Legal Marketing Guru - Dan Hynes Blog

Lawyers Need to Build a Better Business Card

Lawyers know the importance of having a business card on hand at all times, and most have boxes of them at home and in their desks in the office. They might even have a box or two in the vehicle… just in case. While they have ingrained in their mind that they need a business card, they may not realize the importance of the card’s actual design.

Branding Opportunity and Simple Designs

A great card is a perfect opportunity to expand the power of your brand. When you have design elements on your card – such as your logo, a photo, and a color scheme that is the same as your website, blog, and literature, you can expand the brand.

Keeping the design relatively simple is a good idea. While you want to stand out from the competition, you do not want to be so different that your card doesn’t even seem like a business card. Odd shaped cards can be more trouble than they are worth. Even with the traditional business card size, you have a lot of real estate that you can use. Instead of just having your information on the card, consider adding one of the aforementioned photos that can tie everything together. Be certain that you can still read your text if you do include more design elements.

Matching Cards for the Firm

Something that you might want to do for your firm is have the same basic design for all of the business cards. The only difference would be the name and contact information, and perhaps each lawyer would have his or her picture in a corner of the card. This serves to unify the firm and to promote the brand. Of course, you could always allow more creativity amongst the attorneys and let them create their own card.

Buy the Best Quality Cards

Sometimes, attorneys will buy cards that just aren’t high quality, and this is going to reflect poorly. When you hand a client a card on subpar paper that doesn’t have an authentic, professional feel, he or she is going to wonder where else you might skimp. Spending on inferior cards is a waste of your marketing money. Instead, you are going to want to invest in better quality cards. You can find good options that are still within budget. Just make sure that you read some reviews on the quality of the cards before you buy them. It might be a good idea to buy just a small batch at first so you can test the quality.

It might be a good idea to have a professional graphic designer who can develop your cards for you. They can come up with a few designs and you can choose the one that you like the most. The designer will be able to make matching letterhead and envelopes for you as well. You will provide the information that you want on the card. Make sure that you have your name, the name of the firm, phone number, web address, and email.

Is Putting Together Your Own Site a Bad Idea?

Building a website is easy, isn’t it? The only thing you have to do is slap up some information onto a template, add a picture and a phone number, and you are good to go. In the eyes of some lawyers, the aforementioned statements are entirely accurate. Of course, when you look at those attorney’s websites, you will see that it is not entirely true!

Building Your Own Site Could Be Trouble

Is law firm website creation on your own possible? It is possible, and some good tools out there today make it easier than it has ever been. Blogs are simple to create, and site builders and templates can make it possible to get a workable website up in a matter of hours – or less. However, when you use templates without making any changes, it is going to look like a template. Even though it might look good, and it might have the professional look that you want, it is not going to have the personal touch that helps to separate it from other sites.

Professionals will be able to take the framework or basic idea that you have and create something that is beautiful and functional. Having a great looking site that functions well is very important. If you run into trouble when you are building a site on your own, and you don’t have the right skills, you can ruin all of the hard work that you put into the site in the first place.

In addition, you may not have the best eye for colors. A poor color scheme is a common trouble spot in lawyer website design. Graphic designers who know color will be able to ensure that you have an attractive site and that the colors match your branding. This is something that many do not even consider, and when the colors from your logo or your blog do not match your website, it is hard to develop a common branding thread.

Ugly Sites are Difficult to Market

If you have an unattractive site that does not have that professional air to it, you are going to find that it is very difficult to market properly. Clients that come to the site are not going to trust in your abilities as an attorney even though they have nothing to do with your skills as a web designer! Still, they will judge you and your law firm based on how your site looks and works.

It is Cheaper to Use the Pros

Rather than wasting all of your time and effort when it comes to building your own site, only to see it fail, hire the pros in the first place. The costs of having someone get a good site up and running is less than some might think. They can usually get the site in shape quickly too. You will be able to spend your time working on the aspects of your job that are your specialty rather than trying to become a web designer!

Interacting with Potential Clients on Social Media and Blogs

Blogs and social networking can both be some simple and effective ways to get more out of your law firm marketing on the web. While they can be helpful, you will find that there can be some drawbacks to them though. More specifically, you need to be able to deal with the public who will comment on those sites.

Do Not Give Legal Advice Online

One of the things that you will have to realize when you start to put together your online marketing plan for your law firm is that when you are a part of social networking sites and when you have a blog with a comments section, people are going to talk. More specifically, they are going to talk and ask questions of you. You have to tread very carefully, as you don’t want to provide anything portrayed as concrete legal advice in your content or answers. You may offer suggestions, but you should also make sure that the individual asking the question knows that he or she needs to consult with an attorney.

If you were to provide an article that gave what seemed to be legal advice, and you didn’t have a disclaimer somewhere on your site, or in the article, you could be in for trouble. Someone could claim to have used the advice in the article and then had some type of bad repercussion, such as a lost lawsuit, because of it.

