Online Marketing for Law Firms

In my previous posts I have talked about a lot of traffic and search engine ranking how tos. This time around I am going to tell you abit about how to get your law firm marketing in shape and where it should be this far into 2010. Let’s take a look at what were your goals for 2010 and how you are coming along with them.

Lawyer Online Marketing has to deal with so many aspects, it is quite hard to wrap your head around it right? Well wrong! I have been working with lawyers who typically need to have a blog and need to be generating content everyday. Is this the right or wrong method you say? Well, from my experience in working with metrics that measure success, and keyword research for certain areas of law in different cities around the US, it is astonishing how many websites have tons of content, but yet to be on the first page of the search engines. What are they doing wrong? What could they be doing better? Below is my feedback for you guys. Take this from this post if you take anything at all as this will be shocking to hear for some law firms trying to be the online marketing generators.

Things that DO NOT WORK:

1. Telling people to link to you. Don’t waste your time and efforts. It is hard to get people to link to you but it is also hard enough to get the correct anchor text and link to the specific area you want on your website. ( Get 25 FREE Links HERE)

2. Stealing keywords and content from the most successful competition for you search terms. This is being done even now! If your content is not relevent to the meta descriptions and keywords you are stealing, then why bother?

3. Adding fancy style to your website rather then focusing on what actually works. The internet is a fierce place to practice law. If you are wanting to generate clients from your website, focus on what is working rather then what looks nice. Just because a site looks nice does not mean it converts well.

Things that DO WORK:

1. Creating quality content so people will actually link to you! This is the most important aspect. Why do all the top law firms that do not have the highest amount of content rank better? This is because they have stuff that is actually linkable! People pay more attention to quality rather then a huge load of crappy content.

2. Addressing people’s concerns about what area of law your website deals with. Convey a message, and stick to it. Help people rather then try to help someone. Give them guidance.

3. Give them something for free. Reports, how tos, consultations. Give them something to get their information. This builds leads into clients. Enough said there.

Lawyer online marketing is a how to market of everyone doing something wrong and right. The ones who do the most right are the ones who suceed. If you are one of the law firms or lawyers who are doing something from the above DO NOT DO list, don’t worry. It is not too late for you to turn it around and give your prospects what they want.

You see these lawyer directories all over the place when trying to market your law firm. You think to yourself, do these really work? You also wonder why so many lawyer directories have the same reoccuring theme over and over again, in which they sell the front page to the highest bidder and take your money as well to have a quality link to your website. Well, I am going to tell you what you need to know about lawyer directory websites and if they really work or not, in terms of getting what you paid for.

Let’s start by defining a lawyer directory website. A lawyer directory website is a resource of a combined list of lawyers and attorneys from all over the world, for which consumers or clients can research a law firm and make a informed decision about which lawyer they should choose. Some of these have added features like intergrated blogs and other design aspects, but most are all the same in all avenues. They list the top paying firms on the homepage to grab your attention, and try to drive you back to the firms website. Some examples of this type of site is Hr.org and Martindale.com.  The more of a highbred lawyer directory is considered Avvo.

Ok do these lawyer directories actually work Jesse? Well let me tell you this, if you are gaining any business from these sites ( which you should be measuring if you are or not) then I guess you could say that they are working for you. If you also are gaining a quality linkback to your website, that is also a win in my eyes. As long as the linkback contains quality anchor text to your law firm website, you should have a impact on the search engines in your niche area. *Remember – when linking to your website, use the most targeted word searched for your site and focus on building that up. When you dominate the search engines for these words, you should then move your focus on other areas of practice.

Ok now what? Show me how I should be using these types of websites. These types of websites are all over the net. List your law firms on all of the free ones first (if you want help on listing your firms on these types of sites, contact me). Then focus your marketing dollars on the top lawyer directories. These may be a good ROI based on the price paid. Market and research. See what worked best for you. Using these types of sites is really hit or miss. Use your metrics and measuring to your advantage. And if you are not measuring your search metrics, you may want to reconsider doing any marketing because you need to learn how to measure before you can jump. EasyLegalMarketing can help with a effective marketing campaign lawyer directory services. If you need this type of search use the contact page on this website. Also, if you are a lawyer that needs help measuring their metrics, you can also contact us to help you with this as you will not move forward without doing this first. Overall, use these to your advantage but do not sink a lot of money or investment in these types of sites as they are only good as one quality link to your site. Choose wisely!!

In the fierce world of online marketing for lawyers and attorneys, the intial impression you leave in a prospective clients mind about your law firm intially comes from your website or web design. Making this a key point in your plans on building a effective online campaign is crucial for not only getting traffic to your site, but to be able to convert those who visit your site into clients.

The key to any marketing effort in the legal industry is having identified goals. This is no truer than when it comes to marketing your law firm through a website. So ask yourself, what are your goals for your website? Here are just a few examples:

Getting your Point Across

Some law firms just want what I describe as “an online business card” or “static site. Their website goal is to have something to show people who want to see something up on the internet about their website. They don’t care or plan whether or not their site will get visitors, leads, or generate new clients. This is the term known as a ego that wants to serve just a single purpose of seeing their name on a website.

Using a Blog To Boost Your Site

Some lawyers recognize that merely having an online static site or frontpage is not enough for them to be profitable. They want to be the next great blog author. They want a following of people to read what they have to say. Perhaps they want to generate advertising revenue. They understand some basics about law firm internet marketing, but aren’t really ready to completely commit to a full-scale online marketing campaign. Typically, they’re less excited about practicing law than they are about writing about it. Read a previous article about the best lawyer blogging tools.

