The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

Going on a research diet

June 16, 2023 by David M. Ward

If you’re like me, you never know if you’ve done enough research. There’s always more to look at and, God bless us, we can’t help ourselves—we keep looking.

In school, in business, and in a law practice, due dates and deadlines come to our rescue. We “call a lid” because we have to get the work out the door—or else.

When there is no deadline imposed by a teacher, a client or court, however, it’s a different story.

How long have you been planning and researching that book or business project?. Exactly.

You never know when you’ve done enough research so you keep doing more, just in case.

Perfectionism? Self-doubt? Imposter syndrome? Call it by any name, but it boils down to our fear of making a mistake.

But we can’t spend our life in perpetual research. At some point we have to say, “enough”.

But how?

One way is to redefine the project or goal. Instead of doing enough research to write the book, for example, the task is to do enough research to START writing the book.

But that’s only a partial solution because you will inevitably see something that calls for you to do more research.

What then? How do you know when you’ve done enough?

You don’t. Not by any logical metric, anyway. You’re better off trusting your gut. When you feel pulled towards the finish line more than you feel pulled to doing more research, you go with that.

It’s your only option. Unless you’re prepared to hold yourself accountable to someone else. A partner, spouse, or friend—someone who won’t let you get away with endless research.

Someone who will kick your butt for you. Like your teacher, your client, or the court.

Filed Under: Personal development, Publicity, success, Writing

The reason you publish a blog or newsletter, post anything on social media, or deliver presentations, is to achieve a desired outcome. You’re not merely exercising your fingers or your voice, you want to inform or persuade people to do something.

If you do, your content is effective. If you don’t, you might want to make some changes.

There are lots of things you can do to improve your content and make it more effective. Editing, formatting, optimizing for readability and search, and more. But there are 3 things your content should always be or have:

Clarity. Nothing you write or offer will do you or your readers any good if they don’t understand it. Your message must be clear and easy to follow, with sufficient detail and precision so that readers know what you want them to know or do. Explain terms, provide examples, and show them what you want them to see. If you maintain a publishing checklist, make sure “clarity” is at the top.
Helpful. Your message should help readers be, do, or have something they want or need. Your message should give them a reward or benefit for taking the time to read or listen. Teach them something important or useful, get them to think about something, or help them make a better decision. And if you can’t write something helpful, at least write something they will find interesting.
Next. Tell them what to do with this information. How to start, how to do it better, where to go to find additional information. End your piece with a “call to action” so they know exactly what you want them to do. That might be to call you, share your content, fill out a form, sign up for your webinar, or download your report. Tell them what to do, and why, i.e., how they will benefit from doing that.

Make your message clear and easy to follow, provide helpful or interesting information, and tell them what to do next. These are the keys to effective content.

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation, Writing

“You’ve got to explode out of the mud!”

June 14, 2023 by David M. Ward

When you can’t seem to get started on a big project, or make progress on one, or you’re struggling with a difficult situation and don’t know what to do, typically, you change your approach. You do more research, try different tools and different strategies, and little by little, step by step, you climb out of the mud.

And that usually works.

But sometimes, the mud turns into quicksand, and you’re stuck. And the harder you try, the harder it is to get out.

You need a different approach. Instead of tinkering and looking for incremental solutions, you have to do something radical.

“You’ve got to explode out of the mud,” says CEO and author John Addison.

To do that, you’ need to change how you think about things. And use your imagination.

Look at what others have done when faced with similar challenges and ask yourself, “What would (this person) do if they were in my position?” You couldn’t find the answer. Maybe they can.

If your goal seems impossibly difficult, ask yourself, “What would I do if this was easy?” If things are going too slowly, ask, “What would have to happen for me to finish this project in the next 30 days?” Or, “What would I do if I had one year to live and failure was not an option?”

If you’re stuck, pretend you’re not. Pretend you know what to do to explode out of the mud.

