David M. Ward – Page 55

Stop trying so hard

December 14, 2022 by David M. Ward

I have a theory. Because being a lawyer is so demanding and requires so much attention to detail, and because most lawyers work their tails off to get everything right, they tend to do the same thing with creating content.

Which is why many lawyers don’t create a lot of content and thus miss out on a lot of traffic, leads, subscribers, and new clients.

If you’re not producing as much content as you want to, quit trying so hard. You can produce all the content you need without breaking a sweat.

No, you can’t produce junk. You need to provide value. That’s what keeps readers reading, sharing your content, and selling themselves on taking the next step towards hiring you.

You can do that with a lot less effort.

How? By writing less:

Shorter posts. A few hundred words is plenty.
Re-reusing/re-purposing your old/other content
Re-writing other people’s content (your words, examples)
Listicles (resources, tips, ideas, quotes, definitions, checklists, etc.)
Avoiding research; writing what you know (you know a lot)
Publishing less often
Getting help (in house or outsource)

You can also publish content without doing a lot of heavy lifting. Answer questions posed by your readers and clients, or share something you learned in an article, book, video, podcast, or MCLE.

You can report industry or local news (e.g., acquisitions, new hires, promotions, mergers, etc.), appellate opinions, and new or pending legislation, with very little of your own writing other than brief comments, e.g.., “this is new” and “here’s what I think about it” and “here’s what I’d like to see next”.

Stop trying so hard. Set a goal to provide ONE nugget per post, something your reader can take away, remember, and want to share.

Something interesting, helpful, or entertaining. Something you can write in 30 to 45 minutes.

More ways to (quickly) produce content

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services

I was wrong

December 13, 2022 by David M. Ward

You’re reading this because you want to know what I was wrong about and why I’m sharing my “confession” with you.

Mission accomplished.

Well, almost. I haven’t told you what I was wrong about, or why admitting you were wrong is a good way to connect with your readers.

It’s good because people see you don’t pretend to be infallible. You’re a real person, just like them.

Warts and all.

It makes you likeable. Someone they can trust.

Confession is good for the soul.

Maybe you trusted a friend and should have known better. Maybe you recommended a certain app to everyone and had to backtrack when you found out it has a security flaw. Maybe you predicted something would happen on the world stage and you were dead wrong.

Show your readers the real you. Warts and all.

But you have to be careful. You don’t want to admit you were wrong about something irretrievably tied to your core competency.

It’s okay to admit you once hired a secretary too hastily, and she stole from you. It’s not okay to admit you settled a certain case because you didn’t think you had enough experience to take it to trial.

Capice?

In addition to admitting to a mistake, you can also admit to a weakness or quirk, or share a personal experience that humanizes you.

Maybe you like cherry pie a little too much (me!). Maybe you took your daughter to ballet class and had to ask one of the moms to do up her hair (me!) Maybe your sense of humor gets you into trouble a little too often (me!)

The more embarrassing, or humorous, the better.

Admit a mistake or a weakness (that isn’t too weird) and your readers will love you for it. Unless you eat all the cherry pie and don’t leave any for them.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Communication, Writing

Are you the best choice?

December 12, 2022 by David M. Ward

Are you willing to admit that there are other lawyers who do what you do and are better at it than you are? That you’re not the best lawyer in town, or even better than most?

And yet clients still hire you and refer you and love you.

Because hiring a lawyer or firm isn’t a completely rational process.

Clients meet you or hear you speak or read something you write, or they see your ad or a friend recommends you (or your article or post), and they visit your website to learn more.

If they continue to like what they see (and what you offer), they take the next step. And eventually hire you.

Most clients don’t do a lot of comparison shopping.

Which means you don’t have to be the best there is, or even better than your competition. You just have to be good enough to get looked at and not blow it.

Sure, some clients are sophisticated and will scrutinize you down to your shorts. But most don’t.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to get more people to look at you and not give anyone a good reason to not hire you.

Be the best you can be, but don’t worry about being the best there is.

The quantum leap marketing system (for lawyers)

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

This isn’t for everyone, but it might be for you

December 9, 2022 by David M. Ward

I came across this line in an email. I wrote it down to share with you because it’s a great way to sell legal services (or anything else).

