David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Blog vs. Newsletter

April 14, 2020 by David M. Ward

I read an article this morning entitled, “How to Write a Blog Post: A 12-Step Guide.”

After reading it, I feel like I need a 12-Step program. It’s too much to do for those of us who can’t (or don’t want to) spend hours and hours writing blog posts.

Which is why, years ago, I switched from being blog-centric to email centric.

I used to write a blog post first (with images, if you can believe that) and then send it to my newsletter subscribers (in html, if you can believe that).

Now I write an email first, then post it to my blog.

Seems like the same thing, but it’s not.

My emails are plain text. And brief.

And they take takes mere minutes to write, send and post.

Yay me.

I’ve got nothing against blog posts. But they require a lot of time and effort I would rather invest doing other things.

What kind of effort? Here are the 12-steps in the article I mentioned:

Understand your goals
Understand your audience
Brainstorm a list of ideas

Sure, we need to do this for every kind of marketing we do.

Do keyword research

Yes, research keywords for your blog. I don’t do that for my newsletter.

Organize your content into an outline

I don’t think of my emails as content and I don’t write an outline. I may write down a few notes about what I want to say but usually, I just let it fly.

(Check Google and) read the top 10 posts for that keyword

Good idea for a blog post you write once a week or once in a while. Not going to happen for a short, daily email.

Write the body of your blog post
Write a killer intro
Write an excellent headline

I don’t spend more than 30 minutes to do this.

Proofread and format your post

I don’t format anything.

Optimize your post

I don’t optimize anything.

Publish your post

Finally! I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted just reading this list.

Bottom line: a blog and a newsletter are both valuable resources for building a professional practice and should be a part of most lawyers’ marketing mix. But I’m sure you don’t want to spend hours and hours of your precious time crafting fine art.

You don’t have to do that, if you use my system.

Which you can learn more about here.

Filed Under: Blogging, Email, Newsletters, Time Management

Your post-pandemic plan

April 13, 2020 by David M. Ward

Soon. That’s when the world will return to a semblance of order. The fear and restrictions holding us hostage will subside, the economy will recover, and we will carry on.

But there will be changes.

Changes to what we do and how we do them. So, I suggest the need for a plan.

To create your plan, start by asking yourself a series of questions, to help you think about what you need to do.

Some questions to help you get started:

Your office and staff

What do you need to do to make the office germ-free and help clients and staff feel safe? What procedures will you follow? What supplies will you keep in stock?
Will you let (require) any employees to continue working from home? How will you equip them? How will you supervise them?
What will you do to accommodate clients who still aren’t comfortable coming to your office?
What will you do to bring on new employees, or let go of existing ones? What will you outsource?
Will you change any of your billing and collection practices?
What expenses will you cut?
What changes to your office/employee manual will you make?

Your marketing

How will you lesson dependence on face-to-face meetings?
What changes will you make to your warm market marketing systems (Newsletter, client appreciation, referrals, etc.)?
What changes will you make to your cold market marketing efforts (advertising, social media, websites, networking, speaking, etc.)?
What changes to your marketing budget do you need to consider?
Which practice areas do you want to ramp up? What new practice areas will you add? Which practice areas will you curtail or phase out?
Will you run any kind of promotions to celebrate the re-opening of your office?

You should also ask questions and create a plan for your personal life.

As you consider your options, you should also consider that the world, and your practice, won’t return to business as usual overnight. It will likely be many months before we’re fully up to speed and there will no doubt be permanent changes.

So, be prepared to regularly update your plan with new questions and new answers.

Whatever you do, don’t fret about anything. Yes, the world has changed but the fundamentals have not.

And good things are on the horizon.

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing Plan, success

P.S. I love you

April 10, 2020 by David M. Ward

The other day, I mentioned TV detective Colombo and how, when he was finished speaking to a witness or suspect, when they thought they were off the hook, Coolumbo would turn to them and say, “One more thing. . .”

When he did that, everyone in the room paid attention.

Because people notice things after a break in the conversation.

The same goes for email. People almost always read the P.S. in your email, even if they only skimmed the rest of what you wrote.

Many people read the P.S. first, because they think important things reside there, and they’re usually right.

You can use the P.S. to include more information you want the reader to know, to remind them of something you said in the body of the email, including your offer, or to mention something new but relevant to the subject of the email or the reader’s interests.

If the body of your email is about the need to have a certain issue evaluated and you have offered of a free consultation, for example, your P.S. might remind them to call to schedule it. It could also point out that you’re only accepting a limited number of appointments this week or that time is of the essence regarding their issue.

You could also provide a link to your “contact” page, or to a FAQ page that talks about what to expect during a consultation.

In a follow-up email, you might use the P.S. to recall something they told you, or something you noted about their business or family, or about something you have in common, as a way to strengthen your relationship.

Your P.S. is valuable real estate in your emails (and letters). Give some thought to how you can make full use of it.

