Image Archives - The Attorney Marketing Center

The best way to get prospective clients to find you

September 12, 2023 by David M. Ward

The best way to get prospective clients to find you is to get them to find YOU (not your blog or content, not “a lawyer or law firm” that does what you do—YOU.

By name.

Because if they search for a lawyer who does what you do, or content offered by lawyers who do what you do, they’ll wade through countless pages of content from your competitors and may or may not find your ad or article or listing. And you’ll pay a fortune to even be in the running.

But if they search for you by name, they’ll find you. And it might not cost you a dime.

Brand yourself. Your name. Your story. That’s what you want prospective clients and the people who can refer them to think about when they need help.

Yes, you should also create content that can capture their attention (if they happen to see it) but the best way to use this is to show it to people after they find you.

Get people to notice and remember your name and what you do. Then, when someone needs the kind of help you provide, they’ll go looking for you—the lawyer whose name they’ve been hearing about.

Do this and whether or not you advertise, your marketing will be much more effective. And profitable.

How do you do it? By doing things worth talking about. And by making sure your existing network knows about them because they will tell others.

Do something different. Something other lawyers aren’t doing or aren’t talking about.

Do something bigger. Something that provides more value or benefits. Or something newsworthy.

Do something that promotes a cause that is important to the people in your target market, or align yourself with people who do that. Sing their praises, recognize their accomplishments, and let the world hear your name when their name (and cause) is mentioned.

Lawyer, promote thyself. That should be the mantra underlying all of your marketing.

Filed Under: Image, Marketing legal services Tagged With: Branding

Yes, it is all about you

August 31, 2023 by David M. Ward

People connect with people, not businesses or law firms. Your clients may like your partners or employees and think highly of your firm’s reputation, but they hire and refer you.

That’s true of consumer and business clients alike.

When they have a friend or business contact with a legal situation or question, your clients tell them about YOU, not your firm.

They hand them your card. Tell them about their experience with you, the lawyer they know, like, and trust, and say, “Call my lawyer” — not, “Call me firm”.

They promote your brand. You should too.

Tweet (or whatever it’s called today) in your name, or at least create a handle that includes a version of your name, NOT your firm.

Promote your speaking events, even if your firm is conducting the event. Write articles and keep a blog with your byline, not the faceless entity you call your employer (even if it’s your firm).

When you are introduced, people should hear about you, your capabilities and your accomplishments. And hear something personal about you.

Because you are the one people will talk to, connect with, hire and refer.

It’s all about you, you stud.

You may work for the biggest and best firm in town, and that’s worth mentioning. But you are the main attraction, no matter how wet behind the ears you may be.

It’s your career. Your name and reputation. They are your clients. And you are their attorney.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Image, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Posture

July 7, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s not easy to define, but you know it when you see it.

007 had it. He was unflappable. And unstoppable. You always knew that in the end, he would beat the bad guys and save the world, and no matter what happened, you’d never see him sweat.

Your clients want that in you.

Calm, cool, collected. Strong and confident, ready to save the day.

How can you convey that?

Say less. Tell them how you can help them, but don’t try so hard. Let your deeds (and reviews) do most of the talking for you.

Be willing to admit you don’t know everything, and don’t do everything yourself. You have top quality people who work for you or with you. You count on them and so can your clients.

Don’t push, don’t convince, let the facts do that.

Don’t react, respond. Your manner should display a relaxed intensity. Calm, cool, collected, remember?

Don’t be a slob. 007 was always impeccably dressed. If he had a desk and an office, you know it would have been immaculate.

Don’t talk about how busy you are. It makes you look needy. Instead, let them see a busy waiting room. And don’t always be available whenever they want to talk to you.

Don’t cut your fees. You’re the best and deserve to be paid accordingly.

Don’t chase. You’re 007. Let ’em chase you.

Filed Under: Client relations, Image, Law office management Tagged With: posture

It just takes one

February 14, 2023 by David M. Ward

Public speaking at industry events and conferences has long been an effective way for lawyers to build their authority and reputation.

But there are some challenges.

You can’t just waltz in and expect to be selected to speak. You have to build your authority and reputation outside of those events before you are recognized and invited (or accepted) to speak.
Being a good lawyer doesn’t mean you’re a good speaker.
You can build your reputation and authority, and an email list, through less demanding forms of content creation. Articles, a blog, a newsletter, interviews, podcasts, and the like, provide much greater exposure and many more leads. And your content will live online forever, continuing to do so.

