You are here: Home / Archives for law

How Vulnerable Are Your Online Legal Marketing Efforts?

August 12, 2010 By

vulnerable online legal marketingEven if you’re at the top of the search engines, you’re vulnerable to new competition.  Go to sleep at #1, wake up at #4.  Is this a risk you’re willing to take when marketing your law firm online?

A few days ago, I was semi–involved in a debate that was raging on an e-mail discussion list in which I am a member. One person asked a question about marketing your law firm online with a blog, and a lawyer started touting the fact that his website ranked at the top of the organic search engine results for his chosen search term. The lawyer in question does no blogging whatsoever, and essentially stated that blogging was worthless to his efforts at marketing his law firm online.

Of course, this being a marketing discussion group, chaos ensued fairly rapidly. The resident legal marketing professionals jumped all over this poor guy, and basically proclaimed him to be full of shit.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Not only does the lawyer in question do no blogging, he produces no content on any of its websites. They’re all extremely thin, and none of them stand out whatsoever. They’re all filled with the same trite, empty language that is so pervasive on law firm websites.  To him, marketing his law firm online didn’t require any content production strategy.  And his results were, to his mind, proof that his theories worked.

If I were to hazard a guess I would say that the attorney has ensured his high rankings based on off–page search engine optimization. By that I’m talking about massive numbers of back links to his site from other sites, with appropriate anchor text tied to his chosen search term.

Assuming this to be the case, and further assuming that there is no funny business or “black hat” tactics being employed, then I applaud this attorney for his efforts. Undoubtedly, he gets a tremendous amount of traffic and, I would assume, quite a bit of business as a result of his efforts to market his law firm online.

So, you see, this stands as proof of the fact that you need not blog in order to attain a high search engine ranking for a single term. I would go so far as to say that you don’t need to blog in order to do well for any term whatsoever.

The fact, however, doesn’t mean a thing. We all know that Google and the other search engines reward websites with more content over those that are thin. We also know that people who visit your website are more inclined to hire you after seeing the depth of your expertise reflected in your blog posts.

So even if this attorney ranks very well for a narrowly-defined search term (which may or may not get enough traffic to sustain him), it’s unlikely that he’s able to capture a tremendous percentage of those site visitors and convert them into paying clients. People are searching for information, and won’t stop looking for answers until they find them. If they happen to find them on the top–ranked site that matches their query, then they will go no further. However, if their first click does not result in an informative answer to their question then they are likely to move to the next site presented by the search engines.

I’m sure that my colleague does very well now, but his attitude with respect to his efforts to market his law firm online makes him an easy target. If one of his local competitors establishes a new website and continually adds content that is relevant, in formative, and optimize for the search engines as well as for human visitors then the likelihood is that this new site will quickly rise to the top of search engine rankings with very little effort.

How about you?  Are you willing to take on this sort of risk when marketing your law firm online?

Image credit: mlhradio (Flickr)

Filed Under: Legal Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 Microsoft Outlook Hacks to De-Stress Your Law Practice

July 13, 2010 By

Law Firm Microsoft Outlook HacksJust looking at your overflowing Microsoft Outlook inbox gives you a headache, doesn’t it? But the good news is, a little inbox management can go a long way toward decreasing your email-related stress. Here are four tricks (for Outlook versions 2002 through 2010) to get you some relief:

Use subfolders. The easiest way to de-stress your inbox? Move already processed emails from the inbox to appropriate subfolders. Your subfolders can be based on client, matter, project, or whatever organizational scheme makes the most sense for your practice.

To create a subfolder, make sure your Inbox is selected, then click on the File menu and select Folder, then New Folder. Name the folder and click OK to finish.

Flag emails for follow-up. Don’t let yourself forget to reply to or re-read that important email! Use flags to remind you to follow up.

You can either right-click on the message in version 2002 and 2003 and choose Follow-Up (the resulting dialog box will allow you to choose from a list of appropriate actions, like Follow-Up, Read, or Forward), or click the Quick Flag on the right-hand column of the message (versions 2007 and 2010) and choose when you want to be reminded with a pop-up.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Legal Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Ways To Use The Reno Rule For Your Law Firm Marketing This Summer

July 6, 2010 By

Law Firm Marketing And The Reno RuleThe schools are closed, the kids lining up for ice cream by the truck with that annoying jingle emanating from it. Moms and dads are forking over money for water parks, blockbuster movies and chlorine for the pools.

No work is getting done whatsoever. And here in New York City, we’re facing temperatures closing in on the triple digits all week.

