Advertising – Page 6

Promote your practice with a tasty holiday promotion

November 10, 2014 by David M. Ward

A local real estate agent sent me a card for Thanksgiving. It says, “Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remember special clients and friends like you. . .” It closes by saying, “Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving!”

I don’t know this agent and I assume she sent this card to many of my neighbors. If she’s like most real estate agents, she has a “farm” of 300 or 500 contiguous homes she targets. She advertises to us, mails cards and note pads or calendars and such, and otherwise keeps her name in front of us so that when we’re ready to sell, we’ll think of her.

Anyway, what made this card different is the offer. It says, “Email to order your complimentary FRESH APPLE or PUMPKIN PIE by Monday November 17, 2014” followed by her email address. It continues, “Delivery is Wednesday, November 26, 2014, 2:00 to 6:00 PM”.

Now, what does this accomplish? Well, I assume she will drop off the pies herself and get to meet the homeowners, give them her card, and possibly offer a free home evaluation. If they’re not home, she’ll drop off the pie with her card or note attached, and follow up with a call to make sure they got the pie.

But it’s not about the pies, or meeting homeowners. It’s about creating an impression. It’s about standing out amongst all of the other agents in the area. It’s about anchoring her name with the pie promotion and being remembered for it.

That’s why you create a farm, and that’s why you build a list. So that when the client is ready, your name will be in their “minds and mailboxes”.

My guess is that no more than 25 out of 500 homeowners will request a pie. She’ll pay perhaps $3 per pie, plus the cost of the mailing, so maybe $300. She may get a couple of homeowners who want the free home evaluation, and that may turn into a listing. Or not. But more than a few homeowners who aren’t ready to sell will remember her when they are.

In addition, some of the people who got her offer but didn’t request a pie might be interested in a home evaluation. They may also know people who aren’t on the agent’s list but who are looking for an agent, so she could also get some referrals.

Anyway, could you use an idea like this in your practice? Next month for Christmas or next year? Or any other time?

What could you offer? Who would you mail to?

If you do something like this, I have a suggestion. Instead of asking people to send you an email to accept your offer, tell them to go to a page on your website with a form to fill in their name and email address. This way, they will subscribe themselves to your email list, allowing you to send them more information, offers, and invitations.

The other things this will do is get them to your website, where they can read your articles, offers (i.e., free consultation, download your report, etc.) and begin the process of getting to “know, like, and trust” you.

Okay, gotta go. All this talk about pie is making me hungry.

Filed Under: Advertising, List building, Marketing legal services Tagged With: direct mail, gifts, holiday promotion

The three quickest ways to get new clients

October 17, 2014 by David M. Ward

You want (need?) new clients and you want them fast. You want them today. Next week at the latest.

I understand and I can help.

Here are three quickest ways to get new clients:

1. Referrals

Not only can you get clientsÂ quickly throughÂ referrals, thoseÂ clients tend to be better clients. Because they trust the person making the referral, they are more likely to hire you, more likely to follow your instructions, and less likely to complain or argue about fees. They are also more likely to refer other clients.

The simplestÂ way to get referrals is to ask for them. Contact your clients and former clients and professional contacts and social media contacts and ask for referrals. You can do this in an email, letter, post, or phone call. Say, “Who do you know. . .[who fits the description of your ideal client/might have a specific legal need]. Ask them to have these peopleÂ call your office to scheduleÂ a free consultation or visit a page on your web site to learn all about how you can help them.

Instead of asking for referrals directly, you can ask indirectly. You do this by offering a copy of your free report, ebook, planning guide, checklist, coupon, or other goody, and telling your contactsÂ they can forward your email or share you post with anyone they know who might want one. Give them a download link to make it easy. For step-by-step instructions, get The 30 Day Referral Blitz.

You’ll get referrals, build your email list (which will lead to more new clients and more referrals), and self-referrals, i.e., people who hear about your request or offer and contact you with their own legal matter.

2. Advertising

If you get it right, advertising is an incredibly quick way to bring in new business. You can place an ad today and have new clients calling within minutes.

The key is to test different headlines, offers, and media/lists, until you find a combination that works. When you do, repeat those ads, and run them more often and in more media.

You can offer your services directly, or offer a free consultation or other incentive for new clients. You can also offer your free report, planning guide, etc. Which leads me to the third method of getting clients quickly.

