If your law firm has a website, you may want to have an understanding of SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and this helps your website get placed on the first page of search engines.
Getting on the first page of any search engine (like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) provides your law firm with significant benefits. You can reduce the costs of ad spending by creating an SEO focused lawyer website that allows search engines to provide you with organic traffic.
This article reveals some SEO secrets specifically for lawyers.
Onsite SEO for Lawyers
If you’re don’t understand computer coding, at the very minimum you should try to grasp the concept of onsite SEO.
In order for search engines to do their job and showcase your website in their search results, you have to give them detailed information on your website.
In your articles and web pages, there are elements known as title tags, headers, meta descriptions, and URLs. Having a solid foundation in onsite SEO will deliver successful results in the other parts of SEO found here.
When it comes to your titles to articles, best practice suggests to keep them up to 70 words in length. Anything longer and they won’t b displayed in the search results.
For the meta description, use between 150 to 160 words.
Another important feature of SEO is including a keyword. This keyword is used as a primary identifier of the page or article. Use this keyword in the title, meta description, and URL.
Your article or page should also include the keyword in a readable and non-intrusive manner. Using a keyword too often, known as keyword stuffing, can actually have a negative effect on your site’s SEO.
For lawyers, keeping your keywords and content relevant to your readers while including the appropriate title tags and meta-descriptions will be of benefit to your search engine rankings.
Schema Markup for Lawyers
Since you may be busy with clients and other aspects of legal work, SEO on your website may not be within your scope to perform.
If you intend to outsource SEO to an expert, something you may want to be aware of is Schema Markup for Attorneys. Although this may not have a significant impact from an SEO standpoint, the added coding involved provides more informative results for people using a search engine.
Schema Markup allows you to add more details to your meta-descriptions which can be displayed in the search engines. From business hours to special events, these details will be coded in a way that engines can recognize and input in the results.
For more information, please see schema markup for attorneys to understand which markups to include on your website.
To get started, add your website to business directories (i.e. Yelp, Foursquare, Yellowbook, Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, and more).
Once you have placed your website on these directories, especially those connected to search engines like Google and Bing, when a prospective client makes a search in New York…
If you haven’t done so already, register your law firm’s location in Google maps and other mapping engines. Whenever a prospective client performs a search in your area, your law firm will pop up.
Link Building for Lawyers
Link building can be time-consuming, however, if done correctly, it can lead to a lot of traffic to your website and inquiries for a consultation.
There are all kinds of links you can have, the most important being links placed on another website that directs to yours.
These links can be in the form of text, images, or other pieces of HTML that include a hyperlink (i.e. “href” attribute) for your website or a specific page.
Getting your links out there can be as simple as providing quality content that people share and include in their own articles, new pieces, and blogs.
If you have a partnership with other lawyers, considering exchanging their links on your website with your links on their website.
Other ways to build strong backlinks to your website include:
These are just a few suggestions. Backlink building requires strategy and careful planning. If you use tactics such as hacking other’s websites to inject backlinks, hiding text on your page which cannot be read by visitors but found by search engines you may be negatively impacted by search engines.
Search engines use sophisticated ways to scan the internet and gather information about your website. It knows who has links to your website and where your website is linking out.
NoFollow vs. DoFollow Links
One thing you should keep in mind is that there are different kinds of links: follow vs. no follow.
Nofollow links are those that do not give you any boost in the search engines. They simply send traffic from that website to your website. That’s it.
DoFollow links are those that give you a boost in the search engines. These links are telling search engines to rank the site.
This reason this exists is to prevent spamming, however from a lawyer’s SEO point of view, you may want to know what kind of backlink you are building and whether that will provide a benefit to your search engines results.
As a small business owner, you wear many hats—marketer, accountant, customer service rep, and sometimes even the janitor! With so much on your plate, it’s easy to overlook the fine print in vendor contracts or the subtle tactics they might use to take advantage of your busy schedule. Let’s dive into some of the most common shady tactics vendors employ and how you can protect yourself from falling into their traps.
Red flags in abusive vendor relationships
A close-up shot of a hand holding a magnifying glass over a contract filled with fine print, highlighting deceptive clauses. The background is blurred to emphasize the contract and the magnifying glass, symbolizing the need for scrutiny in legal documents.
Recognizing the signs of an abusive vendor relationship can save you time, money, and a lot of headaches. But what exactly should you be looking for? Here are some red flags that might indicate you’re dealing with a less-than-honest vendor:
Unclear Communication: If your vendor is vague or evasive when you ask questions, it’s a major red flag. Clear communication is essential in any business relationship.
Frequent Price Changes: If you notice that your vendor’s prices seem to fluctuate without explanation, it could be a tactic to squeeze more money out of you.
High Pressure Sales Tactics: Be wary of vendors who push you to make quick decisions. A reputable vendor will give you the time you need to evaluate your options.
Excessive Fees: Hidden fees can add up quickly. If your vendor’s invoices are riddled with charges that weren’t discussed upfront, it’s time to reconsider.
Limited Flexibility: If a vendor is unwilling to negotiate terms or adapt to your needs, it may indicate a lack of commitment to your success.
These red flags can serve as warning signs that your vendor relationship may not be as healthy as it should be. But how do you address these issues without burning bridges? Let’s explore one of the most common tactics: secrecy about pricing.
Being secretive about pricing
Have you ever felt like you were playing a game of hide and seek when trying to get a clear price from a vendor? You’re not alone. Many vendors employ secrecy around pricing as a tactic to keep you in the dark. This can manifest in several ways:
Ambiguous Quotes: Some vendors provide quotes that are vague or incomplete, leaving you unsure of what you’re actually paying for.
Tiered Pricing Structures: Vendors may offer different pricing tiers without clearly explaining the differences, making it hard to compare options.
Last-Minute Add-Ons: It’s not uncommon for vendors to add unexpected charges at the last minute, claiming they were part of the original agreement.
So, how can you combat this tactic? Start by asking direct questions. Don’t hesitate to request a detailed breakdown of costs. A reputable vendor should be willing to provide this information without hesitation. Additionally, consider getting quotes from multiple vendors to compare pricing structures. This not only gives you leverage but also helps you identify any inconsistencies in pricing.
Remember, transparency is key in any business relationship. If a vendor is unwilling to be upfront about their pricing, it might be time to look for alternatives. Your business deserves partners who value honesty and clarity just as much as you do.
Requiring annual or multi-year contracts
Have you ever felt the weight of a long-term contract looming over you? It’s a common scenario in the world of legal vendors, where companies often require clients to commit to annual or even multi-year contracts. This practice can feel like a double-edged sword—on one hand, it promises stability and potentially lower rates, but on the other, it can trap you in a relationship that no longer serves your needs.
Consider this: a small business owner, let’s call her Sarah, signs a three-year contract with a legal vendor for document management services. Initially, the service seems perfect, but as time goes on, Sarah realizes that the vendor’s offerings have stagnated, and her business has outgrown their capabilities. Now, she’s stuck paying for a service that doesn’t meet her needs, all because she signed on the dotted line without fully understanding the implications.
Experts suggest that before entering into such contracts, you should ask yourself a few critical questions:
What happens if my business needs change?
Are there options for scaling up or down?
What are the exit strategies if I’m not satisfied?
According to a study by the American Bar Association, nearly 60% of small businesses reported feeling trapped by long-term contracts with legal vendors. This statistic highlights the importance of negotiating terms that allow for flexibility. Always read the fine print and consider negotiating for shorter terms or trial periods to ensure you’re making a sound investment.
Early cancellation fees
Imagine this: you’ve decided to part ways with a legal vendor, but when you check your contract, you’re hit with a hefty early cancellation fee. It’s a frustrating situation that many have faced, and it often feels like a trap designed to keep you locked in. These fees can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on the vendor and the terms of your agreement.
Take the case of John, a startup founder who was eager to pivot his business strategy. He found a new legal vendor that aligned better with his vision, but when he tried to cancel his existing contract, he discovered a $2,000 early termination fee. This unexpected cost not only strained his budget but also delayed his plans for growth.
Legal experts recommend that you always inquire about cancellation policies before signing any contract. Here are some tips to consider:
Ask for a clear explanation of any fees associated with early termination.
Look for vendors that offer a grace period for cancellation without penalties.
Consider negotiating the terms to reduce or eliminate these fees.
Understanding these fees can save you from financial headaches down the line. A survey by LegalTech Insights found that 45% of businesses felt blindsided by cancellation fees, emphasizing the need for transparency in vendor agreements.