If you have a legal problem and need a lawyer, chances are pretty good that it’s going to wait until Labor Day unless it involves something extremely urgent.

For those of us who get the majority of our business from clients who could conceivably wait for a few months with anything awful happening, the instinct is to pull back on our law firm marketing efforts.

Me? I’m going to double down on my law firm marketing rather than take a breather.  But I’m going to play with the Reno Rule, not just throw money at the table.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Legal Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

4 Online Legal Marketing Trends Every Other Industry Knows About

May 25, 2010 By

Don’t you wish you had a crystal ball to peer into the future?  Some way to tell what the next few years would bring?  What would you do with that information?  Would you put money on the Super Bowl?  World Series?  Or would you take the opportunity to move ten giant steps ahead of the competition?

OK, it’s no and either-or sort of thing.  You’d probably do all of those things and a lot more.  But when it comes to marketing your law firm online there’s a certain amount of forecasting we can do without any help.  All it takes is a quick glance around to see where the rest of the world is today.

That’s right, we can see the future of online legal marketing by looking around us right now.  As a backwards-looking profession, we live in the past.  It’s in our legal pleadings, our reliance on precedent, and our education.  But the fun thing is that the rest of the world is living in the present.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Legal Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You A Grain Of Sand?

April 15, 2010 By

online legal marketing grain of sand

Marketing your law firm online means one thing to every attorney I know – get to the top of the search engines, ideally in the organic (unpaid) part of the index.  Being in first place means getting the lion’s share of search traffic for your keywords of choice, guaranteeing you dominance in your online legal marketing efforts.

But the reality is that there are tens of millions of web pages that are competing for that top position.  Other lawyers, self-help guides, legal directories and the like are all clamoring for that same brass ring.

That’s where the big-money companies come in to help you in the onerous and arcane task of marketing your law firm.  Large and small firms that promise to get you on page one of the Google search engine results page for any term you choose.  I’m pretty sure we’ll see a bunch of them at the NACBA convention in San Francisco at the end of April, and every other legal conference will find the same story played out over and over again.

Promises with money, that’s what they are.  Give us a lot of money and we’ll get you where you want to be.  We’ll do everything when it comes to marketing your law firm online.  Link-building, on-site optimization, pay-per-click, pay-per-lead – it’s all a variation on a theme.

Don’t worry about actually (gasp) putting relevant and useful information on your site.  All we need you to do is write us a fat check and we’ll do all the marketing your law firm needs.

They play on your fears, and on your lack of information.  You’re sucked in by the promises that “all it takes is a single new client to pay for this.”

Sounds like the old Yellow Pages sales script, doesn’t it?

But the reality is this – you’re a grain of sand in the Sahara.  Someone finds you more by luck than anything else.

And even worse, there is more sand coming into the desert every minute.  More websites pop up, more blogs, more directories.  Content is everywhere, and it continues to pile up on top of your site.

You can paint yourself a different color, make a prettier website, and pay all the money you want.  Sorry to bear the bad news, but it isn’t going to save you.

Don’t have time to add content to your blog?

Don’t know what to write about?

Think it’s a waste of time?

Consider this:

  • if you blog, you’re going to get 67% more leads from your online legal marketing efforts;
  • having more pages of your website indexed leads to more traffic and, ultimately, more leads from your site to your firm;
  • more leads means more clients;
  • more clients means more revenue;
  • more revenue means … well, a more rewarding life overall.

Most of the bankruptcy lawyers I know have flimsy websites with fewer than 20-30 pages of content.  Most of that content is stale, outdated and, quite frankly, not incredibly interesting.  Routine discussions of Chapter 7, Chapter 13, and the like – none of them saying anything in a way that particularly engages their prospective clients.

Just look at the search result at the top of this post – 2,880,000 results returned for a search of “bankruptcy lawyers.” That’s a lot of sand.

So I urge you to consider this – what steps will you take to formulate a content marketing strategy that multiplies those grains of sand and helps you get noticed?

Filed Under: Legal Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Little Secrets For Running Your Law Office

April 12, 2010 By

Law Office Management 11 Secrets

Last week, Chris Penn gave us his 11 Little Secrets to staying happy, healthy, productive and sane.  A bunch of bloggers have added their 11 cents into the mix, and I’m feeling inspired to jump into the fray.

I don’t have 11 little secrets to being healthy because … well, I’m not a health guy.

I can’t tell you about sanity because … well, some would say I border on insanity.

But I thought it would be fun to contribute in my own little way, which led me back to the old idea of, “write what you know.” So here are my 11 little law office management secrets to help you have a better day.