On the other hand, speaking at a convention or industry event offers a big benefit. It allows you to put on your bio that you spoke at said event.

They invited you to speak, so you must be good at your job.

So, do it once or twice. Get yourself invited to a panel discussion or to the center stage. You’ll forever be able to say that you did this, as I shamelessly do when I mention speaking at an ABA convention.

But there is one additional benefit for speaking at these events. You get to meet influential people, which can lead to referrals, introductions, and other marketing and business opportunities.

And this should be your primary goal when you attend any event, even if you’re not one of the speakers.

It just takes one. Because if they are the right one, it can lead to massive growth in your practice and career.

How to take a quantum leap in your practice

Filed Under: Content creation, Image, Increase your income, Networking, Public Speaking

How to appear more successful than you really are

February 1, 2023 by David M. Ward

We could call this ‘Fake it till you make it 2.0.’ but you can also use this if you’re already a top gun.

You might not want to, however, because it can seem cheesy, especially if you overdo it.

I used to share an office in Beverly Hills with an attorney who represented some celebrities. I know that because I used to see them in the waiting room. Sunglasses and all.

I also know that because he had photos of some of his well-known clients on his desk and on the walls of his office, autographed to him by name. Many of these photos were “two-shots” of him with the celebrity.

The message was, “I’m good at what I do; just look at some of my famous clients.”

The thing is, not all the celebrities he posed with were his clients. Many he met at an event and made sure photos captured those moments.

And from what I could tell, his strategy worked.

Let’s face it, people judge you by the company you keep. If you represent successful people, especially the rich and famous, or even appear to know them (by being seen with them), people think you’re also successful.

Those photos are a kind of implied endorsement and mean something to many people.

But you don’t have to get photos or autographs of celebrities to achieve this effect.

When you’re at a networking event, being seen speaking to someone well-known to and well-regarded by the attendees can get you some attention, even if your conversation is just in passing. So can being seen speaking on the same panel or on the same slate of presenters.

So can some well-placed name-dropping. In person or in your content.

Mentioning the CEO of a well-known company, a famous author, or a big shot politician, by name if appropriate, or by category if it’s not, perhaps quoting something they said to you (or even something they said or wrote that resonates with you), imbues you with some of their magic dust.

The trick is to not be too obvious. Or overdo it. Because if you do, you risk appearing to be a wannabe, not a player.

Filed Under: Image, Publicity

Teach and grow rich(er)

December 15, 2022 by David M. Ward

You know the value of educating prospective clients in your target market about the law in your practice area(s), the risks, the options, and the benefits to be had working with a lawyer who does what you do.

And why that lawyer should be you.

You’re also hip to the value of educating other lawyers who don’t do what you do, because they have clients with problems they don’t handle, but you do. Those lawyers don’t always have someone to refer their client to, which is where you come in.

The easiest way to get on their radar is to provide them with information about your field of expertise. Teach them everything they need to know to spot issues and explain the risks and options. Educate them about the law and procedure and ethics, the way you would if you were teaching a continuing education class.

The more you teach other lawyers about your field, the more you will be seen as the expert they want to refer their clients to when those clients need help.

But you don’t have to create continuing education classes to do that. Create some reports and articles, forms and checklists, and other resources that speak specifically to lawyers.

What do they need to know? What do they need to ask their clients, and tell them? And make sure you tell them that you’re available to answer their questions and to speak to their clients.

Okay, I can see you nodding your head. This makes perfect sense. But there’s something else.

Wait for it. . .

You should also educate other lawyers who do exactly what you do.

What?! Teach my competition what I know? Why would I do that?

Because they can (and will) get this information somewhere and it might as well be from you.

When your competitors have a case they can’t handle, because it’s too big for them or they have a conflict or they’re too busy to take on more work, they will think about the lawyers they know and respect and refer that business to you.

As the go-to expert in your field, you’ll not only get more referrals, you’ll build your reputation and get invited to speak and publish and network with the stars.

Build a bigger practice by helping other lawyers with theirs.

Here’s how

Filed Under: Image, Referral sources, Referrals

Color or black and white?

October 10, 2022 by David M. Ward

Color helps convey mood, graphics direct the eye and explain the message, and other visual elements also have important jobs to do, which is why every website, PowerPoint slide, and email are infused with them.

And that’s part of the reason I stick primarily with black and white.