It gets attention and makes the reader curious about what “it” is
It adds credulity by “admitting” it isn’t for everyone (and not trying to persuade everyone)
It suggests exclusivity, which creates desire; people want things that are for a select group, especially if they are told they might not qualify to be in that group
It imbues the writer or advertiser with strength and confidence, which are attractive traits (especially in a lawyer)
It almost forces the reader to continue reading, to find out more

Of course “it” isn’t for everyone; few things are. But including a line like this in your headline or the body of your message might make your reader “hope” that it is for them, making it more likely they will look for a reason it is.

Look for a way to include a message like this in your marketing. It isn’t for everyone, but it might be for you.

Filed Under: Advertising, Copywriting, Email, Marketing legal services

What if I don’t play golf?

December 7, 2022 by David M. Ward

Playing golf is a great way to meet other professionals and prospective clients and many lawyers do. But what if you don’t play golf and don’t want to learn?

Sorry, you’re out of luck. No clients for you!

No, there are many ways to meet prospective clients and referral sources that don’t require you to take up a sport or do anything that doesn’t appeal to you.

You can meet people at formal networking groups where professionals and business owners go to meet people, hear speakers, and exchange ideas and leads. You can also meet people informally, as you go about your regular day.

But you don’t have to do any of this. You can meet the kinds of people you want to meet through the people you already know.

Your clients and existing referral sources can introduce you to the professionals and business people they know and do business with.

Lawyers, insurance agents, financial planners, real estate brokers, of course, but also business executives and other influential people in their industry or market. If they’re consumers, they can introduce you to their friends and neighbors.

This isn’t the only way to network, but I can’t think of anything better.

You’re talking to people who know, like, and trust you and are willing to help you. They know people you would like to know, and all you have to do is ask.

But you have to help them help you. You have to tell them who you would like to meet, by name if you know it, or by occupation, business or industry, or other identifying factors.

Tell them who would like to know and ask them to introduce you, or ask them to tell their contact about your upcoming seminar, or about an article you just posted on your blog that might be helpful to them, or anything else that will connect you with the people they know.

This is a remarkably effective, highly targeted way to grow your network. And doesn’t require you to wear any funny pants.

Here’s how to get started with your clients

Filed Under: Referrals, Relationship marketing

Size doesn’t matter

December 6, 2022 by David M. Ward

A tiny list of subscribers can make you a fortune. It’s true. You don’t need tens of thousands or even thousands of subscribers to your newsletter, blog, podcast, or channel.

For one thing, someone who reads or listens to your content won’t know they are among a handful. And can be as impressive as any other attorney.

Your article or post shows them you know what you’re doing. They see you understand their problem and have solutions. They hear success stories about how you’ve helped others in their industry or market. And they get a sense of what it would be like having you as their attorney.

Instead of merely telling the world the services you offer and asking them to trust in your ability to deliver results, your content proves you know what you’re doing.

You can also leverage your content to score interviews and joint marketing alliances with other professionals and influential people (who also don’t know you have very few subscribers).

You might start small but as you post more content online, you get more traffic from search and social sharing. Your list grows organically, bringing you more leads and inquires and new clients.

Regularly posting content makes you a better writer and marketer. It helps build your reputation. It helps you attract referrals from lawyers in other jurisdictions who find you from afar. And it supports your speaking, networking, advertising, and other marketing efforts.

But even if nobody finds you online, your online content give you a place to send prospects and leads you generate from other sources. It also gives your clients a place to send people they know to find out more about you.

Your content is an online brochure of sorts, that speaks to your prospects on your behalf and shows them why they should take the next step.

You might post just 5 or 10 articles on your blog and never add another. But that’s more than enough to show the world you know what you’re doing and convince them to find out more.

How to start and grow a blog that makes your phone ring

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Online Marketing

“Of course, the old foot-in-the-door technique” (Maxwell Smart, circa 1968)

December 5, 2022 by David M. Ward

If you want people to do something, start by asking for something easier.

Asking followers on social media to Like and share your blog post, for example, makes it more likely they will eventually be willing to sign up for your newsletter. When they subscribe, it makes it more likely that they will eventually watch a replay of your webinar. When they do that, it makes it more likely that they will contact you for a consultation.

Not just because they learned something from your post or newsletter or webinar, but because they’ve become acclimated to complying with your requests.