Take it Easy

Something else that you need to be aware of is the type of people that you might encounter online. While most people are going to be nice and respectful, you will get those who are going to cause trouble. Rather than responding in kind, you have to be able to defuse arguments before they begin. For lawyers, it might be more natural for you to point out why someone is wrong and to argue, but that’s not going to help you as much as you might think on the web! In many cases, you can simply delete the comment or block the person from commenting. This can halt any issues before they get out of hand.

Respond to Queries on Blogs

If you have a popular blog, you are likely to get some comments and questions on it. You should have someone in your office to handle the comments section of the site if you do not have the time to do it on your own. Even if the only thing you can advise someone who has a question is to seek a consultation with a lawyer, you should do so. Ignoring comments and questions that potential clients are asking is a sure way to gain a reputation as a lawyer who doesn’t care about clients.

Attorney Internet marketing is as much about people skills as it is about advertisements, even though you are only dealing with people via technology. Treat people with respect, and you should see that your reputation is going to grow better and better.

Increase Brand Visibility for Your Firm

Regardless of your law firm’s size, you want to increase the overall visibility of your firm if you want to find success. The only way for people to hire you is for them to find you and know you. Thus, you need to increase your presence online and offline and make more people aware of your brand. Law firm marketing can help with your brand visibility and having a lawyer website design that is high quality can help to ensure that your website is working to promote your brand 24/7. Marketing today is a bit different than it was in the past thanks to the web. However, when you market correctly, it can be easier to spread brand awareness.

Network with Other Professionals

You have other professionals in your area that could use advertising, just as you need it. You could choose to contact those professionals who are in fields adjacent to your own and offer to exchange links and advertising on one another’s site. You could write a guest post on another site’s blog and link back to your own site. This way, you will be tapping into an audience that you might not find otherwise.

Show Your Expertise

You have quite a few opportunities to show just how much you know about your field, and how you can help people who need legal representation. You can comment on message boards, communicate through social networks, write papers, create videos, and more. For every high quality piece of information that you put out there, you are exposing more people to your brand. Make sure that you are placing your information in the right places to find clients though.

Continuity is a Key Factor

You have to have continuity in your look and your message if you want to expand the brand. This means that your website and blog should have a very similar look, as should your business cards and even your letterhead. You should have a graphic designer who will be able to create the look that you want. Good design is very important. People who see an unprofessional logo or site will associate your firm with being unprofessional, even though it might not be a fair assessment.

Aside from the visual continuity, you also have to have a common message. You could have a slogan for your firm that people will immediately identify you with when they hear it or see it. Use the slogan on your site, cards, letterhead, and advertisements. Having that something special can be a great bit of law firm marketing that can help the brand.

It Takes Time

Growing a brand isn’t going to happen overnight. You have to work at it, network, connect with more clients, and spread your influence every way that you can. Even though it takes time, you will find that when your brand starts to spread the work becomes easier when you start to realize how to do it. More and more people will know you, and you will be able to get more clients.

Impress Clients and Retain Your Marketing Efforts

Most law firms have to put quite a bit of effort into their law firm marketing if they want to make a difference and get more clients. They spend more time and money with their efforts, write more content and engage on the social networks. However, once they have some contacts and consultations, they start to undermine all of their marketing efforts.

Treat Your Clients Poorly and You Will Lose Business

Make sure that you have fair fees that are in line with what other attorneys in the area are charging. When it comes to your fees, you always want to be upfront as well. Make sure that they understand the legal fees and costs. If anything changes, make sure that you discuss it with your client.

When you are talking with your clients, make sure that you keep your promises. If you tell them you are going to call them, then make the call. Return calls promptly too. When you have an appointment, show up on time. Always make your client the priority. Even though you might have several clients, and you might have issues of your own, when you meet with your client, he or she should be your focus. Their problems are your priority. Listen to their concerns and answer their questions. Take the time to help them. Most clients are concerned, nervous, or even frightened whenever they have to deal with a legal situation.

If you do not treat your clients well, they are going to leave you and seek representation elsewhere. They are also going to tell others to avoid you, and all of the law firm marketing efforts that you put into gaining more clients are going to be for naught.

Managing Your Reputation Online and Offline

When you have a reputation problem, all the marketing in the world isn’t going to fix it. You have to take steps to repair your reputation. You can hire firms that can help you with repairing your reputation, and you can take steps on your own to gain a better reputation. Online, you will want to post positive content about you and your firm so that the negative results do not take over the search engine’s first pages.

Offline, you will want to look at the things that caused your clients to leave. Were you paying enough attention to them and giving them the service they needed? Were you springing extra charges on them in the final bill? If you look, you will usually be able to find your problem area. Fix the problem, put your clients first, and then get back to marketing.

Get Out of the Way of Your Marketing

Marketing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There are many moving parts, and if you have an issue in one area, it could certainly derail your law firm marketing efforts. Instead of wasting all of the marketing that you are doing, take steps to offer even better service to your clients. You marketing will then be able to pay off greater!