In a world of color, it’s easier to stand out when your message is black and white. The same is true of layout and other visual elements. Our minds tend to lump together things that look alike, and notice things that don’t.

If you want prospects and email subscribers to think of your email as a commercial message, “more of the same advertising and promotions” they see from every attorney, use lots of color and graphics and make things big and bold.

If you want people to open and read your email, however, make it look like an email.

The old-fashioned kind—plain text (or html that disguises urls but otherwise simulates plan text).

When we get email, the first thing all of us do is look for a reason to delete it. If it looks like an ad or promotion, there’s a good chance it’s going in the bin.

But we don’t delete personal email, at least not without reading it first.

Make your email look like an email. Personal and important. Solemn and professional. And more people will read it and pay attention to your words.

Other benefits of plain text email are that it makes your messages easier to read and less likely to go into a spam folder. It also saves time because we don’t have to find graphics, get permission to use them, and crop and position them.

Many of these benefits apply equally to a website, which is why mine is also primarily black and white.

I’m not suggesting everything you do adhere to a plain text model. It shouldn’t. But think about this idea the next time you create something to send or show folks who can hire or refer you.

How to use email to build your practice

Filed Under: Content creation, Email, Image, Newsletters

Don’t be weird

April 6, 2022 by David M. Ward

You want to be different. Stand out from the crowd. Get noticed and remembered.

That’s fine. But don’t overdo it.

Clients want their lawyer to be normal. To look and act like they expect a lawyer to look and act. If you’re too different, you might scare them off.

Nobody wants a weirdo to represent them.

Besides, while being different can help you stand out, if that difference doesn’t convey a benefit to the client, what’s the point?

People may remember you as the lawyer who always wears polka-dot bow ties or red scarves, but nobody will hire you for that reason.

You don’t have to be different to be successful. You have to be good.

Be famous for your work, your trial record, the results you get for your clients—not your sartorial choices.

Filed Under: Image

Only you

March 15, 2022 by David M. Ward

You want to stand out. Get people to notice you and choose you to represent them. But that’s not easy to do when every other lawyer in town offers the same services you do.

They also “look” like you.

They have a website with the same pages and elements as your website. They do presentations, write articles, blog posts, and a newsletter, just like you. They write and speak about the same subjects you write and speak about.

They even dress like you.

So, how do you differentiate yourself?

There’s a long answer (with a lot of things you can do) and a short answer. The short answer is, don’t worry about it, because while you may appear to do the same things other lawyers do, you aren’t the same person.

You have your own style. Your own examples and stories. Your own personality. And this will show in everything you do.

Go ahead, write the same article. Give the same talk. Because even if you make identical points, your article or presentation will be different—because your voice is different.

And, while it’s true that clients hire you and pay you for your services and the outcomes you deliver, they “buy” you before they buy your services.

In a crowded field with so many lawyers to choose from, the simplest way to stand out is to be yourself.

But it’s not the only way. Which leads me back to the long answer—how to differentiate yourself, your services, and your practice.

You’ll learn everything you need to know about how to do that in The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Image, Marketing legal services

Show ’em

December 9, 2021 by David M. Ward

Actors carry a portfolio of headshots to show casting agents what they look like in different roles. Wedding photographers, home improvement companies, real estate agents, and other businesses keep photos of the houses they’ve sold, the kitchens they’ve remodeled, and the weddings they’ve shot.

If they can do this, why can’t you?

But how?

The practice of law is abstract. Intangible. You can’t show people photos of you doing your work?

But you can do the next best thing.

You can show photos of you on stage, giving a presentation. You can show photos of yourself on the courthouse steps, copies of articles you’ve published, and certificates or awards you’ve received.

You can create a “brag book” or section of your website dedicated to displaying third party validation of your capabilities. A place to publish screen shots of reviews, testimonials, letters of praise, success stories, and positive press coverage you’ve received.

Do you have any famous cases or clients (and permission to so mention)? So, mention them.

Do you sponsor a Little League team? Photos, please.

Have you written a book? Where’s the cover?

Do you teach CLE or serve as an arbitrator, mediator, or judge pro tem? We’d like to see you in action.

And hey, what about your personal side?

Do you like to cook? Paint? Build? Do you restore classic cars? Help out at your kid’s school?

They have nothing to do with your practice but everything to do with you, and people want to know about you.

So show ’em.

Filed Under: Image, Online Marketing