About a year ago, I wrote and "produced" a simple video about a new lawyer attending his first ABA Convention. This was around the time the ABA was considering new rules to regulate attorneys behavior online and the video played off that theme and an ad hoc write-in campaign to tell the ABA to back off.
The ABA didn't go nuclear on us, but I don't think my video was the reason. What my video did do was get a lot of attorneys watching it and sharing the link with others. I got a lot of traffic from it.
No, it wasn't a big hit on youtube, but in my niche market, it did okay.
My challenge to you is to create your own video and put it on youtube and on your blog.
You can use the free service I used, Xtranormal, which allows you to give voice to animated characters. Or, you can act out a skit with other live "actors". You can narrate slides on your desktop, or simply talk into the camera.
Your best bets for going viral are to use humor or to take a controversial stand, but I would stay away from politics. How about a funny commercial by one of your "competitors"? Or something about one of the new laws that take effect in January?
Anything goes, but remember, your clients are watching (and so is the ABA!)
Keep it under five minutes. Watching my video today, I realized I could have achieved the same effect with a much shorter spot.
You may not see a ton of results from your video but you will learn some things that might allow you to create another video that does. And you'll have a lot of fun.
Send me the link to your video. I'll choose a winner and feature it in a future post.
Filed under Advertising, Blogging, Just for fun, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Social media marketing, Web traffic by 
As you think about the end of this year and the start of a new one, there's something you should spend some time contemplating: Why should a prospective client choose you instead of any other attorney?
After all, they could choose from a long list of other attorneys. In some cases, if their needs are simple enough (or they think they are) they can also choose a paralegal or other non-attorney. In any case, not you.
So why choose you?
It's an important question, don't you think? Spend some time thinking about this and crafting your answer so that if someone asks, you can confidently answer in a way that inspires them to take the next step in your direction.
A good place to start is by using your imagination. Pretend a prospect is sitting in your office, across the desk from you, pen and paper in hand. You've discussed their issue with them, answered their questions, and shown them their options. Then, they pop the question: Why should I hire you instead of any other lawyer?
What would you say?
Write down everything you can think of. No doubt you'll mention your track record, results you've obtained for other clients, and your accolades and awards. You'll talk about your firm's resources and capabilities. You'll say things like "dedication" and "hard word" and "caring". And all of this is good. But it's not enough.
For one thing, nobody really cares that you are the biggest, oldest, or most successful. It's not meaningless, but it's not that important because it's all about you. Your prospects want to know what's in it for them.
In addition, those other lawyers are saying something very similar.
So dig deeper. What makes you different? Why are you the better choice? What co your clients get they don't get from any other lawyer?
These aren't easy questions to answer. You may not have a good answer, or any answer, and that's okay right now. At least you're thinking about this and if you continue to think about it, eventually you will start doing things that will provide you with a great answer.
Your prospects may never ask you this question. They may never even think it. And, in truth, most will make their decision based on how you make them feel when they speak to you, not on any quantifiable measure of your superiority. But don't get complacent.
In the end, the attorney who delivers the highest standards of service and benefits to his or her clients is the attorney who will attract more of them. Even if nobody asks.
Filed under Client relations, Closing the sale, Communication, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship by
If you've decided that 2012 will be the year you (finally) start a blog, here are "70+ Resources on How to Start a WordPress Blog".
Don't read it. Yet.
Oh, it's a great article, chock full of common sense, easy to follow advice and resources. If you read this article and follow the author's recommendations, you will quickly create a WordPress blog. You could set it up today if you want to, even if you have zero technical experience.
So why do I say you shouldn't read it? Because a blog requires far more than following set up instructions (or hiring someone to do it for you). It requires commitment.
A blog does you no good unless you put in regular time and effort to build it. Unless you are prepared to do that, you might as well not start.
I'm not saying the time and effort is unreasonable. You don't have to labor over it every day. A few hours a week is more than adequate. An hour a week will do.
I'm not saying you have to be a great writer. Or original. Or clever. If you can pass the bar, trust me, you can write a blog.
And I'm definitely not saying it isn't worth it. Writing a blog could bring you a ton of clients, as well as relationships with other professionals who can otherwise enhance your career. It can also be a source of tremendous personal gratification.
I'm not saying you shouldn't start a blog. I'm saying don't do it unless you are committed to sticking with it for the long haul.
And sadly, most people aren't. I think the abandonment rate for new blogs is in the 95% range. Lawyers are probably better but I would be surprised if it was less than 80%.
"But I said I decided to start a blog," you remind me. "I'm ready."
I respond with an attempt to wax philosophical: "Two birds are sitting on a telephone line. One decided to fly away. How many are left?"
Yes it is a trick question.
"Two birds are left. Just because one decided to fly away doesn't mean he did."
Talk to other attorneys who blog. Ask them to share their experiences with you. How much time and effort do they put in? What's a typical week or day like for them? What tips would they give you for getting started?
Of course you still won't know what it's like unless you start and you won't know if you are committed until you've done it for six months.
"Two lawyers were talking about blogging. One decided to start. How many settled a huge case and retired?"
Starting a blog could be the best career decision you ever make. Or it might not.
Filed under Blogging, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan by
Do you have a print brochure for your law practice? Most attorneys don't. They pass out their business card with the url to their web site or blog but a business card generally doesn't tell people what you do or the benefits you offer. People have to go the your web site to find out and too often they simply don't.
A brochure would help. But if you don't want to spend the time or money hiring professionals to create one, there is a simpler alternative.
Take your best and most read blog post or posts and print them. You don't need to re-set the text so it looks like a brochure, just print out the the posts as is. Add a cover sheet on your letterhead or add a screen shot of your blog's home page. Or just staple your business card to the front and you're done. Instant brochure.
No, it's not slick and polished like a "real" brochure, and that's okay, it's not a brochure, it's a reprint. In truth, your reprint is more effective than a brochure because it's not slick and it's not a sales document, it is valuable content that prospects want to read.
Hand out your reprints when you're you're speaking or networking. Put some on the table at the back of the room. Put a few copies in your new client welcome kits. Ask your referral sources to put them in their waiting rooms.
You can use this idea online, too. Gather up some of your better posts and assemble them into a PDF.
One of the easiest ways to get more traffic to your blawg is to give people a taste of what they get when they visit. This is a simple and very effective way to do that.
Filed under Blogging, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing by
Are you hoping things will get better in 2012? A lot of people are, but unfortunately, "hope is not a strategy".
If you want things to get better, you need to make them better. But how?
Don't start with technique, start with strategy–a plan. What do you want to happen, and why? What will do you do to make it happen? Is this really something you want to do?
Too often, people grab hold of a technique they hear about and run with it. They spend time and money doing the requisite activities, without considering why they are doing it. They install an expensive motor on their row boat hoping it will get them to their destination faster, but they never look at a map.
Techniques are important. Using the right tools for the job, execution, timing–can make a big difference in your results. But without the right strategy, the latest techniques won't help you to get where you want to go.
What are you good at and enjoy? Writing? Speaking? Networking? Technology? Make it the core of your business building strategy.
Your strategy doesn't have to be elaborate. In fact, the simpler it is the better. But simple is not synonymous with small. Your plan should inspire you to accomplish big things. After all, the goal isn't merely to survive, it is to thrive, and you cannot do that by dabbling.
I've seen great practices built by using only one or two techniques. Once you know where you want to go and you have a plan to get there, you don't need dozens of techniques.
Without the right strategy, no technique is good enough, no matter how much it costs or how hard you work at it. With the right strategy, almost any technique will do.
Filed under Career satisfaction, Goal Setting, Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, success by
I'm sure you read the story about the blogger in a defamation case who got hit with a $2.5 million judgment because, the judge said, she is not a journalist and was not protected by the state's shield laws.
Interesting story. Important subject.
You read the story but did you make any money with it?
Attorneys can easily leverage a story like this to get more media attention, more traffic to their web site, more prospects, more referral sources, and more clients. And I'm not talking about the attorneys who handled the case itself, I'm talking about you.
Interested? Here's all you have to do.
First, write a two or three page report summarizing defamation laws in your jurisdiction. You don't have to practice in this area to do this, Uncle Google will help you, or you can ask an attorney friend who does (and tell him about this idea so he can do it, too).
In your report, mention the case about the blogger. Offer your opinion. Include a few citations, maybe a few resources.
Now, go back to Uncle Google and ask him to give you a list of bloggers in your target market(s) who are in your state or province.
Next, contact these bloggers (a personal email will do) and tell them you wrote a report for bloggers about how they can protect themselves against lawsuits like the one in the news. Offer to send it to them, free of charge. Tell them they are welcome to send it other bloggers they know and care about. (If you know the blogger, you could just send them the report in your first email).
In one day, you can get your report into the hands of dozens of people who every day write and influence the people you are targeting for your services. You have provided value to the blogger on a personal level, and asked nothing in return.
Where can this lead? Interviews, hosted webinars for their readers, guest posts, referrals, introductions, you name it.
It doesn't matter if you don't practice tort law. If you do, that's an added benefit, but the point of this effort isn't to show these bloggers you can help them in this particular area of the law, it's to meet them.
Now, what else could you do with your report? Here are a few ideas:
- Send it to local media with a cover letter letting them know you are available for interviews.
- Call or email your clients and contacts: Who do you know in (your area) who writes a blog? Tell them you have a report that can help them.
- Offer it through social media; post a video on youtube, opining on the story and linking to your report; offer it via forums, chat groups, listserves, and other areas where bloggers and people who know bloggers congregate.
- Contact local blogger groups, business groups (anyone who has a blog), and offer a lunch talk.
- Write about it on your blog or in your newsletter.
- Take out ads and offer the report, as a "public service".
- Send it to lawyers in your practice area in states or provinces where you don't practice. Tell them what you're doing with the report in your area, invite them to do the same in theirs. (If you have to ask how this could help you, forget about this idea.)
- Do a presentation at your bar group's next function on how you used a news story to market your services.
You get the idea.
Oh, and you don't need a news story to do this, you can write about anything that affects people in your target market or they people who influence them.
It's about providing value in a leveraged way. It's simple and it works. And if your report goes viral, it could help you take a quantum leap in the growth of your practice.
In my recent post, "Why don't people trust lawyers and does it really matter?" I concluded that not only doesn't it matter that people don't trust lawyers, it's actually a good thing.
It's good for clients because it makes them more careful when hiring an attorney. They ask more questions. They don't blindly follow. Caveat emptor.
It's good for attorneys because it allows us to stand out from the crowd by showing how we are different, how we can be trusted, and with a little effort, this is not difficult to do.
But not only do people not trust lawyers, they also hate lawyers. Attorney Suzanne Meehle presents ten "bad lawyer" stereotypes that make people hate lawyers.
Ambulance chasers, unethical lawyers, a**holes, incompetents, and so on.
Some of these stereotypes are worse than others. The "24/7 Lawyer," the workaholic on a path to burnout, doesn't belong in the same category as the dishonest lawyer. I don't think people hate lawyers merely because they work too hard. But we all get the point: there are plenty of examples of bad lawyers who give the rest of us a bad name.
I say this is a good thing. Why? Because stereotypes are almost always exaggerated depictions of real life, making it even easier to show people that you're "not like that".
If a lot of people don't like lawyers because they perceive them to be bullies, for example, don't be a bully. If they hate lawyers because they think we are unethical, go out of your way to display words and deeds consistent with the highest ethical standards.
I don't particularly enjoy meeting people who, within the first minutes, feel compelled to tell me they, "don't like lawyers". But that's the way it is and I do enjoy the challenge of winning them over.
In sales, it is said that the best prospects are often the ones who offer the most resistance. These prospects know they are naturally an "easy sale" and so to protect themselves from getting taken advantage of, they put up an outer wall. They may be surly and unpleasant, overly suspicious and overly demanding. The best sales people understand this and when they encounter a prospect who "protests too much," shower them with kindness and patiently wait for them to "drop their shields". The result is often a sale and a lifelong customer and advocate.
Don't try to argue away the stereotypes. Acknowledge them. There are a lot of bad eggs out there and people do have to be careful. With a little common sense, you can easily distance yourself from this crowd and show you are one of the good guys. When you do, you'll find people hiring you, in some cases simply because you're not what they expected.
Filed under Client loyalty, Client relations, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship by
In his report, "What's Hot and What's Not in the Legal Profession," posted last week, Bob Denney said that one of the trends that was heating up in the marketing and business development area is "client interviews and audits". He said, "More firms are recognizing, however slowly, that the feedback and information obtained from them–particularly when they are conducted by knowledgeable outside consultants–are critical in strategic planning and development of growth strategies."
Asking your clients how you're doing and what you can do better is the best market research you can get, and it's free. Not counting the cost of the outside consultant.
There's no better "intel" than that from someone who actually paid money to hire you.
Using outside professionals to do the surveys is also good advice. A firm that specializes in this kind of research will ask the right questions and they will know how to critically evaluate the answers. And using an outside service instead of doing it yourself will undoubtedly provide more honest feedback.
If you don't want to hire an outside firm, interview your clients anyway. The feedback may not be as accurate but it's better feedback than you're getting right now.
Client interviews can help you learn what you are doing well and what you can do better. They can help you improve client relations and communications. And they can help you discover new marketing opportunities. All you have to do is ask.
Surveys are an easy alternative to interviews. You can post them on your web site, using free sites like www.surveymonkey.com and www.polldaddy.com. By providing anonymity, clients will be more likely to respond honestly. Open-ended questions can lead to some surprising discoveries. Multiple choice questions can help you identify patterns that deserve your attention. If 70% of your clients say you need to communicate with them more often, that's something you cannot ignore.
At the very least, call a client today and ask them how you're doing. You never know what you might learn and what you learn could earn you a fortune.
Filed under Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, Legal industry, Marketing legal services by
Let's be honest, most attorneys don't like marketing. Or so they say.
"I didn't go to law school to be a salesman," they'll say, or, "I'm good at what I do, I shouldn't have to promote myself."
I understand how they feel.
And to some extent, their "good work" will serve as a magnet for referrals or repeat business. But to categorically dismiss marketing of any kind is foolhardy.
Advertising isn't so bad, is it? Even Abe Lincoln advertised:
Do you have a web site? Guess what? You're advertising. Same goes for a directory listing.
Do you ever answer the question, "What do you do for a living?" Well, whatever you say in response is selling.
In fact, every letter we send, every conversation we have, every article, blog post, or speech, is an opportunity not just to deliver words and ideas but to sell the reader or listener on us and our ability to deliver benefits.
When a client signs your retainer and gives you a check, a sale has taken place.
The sales aspects of our communications are more subtle than an informercial pitch, but it's sales, nevertheless.
And I'm not even going to mention that negotiating, demand letters, motions, and closing arguments are sales of the highest order.
Lawyers sell. (But that doesn't make us sales people.)
Lawyers "do" marketing. Marketing is defined as everything we do to get and keep clients.
Sales, marketing, public relations, publicity. . . what's the difference?
I've found no better explanation than this one:
If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying, “Circus is coming to Fairgrounds Sunday,” that’s Advertising.
If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk him through town, that’s a Promotion.
If the elephant walks through the Mayor’s flower bed, that’s Publicity.
If you can get the Mayor to laugh about it, that’s Public Relations.
If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.
- M Booth & Associates
Filed under Advertising, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship by
Every day, I get an email with links to articles and blog posts that mention my name, my business, and the key words I use in my marketing. These Google Alerts allow me to see what others are saying about me and what they are doing that I might want to know about. It also provides me a starting point for ideas for blog posts, interviews, and networking opportunities.
Google Alerts are a simple way to stay informed, automatically.
You can set up Google Alerts for
- Your name, firm, partners
- Your blog or web site
- Your practice areas
- Cases or issues you are following
- Your clients' names, products or services, or issues relating to them
- Your competition's name, blog, services, or other connections
- Names of experts you or your opposition use or are considering
- Your key words
- Titles of articles you have published (see who is quoting them–or stealing them)
- Organizations you belong to, causes you are involved in
- Legal research (case citations, key words)
- Anything you are researching or want to know about
Another benefit of Google Alerts is that it allows you to see what's not being said. You may think you're ranking well for certain key words, for example, but if you're not seeing your posts in your Alerts, you know you have some work to do.
You can have up to 1000 alerts and have them sent to you as often as you want. You can have them emailed or sent to a feed. You will need a gmail or other google account to set up alerts.
Are you using Google Alerts in your practice? What you have you learned as a result? Share your experiences in the comments.
Filed under Marketing legal services by
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