Ideas for Blog and Newsletter Content for Your Legal Site

Everyone knows that it is important to have great content for your blog or your newsletter. However, it can seem almost impossible to keep coming up with new content week after week and month after month. It is true some areas and articles will likely have information that will overlap, as it is inevitable. It is still possible to mix up the type of content that you are offering to add some variety. The following are a few ideas that you might want to consider the next time you are searching for content for your law firm’s site or newsletter. Not only are they good ideas for law firm marketing, but they are also easy to remember.

News Items Regarding the Law and Your Specialty

If you keep up with all of the changes in your industry, you will find that you be able to write about any new laws, changes to existing laws, or special cases that might be in the news. Presenting this information to the visitors to your blog and readers of your newsletter can give them more insight.

Articles that Explain what the Law Means to Your Clients

You may also want to have some explanatory articles that will help to explain what the laws mean to your clients. Most of the time, the legalese in the law makes it difficult for the laymen to understand. By breaking things down, just as you would during a consultation, you can present information to your clients that they will actually be able to use. Most importantly, they will know why they need to contact you and make you their legal representative in dealing with the law.

Case Histories

Something that many people might find interesting is case histories. You probably know some landmark cases in your area of specialty. Cover those cases and break them down so that they are easy to understand.

Information on Upcoming Events

If you are going to be teaching any courses or seminars, or if you are going to be a part of a community event, you want to let people know. Your blog and your newsletter are perfect places to do that. Make sure that you provide all of the necessary information, or at least a link so the readers will be able to find out more.

Answer Client Questions

You might find that many clients and potential clients ask you the same questions. This is natural since even though every case is different, there will be similar concerns. The client might want to know about the punishments for DUI in the state, or the legal and financial ramifications of a DUI. The client might want to know more about the benefits of a living trust. Take the frequently asked questions and have a page for them on your site. In addition, revisit some of those questions and go into more detail in your blog posts or newsletter. The information will help your clients immensely, and it is a simple way to generate some good content for your site.

Helpful SEO Tips for Law Firm Websites

You’ve heard that search engine optimization is important for websites, but you might not realize why. Even more, you might not be familiar with all of the changes that have happened in the world of SEO in recent months. It is possible to learn these things, although many law firms are choosing to hire developers and specialists who can help them with all of their SEO issues. While this is certainly a good and feasible option, it is in your best interest to have at least a basic understanding of what SEO is and how it can help your site. Having this knowledge will ensure that you know what the SEO specialists are talking about and what they are doing for you.

You Need to Find the Right Words

Keywords are important for a site because they can make it easier for web surfers to find the information they need. However, you have to make sure that you have the right keywords, and you have to realize that the algorithm changes Google introduced made the content quality more important than merely the keywords. This was an attempt to stop people from stuffing keywords into their content simply to rise in the search engine ranks.

Understand what types of keywords your potential clients would use, and then add those to your content. If you happen to be a personal injury attorney working in Los Angeles, then a keyword phrase that you might want to use would be “workplace injury attorney in Los Angeles”. It narrows your niche and adds your location – which you could narrow further. Make sure that you use the keyword phrase naturally, and do not over use it.

Links are Still Important

Links are important for your website’s ranking, and it used to be that the more links you had the higher your site would rank. This is still essentially true; however, the new rules make it important to have the right links. You have to have only high quality links coming into your site. If you are link farming, the search engines are going to know and they may punish your site for it. By ensuring that you only have links from good sites going into your site, you can ensure that you will not have to worry about the new algorithms punishing your site.

The goal of SEO is to ensure that your site comes up on the first page of the search engines when people are looking for your key terms. If you do not come up on the first page, you are diminishing the possibility of having clients find you. Most of the time, people aren’t going to look beyond the first page or two when they need something on the web. It might seem lazy, but it is true! Leveraging your lawyer website design with the best design and SEO can help you reach the top of the rankings. It pays to learn more about SEO and what it can do for you.

Have Legitimate Testimonials on Your Site

For an attorney, internet marketing is going to encompass many different areas. Paid advertisements, becoming part of legal directories, and expanding the power of your brand are just some of the things that you will have to consider. Something else that you are certainly going to want to think about is the testimonials that you have on your site. Some firms that might have a bit of a bad reputation are using fake testimonials to make it sound as though they have more clients, or that they have done more for their clients than might be the case.

Rather than posting fake testimonials on your site, it is a much better idea to have actual client testimonials. It is easier to get them than you might believe as well.

How to Get Client Testimonials for the Site

The easiest way to get actual client testimonials is simply to ask. Clients that you have helped are going to be ecstatic that you’ve provided them with the damages they deserve, or that you helped to get them or a loved one out of trouble with the law. They are going to want to tout your skills for you. They will want to help you, and they are going to be willing to write a testimonial that you can use on the site.

In some cases, they might even allow you to use their picture as well as their name. This helps potential clients see faces behind the names and realize that these testimonials are indeed real. As long as you have happy clients, you will find that most of them will be more than willing to help you with your testimonials.

Making your Clients Happy

How do you make your clients happy? You give them great service. You are an attorney, that’s true. But you are also in the people business, and that means that you have to have great customer service skills. From the assistants and receptionists to the senior partner, you want your clients to be happy with your service. When you do this, they are going to be more likely to provide you with those quality testimonials you need for your site.

