The Rainmaker Blog : Law Firm Marketing and Business Development : The Rainmaker Institute : Stephen Fairley : Professional Legal Marketing

A new survey by The Research Intelligence Group has found that 56% of consumers who looked for an attorney in the past year used social media in some way to conduct that search.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted in March by the international market research firm on behalf of The Rainmaker Institute. It found that 25% of those surveyed said they had sought an attorney in the past year. 

Among those who looked for an attorney, 56% said they used social media during their search. The use of social media was higher among males (71%) than females (38%) and highest among younger adults. In the search for a lawyer, social media was used by:

• 81% of 18-29 year olds
• 73% of 30-39 year olds
• 57% of 40-49 year olds
• 30% of 50-64 year olds
• 25% of those 65+

In addition, 72% of minorities who sought an attorney used social media. 

How Social Media Is Used to Search for an Attorney

According to the survey, here is how consumers used social media during their search for an attorney:

21% of those searching for an attorney checked out the social media pages of lawyers or firms and 17% indicated that the information they found on the social media pages made a difference in their final selection

Nearly one-quarter used a social media channel such as Twitter or Facebook to ask their friends for recommendations of lawyers or firms they have used for similar matters

20% used social media to create a ‘short list’ of lawyers based on referrals and recommendations received through social media

Almost 20% vetted the names of lawyers they were considering with their social media contacts

Nearly one-quarter made a final selection of a lawyer based in part on what they learned through their social media contacts

Social Media Now a Part of Everyday Life

Judging from the verbatim commentary from the survey, researchers found that consumers use social media to search for an attorney because it is now a part of everyday life and a natural place to turn to for information gathering. 

This is especially true for younger consumers, who have grown up using social media and trust it for helping them make decisions. As one survey respondent noted, lawyers that are visible on social media “show that they are informed about the world and they are willing to communicate with potential clients through new and varying ways.”

It is becoming increasingly clear that simply having a website is not enough to attract new clients in 2013; an attorney’s online presence must extend to social media and outreach efforts like blogging to remain relevant to prospects under the age of 50.

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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!

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!

 

 

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If you want to obtain higher rankings for your website and blog on Google, Bing and other search engines, there are some things you should be doing online to optimize your sites for social search:

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, and you need to post frequently, at least 3-5 times a week.

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 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.

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 LinkedIn with higher search rankings.  If you are a Twitter user, activate your Twitter Location and use social check-ins on Facebook.

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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.

Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

 

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However you choose to measure social media, it is imperative that you have a success metric in mind before you begin. Without some sort of benchmark, determining your ROI is impossible. 

Here are 7 steps to master the measurement of social media ROI:

1. Establish clear marketing goals for your product or brand, and then identify social measurements that directly support those objectives.

2. Organize your measurements and metrics in a logical framework.

3. Take a long-term outlook with social media interactions and measurements. It's a commitment, not a campaign.

4. If hard ROI metrics are difficult to track directly, consider a range of softer metrics that can be linked back to desired business outcomes. (See my previous post on 10 Ways Social Media Could Be Benefitting Your Law Firm.)

5. Determine a dollar value for clients who choose to opt in and engage with your brand via social networks.

6. In your ROI calculations, don't overlook the value of cost savings that can result from ongoing social listening and tracking.

7. Build the technological capabilities to measure your prospects’ complete digital footprint in real time.

One of the hardest ones for most attorneys to grasp is #3 - it's a commitment, not a campaign.  Building a social media presence takes time.  You can't expect to throw up a few blog posts and have prospects knocking down your doors.  Create content that is relevant to your targeted prospect, keep pumping it out there, and they will come.

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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. According to HubSpot, B2B marketers with a blog generate 67% more leads per month and B2C marketers generate 88% more leads per month than those without a blog.

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

 

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Earlier this week, I wrote about the 10 Ways Social Media Could Be Benefitting Your Law Firm, which were above and beyond the more tangible reasons attorneys invest in social media. Here are four game-changers that social media provides lawyers who participate:

Directly impacts your organic search results – search engines now rank social media presence higher in organic search results. When someone likes your Facebook page or retweets a post on Twitter, it tells the search engine that your site has authority for that subject. The more people who interact with you on social media, the better you show up in organic search results.

Allows you to control your image online – as stated above, Google and other search engines are ranking social media presence higher. By actively participating in social media, you maintain control over your online image and help establish your expertise in your area of practice.

Distributes your content – your blog and website content gets a lot more traction when you retweet or repost on social media sites. This gets your content into the hands of people who may be your target audience – and if they like it or retweet it, it also goes to their spheres of social media influence, people may not know you yet – thereby extending your reach to potential new business.

Gives you clout and visibility – even if you don’t think your target market is on social media, other people of importance to your practice – colleagues, potential business partners, industry thought leaders – probably are. Social media allows you to make connections that can help build your practice, especially if your competitors are conspicuous by their absence.

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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!

 

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When it comes to marketing, I believe in measuring everything. The conundrum many marketers have when it comes to social media is how to measure it since social media delivers as many if not more intangibles than it does tangible things like clicks, likes and visits.

If your law firm is already participating in social media, you may want to consider these 10 ways that your firm could already be benefitting:

1. Brand building. Since social media is your unfiltered voice, you have a great opportunity to build your brand.

2. Community. Social media is all about cultivating a community and engaging in a dialogue with prospects and clients who will tell you what they need and want from your firm. This is a great way to gather meaningful market research.

3. Exposure. I talk about the Law of 7 all the time – it takes a minimum of 7 exposures for a prospect to decide to make a purchase. Social media gives you a number of different avenues for getting repeat exposure.

4. Authority. Social media helps you establish authority in your area of practice.

5. Influence. As you build your authority, your influence grows – and the larger the audience, the greater the influence.

6. Traffic. Social media drives traffic to your website or blog, giving you an opportunity to gather contact information so you can engage directly with prospects.

7. Relevance. Prospects and clients are already checking to see if you are represented in social media whether or not you realize it. You risk being viewed as behind the times if you are not engaging them on major social media sites.

8. Mindshare. You will probably never know how you are affecting people on social media, but you can bet you won’t have any chance of gaining mindshare if you don’t engage at all.

9. One-up your competitors. There are lots of lawyers who are still not participating in social media, which provides you with a great opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

10. Big wins. If a social media contact refers you on a big case or you get a call from a major media outlet to comment on something you’ve posted, that’s a big win. They don’t happen often, but when they do, they make your social media investment incredibly worthwhile.

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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book

In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click here.

Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice. 

We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too.  

 

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The latest report from the Pew Research Center says that 67 percent of adults online currently use social networking sites – an impressive statistic when you consider that less than a decade ago, Pew reported that only 5 percent of adults online were involved in social media.

So what does this mean for your practice and law firm marketing efforts?

Should you step up your social media efforts or jump in if you haven’t already? The answer is, it depends. 

And what it depends upon is your Ideal Target Market (ITM).

Identifying your ITM is absolutely critical to the success of your law firm marketing plan. If you don’t target the right market, nothing else you do will matter. To be successful as a legal marketer and attorney, you have to start with a clear picture of your ITM.

Take a look at the demographic breakdown of who is using social media:

If you are a personal injury attorney or DUI lawyer, you should know that 62 percent of accidents in the U.S. involve drivers who are 18-49. Social media makes sense for you.

If you are a bankruptcy attorney, you should know that the average age of a U.S. bankruptcy filer is 40 (the #1 age category is 35-44). Social media also makes sense for you.

You get the idea. Social media marketing is just one tool in a law firm marketing arsenal at your disposal. If it fits with your ITM, then you should be using it. 

If you don’t know how, 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 that incorporates your ITM and the strategic marketing initiatives you’ll need to reach them. 

Here are the upcoming dates:

March 15-16, 2013 – Newport Beach, CA

April 5-6, 2013 – Dallas, TX

May 3-4, 2013 – Scottsdale, AZ

May 31-June 1, 2013 – New York City

July 19-20, 2013 – San Diego, CA

August 16-17, 2013 – Las Vegas, NV

September 20-21, 2013 – San Francisco, CA

You can register online at www.RainmakerRetreat.com or by calling 888-588-5891.

 

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Reputation is everything for attorneys. A good reputation 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.

This infographic provides some tips on monitoring your online reputation:

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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!

 

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Google+ is one of those social media networks that many attorneys are still not sure what to do with...but with more than 500 million members now making it the fastest growing social media site ever, it’s worth your time and attention.

This infographic explains 7 benefits Google+ provides for business:

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Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers

Getting to the top of Google for any term related to the legal industry is highly competitive! Now you can get a recording of this recent webinar that will tell you how!

Attorneys spend millions of dollars every year on Pay Per Click (PPC) and banner advertisements, trying to drive more traffic to their website. 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!

You will discover 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.

Join us and discover:

• What an “inbound link” is and why Google loves them
• 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 shoe string budget
• The benefits of being at the top of the search engine rankings
• The ongoing debate between “quality” and “quantity” links
• Selecting the right keywords to go after with your search engine efforts
• 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

When you register, you will receive access to the recording of the webinar. Click on this Getting to the Top of Google link now to get full access to this webinar!

 

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I am in New York today hosting a featured panel on social media marketing for attorneys at LegalTech New York 2013, the top annual legal technology event on the planet.

Joining me for the session today are Larry Bodine, editor-in-chief of Lawyers.com and martindale.com, as well as LexisNexis chief marketing officer Steve Mann. 

Our topic is Taming the Wild West of Social Media: The Secrets of Social Media Success in the Legal Profession, where we explore:

• The state of social media in the legal industry today and an update to guide attendees through the year ahead.
• New and improved social media best practices in specific online channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogging, etc.).
• The various ethical and legal considerations about which law firms must be aware, including an update of key decisions and guidance issued by various state bar associations.

While it may seem like the Wild West at times, social media does have a very real role to play in both the business and practice of law.

