It’s not how big it is. . .

October 10, 2019 by

I’m talking about your list, of course. Having a big one is important to many people but, like other things in life, it’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it.

If you have a small email list but you get a lot of new clients each month from it, you’re a stud. If you’ve got a huge list but nobody signs up, well, don’t go bragging about the size of your list.

Okay, I’ve milked that analogy enough. Oops, maybe not.

Anyway, it’s a valid point. It’s not the size of your list that’s paramount, it’s how responsive it is.

You want your subscribers to read what you write, not ignore your emails because you give them too much to read or your message isn’t relevant to them.

You want a list that looks forward to hearing from you because your emails are interesting or fun to read and never boring.

You want a list that engages with you, by replying to your questions and responding to your offers.

You want a list of people who like and trust you so that when they need you (or know someone who does), they don’t hesitate to contact you or refer you.

So yeah, grow your list. But don’t obsess over size and don’t worry about having a small one.

If you want to know how to build a responsive list and get more clients with email without spending a lot of time or money, that’s what my email marketing course is all about.

Details here

Filed Under: Email, List building, Newsletters

5 Ways to Grow Your List

October 7, 2019 by

If your marketing has gotten complicated and you find yourself doing less and hating it more, it might be time to get back to basics.

Here goes:

One of your most important marketing tasks is to continually build your list of prospective clients and professional contacts. This is essential because of attrition. The list you had yesterday won’t be big enough or “ready” enough tomorrow.

You know there are many ways to build your list and, no doubt, you’ve used some of them in the past.

The question is, what are you doing now?

In case you aren’t doing much (or anything) right now and you want a place to start or re-start (or expand) your list building activities, here are 5 simple but effective options to consider.

Networking

You connect with people (prospective clients, referral sources, centers of influence) in your target market, find out what they want and how you can help them, and build a relationship with them, leading to engagements, referrals, and joint venture marketing activities.

Social media

This is “networking” done online.

You find groups of people in your target market, learn about the groups and the people in them, introduce yourself, and then take your “conversations” offline, e.g., phone, meet for coffee.

And/or, you can offer a free report or another lead magnet to people in the group and send them to your web page to opt-in to your list.

Advertising

If you have more money than time, advertising is a great way to scale up your list building and lead generation. There are many ways to do it and many experts who can advise you and help you set up and run your campaigns.

Media exposure

Find podcasts, blogs, and publications in your target market and get yourself interviewed. You can also submit articles and guest posts and comment on existing posts and articles.

Leverage existing contacts

This is the easiest and a great place to start. Ask the people who are already on your list to share your content, invite their friends or colleagues to your webinar or event, check out the content on your blog, or subscribe to your video channel or podcast.

So, there you go. A few places to start (or re-start) your list building.

Of course, having a list doesn’t mean you’re done. You need to stay in touch with the people on your list.

I recommend email.

Filed Under: List building

Is your list getting stale?

July 31, 2018 by

Does your marketing currently look something like this?

YOU: “Here’s what I do and how I can help you”
SOMEONE: “Yeah, I know. You told me that three years ago.”

YOU: “Check out my new article”
SOMEONE: “Just read it. Kinda like the article you did on the subject last year.”

YOU: “Come to my free seminar.”
SOMEONE: “Is it any different than the one you did last month?”

Your list is getting stale.

Sending the same offers and content to the same people can eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. The simple solution is to get your existing content and offers in front of some new people.

AKA, building your list.

When you do, the conversation will look something like this:

YOU: “Here’s what I do and how I can help you”
SOMEONE: “I need to talk to you” or, “I know someone who could use your help”

YOU: “Check out my new article”
SOMEONE: “Wow, I never knew this. Could I ask you a question?”

YOU: “Come to my free seminar”
SOMEONE: “What time does it start?”

Your existing list can be a rich source of repeat business and referrals. Never stop communicating with it. But new people, who don’t know what you do and have never heard what you have to say, provide you with a very profitable lake for you to fish in.

In fact, most of your “external” marketing should be designed to get new people to opt-in to your list. If you have new people signing up every day, you’ll never run out of fresh fish.

