Law Firm Marketing: The Top 5 Reasons Why Attorneys Need a Blog
Just like building good referral sources, blogs are tools of trust-building that eventually result in bringing in new clients. In fact, social media research shows that companies with blogs generate 67% more leads than companies that do not have a blog!
That alone should have marketing-minded attorneys scrambling to implement a blog. However, if you are still weighing the pros and cons of blogging as part of your law firm marketing mix, consider these 5 reasons why attorneys need a blog:
1. A blog is a low-cost, long-term venue to reinforce your brand and educate prospects about you and your practice area(s).
2. A blog gives you a platform to speak directly to clients, prospects and other attorneys rather than through the filter of the media or other sources that may not be accurate. A blog establishes your expertise in a particular niche.
3. A blog provides a stable base for your content without the limitations of other social media channels that are constantly streaming feeds. It is a place for your own voice, 24/7, a place to burnish and protect your reputation.
4. A blog can generate leads for you at a low cost by building traffic to your website and social media networks.
5. Blog analytics provide you with important information on what interests your prospects so you can generate more content to attract them and learn more about marketing to them, thus increasing the likelihood of a greater ROI on your marketing spend.
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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal
One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!
Still think blogs are a fad?
Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:
- Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
- 3 keys to successful blogging
- 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
- Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
- And much more!
Click here to order your free report now!
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Proven Tactics for Twitter Success
Of the major social media networks, the one that seems to confound attorneys the most is Twitter. Perhaps it’s because there’s a limit (140 characters) on what you can write that frustrates lawyers, or all those #hashtags and @ symbols that confuse.
What you need to keep in mind about Twitter is that it’s all about getting followers. You want to push out ideas and insights that people will want to follow, which is establishing trust, which is bringing you leads.
I recently blogged about How to Boost Your Law Firm Marketing SEO with Twitter. This HubSpot infographic tells you exactly how to structure your tweets to Get More Clicks on Twitter:
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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms 7 Solos Should Publish an E-newsletter PLUS 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.
Social Media Marketing for Lawyers: Understanding the Social Media Lifecycle
Are any of you watching The Firm? It’s a new series on NBC based on the John Grisham best-seller, and continues the story of personal injury lawyer Mitch McDeere after he “escapes” from the big, bad law firm in the original movie and opens his own practice.
It’s a pretty good show, as legal thrillers go. Of course, there are some of the usual legal clichés – like another big, bad law firm burying Mitch’s tiny firm in paperwork to “hide” the smoking gun that will net his client millions.
But the damning memo is eventually discovered, and David bests Goliath once again. Thanks heavens that lawyers love to dig. Nothing like finding that nugget that will enable you to prevail in a suit.
It may surprise you to learn that this same tenacity needs to be applied when it comes to your social media marketing efforts. Ubervu created an interesting infographic outlining the Social Media Lifecycle, broken out into four areas that all need your attention if you are to prevail in your social network law firm marketing efforts. I have blogged about each of these four areas recently:
Monitor: Understand How Consumers Use Social Media to Improve Your Law Firm Marketing Efforts
Analyze: How Google Analytics Can Help Improve Your Law Firm Marketing Website and Blog
Collaborate: Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: How to Create a Winning! Social Media Strategy
Integrate: The Importance of KPI in Marketing & Managing Your Law Practice
Here’s the infographic; start digging!
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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!
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: How to Evaluate a Social Media 'Expert'
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Social media is all about sharing, so when I come across a thought-provoking post on another of the many social media blogs I frequent, I like to share it.
Today’s shared post is not only entertaining writing, it also imparts some valuable information that attorneys who are considering outsourcing their social media efforts should know.
These are the 10 Questions to Evaluate a Social Media Expert; you can read the full post with the answers to these questions here.
- Do you have a blog?
- When did you start in social media?
- What is social media?
- What is a social media campaign?
- How do you monitor social media for clients?
- How to you measure ROI?
- How do you build an audience?
- Do you offer a guarantee?
- How did you learn social media?
- How does social media impact SEO?
A growing number of attorneys are outsourcing their blogging efforts and social media campaigns to organizations like ours (full disclosure: yes, we have a program for attorneys to manage their blog and social media). When you outsource, you can focus on end results, not the process and hopefully you will be working with professionals who do this for a living. It’s not just another item on their to-do list, it is the very service you are paying them to provide for your firm.
When you interview an outsourced legal marketing company, be sure they meet these 5 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.
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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!
Law Firm Marketing: New Study Shows How Social Media Influences Hiring of Outside Counsel
The 2012 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey, conducted by Greentarget, Inside Counsel magazine and Zeughauser Group, examines how in-house lawyers utilize social media.
Attorneys who seek to be hired by in-house counsel should take note of the results in planning their law firm marketing efforts – particularly these from the executive summary of the report:
Blogs are influential. 76 percent of the survey respondents said they place some level of importance on a lawyer’s blog when making a hiring decision.
Blogs are credible. 84 percent of respondents said they perceive blogs as credible.
LinkedIn is the preferred social network. 88 percent of respondents said that LinkedIn is the “serious” social network for lawyers, and a significantly greater number of in-house counsel are using LinkedIn for both personal and professional reasons.
Older generation of in-house counsel is catching up on social media. A greater number of older in-house counsel are participating in social media than the 2010 survey revealed; most notably, older counselors are becoming greater consumers of blogs.
Listening instead of contributing. In-house counsel rarely contributes content on social networks, instead preferring to monitor and listen.
Clearly, social media use among in-house counsel is rising and becoming more influential in decision-making. Attorneys targeting this market as prospective clients need to raise their social media game to be noticed.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox. Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Insights From Rainmaker Retreat Attendee on How Applying What She Learned Earned Her 43 New Cases
Last June, I was privileged to keynote the California Solo and Small Firm Summit and present four breakout sessions:
Law Firm Marketing Strategies in a Social Media World: How to Use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to Connect with Clients, Prospects and Referral Sources
How to Use YouTube, Avvo, and Your Blog to Connect with Clients, Prospects and Referral Sources
Proven Strategies for Using Websites and Internet Marketing to Generate More Leads
From Lead Generation to Client Retention: Secrets of Highly Successful Rainmakers
Patricia Van Haren, a Torrance, California family law attorney, attended this June event and just finished participating in our two-day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat, in Las Vegas last weekend. Here’s her story:
Using just what she learned in those four sessions in June, she was able to generate 43 new cases for her family law practice in only six months – impressive, to say the least! She has now formed a new partnership and attended our Rainmaker Retreat to further refine her education on law firm marketing to grow that new partnership quickly.
I was interested to hear that one of her key takeaways was about micromanaging the client experience. Too often, micromanagement is seen as a bad thing – but that is not the case when it comes to ensuring your clients have the best possible experience with your firm. You not only want them to return and refer, you want the word on your good reputation to be spread via social media – this can only be accomplished by paying very close and careful attention to managing the experience your clients have with your firm.
If you are interested in learning the law firm marketing strategies Patricia is using to grow her firm, here are our scheduled Rainmaker Retreat 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 our upcoming events.
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Here’s a Risk-Free Way to Preview the Rainmaker Retreat
In this complimentary 60-minute legal marketing call you will discover a proven Legal Marketing System that has helped 8,000 attorneys convert more prospects into paying clients
Join us and learn:
- How to avoid the most deadly legal marketing mistakes attorneys make
- 3 powerful strategies you must put into action in your law practice immediately
- How to set yourself apart from your major competitors
- Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now
- How attorneys are winning even in this economy by implementing this proven 8-step system
This teleseminar will be personally presented by Stephen Fairley, CEO of the Rainmaker Institute, LLC and a nationally recognized law firm marketing expert.
The call will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.
Join us and in 60 minutes learn why hundreds of attorneys across the country attend and rave about the Rainmaker Retreat. Here are the dates for an upcoming complimentary teleseminar:
Thursday, February 2
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Wednesday, February 8
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Thursday, February 16
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
If there’s one thing you cannot afford to miss out on this year, it’s the Rainmaker Retreat.
Click here to register and discover for yourself what you have been missing.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Study Says LinkedIn Best Social Media Network for Lead Generation
A new study by Hubspot of more than 5,000 B2B and B2C companies shows that LinkedIn far outpaces Facebook and Twitter as a lead generation engine, serving up almost three times as many leads as the other two networks:
Since LinkedIn is the leading business social media network, it stands to reason that B2B marketers would find more gold for their social media marketing efforts. But the Hubspot researchers also say that B2C firms benefit because there is less “personal” clutter on LinkedIn and people who visit are more likely to be in a business frame of mind.
So how do you leverage LinkedIn to generate leads for your law practice?
1. Build out your profile. Take your purpose and craft your profile to reflect that purpose. The key is to compel the people you know and the people who are looking for someone like you to reach out and connect.
2. Connect with the people you know. Use LinkedIn’s built-in tool to import your connections.
3. Get testimonials. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s built-in Recommendations feature to give and receive testimonials. Third party endorsements carry much more weight than your marketing message alone.
4. Include CTAs within your content. Strategically place some calls-to-action (CTAs) in your updates but don’t go overboard – you don’t want to look like you are just there to sell something. Relevant CTAs could include a free whitepaper or report you’ve just uploaded to your website, or a relevant post you’ve just made on your blog.
5. Build your network out strategically. Each connection you make with someone you know grows your overall reach exponentially. Start or join Groups inside LinkedIn where you can connect with thought leaders, experts, prospective clients and prospective referral sources.
6. Leverage your networks. LinkedIn is a social network and a search engine. Connected individuals can see and search for the people in each other’s networks. You can use those connections for business development and for finding your ideal social target market.
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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.
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.
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!
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!
Law Firm Marketing: How to Become a Go-To Source for Journalists
Do you ever wonder how certain attorneys in your community seem to be the quoted experts in local news and media stories? How did that happen? And why aren’t you being contacted?
The truth is that like most businesses, media has had to become lean and mean in these trying economic times, with fewer journalists covering more ground. So it’s not surprising that journalists are turning to online services that provide them with immediate access to relevant sources for their stories.
The good news is that you can sign up for these services and add yourself to the list of sources for your market area and area of legal expertise. Here are two popular services journalists are using every day to get quotable sources:
HelpaReporter.com – known as HARO (Help a Reporter Out), this service sends you email queries every day that you can sort through to see if you are a relevant source. HARO has evolved into a social media network with more than 100,000 members – including 30,000 journalists. Journalists write their own queries, and when you respond, you are responding directly to the journalist. HARO has several membership levels – from free (you receive all queries, which can be a little cumbersome to sort through) to three levels of paid membership that allows you to filter alerts by keyword, build a profile on the HARO site that journalists can review, access to the online searchable database of queries, text alerts to your phone so you can meet tight deadlines, and more.
ProfNet Connect – a service of PRNewswire, ProfNet Connect also sends out daily media queries via email to members and you respond directly to the reporter if there is a fit. Members are allowed to create detailed profiles (with keywords) and upload videos, photos and documents that are made available to media as well as indexed by all major search engines. ProfNet Connect is offered only to PRNewswire members; annual membership fee is $249.
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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.
Social Media Marketing for Lawyers: About Facebook's Potential $100B IPO
Yes, you read that headline right: Facebook is anticipating a $100 Billion IPO, reportedly scheduled for sometime between April and June.
This would make the Facebook offering the largest in tech company history, with only three other U.S. companies in the same category: AT&T, GM and VISA.
This infographic produced by AccountingDegreeOnline.net shows what this mammoth IPO looks like:
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Jan. 18 Webinar: Developing Your Law Firm Marketing Roadmap
There’s no better way to start 2012 off right than to create a Marketing Action Plan (MAP).
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the 5 critical steps of developing a 90-day game plan for marketing your law firm and give you viable options to help you implement the MAP.
The webinar begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT and goes for one hour.
You will learn:
- The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
- How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
- View examples of Marketing Action Plans for various practice areas
- How to create a roadmap to make 2012 your Best Year Ever!
All attendees will also receive a FREE 40 page marketing plan workbook at the end of the webinar.
If you would like to view this webinar at your convenience, then go ahead and register to receive a recording of this impactful one-hour session that will help you plan your work, and then work your plan!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Why Fresh Content Matters for SEO
I recently blogged here about why content marketing should be a key component of your law firm marketing plan in 2012. The primary reason that content matters so much is not just to keep your readers engaged, but for SEO purposes.
Here is an interesting infographic that details why content matters for SEO:
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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 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.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: How to Create a Winning! Social Media Strategy
“Winning!” This was one of the most popular catchphrases of 2011, uttered by actor Charlie Sheen during his media meltdown maelstrom last year. If only our own infinitely more reasonable utterances could catch such fire in the social media universe....
Since we would never recommend becoming that detached from reality in order to create a ripple in the social media ocean, here are some tips on how to create a Winning! social media strategy:
Mission. Whether you want to generate more leads or merely enhance your brand in the social media world, you must first set your goals. Be specific.
Market. Define your target market then research their habits, needs and social media activities.
Message. Craft the message that will best appeal to the needs of your target market and find the keywords that reinforce that message.
Media. Decide which social networks are best for attracting followers and readers who are in your target market.
Medium. Decide what kind of content will help you reach your target – blogs, videos, e-newsletters, etc.
Mix. Mix in your social media marketing with your current marketing efforts, adding links to your website, blog, e-newsletters, etc.
Management. Decide who will be responsible for posting , how often you will post, who will manage replies and other management tasks so your social media marketing campaign doesn’t flounder.
Measurement. Measure your stats to see if your audience is growing and what messages and strategies are paying off for you. Then do more to build on that success.
Money. Budget for your social media marketing effort and measure your ROI. If you need to hire outside help, that costs money.
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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:
Wednesday, January 11
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Thursday, January 26
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: 25 Staggering Stats for 2012
The recent eMarketer U.S. Digital Media Usage: Snapshot of 2012 report provided some eye-popping estimates about what the digital marketing landscape will look like this year, according to a Hubspot.com blog post a few days ago.
If Internet marketing is not a key component of your law firm marketing plan, you have a lot to catch up on – because you must also begin mastering the art of marketing on multiple platforms, including mobile and tablet.
Here are the prognostications:
The Internet in 2012
1) In 2012, the audience of Internet users in the U.S. will expand by 3.1% to 239 million, representing 75.6% of the total population.
In other words...
2) More than 3/4 of the total population will be online in 2012.
Mobile in 2012
3) Mobile Internet users will reach 113.9 million in 2012, up 17.1% from 97.3 million in 2011.
4) Smartphone users will reach 106.7 million in 2012, up 18.4% from 2011.
5) In 2012, 94% of smartphones users will be mobile Internet users.
6) All mobile phone users will reach 242.6 million in 2012, up 2.3% from 2011.
7) Mobile shoppers will reach 72.8 million in 2012.
8) Mobile buyers will reach 37.5 million in 2012.
9) Smartphone shoppers will reach 68.6 million in 2012.
10) Smartphone buyers will reach 36.4 million in 2012.
11) Tablet users will reach 54.8 million in 2012, up 62.8% from 33.7 million in 2011.
12) iPad users will reach 41.9 million in 2012.
13) In 2012, 76.4% of tablet users will be iPad users.
14) Adult-aged eReader users will reach 45.6 million in 2012, up from 33.3 million in 2011.
Social Media in 2012
15) Facebook will reach 143.4 million US users in 2012, up 8.2% from 132.5 million in 2011.
16) About 2/3 of web users will use social networks in 2012.
17) More than 90% of social network users will be on Facebook in 2012.
Online Video in 2012
18) Online video viewers will reach 169.3 million in 2012.
19) 53.5% of the population and 70.8% of Internet users (up 7.1% from 2011) will watch online video in 2012.
20) Mobile video viewers will reach 54.6 million in 2012.
21) Smartphone video viewers will reach 51.2 million in 2012.
Ecommerce in 2012
22) 88.1% of US Internet users ages 14+ will browse or research products online in 2012.
23) 83.9% of Internet researchers will make at least one purchase via the web during 2012.
24) Online shoppers will reach 184.3 million in 2012, up 3.3% from 2011.
25) Online buyers will reach 154.6 million in 2012, up 4.4% from 2011.
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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.
Social Media Marketing for Lawyers: How to Master LinkedIn to Boost Referrals
With 135 million users, LinkedIn is still eclipsed by Facebook and Twitter in social media network popularity. But what makes LinkedIn such cat-nip for attorneys is its membership demographics – high-income business people who are on the site to network.
This infographic provides you with specific and actionable information on how to master LinkedIn so you can start reaping the rewards of targeted online referral sources in 2012:
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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!
Content Distribution Tools That Can Turn Lawyers Into Publishers
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A couple of days ago I blogged here about the importance of making content marketing a key legal marketing tactic in 2012.
As luck would have it, on the same day one of my favorite staying-on-top-of-trends websites, Mashable.com, published an article listing six turnkey tools for content distribution that can help lawyers quickly become publishers across the web and social media networks. These tools include:
Outbrain – Have you ever read a story on a major media site and see a list of headline links under the story that said “Sponsored” or “Related”? Outbrain takes an RSS feed of your content or links and matches them with stories sites like CNN, Fox News, Hearst, MSNBC, etc. for a few cents per click.
SimpleReach – Have you ever read a story and then seen a box “slide” in from the side of your browser that says “Recommended for You”? That’s SimpleReach at work. You load the Slide tool on your website or blog and it finds the content that is most shared – and most likely to be shared – and encourages readers to share it. Free.
ARC – A new PRNewswire product, ARC distributes your video or other multimedia content across social networks, blogs, 6,000 media outlets and the top 100 video sites. A paid service.
Zemanta – Use this plug-in on your blog to get tips and advice, suggestions for related content and images and promotes your content to other bloggers and sites to link to. Mashable calls it “a link distribution engine cleverly disguised as a text editor plug-in.” Free.
TubeMogul OneLoad – allows you to upload your video once, then this service distributes it across a wide network of social and video networks. It has analytics so you can track your views. Free.
StumbleUpon – inexpensive pay-per-click content distribution tool that serves users content according to their specified requests.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Increase Your Email Marketing Effectiveness
With all the legal marketing emphasis on social media these days, it sometimes seems as if that very powerful law firm marketing tool – email marketing -- gets left in the dust. That would be a very serious mistake.
The 2011 Marketers’ Benchmark Report by Focus Research showed that email marketing is still the top performing channel:
Earlier this week, Hubspot provided these tips for proven ways to increase your email marketing effectiveness by improving your click-through rates:
Test subject lines – remember the ingredients for effective email subject lines: deliverability, actionability, personalization, clarity, brevity and consistency.
Keep it brief – keep the copy short and extend your offer early.
Make it social – include social sharing buttons that allow readers to pass along your content. Research shows that adding these can increase your click-through rate by 30 percent or more.
Segment your lists – whether it’s by geography, new clients, current clients, prospects or practice area, segment your lists and talk directly to the subjects that interest that segment.
Personalize – not only by name, but also by interest. Make the most relevant offers to those who are most likely to be interested in those specific offers.
Remove distractions – don’t clutter your email newsletter with lots of “fun facts” or other esoterica that distracts from your message.
Strong call-to-action – hit your prospects in the face with a strong call to action in the first part of your email and make it impossible to miss.
Include a P.S. – these are irresistible to most readers, and should be used to reiterate your offer.
Optimize for mobile – research tells us that 70 million Americans access email via their mobile devices every day. Be sure your email messages are optimized for mobile.
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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 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.
Make Content Marketing a Key Legal Marketing Tactic in 2012
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If there’s one area where attorneys can excel, it’s creating content. Your knowledge and experience are useful not only in the court room, but can also be turned into a highly successful legal marketing tactic that can reap big rewards in terms of new client prospects.
So how do you do content marketing right? Here are some tips:
1. Plan ahead. Brainstorm a list of topics that would appeal to your target audience. Review your website analytics to see what pages of your site are getting the most visits, which can help stimulate ideas. Dig up speeches and presentations you’ve made over the last few years and repurpose those for articles, press releases and blog posts. Subscribe to blogs and news feeds that cover your practice area for ideas.
2. Make it interesting. Nielsen research shows that most people spend about a minute on any given web page, so strive to make your content easily digestible in that timeframe. Use short paragraphs and subheads to keep readers’ attention. Punch it up with references to current events or pop culture to make your content timely. Include client success stories (not using real names, of course).
3. Optimize your content. Be sure to optimize your content for search by including your keywords and keyword phrases in your title, subheads and image file names.
4. Create backlinks. Sprinkle your content with links back to your website, blog, social media profiles or previous posts to create backlinks, which help boost your search engine ranking. Comment on other articles, blogs or forums with links back to a relevant post you’ve written, but be sure your comment adds value or it may be viewed as spam.
5. Go social. Promote your videos, posts, articles, press releases and other content on all your social network channels – not only on your own Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter page, but also through submissions to the discussion pages of groups you’ve joined.
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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal
One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!
Still think blogs are a fad?
Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:
- Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
- 3 keys to successful blogging
- 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
- Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
- And much more!
Click here to order your free report now!
How to Build an Audience for Your Law Firm Marketing Blog
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If you build a legal marketing blog, will the readers come? That is a common question many neophyte law firm marketing bloggers must address – not just by posting and hoping, but taking specific actions to attract a following.
Here are some tips on building an audience for your law firm marketing blog:
Pick the low-hanging fruit. Send an email to all your current clients, contacts, family and friends letting them know about your blog. Make it easy for readers to share with friends by adding a Share button feature to your blog. Include your blog address in your email signature as a subtle promotion.
Create good quality content. The best way to grow readership is by creating high quality content that your readers value and will pass along to others. Make your headlines informational and relevant to your subject, instead of serving up sensational headlines that try to “trick” readers into following you.
Write for a target audience. Pick your target and stick to it. Just as we encourage you to niche your practice to attract more quality prospects, you should be applying this same reasoning to your blog audience.
Invite guests. Guest bloggers can provide a new unique voice, keeping your blog fresh, and can also direct their followers to your blog, thus providing you with a new source of readership. Just be sure you choose guest bloggers whose message is relevant to your core audience.
Post consistently. Publishing your blog on a regular schedule helps build loyalty and makes it easier for your audience to integrate you into their daily readership routines.
Be relevant. Blogging about topics that are top-of-mind – a celebrity divorce, a high profile criminal case, a controversial court decision – helps you connect with readers and encourages them to pass your blog along, which in turn increases your reach.
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Want to Learn More Internet 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:
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, February 2
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Wednesday, February 8
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Thursday, February 16
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Wednesday, February 22
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
More Research on Social Media Marketing by Attorneys: Some Doing It, Many Not Doing It Right
If you wanted to buy a new golf club, would you go to a tennis shop? According to a new research study conducted by Vizibility Inc. and LexisNexis, apparently some attorneys would.
One of the more interesting factoids the survey revealed is that only 4 percent of lawyers use the word “lawyer” in their online profiles. Yet people who search online for legal services use that term almost 40 percent of the time. 23 percent of attorneys use “counsel” in their profiles, but only 3.5 percent of people use that search term.