According to the 2012 Attorney Selection Research Study by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), 26 percent of American consumers used one of the major social media sites when gathering information about a legal issue and more than one in five (22 percent) said they turned to a social media site to actually find a lawyer they felt might be able to help them with their legal need.

If you were not in our audience today, you can still access this knowledge by attending one of our Rainmaker Retreat law firm marketing boot camp sessions. Here are the dates for upcoming Rainmaker Retreat sessions in the first quarter of 2013:



February 15-16, 2013 – Orlando, FL


March 15-16, 2013 – Newport Beach, CA

To register, call 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.

 

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Facebook announced yesterday that it is unveiling a new search engine called Graph Search that will allow us to search our social circles for things we want to know about. 

It’s not a Google-type search engine; it doesn’t scour the entire Web for results. It only returns the results that are popular within your circle of friends on Facebook. And that can be pretty compelling, since we tend to care more about what our friends think or recommend than strangers.

For example, you can search for how many of your friends like to play tennis if you’re looking for a new partner, or eat sushi if you’re looking for a great sushi restaurant. Basically, the new search engine takes all the information you have shared or that has been shared with you, and makes it searchable.

So is this a big deal for law firm marketing? 

It could be, if people use it to search for legal services. As I’ve noted before, I’m not sure many people ask for attorney recommendations on Facebook for sensitive issues like divorce or if they’ve been charged with a crime. But they probably do ask for recommendations from friends for other specialties – creating a will, drawing a contract and so on.

Graph Search, which is powered by Bing, focuses on four areas: people, photos, places and interests. This also includes shared content, so if you post free reports and articles on your Facebook Business Page that are being shared, you will more likely turn up in the new Graph Search.  

While we wait to see if “the dogs eat the dog food” (Graph Search is in beta now and you have to sign up for it), you should go ahead and take a leap of faith by ensuring your firm not only has a robust Facebook Business Page, but that it is full of great content that you are actively marketing to your connections.

If you need help setting up your Facebook Business Page, here is a step-by-step video guide courtesy of HubSpot:

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Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line

At The Rainmaker Institute, we define a “7 figure lifestyle law firm” as one that allows you to have the lifestyle that you want to live!

It’s more than just money or achieving a million dollars in revenue.

It’s about creating a lifestyle where you do what you love and building a business around your core values and interests.

In this recording of an interview between Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, and nationally recognized attorney John Bisnar, Stephen asks John to share with us some of the secrets he has used to create a law firm that allows him to go into the office only one day a week and take, on average, 3 to 4 months of vacation every year - all the while managing a very successful, multi-million dollar law firm!

You will receive either a CD or MP3 recording, plus we will email you a pdf transcript of the interview.

This interview will help you discover:

• The difference between a law practice and a business
• How to identify superstar employees to help you run your business
• The difference between an Office Manager and a Business Manager
• The 7 essential systems your firm must have & how to implement them
• How to micromanage the client experience
• Critical keys to success
• And much more!

Click this link now to order Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line.

 

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Is your law practice letting you down? Not enough clients? Revenues stagnating or going south? Spending too much time on building frustration rather than building your business?

Then consider this:

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

I don’t know who said that – it’s been attributed to the likes of Albert Einstein, Henry Ford and Mark Twain – but it is so very true.

The problems you are having can likely be attributed to doing things the same way they’ve always been done. Challenge yourself to break from your past in 2013 and do things differently.

The answer to building a successful law practice that satisfies you both financially and emotionally can be obtained through effective law firm marketing. 

If you don’t have a blog, start one.

If you don’t have a presence on social media, get one.

If your website is old and tired, fix it.

If you have scant prospects, start using email and inbound marketing practices to fill the funnel.

There are abundant resources for you to learn how to effectively do and manage all these strategies. Our Rainmaker Retreat is but one of them. Sign up for a webinar. Attend a workshop. Start reading marketing blogs and learning about all the low-cost ways you can effectively market your practice.

The worst thing that can happen is not failure. It’s doing nothing.

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FREE Webinar: How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle

When it comes to law firm marketing, it is truly a jungle out there! Mastering social media, SEO and Internet marketing strategies – and making sure your efforts align with legal marketing rules – can give even the most eager attorney pause.

In his new one-hour webinar, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the step-by-step actions you should take throughout the course of the next 12 months to substantially increase your revenues. You will learn:

• How to target market to get your ideal client
• Why your firm is not getting more referrals and how to change it
• How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
• Effective online and offline marketing strategies
• How to create a financial plan to fund your marketing budget
• The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
• 4 ways to create a unique competitive advantage
• What is critical to have in place today’s hyper-competitive online focused marketplace

This FREE webinar will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.

Click on this link to register now for the FREE How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle webinar.

 

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Nielsen has released its 2012 Social Media Report and says that when it comes to accessing social content today, it’s all about mobile, especially apps.

Compared to 2011, consumers increased their mobile web usage 82% over last year. The report found that people continue to spend more time on social networks than any other category of website – 20% of their time on PCs and 30% of their mobile time is spent on social networks.

Here are the most visited social networks and year-over-year change:

As the Nielsen report notes, social media has fundamentally changed the consumer decision journey. Consumer decisions and behaviors are increasingly driven by the opinions, tastes and preferences of an exponentially larger pool of friends, peers and influencers.

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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book

In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click here.

Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice. 

We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too.  

 

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A study out this week from SEI, Scorpio Partnership and Standard Chartered Private Bank says the wealthy are much more likely to use the Internet, mobile apps and other digital media communications tools.

The study, titled The Futurewealth Report: The Digital World of the Futurewealthy, surveyed 3,477 respondents with an average $1.9 million in assets on their digital habits and found that a majority are early adapters of technology, crediting technology for a valuable role in helping them create and manage their wealth.

The report’s author notes that, “Advisors must embrace and share the passion for technology and digital media tools with these futurewealthy if they want to truly engage and grow relationships with them.”

While the wealthy may be first on board with new technologies, others are not far behind. And attorneys who do not utilize digital communications in their law firm marketing are fast going the way of the dinosaur.

So how do busy attorneys grasp the concepts and strategies of digital marketing? They attend a Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day intensive law firm marketing boot camp that is guaranteed to bring more new and qualified clients into your law firm and provide you with everything you need to know to embark on a robust social media and Internet marketing communications program.

Here are the upcoming dates:

December 7-8, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA

January 18-19, 2013 – Las Vegas, NV

February 15-16, 2013 – Orlando, FL

Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891 to register now.

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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.

Instead of us telling you how these 2 days will transform your practice, listen to your peers describe their experiences in their own words by clicking here to order your complimentary Rainmaker Retreat Preview DVD right now.

 

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If you have a social media marketing program for your law firm, you have probably heard that your posts should contain questions to foster engagement.

But the question is, do questions really work for that purpose?

Inbound marketing firm HubSpot studied a large data set of more than 1.2 million Facebook posts and came up with these findings:

Posts with questions garner more comments, but fewer “Likes” and “Shares” – so if you are simply using Facebook to answer questions, you will be missing out on two important components of engagement.

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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.

Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

 

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To accurately measure social media ROI, you should be using both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Both measurements are important because social media is really about two things: engagement and influence.

Quantitative measurements are those counted in quantity – it’s the “show me the numbers” part of research that can determine how your social media program is performing on the engagement level. There are a number of different quantitative measurements for social media, including:

• Number of visitors
• Number of fans, followers
• Total traffic
• Search engine rank changes
• Leads generated
• Comments posted
• Sign-ups for e-newsletters or freemiums
• Reviews

Qualitative measurements are those relating to or concerning quality and measures how your social media program is performing on the influence level. Some of the ways leading law firm marketers are using qualitative measurements for social media include:

• Increase in communication with prospects and clients
• Strengthening existing relationships with clients
• Increase in referral relationships
• Increase in brand visibility
• Increase in client retention

As you develop your social media marketing plan, take the time to determine what you want to know.  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.

However you choose to measure engagement, it is imperative that you have a success metric in mind before you begin. Without some sort of benchmark, determining your ROI is impossible.

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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms & 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.

 

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Just when most lawyers got used to traditional marketing – print ads, Yellow Pages listings, billboards, radio and TV ads – along comes a discipline called inbound marketing that turned everything you thought you knew about law firm marketing on its head.

Here at The Rainmaker Institute, inbound marketing is about all we do, and what we have done for years. Traditional marketing may have its uses, but it doesn’t do what we like to do – generate qualified leads. Traditional marketing is all about the push – pushing your message out to a mass market in hopes of finding those needles in a haystack.

Inbound marketing pulls people in who are interested in what you have to offer. It consists of social media marketing, SEO, blogging, e-newsletters, videos, free report offers on landing pages, email marketing and other strategies that attract consumers naturally.  

Inbound marketing allows you to nurture relationships with potential leads all the way along the various stages of the buying cycle. You can automate your messaging early in the cycle for the shoppers, then spend your resources more carefully on interacting with those who are in the later stage of ready-to-buy. 

This infographic from The Whole Brain Group, a Michigan-based inbound marketing agency, explains it simply and succinctly:

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FREE Webinar: How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle

When it comes to law firm marketing, it is truly a jungle out there! Mastering social media, SEO and Internet marketing strategies – and making sure your efforts align with legal marketing rules – can give even the most eager attorney pause.

In his new one-hour webinar, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the step-by-step actions you should take throughout the course of the next 12 months to substantially increase your revenues. You will learn:

• How to target market to get your ideal client
• Why your firm is not getting more referrals and how to change it
• How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
• Effective online and offline marketing strategies
• How to create a financial plan to fund your marketing budget
• The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
• 4 ways to create a unique competitive advantage
• What is critical to have in place today’s hyper-competitive online focused marketplace

This FREE webinar will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.

Click on this link to register now for the FREE How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Junglewebinar.

 

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Did you remember to turn your clocks back one hour last night? If you forgot and have someplace you need to be today – like church – you’ll find yourself pretty much alone for about an hour.