Customers Want Real Testimonials

People know all the tricks by now. If you have a testimonial on your site by John S., most are going to realize that it’s not an actual testimonial. This isn’t going to do much for your reputation. However, if you are able to let people know that Margie Sanders, a single mother who received injuries in an accident with a negligent driver, received damages to cover her injuries and time out of work as well as pain and suffering thanks to your team then you are closer to getting a new client.

People like stories, but in this case, they want those stories to be real. Talk with your happy clients about using their stories. Most of them will be willing to help you. They might even like the fact that they are on your website!

Have Compelling Biographies for the Legal Staff on Your Site

One of the areas that could use some touch up on many different legal websites is on the staff pages. Many times, they look as though they are only partially complete. This isn’t going to look good to any clients that are considering using your legal services. If you have incomplete pages, your law firm marketing isn’t going to fix that. You have to have a complete website, and it needs to be the best site you can make. This means you need to pay special attention to each of the pages for your law firm website creation, even the bio pages.

Adding Information and Personality

The bios on the page need to have certain information to be complete. You want to have a photo, the name of the attorney or staff member, contact info, education, and practice areas. Make sure to include any awards or special areas of interest. It can be a good idea to add a bit of personality to, so you could include some personal information such as hobbies, heroes, or favorite things. This helps to give each of your attorneys a personality, which is something that potential clients will find interesting and humanizing.

Creativity can certainly work on these types of pages. In fact, having something that is a bit creative is a way to help you stand out and makes your firm more memorable than what the competition is offering. Here’s an example: if you have a family law firm, consider having each of your attorneys supply a photo from their childhood to run alongside their current photo. It is different, fun, and sure to gain attention. This law firm marketing technique that might not work for all types of firms though. Use common sense when considering employing these types of tactics.

Give the Page a Uniform Appearance

One of the things that you will want to do is make sure that all of the bios have a similar appearance to them. If you have black and white photos for everyone’s bio now, make sure that the rest of the bio pictures that you add for new attorneys are black and white as well. If you have color photos, use color for the remaining photos. This gives the page a cohesive appearance. Try to keep the amount of information on each of the bios the same as well. Of course, some of the senior members of the staff might have bios that run a bit longer, and that’s okay.

In addition, think about the way the bio is written. If you have some written in first person and some written in third person, it can be jarring. Make sure that they are all in either first or third person.

Who Writes the Bios?

You have a few choices when it comes to writing the bios. You could write them for your staff, or you could give your staff guidelines on what the bio needs and have them do it. Alternatively, you could have a writer take some information about the staff and write the bios. You should make sure that each staff member approved of his or her bio before posting it on the site.

How to Use Google Voice for Legal Lead Intake

Prior to running a legal marketing campaign and soliciting referrals, it’s important that you have a plan for communicating with leads and measuring the campaign’s effectiveness. Google Voice provides a free, easy way to do both with incoming phone calls and text messages.

First, what is Google Voice?

Google Voice is Google’s web-based phone service that provides a free US phone number, free text messaging, voicemail, message transcription, and a variety of other useful services. Setting up an account is free and can be done at http://voice.google.com. You can use your existing Gmail or Google account to get started.

We’ll assume you are first time user and need to choose your number.

Choosing a number for your campaign

A common practice with marketing campaigns is to use a separate web address, email, or phone number to track responses, and that’s exactly what we will be doing with our Google Voice number. When you set up your account, the first thing you’ll need to do is choose a number.

One of the best Google Voice features is that the number provided is absolutely free. Better yet, it can be forwarded to any other line you desire, so you can use a number for a specific campaign and then forward it to your primary number indefinitely once the campaign is over.

Tracking your lead calls (and texts)

Once you have your phone number setup, you are ready to start taking calls and receiving texts. In order to keep track of how many leads come in as a result of the campaign, you’ll want to use Google Voice’s history feature.

When you are logged into your dashboard, the history feature is in the menu to the left. When you select it, you’ll be presented with a chronological list of calls and messages. This will allow you to count how many responses you have had, star important messages, and leave notes for future follow up.

Making every communication count

Having the ability to keep track of calls and messages is great, but you need to be ready to close your leads if you want your campaign to be a success. This is where Google Voice’s forwarding and voicemail functionality come into play.

First, you’ll need to setup a Recorded Name and Voicemail Greeting. A recorded name is the name callers hear when they call you, so this would be the name of your firm or office. The voicemail greeting is what callers hear when no one answers your line. You can update both of these by clicking the gear icon in the upper right and selecting “settings” and then “voicemail and text.”

Though voicemail is available, the reality is that you need to answer your calls live in order to have a better chance at closing. And if you are pushing leads to send texts, you need to respond quickly. Google Voice forwarding makes both of these processes easy.

Avoid voicemail by forwarding calls

For your phone calls, you will need to set up lines where calls made to your Google Voice number will forward to. You can have the number forwarded to multiple lines, such as your cell phone and home number, and whichever is answered first gets the call. The most important rule here is that you need to actively update the forwarding numbers based on your availability. During the day you should have it go to your office or cell phone. If you’re busy during the day and on your own, send the calls to a legal answering service.

