David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Shrek would have made a good lawyer

April 4, 2024 by David M. Ward

On the outside, Shrek was tough and scary. A monster who could slay dragons and vanquish villains. On the inside, he was gentle and kind.

Your clients want you to be Shrek on the outside, fighting their enemies, protecting them, and being tough. On the inside, where they deal with you, they want you to be warm and caring and easy to talk to.

How do you attract clients by showing them your strength without scaring them off with bluster?

By being open and friendly and warm in your writing and speaking, in your blog and newsletter, on social media, in the “About” page on your website, and in all of your marketing.

That means not writing like a lawyer. It means being informal and open, speaking directly to your readers and listeners, and not putting distance between you by writing the 3rd person.

It means being “normal” and friendly on social media. Some lawyers sound anything but. They come off as “too cool” to talk to people, sounding distant, or worse, sarcastic or confrontational.

It’s not complicated. If you want people to approach you, you need to appear approachable.

That means making people feel comfortable about talking with you and working with you.

You can do that. You can be warm and friendly and still be professional.

You can show people you’re tough and also easy to talk to.

Shrek did it and so can you.

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation, Marketing legal services

Soft advertising

April 2, 2024 by David M. Ward

Do you put your website address on your business card, letterhead, or in your email signature (under your name and phone number)?

If you do, guess what? You’re advertising.

Okay, let’s call it “soft advertising” but advertising it is. And it is good.

It doesn’t cost you anything; it doesn’t violate any rules, and it doesn’t make you uncomfortable.

But yes, it is advertising.

Let’s play with this idea a bit. Where else do you (or might you) mention the URL of your website (and/or blog)?

Lots of places.

How about in your email “away message”? Or the “thank you” email message you send to people who subscribe to your newsletter? In your bio on social media, on a flyer announcing your next speaking engagement, in cover letters and memos to clients—anywhere, and everywhere, because you want people to find you and learn more about what you do.

Yes?

Now, let’s face it, mentioning your website or blog is child’s play. So is mentioning your social media profiles. Anyone can do that, and almost everyone does. So, let’s play with this a bit more.

Besides your website (and social profiles), what else might you “mention” in all those places?

Here’s one: instead of just the “front page” of your website, you might provide the url to a list of your services, or your “About” page. So, when someone wants to know who you are and what you do, or “what else” you do, they can quickly find out.

They don’t have to search, they can click and see. When they do, they might do more clicking and see other things you want them to see and know.

What else?

Do you have an upcoming presentation or webinar? An article just published in your bar journal? Have you published a book? Achieved a milestone or received an award?

Couldn’t you put those in your email signature or your bio on LinkedIn?

Yes, you could. (And should).

You’ve got this. Anything you want to promote, you can use soft advertising to promote it. If not for you, maybe for a good cause. Do you have a favorite charity? Why not mention it and provide a link?

One more thing. In correspondence with clients, look for opportunities to promote (a) feedback (surveys, reviews, testimonials, and (b) referrals.

When you do, you will have mastered the “soft advertising” game. Be proud.

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services

Scaling up

April 1, 2024 by David M. Ward

You’re doing okay. Making six-figures or multiple six-figures, but you want to hit seven- or eight-figures (or more).

You can. And you can get there in less time and with less effort than it took to get where you are now.

The hard work is at the beginning.

In the beginning, you had to learn the law and the law biz. You learned how to bring in clients and keep them happy. You learned how to build a network, become a better speaker or writer, manage cash flow, find your niche, and find your stride.

You made mistakes and learned from them. You had successes and know what you like and are good at and what isn’t your cup of tea.

You went from raw and inexperienced to making a living as a professional.

It was hard. You had no momentum. Now, you do. You have a base to build on and getting to the next level will be easier.

But you’ll also have bigger challenges. More expenses, tougher competition, additional responsibilities. You have people to manage, offices to upgrade, and a lot more at stake. You have to let go of some people, jettison old habits. You have to become the kind of person who earns what you want to earn.

And it will be hard. But it will also be easier.

It’s easier to go from six-figures to seven, seven to eight. Because you know more and can do more things, and do them better. And you have momentum and momentum compounds.

You will continue to grow and reach new levels.

As long as you don’t mess up.

Filed Under: success

Want to earn more? Offer more value.

March 29, 2024 by David M. Ward

The formula is simple: to earn more, you have to bring in more clients (and/or more work from existing clients), reduce overhead, or increase your fees.