Attorneys who are still doing the same old-same old when it comes to law firm marketing will likely find themselves in the same boat – pretty much alone with few new clients. Don’t believe me? Here are some of the latest statistics regarding Internet and social media marketing:

• 91% of online adults use social media regularly
• Internet users spend 22.5% of their online time social networking
• 80% of active Internet users visit social networks and blogs
• 57% of marketers acquired customers via blogging
• U.S. Internet users spend three times longer on social media and blogs than email
• 93% of U.S. adult Internet users are on Facebook
• 87% of the Fortune 100 uses social media
• Every minute of the day:
  • 100,000 tweets are sent on Twitter
  • 684,478 pieces of content are shared on Facebook
  • 2 million search queries are made on Google
  • 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube
  • 571 websites are created

If you’re not taking action because you don’t know where to start, I urge you to consider attending a Rainmaker Retreat, our two–day law firm marketing boot camp that will give you a comprehensive education on marketing your law firm in today’s tech-savvy world.

We have two more sessions before the end of the year:

November 16-17, 2012 – New York City, NY

December 7-8, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA

You can still get in on our Early Bird Discount for our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats, so be sure to register now to receive the $200 discount. 

Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891 to register now.

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Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line

At The Rainmaker Institute, we define a “7 figure lifestyle law firm” as one that allows you to have the lifestyle that you want to live!

It’s more than just money or achieving a million dollars in revenue.

It’s about creating a lifestyle where you do what you love and building a business around your core values and interests.

In this recording of an interview between Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, and nationally recognized attorney John Bisnar, Stephen asks John to share with us some of the secrets he has used to create a law firm that allows him to go into the office only one day a week and take, on average, 3 to 4 months of vacation every year - all the while managing a very successful, multi-million dollar law firm!

You will receive either a CD or MP3 recording, plus we will email you a pdf transcript of the interview.

This interview will help you discover:

• The difference between a law practice and a business
• How to identify superstar employees to help you run your business
• The difference between an Office Manager and a Business Manager
• The 7 essential systems your firm must have & how to implement them
• How to micromanage the client experience
• Critical keys to success
• And much more!

Click this link now to order Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line.

 

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New independent research has discovered that 58 million consumers in the United States sought an attorney in the past year. You could be one of those attorneys if you understand the changes in how consumers look for lawyers today. The traditional method of asking friends, coworkers and neighbors to recommend a lawyer is fast going the way of the dinosaurs.

Join me and Larry Bodine, Editor in Chief of Lawyers.com on Thursday, Nov. 8 at noon ET for a law firm business development webinar on how you can capture new business in today’s tech-savvy world.

Research shows that today:

76% of consumers seeking an attorney in the past year cited using online resources at some point in the process. If you’re not capitalizing on all the available internet-based strategies, you won’t be found.

Most consumers (65%) start by going online to gather information about their legal issue. Attendees will learn how to market themselves to be found at this early point in the process.

39% of consumers turned to search engines when gathering information. Find out which one is the No. 1 choice of consumers so that you can optimize your website.

After Google, consumers used a well-known online legal directory. Attendees will learn which one stands out above all the others, and how to perfect your profile so that it generates new revenue.

Social media is so prevalent that it now affects consumer buying choices. 26% of consumers used social media to research and find a lawyer. Find out which one is the top choice for lawyers who want consumer clients.

Legal blogs are an important online resource for lawyers. 29% of consumers read a lawyer blog when they were searching for a lawyer. Attendees will learn the best practices in lawyer blogs.

Websites were most commonly used in the “finding a lawyer” stage of the process. Attendees will learn which elements of a website pull in new clients.

34% of respondents visited online legal advice forums at the beginning of the search process. Find out how to sign up for an “Ask A Lawyer” forum that is widely read by consumers.

With the popularity of Yelp.com and other review websites, lawyers should know that online ratings make a big difference. 57% of respondents used an online resource to check and compare ratings and reviews of a lawyer or firm. Find out how to tune up your profile to produce new clients.

The live webinar will take place on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. PT/Noon ET. If that time doesn’t work for you, you can still register to receive a recording of the webinar to watch at your convenience. The cost for the webinar is $97.

Click on the following link now to register online for How to Capture New Clients in Today’s Tech-Savvy World webinar.

 

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The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs just released their second annual study on B2B content marketing trends and found the following tactics most prevalent among B2B marketers:

The top five tactics – articles, social media, blogs, e-newsletters and case studies – should be in every law firm marketing toolkit and a major focus of your content marketing initiative. 

The number of B2B firms that blog rose almost 30% in the past year, from 51% to 65%, with companies that blog reporting an average 55% increase in web traffic.

Not surprisingly, the study also found that the greatest challenge facing marketers is “producing the kind of content that engages prospects and customers.” Perhaps this is why more marketers are outsourcing content production – the survey of more than 1,000 B2B marketers found that 62% now outsource a portion of their content production, up from 55% just one year ago.

Content marketing is an especially effective way for attorneys to demonstrate expertise and gain trust from prospects in a cost-effective manner – it’s the sweet spot for solos and small firms who can’t compete on budget alone.

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

 

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If the attorneys who attend our Rainmaker Retreats are any indication, there are still plenty of you out there looking for information on how to start a social media marketing program for your firm.

Just like with any legal case, it all starts with strategy. Here are the steps you need to take to create a social media marketing strategy for your law firm:

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, photos, 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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NEW On-Demand Webinar: Business Development Strategies for Litigators

Business development is especially difficult for litigators, who often work for months on a case and bring it to a successful conclusion, only to find they have a gaping hole of billable time to fill!

Are you or your litigators building the referral network you need to bring in litigation business?

In this new on-demand webinar, nationally recognized business development expert Stephen Fairley and featured guest Larry Bodine, editor-in-chief of Lawyers.com, help you develop a practical plan to grow your litigation practice. Learn:

• Which strategies you need to put into place in order to obtain repeat business from former clients
• How to build a referral network to build your practice-even while you are prepping for a trial
• How to get more referrals from mega-firms who are conflicted out of a case
• How to identify small firm transactional lawyers who can send you litigation referrals
• How to focus on the “hottest” areas of practice, as identified by market research
• Methods our clients use to attract larger clients with bigger cases
• How to ethically promote your “big wins” to the media and via the Internet
• How to apply one of the most effective marketing techniques for litigators
• How to position yourself as an industry expert that attracts highly profitable clients

To get this on-demand webinar, simply click here to access the recording of Business Development Strategies for Litigation Attorneys webinar.

 

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I ran across the infographic below the other day that breaks down the mechanics of social sharing by B2B or B2C target markets and wanted to share it with our readers.

I find it fascinating how seemingly small things like adding a question or exclamation mark to your messages or timing your posts just right on social media sites can impact whether or not they are shared – an important goal for all of us. Check it out:

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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!

 

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Yesterday, LinkedIn announced that you will be able to follow what it calls “the most influential thought leaders on LinkedIn” – people like Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, President Obama, Gov. Mitt Romney and more (you can see the full list here) – in addition to the news you already follow through industry, companies and groups.

You’ll be able to add your two cents as well, with an ability to comment on their posts and engage the influencers in your area of expertise. You can even share insights you like with your own network.

Think you have what it takes to be an influencer on LinkedIn? You can submit a request to join LinkedIn’s thought leader group or, if they have already noticed you have a following already in groups, blogs and on social media, you may receive an invitation from LinkedIn to join.

LinkedIn is migrating from the simple act of connection to a deeper, richer way to connect and share information on their site – a welcome evolution for this leader in business-oriented social media.

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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.

Click here to download, and start using these proven strategies today!

 

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Social media has become a fundamental shift in the way we communicate and find information -- or rather, the way information finds us.  

When you consider the overwhelming number of people who are now using social media, the question you should be asking is not, are my prospects, clients, and referral sources using social media? The question you should be asking is, which network are they using most often?

A survey last year by the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center found that 56% of attorneys are already using a social network. This means for you skeptics out there, if you are not maintaining a presence on at least one social network you are already behind the curve. Of those networks, LinkedIn is the most popular, followed by Facebook – however, Facebook is still the social site favored by prospects.

For attorneys who are looking to connect with consumers (versus business owners), like criminal defense, personal injury, bankruptcy, estate planning, and family law just to name a few, Facebook should be your primary focus because of the sheer number of people that can be found there (over 950 million registered users and growing).  

Depending on the demographic of your clientele, you may have more success with one social media platform compared to another -- but it is important that you have a presence on them all.  For example: Business oriented attorneys, like business litigation, securities, and intellectual property, should focus more of their efforts on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn also has the highest number of attorneys who use the network so it's a little more difficult to stand out as compared to Facebook or Twitter.

What many people fail to understand is how people are starting to use social media.  Social networks are more and more being used as personal search engines mainly because Google has become too generic and they often don't trust what they find there.  

This trend is especially true in the under-30 age group. In fact, many social media experts are starting to point to Facebook as the new Google! Tens of thousands of searches are conducted every day on Facebook for resources and reviews of products, services, and service providers.  

The long-time phenomenon of asking your friends and colleagues for a referral has simply gone viral and online. Social networks are quickly multiplying the number of connections a person can ask when seeking a referral to a trusted advisor.  

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

 

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The LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® Attorney Selection Research Study found that 76 percent of consumers used the Internet to search for an attorney in the past year. 

Are you and your firm up to date on the latest digital marketing strategies and tools to capture all the prospects you possibly can who are searching for you right now on the Internet?

If not, you can get up to speed quickly at a Rainmaker Retreat, our two-day law firm marketing boot camp. 

Listen as Ruben Avila of the Law Offices of Mario Avila, who attended a Rainmaker Retreat session recently in Orange County, explains:

We cover everything busy attorneys need to know – and can put to use immediately – at each Rainmaker Retreat. There’s one coming up next weekend in Orlando (Oct. 5-6) and two others later in the Fall:

October 26-27, 2012 – Scottsdale, AZ

November 16-17, 2012 – New York City, NY

You can still get in on our Early Bird Discount for our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats, so be sure to register now to receive the $200 discount. The Early Bird Discount for our Oct. 5-6 in Orlando ends today, Sept. 28.

Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891 to register now.

 

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The new LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® Attorney Selection Research Study was just released yesterday and is something every attorney needs to review.  It is chock full of interesting findings from an in-depth look at how people look for and hire an attorney.

Over the next several days, I am going to post about those study results and provide specific action steps on what attorneys can do to capitalize on this new learning.

First, some numbers:

• 110 million U.S. consumers have sought legal counsel at least once;
• 58 million have looked for an attorney in the past year;
• Of those who looked for an attorney, 57% hired one, 15% decided to use a DIY approach and 13% continued to search

The study found that 76 percent of consumers used the Internet to search for an attorney in the past year.  Most consumers used a four-stage process in their search for an attorney: gather information about a legal issue/case, find a lawyer, validate a lawyer and select a lawyer.

So what sources do consumers use on the Internet to gather information?  The study found:

• 39% used online search engines, primarily Google
• 34% visited online legal forums
• 31% used online directories
• 31% visited law firm websites
• 29% visited legal blogs
• 26% used social media sites

Translated into law firm marketing terminology, in order to be found by a consumer searching for an attorney in their first stage of search – the gathering of information – attorneys need to:

Employ skillful SEO tactics on their websites and blogs (see post on Law Firm Marketing SEO: Don't Forget The Basics)

Answer consumer questions on online legal forums (see post on The Do's and Don'ts of Answering Legal Questions on Avvo )

Beef up profiles on Avvo.com, Lawyers.com, etc. (see post on Social Media for Attorneys: How to Leverage Avvo's Marketing Power to Generate Leads)

Have a content-rich, SEO-compliant law firm website (see post on Transform Your Law Firm's Website into a Client Generating Machine)

Have a blog (see post on Law Firm Marketing: Top 10 Ways to Generate Leads From Your Blog)

Participate on social media sites, especially Facebook (see post on Social Media Marketing for Lawyers: How to Increase Your Facebook Fan Engagement)

Of course, we cover all of the above in-depth at our two-day law firm marketing boot camp, the Rainmaker Retreat.  There’s one coming up next weekend in Orlando and two others later in the Fall:

October 26-27, 2012 – Scottsdale, AZ

November 16-17, 2012 – New York City, NY

You can still get in on our Early Bird Discount for our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats, so be sure to register now to receive the $200 discount.  The Early Bird Discount for our Oct. 5-6 in Orlando ends this Friday, Sept. 28.

Go to www.rainmakerretreat.com or call 888-588-5891 to register now.

 

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Earlier this week, Twitter unveiled a new design for its profile pages and just like the new redesign from LinkedIn recently (see my earlier post on Social Media Marketing for Attorneys: Get Ready for New LinkedIn Company Pages), it relies heavily on imagery to help businesses brand themselves online.

Here’s a look at the new layout:

So what do law firms need to do with this new profile layout to enhance their online branding? 

First, claim your profile space with photos that speak to what it is you do.  Hopefully you have graphics on your website that you chose because they were highly relevant to your practice area – look at repurposing one or two of those that speak to who you are.  

Try to steer clear of the static suit-and-tie studio shots – instead, use photos that show your leadership, like a shot of you speaking at an event.  Be sure to add a link to your blog so those that follow you on Twitter can get the benefit of your deeper thinking in your blog posts.

Twitter is also supporting video on profiles, so be sure your law firm videos (you do have some, right?) are featured on your new profile page. 

Your new Twitter profile page will be available on desktop, tablet and mobile platforms so if you have not mobilized your own site yet, this is a great opportunity to have a mobile presence at no cost to you.

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Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line

At The Rainmaker Institute, we define a “7 figure lifestyle law firm” as one that allows you to have the lifestyle that you want to live!

It’s more than just money or achieving a million dollars in revenue.

It’s about creating a lifestyle where you do what you love and building a business around your core values and interests.

In this recording of an interview between Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, and nationally recognized attorney John Bisnar, Stephen asks John to share with us some of the secrets he has used to create a law firm that allows him to go into the office only one day a week and take, on average, 3 to 4 months of vacation every year - all the while managing a very successful, multi-million dollar law firm!

You will receive either a CD or MP3 recording, plus we will email you a pdf transcript of the interview.

This interview will help you discover:

• The difference between a law practice and a business
• How to identify superstar employees to help you run your business
• The difference between an Office Manager and a Business Manager
• The 7 essential systems your firm must have & how to implement them
• How to micromanage the client experience
• Critical keys to success
• And much more!

Click this link now to order Secrets to Building a 7-Figure Lifestyle Law Firm: Proven Strategies from the Front Line. 

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You can’t operate a business today – and running a law practice is a business – without recognizing the incredible impact social media has made on our lives and trying to find a way to integrate it into your law firm marketing.

The deny-ers are still out there, but they are ignoring some pretty compelling facts about social media at their own risk:

If you’ve become convinced that you need to learn more about social media marketing for your law firm, invest two days and a little cash and come to a Rainmaker Retreat.  Here are the upcoming dates:

October 5-6, 2012 – Orlando, FL

October 26-27, 2012 – Scottsdale, AZ

November 16-17, 2012 – New York City, NY

You can still get in on our Early Bird Discount for our upcoming Rainmaker Retreats in Scottsdale and New York, so be sure to register now to receive the $200 discount.

For more information, call 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.

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PI Attorneys: Register Now for PILMMA Fall Summit Sept. 21-22 in Las Vegas

Join me at the Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing and Management Association (PILMMA) Fall Legal Marketing & Management Summit on Sept. 21-22 in Las Vegas, when I will be making a special presentation on 5 Proven Strategies to Double Your Referrals.

There are a host of other nationally renowned speakers who will be joining me for this prestigious summit, including:

James Mitchell Brown, author of the book Marketing for the Contingency Fee Law Firm, is the nation’s leading consultant for contingency fee firms. Brown has been an attorney since 1973.  He formed Attorney Consultant Inc. in 2004 and has been recognized throughout the country for his expertise in teaching marketing and business management skills to attorneys.

Mark Wolfe has been practicing in the area of personal injury litigation since 1987 with an emphasis on auto-negligence cases. He is a partner in the Mobile, Alabama firm of Boteler, Finley & Wolfe. He has tried over 200 car crash cases to verdict and handled over 3500 car crash claims or cases.

Patrick Anderson will share the strategies and results of successful PI attorneys who are using iPhone apps to bring in “winnable cases”. His Case Study documents a step-by-step marketing blueprint used by PI firms to generate thousands of legal app downloads in a few short months.

For those who are not already members of PILMMA, you will be able to attend this two-day summit and get two months of PILMMA Gold Membership rights at one all-inclusive rate. PILMMA members and non-members can register online -- simply click this link and learn how you can start snagging these big cases for yourself!

 

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Last week, LinkedIn announced upcoming changes to its Company Pages and provided a preview of what those will look like once the change is rolled out to all users:

If it looks a little Facebook-familiar to you, I am sure that is no accident – getting rid of the text-heavy pages in favor of streamlining information and making room for lots of images is in direct response to what people prefer on social networking sites. 

Right now, LinkedIn is just making the new design available to several large beta company users but plans to roll it out to everyone by year-end.   LinkedIn also plans to make Company Pages mobile-friendly to capitalize on the growing use of mobile devices for social networking.

With this change, LinkedIn is making it easier for attorneys to showcase their practices as well as for you to engage with prospective client companies online. You will be able to monitor and track developments at companies you have targeted as potential clients, giving you more information to target your marketing as well as more opportunities to engage those prospects.

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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book

In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click here.

Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice. 

We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too.  

 

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Most attorneys I speak with these days feel a sense of urgency to participate on social media networks, but in the rush to join in some are making critical mistakes. If you’re just beginning to dip a toe in the social media ocean, here are 5 things you should definitely avoid:

Hard sell. There’s a reason it’s called social media...it’s social! Just like you wouldn’t give the hard sell to a prospect at a cocktail party, you also need to avoid it on social media.   The way to approach social media is as a tool for building relationships, and from those relationships will eventually flow sales opportunities. 

Self-promotion. Nobody likes to listen to someone talk about themselves ad nauseum. Again, think of the cocktail party analogy...social media is for engaging and listening. 

Being all things to all people. Your practice has a target market, and different social media networks appeal to different people. Once you have identified your target market, identify where they are hanging out online and spend your time on those social media sites.

Keeping up with the Joneses. If you’re a small firm or solo practitioner, don’t try to compete with the big firms. There is a reason clients come to you and there is real value in being exactly who you are online. 

Thinking social media costs nothing. While it won’t cost you a dime to sign up on social media networks, maintaining a robust presence on these sites does cost you – either time or money, it’s your choice. Monitoring your social media ROI and assigning a number value will enable you to track how effective a tool social media is for your practice.

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PI Attorneys: Register Now for PILMMA Fall Summit Sept. 21-22 in Las Vegas

Join me at the Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing and Management Association (PILMMA) Fall Legal Marketing & Management Summit on Sept. 21-22 in Las Vegas, when I will be making a special presentation on 5 Proven Strategies to Double Your Referrals.

There are a host of other nationally renowned speakers who will be joining me for this prestigious summit, including:

James Mitchell Brown, author of the book Marketing for the Contingency Fee Law Firm, is the nation’s leading consultant for contingency fee firms. Brown has been an attorney since 1973.  He formed Attorney Consultant Inc. in 2004 and has been recognized throughout the country for his expertise in teaching marketing and business management skills to attorneys.

Mark Wolfe has been practicing in the area of personal injury litigation since 1987 with an emphasis on auto-negligence cases. He is a partner in the Mobile, Alabama firm of Boteler, Finley & Wolfe. He has tried over 200 car crash cases to verdict and handled over 3500 car crash claims or cases.