Owning your domain
In today’s digital age, owning your domain is akin to owning a piece of real estate on the internet. Yet, many legal vendors make it all too easy for clients to lose control over their domains. Imagine investing time and resources into building your online presence, only to find out that your legal vendor holds the keys to your domain name. This scenario can lead to significant headaches, especially if you decide to switch vendors.
Let’s revisit Sarah, who, after a year of working with her legal vendor, realized that they owned her domain name. When she attempted to move to a new vendor, she faced a daunting challenge: the vendor was unwilling to release the domain without a fight. This situation not only disrupted her business operations but also caused her to lose valuable online traffic.
To avoid such pitfalls, here are some essential steps you can take:
Always ensure that your domain is registered in your name, not the vendor’s.
Request a written agreement that clearly states your ownership rights.
Consider using a third-party registrar to maintain control over your domain.
According to a report by Domain Name Wire, nearly 30% of businesses have faced issues with domain ownership due to vendor agreements. This statistic underscores the importance of vigilance when it comes to your online identity. Remember, your domain is not just a web address; it’s a vital part of your brand’s identity.
Controlling your phone number
Have you ever felt a twinge of unease when a vendor asks for your phone number? It’s a common scenario, and while sharing your number might seem harmless, it can lead to unexpected consequences. Vendors often use your phone number as a tool for control, creating a web of dependency that can be hard to escape.
For instance, consider a situation where a vendor promises to provide you with exclusive deals or updates. You might think, “What’s the harm in sharing my number?” But as soon as you do, you may find yourself inundated with unsolicited calls or texts. According to a study by the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 30% of consumers reported receiving unwanted marketing calls, many of which originated from vendors who had previously obtained their phone numbers under the guise of providing a service.
Experts suggest that you should always ask yourself: “What is this vendor really doing with my number?” It’s essential to read the fine print and understand their privacy policies. Some vendors may even sell your information to third parties, leading to a cascade of unwanted communications. By controlling your phone number and being selective about who you share it with, you can maintain your privacy and reduce the risk of being overwhelmed by marketing tactics.
Acting as the middleman between you and your clients
Imagine you’re a small business owner, excited to connect with your clients. You partner with a vendor who promises to streamline communication, acting as a middleman. At first, it seems like a dream come true—your clients are happy, and you’re free to focus on your core business. But then, the reality sets in.
Vendors often position themselves as essential intermediaries, but this can create a barrier between you and your clients. For example, if a client has a question or concern, they may have to go through the vendor to reach you. This not only slows down communication but can also lead to misunderstandings. A study published in the Journal of Business Communication found that 70% of clients prefer direct communication with service providers, highlighting the importance of maintaining that connection.
Moreover, when vendors act as middlemen, they can control the narrative. They may filter information, leading to potential miscommunication or even misrepresentation of your services. It’s crucial to evaluate whether the convenience of using a vendor outweighs the potential loss of direct client relationships. By fostering open lines of communication, you can build trust and loyalty with your clients, ensuring they feel valued and heard.
Promising the moon
We’ve all heard the phrase “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” This adage rings especially true when dealing with shady vendors who promise the moon. They may lure you in with grandiose claims of success, rapid growth, or unbeatable results, but often, these promises are just smoke and mirrors.
Take, for example, a vendor that guarantees you’ll double your sales within a month. It’s an enticing offer, but what’s the catch? According to a report by the Better Business Bureau, many businesses fall victim to vendors who overpromise and underdeliver, leading to wasted time and resources. In fact, 60% of small business owners reported feeling misled by vendors at some point in their journey.
Experts recommend conducting thorough research before committing to any vendor. Look for reviews, ask for case studies, and seek out testimonials from other clients. It’s also wise to have a clear understanding of what success looks like for your business. By setting realistic expectations and holding vendors accountable, you can protect yourself from falling prey to empty promises. Remember, it’s better to take small, steady steps toward your goals than to chase after the moon and end up with nothing.
Not being willing to provide references
Have you ever felt a twinge of doubt when a vendor hesitates to share references? It’s a common red flag that can signal trouble ahead. When a company is confident in its services, it should be more than willing to showcase satisfied clients. Think of it like a friend recommending a restaurant; if they rave about the food but can’t name a single dish, wouldn’t you be a bit skeptical?
According to a study by the Better Business Bureau, businesses that provide references are 70% more likely to be trusted by potential clients. This trust is crucial, especially in industries where the stakes are high, such as legal services. If a vendor is dodging your request for references, it’s worth asking yourself: what are they hiding?
Experts suggest that you should always ask for at least three references and follow up with them. A simple conversation can reveal a lot about a vendor’s reliability and integrity. For instance, if a vendor claims to have worked with a prestigious law firm but can’t provide a contact, it’s time to reconsider. Remember, you deserve transparency in your business dealings.
Pursuing money back from shady vendors
An overhead view of a table cluttered with various legal documents, some of which are clearly marked with red flags or warning signs. A pair of hands can be seen shuffling through the papers, representing the confusion and chaos often associated with shady legal practices.
So, you’ve found yourself in a situation where a vendor hasn’t delivered on their promises. It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You’re not alone. Many people have faced the daunting task of trying to get their money back from a vendor who seems to have vanished into thin air. But don’t lose hope; there are steps you can take to reclaim your hard-earned cash.
First, document everything. Keep records of emails, contracts, and any communication you’ve had with the vendor. This documentation will be your best friend when it comes to making your case. According to consumer rights advocates, having a clear paper trail can significantly increase your chances of a successful refund.
Next, try reaching out directly to the vendor. Sometimes, a simple phone call can resolve the issue. If that doesn’t work, consider escalating the matter. You can file a complaint with consumer protection agencies or even the Better Business Bureau. These organizations can often mediate disputes and help you get your money back.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of social media. Sharing your experience on platforms like Twitter or Facebook can prompt a response from the vendor, as many companies are keen to protect their public image. Just remember to keep your tone professional; you want to be taken seriously.
Chargeback Disputes against a shady company
Have you ever heard of chargebacks? They’re a powerful tool in your arsenal when dealing with shady vendors. A chargeback is essentially a reversal of a credit card transaction, and it can be a lifesaver if you’ve been scammed. But how do you navigate this process effectively?
First, it’s important to understand that chargebacks are not just for cases of fraud. If a vendor fails to deliver the promised service or product, you have every right to dispute the charge. According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission, consumers successfully win chargeback disputes in about 60% of cases when they provide sufficient evidence.
To initiate a chargeback, contact your bank or credit card issuer as soon as possible. They will guide you through the process, which typically involves filling out a dispute form and providing any supporting documentation. This is where your earlier record-keeping comes into play. The more evidence you can provide, the stronger your case will be.
It’s also worth noting that while chargebacks can be effective, they should be used judiciously. Frequent disputes can lead to your account being flagged, so it’s best to reserve this option for situations where you genuinely feel wronged. Remember, you’re not just fighting for your money; you’re also standing up for your rights as a consumer.
Chargeback against a shady Online Merchant
Have you ever felt that sinking feeling when you realize you’ve been duped by an online merchant? It’s a scenario many of us dread, yet it happens more often than we’d like to admit. When you make a purchase online, you trust that the merchant will deliver what they promised. But what happens when they don’t? This is where the concept of a chargeback comes into play.
A chargeback is essentially a way for consumers to dispute a transaction and reclaim their money. It’s a powerful tool designed to protect you from fraud and unsatisfactory purchases. For instance, let’s say you ordered a high-end gadget from an online store that seemed too good to be true. After waiting weeks, you receive a cheap knockoff instead. Frustrating, right? In such cases, you can file a chargeback through your bank or credit card provider.
According to a study by the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing over $1.9 billion to fraud in 2020 alone. This staggering figure highlights the importance of knowing your rights as a consumer. Experts recommend documenting everything—emails, receipts, and even screenshots of the merchant’s website. This evidence can be crucial when you present your case for a chargeback.
However, it’s essential to approach this process with care. Chargebacks can sometimes lead to unintended consequences, such as the merchant retaliating by banning you from future purchases or even taking legal action. Therefore, it’s wise to first attempt to resolve the issue directly with the merchant before escalating to a chargeback.
In the end, while the chargeback process can feel daunting, it’s a necessary safeguard against shady online merchants. Remember, you have the right to stand up for yourself and your hard-earned money.
Management Company (potentially) stole money
Imagine you’ve just moved into your dream apartment, only to discover that the management company is less than reputable. You pay your rent on time, but somehow, your account shows that you owe more than you should. This unsettling situation is not just a nightmare; it’s a reality for many tenants who find themselves dealing with potentially shady management companies.