Same goes for after hours. If you don’t want to be bothered, don’t send your valuable leads to voicemail where they may or may not leave a message. Make sure they speak to a live person. You can accomplish this by paying an associate or employee to remain on-call or by utilizing an after-hours answering service.

For your text messages, Google Voice provides the option to forward those to another mobile phone or email address. You should follow the same process here as you do with phone calls, ensuring texts are being sent to an email or phone number that is actively being monitored.

If you haven’t used Google Voice, I definitely recommend giving it a shot. It’s an awesome free tool. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or feedback on using Google Voice as part of your legal marketing.

About the author:

Gere Jordan is a business development associate at Continental Message Solution, a nationwide provider of legal intake and attorney virtual receptionist services. You can learn more at http://www.continentalmessage.com.

Going Mobile with Law Sites and Design

The wonderful world of websites is changing rapidly, and that means that you have to be willing to change along with it. While you might have had your website for a number of years, and you believe that is projects the right image for your law firm, you have to remember that times and technology are changing. The site that might have been working great for you just a few years ago might not look as good on all of the different mobile devices that your potential clients might be using today.

Dangers of Not Using Mobile Sites

If you don’t have a site that is going to translate well to mobile devices, you could be missing quite a few clients. Many people today have smart phones and tablets, and they are using those devices to look for everything on the web – including their lawyers. Your law firm website creation a few years ago didn’t have to consider this, but you do now.

If those clients aren’t able to access the information they need about your site, what do you imagine they are going to do? They are going to go on to the next site on their list, and if that site has easy to read information on their mobile device, they are more likely to choose that attorney. It doesn’t matter that you and your firm might be able to do a better job either. They want convenience, and you have to be able to provide that for them if you expect their business.

Using Mobile Design

People who are going to use mobile designs will find that it is actually quite easy. Once you have a professional who will be able to take care of designing your mobile site to work with your current site, it’s very easy. The mobile site is simply going to use the same information that your website has. You are not going to have to spend a lot of time trying to add more content to your mobile site specifically.

Realizing that you aren’t going to have to maintain two separate sites just to have a mobile site for your law firm is great news. It means that you aren’t going to have to increase the amount that you are spending for your web maintenance for starters. Even better, your visitors are going to have access to the same great and helpful content that they have on your traditional site. The only difference is that now they will be able to access and use your site from anywhere.

It is a great way to increase your business. With more and more people buying smart phones and tablets each day, it is increasingly important that you consider the mobile aspect of your law firm and lawyer website design. Without the ability to access those who are using mobile devices, your business is going to suffer. Let the professionals get your site in order and ensure that the mobile component looks and works great. Check out some of the examples of our different mobile websites.

Getting the Right Visitors to Your Legal Website

Having a website for your law firm is essential today, but just because you have a website, it doesn’t mean that you are going to get traffic. Of course, in order for your site to be effective, you do need to have people visiting. It is important to know the distinction between simply having a site and having a site that is going to provide value for people. You want prospective clients to stay on your site, to read and learn from the content that you provide, and ultimately, you want them to contact you so you can help them with their legal problems.

Just as with anything else, you have to sell the visitors on you and your firm. Here are some steps you can take to make sure that you have the best prospects coming to your site, and how you can make them take action.

Focus on Your Type of Client

One of the mistakes that some firms make today is that they do not focus on the type of client they want to attract. The attorney Internet marketing that they do seems to be scattershot, and they are really just hoping to draw in visitors without giving much thought as how they can focus and find people who are already looking for their type of services.

If you have a firm that specializes in personal injury cases, then the bulk of your content is going to need to be about those types of injuries, as well as what benefits you are able to offer.

Make Your Site Easy to Navigate

Something else that you must make sure of with your lawyer website design is that it is easy to navigate. You could have great content on the site, but if your visitors can’t locate the content it is not going to do you any good!

Offer them Real, Compassionate Service

People today want a lawyer that they can trust and they want to have a lawyer who is sympathetic to their needs. Show your clients that you care and understand what they need when you have a consultation with them and show them that you aim to be fair, and that you are open with your pricing policy. When you can connect on a human level, you will find that it is much easier to gain the trust of your clients. While you want to be compassionate, you still need to be professional and look professional.

Provide a Call to Action

Extol your benefits, provide great content, show your professional side in your site and bio, and provide a call to action. Let the clients know what you want them to do, how you want them to contact you. A huge part of law firm marketing, or any marketing for that matter, is providing clear calls to action. Make sure that your contact information is on each of your web pages so your visitors have an easy way of reaching out to you for the help you can provide.

Getting People to Read Your Law Firm’s Newsletter

Newsletters can be quite handy when it comes to attorney Internet marketing plan. You will be able to keep your firm’s name fresh in the minds of your clients, referrals, and others who subscribe. However, you have to make sure that people are actually reading the content that you provide. Many digital newsletters go unopened in email inboxes, while others are opened but no one ever actually reads the content. If people aren’t reading the newsletter, it could very well be your fault! The following are some things that you might want to try to increase the number of people who read the content of your newsletter rather than relegating it to the digital trash bin.