Patrick Anderson will share the strategies and results of successful PI attorneys who are using iPhone apps to bring in “winnable cases”. His Case Study documents a step-by-step marketing blueprint used by PI firms to generate thousands of legal app downloads in a few short months.

For those who are not already members of PILMMA, you will be able to attend this two-day summit and get two months of PILMMA Gold Membership rights at one all-inclusive rate. PILMMA members and non-members can register online -- simply click this link and learn how you can start snagging these big cases for yourself!

 

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The New York Times did a research study on the Psychology of Sharing to learn more about why people share content on the Internet. 

The research found that these were the top five reasons people share content via email or social networks:

1. To bring valuable and entertaining content to others

2. To define ourselves to others

3. To grow and nurture relationships

4. Self-fulfillment

5. To spread the word about causes or brands

So if you have posted content on your blog or created articles that aren’t seeing much action, you need to examine your content to see if it is meeting any of these needs that people have for sharing.

Here are some tips for creating great content that people want to share:

Make it real. Don’t simply deal in hypotheticals – tell a story with a good outcome (maintaining privacy, of course) that draws people in and makes them feel something.

Create a conversation. Commenting on the hot topics of the day with a unique viewpoint increases the chances your content will get shared. Ask others’ opinions on your blog and post comments.

Speak like a human being. Do not use legal jargon or write above your target market’s head. Use a conversational tone in your posts or articles in a voice people can understand.

Make a list. People love to read and share lists, so get a little creative and develop lists that will get noticed.

Understanding the psychology behind what makes people want to share content and then crafting your content to fulfill those needs will ensure your words get the reach you’re hoping for.

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Webinar on Key Performance Indicators: Knowing the Numbers That Run Your Law Firm Now Available On-Demand

We are now providing one of our most popular webinars – Knowing the Numbers That Run Your Law Firm – in an on-demand format, so you can watch and learn at your convenience, as many times as you wish.

Over the last decade we have helped over 8,000 attorneys market and grow their business. During this time we have identified many of the key characteristics of highly successful law firms.

One of the more consistent ones is that they track specific numbers and key indicators that give them instant insight into how their law firm is performing on a weekly and monthly basis.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the numbers that make your law firm run. By analyzing these critical metrics, partners and owners of law firms can easily determine whether they are on track to achieve their goals or if they need to retool and refocus their marketing and business development efforts.

In this fast paced webinar, you learn:

• How to easily identify the 12 key metrics your law firm needs to track and measure
• How to set up a system to identify these numbers
• The 7 critical systems every law firm must have
• CPL and CPC: the 2 most important numbers every attorney must know in order to succeed
• How to avoid “paralysis by analysis” and being overwhelmed by too much data
• Delegating roles and responsibility to your staff
• Using software to track your KPIs

If you’re a spreadsheet and data driven individual then you will love this webinar! However, if numbers scare you or you tend to ignore them because you have a hard time making heads or tails of all the different data you see, then this webinar is a “can’t miss” event!

We cut through the clutter and give you clear and easy to understand guidance on which numbers really matter the most, how to track this information, and what to do with it once you have it!

To register online for this on-demand webinar, click on this link: Knowing the Numbers That Run Your Law Firm.

 

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To successfully manage your online reputation, you first need to know who is talking about you, what they are saying and where they are saying it. Fortunately, there are several free online tracking tools available to help you do this:

Google Alerts. Probably the most widely used tool, Google Alerts lets you set up alerts for any mention of your firm and yourself and sends those feeds directly to your inbox on a daily, weekly or “as it happens” basis. Be sure to create alerts for your competitors as well.

Socialmention.com – This cool tool allows you to do a real-time search using any keyword or name, and then creates a page with statistics on the top keywords, top users, sources and sentiment (positive, negative, neutral). You can also sign up for a daily alert feed that scours all social media sites for mentions and delivers them to your inbox.

Klout.com – This site is catnip for attorneys who love rankings and ratings. Klout measures your online influence across all social networks, on a scale of 1-100. Remember that Klout only measures your influence in social media – it doesn’t care if you went to Harvard or chair your local bar association or other real world influencers. 

For more information on this topic, see my post last month on What is Your Online Reputation? How to Monitor and Manage It.

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Get More Proven Legal Marketing Strategies FREE from The Rainmaker Institute
One click of your mouse will take you to our website where you can see the current issue and subscribe to our complimentary monthly e-newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox every month. 

Each issue is chock-full of legal marketing information you can put to use right away and share with your staff to maximize the effectiveness of your legal marketing.

 

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The Avvo/LexBlog 2012 Legal Marketing Survey Report finds that more attorneys than ever are engaged in digital marketing and using social networks to not only reach out to prospects but to communicate with existing clients as well.

The data is derived from 1,325 respondents to an online survey of attorneys conducted by Avvo and LexBlog in April 2012. Lest you think the age of respondents skewed the results toward digital marketing, the largest respondent age group – 32% -- was over the age of 50. In fact, 59% of respondents were over the age of 40.

Here are the key findings:

Attorneys are embracing law firm marketing activities more than ever before – 80% plan to spend the same or more on marketing in 2012.

Investment in digital marketing is increasing – one-quarter of respondents say they spend 75% of their marketing budget online.

54% of respondents use social media for business development.

LinkedIn and Facebook are the most popular social media sites for new business development; lawyers are also using these to communicate with existing clients.

72% of respondents say they actively monitor their online reputations.

A majority of respondents said that answering legal questions in online forums is an effective marketing strategy for their firms.

Offline marketing remains a priority – 75% of respondents attend conferences to network and more than 50% speak at events to help generate new business.

The report also examines how legal marketing has changed over the past five years – I’ll post about that this weekend.

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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!

 

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At first glance, the infographic below seems mind-numbingly complicated and could be enough to dissuade even the most ardent believer in the benefits of social media. 

But as I’ve said here before – and you undoubtedly tell your own clients – you don’t have to do it by yourself. There are many resources out there to help you promote your firm in social media (full disclosure: The Rainmaker Institute is one of them). 

So take a cue from our Olympic athletes: find a way to get it done. The reward can be a lifestyle law firm that will allow you to do exactly what you want.

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FREE "Top 10 Mistakes Attorneys Make and How to Avoid Them" E-book

In a newly revised e-book, legal marketing expert Stephen Fairley outlines 10 of the most common marketing mistakes attorneys make that can lead to the failure of their business, and provides specific strategies and proven principles for avoiding these deadly errors. 

To get your complimentary copy online, click here.

Regardless of your specific situation, this free e-book will help you examine how you are currently finding new clients and recommend specific steps you can immediately start using to grow your practice. 

We have helped thousands of attorneys achieve their goals of creating a financially successful and personally satisfying legal practice. In this e-book you will discover specific principles and tools you can use to grow your practice, too.  

 

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If you’ve ever attended a Rainmaker Retreat, you know how much we talk about using a law firm marketing blog as the hub of your online marketing efforts, and the importance of publishing your blog content to your social media sites.

Now, new research from inbound marketer HubSpot shows that firms that follow this strategy generate 50% more leads than firms that don’t. 

In addition, the study found that firms that used a social media publishing tool to schedule their posts had three times as many leads as those that didn’t.

To maximize your blog’s effectiveness, HubSpot recommends:

• Optimizing blog titles and content with keywords prospects use to search for your services.
• Create “tweetable nuggets” in your posts that your readers can easily retweet.
• Include social share buttons on your blog.
• Publish at a time that garners the most engagement from your followers.

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New Webinar: How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle

When it comes to law firm marketing, it is truly a jungle out there! Mastering social media, SEO and Internet marketing strategies – and making sure your efforts align with legal marketing rules – can give even the most eager attorney pause.

In his new one-hour webinar, Stephen Fairley will lead you through the step-by-step actions you should take throughout the course of the next 12 months to substantially increase your revenues. You will learn:

• How to target market to get your ideal client
• Why your firm is not getting more referrals and how to change it
• How to select the right marketing tools that will work for your practice and personality
• Effective online and offline marketing strategies
• How to create a financial plan to fund your marketing budget
• The 5 critical components of a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)
• 4 ways to create a unique competitive advantage
• What is critical to have in place today’s hyper-competitive online focused marketplace

This FREE webinar will also give you a preview of the 65 different marketing techniques and strategies taught at our 2-day legal marketing boot camp.

Click on this link to register now for the FREE How to Attract Clients in Today’s Marketing Jungle webinar.

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This recently released infographic shows Facebook usage by state, so you can determine more clearly how prospects in your geographic area are engaged on the #1 social media site: 

The Early Bird Gets the $200 Discount! Sign Up Now for an Upcoming Rainmaker Retreat

Highly successful lawyers understand they are running a business, not practicing law.

Listen to what some recent Rainmaker Retreat attendees had to say about their experience at our two-day law firm marketing intensive:

“This was the most valuable seminar I’ve ever been to.  They should teach this in law school!  Stephen is wonderful, accessible, knowledgeable, entertaining and truly gifted.  His staff is outstanding.  If I ever implement a fraction of what I’ve learned, I will increase my practice tenfold.”
- Helene Dreyer Koch, Estate Planning

“The step by step marketing plan, details on lead conversion, and tips on how to determine our KPI’s was immensely valuable.
  After two days I feel like I’ve identified holes in our current marketing systems and strategies for how to fix those holes and going forward which will lead to added success.”
- Susannah Younquist, Law Firm Marketing Director

“Two days very well spent.  Stephen Fairley more then lived up to what he promised to deliver at this program.  Not only did he conduct an excellent overview of small and solo law firm marketing, but he also presented the most innovative yet convincing blueprint for Internet and social-media law firm marketing that I have heard to date.”
- Jeff Sydney, Solo, Estate Planning

Be sure to register early to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount, where you receive $200 off your registration. For the upcoming San Francisco session, you have until Friday, July 13 to register and receive the discount.

