The question is, should I build my practice on the Internet or offline?

The answer, of course, is “yes”.

Do both. Each offers advantages over the other.

Offline, you get to talk to people face to face or on the phone. You can meet with them, eat with them, play golf with them, and build relationships with them.

Online, you can find people who never show up at events, learn something about them, and help them (or solicit their help) before you speak to them. But it takes some skill and some time to find people on social media, et. al., and engage them.

In the “real world,” all you need to do is show up at an event and introduce yourself to anyone who walks by.

Offline, when you speak to a group, you get introduced by a host who sings your praises and helps the audience see you as a superstar (okay, trusted advisor). You get to meet and shake hands with people, hand out cards, get theirs, and invite them to ask you questions. You can do some of that online, but not as effectively.

An email newsletter costs pennies. You can send two paragraphs once a week or once a day and keep your name in front of prospects until they’re ready to hire you or send you business.

An offline newsletter is comparatively expensive and time-consuming to produce. To justify that expense, you’ll want to wait until you have enough to say to fill several pages. People who don’t hear from you often tend to forget about you and hire someone else, especially when they’re in trouble or ready to do something about their legal situation.

Email gets lost and/or is easily ignored. Regular mail subscribers are more apt to receive and read your paper missive.

So yeah, online and offline are different. Do both.

You can get referrals online, over the phone, and in person. Here’s how

I found it on Flakebook. A one-sentence statement that sums up the essence of marketing (selling, advertising, presenting, arguing a motion, summation, convincing your kids to do their homework, etc.)

It said: “When pitching, answer “Why” a lot.”

Yep. That’s it.

Tell people why they need a lawyer. Tell them why they should choose you instead of anyone else. Tell them why they can trust you.

Tell them why they should sign up for your newsletter, come to your event, or read your latest post.

What is good. How can help. But unless you tell them why, that is, spell out the benefits they get for doing what you’re asking them to do, the rest doesn’t matter.

(Note, telling your kids, “Because I said so” isn’t a good option. Just saying.)

Why is telling them why so important?

Because it’s not always obvious. Or because they may not believe it. Or because they knew it but forgot.

Tell them why because they may be in denial about their situation or because they’re not (yet) in enough pain.

Tell them why so they will spend the money, provide you with their email, or show up at your event and get the benefits (protection, results, information) they need.

That’s why.

This will help you get more clients and increase your income

If you produce content (blog posts, articles, videos, etc.) that bring a preponderance of poor quality prospects–freebie-seekers, broke people, people who need “convincing” or hand-holding, and so on–I have a suggestion.

A way to bring in higher quality prospects. People with money. People who know they have a problem. People who clearly see that you can help them and who want that help.

Sound good?

Here it is: Convert some of your free content into paid content.

Instead of free webinars, for example, offer a low-cost webinar, perhaps in the $20 to $50 neighborhood, something that doesn’t require a big decision but does require a commitment.

You’ll get fewer participants but the ones who show up will be serious prospects.

Here’s the catch. Since they’re paying, you have to deliver somewhat more value and tone down the sales pitch. People are tired of having to sit through twenty minutes of pitching in a one-hour webinar but they’ve been conditioned to expect it so they often sign up and don’t show up.

When they pay, they show up.

And when they show up, they pay attention and get to see that you really know your stuff. Which means some of them will hire you on the spot.

You’ll have lower costs, too, because you won’t need to maintain a high capacity webinar system or expensive funnel system to maximize your numbers.

You can do the same thing with live seminars. Instead of renting a room in a hotel, maybe you can do seminars in your office conference room.

While you’re pondering the possibilities, also consider creating some paid videos, reports, ebooks, and other content. A paid newsletter, perhaps.

Free content works. But sometimes, paid content works even better.

Marketing is easier when you know the formula