As they say in Texas, too many of y’all are drilling a dry hole.
The survey turned up significant differences in how small firms (1-5 attorneys) use social media vs. how large firms market on social media networks. Small firms and solos rely much more on social media to generate leads (70 percent), while only 37 percent of large firms utilize social media networks for new business opportunities.
The survey results were released as an infographic:
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: How Online Marketing Can Grow Your Law Firm
Last month, I blogged here and here about a study by Hinge Research Institute that found that professional services firms that engage in online marketing for lead generation grow four times faster and are twice as profitable as firms that do not.
The online marketplace has changed the way referrals are made as well as the speed in which they are made, and if you’re still relying on getting referrals “the old fashioned way,” you are missing a very great opportunity for growth and profitability.
Here’s the Hinge infographic that tells the story:
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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.
One Minute in the Life of Law Firm Internet Marketing
Do you ever wonder what happens in one minute on the Internet? I’ve really never given it much thought myself (at least not in those terms) until I came across this interesting infographic from Go-Globe.com:
Of particular interest to law firm marketers is the fact that every minute of every day, there are 600 new videos being added to YouTube, 60 new blogs, 1,500 new blog posts, 168 million emails sent, more than 695,000 status updates on Facebook and almost 695,000 Google searches being initiated.
If you’re not involved in any of this activity, then 2012 needs to be the year you get engaged in Internet marketing!
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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.
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: How to Use Avvo to Generate Leads
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If you've been ignoring your profile on Avvo, here's something to consider: Avvo is very good at search engine optimization. Which means they could be one of your sources for lead generation if you know how to use the site right.
Here are the steps you should take for taking full advantage of the Avvo website:
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 other lawyers 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 clients to write a testimonial for you. 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 may also want to consider advertising on Avvo. I've heard anecdotally from attorneys who are finding some success with an Avvo ad campaign in their local areas. If you have the budget, I think it's worth testing it.
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Register for a 2012 Rainmaker Retreat by Jan. 1 and Get a $397 Gift FREE
Is growing your law practice to greater and more profitable levels on your list of New Year’s resolutions this year?
If so, then your first step is to register for our Rainmaker Retreat two-day law firm marketing boot camp. We have two sessions coming up:
January 27-28, 2012 – Las Vegas, NV
February 10-11, 2012 – Orlando, FL
And if you register before January 1, 2012, you’ll get the Rainmaker in a Box Volume 1 DVD set for FREE, as our holiday gift to you!
For years, the Rainmaker in a Box set has been a consistent best seller at the Rainmaker Institute. It includes four separate presentations on four DVDs as well as a Data DVD including PowerPoint slides from all four presentations that cover the law firm strategies you can employ to create a seven-figure law practice.
Here's just a sample of what you will discover:
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. I share with you the 5 unchanging secrets top-earning attorneys 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 I lay out the 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 I pull back the veil and walk 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 shoestring 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.
We sell a bunch of these every year for $397. Click here to register for a 2012 Rainmaker Retreat and claim your FREE Rainmaker In a Box DVD set now!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Avoid These 5 Costly Errors on Your Law Firm Website
You should know by now that if you do not actively market your law firm, few people will know you exist. Your law firm relies on finding quality prospects – and there is no better tool for this than the Internet (remember that referrals will likely check out your website prior to calling you to see if you might be a good fit for their needs).
Here are five law firm marketing mistakes many lawyers make on their websites:
1. Using legal jargon - Although your website is for a law firm, you will want to stay away from the legal terminology. You must remember that your potential clients are average citizens who do not have a law degree. More than likely, if you create a website that is too hard to read, people will quit without getting too far. You actually only have about thirty seconds before they decide to either keep reading or move onto the next website.
2. Not targeting your Ideal Target Market (ITM) - Many times lawyers will not take the time to evaluate their ITM. This mistake can very well cost you quality prospects. Once you clearly define your target market you need to clearly communicate it on your website. Otherwise, you end up wasting time and energy on low quality prospects.
3. Using a legal directory website - This is not a good idea for your first website. They will set you up with a sub domain on their website. You must have your own domain. You should not lease, rent or license your website domain from anyone.
4. Not incorporating a blog into your website – Google loves fresh content, and the best way to keep adding fresh content to your website is by incorporating a blog. Attorneys who consistently rank high in search add content to their site 3-5 times a week through blogging.
5. Not using the right keywords - This can be a very serious website mistake. Your goal is to have qualified prospects visit your law firm's website. Those people will be searching by typing in familiar words or phrases for what they need information on. These words or phrases are known as keywords. You want to include these keywords in your content, so that your website will be one that pulls you up on the ranking page.
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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 Lawyers: Why SEO is Critical
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If gaining new clients is important to your business, then making sure your site is optimized is vitally important. If your site doesn’t come up on top when people are searching for keywords related to your services, you are missing out on getting new clients – and your competitors are likely picking them up.
Here is some important information that explains why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important to attorneys:
Validation: Potential clients may have already decided that they are likely to hire your firm or possibly a specific lawyer at your firm due to your existing reputation or based on a referral. However statistics and Internet studies show that now, more than ever, people are searching online to help establish trust and comfort before engaging someone’s services. They want to see pictures, read credentials and they also try to get a glimpse of your vibe and style from your website. They may search by an attorney’s name or the firm name, but they are also likely to search by keyword phrases like “family law attorney in Los Angeles”.
Searching is a habit: It has been noted that a lot of people (probably more than you think) use Google instead of typing in a URL. They often have Google set as their home page and find it easier to just search for a keyword phrase or your name or firm name, rather than type in a URL. Even though it is usually pretty easy to get ranked on your name or firm name, that isn’t always the case and they may not find you unless you have good search engine presence.
Hitting the Web before the pavement: Before going to physical office locations, consumers are using search engines to find service providers and doing research before calling or going for a consultation.
Local Search and Geo-targeting: An increasingly popular vertical of the search industry is local search, especially with the advent of smart phones and mobile Internet access. People are more often searching for region-specific products and services. We see more and more searches like “Los Angeles criminal attorney” and with geo-targeting, people no longer even need to type in the regional parameter. The engines can pinpoint your location to within 7 miles of where you are from your IP address (the exception to that is AOL, where it appears that everyone is in Virginia). So a search for “criminal attorney” by someone in Los Angeles would turn up different results than the same search done by someone in San Francisco. Making sure you are optimized is important so your site comes up on top – especially if someone is searching on their Blackberry and looking specifically for a local office.
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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.
LexisNexis Survey Finds Law Firms Still Lagging in Social Media Adoption
The results of a survey by Burson-Marsteller, commissioned by LexisNexis, finds that social media adoption – at least by what is classified as “leading law firms” around the world – is still lagging behind many professions.
Here’s an infographic snapshot of the results:
Perhaps what is most surprising is the low usage of two of the most powerful social media tools for attorneys: blogging and online videos. These tools are terrific for attorneys to help establish credibility and authority, to speak directly with prospects and to get your voice out there. So why are they lagging behind LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook?
My guess is, the amount of effort it takes to produce blogs and videos. Which is too bad, because this kind of content is what Google and other search engines reward the most.
I recently posted a blog giving 26 reasons why social media should be a part of law firm marketing programs. If you didn’t read it here, perhaps you picked it up in the latest LexisNexis Best Practices in Lawyer Blogs newsletter...they graciously included my post in their roundup.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: 7 Tools for Gathering Content Ideas
One of the biggest complaints I hear from attorneys is the difficulties they encounter coming up with ideas for their articles, blogs and other content-based marketing.
If you’re doing content marketing like it should be done – creating fresh content and posting it 5-7 times a week – it is hard to come up with a fresh idea almost every day. Which is why it is so important to have tools to help you aggregate ideas from as many different sources as you can find.
A post a couple of days ago at Mashable.com provides a list of 7 online tools that can help you gather lots of fodder for your content files – from news sources, your industry, or even your personal networks:
Twitter – for staying on top of breaking news. Check out @AP, @Reuters and @BBCBreaking.
Tweeted Times – for aggregating all the news in your Twitter stream and ranking items by popularity.
Google Reader – for aggregating multiple news sources, including other blogs and industry newsletters, via RSS feed.
Flipboard – this is an app for your iPad or iPhone that displays the news from any RSS source as well as your social networks.
Instapaper and Read It Later – for bookmarking articles to save for later reading on your laptop, desktop, iPhone, iPad or Android.
Link Aggregators – sites like Google News that collect and rank news on any given topic.
LinkedIn Today – for aggregating news by industry.
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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!
Insight on Building a Multi-Million Dollar Law Practice From One Who Did It
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Mark Herrman, who is VP and Chief Counsel-Litigation at Aon and writes the Inside Straight blog at AbovetheLaw.com, wrote a tremendously insightful post yesterday about building a law practice from scratch.
I recommend you read the entire piece here.
Herrman’s post resonates as a candid glimpse into the reality of what it takes to build a solid, profitable practice – namely, lots of hard work and plenty of persistence! For Herrman, who built an eight-figure pharmaceutical product liability practice from nothing at his former law firm, there are no magic bullets for picking off the big clients he was finally able to attract...just years of nose-to-the-grindstone effort in marketing and business development.
Herrman boils success down to two actions: get famous and make contacts. Getting famous means establishing your authority in a niche practice area, so you can carve out a true competitive advantage and really focus.
Hermann “got famous” by authoring articles, co-authoring books, giving talks, meeting people in his field of practice and blogging. One great piece of advice for article marketing: “Don’t do it alone. Contact in-house lawyers, and explain that you’d like to co-author articles with them. That gives you a chance to impress an in-house person with the quality of your mind and written work, and it lets the two of you work together. That’s a good way to convince a potential client that you’re competent.”
In fact, the client that launched Herrman’s pharmaceutical product liability practice came as a direct result of his business development efforts – his firm was invited to participate in an RFP from someone he had co-authored articles with and spoken with on panels.
But that first client came only after seven years of work by Herrman to “get famous and make contacts”! My takeaway from Herrman’s career case study:
- Marketing and business development are hard work, not magic.
- Persistence pays off.
- It’s the niches that lead to riches – go deep, not broad.
- Article marketing works (this free report gives more details on how to do it).
- Blogging works, but is a long-term investment (Herrman started in 2006), not a get-rich-quick scheme! You must do it consistently. If you’re not ready to do that, then give us a call, because we can help.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: The Rise of Inbound Marketing
Those of us immersed daily in the world of law firm marketing sometimes tend to forget that attorneys speak a language all their own...the language of law, not marketing.
There are times when I am making a presentation at a Rainmaker Retreat or Bar Association meeting that I see confusion creep across the faces of the lawyers in attendance when I sprinkle that presentation liberally with law firm marketing terminology.
The Internet was the catalyst for the rise of inbound marketing via social media, blogging, search engine optimization, online video, etc. The Internet has also led to the ongoing demise of traditional outbound marketing techniques – TV ads, telemarketing, snail direct mail, and so on – which are intrusive forms of marketing we no longer tolerate.
Here is a succinct visualization of Inbound Marketing by upstate New York web marketing firm Volinsky Consulting:
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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal
One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a new report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that in 2010, 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!
Still think blogs are a fad?
Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:
- Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
- 3 keys to successful blogging
- 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
- Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
- And much more!
Click here to order your free report now!
Law Firm Marketing: The Top 10 B2B Content Marketing Tactics
We all know that “cash is king” when it comes to successfully managing your own business, but when it comes to B2B marketing, content is king.
A new study by MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute, which surveyed almost 1,100 B2B marketers in August 2011, has found that 90 percent of B2B marketers use content marketing to grow their businesses – and 80 percent of those use at least eight content marketing tactics to achieve their marketing goals.
The top 10 B2B content marketing tactics include:
The study found that the three content marketing tactics that have grown the most since last year are blogs (65% in 2011 vs. 51% in 2010), videos (52% in 2011 vs. 41% in 2010) and white papers (51% in 2011 vs. 43% in 2010).
Social media networks grew substantially over the past year as vehicles for distributing content:
The biggest challenge facing B2B content marketers today is, not surprisingly, producing the kind of content that engages prospective customers. To produce this content, more marketers are turning to outsourcing – 62% of those surveyed said they use a combination of in-house and outsourced content, up from 55% one year ago.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox.
Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Marketing for Lawyers: Highlights from a Recent Rainmaker Retreat
The last Rainmaker Retreat for 2011 was held last weekend in Los Angeles, attracting an enthusiastic group of attorneys and staff eager to learn about the proven law firm marketing strategies that will help them generate more leads, convert more prospects to clients and achieve greater levels of success in 2012.
Listen to the takeaways from three of last weekend’s Rainmaker Retreat participants:
Business litigator Jim Negele talks about how the Rainmaker Retreat helps take away the fear of engaging in social media marketing:
Jeanne Malone, a 20-year law firm marketing veteran (http://giddenslaw.com), shares how the Rainmaker Retreat has helped add new weapons to her marketing arsenal:
Family law attorney Don Schweitzer (www.pasadenadivorce.com) is ready to implement what he’s learned at 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
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, December 8
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Thursday, December 15
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Tuesday, December 20
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm 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 Develop Online Videos That Produce Leads
YouTube set a new record this October with more than 20 Billion video views, according to comScore Video Matrix data. Approximately 184 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 21.1 hours each of online video in October.
The comScore data also showed that for the first time Facebook ranks 2nd in online video viewers, with 59.8 million viewers.
When we build a client’s website, we always try to add video features. We know that lawyers love words. But your potential clients love video, and hosting your video clips on YouTube and Facebook is an excellent way to state your case to those potential clients as well as improve your search engine ranking.
Plus, it’s easy and economical to do. So whether or not you have video features on your website, you can create a YouTube channel for your practice that will do double duty for you, persuading potential clients why they should hire you, and boosting your Google ranking. Here’s how:
Pick your specialty. You’ve heard me say it before, but it bears repeating: one of the biggest legal marketing mistakes attorneys make is generalization. You need to promote yourself as a specialist (in the marketing sense) – you’re a divorce lawyer, or a car accident attorney, or an estate planning lawyer. Choose 3-4 topics within your area of specialization and develop informational talking points (no more than 3-4 minutes each) that potential clients will find useful. And remember, you are not shooting a commercial – make it short and informational.
Shoot your videos. Your clips do not need to be Hollywood-quality productions. You can get an inexpensive HD camcorder for around $200 and have one of your staff shoot the videos of you in your office or conference room. These camcorders have a built-in USB connection so you can upload each clip to your computer, edit it, and create a file for YouTube.
Set up your channel. With YouTube, you can create your own TV channel. The website will walk you through the process, including uploading and tagging your video. Be SURE you title and tag your video with your keywords (i.e., “Atlanta divorce lawyer”) so you feed those search engines. You will also need to add a description – be as specific as possible and load up on those keywords.
Promote your channel. Add your YouTube channel URL to all your social media pages – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. – as well as to your email signature. Have everyone in your practice add it to their social media and electronic signatures as well. You can also search for relevant videos on YouTube and post a video reply linking your channel to those relevant videos. And, of course, embed the clips into your website and link to your YouTube channel from there.
Online video is a great social media tool for your law firm marketing arsenal that can help you with SEO and attracting new clients.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Build Authority for Your Law Firm Website
A primary goal of law firm marketing is to build authority for you and your practice among likely prospects. This is done via a myriad of law firm marketing strategies, both offline and online.
Internet marketing firm Vertical Measures developed this insightful infographic that shows all the steps necessary to build authority for your law firm website. The strategies center around three key areas: content marketing, social media marketing and link building:
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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!
Law Firm Marketing: What High Growth Professional Firms Do Differently
Yesterday I blogged about a recent study of 500 professional services firms from Hinge Research Institute on how the use – or nonuse – of online marketing impacts the growth and profitability of professional services firms.
Today’s post is about what Hinge found that high growth firms do differently that make them high growth. They looked at high growth firms that generate 40 percent or more of their leads online and found that these organizations:
- Update their websites more frequently
- Use online contact forms much more frequently
- Were twice as likely to have redesigned their website over the past year
- Are generating five times more online leads and twice as many new hires
- Are twice as profitable than average growth firms
So what do high growth firms do differently than average growth firms? Take a look:
Examining the effectiveness of these online techniques, high growth firms showed an advantage in every category:
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Did you know that you can learn about all of these online strategies used by high growth professional services firms -- and how to implement them immediately at your law firm -- at a Rainmaker Retreat? For more information and to register for an upcoming session, visit www.rainmakerretreat.com.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: Online Marketing Produces Higher Growth and Profits for Professional Services Firms
A study of 500 professional services firms from Hinge Research Institute has found that online marketing produces higher growth and bigger profits for those firms that utilize Internet marketing for lead generation.
According to the study, firms that generated 40 percent or more of their leads online grew four times faster than firms with no online lead generation strategy:
In addition, the study found that firms in the high growth category obtained at least 63 percent of their leads online, while those firms in the average growth category got 12 percent of their leads online.
And here’s the kicker: firms that generate more than 60 percent of their leads online are twice as profitable as those that generate less than 20 percent of their leads online:
What online techniques are professional services finding the most effective? Here’s a chart ranking them from 1 (ineffective) to 10 (highly effective):
This report is so relevant to law firm marketing that I will post more tomorrow, including what the research says high growth firms do differently.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox. Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: How to Create a Loyal Following Online
Today is Veteran’s Day, which is about as good a day as any to think about loyalty. When it comes to legal services, law firms are facing the same problem many other brands are facing today: the erosion of customer loyalty.
Spurred by a weak economy, consumers are becoming less and less loyal to brands, and the cost of acquiring new customers is a real concern. Which is why social media – while not a panacea for all ills – can help attorneys close the loyalty gap. Here is an interesting infographic on the motivations behind brand loyalty online:
A personal note to our nation’s veterans: Everyone at the Rainmaker Institute joins me today in offering our sincere appreciation to you and your families for your service and your sacrifice. We can never say it enough: thank you.
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Want to Learn More Internet 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:
December 2-3, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA
February 10-11, 2012 – Orlando, FL
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:
Wednesday, November 16
10am PT | 11am MT | 12pm CT | 1pm ET
Tuesday, November 22
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Tips to Produce Content for New Google Update
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I blogged earlier this week about the recent Google algorithm update that rewards fresh and relevant content. This is great news for all of you who are already participating in Social Media and who update your websites regularly.
Here is what Google wants – and how you can get it:
Press releases – these are timely and can be easily optimized for your keywords and key phrases. You need to not only post them to your own site, but also utilize a distribution service like PRWeb that blasts your optimized news out to the online world, including the major search engines.
Blogs – if you are not blogging yet, you need to be. If you are, you need to be sure you are posting a new blog at least 3-5 times every week. Tie your posts to something in the news and you make it even more relevant and timely.
Social Media – posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media sites provide you with the fresh, relevant juice that Google loves to reward. Contribute comments on other people’s posts for another boost.
Articles – Repurpose your press releases into articles and submit them to free article directories as well as post them on Avvo. Or grab something from the headlines and write your own spin on it for a fresh article.
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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: Google Algorithm Update Rewards Fresh Content More
When it comes to taking advantage of the latest algorithm update on Google, remember two R’s: relevant and recent.
According to the official Google blog, the latest update to the search engine giant’s algorithm gives precedence to content that is fresh as well as relevant for the search terms people are using to find what they want.
The blog notes that Google uses “a freshness algorithm” to give users the most up-to-date results that builds on their Caffeine web indexing system introduced last year, which indexes for fresh content. Google says this new update will affect approximately 35 percent of its searches.
Here are 5 steps to produce relevant and recent content for your law firm marketing blog:
1. Schedule time to write. Pick a time when you are most likely to have 30 to 45 minutes of uninterrupted writing time and put it on your calendar. Maybe it’s early morning or at the end of the day, or even the lunch hour. Schedule it at least three times a week.
2. Create a fodder file. You can use a tool like Google Reader to subscribe to RSS feeds of news organizations or other blogs, set a Google Alert for topics in your field of practice, or use a free program like Evernote to clip web pages when you come across something online that would be a good blog subject. Blogging about news from larger organizations and associations is a perfect way to tie your blog into timely news subjects.
3. Write and schedule ahead. If you have an extra hour, turn out a few new posts and schedule them in advance – WordPress, LexBlog and most blog publishing platforms allow you to do this.
4. Invite a guest. Invite someone else whose expertise your target market is interested in to blog as a guest. This could be as simple as walking down the hall and asking another partner to join in!
5. Publish an interview. Email some experts in your field a series of questions and ask them to respond, then publish that response as an interview on your blog. In return, you can provide them with links back to their website, book or blog to give them the extra exposure to a new audience.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox. Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Law Firm Marketing: 3 Types of Content You Must Produce to Win Prospects Over
I just came across a great eBook written by Ardath Albee, a B2B marketing strategist and founder of Marketing Interactions, Inc., entitled Content is Currency.
In it she identifies the three types of content most effective in generating leads: education, expertise and evidence. Here’s a brief explanation of each:
Education: Before they buy, prospects research so educational content is essential to grab them in the early stages of the buying process. This kind of content is designed to help prospects answer the questions they have about the problems they are facing.
Expertise: Like it or not, prospects view most legal services as commodities and to get them to buy from you, you must demonstrate your difference and how you add value.
Evidence: Prospects look for endorsement from many sources about the services you offer – they won’t just take your word for it. Telling stories about how your legal services have helped real people and including testimonials will help you provide evidence that you can do what you say you can do.
To get her free eBook on how to create a successful online content strategy, click here.
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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" eBook
In a newly revised eBook, 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 eBook 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.
Law Firm Marketing: Differentiation is the Key to Getting Hired
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Nobody wants to hire a lawyer, but there are certain events that cause consumers and business owners to seek out a lawyer:
- Purchasing real estate
- Getting a divorce
- Starting a company
- Creating a estate plan
The struggle comes when consumers are faced with an overwhelming number of choices. Regardless of practice area, most consumers and business owners do not know how to distinguish a great lawyer from a mediocre one.
With over a million attorneys in the nation, there are thousands of lawyers in every major city who provide the exact same services. Unless attorneys seriously reconsider how they differentiate themselves from other law firms they will continue to flounder.
In Practice Made Perfect, our business development CD set for attorneys, we cover 10 specific ways to differentiate your services. Here are just 3 of them:
1. Create a micro niche. If you develop a tumor on your brain you would go to neurologist, not a general practitioner. It's the same way with law firm marketing. You must position yourself as a specialist, not a generalist. One way to do this is by focusing on a very defined niche. For example, "I concentrate on helping inventors and owners of small software development companies in Los Angeles with less than $1 million in revenues protect their intellectual property and develop creative ways to generate multiple revenue streams from their invention."
2. Focus on the benefits, value and results. Too many attorneys try to sell their legal services. People never buy legal services. They buy solutions to their problems. When meeting with a prospective client emphasize the benefits you offer to clients and the value you bring through your specific experience with their kind of legal problem. Discuss the results you have achieved for other clients, but be careful not to overstep the ethical boundaries or promise results based on someone else's case.