Here are our upcoming sessions:

July 27-28, 2012 – San Francisco, CA

August 24-25, 2012 – Las Vegas, NV

September 14-12, 2012 – Orange County, CA

October 5-6, 2012 – Orlando, FL

For more information please call 888-588-5891 or visit www.RainmakerRetreat.com.

 

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A new study out from LexixNexis® and Vizibility® on the Use of Social Media in Legal Marketing shows that small firms are leading the way when it comes to utilizing social media for law firm marketing, preferring LinkedIn and blogs over all other social media tools.

The survey queried firms of all sizes, from solos to large firms of 500+ attorneys to determine how those firms are currently using social media and what they plan to do in the future. It found that 91 percent of firms with fewer than 5 lawyers already use some form of social media, with 76 percent of those using social media for lead generation. By contrast, 86 percent of large firms say they already use social media, but only 47 percent of large firms said they use it for lead generation.

Another interesting takeaway from the survey was how many attorneys have complete and updated profiles on leading social media sites. For LinkedIn, 59 percent of small firms said they were active while only 19 percent of all responding firms indicated involvement in the leading business social network. Small firms seem to dominate social media network engagement, with 44 percent claiming a presence on Facebook (vs. 13 percent of all firms) and 42 percent on Twitter (vs. 12 percent overall).

In May, I reported on research prepared for LexisNexis by The Research Intelligence Group showing that 76 percent of adult consumers looking for a lawyer used online resources at some point during the search process. Clearly, small firms and solos are getting the message about the importance of being online where prospects can find them.

You can download this latest report by clicking on this link: Use of Social Media in Legal Marketing.

 

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Some attorneys are masters at using Twitter, but many attorneys can’t even bring themselves to say the word, “Tweet”. It sounds silly, and the law is not a silly business.

But the lawyers I know who have figured out how to use Twitter effectively consider it a great tool for engaging potential clients and referral sources in casual conversation, which can lead to serious business.

Social media marketing is all about engagement, which means it’s not enough to just push messages out there – you need to know what to send, when to send it and how often. 

A new study out by Buddy Media, a social media technology firm, analyzed user engagement on Twitter from more than 320 businesses active on the social network. Measuring reply, Retweet and engagement rates, they have developed a best practices guide for using Twitter:

• Tweet 4x/day or less
• Use fewer than 100 characters per Tweet
• Add links to Tweets to get higher Retweet rates – Tweets containing links get 86% higher Retweet rates
• Make sure the links are clickable by including a space before the URL
• Tweet on the weekends – engagement rates are 17% higher then
• Engage with followers during “busy hours” of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Include hashtags in your Tweets, but no more than 2 per Tweet – Tweets with hashtags get twice the engagement
• Add links to images to increase engagement – Tweets with image links enjoy twice the engagement rate than those without.
• Use the word “Retweet” as a call-to-action to prompt your followers to share – Tweets that ask followers to Retweet receive 12x higher Retweet rates

With more than 140 million active users, Twitter is a major social media network attorneys should not ignore. Twitter can be a highly useful law firm marketing tool for attorneys to promote their blogs and other thought leadership content. Since Twitter is essentially a micro-blogging site, the same rules apply: create unique, original content that adds value, and your audience will respond.

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

 

 

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Overall, women today account for 85% of all consumer purchases including everything from autos to health care:

• 91% of New Homes
• 92% Vacations
• 80% Healthcare
• 89% Bank Accounts
• 93% Food
• 93 % OTC Pharmaceuticals
• 66% PCs
• 65% New Cars

American women spend about $5 trillion annually, over half the U.S. GDP.

According to Karen Vogel of The Women’s Congress, “Wealthy boomer women are the marquee players in our country’s culture and commerce. They are educated, have a high income, and make 95 percent of the purchase decisions for their households.”

Marketing successfully to women is all about forming a relationship, according to the experts. Participating in blogging and social media is a great place to start.

BlogHer, Inc., the premium cross-platform media network and publisher for women, recently published this infographic about the blogging and Internet habits of women:

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If you want to obtain higher rankings for your website and blog on Google, Bing and other search engines today, there are some things you should be doing online to optimize your sites for social search:

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, and you need to post frequently, at least 3-5 times a week.

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 becoming 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 LinkedIn with higher search rankings.  If you are a Twitter user, activate your Twitter Location and use social check-ins on Facebook.

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I blogged earlier this week on Search Marketing for Law Firms: Everybody on Board the Google+ Local...or Else, in which I discussed how Google’s integration of Zagat reviews and review system into search results and its migration of Google Places to Google+ Local shows exactly how seriously Google is taking social signals when it comes to search results.

The fact is, attorneys cannot ignore Google+ and here’s why: when it comes to Internet search, Google owns the playing field.

In the new Google world, social rules. To gain a top listing on Google, you are going to have to have reviews, and lots of them. Of course, you want positive reviews because, after all, the idea is to attract new clients, not put people off.

Attorneys are going to have to embrace the review to reap the rewards of showing up well in search and driving traffic to your website. Here are some tips for doing this:

Just ask.  Most people enjoy sharing their experience with service providers, especially if it’s been a good one.  Just the simple act of asking a client to provide you with a review lets them know what they think is important to you – which makes them feel good.  You can start by contacting your old (happy) clients and asking them to provide a review.

Create great client experiences.  Cultivating a culture of great client service is a must for gaining positive reviews. Think about the greatest customer service experiences you’ve had and try to emulate them in your firm.

Implement a process for getting reviews.  Attorneys need to create a process for making reviews happen. Always look for those moments in your relationships with clients to create a review opportunity – when you have won a case for a client, when you have helped someone avoid litigation – all opportunities for you to generate a great review.

Remember that before they can post a review, your clients must have a Google+ account. Make it easy for them to review you by providing them with information on how to create a Google+ account (they automatically have one if they use Gmail) and how to post a review on Google+.

 

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A couple of weeks ago, Google replaced its Google Places with Google+ Local. So if your law firm had a Google Places profile, Google moved it to Google+ Local. And if you don’t yet have a Google+ account, this move makes it more important than ever that you do.

That is, if you still want to be relevant on Google. 

What Google considers important in ranking for search is evolving, based on ways that people use the Internet for search. Social counts for much, much more – in fact, a new study by Searchmetrics found that the 5 of the top 6 ranking factors for Google search are firmly rooted in social media:

Google has also found that more and more people are searching by geography, the reason behind the push to Google+ Local. Your search rankings will now be fairly dependent on social media reviews, and Google has changed the way it does that, too.

The new Google review process is now based on the Zagat 30-point scoring system. Last year, Google acquired Zagat and has now integrated its reviewing process into Google+ Local. Also, there are no more anonymous reviews – anyone wanting to review a business now has to have a Google+ account.

With these changes, it is doubly important for attorneys to get clients and peers to provide favorable reviews for their services. Google doesn’t assign a number ranking to your profile until you get at least 10 reviews. This number ranking will have a definite influence on your ranking in organic search; these are the first four listings in a search for Phoenix car accident attorney:

In addition, when a client or peer posts a review for your law firm, it is also shared with their Google+ circle of friends, family and associates.

Click here to learn more about Google+ Local. You may also want to review my previous posts on Google+:

Why Law Firms Need to Claim Their Turf on Google+ & How to Do It

Law Firm Marketing: Why Attorneys Should Care About Google+

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Getting to the Top of Google: The Power of Link Building for Lawyers

Getting to the top of Google for any term related to the legal industry is highly competitive! Now you can get a recording of this recent webinar that will tell you how!

Attorneys spend millions of dollars every year on Pay Per Click (PPC) and banner advertisements, trying to drive more traffic to their website. 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!

You will discover 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.

Register to receive this recorded webinar now and discover:

• What an “inbound link” is and why Google loves them
• 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 shoe string budget
• The benefits of being at the top of the search engine rankings
• The ongoing debate between “quality” and “quantity” links
• Selecting the right keywords to go after with your search engine efforts
• 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

When you register, you will receive access to the recording of the webinar. Click on this Getting to the Top of Google link now to register!

 

 

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Many business owners (yes, you are a business owner) continue to struggle with how to measure ROI for social media.  As you develop your social media marketing plan, take the time to determine what you want to know. 

Your plan should be able to identify all of your target audiences, the key influencers for 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.

However you choose to measure social media, it is imperative that you have a success metric in mind before you begin. Without some sort of benchmark, determining your ROI is impossible. 

Here are 7 steps to master the measurement of social media ROI:

1. Establish clear marketing goals for your product or brand, and then identify social measurements that directly support those objectives.

2. Organize your measurements and metrics in a logical framework.

3. Take a long-term outlook with social media interactions and measurements. It's a commitment, not a campaign.

4. If hard ROI metrics are difficult to track directly, consider a range of softer metrics that can be linked back to desired business outcomes.

5. Determine a dollar value for clients who choose to opt in and engage with your brand via social networks.

6. In your ROI calculations, don't overlook the value of cost savings that can result from ongoing social listening and tracking.

7. Build the technological capabilities to measure your customers' complete digital footprint-in real time.

One of the hardest ones for most attorneys to grasp is #3 - it's a commitment, not a campaign.  Building a social media presence takes time.  You can't expect to throw up a few blogs and have prospects knocking down your doors.  Create content that is relevant to your targeted prospect, keep pumping it out there, and they will come.

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FREE REPORT: 8 Reasons Small Firms & 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.

 

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Social networks are being used more and more as personal search engines by people looking for products and services who are using “social trust” as a guide -- and as the infographic below demonstrates, tapping into this phenomenon is critical for practices that thrive on referrals.

Relying on social trust is especially prevalent in the under-30 age group. Tens of thousands of searches are conducted every day on social networks for resources and reviews of products, services, and service providers.  

As we know, all things being equal, people buy from people they know, like and trust. By extension, people trust their personal networks to point them in the right direction.  

This long-time phenomenon of asking your friends and colleagues for a referral has simply gone viral and online. Social networks are quickly multiplying the number of connections a person can ask when seeking a referral to a trusted advisor.  

To capitalize on social trust, you need to be active on social networks, engaging with potential clients and referral sources. If you don’t, you’re missing out on a fantastic opportunity to cultivate referrals. 

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If you believe the latest Internet statistics regarding online video viewership, you might think that most Americans are spending a lot of time watching online videos.

And you would be right.

According to comScore Video Metrix data, 181 million U.S. Internet users watched 37 Billion online videos last month (April 2012). This equates to 84.5 percent of the U.S. Internet audience who viewed online video. 

The lion’s share of the video viewing happened on YouTube, which is owned by Google. The average viewer watched almost 22 hours of online video content! 

So are you using video on your website or in your blog? If not, why not? 

It’s easy to get started with an inexpensive video camera (research shows that viewers will tolerate amateur picture quality, but audio has to be clear), or by hiring a local high school or community college film student to shoot and edit your video. 

Take the top 10 questions you routinely get from clients and create a 1-3 minute video where you answer each one. Be sure to include graphic calls to action with your contact information.

Set up your own page on YouTube and upload your videos, a new one every 2 weeks. Tag them with your keywords in the “Info” section under the video. Here’s a YouTube video that shows you how to set up a YouTube Channel.

No hard-sell! People care about your content – use education marketing to sell them.

Show your personality and let viewers see that you are real.

Transcribe the content of your video under the “Info” tab below each video.

That’s it! You’ve just created an exceptionally powerful marketing and SEO tool for your law firm marketing arsenal.

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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.

 

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As I’ve noted in past posts, LinkedIn is really becoming a must for attorneys who market B2B; here are the latest stats:

• The most widely used business networking site in the world
• 161 million active users --- 98 million in U.S. -- as of March 2012
• Another 1 million people join every 6 days!
• 40% of LinkedIn members are senior managers
• All Fortune 500 companies are represented
• Average household income is $109,000
• Average age is 41 years

Frankly, it is my opinion that every attorney needs to be on LinkedIn; it’s a fantastic way to connect with referral sources as well as potential clients and build your platform as an expert and leader in your field of practice.  LinkedIn is also a very credible source in the eyes of Google.

Judging from my informal polling, however, many attorneys are still lagging behind when it comes to using LinkedIn for law firm marketing. Here are 8 steps to get you started:

1. Create a comprehensive profile – take your resume and use it all to create your profile. Be sure to use keywords (Google will use your LinkedIn page in search results) and be specific, just as I have done in my profile:

2. Start by connecting with people you know – if you use Outlook or Gmail, LinkedIn will import all your contacts from your email database and compare it with theirs, serving you up a list of your contacts who are already on LinkedIn. Start sending invitations to your contacts to connect with you. Your goal is to surpass the 500 connections mark, which will distinguish you as a “power user” so more people will want to connect with you.

3. Recommend others first, then ask to be recommended – go ahead and provide recommendations for your contacts, then follow up with an email to request they do the same for you.

4. Join groups for attorneys, referral sources & prospects – not only join, but participate! Contribute insights that will help build your reputation.

5. Start a group for your target market – by starting your own group, you get the right to market directly to the members, since LinkedIn allows group administrators to send emails directly to members.

6. Answer questions – another great way to be recognized as an expert.

7. Update your status at least 3x per week – you can use LinkedIn WordPress and Twitter tools to funnel your blog posts and tweets directly to your LinkedIn profile page.

8. List all your events on LinkedIn – someone may want to connect with you offline.

 

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A new study out last week from Bitly, a link sharing and analytics website, takes a detailed look at how content propagates through social networks and how when a link is posted affects the number of clicks it receives. 

The findings from the Bitly study for Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr posts reveal the best – and worst – times for posting on those three sites (times noted are ET):

The key takeaway from this study is that each social network has its own culture and behavior patterns, and being aware of these can help you publish your content at the right time to reach the most people. 

For more information on optimal posting times, see my previous posts on Social Media for Lawyers: When Is The Best Time to Post on Facebook and Twitter? and Law Firm Marketing: When Is the Best Time to Post to Your Blog?

 

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A March survey of U.S. marketing professionals by trade publication Chief Marketer found that when it comes to Internet marketing, email continues to be the most effective tool, followed by e-newsletters and social media:

When it comes to improving organic search results, the marketers surveyed said that the most effective tools for accomplishing this important task were adding social share buttons to their existing websites, optimizing their landing pages for search (SEO) and adding more fresh content more often:

When it comes to email marketing, you need to remember the old maxim, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” To ensure your law firm marketing email grabs your prospect right off the bat, remember these tips:

Test subject lines – remember the ingredients for effective email subject lines: deliverability, actionability, personalization, clarity, brevity and consistency.

Keep it brief – keep the copy short and extend your offer early.

Make it social – include social sharing buttons that allow readers to pass along your content.   Research shows that adding these can increase your click-through rate by 30 percent or more.

Segment your lists – whether it’s by geography, new clients, current clients, prospects or practice area, segment your lists and talk directly to the subjects that interest that segment.

Personalize – not only by name, but also by interest. Make the most relevant offers to those who are most likely to be interested in those specific offers.

Remove distractions – don’t clutter your email newsletter with lots of “fun facts” or other esoterica that distracts from your message.

Strong call-to-action – hit your prospects in the face with a strong call to action in the first part of your email and make it impossible to miss.

Include a P.S. – these are irresistible to most readers, and should be used to reiterate your offer.

Optimize for mobile – research tells us that 70 million Americans access email via their mobile devices every day. Be sure your email messages are optimized for mobile.

For information on creating great e-newsletters, see my previous post on How to Create an Effective Law Firm Marketing E-Newsletter.

 

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Late last week, Facebook rolled out its Offers marketing platform to U.S. businesses after a four-month test with select retail users. 

Now you can create an Offer on your Facebook Business Page free of charge and it will be distributed to likes/fans in your Page’s news feed. This is a great opportunity to create Offers for free reports, articles, even a free consultation. Click here to find out how to create an offer for your Facebook Page.

I’m not necessarily recommending that you create a Groupon-type purchase offer, although three state bar associations (South Carolina, North Carolina and New York) have weighed in on the daily deals model for attorneys and found them to be OK, according to an ABA Journal article on the subject.

Free reports, white papers or e-books – whatever you want to call these informative downloadable documents – are a wonderful tool for attorneys to generate leads by driving traffic to your website or blog, get sign-ups for your newsletter and engage your followers on social media networks. To create a impactful free report, follow these steps:

1. Identify your prospect’s point of pain. The best reports provide a solution to a problem, so you need to identify what problems are plaguing your prospects – i.e., their “point of pain” – and then provide them with a solution.

2. Give some secrets away. You don’t have to give it all away, but entice your readers with a few secrets so they feel they have something of true value. Secrets are another way of demonstrating your experience and expertise, and that you know what you’re talking about.

3. Be brief. Your report should be 3-10 pages long and should start with a brief summary.

4. Make it attractive. The layout should be easy to read with appropriate graphics and saved as a PDF file for easy download.

Facebook is now providing another great avenue for you to generate leads, build your database and grow your social media following with their Offers marketing platform.

 

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Most attorneys I know are too busy to devote the time needed to maintain a good social media presence, yet they very much want to be involved with social media for the lead generation benefits it provides at little or no cost.

One solution is to outsource your social media marketing to a trusted source who you know works with other attorneys. I discussed this recently in my post, Should Attorneys Outsource Social Media Marketing?

Fortunately, there are some great tools that can help busy attorneys manage their social media platforms from just one site. While there are several good tools that help you manage or integrate one or two accounts, there are two sites that provide total management capabilities for about the price of a Starbucks Grande White Chocolate Mocha:

Postling is a one-stop shop that helps you manage all your social media accounts from one dashboard. You can schedule and post your content across all your networks as well as your WordPress blog from the dashboard. Postling then delivers a daily report that aggregates all your social activity right to your inbox – plus, you can respond to any comments left on your blog or social network page right from the daily report email. Postling is also available for iPhone; an Android version is coming soon. You can try Postling for just $1 for the first 30 days and then $5/month after that for up to five social media accounts. 

HootSuite is another popular social media dashboard that provides virtually the same features as Postling but adds analytics as the cherry on top. While the dashboard allows you to monitor all your social media activity, I kind of prefer Postling’s email approach, since I am much more likely to respond to comments that are put in front of me than when I have to search them out. Nevertheless, many people swear by HootSuite for managing multiple social media accounts. There’s a free option with a few options and a $6/mo. option with many more features.

With robust, time-saving social media management tools like these, there’s no excuse for even the busiest attorney not to be engaged in social media.

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairley unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

• How to determine the best source for your referrals
• How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
• How to get referrals from other attorneys
• Whether online directories are a good referral source
• How to network effectively
• And much, much more!

Click now for your free report on 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice.

 

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I frequently write and speak about why social media is an important tool for attorneys when it comes to lead generation. However, a blog post at Hubspot today reminds us that participating in social media is equally crucial to any well-considered law firm marketing program. For example, social media:

Directly impacts your organic search results – search engines are beginning to rank social media presence higher in organic search results. When someone likes your Facebook page or retweets a post on Twitter, it tells the search engines that your site has authority for that subject. The more people who interact with you on social media, the better you show up in organic search results.

Allows you to control your image online – as stated above, Google and other search engines are ranking social media presence higher. You will note that if you enter my name in Google, the first page of results shows three social media sites where I am active:

By actively participating in social media, I maintain control over my online image and help establish my expertise in law firm marketing.

Distributes your content – your blog and website content gets a lot more traction when you retweet or repost on social media sites. This gets your content into the hands of people who may be your target audience – and if they like it or retweet it, it also goes to their spheres of social media influence, people may not know you yet – thereby extending your reach to potential new clients.