To learn how to write an effective P.S. in your email newsletter, slide on over to my email marketing course

Filed Under: Copywriting, Email, Newsletters

How to make your writing more accessible

April 9, 2020 by David M. Ward

A lot of lawyers’ writing is formal and stilted, and I’m not just talking about legalese.

Using phrases like, “In order to” or “What’s more” or “Please note that” and the like–that’s formal.

Academic, archaic, stale.

If your writing sounds like Star Trek’s Data (no contractions), or Star War’s Yoda, (ass backwards), your writing could probably use a level 5 diagnostic.

There may be times when formal phrases are appropriate. But when you write to clients or prospective clients or to anyone you want to connect with, you’re usually better off ditching them.

Lose your inner professor. Take off your tux and tails. Take that stick out of that place where the sun don’t shine.

And write simply and informally. Not to impress but to communicate.

Formal language puts distance between you and the reader. Even when your reader is another lawyer.

Yes, sometimes you’ll catch me using formal phrases and ten-dollar words, but I try to avoid them because when I write to you, it’s supposed to be just the two of us, sitting on a porch, having a chat.

Why do we struggle to let down our hair? Because we’re professionals and we associate professionalism with formality. We’re uncomfortable being anything but, so we keep our distance.

And yet, when we give a presentation, we speak plainly, don’t we?

Correctamundo.

So, here’s a good rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t use a word or phrase in a speech or a private conversation, don’t use it in writing.

Here’s your homework:

The next time you write an email or article or letter, before you send it off to your victim, read it out loud and listen to how it sounds.

If it sounds like it was written by Chewbacca or Groot , put that thing through the universal translator before you send it.

How to get more clients with your website

Filed Under: Communication, Writing

Personal productivity rule book

April 8, 2020 by David M. Ward

You probably have a long list of things you do to manage your time and increase your productivity. No doubt you also collect articles and ideas you’d like to try.

But, do you have a centralized place to record these things? A book of rules you follow or would like to follow?

Having a “rule book” will make it more likely that you’ll follow those rules.

You might have a set of rules for how you start your day, how you do a weekly review, and how and where you record and back up client information.

You might have a set of rules for doing research: where you begin, how you record citations, how you organize (tag, label, file) the information.

Your rules don’t have to be complex or overly detailed. One sentence for each rule will often be enough.

It also helps to record the rationale behind each rule.

Here’s an example of some rules you might adopt regarding email:

Turn off notifications and keep Outlook/browser tab closed (so you’ll check email less often)
Schedule (times) on calendar for checking email (so you’re not tempted to check it constantly)
No email before (time). So you can get important things done first.
Use templates to respond to FAQs, provide links, share bio, deliver work product, etc.
Reply with statements: Don’t answer a question with a question [Not easy for lawyers, is it?] Example: When someone asks, “When do you want to talk?” you tell them, eg., “10:15 Tuesday. I’ll call you.”
Short answers. Five lines max. (Don’t write ten lines when two will do.)
Delay response. Many “urgent” issues often solve themselves.

And so on.

Over time, add new rules to your book, refine existing rules, and remove rules you no longer follow.

Keep your rule book close by and check it often. In fact, make that a rule.

Speaking of email, here’s how to use email to get more clients

Filed Under: Productivity

Why the majority is always wrong

April 7, 2020 by David M. Ward

In a well-delivered TED Talk about high performance, Paul Rulkens points out that only 3% of the population achieves extraordinary results and that the common denominator among them is that they eschew industry standards.

High achievers don’t do what everyone else does. They do something different.

The majority conform to industry standards and customs and consequently achieve average results. That’s why, when it comes to high performance, the majority is always wrong.

The speaker pointed at two companies that made their bones by going their own way. IKEA went against tradition by asking customers to assemble their own furniture. Dell built their brand without opening a single retail store.

How about the legal field?

Think of the lawyers you know or have read about who are at the top of their field. The odds are there is something about them that’s different.

It may be their personality or remarkable trial skills and record. They may have notable clients or a track record in a certain niche. They may have taken on controversial clients or cases or championed a notorious cause.

Yes, they may have had the right connections or stumbled into a bit of luck, but you can bet they parlayed their luck into even bigger success.

As the presenter pointed out, great achievers think out of their industry’s box, while the majority run their lives on auto pilot.

If you want to be among the 3% and leave the majority behind, one place to start is by looking at how your competition does (or doesn’t do) their marketing and make that your point of differentiation.

One idea, one campaign, can make all the difference.

To learn how to do that, head on over here

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, success

List maintenance

April 6, 2020 by David M. Ward

How often do you clean up your task and project lists? If you’re like me, not as often as you should.

I’ve had a “clean up/organize my lists” project starting at me for far too long so, this morning, I had a go at it.

I have four task lists:

Today
Next (this week/soon)
Backlog (Later)
Someday/Maybe

I could have gone through each list and removed tasks one-by-one, but that sounded like work and is probably why I’ve been avoiding it. So, instead, the first thing I did was empty all of my list, to prepare for rebuilding them.