3. Build an online presence. The Internet has changed everything when it comes to law firm marketing and how consumers select law firms. Today, most people will check attorneys out online before they ever hire them. Having a robust presence on leading social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube), an interesting blog and a website that reinforces why you are different is key.
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Want to Learn More Internet 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:
November 11-12, 2011: Chicago, IL
December 2-3, 2011: Los Angeles, CA
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, October 27
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Wednesday, November 2
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Thursday, November 10
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!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Communicating in the Age of Sharing
If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve begun posting infographics every Friday to help everyone ease their way into the weekend. Plus, I find that infographics are a really entertaining way to get across what we sometimes may not be able to wrap our minds around with just words alone.
Take today’s example, which is what happens in one minute in the social media world.
Communicating today is all about sharing. Just like we were told as children: it’s nice to share. But it’s no longer just nice – it’s becoming the way consumers communicate, by re-tweeting, re-posting and sharing content (usually other people’s content, like these infographics).
An important goal of your social media marketing program should be creating shareable content – articles, blogs, videos, etc. – that people find interesting enough to share. Doing so helps you establish your authority as an expert voice in your practice area.
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New Jersey Attorneys: Learn The 5 Rules of Internet Marketing at Oct. 20 Seminar
Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley will be presenting two seminars on October 20 on The 5 Rules of Internet Marketing for Attorneys: How to Ethically Use Your Website and Blog to Generate High Quality Leads for Your Law Firm.
Sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Camden County Bar Association, each seminar will focus on how top attorneys are using the Internet, their websites and blogs to find more and better clients for their law firms. Stephen will be sharing:
- The 5 rules for Internet marketing for attorneys
- Do's and Don'ts: the intersection of ethics and online marketing
- The 3 keys to getting your website on the front page of Google
- How to set up your website right the first time
- Avoiding common ethical pitfalls with your Internet marketing
- Lead conversion pages: how law firms are converting 10-30% of website visitors into qualified leads
- 3 most important goals of your website & blog
- The "secret weapon" of Internet marketing for lawyers
Attendees will receive 2.4 New Jersey General CLE credits. Here are the details on the two upcoming sessions:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Location: ACUA, 6700 Delilah Rd., Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Cost: $77 for NJSBA members; $97 for non-members
Camden County Bar Association:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Location: Camden County Bar Association, 1040 Kings Highway N., #201, Cherry Hill, NJ
Cost: $77 for NJSBA or Camden County Bar Assn. members; $97 for non-members
To register online for either of these seminars, click here.
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: How to Keep Up With Changes in SEO Practices
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At our Rainmaker Retreat last weekend, one attorney asked, “How can I stay up with SEO since it changes so fast?”
The answer is, unless you’re ready to change careers, you probably can’t.
There is an entire industry devoted to the practice of SEO and keeping on top of the changes in search engine algorithms that directly impact how websites are served up to searchers. To become adept at practicing SEO, you would probably need to abandon the practice of law.
SEO 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 SEO to someone who can be just as effective at it – or more – than you are.
Before you do, however, be sure you have measurable goals if and when you outsource so you can see if you’re getting the bang you want for your buck.
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 SEO 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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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.
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: 3 Steps to Finding the Right Keywords
At our Rainmaker Retreat in San Francisco this past weekend, I fielded several questions from attorneys about keywords – how to find the right ones and how often to use them.
Here are 3 steps to finding the right keywords for your law practice:
Step 1: Make a list of 5-6 words and/or phrases that best describe your practice.
Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes and think about what words they would use to find you. Hint: it is not the name of your firm. Choose words or phrases that describe exactly what you do, in laymen’s terms: i.e., Phoenix divorce lawyer, car accident attorney, etc.
Step 2: Choose your keywords or key phrases based on relevance and difficulty.
As you saw in my Tuesday blog, competition for the word “lawyer” is about as fierce as it gets, which means it would be very difficult for your site to rank high in search results for that word alone. The smaller you are, the more specific you want to get, choosing keywords that have less competition. Use Google’s Keyword Tool to see what the search volume is for your keywords and key phrases. Look for similar words that have less competition, but are still relevant to your business. Then strike a good balance between relevance and difficulty.
Step 3: Use your keywords and key phrases throughout your website.
Choose the best 3-5 individual keywords and your top 10 key phrases and use them in the content of your website as well as in the page titles and metadata. If you can secure a URL for these keywords, use that as well. Be sure not to “stuff” your content with too many keywords – your site should still be written for a human being, not a search engine.
If you would like to learn more about online marketing for law firms, sign up to attend one of our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats – we’ve got one coming up in two weeks in Livingston, New Jersey (Oct. 21-22), one next month in Chicago (Nov. 11-12) and one in December in Los Angeles (Dec. 2-3).
For more information, visit www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox. Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Law Firm Marketing: Tapping Into a Nation of Watchers
It’s no secret that we Americans have been addicted to television for years, and it seems as if that addiction has transferred right over to watching online video. Here is an interesting infographic from Wistia, an online video management firm, that clearly demonstrates why online video should be part of your law firm marketing program:
Infographic by: Wistia
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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!
On Steve Jobs
There are many eloquent eulogies filling the Internet on the death of Steve Jobs yesterday. Perhaps my favorite comes from a Facebook post; it reads, simply:
iSad.
All the words, all the quotes, all the accolades, yet this simple post captures everything about Jobs’ passing. One simple word to capture what we are all feeling. And the most perfect tribute to someone whose designs relied completely on tapping basic human emotion.
For whatever reason you came to the law, you probably thought at one time or another that you wanted to change the world through your work. He did that, truly. And I think what he had to say about work is worth remembering today:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” (2005 Stanford commencement speech)
Words to live – and work – by, from a man who redefined the space at the intersection of technology and humanity...and in doing so, touched us all.
New Jersey Attorneys to Learn The 5 Rules of Internet Marketing at Oct. 20 Bar-Sponsored Seminars
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There couldn’t be a hotter topic to discuss than what I’ll be presenting on October 20 in New Jersey: The 5 Rules of Internet Marketing for Attorneys: How to Ethically Use Your Website and Blog to Generate High Quality Leads for Your Law Firm.
This fast-paced seminar will focus on how top attorneys are using the Internet, their websites and blogs to find more and better clients for their law firms. We’ve found that the Internet is one of the most cost-effective lead sources for today's attorneys.
I will be sharing:
- The 5 rules for Internet marketing for attorneys
- Do's and Don'ts: the intersection of ethics and online marketing
- The 3 keys to getting your website on the front page of Google
- How to set up your website right the first time
- Avoiding common ethical pitfalls with your Internet marketing
- Lead conversion pages: how law firms are converting 10-30% of website visitors into qualified leads
- 3 most important goals of your website & blog
- The "secret weapon" of Internet marketing for lawyers
Attendees will receive 2.4 New Jersey General CLE credits. Here are the details on the two upcoming sessions:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Location: ACUA, 6700 Delilah Rd., Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Cost: $77 for NJSBA members; $97 for non-members
Camden County Bar Association:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Location: Camden County Bar Association, 1040 Kings Highway N., #201, Cherry Hill, NJ
Cost: $77 for NJSBA or Camden County Bar Assn. members; $97 for non-members
To register online for either of these seminars, click here.
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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.
Search Engine Marketing for Lawyers: Don't Forget The Basics
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An excellent post today at SearchEngineWatch.com provides the eight basic SEO elements that should remain consistent on your law firm marketing websites to achieve a high Google rank, no matter how many times Google tweaks its search algorithms – which it does at least once a day!
Summarized, here are the rules of the road to higher rankings:
Basic keyword SEO rules – including your target keywords in your URLs, meta tags, titles and descriptions as well as in your page content.
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.
Quality user experience – Google rewards sites that are well designed, easy to navigate, load quickly and keep visitors engaged (low bounce rates).
Fresh content – creating new content and updating old content regularly boosts authority and news ranking.
Content diversity – Google prefers diversity in format and content, so include photos, videos and presentations wherever possible.
Feedback – syndicate, promote and provide people with an easy way to share feedback via a blog hosted or linked to your website.
Browser compatibility – your site needs to be compatible with the latest browser versions, including mobile.
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Sept. 28 Webinar: How to Answer the Question, "Why Should I Hire You?"
One of the toughest questions attorneys get from a potential client is, “Why should I hire you?”
When faced with this question, most attorneys fall back on talking about the quality of their services, their experience and the size of their law firm.
Prepare to have your eyes opened to the truth when you attend our one-hour How to Answer the Question, “Why Should I Hire You?”: Creating a Unique Competitive Advantage webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET:
- Why quality does NOT matter! (Yes, you read that correctly, quality does not matter when it comes to closing a prospect)
- The #1 reason why prospects “shop you on price”
- How most attorneys completely miss the point when talking about their experience
- The 4 biggest reasons to emphasize when talking with prospects
- Overcoming common objections attorneys encounter
- Winning over skeptics by focusing on the numbers of your practice
- Case studies of how top attorneys respond when asked the ultimate question
- How to overcome price objections even before you meet with a prospect
- How to respond if someone says, “Your price is too high” or “That’s too much money!”
- How to get potential clients to stop making price an objection once and for all
- And 8 more effective ways to answer the question, “Why should I hire you?”
To register online for the Sept. 28 webinar on Creating a Unique Competitive Advantage, click here.
How the Rainmaker Retreat Delivers From Coast to Coast
When I talk to attorneys about the Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day law firm marketing boot camp, I always find a few who are not really sure what we teach will apply directly to their practice.
The objections I hear range from “my area is really specialized” to “I’m not sure that the marketing techniques you teach would work in (fill in name of city).”
Let me tell you that, based on my experience of teaching more than 8,000 U.S. attorneys the law firm marketing strategies and tactics that really work in today’s legal services marketplace, what you will learn at a Rainmaker Retreat will translate directly into more business for your practice.
And if you don’t believe me, perhaps you can take it from two of our past attendees who practice on different sides of the country:
Bob Lesuer, Partner, Personal Injury litigation practice, Erie, PA:
Erin Tenner, Business Law attorney, Los Angeles, CA:
I invite you to attend a Rainmaker Retreat, where you will leave with a comprehensive marketing plan for your practice that will deliver new prospects and clients to your door wherever you may practice. Here are the upcoming dates:
October 7-8, 2011: San Francisco, CA
October 21-22, 2011: Livingston, NJ
November 11-12, 2011: Chicago, IL
December 2-3, 2011: Los Angeles, CA
Registration information is available by visiting the Rainmaker Retreat website, www.RainmakerRetreat.com or by calling 888-588-5891.
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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.
13 Ways to Create a Powerful & Profitable Law Firm Blog
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Blogging can be a powerful performer for your law firm marketing efforts, but there’s a way to do it right and a way to do it wrong. Here are 13 tips for creating a powerful – and eventually profitable – law firm blog:
Integrate your blog with your law firm website. For SEO purposes, it is best to create your blog either as a sub-domain of your law firm website or within the site as a separate tab or folder. If you need to host the blog as a separate domain, that’s okay, too, and can provide you with link-building opportunities between the two.
Don’t write about yourself. Writing about yourself or your firm does you no great service and you miss a great opportunity for thought leadership. You need to be a resource to your target market for legal information, so they will think of you first when they actually need a lawyer.
Publish often. I’ll say it again: Google loves fresh content! Publishing 3-5 times a week is best.
Write focused content. Put yourself in the shoes of your target market and speak directly to their needs.
Create variety. Don’t be boring. Include video, audio, charts and graphs, photos, cartoons or other visually interesting content in your blog.
Encourage engagement. A blog is the perfect opportunity to create a conversation with your target market – so ask for thoughts and post responses to create a dialogue.
Take every opportunity for SEO. Identify and use the keywords that will help your blog get found by search engines.
Pick that low-hanging fruit. Add a subscribe button so people can get a continual feed from your blog. Add social sharing buttons so users can share your content in social media. Add a search box so people can more easily find your content.
Source content. Ask others in your professional network to contribute, or quote from their blogs and include a link as attribution.
Promote your blog through social media. Share a link to your blog posts through social media by posting it on your Facebook Fan Page, tweeting and posting on LinkedIn. Those social share buttons will also have your readers doing some of the heavy lifting for you.
Make it actionable. Include offers of free reports, e-newsletter subscriptions, webinars or other “freeminums” that will encourage people to give you their email address, which is also known as a lead!
Scour analytics for insight. How do you know if your blog is working for you? Look at your blog analytics. These provide important insight into how many visitors you’re getting, how many times they come back, how many subscribers you’re generating, which posts are the most popular, etc. Use what you’ve learned to improve every month.
Give it time. Reaching the level of success you want for your law firm blog takes time and effort. Don’t give up or you’ll miss a powerful lead generation opportunity.
NOTE: For those of you attending the State Bar of California Annual Meeting this week, drop by our booth (#504) to talk with us about your law firm marketing goals and challenges. We’ll be giving out complimentary marketing materials that I guarantee you will find useful!
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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.
Why SEO Matters to Your Law Firm Marketing Efforts
Are you still trying to figure out why search engine optimization (SEO) -- the art and science of artificially boosting your website or blog to the organic results (versus paid advertising) for specific search terms – should matter to your law firm marketing efforts?
New research from the Pew Research Center shows that 92% of online adults use search engines to find information on the Web, and a majority of those use search every day:
So what SEO tactics are the most effective? SEO research firm MarketingSherpa featured this chart from their latest Search Marketing Benchmark Report-SEO Edition:
Keyword research, title tags, meta descriptions and a good URL structure are the “low hanging fruit” of SEO and should be done first. Content creation has the most impact, but takes the most effort.
If you don’t know how to integrate SEO tactics into your law firm marketing plan, then I invite you to attend a Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day law firm marketing boot camp where you will leave with a comprehensive marketing plan for your practice. Here are the upcoming dates:
October 7-8, 2011: San Francisco, CA
October 21-22, 2011: Livingston, NJ
November 11-12, 2011: Chicago, IL
December 2-3, 2011: Los Angeles, CA
Registration information is available by visiting the Rainmaker Retreat website, www.RainmakerRetreat.com or by calling 888-588-5891.
***NOTE: For those of you attending the State Bar of California Annual Meeting this week, drop by our booth (#504) to talk with us about your law firm marketing goals and challenges. We’ll be giving out complimentary marketing materials that I guarantee you will find useful!
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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.
Small Law Firms and Solos: In the Crosshairs of Change
We’ve all heard the expression “Innovate or Die,” but how many of us really thought about the practice of law in conjunction with that phrase?
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is out with a new book that is all the buzz on the talk show circuit; it’s called That Used to Be Us, and focuses on how making innovation a priority can help our nation retain/regain its superpower status.
Innovation is very much at the forefront when it comes to the legal profession these days, as evidenced by venture capital investments in Rocket Lawyer and other online legal service providers.
Jim Calloway, an Oklahoma attorney who writes a blog about law practice management, recently conducted an interview with Richard Granat, the lawyer behind DirectLaw and current co-chair of the eLawyering Task Force of the ABA Law Practice Management Section. They discussed how venture capitalists are changing the way that small firms and solos will practice in the future; here are some quotes of note from Granat:
I see a “buzz” or “new paradigm” going around this community ( “the VC community”), that it is time to break the back of solos and small law firms by funding disruptive experiments that are designed to bring real change to the delivery of legal services, no matter what impact it has on the livelihoods of solos and small law firms.
I think that the economics of solo and small practice is undergoing a major transformation. Lawyers will still be able to demand high fees for complex, value-added work. For tasks where there is a large information component which can be manipulated by software, such as web-enabled document automation systems, lawyers will feel the effects of disintermediation, just as other industries have that have been transformed by the Internet.
To compete in today’s connected world, lawyers need to pick up the skills to market their services online and to deliver legal services online. If you are not online, you are nowhere.
There is no question that the same forces that enabled Amazon to change the way we buy books and Apple to change the way we buy music are bringing about a similar evolution in the way consumers buy legal services.
The question to be answered now is, will small firms and solos innovate or die?
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Free Report: How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation
Did you know there are thousands of directories on the Internet that will publish your articles for FREE?! Get all the details in Stephen Fairley’s latest free report, How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation.
Here are 4 reasons why you should publish your articles online:
- You can control what comes up when people search for your name on Google!
- Most of the Article Directories will give you a link back to your website!
- It’s FREE Marketing! The majority of these article directories do not charge anything to publish your article.
- You can look like a much Bigger Player!
To get your free report right now, click here.
How to Turn Your Legal Knowledge Into a Powerful Law Firm Marketing Tool
Education-based marketing is one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of lawyers. There is a great amount of basic information you know about your practice area that prospects want and need to know.
Think about some of the questions your clients have about child custody and divorce or how to avoid getting sued by employees or ways to protect their intellectual property. Identify their frequently asked questions or biggest challenges and put together a short report (three to six pages long), a PowerPoint presentation, or even an audio CD, and offer a free copy to website visitors who give you their contact information. (Remember, if you cannot get visitors to call you directly, the second-best alternative is to persuade them to give you their contact information with permission to contact them.)
Give your education material a creative title that will also turn up well in an online search, such as “How to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer” or “What Men Need to Know About Divorce” or “How to Make Money Off Your Invention.”
This kind of free educational information is a great tool you can use to start building relationships with many people who need your help but aren’t ready to walk in your door. It is not enough simply to offer people a free consultation. Almost every lawyer does that. Take it one step further and give them some great information that will help them think through the issues and challenges they are facing.
Once you have created these educational tools, find every way you can to give them away to as many people as possible.
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Free Report: How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation
Did you know there are thousands of directories on the Internet that will publish your articles for FREE?! Get all the details in Stephen Fairley’s latest free report, How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation.
Here are 4 reasons why you should publish your articles online:
- You can control what comes up when people search for your name on Google!
- Most of the Article Directories will give you a link back to your website!
- It’s FREE Marketing! The majority of these article directories do not charge anything to publish your article.
- You can look like a much Bigger Player!
To get your free report right now, click here.
5 Steps to Producing Quality Content for Your Law Firm Marketing Blog
As I’ve said here many times, Google loves fresh content, and rewards you for it, too, by increasing your search and page ranking.
But sometimes the juices just aren’t flowing, you’re short on time or (add your latest excuse here) – the end result is, your blog is not getting fed fresh, relevant content and is therefore not doing the job it’s supposed to be doing for you as a primary law firm marketing tool.
Here are 5 steps to producing consistent, high quality content for your law firm marketing blog:
1. Schedule time to write. Pick a time when you are most likely to have 30 to 45 minutes of uninterrupted writing time and put it on your calendar. Maybe it’s early morning or at the end of the day, or even the lunch hour. Schedule it at least three times a week.
2. Create a fodder file. You can use a tool like Google Reader to subscribe to RSS feeds of news organizations or other blogs, set a Google Alert for topics in your field of practice, or use a free program like Evernote to clip web pages when you come across something online that would be a good blog subject.
I’ve even taken photos on my iPhone of articles in magazines or newspapers – the image in this post is a perfect example of a good post for a personal injury or car accident attorney. Blogging about news from larger organizations and associations is a perfect way to tie your blog into timely news subjects.
3. Write and schedule ahead. If you have an extra hour, turn out a few new posts and schedule them in advance – WordPress, LexBlog and most blog publishing platforms allow you to do this.
4. Invite a guest. Invite someone else whose expertise your target market is interested in to blog as a guest. This could be as simple as walking down the hall and asking another partner to join in!
5. Publish an interview. Email some experts in your field a series of questions and ask them to respond, then publish that response as an interview on your blog. In return, you can provide them with links back to their website, book or blog to give them the extra exposure to a new audience.
Click here to get my free report on Advanced Internet Marketing Strategies for Attorneys: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.
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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.
The Top 6 Marketing Mistakes Attorneys Make On Their Websites
Websites are an essential part of a law firm's success when it comes to reaching and converting prospective clients. If you don't market your law firm, few will know you exist. Your law firm relies on quality prospects and returning clients.
Let's get clear about the challenges we all face. As you know, the legal industry is evolving more rapidly than ever before. Competition, technology and consumerism seem to be taking huge bites out of our business possibilities.
Not to mention the challenges of not being able to reach our desired prospects. We're working harder, feeling more stressed, and not yet seeing the results we want. We are afraid the old answers to building and sustaining our law firms just don't seem to be working any more.
Whether we like it or not, it's time to take action and re-engineer our marketing efforts and our law practice - or risk our futures. With this in mind, let's talk about the most common law firm marketing mistakes many lawyers make on their websites and how to correct them.
1. Writing in legal jargon - Although your website is for a law firm, stay away from legal terminology. Remember "You Are Not Your Client" and your potential clients don't have a law degree. Potential clients will quickly look elsewhere if they are having to sift through your copy to find something that makes sense to them.
You only have about thirty seconds before a potential client decides to either keep reading or move onto the next website. Clearly identify your target market, and address these 3 basic topics in your copy:
- Identify your target markets most painful problem
- Provide your solution to their problem
- Give them the next step by including your call to action
2. Not targeting your Ideal Target Market (ITM) - Many times lawyers will not take the time to evaluate their ITM. This mistake will cost you quality prospects. Once you clearly define your target market, clearly communicate it on your website. Otherwise, you will waste time and energy on low quality prospects.
3. Using a legal directory website - This isn't a good idea for your first website. The legal directory company will set you up with a sub domain on their website. You must have your own domain. You should not lease, rent or license your website domain from anyone.
Not having control of your own website puts you in a very vulnerable position. The company may go out of business, or decide to give your sub domain name to someone else because you're a few days late on your bill, etc. Don't leave the chances of your online success in someone else's hands.
4. Asking a friend or family member to create your legal marketing website - Stay away from having people you know develop your website. Setting aside that this scenario could potentially damage a good relationship, it could be professionally harmful as well.
You may rationalize that it will save you money or that you are helping a friend by giving them the business--but odds are that you will be paying a professional to either build an entirely new site, or, if you are fortunate, fix your well-meaning friend’s mistakes.
Hire a professional, preferably one that has experience in Law Firm Marketing.
5. Building a website without implementing a plan to drive traffic to it - Imagine a large city with thousands of shops. You want a series of neon arrows pointing people to the direction of YOUR shop.
Not providing those arrows is a HUGE mistake that many attorneys make in their Internet marketing. Your goal is to drive TONS of highly targeted traffic to your website. Here are a few ways to ensure you do:
Use the right keywords - Your goal is to have qualified prospects visit your law firm's website. Those people will be searching by typing in familiar words or phrases for what they need information on. These words or phrases are called keywords. You will want to include these keywords in your content, so that your website will be one that pulls you up on the ranking page.
Link a Blog to your site - create a blog that is updated 5 days a week and link it back to your website. This will ensure that you have fresh, new content constantly filtering to your website - and helps ensure that you are ranked on the first page of Google. Request your free report on "How To Use Blogs As A Secret Weapon In Your Online Arsenal".