Filed Under: Productivity, success

Some lawyers are weird

June 13, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s true. Some lawyers have strange interests or hobbies, extreme lifestyle choices or political views. But most people know this because most lawyers do a good job of keeping their personal life to themselves.

Other lawyers do the opposite. They tell too much about their personal views and lifestyle. If you look up the phrase “over sharing” in the dictionary, you might see their photo.

Of course, neither extreme is advisable.

The thing is, most lawyers lean towards not sharing any personal information. Not on social media, on their blog or in a presentation. They may be great lawyers, but they look and sound like every other lawyer in their field (except the weird ones).

And have a hard time standing out or being remembered.

I get it. They want to maintain their image as a hard-working, dedicated professional, who works night and day to serve their clients. Anything personal might make them look weak or is at least irrelevant to their job.

But clients know their lawyers are humans and they like them that way. They like knowing some things about their lawyer and what they do when they’re not working.

The solution? Share a little personal information, but not too much.

Do you have kids? Tell people about them. People like people who have kids. And all you have to do (if you don’t want to do more) is refer to them parenthetically.

“I picked up my daughter from ballet class the other day. . .” tells your readers that you have a child and you are involved in their life. You don’t have to say more.

But you can if you want to.

When I took my daughter to ballet class years ago, I had trouble putting her hair in a bun and asked one of the moms for help. That added detail makes the experience easier to picture and might make it more relatable to parents who have had a similar experience.

Don’t over-share (especially if you’re weird), but do share some details of your personal life. Clients want their lawyer to fight for them and deliver good results, but they also like their attorney to be normal.

Filed Under: Communication, Writing

What’s new?

June 12, 2023 by David M. Ward

In your blog or newsletter or other content, it’s okay to repeat yourself. Go ahead and write about familiar topics. As long you’re providing helpful information, or reminding them about important things you’ve told them before, you’re good.

Just make sure you follow Rule No. One: “Don’t be boring”.

On the other hand, when you have the opportunity to tell them something new, take it. Because new is better.

We watch the news (God help us) because it’s “new”. We believe we’ll see something different, helpful, or interesting. Your subscribers and clients and followers do the same thing when they click on your content.

And almost anything can be new.

Write about something you haven’t talked about before, or a new take on something you talk about often.

The law is always changing. You can always find something new to talk about.

New legislation, new decisions, new rules, and new cases you’ve handled or heard about. There’s a new consumer advocacy group doing something important (or wasting everyone’s time), a new idea making the rounds, a new blog or website or social media channel.

Write about it. Tell them what’s new.

Maybe you’re packaging your services in a new way, opening a new office, launching a new presentation, or tweaking your fee structure. Maybe you have a new employee, a new practice area, or a new page on your website.

Tell your folks about it and how it benefits them. Does it make you better able to help them? Will it help them save time or money? Make things easier or better?

It’s news. So tell ‘em. But don’t worry about it if it doesn’t do those things.

As long as your “news” is interesting, your clients and subscribers and followers want to hear about it, or at least won’t mind you mentioning it.

In part, because it’s coming from you and they’re interested in what you do, what you like, and what you think.

Your content isn’t merely a mechanism for educating your reader about things they need to know or do, or showing them how you can help them. It’s also a mechanism for building a relationship with them.

You talk to them (on paper), they listen. Sometimes, they reply. But always, they are a part of your world and you are a part of thers.

You don’t have to write anything amazing to foster that. Almost anything will do. Especially if it’s new.

How to write a newsletter that brings in more business

Filed Under: Content creation

Expensive? Damn right!

June 9, 2023 by David M. Ward

When you look through the app store, you see more than a few complaints about certain apps being too expensive. They’ll tell you why and compare the app to others that are available for less.

Guess which apps sell the most? Which apps are the most profitable?

Yep. The “expensive” apps.

People may complain but they want high quality and they’re willing to pay more to get it. The’ll tell you why, right there in their review. They say,“It’s expensive, but worth every penny.”

Which just happens to be what you want your clients to say about you.

