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Marketing, Analytics, Messaging, Technology

Image Conscious: Your Text and Audio Content Needs Vibrant Scenery

Reading, at any great length, seems to be a habit left behind in the 20th century.  Most of us treat reading copy like Leopold Bloom abuses newspaper advertising in an outhouse – which is probably where he would have listened to the turn of the century Irish equivalent of podcasts (whatever that would have been).

Ain’t nobody has the attention span to read deeply anymore, which is why video and audio content is so popular.  Of course, video content has a massive advantage – in that it presents images to the world: moving pictures, which still captivate.

But, with text, and with audio – you need to entice your audience.  And, the easiest way to create that enticement is to attach images to your content.  Images, especially on social media services, lead to more view and more clicks.

The good news is that, if you’re blogging, most websites will allow you to upload a ‘featured image’, which you can attach to your blog post, and which will be visible on social media platforms.

Need images?  Check out Unsplash, for royalty free options.  Or, try Canva, to create your own.

After all, the internet is your canvas: make it more beautiful.

Oh, and intriguing.

Remember that a large part of the Mona Lisa’s appeal is that she’s smirking.

Marketing, Analytics, Technology

Page Turner: How to Take Advantage of Google Search Without Paying Anything

Law firms that market most effectively diversify their tactics.  A little bit of paid advertising, a little bit of building organic search results.  Sprinkle in some review management, and engagement tools.  It’s like a recipe – maybe it looks weird all mixed together in the bowl; but, it all comes together beautifully in the end.

Of course, it does help to squeeze every advantage that you can out of your marketing, like each advertising endeavor was a toothpaste tube with only a little bit left to give.  So, if you’re going to pay to advertise your law firm (which you should), do as much as you can, at no cost, to make that paid advertising even more effective.  This is not about being cheap; it’s about being dominant.

But, even if you’re not yet paying for advertising, you can influence your results, using a simple tactic.

You know potential clients who have been referred to you are not just taking their referral source’s word for it.  Trust but verify is the byword of Google search.  So, when referrals are looking you up online, what do they see?

Most lawyers don’t actually know, because they don’t Google their own names, like those referrals are doing.

But, if lawyers did run vanity searches on Google more regularly, what they would find is that many of the page one results tend to be social media (LinkedIn, Instagram) and directory (Avvo, Yelp) profiles.

So, the very first step to better managing your search results as a lawyer, is to understand what comes up on page one of Google for a search of your name.

Then, the fun starts: Claim the profiles you don’t own.  Build up those you do.  Get reviews.

Your clients are looking a gift horse in the mouth; make sure they like what they see.

And, doing so won’t cost you a thing.

Marketing, Analytics, Technology

Analysis Paralysis: How to Leverage Basic Data About Your Law Firm

Most law firms are terrorized over the use of data, for making better decisions in law practice.  Sure, the concept is intriguing, but seems like too vast a project to take on.  And so, the attorney in question rushes off to put out the next small brushfire — and the cycle continues.

But, the fact of the matter is that data is more easily accessible than most lawyers think; and, it’s not nearly as overwhelming as they might have guessed.

And, that’s true of marketing data, too.  When it comes to discovering more about the effectiveness of your marketing, data is all around you.

Google Analytics and Google Search Console are free tools that allows you to learn more about how visitors access your website via search, and what they do when they get there.

The vast majority of lead management software have some business intelligence (reporting tools) available.

Social media sites all include some basic analytics about the reach of your posts and activities, as do social media management tools, like Hootsuite.

Similarly, email marketing tools include valuable information about the performance of your email campaigns.

So, if you’re looking to better understand your marketing campaigns, and what to do next, all you have to do is dig just a little bit deeper.

Marketing, Analytics, Messaging

Net Neutrality: How Do Your Clients Really Feel About You?

Want to know how your clients really feel about you?

Ask them if they would recommend you to a friend.

That’s the truest test of a business relationship, right?

The good news is that that assessment is available as a business metric.

It’s called ‘net promoter score’, and it is a prominent marketing KPI (key performance indicator).  The net promoter score (NPS) for a business is derived by surveying clients with a single question: How likely would you be to recommend the business, on a scale of 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely)?  Responses break down across three categories: Scores of 9-10 indicate ‘promoters’ = enthusiastic and loyal clients, who will actively recommend you.  Scores of 7-8 indicate ‘passives’ = happy customers who are unenthusiastic, and would be vulnerable to a competitor’s pitch.  Scores of 0-6 indicate ‘detractors’ = unhappy customers, who will generate negative word of mouth.  But, that’s not the NPS score; you get that by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.

If you start to keep track of your own NPS for your law firm, you’ll have some valuable information about how your clients feel about working with you.

But, you can also benchmark that result, thanks to the 2018 Clio Legal Trends Report, which found that the average law firm NPS was 25.

In case you’re wondering, that’s not great – it places law firms on the same statistical footing as credit card companies and airlines, whereas companies like Amazon hold net promoter scores into the 60s.

Where does your law firm stand?

All you have to do is ask.

Marketing, Analytics, Technology

Second Chance: Remarketing to Lost Leads Generates Revenue

What happens to the leads you don’t convert?

Right, nothing.

But, lost leads may not be lost forever.  Even so, most law firms drop those leads that don’t convert like a hot potato, rather than taking a more measured approach, and acting like the shepherd looking for his lost sheep.

Of course, it’s easier to do that now, than it was back in the day, when you had to grab your crozier, gear up and go walkabout.  Nowadays, it’s as simple as getting a good remarketing system in place, because sometime those leads you lost, only need a little push, to become the clients you gain.

The concept of remarketing, in this construct, is pretty simple: Someone who reached out to your law firm about utilizing your legal services did not convert, for whatever reasons (sometimes you know why, and sometimes you don’t); but, if those leads never hear from you again, they’re never reminded of an opportunity to engage you, at a time when they might actually be ready to do so.  Imagine the estate planning client who is going on an overseas trip, and is keyed up to get an estate plan done; they didn’t convert before this trip, come back, and then forget about it.  Where will you be before the next trip?  Invisible, if you don’t continue to reach out.

It’s a big deal for any lead to offer up contact information.  And, that’s your cue to start utilizing it.

Sp, drop those lost leads into a remarketing program: Send emails every now and then.  Followup via text.  Push out a calendaring link.  It’s never too late to reengage a lost lead.  Most lawyers just never do.

Keep those lost leads engaged, and add another layer to your revenue.