6. Not Including a call to action or a way to capture website visitor's contact information - Using free giveaways, offering special reports, e-books, assessments, or a mini course to attract new visitors and move them to the next level is crucial.
Get creative. Offer a newsletter subscription, or take an article you have previously written and repurpose it as a free report. Make your offer clear and compelling.
As you are beginning to understand, building a successful law practice online is not difficult. It does take proper training; however, the results are most certainly worth the effort. Avoid these six common law firm marketing mistakes for your website and your law firm marketing strategies will not be a waste of time and energy.
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Looking for more proven law firm marketing tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue (excerpted above) and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox.
Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
On Steve Jobs' Resignation and Leaving a Legacy: How Will People Remember You?
In a short, succinct letter to the Apple Board of Directors and community yesterday, Steve Jobs reminded them of his promise to step down when he could no longer meet his duties and expectations as Apple CEO.
Then he resigned, with four simple words: “That day has come.”
There will be many lamenting his leaving, but any who truly appreciate his genius will simply wish him well. His health problems are well known, and I hope he continues to fight that good fight.
It is staggering to try to take in all his accomplishments: personal computing (Apple II/Mac), music (iPod + iTunes), mobile technology (iPhone + iOS), movies (Pixar) and mobile computing (iPad). There is not much in our modern lives that does not bear his touch.
As noted in the New York Times today, Jobs’ name appears on more than 300 Apple patents. No figurehead here.
Many will argue his legacy, but I believe his true genius lies in simplicity. He redefined the space that is the intersection of technology and humanity with elegance and a true understanding of the visceral reaction humans have to pure simple design. It made his company one of the most admired – and prosperous – in the world.
I believe Apple will continue to flourish because of what Jobs instilled into the company he founded, left, returned to, rescued and rebirthed. His COO Tim Cook has long been at the center of a carefully crafted succession plan, and is succeeding him now as CEO. Jobs has been mindful of his legacy, and structured his company to succeed long after his tenure as CEO.
Is your legacy in place? Does your practice have the people and systems in place to grow and succeed when you are ready to step down? What will be your legacy to your staff, your clients, your team, your family and friends?
How you want to be remembered doesn’t just happen, but is the result of years of effort in building a practice and a reputation that will stand the test of time – and that will continue after you are gone.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts about building a legacy law practice, since that is at the very heart of what I do for a living.
On a personal note: we were notified last night that our long time bookkeeper at TRI passed away suddenly over the weekend. It was very sad for us to lose this valuable team member who was excellent at her work and will be remembered very fondly. The loss of a friend, colleague or family member certainly puts things in perspective!
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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 7,000 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.
Law Firm Marketing: If Gen X Is Your Target, You'll Find Them Online
According to a new research report by digital intelligence agency eMarketer, those marketing to the Gen X demographic – consumers aged 34-45 – need to be making heavy use of digital marketing tools or they’ll be missing the mark.
Gen Xers are the first American generation to grow up with computers, and are heavy consumers of all things digital. To effectively engage this demographic, marketers need to use multiple channels with a heavy emphasis on online video to get their message across.
eMarketer says that Gen X is the largest online video audience, and forecasts that almost 75 percent of them are watching online video at least monthly – a number that is expected to grow another five percent by 2015:
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. Most people will not watch long videos, so keep them short and to the point.
Use real people, using real words. Give your audience a chance to see your face and hear your sincere words.
Give them good content. Don't be afraid to give good content on your video. Your perfect client wants to know that you are competent, capable, and caring.
Focus on your Target Market. Focus your video topics on your target’s 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.
Include a call to action. 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.
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Free Report: How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation
Did you know there are thousands of directories on the Internet that will publish your articles for FREE?! Get all the details in Stephen Fairley’s latest free report, How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation.
Here are 4 reasons why you should publish your articles online:
- You can control what comes up when people search for your name on Google!
- Most of the Article Directories will give you a link back to your website!
- It’s FREE Marketing! The majority of these article directories do not charge anything to publish your article.
- You can look like a much Bigger Player!
To get your free report right now, click here.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Manage Your Online Reputation
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For attorneys, reputation is everything. A good one gets you more clients through referrals; a bad one pretty much dooms your practice. So it’s no surprise that lawyers tend to pay close attention to cultivating a reputation as effective, ethical counselors.
But is all your hard work toward that goal reflected in your online reputation?
What do prospects see when they type your name into a search engine? If it’s not much, that can often be as harmful as something negative.
Here are some tips on managing your online reputation:
Create good, meaningful content. Wherever you are online – your law firm website, your blog, your social media networks – make sure you are creating and posting valuable and relevant content that your target prospects will find interesting and helpful.
Look and listen. Create a Google Alert for yourself and your firm so you can monitor what is being said. If you find something negative on a site that allows you to comment, do so professionally and unemotionally.
Build relationships with influencers. Find the influential online voices that your target market is listening to and join in the conversation. Offer to be a guest blogger or an interview source. Contribute good comments and give praise when it’s due. Don’t create advertisements for yourself; just be helpful and relevant.
Take a moment now and Google yourself. If you don’t like what you see, maybe you need to expend a little more effort managing your online reputation.
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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.
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Video Dominates in Google Universal Search Results
Video on your website and posted to YouTube are great ways to communicate directly with prospects and build your credibility.
Now, a new study shows that it can also help increase your search engine page rank.
On Google, your page rank is determined by a number of variables, including links, likes, news articles, images and video. The latest study of which of these do the most to boost your page rank was recently released by SearchMetrics, and this is what it shows:
Video dominates the universal search scene, with images ranking second.
So if your law firm marketing website doesn’t include video and imagery, your Google page rank is likely much lower than it could be.
And it’s not enough to just throw video up on your site, you need to be sure your video is fully optimized for search. That means you need to:
Select relevant keywords – use the YouTube keyword tool, which can scan your video and make suggestions. It also allows you to target your audience by demographic.
Include keywords in your video title, descriptions, tags, etc.
Optimize your tags – there’s a 120-character limit, so choose your words wisely.
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Looking for more proven tactics from The Rainmaker Institute?
Then subscribe to our FREE monthly e-newsletter. One click of your mouse will take you to our site where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox.
Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away. I think you will find the information in every newsletter something you will want to share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing plan.
Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Facebook Considers Changes to News Feed
Today’s Wall Street Journal yielded an interesting article about changes that Facebook is thinking about making to its news feed, that continuously changing scroll of information that appears on your Facebook home page from your friends, fans and brands you’ve “liked.”
Marketers have become increasingly frustrated with Facebook’s algorithms that don’t display every bit of content that is shared, so marketing messages may never be seen, even if you’ve signed on as a fan or “liked” a particular brand.
Facebook is now exploring ways it can help marketers stand out in the News Feed, and allowing users to determine how much – or how little – they want to see in their Feed.
Other changes Facebook is working on include expansion of the “like” button to include other gestures or expressions, so consumers can be more specific about the products or services they want to purchase or recommend.
No timeline yet on when these changes may be implemented, but if the news buzz is already building, it could be soon.
Making Facebook a friendlier place for marketers is a definite “Like”.
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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: Volumes 1 and 2!
Want to discover Proven Marketing Strategies that Top Law Firms are using right now to generate more leads and referrals and convert them into paying clients?
Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 1 and Rainmaker In A Box: Volume 2 contains highly valuable legal marketing information you absolutely need to know!
Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 1 includes:
- The 5 Immutable Secrets to Building a 7 Figure Law Practice
- Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners:
- The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys:
- Action, Accountability and Next Steps
- Data DVD: Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations.
Rainmaker in a Box: Volume 2 includes:
- 8 Proven Steps for More & Better Referrals
- 7 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Law Firm
- 6 Keys to Unlocking the Secrets of Social Media
- 5 Core Components for Highly Successful Websites & Blogs
- Data DVD: Includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations.
SPECIAL: Purchase both sets on our website and get 25% OFF!
Click here now to order!
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: Why Organic Search Rank Matters So Much
It used to be that getting your website listed for important search terms on the first page of Google was the gold standard. A recent study by SEO services company Slingshot SEO that was profiled yesterday at emarketer.com shows that today, the standard is to rank in the #1 or #2 position – after that, click-through rates drop precipitously:
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of artificially boosting your website or blog to the organic results (versus paid advertising) for specific search terms. Google considers over 60 different variables when determining who gets on the first page.
One of the most important ones is the number and quality of inbound links your website has. As many of you have probably experienced, when it comes to SEO, it doesn't get any more competitive than the legal industry.
An inbound link is where one website links to another website. Google measures and weighs inbound links as a sign of your website’s relevance and credibility. In general, the more inbound links your website has -- and the better they are -- the more your website will rank above your competitors.
Good ways to harvest inbound links for your website include social media, writing and posting articles online, sending out press releases online, hiring a professional link building service and joining and participating on online legal directories.
If you are serious about generating more leads from the Internet, then you need to be one of the top listings on the first page of Google for the key terms your prospects search for online. The best way to do that is by working with a top-notch link building expert who knows the legal industry and has proven results.
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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.
Study: 71% of U.S. Adults Online Watch Videos
According to a new Pew Internet survey, 71 percent of online adults visit video-sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo to watch online videos. Here’s how the study results break down demographically:
Note that the demographics of video-watching adults skews higher for income, education and adults under the age of 49. What is also interesting to note is that Hispanics and African-Americans also skew higher in their online video-watching habits.
If any of these groups are part of your target market, you need to be marketing to them with video!
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, so keep them short and to the point.
Use real people, using real words. 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. Don't be afraid to give good content on your video. 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. 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, "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.
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Free Report: How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation
Did you know there are thousands of directories on the Internet that will publish your articles for FREE?! Get all the details in Stephen Fairley’s latest free report, How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation.
Here are 4 reasons why you should publish your articles online:
- You can control what comes up when people search for your name on Google!
- Most of the Article Directories will give you a link back to your website!
- It’s FREE Marketing! The majority of these article directories do not charge anything to publish your article.
- You can look like a much Bigger Player!
To get your free report right now, click here.
Law Firm Marketing: To Google+ or Not to Google+?
One of our Rainmaker Advisors, Kara Smith, brought a post on the Google+ Terms of Service flap to my attention the other day. It’s by Rory Webber, who writes the Social Media for Lawyers blog at Martindale.com and the title pretty much says it all: “Google+ - Great Tool, Scary Terms of Service”.
Actually, the Google+ TOS is the same as the Google TOS, so if you’re using Gmail or any one of the many useful Google tools, you’ve already agreed to it. Here’s the “scary” language Webber and some others in the Internet world are buzzing about, under Google’s TOS Section 11: Content License from You:
11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.
11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.
11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.
11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.
Another post dismissing the hubbub by Tom Anderson, former president of MySpace, features a graphic by LiveJournal comic Ryan Estrada that attempts to explain the Google TOS in plain terms:
Still scary? Maybe. Maybe not. The fact is, Google+ already has 20 million users and it’s still in Beta rollout stage. While Google has stumbled a few times in launching social media tools, they may have succeeded this time out with Google+.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: 6 Reasons Why You Should be Blogging
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Today I’m in Florida at our first day of the Orlando Rainmaker Retreat, so before I jump into my first session, I wanted to share a recent Huffington Post article by digital marketing maven Paula Berg exploring the reasons why major brands should be blogging. I find those reasons certainly extend to solo practitioners and small law firms as well:
1. A blog is a low-cost, long-term venue to reinforce your brand and educate prospects about what you bring to the table.
2. A blog provides an informative resource for anyone seeking information about you and your practice area(s).
3. A blog gives you a platform to speak directly to clients, prospects and other attorneys rather than through the filter of the media or other sources that may not be accurate.
4. A blog provides a stable base for your content without the limitations of other social media channels like Facebook and Twitter that are constantly streaming feeds. It is a place for your own voice, 24/7.
5. A blog can generate leads for you at a low cost.
6. Blog analytics provide you with important information on what interests your prospects so you can generate more content to attract them and learn more about marketing to them, thus increasing the likelihood of a greater ROI on your marketing spend.
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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!
Five Common Internet Legal Marketing Mistakes
For an attorney, having a legal website and being actively involved in Internet marketing can either be an exciting opportunity or an extremely frustrating ordeal. Unless you are doing things right, you are probably working way too hard without seeing the results you deserve.
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There is a common misconception that it is easy to get rich quick through marketing your law firm on the Internet. While it is possible for a lawyer to see stunning results online, it requires a lot of patience, planning and hard work; not to mention avoiding these five common mistakes:
1. Not Planning: If you want to reach your goals, you need to have a full online marketing plan for obtaining them. As an attorney, you already understand the importance of planning ahead before ever being rewarded for your hard work. Much like the time and effort you have invested in your education and case files before reaping the benefits, Internet marketing requires the same front-end effort.
2. Focused on the Wrong Person: Too many attorneys build their websites around themselves. Instead of talking about you and your accomplishments, discuss what your prospects are looking for! What do you have that they want? What unique benefits can you provide? What answers can you offer them? While it is important to discuss your credentials in order to earn their trust, do your best to avoid bombarding others with the words “I" and "me".
3. Waiting for Traffic to Arrive: So you've got your website up and everything in place to captivate your reader's attention and compel them to use your services whenever they need an attorney. So what now? Many lawyers end up leaving their websites sitting somewhere in cyberspace that is nearly impossible for prospects to find.
Unless you spend the time, effort and money to attract visitors to your site, you will be hearing crickets for a long time. Some great ways to attract prospects include optimizing your site for search engines, writing white papers and articles, blogging, publishing press releases, creating pay-per-click campaigns and marketing your legal website offline.
4. Not Collecting Email Addresses: Every lawyer needs people to market to. While you don't necessarily have any products to sell, it is a vital part of Internet marketing to do everything possible so you can be top of mind whenever somebody needs your services. By giving visitors free reports or information guides and simply asking for their name and email address in return, you can create a mailing list to which you can send newsletters and other educational material.
5. Ignoring Analytics: Lastly, unless you are tracking all your law firm's Internet marketing statistics, it is unlikely you'll know what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. By setting up Google Analytics on all your pages, tracking your law firm's marketing campaigns, and measuring the conversion rates and return on investment for everything you do, you'll set yourself up for much more success in the future.
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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.
5 Law Firm Marketing Tips to Turn Prospects into Clients
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Attorneys are famous for wasting their time following up on bad leads. These are prospects that are not a good fit or that are not likely to hire your law firm. Another big mistake lawyers make is targeting the wrong market, usually too large of a market. What percentage of the people you follow up with come to your office for an official interview? And of those, how many actually sign on as clients?
Successful law firm marketing includes determining which people and businesses are not currently interested in your service and which are just not good prospects. Remove these dead ends from your contact lists and don't waste your time trying to win them over.
You probably have a very low percentage of prospects who turn into clients. And with the limited hours in your day to get everything done, you simply can't afford to waste this kind of time! 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. Separate Your Contacts from Your Prospects
Learn to identify people who are genuinely interested versus those who simply are not saying "no" out of politeness. Listen for the signals that distinguish a real prospect from someone who is simply price shopping or worse (using you to obtain a lower fee from another lawyer). Create a list of questions to disqualify contacts focusing on the criteria of "need, want, afford." Remove those contacts that don't meet these qualifications, and focus your energy on solid prospects.
2. Interview Your Qualified Prospects Directly
Are you consistently talking directly to your prospects (versus their gatekeepers and time-wasters) and pitching them your services? What's your closing ratio? What percentage of people come to the interview versus become clients? Make sure you are speaking to the real decision-maker.
3. Strengthen Your Presentation Skills
Improving your presentation skills will go a long way toward winning over new clients. Strengthen your phone skills and develop better phone scripts. Learn to recognize "buy questions." Be prepared to ask for the sale at the end of the presentation. Take a presentation skills seminar and focus on benefits and results more than services and features. Work harder at identifying your target's points of pain and using them clearly and consistently to demonstrate the value of your services. Become more fluent at speaking their language. Develop a list of critical questions to ask prospects you present to. Don't talk as much: listen more.
4. Give Prospects a Call to Action
After an interview, do you actually ask your prospect to commit to the sale? How soon do you follow up with people after the interview? What do you send them to encourage them to buy from you versus the competitor and buy from you now versus waiting? Make sure each prospect receives one clear call to action. Make it easy for them to follow. Ask for their business!
5. Follow Up After Your Presentation
Follow up with a thank you letter or e-mail within 24 hours of the interview. Be sure to end every interview with action steps (e.g., what each party agrees to do as next steps and when they will do it by). If you agree to do something, be sure to do it before the deadline. (This may be a way they are testing you to see if you will respond to their needs). If you are a business lawyer, have a process for writing successful proposals. Immediately set a reminder to yourself to contact the hot prospect in a timely manner.
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Free Report: How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation
Did you know there are thousands of directories on the Internet that will publish your articles for FREE?! Get all the details in Stephen Fairley’s latest free report, How to Use Article Marketing to Increase Your Google Ranking & Control Your Online Reputation.
Here are 4 reasons why you should publish your articles online:
- You can control what comes up when people search for your name on Google!
- Most of the Article Directories will give you a link back to your website!
- It’s FREE Marketing! The majority of these article directories do not charge anything to publish your article.
- You can look like a much Bigger Player!
To get your free report right now, click here.
Let Freedom Ring: ABA Ethics Commission Finds No New Restrictions Needed on Law Firm Marketing
Attorneys received an early reason to celebrate law firm marketing freedom yesterday with the release of the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 proposal on attorney advertising and technology.
The Commission found that Rule 7.1’s prohibition against false and misleading communication is already applicable to online advertising and electronic communications attorneys use to attract new clients.
The Commission made clarifications to three rules:
Rule 1.18-Duties to Prospective Clients – the proposed amendment clarifies when electronic communications constitute a prospective client-attorney relationship.
Rule 7.2-Advertising – the proposed amendment clarifies an existing ambiguity on the prohibition for paying for a recommendation, including what is permissible when conducting online lead generation and other Internet-based marketing campaigns.
Rule 7.3-Direct Contact with Prospective Clients – provides more detailed definitions of what constitutes a “prospective client” and a “solicitation”.
If you have some extra reading time over the holiday weekend, I suggest you review the Commission’s proposal, which can be found here.
As always, I wish you and yours a safe and relaxing Independence Day weekend.
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Independence Day Special! Buy One, Get One Free
Get the Rainmaker Retreat Live! 6 CD set FREE ($497 Value) when you purchase either Rainmaker In A Box, Volume 1 or Rainmaker In A Box, Volume 2! This one-time offer expires at midnight ET on Tuesday, July 5, 2011.
Want to discover Proven Marketing Strategies that Top Law Firms are using right now to generate more leads and referrals and convert them into paying clients?
Rainmaker In A Box, Volume 1 and Rainmaker In A Box, Volume 2 contain highly valuable legal marketing information you absolutely need to know!
As a special bonus with your purchase, you will receive Stephen Fairley’s Rainmaker Retreat Live! 6 CD set free. This live recording of the Rainmaker Retreat 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.
To take advantage of this one-time free promotion, please click one of the links below before midnight ET on Tuesday, July 5, 2011:
Rainmaker In A Box, Vol 1 Rainmaker In A Box, Vol 2
Law Firm Marketing: Google Launching Its Answer to Facebook with Google+
Google is field testing its Facebook clone, Google+. You only need to see this chart to understand why:
Actually, Google says it is not trying to replicate Facebook, but trying to improve a critical aspect of the Internet – online sharing – which they believe is “broken” and “awkward” and “rigid”. Here’s how they’re doing it:
Circles – these are groups of people you organize by how you know them: friends, colleagues, family, etc. The drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to plop your contacts into each circle. What’s different about this feature is you can choose which circles you want to “share” posts with...on Facebook, your updates go to everyone.
Sparks – this is Google Reader reinvented and better organized. You indicate your interests and each of those interests gets its own Sparks page. Google then fills each page with relevant articles, videos and photos.
Hangouts – this is where you video chat with people who are in your circles.
Huddles – a group messaging app where you can select your group and everyone can chat with each other.
Instant Upload – for Android only; lets you upload photos from your phone to Google+.
Google+ is by invitation only right now and you can request an invitation on its Google+ project home page. If there’s a message that says capacity has been temporarily exceeded, you can try again another day.
Eventually, Google+ will be rolled out to everyone with a Google account. You’ll know you have access when you see a “+You” button on your Google toolbar when you log in.
Only time – and users – will tell if this latest Google social media platform will rival Facebook, so stay tuned.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Optimize for Social Search
Earlier this year, I blogged here and here about how the two major search engines -- Google and Bing – have placed greater emphasis on social media content in search results. If you want to obtain higher rankings with these search engines today, here are some things you should be doing online:
Add original, high quality content to your blog and other social media networks. As I’ve said many times, Google loves fresh content! However, it’s not enough for it just to be fresh – it also needs to be original and relevant.
Add social sharing to all your online activities. Adding a “Share” capability to your E-newsletters, website, blog and social networking profiles will help boost your visibility in social search.
Establish a Google Profile. Set up a Google profile here and create links to all your social content. You’ll need a profile on Google in order to use the new Google+1 button, which is Google’s answer to the Facebook “Like” button and is likely to become more ubiquitous as awareness of its existence grows.
Use videos and photos. Video and photo files are more likely to be shared online than text, so be sure your website, blog and social pages contain lots of these files.
Understand the importance of the now. Google has decided that real-time information is more relevant and rewards content posted on real-time networks like Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare with higher search rankings. If you are a Twitter user, activate your Twitter Location and use social check-ins on Facebook and Foursquare.
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Want to Learn More Internet 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:
- July 22-23, 2011 in Orlando, FL
- August 19-20, 2011 in Las Vegas, NV
- October 7-8, 2011 in San Francisco, CA
- Dec. 2-3, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA
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, June 23, 2011
11am PT | 12pm MT | 1pm CT | 2pm ET
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm 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 Build a Compelling Online Presence
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Your online presence is vital to your law firm marketing efforts. There are many ways to create an online identity including websites, blogs, and social media like LinkedIn.com, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Your online presence generally is designed to work with your online legal marketing efforts to get prospects to take action by either: contacting you, requesting information from you, setting up an appointment with you, or hiring you. This strategy typically requires the most money to implement.
Here are some keys to remember when building your website:
- Position yourself as a Generalist versus Specialist
- Choose a Strong Domain Name
- Your Domain name should be easy to spell; easy to remember
- Use the Actual Keywords Prospects Use to Find Your Practice. For example: RealEstateAttorneyLA.com, BestAttorney.com, BostonDUIDefense.com, etc.
- Craft a Powerful “Headline” at the Top of Your Website
- Write Captivating Content: writing for the internet is completely different from writing a legal brief
- Use Case Studies or Testimonials (follow your ethics guideline)
- Use Multiple, Custom Websites
- Design One Main Corporate Website
- Then create multiple Mini, Practice Specific Websites
For example, a business law firm practice's online presence might look like this:
Specific Sites: business litigation, registered agent site, employment law, commercial real estate, mediation.
A personal injury law firm practice might have the following sites as part of their online presence:
Specific Sites: auto accidents, construction accidents, SUV accidents, dog bites, specific product liability lawsuits.
Focus each website on a specific target, practice area or geographical location.
Create and Promote your own Blog
Blogs are a simple way for anyone to post new content in an easy-to-read web site format with the newest information always on top.
But how can a blog benefit your business? Your blog can boost your ranking in the search engines, increase your traffic, and improve your credibility -- ALL of which will ultimately lead to more sales!
Components of a successful blog: 1. Highly targeted, well branded. 2. Provides quality content that solves your prospects challenges. 3. Publish your blog constantly and consistently: 2 to 4 times per week. 4. Write in relation to the most popular current events. 5. Register your blog in directories and promote actively.
How to Use RSS Feeds as a Legal Marketing Tool
We all know there is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet that would be useful for law firm marketing purposes as well as legal practice management purposes. But who has the time to go to all of these sites and look for new information? But there are ways to monitor the sites that interest you without investing a great deal of time.
RSS – Really Simple Syndication – is a free Internet technology that allows you to monitor your favorite blogs and news sites without actually having to take the time to visit them. You subscribe to the RSS feed and when new content is posted there, it comes right to your computer.
There are several ways to do this. I’m going to highlight 2 of them for you. First, almost every website and some browsers have a built-in RSS feed on them. Look for an orange icon that looks like the graphic here on the right.
Click on the icon, and it will give you the option to subscribe to the RSS feed for the site. After you have subscribed, click on your favorites and you will see a “Feeds” tab. When you click on that tab, you will see all of the RSS feeds you have subscribed to. Those that are in bold have new content.
The second way is to use a news agreggator like Google Reader. It’s a free service you can use to collect all of the sites you want to monitor in one place. The flip side to this is to make sure that your blog and website have the RSS feed enabled, so that others can monitor your content.
An RSS feed can be a useful part of your legal marketing toolkit if you deploy it well. It reminds people when you have new content, and brings them to your site.
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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.
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: 8 Ways to Increase Your Visibility
These days, no one puts up a website and expects potential clients to come flocking to it. Most savvy law firm marketers know you have to do things that drive traffic to the site.
There are a number of things you can do to increase your online visibility, thereby improving your chances of having potential clients find you.
Here are some steps to improve your online presence using a variety of different online marketing channels, including articles, e-newsletters, press releases and blogs.
- Step #1: Define a topic area relevant to your practice and your target market.
- Step #2: Write a 400-750 word article about that topic.
- Step #3: Submit that article online.
- Step #4: Create a press release from that article, discussing that topic.
- Step #5: Submit that press release online.
- Step #6: Use a part of that article in your e-newsletter and link to it online.
- Step #7: Then take that article and develop a blog post from it.
- Step #8: Submit a second press release announcing the article you just published based on the original topic in Step #1.
This law firm marketing tip – and many others – is a small sampling of what you will learn at The Rainmaker Retreat. See below for details on the next one.
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Want to Learn More Internet 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:
- July 22-23, 2011 in Orlando, FL
- August 19-20, 2011 in Las Vegas, NV
- October 7-8, 2011 in San Francisco, CA
- Dec. 2-3, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA
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 register now for one of our one-hour complimentary teleseminars:
Thursday, June 2, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
June 8 Webinar on Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers
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Getting to the top of Google, Yahoo! and Bing for any term related to the legal industry is highly competitive! Attorneys spend millions of dollars every year on Pay Per Click (PPC) and banner advertisements trying to drive more traffic to their websites.
Far too often it comes down to how much money a law firm has to spend on PPC to outbid their competition. How are small law firms and solo practitioners supposed to compete when attorneys are spending $20 to $100 per click for keywords?
If you're thinking, “there must be a better way!” then this webinar is for you!
Join me on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 p.m. ET for a one-hour webinar on Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers. I will share a little known secret of how hundreds of attorneys are rapidly increasing their website rankings in 90 to 120 days through building targeted links back to their websites.
In this 60-minute webinar, you will learn:
- One of the fastest ways to get your website blacklisted by Google (make this mistake at your own peril)
- Link building on the low down—building links on a shoestring budget
- What an “inbound link” is and why Google loves them
- The metric Google uses to determine if a link is good or worthless
- Why you should almost never pay for a link
- Selecting the right keywords to go after
- The benefits of being at the top of the rankings
- Which directories are worth paying for...and which ones are not
- The top 5 questions you must ask before you hire any link building company
To register for the one-hour webinar on Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 pm ET, click here now.
This event will be presented live by phone with a web connection available for those wishing to view the presentation on their personal computers. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.
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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.
Click here to get your complimentary copy online.
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.
Law Firm Marketing: Try a New Twist to Attract More and Better Clients
It wasn’t too long ago that attorneys who merely had a website stood out for that reason alone. However, that is no longer the case as more and more law firms are waking up to the incredible power the Internet has to help them attract clients.
So what can you do to stand out online in a way that will bring you more and better clients? Here are some tips:
Create a website that zeroes in on your ideal clients. Don't make the common mistake of trying to be everything to every person. People don't want to work with a generalist. They want to trust specialists. When it comes to marketing your law firm online, focus is critical to your success.
Give website visitors a reason to visit you. Every law firm's website has a place for a free consultation. How boring! That's simply not enough to attract someone's attention. Instead, offer an incentive for paying you a visit – start with that free consultation, but then partner with another local business to offer something of value for every visit. What divorcing woman couldn’t use a spa treatment?
If you have multiple practice areas, develop a micro-site for each one. Again, focus is key here. For example, a personal injury lawyer may have a practice specific website for: SUV rollovers, construction accidents, dog bites, and automobile accidents.
Have your content speak your target’s language. Please remember, writing for the Internet is not the same as writing a legal brief. My recommendation is to hire a professional copywriter who has experience writing for law firms.
Work with an SEO firm. Search engine optimization is the technical process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to your law firm's website. Once you have developed your website into exactly the format you want, you can begin using online legal marketing strategies to market it.
Make sure they have experience in the highly competitive field of legal marketing.
Submit educational articles to online directories. There are hundreds of places online where you can submit articles for prospective clients for free. At the very least, post helpful guides on legal directory sites like Avvo and JD Supra, sites that spend much more than you are ever likely to invest to drive traffic to their sites -- use their marketing muscle to expose your expertise to potential clients.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: 3 Simple Strategies to Generate More Website Traffic
Build it: Write and publish highly targeted articles. Remember to:
- Clearly identify your target market
- Identify their most painful problem
- Provide your solution to their problem
- Include a call to action – i.e, go to your website to get a free report.
Borrow it: Find a Strategic Referral Partner who currently supports your target market, yet isn't your direct competitor. This could be another attorney, an accountant or CPA, a business coach, or any number of professionals, and is a true win/win relationship. As you share their services with your contacts, they will in turn share your services with the people they know, like, and trust.
Buy it: Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing is probably the most important development in advertising in the past decade. Never before has it been possible to spend so little to have new, precisely targeted customers coming to your website within minutes. However, if all your competitors are using the same keywords to target prospects, you don’t need to add your voice to that fray. Talk to your prospects and clients and find out what words and phrases they use to look for a lawyer in your practice area. Research those keywords and find out how many other people use them, then make a list of 20 to 30 words and phrases to use in your PPC campaign.
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Want to Learn More Internet 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, May 12, 2011
12pm PT | 1pm MT | 2pm CT | 3pm ET
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
1pm PT | 2pm MT | 3pm CT | 4pm ET
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
11am PT | 12 pm 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: Use LinkedIn Legal Apps to Promote Your Practice
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Lawyers should love LinkedIn for its ability to help them expand their network of potential referrals and showcase their expertise. To ensure you are getting everything you can possible squeeze out of LinkedIn’s usefulness, add these apps to your profile page:
JDSupra’s Legal Updates App – allows you to upload your blog posts, articles, newsletters and other writings and makes them searchable on LinkedIn – another great way to raise your profile among potential clients. Its Custom Distribution feature also allows you to deliver your insight to those beyond your own network.
Martindale-Hubbard’s Lawyer Ratings App – displays your Martindale-Hubbard rating on your profile and lets your clients provide testimonials with one click.
If you have a blog that is hosted by WordPress, be sure you display each post on your LinkedIn page with this WordPress app.
Do you have some videos? The SlideShare.net app allows you to add a video that plays automatically each time someone visits your LinkedIn page.
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. These apps help you do a better job at both.
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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!
Law Firm Marketing: Another Secret Top Rainmakers Use to Fill Their Practice
Last Friday I blogged about the secrets top Rainmakers use to fill their practice, gleaned from more than 10 years of working with small law firms and solo practitioners. Here’s the next one:
Strategy 2: Build A Powerful Online Presence
The Internet has changed everything when it comes to law firm marketing and how consumers and business owners select law firms. Many attorneys do not realize that most prospects will research them online before they ever hire them (likewise with potential referral sources).
Having a great website is essential to your law practice. The only thing worse than not having a website is having one that looks like every other law firm's. Hire a website development company that specializes in legal websites, but make sure you end up with a custombuilt website, not a template that can also be used by dozens or hundreds of other law firms. However, Internet marketing goes way beyond having a great website.
Here are some other ways to boost your online presence:
Get a Blog! Blogs, also known as weblogs or blawgs, are a great, inexpensive way to get online fast. There are a growing number of journalists who look to "bloggers" as experts. The search engines love blogs because they provide fresh content and are usually very search engine friendly. However, if you are going to have a blog, be sure you are ready for the commitment: to work effectively, you must update your blog a minimum of three to five times per week. If you don't have time to do that, find someone who can help, but make sure it's unique content otherwise it will not help you with ranking well on the search engines.
Online Article Marketing. Did you know there are hundreds of websites that will publish your articles for free? All you have to do is submit them and within a matter of weeks you will begin to see your online presence grow. These short, education-based articles are written specifically for your niche. If you can write 500 words on a topic, you can use this simple strategy. When you search for my name on Google (be sure to spell it correctly), I generally come up on over 350,000 websites. I don't tell you this to impress you, but to impress upon you that this was not a mistake! It was a marketing strategy and online article marketing is one of the ways I achieved this.
More Rainmaker secrets and practical knowledge on how to implement them are the focus of every Rainmaker Retreat. I invite you to join us for our next Rainmaker Retreat on May 13-14 in Scottsdale, co-sponsored by CLE West (9 hours of MCLE credits, including one hour of Ethics Credit, may apply).
If you take advantage of the Early Bird Special (it ends tomorrow, May 5!) you receive $300 worth of extra benefits!
Discount Pricing is available for multiple attendees from the same firm.
For more information please call: 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.
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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: 3 Key Reasons to Optimize Your Website Now
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The old saying, “He who hesitates is lost” is more applicable now than ever when it comes to search engine optimization.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of artificially boosting your website or blog to the organic results (versus paid advertising) for specific search terms. Optimizing your website makes it easier for prospective clients to find you, and for your site to rise above all the others that are clamoring for their attention.
Here are three key reasons why you need to optimize your website now:
More and smarter competitors. More and more law firms are getting web savvy as they wake up to the fact that people use search engines today more than ever to find just about everything. SEO is becoming a higher priority for law firm marketers who realize the intrinsic value of not just being found, but of being found first.
It’s a digital world. Most of the communication taking place today occurs digitally via email or online via web chat. Not only is digital a greener technology, it lets us communicate and gather information in the way we want: faster. Our communication lives have changed forever and there’s no going back, only forward.
Growth of mobile technology. Mobile marketing is growing at an explosive rate, so those who have already optimized online can make an easier transition as communication migrates to new mobile platforms.
Because of these three reasons, SEO is more essential than ever to the success of your law firm marketing program.
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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.
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!
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/
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.
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.
Social Media for Attorneys: How to Use LinkedIn to Build Your Network
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With over 100 million professional members, LinkedIn is a great way to stay on top of what is happening with the people in your networks, as well as a great source of professionals to grow your networks.
Chances are, many of the professional you already know are using LinkedIn.
Here’s how to use LinkedIn to build and expand your professional network:
1. Decide why you are using LinkedIn. Do you just want to connect with people you know? Are you building a referral network? Do you want to drive people to your website or blog?
2. Build out your profile. Take your purpose and craft your profile to reflect that purpose. The key is to compel the people you know and the people who are looking for someone like you to reach out and connect.
3. Connect with the people you know. Use LinkedIn’s built-in tool to import your connections.
4. Get testimonials. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s built-in Recommendations feature to give and receive testimonials. Third party endorsements carry much more weight than your marketing message alone.
5. Learn the system inside and out. Pay special attention to the search engine under the People tab. This feature allows you to search your extended network for all the resources you need to be successful. Also, learn about the Groups feature. There are thousands of special interest groups inside LinkedIn where you can connect with thought leaders, experts, prospective clients and prospective referral sources.
6. Build your network out strategically. Each connection you make with someone you know grows your overall reach exponentially.
7. Leverage your networks. LinkedIn is a social network and a search engine. Connected individuals can see and search for the people in each other’s networks. You can use those connections for business development and for finding your ideal social target market.
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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!
Law Firm Marketing: The Tools of Trust-Building
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Oh, the irony.
The day after I blogged last week about a real-life example of someone finding an attorney via that lawyer’s blog posts, the ABA puts out a story saying that people don’t really use blogs that much to find attorneys.
According to a recent ABA survey, 46 percent of the folks surveyed say they go to a trusted source like a family member or friend to find an attorney. That certainly comes as news to no one. Referrals continue to play a huge part in new business for attorneys because they are based on trust.
Asking the question, “If you needed a lawyer for a personal legal matter, how likely would you be to use the following resources to find one?”, the survey found that 20 percent were very or somewhat likely to turn to Facebook and 15 percent to blogs. Another 9 percent would look at Twitter.
Frankly, I think the survey methodology made it tough to suss out exactly how people use the Internet to search for attorneys. People were not asked to identify a main source, just how likely they were to use one or more from a whole list of sources. When you just say “blog”, what exactly does that mean? Would I look for a blog about attorneys or by attorneys?
Plus, the survey was conducted only over landline phones.... which might bias it right then and there, since those who still actually have landline phones could be less likely to be tech-savvy when it comes to social media.
I think that section of the survey missed the whole point of what blogging and social media is about, which is reputation and trust building.
Just like building good referral sources, social media and blogs are tools of trust-building that eventually result in bringing in new clients. We see it every day, and in my book, experience trumps conjecture every time.
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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! Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Law Firm Marketing: How to Turn Lead Flow From a Trickle to a Torrent
Is your lead flow system delivering a trickle or a torrent? If your law firm marketing system is working well, it should be producing a large number of lead opportunities for you. And what you do with those opportunities is almost as important as generating them.
You need to have specific strategies for increasing the number of leads and tracking them. Legal marketing can do some of the heavy lifting for you on identifying lead prospects. But going from a possible lead to a genuine lead and prospect requires a well-designed system that includes follow through.
You also need a system for tracking all incoming leads and where the leads are in the sales pipeline. Once a lead comes in, someone has to keep track of the lead status so leads do not fall through the cracks. Lost leads are lost opportunities, and are akin to leaving money on the table. They also hurt your reputation with your referral sources if they supplied the referral and you didn’t follow through.
Here are some questions to ask as you think about your lead system:
- Who sorts the leads to rank them by priority?
- How do we prioritize leads?
- Who is responsible for assigning leads to members of the firm for follow up?
- Who maintains the follow-up system and holds the firm members accountable?
Generating referrals from your legal marketing strategy is the first step in building your business. Converting those leads into clients, and ultimately referral sources, is how you grow your firm into what you envisioned when you began.
Without a good lead flow system, the likelihood of you maximizing the possibilities of your marketing program is slim. To learn more about lead generation strategies for law firms, sign up for the unique opportunity below.
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Free Nolo Webinar on Lead Generation Strategies for Attorneys March 30
Do you have problems finding quality leads? Does it seem equally hard to convert your prospects into paid clients? Then you’ll benefit from Nolo’s free webinar, "Lead Generation Strategies for Attorneys" on Wednesday, March 30 at 11 a.m. PT.
In this fast-paced, one-hour presentation, Stephen Fairley will be presenting the top tactics used by first-rate lawyers across the country who consistently generate more quality leads than their competitors.
Register for "Lead Generation Strategies for Attorneys" and learn how to:
- Attract more qualified prospects immediately.
- Implement cutting edge legal marketing strategies to build your practice.
- Reduce your Cost Per Client Acquisition (CPCA).
- Increase referrals from current and former clients.
In addition, you’ll learn the secrets of Direct Response Marketing and hear about the case study of a small law firm that doubled their leads in 90 days!
Webinar Details
- When: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time)
- Where: Via computer and/or phone
- Cost: Free!
There will be a 10-minute question and answer opportunity at the end of the webinar.
Please note that CLE credit is not available for this webinar.
To register, click here. If you have any questions, please call 1-877-NOLO-LAW (665-6529).
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: The $2,000 Blog Post
Interesting story just related to me by one of the women who works for The Rainmaker Institute. Her husband runs a factoring business and was having problems finding a debt collection attorney. He had looked on a few legal directories and gotten some names –even chose one with a good rating off Avvo, but that guy didn’t work out.
He really wanted a debt collection attorney who understood the factoring business. So he did a Google search that eventually turned up an attorney in the area who had blogged about how factoring companies can cut down on bad debt by doing a better job of pre-qualifying clients. He found another blog by the same guy on another factoring topic.
He got on the phone, talked with the lawyer, felt like he did indeed really know what he had blogged about, and sent him a $2,000 retainer for the first case.
And that, in a nutshell, is how this blogging thing works for attorneys. True story.
Blogging and engaging in social media helps attorneys establish their authority and also helps establish trust – the trust that leads to paying clients.
Want to get started with social media and blogging, but need some help?
Click here to find out how you can begin to establish a trust-building reputation on the Internet in the next 30 days.
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Phoenix Legal Networking Group Networking Event on March 23
For a growing number of attorneys, the Internet -- and specifically Google -- is fast becoming one of their best sources of new clients. Most consumers and business owners are very skeptical of law firms that do not have a website.
However, far too many attorneys have experienced paying a lot of money to a website developer only to get a nice looking website that doesn't generate new leads or is almost impossible to “find” on Google for their key terms.
Come join us for a powerful evening of networking with your local peers as Stephen Fairley presents What Google Loves! How to Give Google What It Really Wants and Reap the Rewards on Wednesday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. Discover:
- The 2 things that Google LOVES!
- How to “feed” Google what it really wants most
- Two little known SEO strategies that can catapult your website to the front page of Google
The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.
Cost is $30 if you register by today and $35 on the day of the event. This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.
To register for our March 23 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.
Free Law Firm Marketing Webinar: Lead Generation Strategies for Attorneys
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Do you need the luck of the Irish to find quality leads? Does it seem equally hard to convert your prospects into paid clients? Then you’ll benefit from Nolo’s free webinar, "Lead Generation Strategies for Attorneys" on Wednesday, March 30 at 11 a.m. PT.
In this fast-paced, one-hour presentation, I will be introducing audience members to top tactics used by first-rate lawyers across the country who consistently generate more quality leads than their competitors.
Register for "Lead Generation Strategies for Attorneys" and learn how to:
- Attract more qualified prospects immediately.
- Implement cutting edge legal marketing strategies to build your practice.
- Reduce your Cost Per Client Acquisition (CPCA).
- Increase referrals from current and former clients.
In addition, you’ll learn the secrets of Direct Response Marketing and hear about the case study of a small law firm that doubled their leads in 90 days!
This webinar is ideal for:
- Solo practitioners and principal attorneys at small law firms.
- Marketing professionals at small law firms.
Webinar Details
When: Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time)
Where: Via computer and/or phone
Cost: Free!
There will be a 10-minute question and answer opportunity at the end of the webinar.
Please note that CLE credit is not available for this webinar.
To register, click here. If you have any questions, please call 1-877-NOLO-LAW (665-6529).
Internet Marketing for Lawyers: Social Media & Privacy Expectations
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You may have heard that, in connection with the WikiLeaks release of classified government documents, the courts are allowing the government to collect personal account information from Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites.
The courts reason that since social media account holders willingly give up information by posting it online, their posts or tweets are not protected by the First Amendment or privacy rights.
Another reminder that when it comes to social media, one cannot have a realistic expectation of privacy – and, as divorce attorneys have learned, what is posted can be used against you.
In other words, if you have “put it out there” on the Internet, it is out there.... and it’s not private or protected.
Which is exactly why attorneys should be using social media and blogging – to get yourself out there!
Of course, there are rules – ethics rules, for one, and rules to follow when engaging in social media that will enhance your reputation, not detract from it.
A growing number of attorneys are outsourcing their blogging efforts and social media campaigns to organizations like ours (full disclosure: we have a program for attorneys to manage their blog and social media). When you outsource, you can focus on end results, not the process and hopefully you will be working with professionals who do this for a living. It’s not just another item on their to-do list, it is the very service you are paying them to provide for your firm.
When you interview an outsourced legal marketing company, be sure they meet these 5 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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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! Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Law Firm Marketing: Are You Being Facebooked?
A couple of weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal ran an article about attorneys who “Facebook” jurors. Using their computers or iPads, a growing number of litigators are scouring the Facebook pages of potential jurors to learn more about them in an effort to decide who will – or who won’t – be a good juror for them.
My first thought was, if Facebook is becoming a verb now, it is more ubiquitous than even I may have given it credit for.
My second thought was, how many attorneys realize they are likely being Facebooked by prospective clients?
My guess is, not many.
Last month, Facebook rolled out a big upgrade to their Pages that now allows you to professionalize your Facebook page better than ever before. Besides giving your page a business-like facelift, you can also deliver content from your blogs and your website.
Like LinkedIn, Facebook also provides attorneys with a way to expound on all things legal via Facebook Groups. Start your own, or comment on others to build an authoritative voice on the world’s leading social networking site.
Studies show that engagement, interest and constant connection keep fans coming back on Facebook, which is the fastest way to build your platform (how many people know who you are, who you help and how you are different).
The key to social media is to build your platform and then entice them to visit your blog or website to opt-in to your mailing list using a free special report or free CD or DVD or newsletter.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: Social Media and Blogs Deliver Leads for Less
Internet marketing company HubSpot has just published their 2011 State of Inbound Marketing report based on a January 2011 survey of 644 marketing professionals.
The key finding was that organizations that use inbound marketing (blogs, social media, SEO) experienced a 62 percent lower cost per lead than organizations that relied primarily on outbound marketing (direct mail, telemarketing, trade shows).
Although the legal profession was not singled out, there was a category for Professional Services/Consulting, which showed that the most effective customer acquisition channels for professional services were LinkedIn and blogs:
Other key takeaways from the report:
Spending on inbound marketing continues to rise: In 2009, inbound marketing had a 9% greater shareof the lead generation budget; in 2011 its share was 17% greater.