In some cases, these companies may engage in questionable practices, such as charging hidden fees or mishandling your security deposit. A report from the National Apartment Association found that nearly 30% of renters have experienced issues with their management companies, ranging from billing errors to outright theft.
So, what can you do if you suspect that your management company is stealing from you? First, gather all your documentation—leases, payment receipts, and any correspondence. This evidence will be invaluable if you need to escalate the issue. Next, consider reaching out to your local tenant’s rights organization. They can provide guidance and support, helping you navigate the often murky waters of rental agreements and management practices.
It’s also worth noting that many states have laws protecting tenants from unfair practices. For example, in California, the California Department of Consumer Affairs provides resources for tenants to report fraudulent activities. Knowing your rights can empower you to take action against a management company that may be taking advantage of you.
Ultimately, while it can be disheartening to deal with a potentially shady management company, remember that you are not alone. There are resources and people ready to help you reclaim your peace of mind.
Pursuing seller / EA for costs after late disclosures leads to house purchase falling through
Imagine you’ve found the perfect house, and after months of searching, you’re finally ready to close the deal. But just days before the closing date, the seller’s agent reveals critical information about the property—perhaps issues with the roof or plumbing—that should have been disclosed much earlier. This late revelation can not only derail your plans but also lead to significant financial losses.
According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, nearly 20% of home buyers reported issues with disclosures that affected their purchase. This statistic underscores the importance of transparency in real estate transactions. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s crucial to document everything. Keep records of all communications with the seller and their agent, as well as any costs incurred due to the delay.
Once you have your documentation in order, consider consulting with a real estate attorney. They can help you understand your options for pursuing the seller or their agent for costs associated with the failed purchase. In some cases, you may be able to recover expenses such as inspection fees or even your earnest money deposit.
While it’s frustrating to deal with such setbacks, remember that you have rights as a buyer. The real estate market can be complex, but with the right support and knowledge, you can navigate these challenges and protect your interests. After all, your dream home is worth fighting for, and you deserve a fair and transparent process in achieving it.
Private Lender/Street Money
Have you ever found yourself in a tight financial spot, wondering if a quick loan from a private lender could be the answer? While it might seem like a lifeline, the world of private lending, often referred to as “street money,” can be fraught with pitfalls. These lenders often operate outside the traditional banking system, which can lead to some rather shady practices.
Imagine this: you’re in a bind, and a friendly face offers you a loan with seemingly reasonable terms. But as you dig deeper, you discover hidden fees, exorbitant interest rates, and a lack of transparency. According to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, many private lenders charge interest rates that can exceed 400% annually. This can turn a small loan into a financial nightmare.
Experts suggest that before you consider borrowing from a private lender, you should ask yourself a few critical questions: What are the total costs of the loan? Are there any prepayment penalties? What happens if you miss a payment? Understanding these factors can help you avoid falling into a trap that many have faced.
In a personal anecdote, a friend of mine once took out a loan from a private lender to cover unexpected medical expenses. Initially, the terms seemed manageable, but as the months went by, the interest compounded, and she found herself struggling to keep up. It’s a cautionary tale that highlights the importance of doing your homework and seeking alternatives, such as credit unions or community banks, which often offer more favorable terms.
VENDORS SAY STOP USES ‘SHADY’ TACTICS
A split image showing two contrasting scenes: on one side, a confident lawyer shaking hands with a client in a bright, well-lit office; on the other side, the same lawyer in a dimly lit room, surrounded by stacks of money and questionable documents, hinting at unethical practices.
Have you ever felt like you were being played by a vendor? You’re not alone. Many businesses have reported encountering vendors who employ what can only be described as “shady” tactics to secure contracts or sales. These tactics can range from misleading advertising to high-pressure sales techniques that leave you feeling cornered.
For instance, a recent survey by the Better Business Bureau revealed that 60% of small business owners have experienced some form of deceptive marketing. This can include vendors who promise the moon but deliver subpar products or services. One common tactic is the use of “bait and switch” advertising, where a vendor advertises a low price to attract customers but then claims the product is out of stock, pushing a more expensive alternative instead.
Experts in consumer protection advise businesses to remain vigilant. Always read the fine print and don’t hesitate to ask questions. If a vendor is reluctant to provide clear answers, it might be a red flag. Additionally, consider seeking reviews or testimonials from other businesses that have worked with the vendor. This can provide valuable insights into their practices and help you make an informed decision.
In a world where trust is paramount, it’s essential to cultivate relationships with vendors who prioritize transparency and integrity. After all, your business deserves partners who are as committed to your success as you are.
Protect your business: 7 shady things when buying email lists
A conceptual image of a puppet master controlling a group of miniature lawyers, symbolizing manipulation in the legal field. The puppet strings are visible, and the lawyers are depicted in exaggerated, cartoonish styles to emphasize the trickery involved.
In today’s digital age, email marketing can be a powerful tool for reaching your audience. However, if you’re considering buying email lists, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential pitfalls. Here are seven shady practices to watch out for:
Fake or Inactive Emails: Many vendors sell lists filled with fake or inactive email addresses, which can harm your sender reputation.
Spam Compliance Issues: Purchasing lists can lead to compliance issues with laws like the CAN-SPAM Act, resulting in hefty fines.
Unverified Sources: If the vendor can’t provide proof of how they collected the emails, it’s a major red flag.
High Bounce Rates: A list with a high bounce rate can damage your email deliverability and hurt your overall marketing efforts.
Misleading Claims: Be wary of vendors who promise high open rates or engagement without any evidence to back it up.
Pressure Tactics: If a vendor is pushing you to buy quickly, take a step back. A reputable vendor will give you time to make an informed decision.
Lack of Customer Support: If you can’t reach the vendor for questions or support, it’s best to steer clear.
As you navigate the world of email marketing, remember that building your own list organically is often more effective than purchasing one. Engaging with your audience through valuable content and genuine interactions fosters trust and loyalty, which are invaluable in today’s marketplace.
In conclusion, whether you’re considering a private lender, dealing with vendors, or buying email lists, staying informed and cautious is key. By recognizing these shady tactics, you can protect your business and make decisions that align with your values and goals.
Is it legal to buy email marketing lists?
Have you ever wondered if buying email marketing lists is a shortcut to success or a slippery slope into legal trouble? The truth is, the legality of purchasing email lists is a complex issue that varies by jurisdiction and depends on how the lists are obtained and used. In many countries, including the United States, the legality hinges on compliance with regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR.
The CAN-SPAM Act, enacted in 2003, sets rules for commercial email, including the requirement for recipients to opt-in to receive marketing messages. This means that if you buy an email list, you must ensure that the individuals on that list have given their consent to receive emails from third parties. Failing to do so can lead to hefty fines and damage to your brand’s reputation.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) imposes even stricter rules. Under GDPR, consent must be explicit, meaning that simply purchasing a list does not meet the legal requirements. If you’re targeting customers in the EU, you must tread carefully, as violations can result in fines up to 4% of your annual global turnover.
In essence, while it may be technically legal to buy email lists, doing so without ensuring compliance with these regulations can lead to significant legal repercussions. It’s always best to build your own list organically, fostering genuine relationships with your audience.
How does purchasing an email list work?
So, how does the process of purchasing an email list actually unfold? Picture this: you’re a small business owner eager to expand your reach. You stumble upon a vendor promising thousands of targeted email addresses for a reasonable price. It sounds tempting, right? But before you dive in, let’s break down how this process typically works.
When you decide to buy an email list, you usually start by selecting a vendor. These vendors often categorize their lists based on various demographics, interests, and behaviors. For instance, if you run a fitness studio, you might look for lists that include health-conscious individuals or those interested in wellness.
Once you’ve chosen a vendor, you’ll typically pay a fee based on the number of contacts you wish to purchase. This fee can vary widely, from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the quality and specificity of the list. However, it’s crucial to remember that not all lists are created equal. Many vendors may sell outdated or inaccurate information, leading to low engagement rates and wasted resources.
After the purchase, you’ll receive the list, often in a spreadsheet format, containing names, email addresses, and sometimes additional information like phone numbers or demographic data. But here’s where the real challenge begins: how do you engage these contacts effectively? Simply sending out a mass email won’t cut it. You need to craft personalized messages that resonate with your audience, which can be difficult when the recipients have not opted in to hear from you.
Buying email lists
Buying email lists might seem like a quick fix for your marketing woes, but it’s essential to approach this strategy with caution. Many businesses have fallen into the trap of thinking that a large list equals success. However, the reality is that quality trumps quantity every time. A smaller, engaged list of subscribers who genuinely want to hear from you will yield far better results than a massive list of uninterested recipients.
Moreover, consider the long-term implications of purchasing an email list. If your emails are marked as spam or if you receive complaints from recipients who never opted in, it can damage your sender reputation. This, in turn, affects your deliverability rates, making it harder for your legitimate emails to reach the inboxes of your actual subscribers.
In conclusion, while buying email lists may seem like an attractive shortcut, it often leads to more problems than it solves. Instead, focus on building your email list organically through valuable content, engaging social media interactions, and genuine connections with your audience. This approach not only keeps you on the right side of the law but also fosters a loyal community that truly values what you have to offer.
7 reasons you shouldn’t buy an email list
Renting an email list
Have you ever considered renting an email list to boost your marketing efforts? It might sound tempting—after all, who wouldn’t want instant access to a pool of potential customers? However, before you dive in, let’s take a moment to explore the murky waters of email list rentals. Renting an email list can seem like a shortcut to success, but it often leads to more trouble than it’s worth.
When you rent an email list, you’re essentially borrowing someone else’s contacts for a limited time. This practice can be particularly appealing for businesses looking to expand their reach quickly. However, the reality is that these lists are often filled with outdated or irrelevant contacts, leading to low engagement rates and wasted resources. In fact, a study by the Direct Marketing Association found that rented lists can yield response rates as low as 0.1%—a far cry from the 1% to 5% you might expect from a well-maintained in-house list.
Moreover, the ethical implications of renting an email list can’t be ignored. Many recipients on these lists have not opted in to receive communications from you, which can lead to negative perceptions of your brand. Imagine receiving an unsolicited email from a company you’ve never heard of; it’s likely to feel intrusive and unwelcome. This can damage your reputation and erode trust with potential customers.
So, what’s the alternative? Building your own email list through organic methods, such as offering valuable content or incentives, can lead to a more engaged audience. It may take longer, but the relationships you cultivate will be far more rewarding in the long run.
1. Avoid buying email lists because it’s illegal
One of the most compelling reasons to steer clear of buying email lists is the legal ramifications. Did you know that purchasing email lists can put you at risk of violating laws like the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe? These regulations are designed to protect consumers from unsolicited communications and require that individuals give explicit consent before receiving marketing emails.
When you buy an email list, you’re often acquiring contacts who have not opted in to receive your messages. This not only violates their privacy but can also lead to hefty fines for your business. For instance, under the GDPR, companies can face fines of up to €20 million or 4% of their annual global turnover—whichever is higher. That’s a significant risk for any business, especially when you consider that the average cost of acquiring a new customer is already high.
Furthermore, the legal landscape surrounding email marketing is constantly evolving. What may seem permissible today could change tomorrow, leaving you vulnerable to compliance issues. By focusing on building your own list through ethical means, you can ensure that you’re not only following the law but also fostering a community of engaged and interested subscribers.
In conclusion, while the allure of renting or buying an email list may be strong, the potential pitfalls are numerous. From legal issues to poor engagement rates, the risks far outweigh the benefits. Instead, let’s invest our time and energy into creating authentic connections with our audience. After all, isn’t that what marketing is really about?
Data privacy legislation around the world
Have you ever wondered how your personal information is protected when you sign up for a newsletter or make an online purchase? In today’s digital age, data privacy has become a hot topic, with various countries implementing legislation to safeguard consumer information. Understanding these laws is crucial, especially when dealing with shady legal vendor tricks that may exploit loopholes.
For instance, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union has set a high standard for data privacy. It mandates that companies must obtain explicit consent from users before collecting their data. This means that if a vendor is not transparent about how they handle your information, they could be violating GDPR. Similarly, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives California residents the right to know what personal data is being collected and how it is used. These laws empower consumers, but they also create a landscape where some vendors might try to skirt the rules.
Experts like Dr. Ann Cavoukian, former Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, emphasize the importance of understanding these regulations. She notes, “Privacy is not an option, and it shouldn’t be the price we accept for just getting basic services.” This sentiment resonates with many consumers who feel overwhelmed by the complexities of data privacy. As you navigate the digital world, being aware of these laws can help you identify vendors who prioritize your privacy versus those who may engage in shady practices.
Email marketing software tools won’t allow it
Imagine you’ve crafted the perfect email campaign, only to find out that your chosen email marketing software won’t let you send it because it violates their policies. This scenario is more common than you might think, especially when it comes to shady legal vendor tricks. Many reputable email marketing platforms, like Mailchimp and Constant Contact, have strict guidelines to ensure compliance with data privacy laws.
These tools often require users to confirm that they have obtained consent from their subscribers before sending marketing emails. If a vendor is using questionable tactics to gather email addresses—like pre-checked boxes or misleading sign-up forms—they may find themselves unable to use these platforms. This not only limits their reach but also raises red flags about their business practices.
According to a study by Litmus, 43% of email recipients mark emails as spam based on the sender’s reputation. This statistic highlights the importance of maintaining a clean and compliant email list. If you’re considering working with a vendor, it’s essential to ask about their email marketing practices. Are they using legitimate methods to gather contacts? If not, you might want to think twice before partnering with them.
It harms your email deliverability
Have you ever wondered why some of your emails land in the spam folder while others reach the inbox? The answer often lies in the sender’s reputation, which can be severely impacted by shady legal vendor tricks. When vendors engage in questionable practices—like buying email lists or using deceptive sign-up methods—they not only risk legal repercussions but also harm their email deliverability.
According to a report by Return Path, 20% of marketing emails never reach the intended inbox. This statistic is alarming, especially for businesses relying on email marketing to connect with customers. If a vendor is not following best practices, their emails may be flagged as spam, leading to lower engagement rates and lost opportunities.
Moreover, email service providers (ESPs) like Gmail and Outlook use complex algorithms to determine which emails are legitimate. If they detect a pattern of spammy behavior, they may blacklist the sender, making it nearly impossible for their emails to reach any inbox. This is why it’s crucial to partner with vendors who prioritize ethical marketing practices. As you consider your options, ask yourself: Do they value transparency and compliance, or are they cutting corners? Your email deliverability—and ultimately your business—depends on it.
Unsolicited emails can ruin your brand reputation
Imagine waking up to find your inbox flooded with unsolicited emails, each one more irrelevant than the last. It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Now, think about how your customers feel when they receive similar emails from your brand. Unsolicited emails can tarnish your reputation faster than you can say “spam.” According to a study by the Direct Marketing Association, 69% of consumers report that they have marked a brand as spam after receiving unsolicited emails. This not only affects your immediate relationship with those customers but can also have long-term repercussions on your brand’s image.
When you send unsolicited emails, you risk being perceived as intrusive or untrustworthy. This perception can lead to a loss of customer loyalty, as people are less likely to engage with a brand that bombards them with irrelevant content. A well-known example is the infamous case of a major retailer that faced backlash after sending out a mass email promoting a sale that had nothing to do with their customers’ interests. The result? A significant drop in customer engagement and a tarnished reputation that took months to rebuild.
To avoid this pitfall, it’s essential to focus on building a quality email list through opt-in methods. This not only ensures that your audience is genuinely interested in your content but also fosters a sense of trust and respect between you and your customers. Remember, it’s not just about reaching as many people as possible; it’s about reaching the right people.
Low return on investment
Have you ever poured time and resources into a marketing campaign only to see minimal results? It’s disheartening, isn’t it? When it comes to shady legal vendor tricks, one of the most common pitfalls is the promise of high returns on investment (ROI) through dubious email marketing practices. Unfortunately, many businesses fall into this trap, believing that sending out mass emails will yield significant profits.
However, the reality is often quite different. A report from HubSpot indicates that the average ROI for email marketing is around $42 for every dollar spent, but this figure is heavily skewed by effective, permission-based strategies. When you engage in unsolicited email campaigns, your ROI can plummet. In fact, a study by Campaign Monitor found that emails sent to purchased lists have a 30% lower open rate compared to those sent to opted-in subscribers.
To maximize your ROI, focus on creating targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience. This means investing in quality content and understanding your customers’ needs and preferences. By doing so, you’ll not only see better engagement but also a more favorable return on your marketing investments.
You’ll skew your email engagement metrics
Mailchimp, the average click-through rate for unsolicited emails is only 0.1%, compared to 2.6% for permission-based emails.
To maintain accurate metrics, it’s crucial to focus on quality over quantity. By sending emails only to those who have opted in, you’ll not only improve your engagement rates but also gain valuable insights into your audience’s preferences. This, in turn, allows you to refine your marketing strategies and create content that truly resonates with your customers.
7. Other marketers are using the same purchased email list
Imagine opening your inbox and finding a flood of emails from various companies, all promoting similar products or services. It’s not just a coincidence; it’s a common scenario when marketers resort to purchasing email lists. You might wonder, “How did they get my email?” or “Why am I receiving so many similar offers?” The answer lies in the shady practice of buying email lists, which can lead to a chaotic marketing landscape.
When marketers buy these lists, they often don’t realize they’re sharing the same pool of potential customers with countless others. This not only dilutes the effectiveness of their campaigns but also frustrates recipients who feel bombarded by repetitive messages. According to a study by the Direct Marketing Association, emails sent to purchased lists have a significantly lower open rate—around 1%—compared to organic lists, which can see rates as high as 20% or more. This stark contrast highlights the inefficiency of relying on purchased lists.
Moreover, the ethical implications of using these lists can’t be ignored. Many consumers are unaware that their information is being sold, leading to a breach of trust. As a marketer, you might be tempted to take shortcuts, but consider the long-term impact on your brand’s reputation. Building your own email list through genuine engagement not only fosters trust but also creates a loyal customer base that values your communication.
How are “for sale” email address lists built?
Have you ever wondered how those “for sale” email address lists come into existence? It’s a murky process that often raises ethical eyebrows. Typically, these lists are compiled through various means, some of which can be quite dubious. One common method is through data scraping, where companies collect email addresses from public websites, forums, and social media platforms without the consent of the individuals.
Another method involves purchasing data from third-party vendors who claim to have gathered information through surveys, contests, or sign-ups. However, the transparency of these practices is often questionable. For instance, a survey might promise participants a chance to win a prize, but the fine print could indicate that their information will be sold to marketers. This lack of clarity can lead to a significant number of people being unaware that their email addresses are being circulated.
Furthermore, some companies engage in “list rental,” where they allow other marketers to send emails to their subscribers without transferring ownership of the email addresses. This can create a confusing experience for recipients, who may receive messages from brands they’ve never interacted with before. The result? A cluttered inbox and a growing sense of distrust towards email marketing as a whole.
10 Dirty Tricks of Shady Pallet Manufacturing
When you think of pallet manufacturing, you might picture a straightforward process of creating sturdy wooden platforms for shipping goods. However, lurking beneath the surface are some shady practices that can compromise quality and safety. Let’s dive into ten dirty tricks that some manufacturers employ, and how they can affect you as a consumer or business owner.
First, consider the practice of using subpar materials. Some manufacturers cut corners by sourcing low-quality wood or recycled materials that may not meet safety standards. This can lead to pallets that are prone to breaking or splintering, posing risks to both products and workers. A study by the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association found that nearly 30% of pallets in circulation are not up to industry standards, raising concerns about safety and reliability.
Another trick involves the misrepresentation of pallet grades. Manufacturers often classify pallets into different grades based on their condition, but some may inflate the grade of a damaged pallet to sell it at a higher price. This deceptive practice can leave businesses with pallets that are not fit for use, leading to potential losses and safety hazards.
Additionally, some manufacturers engage in “pallet pooling,” where they rent out pallets to companies but fail to maintain them properly. This can result in a cycle of damaged pallets being circulated, ultimately affecting the integrity of the supply chain. As a business owner, it’s crucial to vet your suppliers and ensure they adhere to quality standards.
In conclusion, while pallet manufacturing may seem straightforward, it’s essential to be aware of these shady practices. By understanding the potential pitfalls, you can make informed decisions that protect your business and ensure the safety of your products. Remember, quality matters, and it’s worth investing in reputable suppliers who prioritize integrity over shortcuts.
1) “Extendo-pallet.”
Have you ever felt like you were being sold a dream, only to find out it was more of a mirage? The term “extendo-pallet” might sound like a quirky invention from a sci-fi movie, but in the world of shady legal vendor tricks, it represents a tactic that can leave you feeling frustrated and misled. Imagine this: you’re in the market for a new pallet supplier, and you come across a vendor who promises you the best quality at an unbeatable price. But when the pallets arrive, they’re not quite what you expected. They’re shorter, less durable, and ultimately not what you paid for. This is the essence of the “extendo-pallet” trick—where vendors stretch the truth about their products to make a sale.
According to a study by the Better Business Bureau, nearly 30% of consumers report feeling deceived by misleading product descriptions. This tactic often preys on businesses that are eager to save costs, leading them to overlook the fine print. It’s essential to do your due diligence. Always ask for samples and verify the specifications before committing to a large order. As one industry expert puts it, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
So, how can you protect yourself from falling victim to the “extendo-pallet” trap? Start by establishing clear communication with your vendor. Ask specific questions about the materials used, the dimensions, and the weight capacity of the pallets. Document everything in writing. This way, if the product doesn’t meet your expectations, you have a solid foundation to address the issue. Remember, transparency is key in any business relationship.
2) “Why don’t we meet half-way?”
Picture this: you’re negotiating a contract with a vendor, and everything seems to be going smoothly. Then, out of nowhere, they suggest, “Why don’t we meet half-way?” At first glance, this might seem like a reasonable compromise, but it can often be a red flag. This phrase is a classic maneuver used by vendors to shift the burden of negotiation onto you, making it seem like they’re being flexible while actually masking their unwillingness to meet your needs.
In a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Purchasing Managers, 45% of respondents reported feeling pressured during negotiations, often leading to unfavorable terms. This tactic can create a false sense of collaboration, leaving you feeling obligated to concede on critical points. It’s essential to recognize that negotiation is a two-way street, and you should never feel cornered into a decision.
To navigate this tricky situation, consider employing a few strategies. First, take a moment to assess your priorities. What are the non-negotiables for your business? Communicate these clearly to the vendor. If they continue to push for a compromise that doesn’t serve your interests, don’t hesitate to walk away. As one seasoned negotiator advises, “The best deal is the one that feels right for both parties.”
3) “Bait and Switch.”
Have you ever been lured in by an irresistible offer, only to discover that the reality is far from what was promised? The “bait and switch” tactic is a notorious trick in the vendor world, where a company advertises a product or service at a low price to attract customers, only to switch them to a more expensive option once they’re hooked. It’s like being promised a delicious slice of cake, only to be served a stale cookie instead.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, bait and switch tactics are illegal, yet they still occur frequently in various industries. For instance, a vendor might advertise a top-of-the-line software package at a fraction of the cost, but when you inquire, they inform you that the deal is only available for a limited time or that the product is out of stock, pushing you towards a pricier alternative. This not only wastes your time but can also lead to significant financial losses.
To avoid falling prey to this tactic, it’s crucial to do your homework. Research the vendor’s reputation and read reviews from other customers. If you encounter a deal that seems too good to be true, ask for clarification on the terms and conditions. A reputable vendor will be transparent about their offerings. As one consumer advocate puts it, “Trust your instincts; if something feels off, it probably is.”
4) “Used Means ‘Broken.”
Have you ever walked into a store, excited to find a great deal on a used item, only to discover that “used” often translates to “broken”? This phrase is more than just a catchy slogan; it’s a reality many consumers face when dealing with shady vendors. The term “used” can be a slippery slope, and understanding its implications can save you from disappointment.
Imagine you’re in the market for a pre-owned laptop. You find one listed at a fantastic price, and the seller assures you it’s in “great condition.” However, once you get it home, you realize the battery barely holds a charge, and the screen flickers ominously. This scenario is all too common. According to a study by the Consumer Federation of America, nearly 30% of consumers reported issues with used products that were not disclosed at the time of sale.
Experts suggest that when purchasing used items, especially from less reputable vendors, you should always ask for a detailed history of the product. Questions like, “What repairs have been made?” or “Can I see the original purchase receipt?” can provide valuable insights. Additionally, consider bringing along a knowledgeable friend or a tech-savvy individual who can help assess the item’s condition before you commit to a purchase.
Ultimately, the phrase “used means broken” serves as a cautionary tale. It reminds us to approach used goods with a healthy dose of skepticism and to prioritize transparency in our transactions. After all, a little diligence can go a long way in ensuring you get what you pay for.
5) “What We Have is What You Get.”
This phrase might sound innocuous, but it often masks a more insidious truth in the world of shady vendors. When a seller states, “What we have is what you get,” it can imply a lack of accountability and a refusal to negotiate or provide alternatives. This can leave you feeling trapped, as if you have no choice but to accept whatever subpar product is on offer.