You get the part about improving your marketing and bringing in more business, and you’re working on that. You’re also keeping an eye on overhead. But you’re not considering increasing your fees.

Especially now when money is so tight for so many.

Maybe you should.

If you suspect you’re not charging enough based on inflation and increased overhead, and what other attorneys charge, maybe it’s time to think about increasing your fees.

I know, you’re afraid you might lose some clients who can no longer afford you. So, don’t do it—yet. Don’t increase your fees to existing clients until you bring in new clients at a higher rate.

There, you have a plan.

Well, almost. You still need to figure out how to justify higher fees for new clients.

The answer is in the question. You “justify” higher fees by offering more value for what you charge.

Want some good news? A big part of value is perception. If people think you’re worth more, you are. Which means you can increase your value by doing a better job of communicating that value.

For starters, don’t hide the fact that you cost more. Lead with it. Tell your market you’re more expensive. You cost more because your clients get more. You get things done faster, with less risk, and better outcomes.

Which is what clients want. (If they don’t, they’re price shoppers and you’re not the lawyer for them).

So yes, tell them you’re worth more and tell them why—your experience, knowledge, training, connections, methods, staff, work ethic, and philosophies.

And then prove it with testimonials, reviews, and a track record that speaks to that value.

One more thing. Focus your marketing on referrals, the hallmark of a high-quality firm.

How to get more referrals

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

No, it’s not cheating

March 28, 2024 by David M. Ward

Yesterday, I was busy with (something) and didn’t have time to write a new blog post/newsletter article. So, I re-posted an article I originally wrote ten years ago. I changed the headline, did some minor editing, done.

Did you notice?

No, you didn’t. Because you weren’t a subscriber ten years ago. Or didn’t see it. Or can’t remember.

That’s good news for content creators like you and me. Re-posting gives us another way to create content, especially when we’re busy with other things.

Yes, you can re-publish old posts. No, they don’t have to be ten years old. And no, you don’t have to change the headline. It’s your blog, your newsletter, your content, and you can do what you want.

I hope this encourages you to do that.

I wouldn’t do it too often. Uncle G might object. But it’s better to be spanked occasionally by The Masters of the Universe than to deny your new subscribers the opportunity to learn something valuable or interesting because they weren’t around a few months (or years) ago and never had the opportunity to see it.

Besides reposting, you can also update old posts with new information, statistics, cases, or trends. You can re-post and offer a different opinion, because your thinking has changed. You can add new resources, ideas, or quotes from other experts, or stories about cases you’ve had since you first wrote about the subject.

And thus, turn an old post into a new one, without spending a lot of time.

Another way to save time is to do no writing. Invite another lawyer or professional to write a guest post for you. Or, interview them, which can be as simple as sending some questions via email and posting their answers.

A “listicle” is another way to create a blog post or article without doing a lot of research or writing. A listicle is a list of resources, tips, ideas, or quotes,often just a few sentences on related topics. For example, you could write a listicle about important new laws in your field, or changes to old ones.

So, there you go. Alternate ways to get new content, without slaving away at the keyboard.

For more ways to get more content, see my course, Email Marketing for Attorneys

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

I’d like to buy you dinner

March 27, 2024 by David M. Ward

Client appreciation dinners are a great way to recognize your best clients and thank them for their loyalty. Basically, you invite them to a free dinner where you present awards and gifts, introduce them to other clients in their niche, and enjoy a good meal.

You might have guest speakers who may be willing to co-sponsor the event. You might invite your clients to bring guests. Or you might keep the evening information-free and pitch-free and just have a good time.

A Facebook friend of mine, a Realtor, mentioned his firm’s upcoming “Top Referring Client Appreciation Dinner.” I thought that was a smart variation on the idea because his clients have to do something to get invited to the dinner.

There’s a little competition involved. Clients hear about the event and want to come. After the dinner, they see photos on your website and do their best to get invited the following year. Those who do attend will work hard to make the guest list again the following year. They’ll also talk about the dinner to their friends and colleagues.

Of course, it also allows you to promote the subject of referrals to all of your clients by simply talking about the dinner in your newsletter.

When you recognize good behavior (referrals), you reinforce that behavior and it tends to be repeated. When you recognize that behavior publicly, many of those who didn’t get recognized (invited) will change their behavior so they can be included the next time.

The bottom line is that you get more referrals, not just from those who make the grade as “top referrers” but from all of your clients. Your top referrer may send you ten clients, but you may have 100 clients who send you one or two.