Of course, you have to get the “worth it” part right first. You can’t raise your fees and expect clients to pay top dollar for services that aren’t “worth it”. But if you are worth more, you should charge more.

You will lose some clients who can’t afford you, it’s true. But more than make up for that loss by higher revenue from the ones who stick and the new ones to ome along.

What could you do to increase your value so you can justify higher fees?

That’s what you have to figure out.The good news is it doesn’t take as much as you think.

In marketing, perception is everything. You don’t have to get the highest verdicts and settlements or have the most prestigious clients to qualify. Other factors come in to play. The things your clients say about you, the people you associate with, the causes with which you are identified, are also important. So are the articles you write, the interviews you give, your videos and podcast and presentations..

They are all part of how people perceive you and thus part of the value you offer.

And guess what? Your fees are part of that, too. Charge more and people assume there is a reason. They assume that if other people pay those higher fees, you must be worth it, because people associate price with quality.

Bottom line, increase your fees and do what you can to get everyone to say you’re worth it. If enough people say it, it must be true.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Attorneys fees, success

Why clients hire you

June 8, 2023 by David M. Ward

Sure, they need help with a legal issue, but they have other options. Why do they choose YOU instead of any other lawyer?

Good to know that, isn’t it?

NB: Make sure you ask (survey) every new client about this.

Did they choose you because you have, or they believe you have, more experience? A better track record? Or because you specialize in the very thing they need or want?

Maybe they trust you (more) because they’ve met you or were referred to you by someone they trust. Maybe they read some favorable reviews or testimonials. Or maybe they saw something you wrote, or that was written about you, in a publication they respect.

Or they heard you speak and were impressed at how smart (and good looking) you are.

Do you provide extra services that other lawyers don’t (or don’t mention)? More reasonable fees? Payment plans?

Could it be something as simple as convenience? Your office is close to them or you make house calls? Or they’ve used your services before and it was just easier to use you again?

Maybe they hired you because, unlike other attorneys they’ve spoken to, you followed up with them after the initial consultation or conversation. Maybe they’ve been getting your newsletter for a long time and feel like they know, like, and trust you.

Lots of reasons. Pay attention. Your clients will tell you why they choose you, so you can keep doing those things.

NB 2.0: When someone doesn’t choose you, that is, they consulted you or considered you but hired someone else, it’s even more important to know why.

Often, the reason someone chooses you, or doesn’t, isn’t because of how many boxes you ticked (or didn’t). It comes down to a feeling.

They liked you or felt good about you. There’s something about you that tipped the balance in your favor. Something you said or they read about you that made them feel like you were the one.

Simon Sinek, in his famous TED talk, said, “People don’t buy what you do, they by why you do it”.

So, no matter what else you tell them about yourself and your services, make sure you also tell them why you do what you do.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

The simplest (and best) way to improve your marketing results

June 7, 2023 by David M. Ward

We had some work done on our house recently. We researched contractors, read reviews, got a couple of bids, and then choose the contractor we preferred.

The bid we chose was thousands of dollars higher. Why did we choose it? There were a few reasons, but one thing the winning bidder did, more than anything, made the difference.

After they sent their bid, they followed up. The other company didn’t.

One company “hit and ran”. And never contacted us again. Like a lot of lawyers do when they say, “They know where to find us if they’re interested”.

The other company, the one we chose, called to confirm that we received their proposal, asked if we had any questions (we did), and gave us additional information about the job that convinced us they were the better choice.

And that, my friend, is the simplest and best way to improve your marketing results.

You can do okay in a business (or profession) by getting in front of more prospective clients. But if you want to do more than okay, one conversation or appointment or bid isn’t enough.

The fortune is in the followup.

Follow up by phone. And email. And text. And phone again. And email again. And continue to follow up until you get the job (case) or they tell you to stop.

Give them more information. Remind them about what they said they wanted and show them again how you can help them get it.

The more you follow up, the more the prospective client sees that not only can you help them, you want to help them.

No, that isn’t bad posture on your part. It doesn’t make you look desperate, any more than the athlete who asks for the ball.