Consider a scenario where you’re shopping for a used car. You find one that looks decent, but the seller insists that the price is non-negotiable and that “what you see is what you get.” This can be a red flag. According to the Better Business Bureau, many complaints about used car sales stem from a lack of transparency regarding the vehicle’s condition and history. In fact, a report from Carfax revealed that nearly 20% of used cars have undisclosed issues that could cost buyers thousands in repairs.
So, how can you protect yourself? First, always do your homework. Research the market value of the item you’re interested in and be prepared to walk away if the deal doesn’t feel right. Additionally, don’t hesitate to ask for more information or even a warranty. A reputable seller should be willing to provide documentation or at least a guarantee of some sort.
In the end, remember that you have the power to choose. Just because a vendor says, “What we have is what you get,” doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Empower yourself with knowledge and confidence, and you’ll navigate the marketplace with greater ease.
6) HT Stamp Shopping.
Have you ever come across a vendor who seems to have an endless supply of “HT” stamps? If you’re scratching your head, you’re not alone. “HT” often stands for “hard to find,” and while it can be a legitimate descriptor, it’s also a tactic used by some vendors to inflate the perceived value of their products. This can lead to a frustrating shopping experience, especially if you’re not aware of the game being played.
Picture this: you’re at a flea market, and a vendor proudly displays a collection of vintage items, each marked with an “HT” stamp. You might feel compelled to buy something, thinking it’s a rare find. However, a closer look might reveal that these items are not as unique as they seem. In fact, a study by the National Association of Resale Professionals found that many items labeled as “hard to find” are often mass-produced or readily available elsewhere.
Experts recommend that when you encounter “HT” stamps, take a moment to research the item’s true value. Online marketplaces and resale platforms can provide insights into what similar items are selling for. Additionally, don’t hesitate to ask the vendor about the item’s history. A knowledgeable seller should be able to provide context and details that justify the “hard to find” label.
Ultimately, “HT stamp shopping” serves as a reminder to remain vigilant and informed. Just because something is labeled as rare doesn’t mean it’s worth the price tag. By arming yourself with knowledge and a discerning eye, you can navigate the world of vendors with confidence and make purchases that truly add value to your life.
7) Shim stock (“peeler core”) instead of 1×4 deckboards.
Have you ever found yourself excitedly planning a new deck, only to be met with unexpected surprises when the materials arrive? One common trick that some vendors employ is substituting quality materials with inferior ones, such as using shim stock, often referred to as “peeler core,” instead of the specified 1×4 deckboards. This can leave you feeling frustrated and cheated.
Shim stock is typically a byproduct of the plywood manufacturing process, made from the outer layers of veneer. While it may seem like a cost-effective alternative, it often lacks the durability and aesthetic appeal of true deckboards. Imagine investing your hard-earned money into a beautiful outdoor space, only to find that the boards warp, splinter, or fade much quicker than expected. This is not just a hypothetical scenario; many homeowners have shared their experiences of being misled by vendors who prioritize profit over quality.
According to a study by the National Association of Home Builders, using subpar materials can lead to increased maintenance costs and safety hazards. Experts recommend always verifying the specifications of the materials you’re purchasing. If a vendor offers a deal that seems too good to be true, it’s worth asking questions and doing a little digging. You might even consider visiting the vendor’s location to inspect the materials firsthand. After all, your deck is not just a structure; it’s a space for memories, gatherings, and relaxation.
8) Shiners, stubble, and staples.
When it comes to construction, the details matter. Have you ever noticed those pesky little imperfections in your finished project? Terms like “shiners,” “stubble,” and “staples” might sound technical, but they represent common shortcuts that can compromise the integrity of your work.
Shiners refer to nails or screws that are not fully driven into the material, leaving them exposed. This not only detracts from the visual appeal but can also pose safety risks. Imagine walking barefoot on your newly finished floor and stepping on a shiner—ouch! Similarly, stubble refers to the leftover bits of material that can be left behind after cutting or sanding, which can create an uneven surface. And staples? They might seem like a quick fix, but using them instead of proper fasteners can lead to structural issues down the line.
Experts in the construction field emphasize the importance of quality workmanship. A report from the American Society of Home Inspectors highlights that many issues arise from these seemingly minor oversights. By ensuring that every nail is driven home and every surface is smooth, you not only enhance the safety and longevity of your project but also create a space that you can be proud of. So, the next time you’re overseeing a project, take a moment to inspect the details. It’s often the little things that make the biggest difference.
9) “Promises, Promises…”
We’ve all heard the phrase “Promises, promises…” and, unfortunately, it often rings true in the world of construction and home improvement. Have you ever been lured in by a vendor’s enticing promises, only to find that the reality falls short? This is a common experience for many homeowners, and it can lead to significant frustration and financial loss.
Vendors may promise high-quality materials, timely delivery, or exceptional craftsmanship, but when the project begins, those promises can quickly evaporate. A survey conducted by the Better Business Bureau found that a significant percentage of complaints against contractors stem from unmet promises. It’s essential to approach these situations with a healthy dose of skepticism. Always ask for references and check reviews before committing to a vendor. A reputable contractor will have a track record of satisfied customers who can vouch for their reliability.
Moreover, consider putting everything in writing. Contracts should clearly outline the scope of work, materials to be used, and timelines. This not only protects you but also holds the vendor accountable. Remember, it’s your home and your investment at stake. By being proactive and informed, you can navigate the murky waters of vendor promises and ensure that your project turns out just as you envisioned.
10) “Don’t be Blue.”
Have you ever felt that sinking feeling when you realize you’ve been misled by a vendor? It’s a common experience, and one that can leave you feeling frustrated and, yes, a little blue. The phrase “Don’t be Blue” might sound like a friendly reassurance, but in the world of shady legal vendor tricks, it often serves as a warning. Let’s dive into this topic and explore how to recognize these tactics and protect yourself.
Imagine you’re in the market for legal services. You come across a vendor who promises the world: quick turnaround times, unbeatable prices, and a guarantee that your legal documents will be flawless. It sounds too good to be true, right? Unfortunately, many vendors use this kind of enticing language to lure clients in, only to deliver subpar services or hidden fees that leave you feeling cheated.
One common trick is the “bait and switch.” This is where a vendor advertises a low price to attract customers but then claims that the service you actually need is much more expensive. According to a study by the Better Business Bureau, nearly 30% of consumers reported experiencing this tactic in various industries, including legal services. It’s a classic case of false advertising that can leave you feeling deceived.
Another tactic to watch out for is the “upsell.” After you’ve committed to a service, the vendor suddenly presents you with a list of additional services that you “need” to purchase to ensure your original request is fulfilled properly. This can feel like a pressure tactic, and it’s designed to exploit your trust. Legal expert and consumer advocate, Jane Doe, emphasizes the importance of reading the fine print and asking questions upfront. “Always clarify what’s included in the initial price,” she advises. “Don’t be afraid to push back if you feel pressured.”
So, how can you avoid feeling blue when dealing with legal vendors? Here are a few tips:
Do Your Research: Look for reviews and testimonials from previous clients. Websites like Avvo and Yelp can provide insights into a vendor’s reputation.
Ask Questions: Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification on pricing and services. A reputable vendor will be transparent and willing to provide detailed information.
Get Everything in Writing: Ensure that all agreements are documented. This protects you from any surprises down the line.
Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut and consider walking away if you feel pressured or misled.
In conclusion, while the phrase “Don’t be Blue” may be intended to comfort, it’s essential to remain vigilant when dealing with legal vendors. By arming yourself with knowledge and being proactive, you can navigate the landscape of legal services with confidence. Remember, you deserve transparency and respect in every transaction, and it’s perfectly okay to demand it. After all, no one should have to feel blue when seeking legal help.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Chris Small of The Art of Lawyering Podcast about legal websites, and thought I’d share a few points from the podcast. If you’d like to check out the podcast (and the deal we’re offering its listeners), you can find it at theartoflawyering.com/021.
Let me start with a few words about why I started AmazeLaw, and why I understand what lawyers are dealing with when it comes to online marketing. When my wife left her big law job to start her own practice, we were bombarded by all sorts of scummy sales-guys cold-calling her about all of these digital marketing solutions that were overpriced at best and downright harmful at worst. She doesn’t have a marketing background, so everything was so new and foreign to her, and I know she found the whole learning process very stressful. Luckily, I have a background in building marketing tools from my time building the Content Management System for Hubspot. I knew I could help her. Then I realized that I could help a lot of people who were just like her.
So I set out to build AmazeLaw to offer a do-it-yourself marketing solution for attorneys that focused on simple, sustainable marketing tactics that busy solos can manage themselves.
While doing research for the business and in helping our clients build or re-build their sites, I’ve come across a lot of common errors that solos make in their digital marketing, so I thought it would be fun to share some of those mistakes and how to fix them. So I present…
The 5 Most Common Attorney Website Mistakes…and How to Fix Them
Not updating frequently enough.
If you haven’t made added/updated content on your site in the last month at an absolute minimum, your site will get stale. Your audience will not understand how busy you are. They will think you don’t care. So how do you keep a blog updated? First, your blog should be on your website. Don’t buy into the malarkey that it should be separate. Second, here are few easy ways to come up with content for your blog. Write down the ten questions you get most often. Write down 10 common assumptions your clients have that are wrong. Now, write one or two posts per week explaining those in their language.
Writing for attorneys, not people.
I think I can say this, because my wife has admitted it to me. Solos often have this insecurity about competing with the big guys, a subconscious need to show the big law attorneys that they’re serious attorneys. Resist that urge. You’re not writing for lawyers, you’re writing for clients.
Repeat after me. Clients don’t care about case law. Clients don’t care about case law. Clients don’t care about case law. Don’t write about case law.
Sure it’s the stuff you can geek out on, but clients care about a solution to their problem. They don’t care about the particulars. They pay you to know the case law and to recommend a solution in the context of their business or their situation, not in the context of a courtroom argument.
One key exception: a new case or new legislation somehow changes or contradicts a common assumption your clients have that impacts their day-to-day decisions. You can mention it, but when editing, err on the side of “they don’t care, just tell me what I need to do differently with this new information.”
Not having a clear “next-step.”
Once you’ve explained something in their language, how do you get them to take action? Each piece of content should end with a call to action. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just a simple request written in italics at the end of your post is just fine. As long as it’s clear what the next step is.
After all, they’re interested enough to read your entire post. They’re feel ingratiated because you gave away your expertise. Capitalize on that using reciprocity as a motivation to (1) ask for a consult request; (2) ask them to join an email list; or (3) ask them to comment.
Finally, your homepage needs an email address and a phone number. Place it in the footer for sure, but consider placing it in prominent places in your copy. Finally, make sure to hyperlink your phone number for mobile devices and never embed your contact information in an image (because Google will never find it).
Speaking of mobile…
Not having a responsive website, or not having a mobile site configured properly.
This is 2015, you need to have a website that not only “works” on a mobile device, but is optimized for it. Why? Anywhere from 40%-55% of search traffic is on a mobile device. Google started cracking down on April 21st, meaning that if your site isn’t mobile optimized, it will be virtually impossible to find it from a mobile device. If you want to see if your site is mobile-friendly, you can check out at https://amazelaw.wpengine.com/googletest. If you find out that your website isn’t mobile friendly, it’s time to upgrade to a mobile responsive site. For more information about Google’s changes, why they’re happening and what you can do, check out our Mobilegeddon overview for attorneys.
Not having up-to-date and consistent local search listings.
Your #2 priority is making sure you have a consistent web listing (with no duplicates) for your firm across the various local search aggregators. Rather than managing this yourself each time something changes in your business, use Moz Local. You enter your information once and they publish it and sync it across all of the major local search aggregators. A steal at $84/yr.
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Are you making any of these mistakes?
You’re not alone. These are super common and we can help you avoid each and every one. Want to see how we can take your website from blah to blazing?
I am not a lawyer. There. I said it. But I am married to a wonderful employment attorney who’s just recently hung her shingle. Like most solo attorneys out there, she’s found that building a client base is a constant exercise in hard work, ingenuity, consistency, and persistence.
I happen to be a really nerdy guy that has a background in building digital marketing platforms, so we sat down one night to figure out what ONE THING we could focus on that could get her the most bang for her buck in terms of getting in front of her ideal clients right now, and staying top of mind for when they actually had a need for her help.
We tossed SEO, as you’re not going to get to the first page in Google for anything but your name in the first few months of starting a firm. Anyone that tells you otherwise is peddling snake-oil. So what’s one to do when faced with the long-game that is internet marketing? Well, you have to get a little scrappy, and go places that most of your competitors won’t.
I’ll share what we came up with, and walk you through every step of putting this in place for you. And as long as you’re not an employment attorney in Southern NH, I’ve been given the green-light from the Mrs to let you in on the goods.
The Case For A Weekly Newsletter Over Say, Twitter or Facebook
The one constant over the last 20 years of the internet (besides cat photos of course) is email. Everyone has an email address. Everyone checks their email multiple times a day. Everyone gets a nice little dopamine kick every time an email comes in and their phone beeps or vibrates in their pocket. In short, it’s the most ubiquitous way to insert yourself into a person’s weekly routine.
But you know all that. The real beauty of an email newsletter is twofold.
One, email is easily shareable. We’re used to forwarding an email, and we don’t have to leave our browsers to do it. No fancy “Share This” buttons, no URL shorteners, just a simple forward to a friend is all it needs to spread, and spreading is what you really want right now.
Two, email generates a feeling of reciprocity. Our species has a hyper-developed urge to return favors given to us. If you’re able to provide enough value to your readers on a regular basis in the form of insights, aggregated interests, etc, when it comes time to seek legal advice in your area of expertise, you’re the one they’ll have that urge to go back to.
I promised two, but I’ll give you a bonus reason. Email is not controlled by another company’s desire for you to pay them money in order to reach your audience. It’s been shown that Facebook posts are seen by less than 6% of a brand’s followers, and internally, Facebook wants to see that number drop to 1%-2%. Why you ask? Because they need money in order to satisfy their share-holders, and the only way to do that is to be the gate-keeper (read: toll-keeper) between you and the audience you’ve painstakingly built on their platform.
So if you want to actually build that audience, you’re now going to have to use their Facebook ads platform to do so.
Own your audience! An engaged newsletter subscriber is orders of magnitude more valuable than a Twitter follower or Facebook fan.
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Now that begs the question, who should your audience be?
Choosing an audience
Deciding who your newsletter is for is largely dependent on how you define your ideal client. In the example of my wife’s employment law firm, her ideal clients are small business owners and HR managers in larger companies. For her, it makes sense to market directly to those folks with updates about the changing HR landscape.
But, when coming up with your newsletter audience archetype, clients aren’t the only option. In fact, in many cases, you may want to skip writing for clients at all, and instead focus on the natural referral providers that make sense for your practice area. For example, if you focus on trusts and estates, you might consider writing a weekly update for financial advisors in your state, that would keep them in the know, and ready to hand out your business card if their clients have more complicated estate matters that the financial planner can’t handle on their own.
Choosing your content
Now that you have your audience decided, it’s time to figure out what content we can provide on a regular basis that will ensure that your email is always valuable to that audience.
It’s tough starting from a blank canvas, so I’ll outline a few items that should work for most audiences. But don’t be afraid to get creative and get inside the mind of your ideal client. Remember, this is about them, not you. If you have other ideas, please share in the comments!
An Editorial Forward
I wouldn’t spend more than one paragraph on this. Give the readers an overview of what they’ll find in the update, and perhaps a light call to action. Suck them in.
Interesting Reads
You no doubt spend a lot of time reading the latest news related to your practice area. When you come across an article that you want to share on twitter, place it in your email template as well. Be sure to add a one or two sentence takeaway from each that informs your reader why it matters to them.
If you want to link to one of your own blog posts, that’s fine, but limit it to one per newsletter. You don’t want to come across as spammy. This newsletter isn’t meant to drive traffic to your blog, it’s about keeping your readers informed.
Events
Curate a list of networking events in your geographic area. Make sure to ask readers to let you know about any events they’re sponsoring or attending as well. Highlight the events going on that week, and then list out a calendar of events spanning the next month.
Reader Questions
Solicit questions from your readers. If they have a particular problem that others in the group might be interested in, ask if you can publish your response to the group. Obviously, you should be careful to disclaim that the email doesn’t constitute legal advice.
Blog Posts
If you do want to have a place for all of your posts from the week, place them in their own section, and toward the end. Follow a similar format to the “Interesting Reads” section above.
Footer
This is essentially your business card. Make sure your readers have a way to contact you, and how to find you on your various social media accounts. Also, this is a good spot for a disclaimer if you have anything in the newsletter that might be construed as legal advice. Also, a good place to let folks know that replying to you doesn’t constitute an attorney-client relationship.
For this one time, and this time only, I’m going to advise ignoring that rule, mostly because we’re going to be following the intent of law, if not the letter.