Blogs and social media are generating bona fide customers: 57% of companies using blogs reported that they have acquired customers from leads generated directly from their blog.
More businesses are blogging: Businesses are now in the minority if they do not blog. From 2009 to 2011, the percentage of businesses with a blog grew from 48% to 65%.
Want to get started with social media and blogging, but need some help?
Click here to find out how you can get a jumpstart on your competition in the next 30 days.
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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!
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Giving Google What It Loves, Part 2 of 2
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Here is the second installment on how link building works and some of the major variables that effect link building strategies, as well as how links directly impact your search engine rankings for specific key terms:
Google can “lose” an inbound link. Not everyone knows that even Google forgets sometimes! Link building experts have found that just because Google “finds” a particular inbound link this month does not guarantee they will “find it” next month. This seems to happen much less frequently if the inbound link comes from a major website, like CNN.com, huffingtonpost.com, a major newspaper in your local area, an educational or governmental website, or one of the top 500 websites on the net, but those links are extremely difficult to obtain and even harder to sustain! With small sites, like a link from a blog by an attorney in Topeka, Kansas or an article you wrote in an article directory like ezinearticles.com, Google may recognize and count the link this month, but seem to “forget” it exists the next month.
“Do Follow” and “No Follow” Links. Webmasters have the ability in their website coding to turn all their outbound web links to either “do follow” or “no follow.” They can also have a combination of both, which is what most websites do. A “no follow” link is embedded in the code and tells Google “do not follow this link,” which has the result of stopping Google’s search engine spider cold in its tracks. Essentially, you are telling Google “I like this website enough to link to it, but not enough to give it some of my good ‘Google juice’.”
A “do follow” link encourages Google to follow and count the inbound link. The average reader cannot tell the difference, but Google sure can! If you click on a “no follow” link you can still go to that website or page it's linking to, but if Google’s search spider comes across a “no follow” link it stops and usually does not count that as an inbound link.
It takes a special tool for SEO experts to identify “no follow” links. So what does this have to do with link building strategies? Because websites can change. Let's say you have spent dedicated time and effort in building inbound links to your website, perhaps even buying a few back links (be careful because most of the time Google considers buying links to be a “black hat” technique that can get you banned) and you confirm all of them are “do follow” links. Yet the very next month the webmaster may easily change all their outbound links to be “no follow” links or they can make all the links on certain pages (like their recommended resources page) to be “no follow” links or any variation thereof. Clearly, the only person who has control over this is the individual webmaster and there is no incentive for them to tell you what they are doing. It's up to you to manually check.
What other websites are linking to. Here's where it starts to get really tricky. For the last few years, Google has been taking a bigger snapshot of the internet so it's no longer just a matter of who you are linking to and who is linking to you, but who is linking to the website who is linking to you. Did you follow that?
For example, let's say website 1 has good Google ranking and they have been linking to your law firm website and Google is rewarding you with higher search results because of this. But this month, website 1 has decided to link to website 2, which for some reason Google does not like. Perhaps website 2 is an MLM company with a bad online reputation, but is offering website 1 a big affiliate commission if any of their products are sold on website 1. When Google finds this out, it can not only hurt the ranking of website 1, because by linking to website 2 they are no longer a ‘pristine’ or reputable website in Google’s eyes. Its credibility has taken a hit simply because of linking to website 2. In turn, this can negatively affect your rankings because your website is now linked to “less than reputable” website 1.
Think about when you are buying a house. It's not just the condition of the house that you are concerned about. It's also who the neighbors are and even the reputation of the surrounding community or even the town. Google analyzes website linking the same way you take all these factors into consideration when purchasing a home—your home (your website), your neighbors (who links to you), the surrounding community (who is linking to the websites who link to you), and the town the house is in (the larger context of connections and linking patterns).
For most attorneys learning the nuances of power link building is not the best use of their time. You need to know the fundamentals so you don’t get taken advantage of, but if you are serious about generating more leads from the Internet then you need to be on the home page of Google for the key terms your prospects search for online.
The best way to do that is by working with a top-notch link-building expert who knows the legal industry and has proven results. Here's the good news, you don’t have to do this alone! If you're tired of seeing your competitors’ websites at the top of every search term and you're ready to hire a top link building expert, call me at 480-659-9700 or send me an email at Stephen@TheRainmakerInstitute.com and I'll be glad to make a couple of recommendations.
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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.
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: How to Give Google What It Loves, Part 1 of 2
Google loves inbound links!
An inbound link is where one website links to another website. You see this all the time on news websites where they link to a video, a blog post, a resource, or a story on another website. Google measures and weighs inbound links as a sign of your website's relevance and credibility. In general, the more inbound links your website has, and the better they are, the more your website will rank above your competitors.
Today and tomorrow, I'm going to explain how link building works and some of the major variables that affect link building strategies and how links directly impact your search engine rankings for specific key terms.
Major adjustments in Google’s algorithm. Several times each year Google comes out with major updates to it's algorithm that can significantly change your ranking for better or worse. If you read a few of the SEO experts they will blog about this each time, but behind the scenes they are often scrambling to figure out precisely how Google changed their algorithm and how they can “rig the system” in their client’s favor. This is an ongoing game of cat and mouse best left to the professionals.
Minor tweaks in Google’s search engine. In addition to the major changes that SEO experts track, Google makes dozens of little tweaks each month. For example, they just made a modification that Matt Cutts, one of Google’s major SEO engineers, recently talked about on his blog that affects less than 2% of websites out there (www.mattcutts.com/blog).
How long it takes for Google to actually find an inbound link. Believe it or not, it is accepted knowledge in the SEO community that Google regularly “lies” to us about the actual number of inbound links it has found to your website. If you go to Google and search for <link:yourwebsite.com> (without the <>, for example <link:therainmakerblog.com>) you will see how many inbound links Google officially tells you it has found for your website. However, they will not tell you the true number. You will never know exactly how many inbound links they have really found because if they told you and your competitors the exact number, it would simply become a ‘race to the top’ to artificially inflate the number, which Google doesn't want.
When you get an inbound link from a smaller website like your law school buddy who runs a solo practice in Boise, Idaho, Google sometimes takes weeks or even months to officially recognize that inbound link even exists. A little over five months ago, five of my clients and I started working with a top-notch link building expert. The practice areas represented in the group are bankruptcy, family law, criminal defense, personal injury and DUI—all of which are highly competitive. Because we selected the right professional (he's also an attorney) who only uses acceptable practices, we are all experiencing some massive positive results! All of our websites are now on the first page of Google for between 3 and 12 of our most coveted key terms!
One of my clients just decided to add his other website which focuses on immigration law because as he told me, “Stephen, I've been paying several hundred dollars per month for over 3 years to a supposed SEO expert who was supposed to be getting my immigration website to the top of Google. In five months this guy has achieved more results faster in a more competitive practice area than my SEO guy has in the last 3 years!” It's not cheap, but well worth it if you want to generate more leads from the Internet.
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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 our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.
Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat as well as teach you:
- How to Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
- 3 powerful strategies you must put into action in your practice immediately
- How to set yourself apart from your major competitors
- Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now…
- How attorneys are winning even in this economy by implementing this proven 8-step system
Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:
Thursday, March 17, 2011
12-1pm Pacific | 1-2pm Mountain | 2-3pm Central | 3-4pm Eastern
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
Law Firm Marketing: Get These 6 Social Media Tips from a Smart Lawyer
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A good post appears today on the American Express Open Forum site profiling LexBlog founder Kevin O’Keefe, who was a practicing trial lawyer in Wisconsin before he caught the Internet bug with his first start-up, Prairielaw.com.
Kevin founded LexBlog in 2003, and it is now the world’s largest blog network for lawyers and all things law – like this blog.
Quoting from the post, here are Kevin’s six tips for social media success:
1. Chiefs over Indians. O’Keefe advised companies to avoid assigning junior people to be the company online voice. “The top management needs to be involved. How else do you build relationships? How else do you demonstrate thought leadership?” he asks.
2. Blog strategically. Don’t just shovel up content. Provide information and ideas that will engage clients and prospects. Respond or anticipate to their questions or concerns. Also pay close attention to influencers, top clients, media and, top bloggers. Find ways to engage them with your social media activity.
3. Be yourself. O’Keefe warns lawyers, “ don’t hide behind your law firm brand.” People are looking for authenticity. “You'll shine like a star when people see you acting like an everyday person.”
4. Listen first. O’Keefe—as do most experts—see far greater power in listening to relevant voices on social media than broadcasting messages. “You wouldn't shout out content through a bullhorn at a cocktail event. Don't do it online, either.”
5. Be curious. Lawyers are trained not to ask questions in court that they don’t know the answers to. This doesn’t work online where it is smartest to ask questions and enjoy a forgiving environment for making a few mistakes now and then.
6. Ask for the work. Lawyers online sometimes seem shy when asking people for the business they hope to get. O’Keefe advises professionals to “ask for the type of work they want to do from the type of clients they want to work with.”
Good stuff from a very smart lawyer.
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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 7,000 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.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Attract Organic Search Traffic
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Ranking high in organic search – where someone types in a search term or phrase and your site pops up on the first page – is the holy grail of search engine marketing. So how do you attract organic search traffic?
A study by Internet marketing company Hubspot last year showed that businesses with an active blog on their site draw almost seven times more organic search traffic than those that don’t have a blog.
The survey of almost 2,200 Hubspot customers showed the businesses that posted at least five blogs per week drew 6.9 times more organic search traffic and 1.12 times more referral traffic than companies that didn’t blog at all.
Hubspot also announced in its State of Inbound Marketing report yesterday that business blogging is growing. From 2009 to 2011, the percentage of respondents with a company blog grew from 48% to 65%. So, if you have a business (and if you’re practicing law, you have a business) and you are not blogging, you are now in the minority.
Want to get started started blogging, but need some help?
Click here to find out how you can get a jumpstart on your competition in the next 30 days.
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Phoenix Legal Networking Group Networking Event on March 23
For a growing number of attorneys, the Internet -- and specifically Google -- is fast becoming one of their best sources of new clients. Most consumers and business owners are very skeptical of law firms that do not have a website.
However, far too many attorneys have experienced paying a lot of money to a website developer only to get a nice looking website that doesn't generate new leads or is almost impossible to “find” on Google for their key terms.
Come join us for a powerful evening of networking with your local peers as Stephen Fairley presents What Google Loves! How to Give Google What It Really Wants and Reap the Rewards on Wednesday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. Discover:
- The 2 things that Google LOVES!
- How to “feed” Google what it really wants most
- Two little known SEO strategies that can catapult your website to the front page of Google
The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.
Cost is $20 per person if you register by March 21, $30 if you register by March 22 and $35 on the day of the event. This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.
To register for our March 23 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.
Internet Marketing for Law Firms: Are You Tracking the Competition?
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If you have a lot of competitors who are SEO savvy or see the value in hiring an SEO expert, they may be working just as hard as you are to increase their rankings -- and only 10 of you can be on Google’s first page!
Savvy SEO people are constantly analyzing their competitors to find out what they are doing and what can be done to “beat” them in the rankings, especially for highly competitive practice areas in major metro areas like Phoenix.
SEO, like most marketing strategies, is always a function of time or money. To win at SEO, you must invest in one or the other. Either you need to learn how to do SEO for yourself (invest a lot of your time) or hire someone to do it for you (invest your money).
If you chose to do it yourself, be prepared for a steep learning curve. I have personally invested tens of thousands of dollars hiring top SEO experts and going to industry conferences to learn what I know, but it is still a never ending struggle to stay with the pack, much less ahead of the curve! When you are looking to hire a link building expert, be sure they know the legal industry. It’s entirely different building links for a law firm versus a retail store or a hardware store or even an information product company selling books online.
Remember: you get what you pay for. Be very wary of anything that sounds too good to be true. Just today I came across a link building company that was offering 13,000 inbound links for $150 and they would do it all in 7 days! Two words: run away!
In SEO, you should always be skeptical if the price is too low. Top people who get results can and do charge a premium for their specialized skills, just like a top flight litigation attorney would command a fee near the top of the market. What's the worst that could happen? It is very likely that a company charging such low prices are using several techniques Google considers to be “black hat” (or illegal) and in all likelihood your website will be blacklisted by Google and perhaps even banned from the search engine!
Google has teams of PhD experts who look for unnatural linking patterns, like when a website suddenly gets thousands of inbound links over a brief period of time. Link building is best done slowly over time from a wide variety of websites.
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Get Rainmaking Marketing Strategies for Solos and Small Law Firms
Order the Rainmaker in a Box 5-DVD set and you will learn:
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.
Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Keep Your Content Off the Farm
Last week Google announced a major change to its search engine algorithm to punish websites known as “content farms” -- a common term for sites that have a lot of low quality or copied content in an attempt to attract search engines.
Google said that about 12 percent of its queries would be impacted, and a lot of site rankings will be affected as Google seeks to reduce the rankings for low quality sites.
Conversely, Google’s changes will elevate the page rank of sites with high quality content – research, reports, analysis, etc. PageRank (PR) is Google’s ranking system that indicates how authoritative and credible your website is.
Named after Google co-founder Larry Page, here’s how Google explains PageRank:
When Google was founded, one key innovation was PageRank, a technology that determined the “importance” of a webpage by looking at what other pages link to it, as well as other data. Today we use more than 200 signals, including PageRank, to order websites, and we update these algorithms on a weekly basis.
Every single website is ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. You can check your website’s PR at www.prchecker.info.
However, it's important to note PR is like the Richter scale. Each step up is a multiple of 10. So a PR of 4 is 10 times more powerful in Google’s eyes than a PR of 3. Very few websites in the legal industry ever rise above a 3 or 4.
At The Rainmaker Institute our primary website (www.TheRainmakerInstitute.com) is a PR of 4. Our blog (www.TheRainmakerBlog.com), because we update more frequently, is a PR of 5! There's only a handful of legally related websites in the U.S. that have a PR of 7 or more (Nolo and FindLaw are two of them).
The bottom line is, if you reward your site visitors with fresh, credible and relevant content, then Google will reward you with a higher search engine ranking.
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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 free, and start using these proven strategies today!
SEO Strategies for Attorneys: The Importance of Inbound Links
Ever wonder why your competitor’s website consistently ranks on the front page of Google for specific searches and yours does not? Are you frustrated that you can't seem to find your website online unless you either (1) type the domain name directly into Google, or (2) search for your personal name, or (3) search for your law firm’s name (and even then your competition often shows up)?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of artificially boosting your website or blog to the organic results (versus paid advertising) for specific search terms. Google considers over 60 different variables when determining who gets on the first page. One of the most important ones is the number and quality of inbound links your website has. As many of you have personally experienced, when it comes to SEO, it doesn't get any more competitive than the legal industry! When you search for a major key term like “Phoenix bankruptcy lawyer” or “Phoenix divorce attorney” I can guarantee you the people you see in the first 10 results did not get there by accident! They have worked hard at it and most likely they have hired some high-powered SEO experts to help them.
One of the reasons why blogging has become so popular in the legal industry is because of how powerful it is in Google’s eyes. One of the ways that Google determines if your website is an authority is by how often you post new, relevant, unique content on your blog. For example, Joseph McDaniel is a Phoenix bankruptcy attorney who blogs multiple times every day at www.ArizonaBankruptcyBlog.info. As he puts more and more content on his blog, Google rewards him by improving his rankings. We will discuss specifics about blogging in future posts, but there's another strategy that most attorneys overlook when it comes to improving their rankings and that’s building inbound links.
Google loves inbound links!
An inbound link is where one website links to another website. You see this all the time on news websites where they link to a video, a blog post, a resource, or a story on another website. Google measures and weighs inbound links as a sign of your website’s relevance and credibility. In general, the more inbound links your website has -- and the better they are -- the more your website will rank above your competitors.
Good ways to harvest inbound links for your website include social media, writing and posting articles online, sending out press releases online, hiring a professional link building service and joining and participating on online legal directories like HG.org.
Founded in 1995, HG.org was one of the very first online law sites, and developed the first self-listing directories for attorneys and law firms. Today, search engine results show the HG Law Firm Directory at the top for most states or countries when someone is searching for a law firm. HG.org is one of the most trafficked legal sites, with more than 850,000 unique visitors coming to its sites – HG.org sites and HGExperts.com -- each month.
For most attorneys, learning the nuances of power link building is not the best use of their time. You need to know the fundamentals so you don’t get taken advantage of, but if you are serious about generating more leads from the Internet, then you need to be on the home page of Google for the key terms your prospects search for online. The best way to do that is by working with a top-notch link building expert who knows the legal industry and has proven results.
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Becoming a Rainmaker Seminar in New Jersey on March 9
The Rainmaker Institute in coordination with the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Hunterdon County Bar Association present Becoming a Rainmaker: Practice Development Strategies for Small and Solo Law Firms on Wednesday, March 9 from 4-6 p.m. at the Historic Court House in Flemington, NJ.
More than 7,000 attorneys from law firms all over the country have experienced powerful results from attending the Becoming A Rainmaker seminar, which has been sponsored by more than 24 of the largest state and local bar associations.
The Becoming a Rainmaker seminar teaches simple techniques attorneys can take back to their offices and implement immediately. Some of the tools and techniques that I will cover during this highly informative two-hour session include:
- The 7 Ways to Find More Clients and How to Pick the Best Ones for Your Firm
- How to Build a Network of over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 6 months
- Change Your Website from just an Online Brochure to a Money-making Machine
- Passive Versus Active Marketing and why you need both
- Creating Client-generating Surveys: When to Use them and How to Leverage them
- Automating Your Marketing System
- How to Ethically Position Yourself as a Specialist in Your Area
- How to Promote Your Firm to 150,000 people for $140
- Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
- Why Advertising Doesn't Work and what to do instead
- Where to Find and How to Create Positive Media Coverage for your firm and your clients
- The #1 Reason why Attorneys Don’t Receive More Referrals and how to overcome it
- Using Visibility Events to Attract Highly Qualified Prospects to Your Firm
The cost for the two-hour Becoming a Rainmaker law firm marketing seminar is minimal: $77 for NJSBA or HCBA members and $97 for non-members.
Please call 888-816-8935 or click here for registration information.
Law Firm Marketing: Watch What Happens at a Rainmaker Retreat
I’m in Florida today gearing up for another exciting session of our Rainmaker Retreat. We’ll have attorneys in Orlando over the next two days from all over the country who are eager to learn about law firm marketing on the Internet as well as how to leverage the power of social media to create a true lifestyle law practice.
Do you think you could benefit from attending a Rainmaker Retreat? Let me explain just how you can:
Here are the upcoming dates for this intensive two-day law firm marketing boot camp:
March 11-12, 2011 – New Brunswick, NJ*
April 8-9, 2011 – San Diego, CA
Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891 to register now.
*Non-New Jersey Bar members get a free one-year NJSBA membership when they register for the New Brunswick Rainmaker Retreat on March 11-12!
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Check Out Your Peers As They Share Their Rainmaker Retreat Experiences
We would like to send you a 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, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Join Me for Becoming a Rainmaker Seminar in New Jersey on March 9
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The Rainmaker Institute in coordination with the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Hunterdon County Bar Association present Becoming a Rainmaker: Practice Development Strategies for Small and Solo Law Firms on Wednesday, March 9 from 4-6 p.m. at the Historic Court House in Flemington, NJ.
More than 7,000 attorneys from law firms all over the country have experienced powerful results from attending the Becoming A Rainmaker seminar, which has been sponsored by more than 24 of the largest state and local bar associations.
The Becoming a Rainmaker seminar teaches simple techniques attorneys can take back to their offices and implement immediately. Some of the tools and techniques that I will cover during this highly informative two-hour session include:
- The 7 Ways to Find More Clients and How to Pick the Best Ones for Your Firm
- How to Build a Network of over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 6 months
- Change Your Website from just an Online Brochure to a Money-making Machine
- Passive Versus Active Marketing and why you need both
- Creating Client-generating Surveys: When to Use them and How to Leverage them
- Automating Your Marketing System
- How to Ethically Position Yourself as a Specialist in Your Area
- How to Promote Your Firm to 150,000 people for $140
- Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
- Why Advertising Doesn't Work and what to do instead
- Where to Find and How to Create Positive Media Coverage for your firm and your clients
- The #1 Reason why Attorneys Don’t Receive More Referrals and how to overcome it
- Using Visibility Events to Attract Highly Qualified Prospects to Your Firm
The cost for the two-hour Becoming a Rainmaker law firm marketing seminar is minimal: $77 for NJSBA or HCBA members and $97 for non-members.
Please call 888-816-8935 or click here for registration information.
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Can’t Make It to New Jersey? Get Our Becoming a Rainmaker Audio CD Set
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.
In this information-packed audio program, you will learn:
- 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.
Law Firm Marketing: Is Your Target Market Engaged in Social Media?
Sometimes I can’t believe it, but I still occasionally hear attorneys discount the use of social media for law firm marketing by saying, “My clients are not into social media.”
A recently released Pew Internet report, Generations 2010, examined how the different generations use the Internet. Here are a couple of eye-popping charts that show the dramatic growth in the use of social media and online video:
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If your current clients are not “into” social media (and how do you know?), then most certainly your future clients are. The important question is, if you’re not there, how will they find you?
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A Turnkey Approach to Social Media and Blogging for Attorneys
Don’t understand social media or have time for it, but know that your law firm marketing program desperately needs to include it?
Then you need the Rainmaker Automated Blogging and Social Media Program. Get new leads in your law firm through blogging and social media--all virtually done for you for one simple and affordable monthly investment!
The Rainmaker Institute will develop, maintain, manage, track and measure your blogging and social media program across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, JDSupra, Avvo, YouTube and more.
To learn more about the Rainmaker Automated Blogging and Social Media Program, click here.
Law Firm Marketing: Google Adds Social Media to Search Results
Late last week, Google announced that it is making its search results more social by adding content that a user’s friends have shared or created on social networking sites to Google search engine results.
A post on Google’s blog announced:
As always, we want to help you find the most relevant answers among the billions of interconnected pages on the web. But relevance isn’t just about pages—it’s also about relationships... Today we’re taking another step forward—enabling you to get even more information from the people that matter to you, whether they’re publishing on YouTube, Flickr or their own blog or website.
So if a user’s friends have blogged, posted or Tweeted about their experiences with a lawyer or law firm and that user is searching for an attorney, his or her friend’s comments will turn up in those search results.
Out of a page full of lawyers that pop up in your Google search, wouldn't you be more inclined to choose one your friends or social networking contacts have endorsed?
This makes social media participation more important than ever for attorneys. And makes monitoring social media sites for what is being said about you more important, too.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: How to Create a Successful Blogging Strategy
Blogs are one of the best ways to get to the top of Google for targeted search results. Google loves fresh content and when done right, a blog is the best way to push fresh content into the search engines.
In addition, 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.
When used properly, it becomes a clear, consistent voice for your practice. It entices prospects, referral sources, colleagues, clients and thought leaders to engage you in dialogue.