It’s a sign of confidence, not weakness.

Following up shows prospective clients that you’ve done “this” before—you are a professional and work hard at what you do. Just like you’ll work hard for them.

People find that attractive. And will choose you instead of the competition who might cost less but aren’t as diligent.

We did. And we’re glad we did.

One more thing.

When you find out that the prospect signed up with another lawyer, or decided not to do anything right now, continue to follow up. Because they might change their mind or need help fixing what the other lawyer messed up.

You want to be in their mailbox when that happens.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Everyone tells you this is important, but is it?

June 6, 2023 by David M. Ward

You have an email list, for your newsletter, podcast, or seminars, or a list of your clients and prospects and professional contacts. You mail to that list regularly, or plan to, because you know that the more you stay in touch with people, the more clients and revenue you get.

Everyone tells you to segment your list, to separate people by status (client, prospect, professional, blogger), or profile (consumer or business, big or small, type of services they need or want), because doing that lets you send targeted emails to each segment, thus increasing your conversion rate.

Segmented lists allow you to speak more directly and specifically to each segment, addressing their needs in the context of their background and experience. You’re able to use more relevant examples and success stories for each segment, and speak to them in ways they relate to. You get more people accepting your offers, and fewer people opting out because your message doesn’t apply to or interest them.

Maybe you do this now. “Why send a newsletter about the benefits of a living trust to people who’ve already hired me to do that?”

It makes sense. And it doesn’t. Let’s look at the math.

Let’s say you identify 100 people on your list who have not hired you to prepare a living trust. By writing just to them, let’s say you get 20% of these subscribers to hire you. On the other hand, if you write the same message to your entire list of 2000, and get only 2% to sign up, you get 40 new clients, double what you get from the smaller but more targeted list.

You might also get other business by writing to everyone.

Your message might prompt someone who has already hired you to do X to update X. Or it might prompt them to ask you about your other services, or refer a friend. Business clients need consumer legal services; consumer clients have friends who own a business, or want to.

And so, segmenting your list and mailing to fewer people might be very costly.

Are there exceptions where segmenting your list is warranted? Sure. But these are usually best addressed by using autoresponder messages that go out to specific segments of your list, in addition to your newsletter. Prospects who inquired about a living trust, for example, would receive follow-up messages about that subject.

Send your newsletter to everyone, because you never know what might interest them or someone they know.

Email Marketing for Attorneys

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters

TLDR?

June 5, 2023 by David M. Ward

I usually write short blog posts because long posts often get skipped (because readers are busy) or postponed (and then skipped).

I’d rather show up in your inbox frequently and give you something you can read in a couple of minutes.

But there are advantages to longer posts:

Longer, more detailed posts tend to get more traffic than shorter posts because they often rank higher in search engines.
Longer posts give you room to provide more tips and more thorough explanations of complex or abstract concepts, providing more value to visitors looking for help, and to find an attorney.
Longer posts are generally more authoritative than shorter posts because there is room to provide more examples, citations, graphics, and links to other posts (yours and other authorities).
Longer posts keep visitors on your blog longer, making it more likely they will read your other posts, as well as pages about your services, your upcoming events, and other content, and more willing to sign up for your newsletter.
Longer posts tend to get more Likes from readers and links from other blogs.

In short, longer, more detailed posts provide opportunities to get more readers, subscribers, and clients.

But none of that happens if people aren’t reading your posts because they look too long to read. In addition, longer posts take more time to research, write, optimize, and format, which means you can’t publish as often.

What’s the solution? A combination of long and short posts can give you the best of both worlds. Long posts for traffic, authority and engagement, short posts to get more people to read what you write, creating a gateway to your longer content.

If you’re new to blogging, you might write 1000- to 1200-word posts once or twice a month, and 300- to 500-word posts, once or twice per week. On the other hand, if you’re new, it’s better to write anything, because building the habit of regularly creating content is more important than how long it is or often you publish it.

How to write a blog people like to read

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters