Marketing legal services Archives - Page 83 of 134

Marketing is NOT just a numbers game

June 12, 2015 by David M. Ward

Attorney Bruce Stachenfeld writes that marketing is unpredictable and random. You don’t know who will respond to anything you do so the best thing to do is to have more interactions with more people.

Spend more time “out and about,” he says, interacting with more people, and let the results come as they may.

He’s right, but only to a point. You don’t know who will hire you, provide referrals orÂ introductions, or otherwise help you, so the more interactions you have, the more chances you have to “make rain”.

He doesn’t mention interactions with people via other methods–social media, speaking, articles, blogging, advertising, direct mail, and so on, but I assume he would agree that those count. Get yourself and your message in front of more people and you’ll get more business.

But it’s not that simple. It’s not just a numbers game. Not even close. Who you interact with, either personally or via another medium, is often more important than how many.

Dance with the wrong people and you’ll forever spin your wheels. Dance with the right people and you not only increase the odds of something happening, you increase the odds that when it does, it can happen on a much bigger scale.

If you are an estate planning lawyer and you want high income clients, doesn’t it make more sense to network with financial advisers who have well-to-do clients, rather than school teachers?

And then there is your methodology. The strength of your marketing materials, how your offer is packaged, how well your message is articulated and delivered, your follow-up sequence, your salesmanship, and many other factors, all affect your outcomes.

When you meet people, your interpersonal skills, grooming, likability, and other factors, are also key.

Stachenfeld, who has a math background, says,

“Mathematically, spending twenty-four working hours writing an article may not be as useful as spending those twenty-four hours doing other things, like contacting people to talk about ideas, getting together with them, calling others or even playing a round of golf.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

Maybe you aren’t that good at networking. Maybe you hate golf. And maybe the article you spent extra time crafting hits all the right buttons and you get ten new clients from it within a few days.

Marketing is a numbers game. Math is a part of it. But so is art.

How to get better results from your marketing

Filed Under: Leverage, Marketing legal services, Networking, Referrals

Want to sell more legal services? Stop trying so hard.

June 11, 2015 by David M. Ward

According to a studyÂ by Twitter, tweets that don’t include a #hashtag or @ mention generate 23% more clicks than tweets that do.

Read that again. It’s important. Even if you don’t use Twitter for marketing.

“After missing Wall Street revenue estimates, Twitter released a study advising people on how to use one of its new ad units â€” direct response ads. While this study is geared towards advertisers, it may also prove to be good practical advice when posting any kind of tweet thatâ€™s designed to drive a specific result, such as clicking on a link to your website or sales page.”

The theory is that other clickable parts of a tweet are distracting users from clicking on the link you want them to click. Twitter’s Anne Mercogliano says this doesn’t mean you should avoid using hashtags completely, however:

â€œIf youâ€™re trying to join a conversation, you should absolutely use a hashtagâ€¦ But for driving for a specific click that youâ€™re looking for off Twitter, the less noise that you put in between [the better].â€

Why is this an important lesson even if you don’t use Twitter? Two reasons.

First, I agree that giving people too many choices can lower overall click-through rate–in your tweets, ads, emails, on your web pages, or any other form of marketing. If you giveÂ prospective clients in your office too many options for hiring you, for example, you may increase the odds of them choosing not to hire you at all.

(Or they might make a poor choice due to “decision fatigue”.)

The other reason for lower click-throughs is that prospects respond better to advertising that doesn’t look like advertising. If your tweet looks like an ad, a commercial effort rather than a friendly sharing of information, people are more likely to ignore it or see it as less trustworthy.

In other words, you’ll get fewer click-throughs if it looks like you’re trying too hard to get people to do something.

I’m not suggesting you avoid a call to action in your content. Not at all. You need to tell people what to do. But be aware that if you try too hard, especially on social media which has been traditionally been ad-free, you may get fewer people doing what you want them to do.

Sell more legal services online. Go here

Filed Under: Advertising, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Social media marketing

The number one factor in marketing legal services

June 9, 2015 by David M. Ward

When we talk about marketing legal services we say that clients hire and make referrals to lawyers they “know, like, and trust”. Of the three, “know” is the most important.

Trust is essential of course, but not that difficult to obtain. Most people give you the benefit of the doubt regarding your competency and trustworthiness, until you do something to show them why that trust is misplaced.

The biggest factor in your success is familiarity. The more people who know you, or at least recognize your name, the more fruitful will be your marketing and successful will be your career.

In fact, familiarity is what causes most people to give you the benefit of the doubt. Familiarity builds trust. That’s why incumbents are almost always re-elected.

Studies show that the number one factor in email open rates isn’t the subject; that’s number two. The number one factor is the sender’s name. Make sure your emails come from you, not your firm.

Familiarity also means keeping in touch with subscribers and followers on a frequent basis. A short email once a week is much better than a detailed white paper once a year.

Does your firm have a website? That’s fine. Make sure you also have one for yourself (and promote that one).

Your primary objective in marketing your legal services is to get as many people in your target market to know your name.

It’s not about how many people you know; it’s about how many people know you.

How to get more clients online

Filed Under: Email, Image, Marketing legal services, Publicity

Marketing metrics for attorneys

June 3, 2015 by David M. Ward

When it comes to marketing, I don’t obsess over the numbers. But I don’t ignore them, either. Neither should you.

Tracking numbers allows you to see trends in the growth of your practice. If you’re not growing, you’re dying.

Tracking also allows you to test new ideas and make better decisions about where to spend your time and money. If something isn’t working, you can take steps to fix it. Or abandon it in favor of something else. If something is working, you can look for ways to make it work better.

Every practice is different, of course, but here are the types of marketing metricsÂ you should consider tracking:

Traffic to your website(s)–unique visitors, page views, bounce rate,
Traffic sources (social, search, keywords, page referrers)
Email subscribers-new, total
Leads–inquiries, requests for consultation, questions
New clients (quantity, fees, source)
Source of new clients (ads, referrals, website, individuals)
Revenue–first time clients, repeat clients, total
Revenue–compared to previous month/quarter/year
Revenue per practice area, service
Expenses–overhead, variable (e.g., advertising, etc.)
Net profit (after draw)
Retention–how many clients return/hire you for something else
Referrals–quantity, source (from clients, from lawyers, from others)

Some things you track daily. Some weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Some you look at once in awhile.

You probably don’t need to track all of these. You also don’t need to get into the minutia of things like open rates and click through rates. I know I don’t.

I mostly pay attention to two things: the number of new subscribers to my email list and monthly revenue. As long as both are growing, I know I’m doing okay.

How about you? Which of these metricsÂ do you track? What else do you track and why?

Marketing online for attorneys: go here

Filed Under: Law office management, Legal industry, Leverage, List building, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing

Stop trying to convince people they need a lawyer

May 26, 2015 by David M. Ward

I started walking again. Three days a week, a couple of miles to start. At least I think it’s a couple of miles. I’m not really sure, so yesterday, I went to the app store to see if they had a pedometer.

Yes they do.

I had no idea how many apps there were for measuring body movement. I had no idea because I had never looked at any “health and fitness” apps.

I figured these were for runners or people who played sports or people with complex workout regimes. I just like to walk.

So now I’m looking at all these choices, comparing features, reading reviews. I even read a couple of articles.
I want a pedometer. I’m trying to decide which one.

Today, I’m “in the market” for an app; before, I wasn’t.

If you were the developer of the best app in the world in this category, before I was in the market your words would have been wasted on me. I paid no attention to your ads, your free trials, or your reviews.

I wasn’t a prospect. Now I am.

So here’s the thing. You may have the best legal services in town–a great track record, the best offer, fabulous “customer service”–but if you’re offering it people who aren’t in the market for what you do, you’re wasting time and money.

Instead of trying to educate the masses about the benefits of hiring a lawyer, target people who are actively looking for a lawyer who does what you do and show them why you are the best choice.

Pretend that there is a app store category for legal services and you’re in it. Instead of trying to convince people who are “not in the market” to come look at the legal services “apps” that are available, focus on making your “app” the top rated, best selling app in that category.

There is a place for educating people about what a lawyer can do to help them solve a problem or achieve an objective. But the sweet spot in marketing is found by targeting people who already know they (probably) need a lawyer and are trying to decide which one.