It keeps you top of mind. It builds visibility among your target clients. Ultimately, it earns you more of the kind of client you most desire.
In a recent report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer found that in 2010, 51 percent of Internet users in the U.S. -- over 91 million - read blogs, and projects that usage to go to 60 percent (150 million) in four years.
The report found that blogs hold a unique position in the online media landscape because they have become an accepted source of information.
So, are all blogs successful? No, and I will tell you why: The problem arises when you begin blogging without a clear strategy behind you.
Blogging should be a part of, but not your entire law firm marketing strategy. It is your forum to connect with the community at large and to make it clear that you are an expert in your field. But to make it the highly effective medium you need it to be, your law firm marketing and promotion strategy should include:
- A topic list designed to engage your target audience;
- A list of social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) to promote it;
- A list and schedule for article marketing services to add visibility and to feed it to reporters and thought leaders;
- An up-to-date blog that you write articles for at least 2 to 4 times per week;
- A search engine optimization formula to increase your page rank.
When you have all these things in place, you will be well on your way to creating a blog that will enhance your overall law firm marketing efforts.
Want to get started started blogging, but need some help?
Click here to find out how you can get a jumpstart on your competition in the next 30 days.
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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.
Nielsen: Americans Love Online Video; Use Up 45% in One Year
According to a Nielsen report, the time we spend watching videos online increased 45% in the past year. Overall, there were 144 million unique U.S. online video viewers over the past year, with YouTube and Facebook named as the top two online video brands.
Use these simple guidelines to make a highly effective online video for use in your law firm Internet marketing efforts:
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.
Create a well-thought out script designed to persuade potential client to call you. To accomplish that, ask yourself what makes your law firm different from, and better than, your competition – and then build your script around those key points.
Focus on the viewer, not yourself. 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. Your script should describe some of the problems clearly, and then explain how you can solve them.
Use annotation and notes. On YouTube you can add notes or annotate your video with key points of emphasis that will appear as people are watching. Not only does this help you deliver your message succinctly, it also provides content for Google to index to improve your search ranking.
Include keywords and tags. Use the YouTube Keyword tool to see what the hot topics are and what people are currently searching for – this can give you some ideas on how to marry your area of the law with contemporary topics. Be sure to load your description with those keywords and include links back to your website.
Include your contact information 2-3 times within your video. The goal of your online video is to persuade potential clients to call you. Yet, no matter how well crafted your video is, if those clients do not know how to reach you, it’s wasted effort.
Here’s hoping everyone has a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Live Webinar Feb. 16: Advanced SEO Strategies for Law Firms
On Wednesday, February 16, Stephen Fairley will be conducting a live one-hour webinar on Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategies for Law Firms, beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
In this comprehensive 60-minute webinar, you will discover:
- 7 critical components of Google's search engine ranking algorithm
- The top 3 things attorney website companies don’t want you to know
- How Google views your website
- Why Google loves blogs and how to leverage this powerful technology!
- The power of using video on your website
- Why “long tail” search is better and how to apply this secret strategy
- 3 ways to improve your website conversion rates
- Does social media matter when it comes to search engine ranking
- Questions to ask any law firm Internet marketing expert before you hire them
This event will be presented live by phone with a web connection available for those wishing to view the presentation on their personal computers. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.
Click here to register for the Advanced SEO Strategies for Law Firms live webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. ET.
Social Media for Attorneys: Brave New World or Business as Usual?
Here is an advertisement placed by Indiana attorneys Calvin Fletcher and J.A. Breckenridge in the Indianapolis Gazette, which ran in 1822:
Which goes to show that legal marketing can be done incorrectly no matter what the medium – a fact that may have been a bit lost on the author of a recent ABA Journal article with the titillating title, Seduced: For Lawyers, the Appeal of Social Media Is Obvious. It’s Also Dangerous.
Seduced? Dangerous? As in, run for your lives? Puhleeze.
The article does a thoughtful job of pointing up some of the dilemmas attorneys can face when diving into social media. But as I’ve said before, social media should be no more consternation-causing than any other form of legal marketing. There are rules. You follow them. No matter what the medium.
Or, as NYU Law School legal ethics professor Stephen Gillers said in the article, "Many of the rules are at a high-enough level that they can be applied to new technology without revision."
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Becoming a Rainmaker Seminar Comes to New Jersey on March 9
The Rainmaker Institute in coordination with the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Hunterdon County Bar Association present Becoming a Rainmaker: Practice Development Strategies for Small and Solo Law Firms on Wednesday, March 9 from 4-6 p.m. at the Historic Court House in Flemington, NJ.
More than 7,000 attorneys from law firms all over the country have experienced powerful results from attending the Becoming A Rainmaker seminar, which been sponsored by more than 24 of the largest state and local bar associations.
Join us to discover:
- The 7 Ways to Find More Clients and How to Pick the Best Ones for Your Firm
- How to Build a Network of over 30 new Referral Sources in the next 6 months
- Change Your Website from just an Online Brochure to a Money-making Machine
- Passive Versus Active Marketing and why you need both
- Creating Client-generating Surveys: When to Use them and How to Leverage them
- Automating Your Marketing System
- How to Ethically Position Yourself as a Specialist in Your Area
- How to Promote Your Firm to 150,000 people for $140
- Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
- Why Advertising Doesn't Work and what to do instead
- Where to Find and How to Create Positive Media Coverage for your firm and your clients
- The #1 Reason why Attorneys Don’t Receive More Referrals and how to overcome it
- Using Visibility Events to Attract Highly Qualified Prospects to Your Firm
Please call 888-816-8935 or click here for registration information.
Live Webinar Feb. 16: Advanced SEO Strategies for Law Firms
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Next Wednesday, February 16, I will be conducting a live one-hour webinar on Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategies for Law Firms, beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of artificially boosting your website and blog to the top of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing). This no-nonsense webinar will teach attorneys and their staff advanced SEO strategies to help them achieve first page rankings.
High website rankings can help to increase your website traffic, and in turn, generate new business and referrals for your firm. If people can't easily find your website, then you are likely losing business on a daily basis.
Whether you are working on a new website, launching your first site, or want to take your current website to the front page of Google, you absolutely need to attend this webinar.
In this comprehensive 60-minute webinar, you will discover:
- 7 critical components of Google's search engine ranking algorithm
- The top 3 things attorney website companies don’t want you to know
- How Google views your website
- Why Google loves blogs and how to leverage this powerful technology!
- The power of using video on your website
- Why “long tail” search is better and how to apply this secret strategy
- 3 ways to improve your website conversion rates
- Does social media matter when it comes to search engine ranking
- Questions to ask any law firm Internet marketing expert before you hire them
This event will be presented live by phone with a web connection available for those wishing to view the presentation on their personal computers. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.
Click here to register for the Advanced SEO Strategies for Law Firms live webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. ET.
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Phoenix Area Attorneys: Get a Preview of the Upcoming Advanced SEO Strategies for Law Firms Webinar at February 10 Meeting of Phoenix Legal Networking Group
Join us at the Phoenix Legal Networking Group meeting this week – Thursday, Feb. 10 -- and learn some of the advanced SEO strategies that will help your law firm’s website achieve first page rankings.
Stephen will be previewing some of the information he’ll be sharing at next week’s live one-hour webinar (see above).
The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 10 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.
Cost is $20 per person if you register by end of day today, $30 if you register by February 9 and $35 on the day of the event. This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.
To register for our February 10 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.
Bring Your Law Firm Marketing Out of the Shadows at a Rainmaker Retreat
Happy Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil poked his head up this morning and predicted an early spring – right in the middle of one of the largest snow and ice storms in U.S. history.
Meteorology has progressed significantly in the past 125 years, which is how long Phil has been predicting winter weather. We no longer rely on a groundhog for our forecasts – and you shouldn’t rely on guesswork either when it comes to law firm marketing.
Our Las Vegas Rainmaker Retreat last weekend was chock full of attorneys anxious to learn over 65 proven, step-by-step legal marketing strategies.
At each session, I pull back the curtain and teach you how hundreds of my top clients have gone from having a good six figure practice to a fantastic 7 figure practice, from working every day and every weekend, to taking 3 to 4 months of first class vacations every year, of going from making a 6 figure income to consistently having a Net Operating Income of 7 figures.
Still skeptical? Good! So was almost every other attorney who has ever attended our Rainmaker Retreat! They may have been skeptical before they came, but they left believers!
“Great information on marketing. I intend to immediately start implementing Stephen’s ideas. The insights provided in this retreat would take years of trial & error to figure out on my own.” - Patrick Devine, Solo
“Stephen provided some great advice and gave me immediate steps to implement in helping my firm retain more clients and give better service. I highly recommend the Rainmaker seminar!” - Thomas Wallin, Partner
“Very helpful and detailed on issues related to web site marketing. A very complex topic, simplified.” - Andrew Rzepiennik, Partner
“Great practical advice on marketing and growing your legal practice. I learned more in 2 days than I have over the past year of building my practice!” - Becki Kammerling, Solo
“Marketing for the 21st century! You need to change your marketing plan now! This seminar will show you how! Very valuable!” - Thomas Downey, Jr., Partner
“Great! Useful, current information that will help my bottom line.” - Elga Goodman, Solo, Estate Planning
I intentionally limit the number of people who attend the Rainmaker Retreat. This is no ‘mega-seminar’ with hundreds of people and a new sales pitch every hour. The number of attendees is kept at a level that allows each attorney to receive individual attention in an intimate setting. You will leave with a complete written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that you will be eager to get going the first day back in your office.
Here are the dates for upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:
- February 25-26, 2011 - Orlando, Florida
- March 11-12, 2011 - New Brunswick, New Jersey
- April 8-9, 2011 - San Diego, CA
If you take advantage of the Early Bird Special (only available when you register at least 2 weeks in advance of the event), you receive $300 worth of extra benefits!
For more information please call: 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.
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Check Out Your Peers As They Share Their Rainmaker Retreat Experiences
We would like to send you a 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, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Law Firm Marketing: 3 Different Ways Attorneys Can Leverage Facebook
According to a recent survey of small business owners by marketing researcher Ad-ology, 55 percent of SMBs view Facebook as very or somewhat beneficial to their business. The top benefit they identified for their business? Lead generation.
Of course, to successfully market on Facebook, you need to understand the tools available to you. There are three different ways that attorneys can leverage Facebook:
1. Profile Page
This page is about you, and is a good starting point for Facebook novices. Check mine out at www.facebook.com/fairley.
You will see that my page clearly talks about my business, but from a more personal standpoint. My interests and activities are also listed, as well as the many Facebook groups I belong to. Creating an engaging Facebook profile page should give the visitor a real sense for you as a person as well as what you bring in terms of experience and enthusiasm to the practice of law.
2. Fan Page
This page is about your business. You can view mine at www.facebook.com/LawFirmMarketing.
The Fan Page is your Facebook storefront, and should promote your practice and build your brand. On my Fan Page you will find daily updates that are links to our Rainmaker blog and our Twitter page, an Information tab that provides background on The Rainmaker Institute, a tab that promotes our Rainmaker Retreat, photos, videos and a discussion tab for visitors to weigh in on whatever is on their minds.
Studies show that engagement, interest and constant connection keep fans coming back on Facebook, which offers tools that allow you to customize your landing pages for more effective branding.
3. Groups
Similar to LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups are opportunities for you to cross-promote yourself and your business with those who may be interested in your services. You will see on my profile page that I belong to several hundred groups. This is not a place to do heavy promotion, but rather to build your online credibility and showcase your expertise by joining discussions and providing feedback and information.
Social media sites like Facebook are the fastest way to build your platform (how many people know who you are, who you help and how you are different). The key to social media is to build your platform and then entice them to visit your blog or website to opt-in to your mailing list using a free special report or free CD or DVD or newsletter.
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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 7,000 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.
Law Firm Marketing: The 5 Major Mistakes Lawyers Make on Their Websites
Marketing for lawyers is an essential part of a law firm business. If you do not market your law firm, few will know you exist. Your law firm relies on finding quality prospects – and there is no better tool for this than the Internet (remember that referrals will likely check out your website prior to calling you to see if you might be a good fit for their needs).
Here are five law firm marketing mistakes many lawyers make on their websites:
1. Using legal jargon - Although your website is for a law firm, you will want to stay away from the legal terminology. You must remember that your potential clients are average citizens who do not have a law degree. Reading legal terminology is way too difficult for someone who does not have experience in this field.
More than likely, if you do create a website that is too hard to read, people will quit without getting too far. You actually only have about thirty seconds before they decide to either keep reading or move onto the next website.
2. Not targeting your Ideal Target Market (ITM) - Many times lawyers will not take the time to evaluate their ITM. This mistake can very well cost you quality prospects. Once you clearly define your target market you need to clearly communicate it on your website. Otherwise, you end up wasting time and energy on low quality prospects.
3. Using a legal directory website - This is not a good idea for your first website. They will set you up with a sub domain on their website. You must have your own domain. You should not lease, rent or license your website domain from anyone. Don't leave the chances of your success online in some else's hands.
4. Not incorporating a blog into your website – Google loves fresh content, and the best way to keep adding fresh content to your website is by incorporating a blog. Attorneys who consistently rank high in search add content to their site 3-5 times a week through blogging.
5. Not using the right keywords - This can be a very serious website mistake. Your goal is to have qualified prospects visit your law firm's website. Those people will be searching by typing in familiar words or phrases for what they need information on. These words or phrases are known as keywords. You want to include these keywords in your content, so that your website will be one that pulls you up on the ranking page.
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Phoenix Legal Networking Group: Learn about Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategies for Law Firms at our February 10 Meeting
At the February 10 Phoenix Legal Networking Group meeting, Stephen Fairley will make a presentation on Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategies for Law Firms.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of artificially boosting your website and blog to the top of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing). Join us at the Phoenix Legal Networking Group and learn advanced SEO strategies to help you achieve first page rankings.
Whether you are working on a new website, launching your first site, or want to take your current website to the front page of Google, you absolutely need to hear about these strategies.
You will discover:
- 7 critical components of Google's search engine ranking algorithm
- How Google views your website
- Why “long tail” search is better and how to apply this secret strategy
- Does social media matter when it comes to search engine ranking
- Why Google loves blogs and how to leverage this powerful technology!
The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 10 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.
Cost is $20 per person if you register by February 8, $30 if you register by February 9 and $35 on the day of the event. This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.
To register for our February 10 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.
Why SEO is Critical to Your Law Firm Marketing Success
If gaining new clients is important to your business, then making sure your site is optimized is vitally important. If your site doesn’t come up on top when people are searching for keywords related to your services, you are missing out on getting new clients – and your competitors are likely picking them up.
Here is some important information that explains why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important to attorneys:
Validation: Potential clients may have already decided that they are likely to hire your firm or possibly a specific lawyer at your firm due to your existing reputation or based on a referral. However statistics and Internet studies show that now, more than ever, people are searching online to help establish trust and comfort before engaging someone’s services. They want to see pictures, read credentials and they also try to get a glimpse of your vibe and style from your website. They may search by an attorney’s name or the firm name, but they are also likely to search by keyword phrases like “family law attorney in Los Angeles”.
Searching is a habit: It has been noted that a lot of people (probably more than you think) use Google instead of typing in a URL. They often have Google set as their home page and find it easier to just search for a keyword phrase or your name or firm name, rather than type in a URL. Even though it is usually pretty easy to get ranked on your name or firm name, that isn’t always the case and they may not find you unless you have good search engine presence.
Hitting the net before the pavement: Before going to physical office locations, consumers are using search engines to find service providers and doing research before calling or going for a consultation.
Local Search and Geo-targeting: An increasingly popular vertical of the search industry is local search, especially with the advent of smart phones and mobile Internet access. People are more often searching for region-specific products and services. We see more and more searches like “Los Angeles criminal attorney” and with geo-targeting people no longer even need to type in the regional parameter. The engines can pinpoint your location to within 7 miles of where you are from your IP address (the exception to that is AOL, where it appears that everyone is in Virginia). So a search for “criminal attorney” by someone in Los Angeles would turn up different results than the same search done by someone in San Francisco. Making sure you are optimized is important so your site comes up on top – especially if someone is searching on their Blackberry and looking specifically for a local office.
Phone books are big, heavy and not as convenient as Google: A majority of consumers now use Google instead of the phone book if they want to find a service provider. A survey earlier this month by Harris Interactive showed that nearly 7 out of 10 American adults rarely or never use the white pages phone book for looking up phone numbers and addresses for people or businesses, 87 percent support opt-in initiatives where they would receive the phone book only if requested, and 60 percent of online adults find the contact information they need through online channels (online directories -- 29 percent, search engines -- 28 percent or social networks -- 3 percent).
Our January e-newsletter talks about SEO for Attorneys: What It Is and How to Leverage It. To access the newsletter, click here.
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Now is the time to create your Lifestyle Law Firm!
The Rainmaker Retreat is where we teach lawyers how they can have it all; increase the number of clients they have, double their income, and yet work less. Build and create a 'lifestyle' law firm that is professionally satisfying, but allows you the time to do what is important to you.
Here are the dates for upcoming Rainmaker Retreats:
- February 25-26, 2011 - Orlando, Florida
- March 11-12, 2011 - New Brunswick, New Jersey
- April 8-9, 2011 - San Diego, CA
If you take advantage of the Early Bird Special (only available when you register at least 2 weeks in advance of the event), you receive $300 worth of extra benefits!
Discount Pricing is available for multiple attendees from the same firm.
For more information please call: 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.
How to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Law Firm Marketing Plan
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As you review the systems your law firm must have to be successful, pay particular attention to your law firm marketing plan and the systems that support it. A well-designed plan is practically useless if you do not have strong systems to support the legal marketing strategies in your plan.
Here are some tips on how you can develop systems that will make your law firm marketing efforts more effective:
- Create a written 12-month marketing plan for the law firm. Put down in writing all of the goals and steps necessary to achieve those goals.
- Develop processes and procedures to capture major marketing metrics and data. You have to know the “lay of the land” if you are to be effective.
- Identify major lead sources and create tracking mechanisms to measure results. Know where your referrals and leads come from and chart the volume of those leads and referrals.
- Develop reports for tracking the effectiveness of your law firm marketing efforts. You have to know what is working and what is not. Don’t waste time and money on techniques that are not effective for you.
- Create metrics for quantifying ROI of all major marketing initiatives. If technique A has a ROI of 10 and Technique B has a ROI of 5, which one should receive the bulk of your attention?
- Develop an online marketing system to generate leads and prospects from the Internet. Use your website, blogs, news releases and YouTube videos to help generate leads for your firm.
- Build a system to develop relationships with potential referral sources and generate consistent referrals from them. Take people to lunch. Meet face-to-face and ask how you can help them with their business.
- Create a system for connecting with prospects, clients and referral sources on a regular, consistent basis. This include monthly newsletters, annual client satisfaction surveys, keep-in-touch letters, referral education system, etc.
- Train your staff on how to use the systems you have put in place. The best plans in the world are useless if they are not implemented.
Following these guidelines will help you design a legal marketing system that will generate leads and referrals, allow you to convert those leads into clients, who will then generate more leads and referrals. But remember: it does take time, and some money, to make it work.
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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! Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Kick Off Your 2011 Law Firm Marketing Program at Las Vegas Retreat Jan. 28-29
There are a couple of topics that everyone is hungry to learn more about – social media and creating systems that will lead to business success. Social media has been a hot topic for the past couple of years. The growth of sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook has fueled a revolution in how legal marketers ply their trade.
Everyone wants to know how they can leverage these new technologies to multiply their existing marketing programs and gain greater access to their target markets. One of the exciting aspects of social media is the ability to receive real-time feedback and have two-way conversations with prospective clients.
Systems is another hot topic, and attending a Rainmaker Retreat will help you learn how to create and implement marketing and business operation systems that allow you to build your firm to the level that you dreamed of when you started out on this venture.
The Rainmaker Retreat will expand your belief in what is possible for your law firm—the ideas and highly actionable step-by-step approaches you'll learn will give you concrete materials that you can implement the day you get back to your office!
"I am extremely thankful I met Stephen Fairley and that I attended his Rainmaker Retreat. I more than doubled my law firm's annual revenue in the year since attending the Rainmaker Retreat and implementing Stephen's marketing program. If you are willing to do the work, Stephen definitely has a proven method of driving new business into your firm. I endorse his program, it clearly worked for me." – Gordon R. Levinson, Esq.
Here’s a few of the actionable methods you'll learn at The Rainmaker Retreat:
- Ways to reduce the cost of your marketing campaigns…while increasing your ROI by thousands of dollars!
- Specific strategies 7-figure attorneys are using on the Internet and with Social Media to attract thousands of qualified people to their websites and blogs every month, convert them to paying clients, keep them coming back and sending you a steady stream of referrals!
- Cost-effective ways to streamline your business—which saves you money and gives you back time to live your life by rapidly implementing low cost marketing tools and putting systems in place that let you control your practice—instead of letting your practice control you!
The first Rainmaker Retreat of 2011 is January 28 & 29 in Las Vegas. Sign up by this Friday, Jan. 21, to receive your Early Bird discount of $200 off the regular price! Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891.
It is a weekend that will change your life, and law firm, forever.
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Check Out Your Peers As They Share Their Rainmaker Retreat Experiences
We would like to send you a 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, we let attorneys who have attended do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Law Firm Marketing: Achieve Your Dreams by Becoming a Rainmaker
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Today is Martin Luther King Day, a day set aside to honor and remember the lasting legacy of an inspirational American leader. His “I Have a Dream” speech continues to echo down the generations.
Today is also a good day to reflect upon our own dreams and goals for our lives.
There are many things that can distract you from your goals, and you need a laser-like focus on your mission if you are to achieve the business and personal goals you have set.
Every week I speak to attorneys who have bought into the myth that their primary roles and responsibilities are, in order:
- To be a “billing machine” for their law firm.
- To be the administrator in the firm.
- If they have any time left over, to meet with prospects.
This is completely reversed!
As a partner or owner of your law firm, your primary role and responsibility is to be the Rainmaker for the firm—not the technician billing clients and certainly not handling the administrative minutia.
Technicians (lawyers who can bill clients) are easily found, but true Rainmakers are difficult to replace. (For those of you who are not partners in your law firm, here's the one key you need to become “irreplaceable”: learn the skills of being a powerful Rainmaker.)
Take time today reflect on your legal marketing strategies and ask yourself if you have taken your eyes off your goals (or if you have let others distract you from your goals). If you have, make it your task this week to refocus on your law firm marketing plan and avoid the distractions that can move your focus onto things that will not move you toward your goals and dreams.
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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 7,000 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.
Law Firm Marketing: Focus on Benefits, Value and Results
When searching for an attorney, prospective clients only care about 3
things:
- The Benefits they will receive because of your services
- The Value they perceive during the relationship
- The Results they will achieve from your service
Fundamentally, the reason why people or businesses seek out your law firm is because they have a problem and they are asking you, “Do you have a solution?”