You Need a Great Subject Line

Your subject line needs to be able to do a number of different things, and it needs to be able to do those things quickly. People get a large volume of email, and the subject line – even if they subscribed to your newsletter – needs to let them know that the contents of the email are the newsletter and not spam. In addition, it needs to entice them to open it. You need to have a catchy subject line that will make them want to find out more about the content.

Easy on the Design Elements

You want the newsletter to look good, but you have to remember that many email readers might not be able to display the graphics that you have in the newsletter. You should still keep some graphics in the newsletter and make sure that it enforces your brand and image, but do not feel the need to go overboard and spend too much time loading the newsletter with graphics.

In addition, you do not want to use fancy, hard to read fonts. Keep the fonts simple, and make sure that they are large enough to read easily. The verbiage in the content should not be difficult to read or decipher. Remember, you are not writing for other attorneys. You are writing for clients who do not have the same legal knowledge that you have.

If the first thing that your readers see when they open up the newsletter is long paragraphs and legal jargon, they aren’t likely to keep reading. While you might find it fascinating, they might not!

Too Much of a Hard Sell

Readers want to have information in the newsletter. They do not need you to pitch your services to them in every other paragraph. Let your quality content and expertise do most of the selling for you. Provide the readers with valuable content, and they will grow to trust you and they will seek you for their legal needs. The same holds true with blog content that you have on your site. Never try to oversell your services or you will come across as desperate.

Still, you can include a call to action in the newsletter. Let your readers know that they can visit your site, call you, or fill out the form on your site to get more information or to request a consultation.

Focusing on Your Client for Better Marketing

When you ask people in most business what the most powerful form or marketing is, they aren’t going to say it’s the SEO content on your site or your PPC ads. They aren’t even going to say it is your mailing list. Instead, most are going to tell you that it is the power of word of mouth from your clients. If you are doing a great job and providing stellar service to your clients, you are making a difference in their lives.

Lawyers can help to make sure that people have the damages they deserve and need to live. They can help people to avoid lengthy stays in jail. Helping your clients is your job, but it also feeds into the word of mouth law firm marketing. When you care for your clients, they will know it. They will let their family and friends know as well.

How to Develop Better Relationships with Clients

If you want to develop a better relationship with your clients, you will want to make sure that you listen carefully. Rather than just telling the client what you are able to do for him or her, really listen and see what the client wants and expects. Then you can let them know what you can do. Understand the client and try to work toward a common goal.

Ask the client how he or she is holding up. The ability to empathize with a client and understand the struggles the client is going through can help you. Let the client know what to expect when they go through trial. Talk with their family members about the best ways to encourage the individual and to provide emotional support.

Being honest with the client is important as well. You should always be the voice of reason and reality. If they are on trial and could be facing a long jail sentence, you should not gloss over that fact by telling them that they are certainly going to win. You have to prepare them and their family for every possibility. Even though you aren’t a family counselor, it may sometimes feel that way.

Some people believe that lawyers are sharks and only in it for the money. You know better than that. You became a lawyer to help people. Show your clients that you care. When you do that, they will see it and they will spread the word about the caring help and service you provided. For being nice and being human, your reward is a better reputation and possibly more clients.

It Works in Reverse Too

If you do not care about you clients and you are only going through the motions as an attorney, you will find that word of mouth is still going to spread. Only, when it spreads this time, you are not going to be coming out of it as a shining knight. Consider the importance of client relations when you are developing your law firm marketing strategies, and only use the ones that show you in the best light.

Do You Need to Redesign Your Law Firm’s Website?

How old is your law firm’s website? If your site is a couple of years old, you might not think that it needs a redesign quite yet. You might want to look at your site again. How far has technology come in the time since you first put up your site? Even though you might have had a state of the art site five years ago, it could be time to retire the old design and slip into something sleeker and new. A new lawyer website design can be very beneficial.

A New Coat of Paint for the Modern World

Whether you simply need some cosmetic refinement to the site or you need to bring your site into the current century you do not want to delay. Your clients do judge what you and your law firm have to offer by the quality of your site. The following are some steps that you can take to update and redesign your site.

Update Your Images

If you have old images on your site, it could be time to update them. While you will still want to keep your logo, as it is a part of your brand, consider removing stock images from your site. Replace them with actual photos of you, your attorneys, and your firm. Even though stock images can be quite helpful, when you add your own photos, as long as they are high quality, it lends more credibility to your site. In addition, make sure that you have updated photos for all of your attorneys on your site in their bio section.

Freshen Up the Content

While you may have some evergreen content on your site, you will want to read everything and freshen it up. Add new awards and accolades for your firm and make sure that you are up to date on changes within the staff.

Many firms today are also adding a blog component to their site, and this could be a good idea for you too. You can have the blog right on your site, or you can link to your blog. You should have fresh content on the blog, but you will want to make sure that you update it regularly to keep it relevant.