3. Special offer to your list

If you don’t have a list, you need to build one immediately. Include prospects, friends of the firm, people who have attended a seminar, newsletter subscribers, former clients, and other people in your target market. People who know who you are and what you do.

If you have a list, you know you can make things happen with the click of a button.

Send your list an email and remind your subscribers about what you do. Some of them need your services right now and will contact you. Others will know people who need your services and refer them.

Spice up your email with a time-sensitive special offer, something that gets the maybes off the fence. Your special offer could be a bonus service for new clients who come in this week, a one-time discount for new clients, something extra for returning clients, or you can get creative. For example, you could enter all new clients into a drawing for free tickets to the World Series or dinner for two at a good restaurant.

You wanted quick, you got quick. Go forth and slayÂ ye some new clients.

Create a referral blitz in your practice with this

Filed Under: Advertising, List building, Marketing legal services, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Referrals, Social media, Web traffic

The quickest way to grow your law practice

June 13, 2014 by David M. Ward

We’ve been talking about social media marketing lately. If you embrace it, and it’s working for you, I’m all for it. But there are two things you need to know.

First, social mediaÂ may do everything it’s supposed to do for you, i.e., build your list, improve your reputation, bring you leads and clients, but it usually won’t do it quickly. It can take months or years to bring in meaningful results.

Second, you have no control over what happens. Yes, you can see that you’re getting more results on Twitter thanÂ LinkedIn and direct more energy to Twitter (and if that’s what’s happening, you should), but whatever is going to happen on a given platform, or all platforms, is going to happen. You can’t make it do more or do it faster.

The same is true of other marketing techniques lawyers typically use–networking, articles, speaking, blogging, publicity, andÂ referral marketing. They all work, but slowly, and you have very little control.

True, you might get lucky. You might meet and sign a huge client at a networking or speaking event. Your blog post may get noticed and linked to by a major publication, sending you a swarm of traffic. And while these things do happen, they are unpredictable. They may happen next month, five years from now, or never.

One marketing technique is different. It gives you tremendous control. You can try it on a small scale and if works, leverage your results into sequentially bigger results with nearly scientific accuracy.

You can also get results much quicker. In fact, I know of no quicker way to bring in business.

Oh, and there’s another advantage: you don’t need to spend time on this marketing technique. You can just write a check.

By now you may have figured out that I’m talking about paid advertising. But I’m not talking about any kind of advertising, I’m talking about direct response advertising.

Most attorneys who advertise don’t use direct response. They use “general awareness” or “branding” style ads, and they are often a giant cash sinkhole. They might work just enough to keep running them (e.g., yellow pages), but not enough to make a difference in your bottom line.

Plus, there’s almost no control. You can ask new clients, “where did you see our ad?” (and you should), but this doesn’t give you the degree of control I’m talking about.

Direct response advertising is different. You include a response mechanism in the adÂ (call this number, fill out this form) and measure the response. If you get enough response, if the ad is profitable, you run it again. If it continues to pull in sufficient response, you continue to run it, and in more publications or websites.

So, you start with a small, inexpensive ad. If it works you buy more ads, and perhaps bigger ads, and you continue your campaign. If the ad isn’t profitable, you pull it and try something else.

You don’t risk big money unless and until you know you have something that’s working. And then you test some of the variables (e.g., headline, offer, list, copy) to see if you can make it work even better.

Lead generation ads are direct response, and often work better than “one step” advertising (i.e., “Call for an appointment”). In a lead generation ad you offer something other than your services, in order to get peopleÂ to identify themselves to you so you can add them to a list. You might offer a free report, a book, a “planning kit,” a checklist or a set of forms. The quality of your free information “sells” the recipient on hiring you.

Instead of giving away your book or kit, you could sell it. Everyone who buys your book or paid seminar is likely to beÂ an even better prospect for your services, and their purchases help you pay for your advertising and fulfillment.

Advertising isn’t easy. It requires expertise and some money to start. But unless you are precluded from doing so (by your bar or firm), if you want to grow your law practice quickly, I suggest you consider adding direct response advertising to your marketing mix.

Because there’s no faster way to grow your law practice.

If you’re getting started in marketing, start with this.