There’s something about looking an empty list that is refreshing. The list calls to you, asking to be filled.

Anyway, here’s what I did:

Step One: Move all “Backlog” tasks to Someday/Maybe.

I tagged these tasks so I could identify where they came from, which will be helpful when I move (some of) them back.

(Backlog is empty)

Step Two: Move all “Next” tasks to Backlog.

I tagged these, too.

(Next is empty)

Step Three: Move “Today” tasks to “Next”. (Optional)

If your Today list only has a handful of tasks on it, as mine does, you can leave them where they sit.

Step Four: Begin moving tasks from Backlog back into Next.

Let the rebuilding begin.

This will be done slowly, thoughtfully, to keep me from overloading Next.

So far, I added only four tasks back into Next. Later, I’ll add back some of the others I previously removed, making sure not to add more than 20 tasks to Next, enough for a week or so.

The rest will stay in Backlog, along with other tasks there, until I’ve emptied my Next list or I’m otherwise ready to elevate something.

Step Five: Clean up Someday/Maybe.

This is a big list and not very inviting, so my plan is to spend not more than 15 minutes at a time going through this list and paring it down.

I’m sure I’ll trash a lot of ideas but some may get my attention and deserve a coveted spot in Backlog (or Next).

But there’s no hurry and no need to feel anxious about it because Today, Next, and Backlog are clean and ready for me to get to work.

Speaking of work, I’m off to crush my Today list.

Marketing legal services is easy when you know what to do

Filed Under: Productivity

Billing and collection during a pandemic

April 3, 2020 by David M. Ward

I heard from an attorney seeking advice about billing and collection during the current crisis. Essentially, he wanted to know what to say and do to accommodate his clients without jeopardizing his firm’s cash flow.

The answer is, it depends.

You know your clients and no doubt have some insight into what they might be going through and what they can handle. Likewise, you know (or can find out) what your landlord and vendors and lenders might be willing to do if you need some accommodation.

That’s why it depends. Your situation might be very different than the firm’s next door.

For most firms, one thing I wouldn’t do is announce a practice-wide abeyance (e.g., 30 or 60 days) on outstanding balances.

Why do that if you don’t have to?

On the other hand, announcing a practice-wide abeyance on late fees and interest might be a nice gesture.

One thing most firms should do is email all clients and tell them that if they have any issues regarding their bill/account during this time of crisis, to contact you to discuss it.

Acknowledge that they might have an issue. Be compassionate and flexible if they do. But don’t shoot yourself in the foot.

Some will contact you and you can work something out. Some won’t respond and you’ll need to deal with them on a case-by-case basis, if and when necessary.

Few anticipated the extent of this crisis or were prepared for it. It is truly a case of first impression.

All any of us can do is to treat our clients the way we would like to be treated if the roles were reversed.

Stress-free billing and collection for attorneys: Get the Check

Filed Under: Fees and Billing

Thereâ€™s no such thing as a former client

April 2, 2020 by David M. Ward

Everyone who has ever hired you is still your client.

At least that’s how you should think of them, even if you haven’t done any work for them in ten years.

They’re still clients and you should treat them that way.

Yes, you should give more attention to clients you’re currently working with but don’t ignore the others.

They may have another case some day. They may have referrals. They may promote your video or send traffic to your website. They may know someone who needs help with something one of your referral sources provides. They can help you build your social media following and your email list.

Stay in touch with them. Remind them that you’re still practicing, still available to help them and the people they know.

Do the same thing with prospective clients and professional contacts.

Send them information, keep them informed about what you’re doing, and invite them to stay in touch with you, too.

Because one day, maybe soon, some of your “former” client will wake up and become “current” clients, or do something else that makes you glad you didn’t forget them.

The easiest way to stay in touch with clients and prospects

Filed Under: Increase your income, Marketing legal services

The best marketing you can do right now

April 1, 2020 by David M. Ward

Phones quiet? Not a lot of work coming in? Courts closed?

Now would be a good time to do some marketing.

But what?

The same kind of marketing I nag you about all the time, only now you have time to do it on a bigger scale.

It’s one of the simplest and most effective kind of marketing a lawyer can do.

Get on the blower and blow.

Call your clients (and former clients) to say hello, wish them well, and ask if there’s anything you can do for them.

Works well during good times. Should work like gangbusters now when people are concerned about the future and not too busy to take your call.

Don’t expect to get any work when you call, but don’t be surprised if it does.

Right now, you may learn what your clients want to know so you can get the answers for them and share those answers with your other clients and in your newsletter.

If someone need help with something you don’t do, you can refer them to someone who does, earning Brownie points with the client and the professional or business owner to whom you refer them.

Mostly, you’ll strengthen your relationship with the people who once put bread on your table and who will again.

They’ll appreciate you and remember that you thought about them, and while others wrote to them and wished them well, you were the one who made a personal call.

Mark my words, when things get back to normal and they need legal help or know someone who does, they’ll be calling you.

So, how many clients will you call this week?

How to use a newsletter to build your practice

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Marketing legal services