If you can’t or don’t want to do a client appreciation dinner (criminal defense lawyers, I’m talking to you), how about a dinner for professionals? Invite your best referral sources and recognize them for their efforts.

If a client or referral source appreciation dinner isn’t in your budget, consider a breakfast or luncheon. Or, invite your best referring client or referral source out to dinner, just the two of you, to say thank you for their support throughout the year. Next year, you can invite a few more.

Here’s another way to get more referrals

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referrals Tagged With: client dinners

Who, not how

March 26, 2024 by David M. Ward

When you have a task to do, before you start, ask yourself ‘Who can do this for me?” Delegating or outsourcing work saves you time, leverages other peoples’ skills, and lets you focus on what you do best.

This philosophy and practice has been game changing for me.

In fact, in my practice, my motto was to “Only do what ONLY I can do (and delegate everything else).”

You might want to follow suit.

It’s not always easy to do. We resist delegating things because we believe we do them better, but that’s not always true. I’ve had employees who did things I could never do as quickly, efficiently, or as well.

We also resist because it’s risky to entrust certain tasks to other people. If they make a mistake, we pay the price or we have to spend more of our time fixing their mistake. But while that is generally true, crunch the numbers and you’ll see, in the long run, you come out ahead.

“It’s quicker and easier for me to do it myself.”

Also not true. Yes, we have to invest time training and supervising others; the question is, is that investment worth it? For me, it is almost always more than worth it.

So, that leaves our egos. We don’t like the idea of turning over our work, our important clients, to other people. But you get used to that. Especially when you see how much more profitable and satisfying your work is. And, did I mention how much more profitable it is?

Will it be as profitable for you?

Make a list of the things you do that ONLY you can do and imagine what it would be like if you could spend almost all your time doing just those things.

Yeah. . . it’s worth it.

Filed Under: Law office management, Productivity Tagged With: delegation, outsourcing

Let me make this perfectly clear

March 25, 2024 by David M. Ward

One reason people say “no” to your offers and recommendations is that they don’t understand what you’re offering or recommending.

It’s not clear. There are too many options or variables. They don’t know exactly what to do or why.

They’re confused. And a confused mind always says no.

One of the most valuable of your marketing tools is clarity. Clients like it when things are clear and simple. In fact, they might choose you over other lawyer or firms primarily for that reason.

So, go through all of your marketing materials, website, forms, emails, presentations, and documents, and make sure everything is as clear as possible.

Make sure a layperson can understand everything. Make sure there are fewer options,. Spell out the benefit of each.

If things aren’t as clear as possible, set up a project to improve it.

Answer all of their basic questions before they ask. Explain how you can help them. Tell them how long it will take, how much it will cost, and if there are any alternatives. Tell them the risks and rewards. Explain the process. And especially, the first step.

Look. At. Everything.

When they get done reading your message or listening to your proposal, they should know everything they need to know and have zero questions.

That’s the goal, anyway.

Of course, they will still have questions (even ones you’ve already answered), doubts, things they need you to explain. That’s okay. It’s part of the deal.

As you answer their questions, assuage their fears and doubts, and explain more about how you can help them, you’ll be able to add this to your marketing materials and make everything clearer for the next prospective client who comes along.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Communication

Your website is down

March 22, 2024 by David M. Ward

I needed a haircut. The place I go to instituted a “cash only” policy during the lockdowns, but I use plastic for just about everything and don’t carry much cash. I went to the shop’s website to make sure I would have enough with me (and hoping they’d finally gone back to accepting credit cards).

Their website was down.

I told the owner this when I got to the shop and she said she never checks the site and would tell her niece who takes care of these things for her.

Turns out, the site was down. The hosting company had emailed her niece that the company had been sold and she needed to (do something) but their emails went to an email address she no longer uses.

Her website is back up, but it looks like it was down for about two months. An eternity for a retail store that depends on new business.

How much business did she lose?

How much business would a law firm lose if their site was down that long?

Which prompted me to tell you this story and remind you to regularly make sure the hosting and domain names for your website are paid, the site is up and displaying properly, the subscription forms are working, the downloads are still downloadable, the links are linking, and everything is as it should be.

And to check your spam folder (and old email addresses) to make sure you’re not missing anything.

It doesn’t take a lot of time, and can spare you a bunch of trouble.

Filed Under: Law office management