Include Social Media

We all know that social media is very important in today’s world, and it makes sense to include it on your site. You should have social media badges and icons on your site so your visitors will be able to find and follow you on places such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. For your blog content, make sure that you have social media buttons so readers will be able to share the content that you are offering.

Get Help from the Professionals

Law firm website creation and redesigning a website is not easy, and it takes quite a bit of work and preparation. If the thought of remaking your site is too daunting, you can find help. Professional web developers can help with every aspect of your site and they can make the redesign process faster and simpler for you.

Development of a Great Website with Professional Designers

Most attorneys do not have the time to develop the skills they need to create a high quality and functional website. Because of time and technical restraints, building your own site is probably not in the cards. However, you can find some excellent design teams and developers who will be able to take care of all of the hard work for you. Even though you might hire the pros to take care of the job, you are still going to be able to determine the overall look and feel of your site. Your first step is in finding a company that you can trust to build your site.

A Great Developer

When you are choosing a developer, you have to consider more than just price. It is a good idea to find those who have experience in the creating sites for law firms. Those who have no experience might be able to create great looking sites, but they might not know what it takes to build a legal site. Look for experience, and look for companies that can provide you with a personal touch rather than a cookie cutter site. Make sure the design company is going to be able to help you develop a site that you want and that will consider your design ideas.

Make Your Site Personal and Different

One of the ways to stand out from the crowd of other law firms on the web it so make your lawyer website design more personal. Give your site a personality that reflects your firm. This is a part of branding, and a professional design team should be able to help you with the branding of your site, from the look of the site to the type of content that you have. You have a number of options when it comes to personalization. For example, you could have bios written by your attorneys, a small photo album for each of the attorneys to fill, a video, and just about anything else that helps set you apart.

While you want to understand what the competition is doing with their sites, you do not want to copy what they are doing. Looking too similar to another site is only going to breed confusion. Consider the things that make your firm special and focus on those areas. Professional developers should be able to work with you in this aspect and help you make a truly special site.

Let the Developers Know What You Need

When you first start to talk with the developer that you are using for your site, you will discuss the basics of what you want for your site. Make sure that you provide the developer with the content that you want on the site, the layout style that you want, and any other features that you think might be imperative. Listen to ideas from the designers too, as they build sites for a living and may be able to help think of things you might not have considered. Ask for occasional updates so you can see how your site is coming along.

Creating Your Law Firm’s About Page

All of the different aspects of your website are important. You have to take special care when you are creating all of the pages and content on your site. While your web developers can make the site look great and they can make the site work correctly, it takes a special touch to get the “About” page right. You can have professional writers punch up the writing and make it more dynamic, but they aren’t going to know your firm’s story. Telling the story, even at a basic level, is where it all begins. Whether you write the entire page or you provide notes to a writer there are some things that you have to remember.

Keep it Short

You probably have quite a bit to say about your law firm. After all, chances are you are very proud of the firm and the accomplishments it’s made. However, readers on the web do not have time for a novel-sized page on the web. You need to make sure that you are able to tell your story in about 500 words or less. Hit the key points in the story. You should also do more than just tell your story. Also, make the benefits that your firm is able offer clear. You could even have a bulleted list of the benefits as well as what you can do for your clients. Make sure that you are reflecting your brand in your story.

If the firm has been around for many years, you could have a chronology of the firm and the highlights since its inception. Your page could even focus on the firm’s founder.

If you fear that you just aren’t able to convey what you want, you can speak with professional writers who will be able to take your notes and write a great “About” page for your site.

Some Testimonials

Even though you might want to have a special page for all of your customer testimonials, having some of them on your “About” page is also a good idea. Again, you do not want to go overboard. One or two short testimonials on the page, with a link that can take the visitors to the testimonial page, are good.

Video is Another Possibility

Something else that you might want to consider for the page is a video. Having video on the site adds some interesting content, and you will find that most visitors are more inclined to watch a short video than to read a long page of the company’s history. You can hit all of the key points in the video, and it can provide a personal touch. If you do choose to put a video on your site, make sure that it is professionally done.

Attorney Internet marketing encompasses many things, but it all comes down to your site. You could have great adds out there, but if your lawyer website design and content are not up to par, you are going to have trouble attracting the clients you need.

Consider Your Law Firm Website’s Overall Design

When you are considering your lawyer website design, it is important to consider several different things. Rather than jumping right into the design, one needs to have a good plan for the site. Working with professional web developers is a good way to ensure that you have a great looking site, but having an idea of what you need and what you want for the site before you begin talking with the developer is a good idea.

The Overall Structure

The overall structure of your site needs to be familiar. While it should not look like every other site on the planet, it should be familiar enough and easy enough to use that your visitors will have no trouble when it comes to navigating your site and finding the information that they need.

The Message

What is the message that you want to show your visitors when they first arrive? You will want to have your message resonate throughout your site’s pages and content, but it is something that they should see as soon as they get to your site. Think of some headlines that could encapsulate your firm, what you offer, and why you want to help people who need legal assistance. This ties in very closely with the next aspect of the design.