Gives you clout and visibility – even if you don’t think your target market is on social media, other people of importance to your practice – colleagues, potential business partners, industry thought leaders – probably are. Social media allows you to make connections that can help build your practice, especially if your competitors are conspicuous by their absence.

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Get More Proven Legal Marketing Strategies FREE 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.

 

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Avvo is a major legal social media site that attorneys should pay attention to, and here are the steps you need to take to ensure you are properly and accurately represented in what has essentially become a lead generation machine for many attorneys:

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 ENTIRE 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 questions. Thousands of consumers ask legally related questions on Avvo every week, and you can weigh in for free.  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. 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 and post it on Avvo, which you can do gratis. 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! I know several states, like Florida, do not allow the usage of testimonials by lawyers. However, the Florida bar association has “agreed to exempt online directories like Avvo from most of its ad rules” because attorneys cannot control endorsements posted on third party websites like Avvo.

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 ($49.95), but it provides you with all sorts of statistics like, how many people clicked on your profile, searched for your specialty in your geographic area, etc.  You can also advertise on Avvo. I've heard anecdotally from several attorneys who have had some success with an Avvo ad campaign in their local area. So if you have the budget, it's worth testing it out.

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Free Webinar April 25: Learn Social Media Strategies That Will Work for Your Law Firm

Stephen Fairley and Larry Bodine, Editor-in-Chief of Lawyers.com and Martindale.com, will present a complimentary one-hour webinar, Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies That Will Work for Your Law Firm, tomorrow (Wednesday, April 25) at 9:30 am PT/12:30 pm ET.

This complimentary one-hour webinar will demystify social media for you and explore viable strategies you can use to open up new channels for finding new business and extending reputation to new audiences. Particularly of interest will be real-world examples and sharing of statistics so you know what to expect from your investment of time and resources in social media.

Join the conversation to learn:

• How to select the social media channels and tools that are right for your firm
• How to raise visibility and enhance credentials via social media
• How to create a sustainable, effective blogging strategy
• How to use social media to attract new talent to the firm
• How to monitor your presence in social media sites
• How to leverage social media to differentiate your firm from competitors
• How to address ethical and legal considerations related to use of social media

To join Stephen and Larry’s conversation about social media marketing for attorneys on Wednesday, April 25 at 9:30 am PT/12:30 pm ET, register online now at http://www.lexisnexis.com/webinar.

 

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In school, everyone knew who the cool kids were, the leaders who influenced what you wore and how you talked and even how you thought.

Life is not so very much different now than it was then. Except now, we call them “industry leaders” or SuperLawyers. And you find them all over social media, extending the reach of their influence to vast audiences.

So how do you grab a piece of this action? 

The most important thing in building your reputation online is to know your target market. Then, you focus on the social media networks that reach that market. The infographic below does a good job of helping you figure that out:

Facebook: By far the largest social media network with 845 million users, Facebook appeals to a young demographic, skewing slightly more male than female. Good targets for DUI attorneys.

Twitter: Does it surprise you to see that the largest age group on Twitter is 31-49?   Twitter is great for driving people to your blog or published articles on topics they care about.

LinkedIn: Audience demographics are pretty well split between men and women, and skewing slightly older, with 35-44 and 45-54 the two largest age groups on LinkedIn. This site allows you to post and link to your blog and articles, and join groups to spread your influence far and wide.

Google+: Predominantly tech-savvy male users; Google+ lets you organize your contacts into “circles” to help you target different content to different interest groups. 

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FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal

One of the secret tools of Internet marketing for attorneys is the power of having a targeted blog. In a report on the influence of blogs, eMarketer.com found that 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (that’s over 91 million people) read blogs, and they project that usage will go to 60% (150 million) in the next four years!

Still think blogs are a fad?

Here’s what you’ll discover when you read this report:

• Why you must have a blog in order to stay relevant
• 3 keys to successful blogging
• 7 Guidelines for achieving ROI
• Your 3 choices for managing your blog and social media efforts
• And much more!

Click now for your FREE REPORT: How to Use Blogs as a Secret Weapon in Your Online Arsenal.

 

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Last week, LinkedIn announced that it would be rolling out new content marketing and reporting features for its Company Pages that allows businesses to more directly target their content and see who is following their posts:

Targeted Updates – this new feature will allow you to choose whether your update goes to all followers or a targeted audience. You will be able to segment your followers by industry, company size, job function, seniority and geography. You can also choose to include or eliminate your own employees from receiving the update. Plus, 24 hours after your update is posted, you will be able to see metrics for your post, including number of impressions, clicks, shares and engagement statistics.

Follower Statistics – adds a new layer of reporting on your followers, including demographics, engagement levels, update impressions, total following, recent followers and monthly reporting on new followers. 

Here’s a short video from LinkedIn that explains these updates:

These new features are being slowly rolled out to all LinkedIn Company Page users over the next few months, so stay tuned.

Earlier this month, LinkedIn made it easier for you to choose which LinkedIn groups to participate in with Group Search. A simple keyword search will show you which groups each person in your network is already participating in, making it easier to decide on the most relevant groups for your practice.

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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!

 

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Attorneys are compensated (generally speaking) for their expertise in solving problems. Breaking off little bits of that expertise and posting it on your law firm marketing blog is creating something of value, for which you hope to be compensated for one day (via new clients, industry recognition, etc.).

Which is why it is important that your law firm marketing blog have a strategy behind it and a way to measure results. Your time is money, so you really shouldn’t be wasting either, right? 

I came across an insightful post by Michael Stelzner over at SocialMediaExaminer.com a couple of days ago, giving tips on how to become a top blog in your industry. I think what he had to share is worth passing on to attorneys who blog and those who should be:

Address the interests of your target market. If you’ve been practicing law for awhile, you should already know the problems that face your target market. Each problem becomes a database of ideas from which to draw your blog subject matter. Sprinkle your posts with your insights and experience and you create something of value to potential clients.

Add other voices. Many of the most popular blogs have multiple authors. If you have partners and associates, ask them to contribute. If it’s just you, seek out other experts --- perhaps strategic referral partners like CPAs, accountants, bankers, etc. – who would be willing to contribute to your blog. If you view your blog as a publication for the benefit of your target market, you begin to see more possibilities for adding valuable content from others.

Include social sharing. In order to grow your law firm marketing blog, you need others to help spread the word, and social sharing is how you enable that process. Be sure your blog has embedded social sharing buttons that let your readers share your posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites, like we do on The Rainmaker Blog:

Capture email addresses. Email is still the #1 marketing tool for lead generation and will help you nurture repeat visitors to your law firm marketing blog. We have a standalone email sign-up form on our blog encouraging visitors to sign up for our monthly email newsletter and you should, too.

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Free Report: 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys From Building A Referral-Based Practice

Referrals are the lifeblood of many law practices, and building a good referral program takes a proven process.  Stephen Fairley unveils the 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice in his new free report.  Read and discover:

• How to determine the best source for your referrals
• How to explain your ideal target market to a referral source
• How to get referrals from other attorneys
• Whether online directories are a good referral source
• How to network effectively
• And much, much more!

Click now for your free report on 4 Myths That Keep Attorneys from Building a Referral-Based Practice.

 

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A few days ago, I posted on Social Media Examiner’s release this past week of their 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report (which you can find at Majority of Marketers Say Social Media Generates Leads, Increases Website Traffic & Exposure).

While digging into the data, I was particularly interested in seeing that in the past three years, outsourced social media marketing has grown from 14% in 2010 to 28% in 2011 to 32% in 2012. Thankfully, we have seen the benefits of that growth, as have some others in the law firm marketing sector.

So should busy attorneys outsource their social media marketing? Ask yourselves these questions before you decide:

1.  Can social media marketing drive your business growth?  It doesn’t make sense to spend time and money on something that won’t have a positive impact on your practice.  When considering participation in social media, attorneys should study their target markets first to see if this is a medium they can engage them on. 

2.  How well is your social media working today?  If you’ve already launched a social media initiative as part of your law firm marketing program, how’s it going?  Are you finding enough time to engage online with potential clients?  Or is it a chore that you dread facing each day?  If it’s the latter, and social media is important to you, you should consider outsourcing it.

3.  Could outsourcing free up your time to focus on your business?  Social media takes time, and small firms and solos usually don’t have much of that to devote to something other than client work and running the business.  If all your time is taken up with focusing on what you can’t outsource, you should consider outsourcing your social media to someone who can be just as effective at it – or more – than you are.

4.  How do you measure ROI?  Make sure you have measurable goals if and when you outsource your social media so you can see if you’re getting the bang you want for your buck.

And a note of caution: if you choose to outsource your social media program, make sure they have experience working with attorneys.  Keeping you “clean” in terms of the ethical standards attorneys are required to adhere to in their law firm marketing practices is critical.

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.

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April 12 Webinar: 5 Internet Marketing Mistakes Your Law Firm Can't Afford to Make

On Thursday, April 12 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET, I will conduct a live one-hour webinar on 5 Internet Marketing Mistakes Your Law Firm Can’t Afford to Make: Secret Strategies Top Rainmakers Use with Their Website & Blog to Generate High Quality Leads. 

The Internet is one of the most cost effective lead sources for attorneys today. During this fast-paced webinar, you will learn how 7-figure attorneys are using the Internet, search engine optimization (SEO), their websites and blogs to find more and better clients for their law firm.

Attendees will discover:

• The 5 rules for effective Internet marketing for attorneys
• Do’s and Don’ts: the intersection of ethics and online marketing
• 2 critical keys to getting your website on the front page of Google
• How to avoid the most common pitfalls and mistakes attorneys make with their websites
• 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 law firms

Have a time conflict? No problem. Sign up and receive a recording of this one-hour webinar to watch at your convenience.

Register online now for my one-hour webinar on 5 Internet Marketing Mistakes Your Law Firm Can’t Afford to Make: Secret Strategies Top Rainmakers Use with Their Website & Blog to Generate High Quality Leadson Thursday, April 12 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET.

 

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