When developing your law firm marketing plan, remember:
- People don’t buy features. They buy benefits.
- They buy solutions not service, because they expect everyone to have great service.
- They buy other people’s experiences of your service.
- They buy your credibility as presented by your marketing image.
- They buy based on their emotions, but they want logical reasons to justify their decision.
- And they buy guarantees and promises, so don’t make them if you can't keep them.
That’s why your law firm marketing plan must focus on more than just the features of your product or service. This principle is often overlooked.
Take a look at your website. Does it answer these 3 all-important questions:
- Why should I retain you for my legal need?
- Specifically, how do you benefit me, the client?
- Why should I retain your services now?
It is amazing how often attorney websites fail to adequately answer even these most basic questions.
To differentiate yourself and get more qualified leads, make sure your law firm marketing materials are answering the questions that prospective clients are asking, not just presenting a laundry list of everything you do.
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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.
The 10 Deadly Mistakes Attorneys Make When Using Social Media
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The ABA Journal recently posted a marketing article on social media asking if social media measures up to the hype. The article – rightly, I think – says that the conundrum is that those on both sides of the argument may be right.
Is social media overhyped? Perhaps. But you can’t ignore the fact that it is the way consumers are communicating these days. And that big pool of consumers is where the vast majority of attorneys get their clients.
One comment I found spot-on was by Terrance Barkan, who has a couple of websites dedicated to research and discussion about how professionals use social media. His comments got me thinking about my own observations on why some attorneys succeed and many more fail at social media.
The fact is that social media is like any other marketing tool – if you don’t use it right, with forethought and follow-up, it is not going to work. And how you do it right can be gleaned from how so many do it wrong, in what I call:
The 10 Deadly Mistakes Attorneys Make When Using Social Media
- No clear objectives and specific goals.
- Too short of a time frame: social media is a long-term play of building relationships it's not a get rich quick scheme.
- No budget allocated: most social networks are free, but you either have to do it yourself or you have to pay. someone else to do it for you.
- No responsibility or accountability.
- No tracking of results.
- No blueprint of what works and what doesn't so you end up reinventing the wheel by trying to do it yourself.
- Only using 1 network: most attorneys are attracted to LinkedIn but more consumers are on Facebook. Don’t try to just use one -- you need to experiment with all of them to see where you get the best ROI.
- Not using social media to build your database: s/he who has the biggest list wins!
- Not taking your social media contacts “offline”.
- Hiring a company to handle your social media that doesn't work with attorneys.
While #10 may be a bit self-serving (see below), it is important for attorneys who outsource their social media programs to ensure those executing the programs understand and abide by the rules and regulations attorneys must adhere to in their marketing.
The bottom line with social media is that – like most things in life – your return on investment is directly related to the effort expended. Or, as most of us heard from our parents growing up: you get out of it what you put into it.
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NEW!! Introducing the Rainmaker Automated Blogging & Social Media Program
Now you can get new leads for your law firm through blogging and social media--all done for you for one simple and affordable monthly investment!
The Rainmaker Institute has helped over 7,000 attorneys from hundreds of law firms generate more and better referrals and fill their practice through cutting edge legal marketing programs. Now, nationally recognized law firm marketing expert Stephen Fairley has designed a turnkey blogging and social media program for attorneys that includes:
Rainmaker Automated Blogging Program
- We will meet with you each month to determine targeted topics.
- We will do the research and write 5 unique blog posts every week.
- You edit and approve the posts and then we will post them on your blog.
- Every blog post is keyword optimized and specifically written to attract your target market and encourage them to pick up the phone and call you.
- We will push your blog content out to Google and to all of your social media networks.
Rainmaker Social Media Program
- We will set up and manage a professional presence for your law firm on the 6 major social media networks: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, JDSupra.com, Avvo.com and YouTube.
- We will build your online platform giving you direct access to hundreds of potential leads and referral sources.
- We will manage your social media inboxes, track incoming leads and pass them on to your law firm.
- We will build inbound links from other websites to your weblog and social media sites.
- We will show you how to track the incoming leads.
- We will set up and manage specific tracking tools to measure all incoming leads.
- We will teach you how to effectively follow up with every lead, every prospect, and every referral source consistently, frequently and automatically.
- Don't currently have a blog? Don't worry, we can design a custom WordPress blog for you.
- Plus much, much more!
To learn more about the Rainmaker Automated Blogging & Social Media Program and to sign up, click here or call 480-553-8398.
NOTE: Right now, we only have room for 10 new clients in this program at the low introductory price. We apologize, but we cannot take on more than 10 people at this time. If you delay, you may be placed on a waiting list. We will then notify you when we reopen the program at a later date.
Law Firm Marketing: Attorneys Reveal What They've Gained by Attending a Rainmaker Retreat
More than 7,000 attorneys have learned how to build a robust referral network, attract and retain new clients by applying our proven Rainmaker System to their law firm marketing practices. Many of these have done so by attending our two-day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat.
Here’s what a few of them had to say about their Rainmaker Retreat experience:
“This program is absolutely crucial to any attorney who is not a marketing expert, and would be very helpful to any attorney who is.” - L. Christopher Rose, Partner
“This seminar taught me to think outside the box and gave specific tools and action plans to attract clients and build my practice. I will start with referrals and automated follow-ups. There is a real 30-day and 90-day action plan.” - Leonard Schneider, Partner
“I thought I knew this stuff. But after attending a Rainmaker Retreat, I realized I did not. Now I know how it all fits together as a strategy.” - Elliot Stone, Partner
“And so, Stephen Fairley, you are my teacher, you are the master of marketing, and I have learned from the Rainmaker Institute that there is no royal road to knowledge -- but you have given me the best roadmap available to market my practice. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” - W.B. Smith, Solo Practitioner
Here’s what you will gain by attending our two-day law firm marketing boot camp:
- You will learn how to focus your time, energy, and money on the most effective marketing strategies
- You will learn how to better select, train and motivate your other partners and associates 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 master plan that will guide your firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 and 12 months
- You will have a realistic idea of how much money it will take to effectively market your firm
- You will see how to use your staff people to delegate parts of the marketing plan to so you can focus on generating more clients for the firm
- You will discover dozens of low cost marketing strategies to help you stretch your budget
- You will learn how to automate your marketing system to decrease the amount of time you have to spend running it
- You will leave with a practical, easy to implement marketing plan for the next 6-12 months
- You will see how other attorneys leverage technology 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 master the art of marketing on a small budget
Learn how to build and create a 'lifestyle' law firm that is professionally satisfying, but allows you the time to do what is important to you, by attending an upcoming Rainmaker Retreat:
Friday, January 28 and Saturday, January 29 - Las Vegas, Nevada
Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26 - Orlando, Florida
For more information please call: 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.
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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 6,000 attorneys find more and better clients, then register now for our one-hour complimentary teleseminar.
Hosted by Rainmaker Institute CEO Stephen Fairley, this teleseminar will give you a preview of the valuable material that is taught at our 2-day Rainmaker Retreat as well as teach you:
- How to Avoid the Most Deadly Marketing Mistakes Attorneys make
- 3 powerful strategies you must put into action in your practice immediately
- How to set yourself apart from your major competitors
- Secrets top attorneys are using to generate more referrals right now…
- How attorneys are winning even in this economy by implementing this proven 8-step system
Sign up now for one of these upcoming one-hour teleseminars:
Thursday, January 13, 2011
11am-12pm Pacific | 12-1pm Mountain | 1-2pm Central | 2-3pm Eastern
Thursday, January 20, 2011
12-1pm Pacific | 1-2pm Mountain | 2-3pm Central | 3-4pm Eastern
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
1-2pm Pacific | 2-3pm Mountain | 3-4pm Central | 4-5pm Eastern
Join us and learn why the Rainmaker Retreat is the one law firm marketing boot camp you cannot afford to miss!
Build Your Law Firm Marketing Plan Around These 5 Principles
One problem many small law firms and solo practitioners face is how to develop a cost effective marketing plan that will help generate leads without wasting precious time and resources on strategies that don’t work.
One of the best things that attorneys in these circumstances can do is to benchmark off the experience of others. The Rainmaker Institute – through this blog, our Rainmaker Retreat and other marketing programs for small law firms and solo practitioners – routinely provides good advice based on a proven track record of law firm marketing success.
Here are 5 principles of law firm marketing that will get you started on developing an effective law firm marketing plan:
People: Identify your target market. Analyze the characteristics of your best and worst clients and determine why they need your services. Look for a niche you can serve.
Product: Pinpoint what services you provide and how you can best present these to your prospects. Put yourself in their shoes. Ensure they know exactly what services they will receive.
Positioning: Study the competition. Learn why you are different from your competition and educate your prospects about why they should hire you and no one else. This convinces clients to do business with you and no one else.
Packaging: This is an important marketing strategy. Project an image that makes people want to work with you. Think about the image that best represent you and creates interest in prospects.
Place: Make sure that a prospective client can find you when they need your services. Build an online presence. Network with other professionals. Give presentations or seminars. Determine which methods work for you when finding new clients. Make your marketing plan an efficient machine.
These 5 principals lay a firm foundation on which to build your law firm marketing plan. Your next step is to develop a Marketing Action Plan that will lay the foundation for generating leads and converting those leads into paying clients. Need to learn how? See below.
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One-Hour Webinar Tomorrow: Learn How to Create a Law Firm Marketing Action Plan
On Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, join Stephen Fairley for a one-hour webinar on the 5 Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Action Plan. Beginning at 3 p.m. ET, he will lead you through the 5 critical steps of developing a 90-day game plan for marketing your law firm and give you viable options to help you implement the MAP.
In this 60-minute interactive webinar, you will learn:
- The 5 Critical Components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
- How to Select the Right Marketing Tools that will work for your Practice and Personality
- View Examples of Marketing Action Plans for Various Practice Areas
- How to Create a Roadmap to make 2011 your Best Year Ever!
This event will be presented live by phone with a web connection available for those wishing to view the presentation on their personal computers. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.
Click here to register now.
Law Firm Marketing: Internet Marketing for Rainmakers/Part 3 of 5
Even more strategies for becoming a Rainmaker on the Internet:
Use video to keep visitors’ attention. Now here’s a truly depressing statistic: On average, 85 percent of your website’s visitors will stay for less than 30 seconds and will never return. Seriously? Yes. If you don’t believe me, check for yourself. Look at your website’s statistics log and see how many unique visitors you have and how long they stay on average. (Virtually every website has at least a basic statistics package; just ask your website tech or hosting company how to access it. If you are not already using Google Analytics, have your tech install it. It’s much better than most. And it’s free.)
The bottom line is that you literally have less than 30 seconds to impress your website visitors. I believe all of us would agree that the longer visitors stay on your website, the more likely they are to connect with you.
One of the best ways to increase the length of time a visitor stays is by using videos. Anecdotally, our clients have seen a four- to fivefold increase in length of stay after implementing videos on their websites. These videos should be one to three minutes long and focus on educating prospects and website visitors about who you are, who you help, and why you are different. These videos do not need to be professionally produced, but you may want to have someone add a short introduction including your website and phone number. Once you have your video ready, upload it to your website—and to www.youtube.com for additional exposure. Visitors are more concerned with content than production quality. If allowed in your jurisdiction, use video testimonials from your clients as well.
Key Action Points: • The longer someone stays on your website, the greater likelihood they will connect with you. • Use videos to quickly capture their attention. • Your videos should educate prospects about who you are, who you help, and why you are different.
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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.
Law Firm Marketing: Internet Marketing for Rainmakers/Part 2 of 5
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Here are more strategies for becoming a Rainmaker on the Internet:
Create compelling copy. I strongly recommend you consider hiring a professional copywriter to write the copy on your website. Yes, I know, every lawyer out there writes for a living. However, the gulf between writing a great legal brief and creating compelling copy can be like the Grand Canyon. The number-one purpose of your website is to compel visitors to pick up the phone and call you. A great copywriter can create credible copy that will get your phone ringing.
Another purpose of your website copy is to help you rank well in the search engines. One way to do this is by using the exact same words and phrases you researched in step one in the copy of your website. Each page should focus on four to six phrases. For example, one page may focus on four phrases such as “Orange County California personal injury lawyers,” “Orange County California personal injury attorneys,” “Los Angeles California personal injury lawyers,” and “Los Angeles County California personal injury attorneys.”
Key Action Points: • Consider hiring a professional copywriter to write your website copy. • Be sure to include on each page the keywords for which you want to rank high. • Include a call to action on every page. Tell people what you want them to do: call you, register, sign up, etc.
Add fresh content regularly. Perhaps the top strategy used by high-ranking lawyers today is to add new, relevant content to their websites on a consistent basis. This is one of the major reasons for the explosion in blogs in recent years. A blog is a type of website that is regularly updated, and the entries are often displayed in reverse-chronological order with the newest entry at the top. Although some law firms are selecting blogs instead of websites, I believe there is a place for each in online legal marketing. If, for economic reasons, you are forced to select between one or the other, I recommend starting out with a blog. Why? Because they are very low cost (or free) as compared to websites and, if done properly, will help you rank faster than a traditional website.
Anyone can start a blog at no cost using sites such as www.wordpress.com and www.blogger.com. At a minimum, we recommend updating your blog weekly. For any serious traffic, you need to be updating three to five times per week. Lawyers who want to be at the top of the search engines update their blog three to five times per day. Google loves fresh content. The more relevant content your blog gives Google, the more it will love your blog by ranking it higher.
Key Action Points: • Search engines love fresh content. • The more fresh, relevant content you post on your website or blog, the higher you will rank on the search engines. • Blogs are a great place to get started, but in order to be effective they must be updated frequently. • Update your blog at least three to five times per week.
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Sign Up for Jan. 28-29 Las Vegas Rainmaker Retreat by Jan. 14 to Receive Discounted Room Rates
Over 7,000 attorneys from hundreds of law firms across the country have discovered how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast by applying our proven Rainmaker System.
If you're struggling to build your legal practice or want to learn a proven law firm marketing system for landing more and better clients and creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice then you owe it to yourself to discover our Rainmaker System. Just listen:
Our next Rainmaker Retreat will be held Jan. 28 and 29 at The Platinum Hotel in Las Vegas. Register by Friday, Jan. 14 to receive your discounted room rates. Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com to register online or call 888-588-5891.
Law Firm Marketing: Internet Marketing for Rainmakers/Part 1 of 5
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Nothing has transformed the marketing of law firms in the last ten years more than the Internet. I was speaking at a bar association event recently when a gentleman asked, “Do people really look for lawyers online? I’m not sure people look for my kind of practice area on the Internet.”
Although there’s no guarantee that someone Googles your exact practice area every day, there are more than 11 million Internet searches for the words “lawyer” or “attorney” every month.
A growing number of law firms are turning to the Internet with hopes of boosting their revenues and increasing their leads. For some this has become a reality, but most are still in the experimental stage. This week, we’ll examine several of the best practices in becoming a rainmaker on the Internet.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the ongoing process of optimizing your website to be found on the search engines (Google, Yahoo!, and Bing are the big three) for the keywords and phrases people use to find you. The goal of SEO is to drive qualified traffic to your website. It does not include pay-per-click (PPC) or paid search. There are more than 30 different components commonly used by SEO experts to help your website rank well. Each of my posts this week will provide you with strategies to get you started.
Know the keywords people use to search for your services. There are many tools you can use to find out exactly which keywords and phrases people use. I recommend you start with www.wordtracker.com and Google’s Keyword Tool, which can be found at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. In most searches, there are three parts used: geographical location, practice area, and the word “lawyer” or “attorney.” For example, someone looking for a personal injury lawyer in southern California may use “Los Angeles personal injury lawyer,” whereas someone in Chicago looking to file for bankruptcy may search for “Chicago bankruptcy attorney.” However, people are starting to use more and more words to describe what they are looking for: “I was injured in a car accident in Miami and need an attorney.” This is known as long tail search.
Key Action Points: • Talk to your prospects and clients and find out what words and phrases they use to look for a lawyer in your practice area. • Research those keywords and find out how many other people use them. • Make a list of 20 to 30 words and phrases to use in your website.
Use keywords in your domain name. When possible, use the actual words that prospects likely use to find you. For example, Kevin Von Tungeln is a board-certified estate planning specialist in the state of California. His website address is www.estateplanningspecialists.com. Many law firms are still using the traditional method of naming their website the same as their law firm name, which can make it difficult to spell, harder to find, and does not assist their SEO efforts. However, be sure to check your state’s ethical requirements before settling on a new website name; some states do not allow lawyers to use any other domain name than their law firm’s name.
Key Action Points: • It’s okay to have multiple domain names. • Register your own name first, then register domain names with your keywords in it. • Use www.godaddy.com to register multiple variations. Even if you are not going to use them now, you may want them later.
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Phoenix Legal Networking Group: Learn the 5 Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Action Plan (MAP) at our January 11 Meeting
At the January 11 Phoenix Legal Networking Group meeting, Stephen Fairley will make a presentation on How to Make This Year Your Best Year Ever! 5 Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Action Plan (MAP). Join us next Tuesday to discover:
- The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
- How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
- How to create a roadmap to make 2011 your Best Year Ever!
The networking event and marketing seminar will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11 at Monti’s, 100 S. Mill Ave. in Tempe.
Cost is $20 per person if you register by January 7, $30 if you register by January 10 and $35 on the day of the event. This covers drinks, hors d’oeurves, the networking event and the workshop.
To register for our January 11 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.
Register for a 2011 Rainmaker Retreat by Jan. 1 and Get a $500 Gift FREE
Is spurring your law practice on to greater and more profitable heights on your list of New Year’s resolutions this year?
If so, then your first step is to register for our Rainmaker Retreat two-day law firm marketing boot camp. We have two sessions coming up:
January 28-29, 2011 Las Vegas, NV
February 25-26, 2011 Orlando, FL
And if you register by this Saturday, January 1, 2011, you’ll get the ‘Rainmaker Retreat Live!’ CD set for FREE, as our holiday gift to you!
For years, my “Rainmaker Retreat Live!” has been a consistent best seller at the Rainmaker Institute. It’s 6 CDs and a 70-page manual that covers our Rainmaker marketing system with strategies you can employ to quickly make it ‘rain’ new leads and clients.
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 this 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.
We sell a bunch of these every year for $497. Go here to register: www.RainmakerRetreat.com.
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Have you heard about the 2-Day Marketing Boot Camp for Small Law Firms?
If you're struggling to build your legal practice or want to learn a proven law firm marketing system for that has helped attorneys discover how to generate more referrals and find new clients fast then you owe it to yourself to check out a Rainmaker Retreat.
We would like to send you a 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 (we wouldn't have it any other way). So instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your business, we will let our clients do the telling.
Click here to order your complimentary DVD right now.
Law Firm Internet Marketing: Shift to Earned Media in Social Media Campaigns
December is always the month of predictions for the coming year, and for social media campaigns the trend is clearly for the use of branded and expert content – also called “earned media”.
Earned media is when clients become the channel – through word-of-mouth (referrals), viral campaigns, etc. – and is considered the most credible media channel. According to a recent study, almost three-quarters of companies engaged in social media use this kind of content:
A recent thought piece at emarketer.com calls this “magnetic” content – anything created on behalf of a brand that consumers want to engage with and pass along to others. Magnetic content has to either serve a function or satisfy a need, and should be engaging, entertaining, amusing and informative. Consumers welcome it, instead of finding it annoying or intrusive.
To create “magnetic content”, marketers must base their social media strategies on an in-depth knowledge of their target market's behaviors, attitudes and needs -- moving from selling a product to solving a problem or meeting a need.
We’ve posted a short survey on social media use by law firms that we’d like to ask you to take – it’s only a few questions and should take about a minute of your time. We’ll post the results and discuss the implications later.
Click here now to take this short survey.
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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! Go here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!
Your law firm marketing plan is key to your firm's success
As you review the systems your law firm must have to be successful, pay particular attention to your law firm marketing plan and the systems that support it. A well-designed plan is practically useless if you do not have strong systems to support the legal marketing strategies in your plan.
Here are some tips from Richard Strauch, COO of The Rainmaker Institute, on how you can develop systems that will make your law firm marketing efforts more effective.
First, create a written 12 month marketing plan for your law firm. Take the time to systematically look at all of your plans for the next year and review them in sequence. Does the order of events make sense? Do the strategies build on each other? Does your plan have an inherent coherence that is easily discernable? Is your plan comprehensive, or are there gaps in your plan in the audiences being targeted and the techniques being used.
Second, develop processes and procedures to capture major marketing metrics and data. Your plan should be able to identify all of your target audiences, the key influencers to those audiences, and your effectiveness in reaching them. You should be able to track the conversion rate of prospects to clients, the response percentage to your marketing messages, and who is responding to your messaging.
Third, identify major lead sources and create tracking mechanisms to measure results. Who is sending you business? If you can’t answer that question, you do not have a handle on your lead and referral sources. Tracking the frequency of your referral source meetings and the number of referrals generated is a very basic measure that you should have access to. There are many other measures of your lead and referral sources that you can include in your law firm marketing plan.
A well-designed legal marketing plan can take your firm from the level where you are to the level where you want to be. It takes planning and follow-through, but it is achievable once you have a strong plan and measurement system.
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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
- Secrets of Building a Referral-based Law Practice for Busy Practitioners
- The Top 6 Most Powerful Online Marketing Strategies for Attorneys
- Action, Accountability and Next Steps
This program also includes a data DVD which includes all 4 PowerPoint slides for all 4 presentations. We recommend you print all these off and take notes on them as you watch the 4 intense DVDs.
To order this information-packed set click here.
Bust the Bracket with a Killer Legal Marketing Strategy
March Madness is upon us. Office productivity has taken its seasonal dip as employees call in sick and spend work time scanning the internet to keep up with the progress of their NCAA basketball tournament brackets. This is a good time to assess whether your legal marketing strategy is more sound than your game-picking strategy.
Some people are casual fans and spend little time and effort filling out their brackets. Others spend long hours watching games, watching the “bracketology” experts on television, and researching injury reports before they fill out their brackets.
Their thorough preparation gives them an advantage over those who just pick schools based on rankings or their reputation from previous years. Last year’s national champion didn’t even make the tournament, which is ample evidence that situations can change quickly in a year.
When you are putting your law firm marketing strategy together, take the time to research like a NCAA tournament coach, not a bracket picker. Research the opposition. Know the situations. Try to anticipate the ebb and flow and prepare your team for several different contingencies. Be quick on your feet with a strong game plan. Then you will be prepared for the marathon that is the tournament.
Legal marketing isn’t a guessing game. It is a disciplined effort that has a goal in mind from the outset. Design your law firm marketing plan with that goal in mind. Execute your plan to perfection. Then you can taste the sweetness of success.
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Looking for more Rainmaker Institute Wisdom?
Then sign up for a complimentary Law Firm Marketing Strategy CD. It contains information that will enable you to Generate More and Better Referrals, Find New Clients Fast, and Fill Your Law Practice. The CD is free, so sign up now!