Start small and eventually, you can ask for—and get—something big.

The thing is, while it’s better if they actually do what you ask, it isn’t always necessary. Just asking makes it more likely that they will eventually do that or something else you request or offer.

Give your clients some of your cards and ask them to hand them out when they talk to someone with a legal question. If you want a colleague to recommend you to their clients, start out by asking them to share the link to your latest blog post.

Whether or not they do that, when you later ask them to introduce you to their accountant, they should be more open to doing that.

You can start by asking for anything. Ask people to recommend a restaurant or a good book, to tell you which of two headlines or titles they prefer, or to fill out your survey.

The more you ask, the more you (eventually) get.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

A penny for your thoughts

December 2, 2022 by David M. Ward

Lawyers are paid to think. We solve problems, come up with ideas, figure out strategies, and put these to use for our clients and for ourselves.

We often get some of our best ideas while we’re doing other things. When we’re working on another case, driving, playing a game, listening to a (boring) lecture, or mindlessly washing dishes, our minds are busy working on other things.

But we don’t have to wait for serendipity to solve problems and generate ideas. We can make it a habit to schedule thinking time each day. I do that every day and think you should, too.

Once a day, for 5 minutes or 15 minutes, sit quietly, close your eyes, do some breathing exercises if you want to, relax and think.

Think about your life, your work, your family, your problems, your dreams.

I do this in the morning, first thing. Before coffee, when my mind isn’t terribly engaged, I sit in my comfy chair, listen to meditation music, and let my mind wander.

My thinking time helps me discover new ideas, find solutions, clarify my thoughts, remember things I need to do or fix, and when I’m done, I feel calm and centered and ready for the day.

Sometimes, I start out thinking about a specific situation. A problem I’d like to solve or avoid, a goal I’m working towards, or things I’m planning to do that day. Other times, I just sit quietly and let my mind take me where it wants me to go.

I keep paper and my phone nearby and record my thoughts and ideas. Sometimes, those ideas feel so “right,“ I stop thinking and start working on them. These often turn out to be some of my best ideas.

I’ve also found that by having regular thinking time, I’ve conditioned my mind to bring me more ideas and solutions throughout the day, while I’m doing other things.

I got the idea for this post when I was making coffee.

You’re a professional thinker. Schedule thinking time each day. Try it for a week, see what happens, and what you think about that.

I think. . . you’ll be glad you did.

Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity

Simple dimple

December 1, 2022 by David M. Ward

Let’s face it, marketing can be a pain in the behind. There’s a lot to learn (and keep up with), a lot to do (and/or supervise people who do them), expenses, compliance issues, and the cost of our precious time.

Which is why a lot of people hate marketing. Including me.

But we do it because of the results it delivers and the lifestyle this affords.

But there’s marketing and there’s marketing. It’s not all the same. I don’t do anything I really detest and you shouldn’t either.

Because when you force yourself to do something you hate, you resent doing it, cut corners, and get poor results. Not to mention the ill effects of constant stress.

When it comes to marketing (or anything else), it’s always better to do things you enjoy or are at least comfortable enough to continue doing. And if you can’t find strategies out of the tin that fit that description, choose something and find easier ways to do it.

For me, easy means simple. Certain methods may be more profitable, but if it’s not simple, I don’t do them. I’m not willing to pay the price for complexity.

In my practice, as a young (starving) lawyer, that meant focusing on referrals. It was simple. It meant doing good work, treating people right, and staying in touch with everyone.

I could do that. And I did.

Later, I gave my clients handouts (reports, referral cards, etc.) they could share with people, and did some other things to generate even more referrals.

But I always kept it simple.

We have more options for marketing today, but referrals should always be at the top of every lawyer’s list. Your clients and business contacts can send you all the business you can handle, and/or introduce you to people who can.

Once you’ve got referrals squared away, you can add other strategies. A content-rich website or blog and/or a newsletter are also relatively simple.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather write something once a week than go to a weekly meeting.

More good news.

You can build a very successful practice using just one or two effective strategies. Find something that’s simple and appropriate for your practice, temperament, and resources, and once you’ve chosen them, stop looking. At least for now.

Instead, get better at implementing those strategies. They may be all you need.

How to get more referrals from your clients

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Referrals