  1. Listen before speaking. Our staffers are the ones on the front line in the office, and they see stuff we don’t.  They know exactly what the client is worried about, what the judge’s clerk wants, and why the postage machine isn’t working.  Listen to what’s on their minds before you tell them what to do – or what they’ve done wrong.
  2. Check your fear at the door. We come to the practice of law – and our notions of running a law firm – with a set of preconceived notions.  People who work in the office can have amazing ideas about how to run the law firm better, more efficiently, more effectively.  If you’re willing to stash the fear of change and give something new a try, you may find that it works out well for you.  And if it doesn’t, you can always change again.
  3. Never stop learning. You are NOT the smartest lawyer in the world.  Nor, for that matter, are you the dumbest.  But if you don’t take the time to actively learn, you’re going to end up one of those dinosaurs who continues to use a typewriter and carbon paper.
  4. Recognize greatness. Every once in awhile, you’ll hire someone who is truly great.  Someone who cares about clients deeply, who constantly works to make the office a better place, and who wants nothing more than the see the firm succeed.  Always keep looking for that person, and never let them go.
  5. Hire slowly, fire quickly. Most lawyers hire new employees who have some defined skills.  Someone who can type fast, who has a good speaking voice, and who knows Microsoft Windows (or whatever software package makes you feel comfortable).  You should be hiring for someone who cares, who communicates well, and who can connect with your office and client base.  Everything else can be taught.  Take the time to not only interview, but also to learn about this person you’re thinking of inviting into your family.On the flip site, remember that if someone doesn’t fit with your business goals then you need to get rid of them immediately.  It’s good for your law firm, it’s good for your clients, and it’s good for the employee.  Don’t fire people as a knee-jerk reaction, but don’t hold onto dead weight out of fear or obligation.
  6. Look outside the industry. Lawyers are good with the law, but not so terrific at running a law firm profitably and effectively.  Look to see how other industries operate, and seek to emulate their best practices.  You’ll learn a lot that doesn’t make sense for you, but you’ll also gain some powerful insights and nuggets that will help your firm be better.
  7. Read voraciously. Business books are a dime a dozen, but a good business book will send your brain reeling.  Find biographies of powerful people who shook up their industries and showed the world a new way of doing things.  You’ll expand your horizons and learn new ideas that will help shape your firm going forward.
  8. Ignore platitudes.  You can go online and read a bunch of mamby-pamby stuff, with inspirational quotes and soft ideas.  People will tell you to keep going, to work harder, to be smarter.  Avoid those people and their words because they add nothing of value to your practice.  Instead, surround yourself with people and ideas that make you stronger, smarter, and more efficient.  They won’t get you all the way there, but if someone can help you move halfway that’s going to make things a lot easier for you.
  9. Keep records. How do you know if your law firm is making money or is efficient if you’re not tracking every little thing?  Buy QuickBooks and use the heck out of it.  Install Google Analytics and immerse yourself in the wealth of data it provides.  Have everyone in the office track their time, even if you rely on flat-fee billing.  Use every possible feature of your case management system.
  10. Enforce rules when needed, ignore when needed. Rules help make your law firm run more effectively, and they provide a framework within which to operate.  Rules give staff and clients a sense of safety and predictability.  Enforce them, but only when necessary.  There are going to be times when procedures aren’t followed for a good reason – it’s good for the client, it’s good for the firm, it’s good for the court.  You need to recognize those times, and make mental allowances for them.
  11. Go home. You run a law firm because you want to create a good life for yourself.  If you stay at work all the time, you’re failing on all cylinders.  Go home at the end of the day.  Turn off the lights.  Have dinner with family or friends.  Smile.  Laugh.  It makes you more relaxed, and a better version of yourself.  That makes you stronger tomorrow, and better prepared to run your law firm more effectively.
Photo courtesy of cosmo flash.
Filed Under: Law Office Management Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Hire For Passion

March 17, 2010 By

Passion

The solo and small-firm practitioner decides to start and build a law firm because he or she has a passion for a particular field of law. You have a connection with family law, bankruptcy, criminal law, personal injury … whatever it is, you’re in it for a reason.

The firm you built exists to serve your clients, and to serve them well. To do right by the public and, in turn, to make you money (no, “profit,” is not a dirty word).

When you hire new employees you look for technical expertise of some sort. Good computer skills, perhaps experience in the field. For a receptionist, you look for a good speaking voice.

Technical skills are good, to be sure. But the one thing we as business owners must actively seek is not the ability to use Microsoft Word or Outlook, it’s passion. Passion for what we, as business owners, stand for.