Improving Your Practice Online

That brings us to the main goal of any law firm marketing on the internet, making money from prospects from the internet. Many law firms are learning that the internet can be an excellent source of new clients and new sources of referrals. They need comprehensive web marketing services utilizing SEO and online marketing projects and plans. These typically include a website and blog, contact form integration built into the website, link building best practices, and other features designed not only to help the website get found online, but to turn more traffic into leads and clients.

These are only a fraction of the different goals amd projects that a law firm website can be used to achieve. The key is to identify these goals band plans before you even start. Jeff Bermanof AttorneySync states “Your goals for your website can take you in completely different directions and change your prioritization of time investment, monetary investment, and overall implementation. That is why it is critical to establishing these goals before diving into an expensive and time consuming law firm website solution.” Wow what a great statement about a law firm design aspect.

Need an Attorney or Lawyer Website Designed?

It is hard to find someone with the knowledge of designing a website for a law firm. I typically do not recommend having just any website design company taking this task, as they do not know the audience a lawyer or attorney is typically going after in clients. Lawyer Website Design by JLG Marketing Solutions is a tried and true website design company that can help you with your needs. With the trend of web 2.0, you need a up to date website to keep up with the times and JLG does great work! Click the link above to contact them to help develop either a blog or a full functional website for your law firm.

Great article by Amy Campbell

The importance of your firm’s web site in your sales process should not be underestimated, even in a relationship business like legal services. Let’s face it, what’s the first thing people do once they get a specific attorney referral? They “Google” the attorney, read the bio and peruse the firm’s web site. For large and small law firms alike, your web site plays a key role in the discovery process and sets the tone for how a potential client evaluates your firm. Remember that perception is reality. And first impressions count.

Once you’ve met all the basic marketing prerequisites — a nice looking site that defines and positions your firm in the marketplace, with lean practice area descriptions, bios with flattering photos of your attorneys and easy-to-find contact information — it’s time to move beyond the descriptive “electronic brochure” stage and begin transforming your web site into a real sales tool.

At last summer’s LSSO Raindance conference, Chris Turk of HubbardOne cited two revealing statistics:

• • 74% of large law firms gained clients whose first awareness of firm was through web
  (Touchpoint Metrics study of 12-month period).
• • 64% of general counsel use the web sites of firms they hire (Internet Marketing Attorney)

According to Turk, clients are demanding value outside of the billable hour and as they shop around, they want firms to “demonstrate specific, recent, relevant experience.” It was so simple, and so spot on, I wrote it down and later printed up cards with the phrase.

Law firms can spend megabucks on branding and differentiation with limited success, because, as much as we hate to admit it, most firms and attorneys are pretty much the same. As Bruce Marcus writes in a recent issue of RainToday.com, “If differentiation is impossible to truly accomplish, or to specifically define, there are still many ways to project your firm’s distinctive qualities.” One of those ways, according to Marcus, is “to demonstrate — demonstrate, not tell — that you can be more useful to the client, particularly in the practice areas in which you specialize.” If that’s done well, says Marcus, then differentiation takes care of itself.

So take a look at your web site from a prospective client’s viewpoint, and ask yourself, does our web site tell them what they need to know? In addition to clear descriptions of your services, show your special expertise and industry knowledge by providing useful and relevant “information of value.”

Here a few items to get you started on your web site’s sales tune-up.

1. Keep it current.
If your two biggest, most recent deals aren’t on your web site, then they aren’t helping to demonstrate how you can help a similar client who is perusing your site. Does each practice area description have recent examples of work? Are attorney bios up to date and do they feature their most important recent work? Are their most recent articles and speeches easy to access from their bio? Remember, potential clients and referral sources (as well as search engine spiders) come to your web site looking for specific information to support the belief that you might be the right fit for them — don’t send them away empty handed.

2. Showcase expertise.
Address client concerns head on by publishing regular articles, updates, and news on current and relevant topics. Publicize attorney accolades, speaking and seminar activities and share presentation materials when appropriate. The idea is to promote your firm’s attorneys as subject area experts through publishing and speaking activities and documenting it all on the web site in an organized and systematic way. This requires time, effort and the skills of an experienced managing editor.

3. Make it easy.
Your web site is the public face of your firm. A visitor’s experience with your web site is his experience with your firm. Is your site easy to navigate, well organized and logical? Does it have a useful search function? If not, a visitor may not find what she is looking for, become frustrated and leave. A web site that doesn’t perform as expected can leave the impression that the firm is poorly managed, does not value customer service, or has poor attention to detail. In today’s sales and service environment, a good web experience can impress, a poor one can be a red flag. And remember, fancy and expensive is not always better than simple and direct.

4. Edit copy to be client focused, not firm focused.
Web messaging should address your clients’ needs and concerns, not the firm’s oldest partner. When writing or editing for the web, repeat this mantra: It’s about them, it’s not about us. Law firm “About Us” pages are famous for long-winded histories that start off with phrases such as, “We were founded in 1939 by Joshua R. Smith and Samuel M. Smith,” or “We are organized into three divisions.” While there may be a place on the web site to communicate your firm’s rich history, it ranks low on the relevancy scale. What visitors really want to know is how you can help them. The quicker you begin to demonstrate that, the closer you will be to the sale.

5. Ask for the business.
In conjunction with demonstrating your relevancy and providing all this information of value, don’t forget to build in calls to action. Encourage the reader to take the next step (whatever that may be), and make it easy for the reader to act.

6. Drink the Kool-Aid.
Your marketing materials may talk the talk, but does your firm walk the walk? A disconnect between the culture promised in your marketing and branding and the one experienced by your clients/prospects when they interact with your attorneys and staff, can cause a credibility problem. Close integration of marketing, sales and customer service is required to help make sure everyone is on the same page and the same team.

These are just some of the ways to increase the effectiveness of your law firm web site. For more information or to inquire about a web site audit, please contact Amy Campbell.