Marketing is easier when you know The Formula

Filed Under: Increase your income, Marketing legal services Tagged With: content marketing, education marketing

The Real Housewives of Orange County

May 18, 2015 by David M. Ward

I get a fair amount of direct mail from lawyers and other professionals inviting me to a free dinner at a nice restaurant. Basically, they buy you steak or seafood and you listen to a presentation, followed by a pitch to make an appointment.

If the professional gets all the bits and pieces right, this can be an effective strategy for marketing high ticket items like legal services, securities, and insurance products.

The other day, I got one such mailing from one of my neighbors, a financial adviser who is conducting a retirement planning dinner. My wife saw it and recognized the name of the host as one of the stars of “The Real Housewives of Orange County”.

Yep, she’s one of our neighbors.

The mailing doesn’t mention her “Housewives,” connection, however. I’m sure this was intentional. Aside from the fact that she may be contractually precluded from leveraging the show by name, no doubt she wants real prospects to attend, not just star struck folks who want to meet a celebrity.

The mailing contained a brochure, the invitation, and two tickets. Fairly typical and reasonably well done.

There is something on the invitation that’s not that common, however.

The invitation says,

Would you prefer a face-to-face meeting?

If you would rather discuss your retirement questions in a private setting, you can schedule a consultation with [her name] in the comfort and privacy of our office. As a sincere “thank you” for your time, you will be presented with a $50 gift card after completing your consultation appointment. No purchase is required. Call xxx to schedule your appointment.

If you are using free dinner (or lunch) presentations to market your services, you might consider adding this option. You’ll get in front of people who can’t make the event or who prefer privacy. If you’re willing to buy them dinner to hear your presentation, why not make the same offer if they come to see you privately?

Actually, you might want to do this even if you don’t use dinners as a marketing tool.

Am I suggesting that you pay people to come see you for a free consultation?

Yes. It will increase response.

If there are no legal or ethical restrictions, and your numbers work, i.e., you close enough prospects to make it worthwhile, why wouldn’t you?

You don’t have to offer this to everyone. You could use it for special occasions, a holiday promotion for example. You could offer it in some ads or mailings and not others. Or with certain joint venture partners.

For example, if you’re working with a CPA, have him email his clients and tell them about your consultation or seminar, etc. When his clients come to see you and mention the CPA’s name, they get a gift card or other freebie.

If you don’t want to offer a gift card or other cash equivalent, offer a “planning kit,” a copy of your book, a resource guide, or a presentation on CD.

Whatever you call it, bribes work. Even if you’re not a real housewife.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Presentations, Seminars and webinars Tagged With: free consultations, free dinners

The perfect system for marketing legal services

May 15, 2015 by David M. Ward

Thank you for your suggestionsÂ for topics you would like me to write about. I’ve noted many ideas for future blog posts. Keep ’em coming. I’m always open to ideas, although I can’t promise I will use any of them.

I want to address a matter that came up with a couple of subscribers with whom I exchanged emails.

The first is from an immigration attorney who is setting up joint ventures with other lawyers and wants to know how to determine “who does what” in the arrangement, and what to do when one party turns out to do more than the other.

My answer to him was probably less than satisfying. In essence, I said that each deal is different and that all you can do is talk to your would-be JV partner and write down what each party is expected to do. If there are any issues about one side doing more than the other, you discuss it. If you can’t work it out, you move on to someone else.

There is no cookie cutter. You negotiate it. Talk it out and write it down. If things go sideways, don’t worry about it. One deal with a great outcome can more than make up for 20 deals that fizzle out.

A second subscriber, an engineer, says he struggles with marketing and wants me to point him to the “optimal marketing system”.

It seems that both subscribers want some kind of push-button system they can use in their practice. But there is no perfect system. Not even close.

We’re in the people business, and there is no one size fits all. People are flawed and emotional and mercurial. They don’t always know what they want.

Marketing legal services is messy. It’s more art than science. In fact, I told the engineer to stop thinking like an engineer and start thinking like an artist.

An engineer or a lawyer tends to look at what’s in front of him and what he can do with it. An artist, on the other hand, sees what’s not there and figures out a way to create it.

This is why I say that a marketing plan is only a place to start. It gives you direction, not a blueprint. Things change constantly and we have to be flexible enough to change with them.