Your potential employees need to have that same fire in their gut that made you open the office in the first place. Be it a drive to do good in the community, to help people get to a better place, or just to make a positive impact in the world. Whatever it is that brought you here, that raw energy should be instilled in your employees before they get the job.

Once hired, it’s your job to focus that passion and guide the employee accordingly, You need to train them to put their passion to use, to give them the tools they need to connect with your clients and provide the service for which your firm has been hired.

You can teach the technical aspects of any field of law – as a judge once told me, this ain’t rocket science. Our paralegals and staffers are trained to use the tools we provide, and the lawyers we hire learn to put their education and training to use for our office.

The one thing you can’t teach, however, is caring. And if someone doesn’t care, their only motivation to get something done is the money. The employee is a clock-watcher, someone counting down the slow hours until the end of the day.

If a client email comes in at the end of the day? If you care and are passionate, you’re going to answer it. If you’re a clock-watcher, you’re out the door and on the bus home.

If a phone call comes in during lunch? If you care and are passionate, you’re going to put down the sandwich and talk with the client. If you’re a clock-watcher, the call goes to voice mail.

How do you interview for passion?

Ask questions that don’t relate to the law. Find out what fires up the interviewee. If you can’t find anything, chances are pretty good there’s not much passion there.

Plug the person’s name into Google. Do they have a ton of Facebook friends? Are they on Twitter? Digg? Do they have a blog about a personal hobby? These are clues as to a person’s passions. Ferret them out to get a better idea of the person behind the resume.

In short, learn as much about the person as possible.  Take your time – this is an important decision, and the one you make will help or haunt you for a long time to come.

We must hire for passion, not technical skills. Our firm deserves it, our clients deserve it.

Photo courtesy of Emily’s mind.
Filed Under: Law Office Management Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Blogging For Your Law Firm? There Is No Middle Ground.

March 11, 2010 By

Marketing your law firm with a blog is a romantic notion in a certain sense.

Law firm marketing folks – heck, all marketing folks – extol the virtues of blogging. Create a law firm blog and your business will soar, setting you apart from the competition and bringing you accolades of all sorts.  Your law firm marketing efforts should center around a blog, they say.

Actually, that’s not true. Creating a law firm blog as part of your marketing efforts will set you apart from the competition, but maybe not in a good way.

Blogging is a content marketing mechanism that’s designed to provide useful information and show your stuff.  By creating a law firm blog you build trust your prospective clients and the public, enhancing your reputation.  It’s also terrific for search engine optimization, which exposes your words and thoughts to a wider audience and increases the reach of your message.

But unless you’re adding content on a regular basis, you’re not going to look so terrific to people to visit your law firm blog.

I’m not telling you to create content every day because I know it’s not realistic for lawyers to take that kind of time.  But would it kill you to put down something on your law firm blog once a week, something valuable and helpful?

There’s a lawyer in my area who, in a fit of “I want to market my law firm,” went out and hired a designer to do two new sites for his bankruptcy law firm.  The sites are beautiful, and very easily navigable.  And they both have blogs.

OK, I can see someone creating more than one law firm blog – in fact, I have more than one.  The problem is that both of the blogs cover exactly the same topic, with the only difference that one site allegedly covers New York City and the other covers Long Island (a distance of under 60 miles).

Since he launched these beautiful sites over six months ago, he’s suffered from a bit of over extension.

On one blog he’s done 10 posts since September 2009, which is respectable.

On the second blog he’s done 2 posts since September 2009.  And one of them is a duplicate of a post on the first site.

A failure of consistency tells a visitor that you’re not serious. And if you’re not serious about this aspect of your marketing, how reliable are you as a service provider?  Your law firm blog signals a commitment to provide information and share knowledge; your lack of consistency signals a failure to live up to that commitment.

In addition, failing to consistently publish content onto your legal blog will lower your site traffic. If there’s a blog I like, I’m going to visit it more frequently (as much as I love it, I recognize that RSS readers never really caught on with the masses).  Once I show up a few times and see nothing new, I’m not visiting anymore.  It’s like when I turn on the television every week to catch Big Bang Theory (which you should watch), I expect to see Sheldon in a new episode.  If all I get is repeats for a few weeks I’m going to find something else to do on Mondays nights.

So, too, with your legal blogging activities.  If you’re going to do it, understand that you’re in this for the long haul.  If you’re in that’s cool.  And if not, you need to go find some other way to market your law firm.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Blogging For Lawyers, Legal Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,