Gideon Legal

Automated Intake for Law Firms

content marketing

Marketing, Messaging

Conversant: Social Media Is Not Just About Posting Content

Social media is an essential component of any law firm marketing program, especially for content marketing.  And, if you can develop a content calendar, obligating you to build and post content on a schedule, that is a super effective way to complement more traditional marketing means.

But, if you’re only posting content all the time, you’re sort of missing the point.

In addition to sprinkling in your own content, and other relevant content, you should also engage other users on your social media platforms.

You can become a respected expert in your space, by creating and publishing content – like blog posts, videos and podcasts – and, you can build your network by engaging with those who comment on, like and share your posts.  Users who engage on social media platforms drive views, and create new opportunities to meet and confer with referral sources.

So, when you’re on social media, posting is only half the battle.

Marketing, Messaging

Time and Temperature: How Far Can Lawyers Advocate?

Lawyers advocate for their clients all the time; it’s literally ‘the job’.

But, most of that advocacy, that ‘zealous representation’, is made in private.  No one knows, but the client.  And, the client may not even know (likely doesn’t know) how hard you’re fighting + how much you believe in their cause.

That’s okay; nobody ever said your clients would be baking cookies for you – even if they sometimes do.

But, from a marketing perspective, it’s really hard to let other knows how effective a counsel you are, since you’re bound by ethical strictures regarding the confidentiality of your clients’ information.  You’re not like a contractor, who’s got a new home addition (and an advertising sign) right out in the front yard, for people to look at, and drive by.

That’s why some attorneys go public with their advocacy.  Employment attorneys address the need for better parental leave laws in their state.  Immigration attorneys are decrying the state of affairs across the whole country.  Landlord-tenant attorneys highlighting potential unfairness in the system, on both sides.

Does that play in the media, including on social media?  You bet it does.

Is every attorney willing to do that?  To take a side, and stand on it?  Not so much.

But, if you do, it could be advantageous to your practice, and generate more of the kinds of clients you want to work with.

So, if you’re passionate about representing your clients, it’s okay to let everybody know.

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.

Technology, Marketing, Messaging

Slappers Only: Automated Responses Require Some Tact, and At Least Some Personalized Followup

Back in college, I used to play this great game for Nintendo 64, called ‘Goldeneye’.  It was a James Bond game, and the object was to shoot people with a variety of guns.

Until it wasn’t.  The game had a delightful feature, called ‘Slappers Only!’.  Basically, nobody had weapons.  So, everybody went around just slapping the shit out of each other.  That was awesome if you were the slapper, not so much if you were the slappee.

And, I kind of feel like I’m the slappee on social media services when I get automated messages from new connections.  You know, I’m just minding my own business on LinkedIn, I connect with someone new who has invited me to make our online business friendship official – and, immediately, I receive a breathless message about how their business could REVOLUTIONIZE MY WHOLE FUCKING LIFE, in all caps, of course.

So, if I shook your hand at a networking event, you wouldn’t yell this at me, right – which begs the question: What effect does this tactic have online, other than to make me hate you?

The moral of the story, of course, is: if you’re going to use automated messages, just access some chill.  Use that to warm up a new connection, rather than flying them on a rocket ship ride to the sun.

Also, after you send that very introspective and relaxed introductory email, maybe followup with a more personalized one later.

Or, just do that instead.

Marketing, Messaging, Technology

Turn on the Faucet: Drip Campaigns Can Be Used for a Lot of Different Things

A ‘drip campaign’ is a series of marketing messages.  And, those messages could be sent via a number of different platforms, including email and text.  Drip campaigns can be used to stay in touch with different segments of your contacts (including former clients and other referral sources), or following up on requests.  And, the advantage of automating messages like these is tremendously useful, because you can remove human effort from the equation, as well as the cost associated with it.

The great thing is that there are a number of uses for drip campaigns, including the following (not an exhaustive list):

-You can send a monthly client alert – you just need to pull together the content.

-You can send a quarterly enewsletter – (ditto).

-You can build a client journey for intake, including for making and following up on appointment scheduling.

-You can send a payment link or document signature request, and followup on those on a recurring basis.

-You can build a messaging sequence for closing a file, and staying in touch with those former clients.

Remember all those emails and phone calls you used to send manually, to followup and stay in touch . . .

Forget about it!

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