I suggested to the engineer that rather than wrestle with all of the options available, he should choose something (anything) and do it. Then, he should see where he is and choose something else.

He told me about a great outcome he had in a case recently and about the nice things the client said about his work. I suggested he write down what was said and ask the client for permission to use it as a testimonial.

A place to start.

You need to know where you want to go with your practice, and then take action to move in that direction. Along the way, the variables may confound and confuse you, but as long as you know where you want to go and you keep moving in that direction, you will get to theÂ next stop.

Of course once you do, you will check your heading and set sail once again.

The FormulaÂ helps you create a simple marketing plan. Get it here

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Would you do me a favor?

May 14, 2015 by David M. Ward

Years ago, I read The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield. It’s about getting what you want through the power of asking. The book is filled with inspiring stories of real people asking for, and getting, just about anything you can imagine, even from complete strangers.

It’s also about getting better at asking.

It seems we humans have trouble asking for help and there are many reasons, including the fear of rejection and the fear of appearing weak or needy. The book offers strategies to overcomeÂ these challenges and strengthen your “asking muscles”.

One thing we can do to get better at asking is to start small. Ask someone for a favor, for example, that’s easy for them to do and won’t take a lot of time.

For example, you might ask the next client you see to take fiveÂ copies of your brochure or report and “pass them out to people you know”. That’s easy to do because you’re not asking for proof that they actually did it.

Keep asking for favors, and do it frequently, to build the habit and to gird yourself for asking for bigger favors.

Soon, you might knock on the door of a professional in your building whom you don’t know, introduce yourself, and ask if it’s okay if you put a stack of brochures in their waiting room.

Make a point to ask for one small favor each day. In time, as your asking muscle gets stronger, you might find yourself asking for big favors.

Start making a list of favors you can ask, even if you’re not now ready to ask them. Include big and small favors.

For your practice, this might include asking for referrals, sending traffic to your blog, subscribing to your newsletter, signing up for your webinar, giving you testimonials, introducing you to centers of influence you would like to meet, and so on.

You’ll get more people saying yes if you tell them why you are asking them for help. Even something as simple as, “I know you know a lot of people,” for example, will increase response.

Let’s try this out, shall we?

Would you do me a favor? Please post a comment on the blog (or hit reply if you are reading this in your email) and tell me what you would like me to write about next. This will help me do a better job for you, so please let me hear from you.

See, easy to ask, and easy for you to comply.Â It’s not like I’m asking you to buy me a car. Not yet, anyway.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Personal development

Career day for fourth graders

May 12, 2015 by David M. Ward

Did you attend your child’s third or fourth grade class for career day? Do you remember explaining what a lawyer does and making it as interesting as possible? Tough to do when you’re competing with Joey’s dad who is a professional magician, but you did it.

You explained what you did, who you helped, and why it is important. You helped some future lawyers see that being a lawyer is cool.

If you had to do it again (or for the first time), what would you say?

Think it through and write it down, or record it. This is a valuable exercise, even if you don’t have any kids.

It can help you explain what you do to prospective clients and referral sources. It can also help you create content for your website, articles, and presentations.

You don’t necessarily have to write at a fourth grade level, but keep it simple enough that your ideal clients can follow.

Here are some ideas to prime your mental pump:

What kinds of clients do you represent? What kinds of problems do you handle? Give some examples of real clients you have helped.
What’s the first thing you do when a new client comes to you? What do you do after that?
Do you charge by the hour? Flat fees? Why? How is this better for your clients?
Why did you become a lawyer? What do you want to accomplish in your career? Do you have any role models?
What’s the best way to find a good lawyer in your field? What questions should someone ask?
What’s the hardest part of your job? What’s the worst case or client you have had?
What are you most proud of about your work? What do you like best about what you do?
How is your practice different from others in your field? What do you do that other lawyersÂ don’t do, or what do you do better?
Who would make a good referral for you? If someone knows someone like that, what should they do to refer them?
What questions do prospective clients and new clients typically ask you? How do you answer them?

Take one of these and write a few paragraphs. It won’t take you more than a few minutes and you can start using it immediately. And, if you run into a fourth grade class and are asked to speak, you’ll be ready.

Filed Under: Communication, Inspiration, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Networking, Online Marketing, Public Speaking, Referrals