability to help.
- You must listen to them and make them feel understood before they will listen to you.
In order to be successful, you must clearly and consistently state how you and your services can resolve your prospect’s pain.
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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.
