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Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category
Often the mistakes that lawyers commit in marketing their services are minor and easy to fix. The first thing to do is recognize them. In his article “7 Deadly Mistakes Lawyers make when Marketing Their Practices” Kenneth Hardison makes several key points I think are worth sharing. He feels that some of the most common mistakes are:
- Failure to execute your own strategies (stand out from other firms)
- Failure to show value proposition (what makes your firm better)
- Lack of consistency (the look and feel across all your marketing efforts)
- Lack of a full marketing plan with goals and a budget
- Failure to track your marketing results effectively(you should get back every dollar you spend)
- Procrastination or lack of follow-through. Make sure you see your efforts through to the end
- Lack of buy-in by everyone (lawyers and staff) to the marketing strategy.
Harding covers a lot of the things law firms shouldn’t do, but it is also important to look at the things they should do. Let’s look at a good example. Take for instance, this Los Angeles Employment Lawyer.
- The web site is clean easy to read and the message is consistent.
- They have a clear call to action on this site.
- The phone number is easy to find as well as a quick contact form.
- The content is easy to read and helpful.
Another area that helps this firm stand out is the inclusion of verdicts and settlements on the homepage. This allows potential clients to see that the firm is providing results to clients. One last point-this site is easy to navigate. There is nothing worse than going to a website and not being able to find what you are looking for.
Mobile Search: Why You Need to List Your Firm Now in Local Online Directories
Local search is becoming an increasingly essential element to any online marketing plan. With the emergence of the iPhone and other mobile devices for web browsing, a business that has taken the time to sign up with various online local directories like Yelp has a significant advantage over businesses who haven’t.
Until recently, Yelp’s “Nearby” function was leading the search space in its smartphone apps for local search. “Nearby” provides users of iPhones and the like quick access to the nearest restaurants, bars, banks and other local businesses.
Now Google is primed to take over that space with “Near Me Now,” which has the benefit of being built into Google with no further installation required. A user just has to access Google from their mobile device’s browser, let Google access their location via GPS, then click on the “Near Me Now” link that will appear.
How can a local law firm use this to its best advantage? Here’s an example:
Let’s say you are an Ohio birth injuries attorney with a practice in Cleveland. First, list your firm on Google Local, Yelp, Brownbook and other online local directories.
Next, when filling out your firm’s profile on these directories, make sure you set your location as Cleveland, and include other nearby towns, cities and counties from where you want to pull in leads.
Finally, use “birth injuries attorney” and other key phrases about your practice areas in your profile’s business description field.
Taking a couple hours to get your law firm listed in online local directories is the small step that could bring miles of benefits as web searching via mobile devices gains momentum.
Using twitter can be a frustrating task for anyone if you are unsure of the most effective way to ‘tweet’. Twitter IS for everyone – and it’s super easy to use. It doesn’t matter if you work for a small or large law firm – twitter can work in just about any situation for any company. Making the most out of twitter is really where the difficult part comes in but it’s not really that hard to “MASTER TWITTER”.
In an article by CopyBlogger.com it mentions how Cindy King, an international sales specialist, saw a huge boost in business inquires by implementing a strategic Twitter plan. “Following the right people on Twitter was key. There are some people very gifted at building relationships on Twitter. As I followed these online community builders, I realized that some of them are also excellent direct response copywriters. They get their Twitter followers to take action,” said King.
Here are some tips to get started:
1. Explore lots of twitter accounts that are from the folks who are really good at effectively using twitter. One example is http://twitter.com/Alicia_at_Honda (Alicia at Honda).
2. Don’t be afraid to jump in. No matter if you are a mesothelioma lawyer or disability attorney – you can effectively use twitter!
3. Buy a book. When all else fails pick up Twitter for dummies!
Thankfully BusinessInsider.com reported “Twitter has produced a special guide for businesses to help them get started on Twitter, called Twitter 101. It’s clean and nicely designed, and full of case studies about how companies JetBlue, Etsy, American Apparel, and Pepsi use Twitter. It’s a good resource for companies and, frankly, anyone who wants a primer on Twitter.”