Filed Under: Advertising, Increase your income, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Social media, Social media marketing Tagged With: direct response advertising

Attorney marketing plan: time vs. money

February 20, 2014 by David M. Ward

I talked to an attorney yesterday who wanted to drive more traffic to his website. A plan to get more traffic to your website, like any attorney marketing plan, comes down to a choice between time and money.

Here is a list of the more common (and acceptable) marketing options for attorneys who want to get more traffic:

MONEY

Advertising (PPC, display, offline, direct mail, radio, etc.)
Hire a PR firm to get you coverage, interviews
Self-hosted seminars
Hire people to ghost write content or assist you in writing content

TIME

Writing a blog
Guest posts and comments on other people’s blogs
Writing articles for article directories, offline publications
Webinars/teleconferences
Public speaking, seminars
Write reports, ebooks, articles, audios, courses
Build an email list
Staying in touch with former clients
Social media networking
Youtube videos
Networking
Marketing joint ventures
Podcasts/webcasts/hangouts/interviewing experts
Interviews, panel discussions

Most attorneys can’t or don’t want to advertise. Or, they don’t have a big enough budget to compete with some of the bigger advertisers.

The problem is, most attorneys have even less time than money. At least that’s what they tell themselves. They could invest more time in marketing. They often don’t because (a) they don’t know how and/or (b) they don’t think they’ll see a return on their investment.

What if I could prove that one hour invested in marketing (the right way) would bring a three-fold return? In other words, if you’re time is worth $300 an hour, and I proved to you that investing one hour in writing a blog post would bring you $900 in revenue, would you invest that hour?

Of course you would. Yo mama didn’t raise no fool.

But here’s the thing. That blog post might bring you a three-fold return this month, and then again next month. And every month. There will always be new people searching for your content and your solutions.

No guarantees, of course. Your results may vary.

My point is that many time-oriented marketing activities have a long tail, whereas advertising generally doesn’t.

Your website content can bring you traffic and new clients for months or years to come. Networking and building relationships with new referral sources and joint venture partners can do the same. Building lists and staying in touch with people can provide you with a long term source of new business.

When you look at it this way, instead of worrying about how much time marketing is “costing” you, you’ll realize that every hour you AREN’T marketing is costing you.

As Wayne Dyer puts it, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

If you want more traffic to your website, get my Internet marketing course for attorneys

Filed Under: Advertising, Blogging, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Online Marketing, Time Management, Web traffic, Writing Tagged With: Internet marketing for attorneys

Marketing legal services: And now, for something completely different

February 19, 2014 by David M. Ward

Differentiating yourself from other lawyers in your niche market or community is an ongoing challenge. How are you different or better? Why should anyone hire you instead?

I provided many ways to address this in The Attorney Marketing Formula, but today, I want to give you an idea that very few attorneys have ever used. As used to be said on Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “And now, for something completely different. . .”:

Gift certificates.

And why not? They work in retail. I’m sitting here looking at an Amazon gift card I got for Christmas that’s I’m itching to use. Why not utilize the same concept for marketing legal services?

You’re an estate planner. You create a gift certificate or card for the preparation of A/B Living Trusts, or a gift card for a $2500 estate planning package, or a $500 gift card that can be used towards any of your services.

You’re an immigration attorney. You create a gift card so family members can help their loved ones get here, or get legal.

You’re a family law attorney. You create a pre-paid divorce card fathers can give to their daughters as a wedding gift. (Don’t laugh. You’d sell a boatload of these in Hollywood.)

Anyway, you get the idea.

If you’re the only lawyer (or the first lawyer) to offer gift certificates or gift cards, people will notice. And write about you. And pay you money.

But it almost doesn’t matter if anyone buys one. You’ll get some great publicity and have something to promote in your newsletter, blog, speaking, or advertising.

Yes, I know there are some thorny ethical issues to contend with. But you’re a lawyer. You’ll figure it out.

Put on your thinking cap transactional attorneys. Small business attorneys, IP attorneys, this is a natural for you.

If you aren’t able to do something like this, there is something you can do instead. Find an attorney who can do this and promote his or her gift cards to your clients and contacts. What do you get out of it? No, not a piece of the action, although that’s not necessarily out of the question. You get a very happy fellow lawyer who will undoubtedly be inclined to reciprocate by recommending your services to their clients. Even though you don’t offer gift certificates.

For more traditional ways to differentiate yourself, get “The Formula”

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services Tagged With: gift cards, gift certificates

This is not your father’s law practice

February 17, 2014 by David M. Ward

Every few weeks, a real estate agent in my area sends me oversized postcards describing her listings. The other day, she mailed me a calendar for the fridge. I’d had enough. I wrote to her and told her, “Take me off your list! UNSUBSCRIBE!”

The nerve of some people.

Okay, that never happened. I told my wife I was going to do it, thinking I would at least get a charity laugh, but she’s endured my warped sense of humor for 34 years and this was probably too much to ask.

But it did make me think about how the world has changed since I first opened my law practice, or my father did before me.

Before email, if you wanted to communicate with prospective clients (real estate or law), you could put something in the mail. It worked before and it still works today. In fact, it works better today because so few do it anymore (and because nobody accuses you of spam when you do.)

You may have never done any direct mail, but if you want to bring in new business, this is a viable choice for many attorneys.

Advertising works.

If you don’t want to do direct mail, there are alternatives. Display ads, ezine ads, pay-per-click ads, classified ads, and more, can drive traffic to your website and clients to your office.

If you don’t want to advertise your services, you could advertise a book or report or audio. You could advertise a charity or cause you believe in and include your firm’s name (and web link) as sponsor.

Writing articles, blogging, social media, speaking, networking–they’re all forms of advertising. You may not write a check when you do them, but you’re doing something to get your name in front of people who can hire you or refer others. When you write to former clients, you’re reminding them that you’re still available to help them and the people they know. Yep, advertising.

A PI attorney in Georgia, Jamie Casino, ran a local two-minute TV spot during the Super Bowl. Perhaps you saw it. It’s received over five million views on Youtube. We can debate whether the ad is ethical or in bad taste, or whether he did it as a stunt or truly believes in his message, but one thing is certain: the ad and the buzz it has created will put more than a few shekels in Mr. Casino’s pockets.

I’m not saying that if you advertise, you should look to this as a model. I’m saying, it’s a tough market for attorneys today and if you’ve never thought about advertising before, perhaps you should. Even if all you do is mail out some calendars.

Don’t want to do paid advertising? HereÂ are the best alternatives.

Filed Under: Advertising, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Publicity Tagged With: Jamie Casino

Ron Burgundy promoting your law practice?

December 11, 2013 by David M. Ward

Advertising works. Even silly campaigns like the one Dodge is running featuring fictional newscaster Ron Burgundy, played by actor Will Farrell, as spokesman. Sales of the Dodge Durango were up 36% in November versus last year, thanks to these ads and the tie-in with the upcoming sequel to the 2004 hit movie, Anchorman.

Why do these ads work? There’s nothing new being said about the Durango. And the Ron Burgundy character isn’t a car expert, fictional or otherwise. It works because people recognize the character, talk about the ads, and think about the Durango when they are in the market for a new vehicle.

Most lawyers don’t use celebrity endorsements in their advertising, but they could. It’s not as expensive as you might think to hire a former sports figure or B-list actor. In fact, there are agents who specialize in booking their clients for just this purpose. I recall seeing former Los Angeles Dodger’s stars Steve Garvey and Ron Cey doing local TV ads long after they were retired from playing.

Also, you don’t need someone whom “everyone” would recognize. You can hire someone who is well known in your niche market. The former head of a trade association, for example.

But let’s say you don’t want to hire anyone. Hell, let’s say you don’t want to do any paid advertising, (or aren’t allowed to). What then? You can still leverage the celebrity of famous people.

My friend, attorney Mitch Jackson, regularly interviews famous people for his video podcast. These videos bring traffic to his website and bolster his reputation as someone who is successful enough to have famous people willing to “take his call”. In essence, their appearance on his “show” provides an implied endorsement for his practice.

How did he get some of these folks to agree to an interview? I’m sure he’ll tell you he just asked them. Celebrities, speakers, authors, professionals, and entrepreneurs need exposure. I love being interviewed. It free advertising, easy to do, and lots of fun.

If you don’t have a podcast, video or otherwise, you could interview well known people for your blog or newsletter. Who do you know who is famous, if not to the world, within your target market? Do you have a famous client or friend? If not, do you know someone who does?

If nobody comes to mind, ask yourself, “Who would I like to know? Who might my market like to hear me interview? What semi-famous person has a list of followers or fans who would be good candidates for my services?’

Another thing you can do is piggyback on a charitable cause. Invite celebrities to come to an event you are involved with, lend their name to it, or promote it to their social media channels. Celebrities love to be seen associated with causes they believe in.

You don’t need a direct endorsement for your services to benefit from a celebrity’s name recognition. Even mentioning that you met a well known person at an event you attended has value. Hey, you don’t even need to talk to them. Just take selfies with famous people and post them online.

Do you have a marketing plan for next year? Start with this.

Filed Under: Advertising, Blogging, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Publicity, Web traffic Tagged With: celebrity endorsements, Dodge Durango, mitch-jackson, podcast, Ron Burgundy, Spreecast, Will Farrell

Advertising for attorneys who don’t advertise

November 21, 2013 by David M. Ward

It’s raining and there was a collision in front of my house this morning. Naturally, I grabbed some business cards and ran outside. Just kidding. I don’t do that anymore. Just kidding. I just put on my tee-shirt that says, “Auto accident lawyer” in big print and asked if everyone was okay. Just kidding. I don’t own that shirt anymore.

Yikes, I just remembered, when I passed the bar someone gave me a tee-shirt that said “Da Lawya” on it. For realz.

Anyway, it’s good to let people know what you do for a living. The more people who know, the more chances there are that someone will want to hire you or refer someone they know.

So let’s talk about attorney advertising.

Not the usual kind of advertising. Not the kind you may not like or may be forbidden from doing. Something different. Easy. And free.

There are two steps:

Step one: Contact two people today you don’t know, either online or in person, and ask them what they do for a living.

Step two: Repeat step one daily.

That’s it. Approach two people a day, introduce yourself, and ask what they do. They’ll answer. Then, they’ll ask you what you do. You tell them. Done.

After that, who knows. Someone might need you right away, but it doesn’t matter. There are lots of things you can do to continue the conversation and build a relationship.

So maybe that’s not really advertising, it’s networking. Whatever. It works. And it’s easy. And you don’t need a tee-shirt.

Marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients. Start here.

Filed Under: Advertising, Business cards, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Networking, Social media marketing Tagged With: attorney advertising, lawyer-advertising

Halloween attorney marketing ideas

October 30, 2013 by David M. Ward

There’s a commercial running where a family is trick-or-treating and planning their route, so they can scoop up the best candy. The son says to stay away from a house where a dentist lives because he’s giving out dental floss. The father, dressed in a completely ridiculous costume, brands the dentist a “weirdo”.

I’ve heard stories about businesses and professionals passing out candy with their contact information printed on the wrapper, or dropping their business card or brochure in the bag along with the candy. So, is this good marketing?

No. It’s not. Creative, maybe, but not effective. This is a night for the children and you’re interrupting their fun with your commercial. You’re a weirdo.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to pass out items with your contact information printed on them. Things like pens, coffee mugs, key chains, calendars, and note pads are a great way to keep your name in front of clients and prospects.

“Advertising specialties,” as they are called,Â are common marketing tools for small businesses, insurance, and real estate. There’s no reason why they can’t also be used by attorneys.

Give your clients a coffee mug with your info on it and they’ll see your name every morning. If they need you, they’ll always know where to find you.

At seminars, make sure each attendee has a pad of paper and pen with your info printed on them.

In addition to your regular business cards, get a card printed with something on the back–the bus or subway route, the baseball schedule, or a calendar–so people will keep the card in their wallet or stick it on their fridge.

If you’re looking for low cost, effective attorney marketing ideas, this is it. Get something printed with your name, phone, and website and pass them out. Give them to clients, prospective clients, and anyone else you want to remember you. Just don’t do it tomorrow night.

Do you know The Formula? Check it out here.

Filed Under: Advertising, Business cards, Marketing legal services Tagged With: ad specs, advertising specialties

Attorney marketing plan: time vs. money

Marketing legal services: And now, for something completely different

This is not your father’s law practice

Ron Burgundy promoting your law practice?

Halloween attorney marketing ideas

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