Build your list so you can make the phone ring

Filed Under: List building, Marketing legal services

“New arrivals” might be great prospects for your services

November 21, 2017 by

For obvious reasons, many real estate agents target new arrivals in town, both homeowners and businesses. You might want to do the same.

When someone moves to your city, there’s a good chance they don’t yet have an attorney. If you are first attorney to “greet” them, when they are ready to hire an attorney, you’ll be first in line.

If you handle real estate, family law, estate planning, or immigration, or you represent small businesses, new arrivals are a natural target market.

One way to get your name in front of them to is to create a booklet, guide, or checklist specifically for them. Your guide might provide a list of names and contact information for vendors and government agencies they need to notify of their new address:

  • Banks, PayPal, credit card companies
  • DMV, registrar of voters, TSA Pre
  • Federal, state, local taxing authorities
  • Insurance: health, renters/homeowners, auto, etc.
  • Online retailers, subscriptions, home deliveries, shippers
  • WHOIS (domain names), hosting, email providers

A checklist like this, provided “compliments of” your firm, will make a favorable first impression and provide prospects with an easy way to contact you to get more information.

Make sure you include another offer in your guide, for a report related to your practice area, available for download at your website. This will help you build an email list so you can stay in touch with the new arrivals.

You can advertise your guide or mail it. You can also provide free copies to local merchants, especially real estate agents, moving companies, builders, decorators, and so on, who can provide them to their customers and clients.

New arrivals also need other services–insurance agents, an accountant, landscapers, painters, and so on. You can offset some (or all) of your printing costs by including small ads in your booklet from these local merchants and service providers. Your advertisers may pass out copies of your booklet to their customers and clients.

This is a simple idea that you could put together in a couple of hours. It could bring you a lot of new business. It will also allow you to meet other professionals and business owners in town, giving you an opportunity to show them how you can help them and their clients or customers.

Marketing is simple when you know the formula

Filed Under: List building, Marketing legal services

How to build your law practice with a drawing or contest

November 8, 2017 by

A great way to build your email list, and thereby your client list, is to conduct a contest or drawing. Basically, you announce the contest to your existing list (and/or on social media, etc.), and offer one or more prizes as an incentive.

If you have a way to track “referrers” to your list, you can reward people who send you the most traffic or sign-ups. If not, you can conduct a random drawing (eenie, meanie, minie, moe) and bestow your prize or prizes on whomever your index finger lands on.

You can contact influencers (bloggers, professionals with a list, etc.) and allow them to invite their subscribers or clients to participate. You’ll get exposure to their list, including the ones who don’t sign up for your list.

But what should you offer as a prize?

The best option is a package of your legal services.

The winner gets a service you offer (or a portion thereof), or a package of services, at no cost and with no obligation. If they already have had that service or otherwise don’t need it, they can give their prize to someone else.

Why is this the best option? Because it will attract people who are interested in your services rather than random people who sign up to win an iPad. The biggest reason for making your services the prizes, in case you haven’t figured it out, is that every prize winner becomes a client.

Choose an entry-level service or a segment of a larger service you can give away. If you charge hourly, give away two hours (or whatever) towards any of your services. Or, do something bigger with a grand prize and several smaller prizes.

Oh yeah, once you’ve conducted your first drawing (and seen the results), you can then (a) extend the deadline (and get even more subscribers) and/or (b) do it again in 90 days.

Try it, you’ll like it. So will everyone who signs up.

Marketing online for attorneys: here

Filed Under: Email, List building

Live, from your office. . .

October 2, 2017 by

The other day I recommended not relying solely on live presentations but to record them so they can go to work for you 24/7.

It’s leverage. Do it once, use it over and over again.

But don’t stop doing live presentations.

I don’t just mean “live and in person”. I mean live online. Podcasts, hangouts, chats, webinars, and so on, that are presented in real time. There’s magic in something done live.

When you promote a recorded video, it’s harder to create a sense of urgency. You can say, “This will only be available until. . .” but you then lose the ability to get eyeballs on an ongoing basis. If you leave it up all the time, many people say, “I’ll catch it later,” but we all know that later often never comes.

When you do it live, however, you can promote it as a special event because it is special. You can say, or more likely imply “Never before and never again,” has this been done, creating an even bigger sense of urgency.

When it’s live, you can say, “Join me” or “Ask me anything” and thus provide more value and build a closer relationship with your followers. Or you can promote it by saying you’re presenting some new or timely information that shouldn’t be missed.

One of the biggest draws of a live event is that nobody knows what will happen. What will be said, what will be asked, what information will be shared for the first time? And let’s face it, one reason people watch live events is that they know it could be a train wreck and they want to see that.

One way to make your live events have more train-wreck potential is to have someone else speak with you. If you have a co-presenter, a panel discussion, you interview someone or have someone interview you, the likelihood of something noteworthy or cringeworthy happening is even greater. (You’ll also get the other speakers’ followers to tune in.)

Do some live events and watch your subscriber numbers and engagement soar. Of course, you should also record these events so you can use them again or make them available 24/7. But you might not want to mention that you’re recording it when you promote it for the first time.

Let your website do the heavy lifting: Marketing online for attorneys

Filed Under: Blogging, Leverage, List building, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Presentations, Seminars and webinars

Are you making this expensive advertising mistake?

June 22, 2017 by

The other day I heard a radio commercial for a real estate broker. The show’s host said he’s the only broker he recommends and provided examples of some of the great results the broker has obtained for his clients.

The commercial ended with the host telling the audience to call the broker, provided the phone number, and repeated it.

The broker sounds like a real player, someone you should talk to if you’re thinking of buying or selling. But there was something missing. Something that could help this broker massively increase his income.

It’s a common advertising mistake. Sad because it is so easy to fix.

Here’s what I’m talking about.

There are three categories of people who hear this ad. The first category is the smallest but provides the most immediate revenue: people who like what they hear, pick up the phone and call.

The second category is the largest: people who will never call. They don’t own property, aren’t planning to buy property, have a brother in the business, and so on.

They’re not prospects.

The third category isn’t as big as the first category (those who call) but offers the most long-term profit potential. It consists of all of the people who were interested but didn’t call.

They didn’t have time to call. They’re not yet ready to buy or sell. They want more information. They don’t want to talk to someone who will try to get them to make an appointment.

Lots of good meat left on dem bones.

At some point, many people in the third group will be ready to call. Unfortunately, they won’t remember the broker’s name and will call the next broker who comes along.

The solution is simple.

Tell listeners to call OR visit your website.

At the website, they get tips about buying and selling, information about the market, hear more success stories, learn more about your greatness, and generally sell themselves on making that call.

If they’re still not ready, perhaps they will download your special report or planning guide, giving you their email and allowing you to stay in touch with them until they are ready to call.

Some won’t ever call (for a variety of reasons) but will tell their son or daughter, friend or neighbor, about you, and they will call.

Mr. Broker, by not giving listeners another option besides “call now,” you’re leaving a boatload of money on the digital table. Yes, you can continue running ads and appeal to people who are ready to call, but why not also begin a conversation with the ones who aren’t yet ready?

If there’s enough of them on your list, you may never have to run ads again.

Let your website do most of the marketing for you. Here’s how

Filed Under: Advertising, List building, Online Marketing

The best law firm marketing list money can buy

February 20, 2017 by

Have you ever rented a mailing list?

If you handle estate planning, for example, you can rent a list of AARP members in your area and mail a letter inviting them to your seminar, offering them your ebook on estate planning essentials, or simply offering your services.

If you handle small business matters, you could rent lists of subscribers to publications that cater to start-ups or inventors or small business management issues.

You can rent lists based on public records, buyers of certain products or services, members of designated organizations, or people who have asked for information about just about any subject under the sun.

There are email lists available, too.

Ask Uncle Google or Aunt Bing to show you what’s available for “mailing lists” or “mailing list brokers” and see for yourself.

Not all lists are created equal, of course. Some are great and will produce many clients for you. Some won’t produce any. But you can test any list by mailing (or emailing) to a small portion of the list to find out. If you get a good return, you can roll out to the rest of the list. If you don’t, you can try something else.

Of course, the best lists are the ones you create yourself. They are usually much more responsive and profitable than any list you rent.

Here’s why.

Everyone on that list knows who you are and what you do. They came to your site and asked you to send them information. That means they’re either interested in hiring a lawyer who does what you do, right now, or they’re interested in the subject of your information and might hire you at some point down the line.

Some of the people on your list are ready to make an appointment. Others have questions and want to talk to you on the phone. Some aren’t ready to do anything but will be in six months. Some may never hire you but will send you referrals.

The people on your list can also help you build your list even bigger. They will share your website content, for example, with their social media friends and followers or their customers or clients.

Your list could bring you several new clients each month. Or more. All you have to do is send them the information they asked for and stay in touch with them.

Now, if a list like this were available from a list broker, how much would it be worth to you?

A pretty penny, me thinks.

If you think so, too, start building your list. You can use ads or social media, blogging or SEO, speaking, writing, networking, and many other methods of driving traffic to your law firm site or a separate one-page site specifically for that purpose. Visitors fill out a form, providing their email address, and you send them the information.

You can learn how to do that here and here

Filed Under: List building, Marketing legal services

Stop it, you’re putting me to sleep

October 14, 2016 by

It’s nice hearing from readers who say nice things about my emails. It’s even nicer when they tell me I’m full of it.

If your readers don’t at least occasionally tell you that you missed something or you said something they strongly disagree with, you’re missing the boat.

You’ve want to be edgy. Controversial. Provocative. You want your readers to feel something, even if that something makes them want to take a swing at you. If you never lose subscribers over something you said that offended them, you may be guilty of the cardinal sin of being boring.

If you’re boring, readers won’t read you. If they don’t read you, they may forget you. If they forget you, they’re not going to hire or recommend you.

Now, someone is reading this and thinking they would never go that far. They cherish their subscribers and would never do anything that might get a complaint or, hell-to-the-no, cause someone to unsubscribe.

Too bad. So sad.

If you never take risks with your writing or marketing, if you don’t do anything to stand out and be remembered, you run the even greater risk of living a life of mediocrity.

Because boring is one step away from irrelevance.

Besides, do you really want subscribers who can’t stand a little heat and never get the joke? Who are easily triggered and need to hide in their safe space?

I don’t. I want them to go away and make room for people who get me and support me and buy from me.

You should, too.

You want fans. You want champions. You want people who look forward to reading you, and who might sometimes disagree with you, or get perturbed with you, stick with you, no matter what. Because they love you and know you love them.

<Group hug>

One of the best tools for building your practice: email

Filed Under: Email, List building, Writing Tagged With:

Marketing legal services without a list

September 14, 2016 by

For most attorneys, especially solos and small firm practitioners, one of the best ways to build their practice is with an email list. If you don’t have one, you should start building one immediately.

Having a list allows you to stay in touch with prospective clients and people who can refer them. When they’re ready to hire you, or they know someone who is, you won’t have to wait for them to find you and then convince them that you know what you’re doing. They’ll already know you via your newsletter.

Marketing legal services is so much easier and profitable when you have a list.

Start by setting up an email capture form on your website. Write a report that would interest website visitors and offer it as an incentive to sign up for your list. Tell everyone you know about your newsletter and invite them to sign up.

There are lots of other ways to build your list. One of quickest is to seek out people in your niche who already have a list. Find other professionals who write an email newsletter, for example, and offer to write an article for their newsletter or blog. You can also offer to do a webinar or a Q and A hangout.

Business owners, professionals, bloggers, and consultants, need high-quality content and many will jump at the chance to have you supply it. Some of the people on their list will then sign up for your list.

Yes, you can benefit from this approach without having your own list. Instead of promoting your newsletter or report to their clients and contacts, these professionals, et. al., will promote you and your website. Some of the people who learn about you will need your services immediately.

But many won’t. And that’s why having a list is better.

Here’s how to write a report that will help you build your list

Filed Under: List building
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