The Brand

You have heard the term branding plenty of times before, but you might not realize that it is just as important for a lawyer as it is for other businesses. Your brand should encompass your message as well as the look of your site, blog, and literature. You want to present a unified appearance on all fronts, and you want to stay consistent. Doing so will help you to grow the brand, which can be especially important. In addition, you should make sure that you have a great logo. Instead of trying to create your logo on your own if you don’t have one already, it is a good idea to hire a graphic designer so you can be sure that you have a professional looking logo.

Good Content

One of the most important parts of your site – especially with the new changes to Google’s algorithms – is the content. You must have quality content on the site if you want to succeed and have a high search engine ranking. Although keywords still have their place, ensuring that you have fresh content, such as you can do with a blog, is vital to your success.

Easy on the Eyes

The site does need to look good as well, and this is where professionals can help with the law firm website creation. You should have crisp and clear text that is easy to read. Small fonts are not your friend on a website. If you are going to feature images on your site, as most sites today do, make sure that the images or graphics you include are representative of your brand.

The best lawyer website design doesn’t happen by accident. You have to put thought into the creation of your site, but the results are worth the time it takes.

Branding with a Story

Everyone seems to be talking about branding. Branding is a buzzword that’s been going strong for a couple of years now, but many do not really know what it means. What is branding really? Branding is part of who you and your firm are and what you represent. It is the promise to your clients. The brand is a way for your clients and potential clients to identify your firm as well as what it represents. Branding is a way to help you stand out from your competitors too.

The Branding Story

Many different things go into creating a brand. From the look of the site, the logo, and the specialties and content that you offer are a part of it. One of the most important features is going to be your brand story. How did you become a lawyer? What have you done as a lawyer? How did the firm come into existence? All of these things could be elements that you would want to explore in the branding story.

You may believe it is going to be difficult to come up with the branding story for you and your firm, but just think about what you do for a living! Lawyers are essentially storytellers. They take the facts of a case and they construct a narrative out of it. You will be doing the same thing when you write your brand story. You will take the facts of your story and put them into a narrative that people will be able to read and with which they can connect.

Think about what you want to say in the story before you write it and how you want the reader to feel after reading it. Do you want the reader to see you as a champion of justice? You can tailor your story to fit that. You can keep your facts and tailor the story to make the reader feel different ways through the language and structure that you use. If you aren’t a great writer, you can always outsource the branding story, as well as other web content. Just make sure that you read the story and make sure that it is accurate and true. You wouldn’t want a writer to embellish too greatly and write about your time as an astronaut, NFL quarterback, and super spy! Be honest with your story.

Thinking as a Reader

While you know the story that you want to tell, it can be hard to determine if it is really good, compelling, and clear. You have to try to put yourself in the shoes of the reader when you are reading over your story. You might even want to have some others in your firm that have not read the story before read it so make sure that it is clear and easy to understand.

Your brand story is very important for law firm marketing, and you shouldn’t neglect it. Have long and short versions of the story. Place it on your website, in brochures, and other places where your potential clients will see it.

Blogging Tips for Lawyers

Lawyers who decide that they want to start a blog will find that it can be a valuable law firm marketing tool, and it can be a wonderful way to provide more information to clients and potential clients that might not be right for the regular website. However, blogging isn’t always easy, and it can be especially troubling for busy lawyers. The following are some helpful tips that you and the other legal bloggers in your firm will be able to use to ensure that you have a great blog that readers can enjoy and from which they will be able to learn what you have to offer.

Consistency is the Key

How often are you going to blog? If you are like most people – lawyers or not – you are going to be excited when you first begin. You will write a post or more a day in the beginning, watching the number of hits that you get rise.

How long are you going to be able to keep up that pace though? You could run out of time or run out of things to say if you try to blog each day and you are the only writer. You have a couple of ways of dealing with this. You could have more people in the law firm working on the blog, and schedule a blog once a week from each individual. You could also outsource the content.

Regardless of how you create the content or how often you post though, consistency is important. Try to put your material up on the same days of the week whenever possible. It is the professional way to do it.

Be as Specific as Possible Without Making Impossible Promises

While you do want to provide quality content that is going to give your readers and potential clients a better understanding of their case and what you might be able to do for them, you have to be careful. You cannot put any statements on your blog – or your website for that matter – that are impossible to prove. For example, you can’t say that you will surely be able to get a million dollars in damages for everyone who has been in a car accident. Most lawyers understand this, but outsourced writers who might be writing the content on the blog and who are not familiar with the laws of the United States might not.

Different cases may have different outcomes. You can provide examples of what happened in similar cases in the past, but make sure that the client knows that a consultation is the only way to get a better understanding of his or her particular case.

The Law Firm Marketing Message is Only Part of the Plan

While you do want to use your blog to push your law firm marketing message, this is not the only thing that you want to do with your posts. If the only things you have on your blog are thinly veiled advertisements, you aren’t going to be getting quite as many clients. They can see through to the advertisements. Provide actual quality, and let them know that you will be able to help them. Just don’t beat them over the head with the fact that you are waiting for their call!