You can find that guide here. You’ll find great tips like:
- Tip: Twitter can be “ground-breaking” for businesses—a big claim. We truly believe it because we’ve seen lots of examples, many of which we share here. But if you’re new to Twitter and still wondering what all the fuss is about, hang around the site (or a good third-party client) for a week or two and give it a few minutes a day. Twitter almost always delivers “Aha!” moments for people, but it can take some getting used to before you have your moment of enlightenment.
A lot of other outside companies are starting to use twitter effectively. Let’s just take big business as one example:
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com said, “We’ve found that Twitter has been a great way for us to connect on a more personal level with our employees and customers. We use it to help build our brand, not drive direct sales. It’d be like asking how does providing a telephone number for customer service translate into new business when they are mostly non-sales-related calls. In the long term, Twitter helps drive repeat customers and word of mouth, but we’re not looking to it as a way of driving immediate sales.”
Don’t be scared – Twitter is easy and you can’t mess up. All you have to do is actively engage in conversation with other folks who are talking about what you are talking about. Use the search functionality and find people who are talking about the same subject matter as you. Twitter gives a great tip for this:
- Tip: To listen in on the conversations happening right now, search Twitter for the name of your company, product or brand. If you have a Twitter account already, your home page has a handy search box on the right side.
Most importantly – have fun and be genuine. People will like you for that.
Part II
If you’re a lawyer or law firm considering using social media tools to promote your business, it’s important you know what methods will help you and which could hurt your business.
- Make it personal. When creating your various accounts with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or any other social networking site, make sure to significantly personalize your page. Like all business marketing tactics, grabbing viewers’ attention right away is the most important. Make sure to outline what area of law you practice, your success stories and what makes your firm stand out alongside all of the rest.
- Update, update, update. Nothing can hurt a business using social networking more than having old content up on their sites for months at a time. If a potential client comes to one of your pages to see what you’re about and content is old, he or she is going to most likely move onto the next attorney or law firm. Whether you’re a one-lawyer firm or a part of a larger firm, it’s important you or a fellow coworker is always updating your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts. By refreshing your online content and adding newsworthy blogs or newsletters, the credibility and attractiveness of your firm will increase in viewers’ eyes.
For law firms, social media can be used to draw in new clients or reach out to existing ones. In either situation, it’s important to use online social networking to your business’s advantage and make sure nothing you’re doing will hurt or eventually hurt the number of clients you acquire.
For more information about various social media techniques and aspects, visit www.socialmedia.com or read about social strategies and social news at www.socialmedia.biz.
Social Media Tools Not Best Choice for Legal Marketing
Part I
As the trend of social media use increases, so have various industries’ adaption of such tools for marketing purposes. Nowadays, not only are millions of people a part of various social networks, but you can find a glimpse of almost every industry on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like.
Most people view social media as an always useful and beneficial way for companies to connect with people (and potential clients) and greatly increase their business. Many – however – do not realize some of the disadvantages of using social media to market.
For the legal industry, for instance, it may not be as beneficial. Like all businesses, it’s important that attorneys and law firms market their company efficiently. They work to promote their firm’s practice areas, successful experience-relating anecdotes and what generally sets them apart from the rest.
But for attorneys social media is not necessarily the best professional marketing tool for your legal business.
An attorneys’ primary marketing goal is to acquire new clients and expand his or her business. People all over the world use the internet to search for lawyers to help with their legal matters. Especially if someone recommends an attorney to someone else, that person is most likely going to do a quick search on the web before calling the firm for an initial consultation.
If attorneys or law firms have existing Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts, those will most likely be the first results to pop up on a browser should a potential client search for an attorney name or firm.
This isn’t necessarily a “smart” marketing strategy. Rather than a possible client being able to immediately visit your home page, read about your success stories and winning cases or learn about your primary areas of practice, he/she has to shuffle through a few social media sites first.
Like all business on the web, if a person cannot immediately find what he/she is looking for, they often move on to something else.
This downside is especially relative to attorneys who – in general – don’t have the time to sit down and update his or her Facebook or Twitter page daily, weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly for that matter. Consequently, potential clients immediately see outdated and untouched web page content which will lower their expectations and opinion of the firm.