Legal Marketing Articles

Archive for September, 2009

Importance of Client Relationships

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Like the structure of almost all businesses, clients – or customers – are perhaps the most important elements. Especially if you’re in the process of developing a business, a strong relationship with your clients – new and old – is key.

In the legal world, client relationships are extremely important. Lawyers work closely with clients to ensure they achieve the legal outcome they desire in all types of scenarios. Whether it’s a divorce case, a personal injury lawsuit case or a situation involving a will or trust, attorneys work side by side with their clients from start to finish.

Not only from a business development perspective are sold client relationships important but marketing-wise it can make or break your law firm’s reputation. The most significant factor in a legal marketing strategy is promising the most concrete and personal client relationships as you possibly can. Lawyers need to realize this should be their main focus – if they haven’t already.

Make sure you’re in-tuned to what makes your clients happy, what makes them angry, what stresses them out or what they think can improve regarding your services. Acknowledge their concerns and work closely to understand their needs and wants.

This effective strategy will keep your existing clients happy and loyal and will bring about more positive referrals to grow your business even more.

Online Legal Leads – How to Keep Them

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

 

Woman reading book, shelf in background

Part 2

In last week’s article, I wrote about what your online leads are looking for when they get to your legal website. Trusted information from a reliable source, consistency, and value will get you to keep them coming back for more information. I also wrote about using an email program such as Constant Contact or Outlook to correspond with the e-customers.

What kind of information should you provide? Of course, this depends on your area of practice. For example, these items could be summarized in a short email:

• A new law or an upcoming one;
• An update to a celebrated legal case;
• Tax planning tips;
• Benefits of a will and advanced directive;
• How the economy is affecting your area;
• Upcoming seminars;
• Holiday driver safety tips; and
• Statistics.

A good rule of thumb is to pretend you are the e-customer. What information would you want to read about? Bragging about a recent settlement you achieved, or the benefits of working only with your company, may just turn people off. You run the risk of an e-customer unsubscribing to your email letter campaign. If that should happen, it is acceptable to send them a short note acknowledging the unsubscribing and asking them if they wouldn’t mind telling you why. Some people may respond back that they no longer need the service or information you are providing, and some may say that your emails were getting annoying. If that happens, immediately reassess your campaign and put yourself back in the reader’s seat. A few unsubscribe are normal but if you see a large number, then your campaign needs some serious help.

If you find a campaign letter that people respond favorably to, go with it. Post it as an article on your website, or submit it to an online legal website. Make sure the content is your own, as well as any of the graphics that you use in the article. Some programs provide graphics to be used within the program. You can also download free graphics on the internet, or subscribe to a site that allows you to download graphics for a small monthly amount.

In any event, every six months or so read all your campaign letters and evaluate which direction you want to take your customers. Ask for what they want, ask them to pass you on to friends and family members, and then sit back and watch your database grow.

Managing your Law Firm Web Contacts for Legal Marketing

Friday, September 11th, 2009
Woman at her computer

What do I do with my web contacts?

Part I – How to Keep a Lead

Every legal website should have a web form where a viewer can submit information such as name, address, email address, phone number, and a question or request for the site owner. How can you separate the window shoppers from future clients? The answer is to give them what they want – trusted information.

I have met many clients who utilize a contact web form for online leads, but they don’t know what to do with the lead after they get it. When the customer fills out the form, someone should follow-up on the request by either a phone call if the number is valid, or an email. Let’s say for argument’s sake the phone number is invalid but the email address is not. Does that mean it’s a dead lead? No, it does not mean it’s a dead lead. It just means the user felt obligated to fill something in the field but doesn’t want you to call him or her.

You should take your leads, as well as other client email addresses, and sort them into a database. Some firms use Outlook, or the popular program Constant Contact. With the Constant Contact program, you can see who is reading your campaign letters or newsletters, who considers you spam, who has unsubscribed, and who has forwarded you to a friend. The program is very inexpensive and has a free trial. It doesn’t take you long to get up and running, and the choices of newsletter and graphic designs are quite extensive.

If you provide quality information without a sales pitch, the client will remain with you for quite some time. Your law firm becomes a trusted authority for legal advice and questions. When it is time for them to call an attorney, you should be the first person they think of. This eliminates the competition you may encounter when clients meet with more than one law firm for that free initial consultation.

Should Your Firm Use Facebook?

Friday, September 4th, 2009

Many people feel Facebook is slowly taking over the corporate world. Businesses have started to take advantage of the free service and have created fan pages for their companies. Law firms have also started to utilize Facebook to expand their client base and market their legal services throughout the network.

How effective is a Facebook page?

Facebook, along with all social media networks including Twitter, LinkedIn and the like, is a way for people to learn more about a firm and the service provided. Attorneys can post their pictures and brief bios so that all Facebook members interested in finding a law firm can gain a personal feel of what that firm is like.

Both small and large firms have the ability to post any news or updates regarding either the law firm itself or anything interesting or relative going on in the legal world. This – once again – allows any potential clients to gain a sense of what the firm is about on a more personal level.

Note to all law firms: Take the time to make a Facebook page.