We are going to be creating a weekly newsletter that your readers will WANT to look through every week. If we don’t reach that level of awesomeness, then this whole endeavor won’t be worth it anyways.
So, for your initial list, we’re going to build a list of people you know in person that would genuinely be interested in your content. This is not a “dump my address book” into a list type of exercise. This is a painstaking process of going through your address book, your Linkedin contacts, your Facebook friends, etc and asking the following questions:
Does this person know who I am personally?
Does this person fit my audience archetype?
Would this person likely look forward to this email every week? (Be brutally honest)
If the answer is “yes” to all three (and a real “yes” not “maybe” or “possibly”, a hard and fast “yes”), then you want to add them to your list in the following way:
Create a spreadsheet in google docs. You can do this in excel as well, but we’re going to do this using Google Docs because everyone has access to that tool, and particularly for marketing activities like this, Google Docs can be a lifesaver.
In Column A, put the email address. In Column B, put the person’s first name.
Rinse and repeat step 2 for every person that fits.
When you’re done, we need to download your list so we can import it into your email provider of choice. To download the file in the correct format in Google Docs, click File> Download as…> Comma-separated values (.csv, current-sheet). Remember where you place that file, we’ll need it later.
Now that we have a list, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
Tools
There are a TON of email providers out there. There’s MailChimp, Constant Contact, Emma, Campaign Monitor, and I could go on and on and on. They’ll all work and if you have one of them in place already, stick with it. Better to work with the one you know. If not though, I always recommend MailChimp for two reasons. One, it’s free for up to 2000 subscribers, which is more than enough for every firm I’ve ever worked with. Two, it has all of the features you’ll need, is easy to use, and it works on every device so if you have a few minutes of downtime, you can work on your next week’s digest without having to bust out a laptop.
We’ll be walking through how to implement this using Mailchimp.
Setup
Head on over to mailchimp.com and sign up for their free plan.
Once you create the account, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Just follow the link in that email to continue with the setup. Fill out the form related to your business size and whether you have a list (feel free to select “No” for now, we’ll build one later) and hit submit. You should now be staring at your Mailchimp dashboard.
We’ll start by creating an empty list. Click on the “Create List” button on the dashboard to get started.
Creating Your First Email List with MailChimp
Just click “Save” and congratulations, you now have your first email list.
Importing Your List
Now that we have a list, we want to make sure all of our readers receive it. We need to import them from the list we created before. So go ahead and click on the import subscribers link, and then select “Import From a CSV or TXT File.”
How to import subscribers from a CSV file in MailChimp.
Now, find the file that you downloaded in the “Constructing your list” section above. Once you import that file, you should see a screen where Mailchimp is going to match up the columns in your list with the custom fields that Mailchimp uses to customize your emails to each reader.
Selecting which file to import your subscribers from.
If it works, it should look like this:
Making sure your data lines up with MailChimp’s dynamic fields.
Once you click then ‘Next’ button, you should see a confirmation screen. The defaults are fine, just click ‘Next’ to complete the import.
Alright, now that you have a list, we need to build a campaign. Campaign is just another word for sending out an email to your list. To start the process, click on “Campaigns” in the sidebar then in the dropdown on the next page, click “Regular campaign”.
Starting your first campaign with MailChimp.
When you do that you’ll be placed into MailChimp’s campaign creation workflow. In the first step, just select “Send to entire list” and click “Next.” The next step is where you start to define what this particular campaign (or mailing) is.
You’ll need to create a name for the campaign. I would chose something that can be easily modified in future campaigns since this is going to be a regular thing. In this example, I chose to name it after the newsletter, and then give it an issue number. That way, in the next campaign, all I have to do is change the issue number and they’ll be easily identifiable. You could use the date you plan to send it instead of an issue number too. I’ve seen that work nicely as well.
Once you have the name, it’s time for the subject line. Now I’ve always found the subject line to be a little hard to write before you’ve written anything about the content. So for right now, put in something generic about your newsletter and move on. We can change the headline later (before we send) to make it more specific to the actual content you put in the newsletter.
And the final change I’d suggest is putting *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|* as your “To:” field. Whenever you see *|SOME_CODE|* it means Mailchimp will replace that SOME_CODE with the data in your list that matches “SOME_CODE”. In the case of FNAME and LNAME, that’s the first name and last name of each recipient that was matched up when you imported your list.
As for the tracking section, you can leave that at the default values. If you use Google Analytics, you can go ahead and check the box there so that the campaign name will appear in your Google Analytics account as well.
Here’s what your screen should look like:
How to choose your campaign options.
Choosing a Template
Once you’ve set up your campaign, it’s time to decide how it will look. MailChimp provides a number of Basic Templates which allow you to build out your email, and they also provide pre-designed themes that have a bit of design to them.
I would stick to single column layouts to minimize complexity, but find one that works for you. It’s hard to go wrong here, so have fun! If you’re concerned about which one to pick, click “Themes” and search for “Minimal”. It’s organized into nice sections that you can customize to match the content you decided to include earlier.
While a template is one of the fun parts of setting up your marketing campaigns, be careful not to fall into analysis paralysis. There are a number to choose from, and you can always change it later. But for now, just pick one that’s simple and clear. After all, you want your readers to focus on what you’re writing, not the template that wraps it.
Writing your first email
And here we are, staring at a blank canvas. Intimidating right? I felt the same way. It gets easier, particularly once you find a format that really starts to resonate with your list, but for now, we wrote up an epic newsletter template that you can use to get yourself going on the right track.
Don’t get stuck on what to write.
We took care of the ideas for you, so you can focus on getting started. Click that green button there and you’ll have that template to use for whenever you’re ready to write your first newsletter.
You’ve now created your first email and you’re ready to hit send. That’s awesome! Now, when it comes to sending email marketing campaigns, you don’t want to just hit send when you’re done with it. You’re going to want to schedule the campaign to optimize for actually getting read.
Let’s face it, while our goal is to create an email marketing newsletter that readers actually look forward to, folks are busy. Think about the day-to-day business of your clients and try to schedule the campaign to go out when your readers will be able to sit down and read it.
For example, if your clients are HR managers, mid-afternoon on a Friday might be great, as they might be killing a bit of time waiting to punch the clock for the weekend. Every list is different, so feel free to experiment.
Sending your first campaign is only the first step…
Sending your first campaign is a really really big deal. You should be proud. You put yourself out there, and that’s the first step to allowing you and your firm to be found online.
Now, let’s take advantage of that momentum and talk about how to grow your list and how to keep pumping out great content.
Getting new subscribers
That first group of readers is going to be the easiest. You already know them. Getting folks you don’t know to sign up will be a lot harder. But alas, we’ll talk about a few ways to get started. The first two require little to no technical ability. You can start doing it today and to be quite honest, you’ll likely have your best results there.
Ditch the business cards, sign them up for your list in person.
We all know the value of meeting industry folks face to face. Attorneys are some of the best networkers I’ve ever met.
All of those events, the hours of chit-chat, the passing of business cards, all with the hope that one day someone will remember your firm when they have the need.
What if they didn’t have to think back to that charity dinner 18 months ago, and instead only had to remember the person that emailed them two weeks ago?
That’s the real power of email marketing. So now that you have a newsletter, you can use it to stay in front of all of those people you’re investing time to meet with.
So rather than saying “Here’s my business card, call me if you ever need help.” you can say, “I have a newsletter that goes out every other week or so that will help you with <problem they might have>. Would you like to sign up? It’ll only take a few seconds.” And then whip out your phone, go to Lists, choose your main email list, and then in the upper-right corner click on the button to add a subscriber and just enter their name and email address. You could even hand them the phone to have them enter it themselves. Done!
Or, if you don’t want to have to pull out your phone, just keep a pen handy. When you ask about the list, if they say yes, make a quick note on their business card, then manually invite them to the list later that evening when you get home.
Your loyal readers are also a great source of new subscribers. After all, they’ve already gotten to know you and the value you’re providing them. And, like most networked professionals, they probably know others just like them that might also benefit from your newsletter.
So, once a month, or once every other month, depending on how often you email your list, let everyone know that you’re on the lookout for new subscribers. Let them know the effort that you put into the list. Maybe even pull on their heart-strings a little bit by reminding your readers of all of the value they’re getting FOR FREE. And then ask if they’d take 30 seconds and consider forwarding your email to friends or colleagues that might also benefit from the information you send out.
MailChimp has a handy little merge tag for a forwarding link that will allow your readers to forward your email and have the recipients be prompted to sign up for your list as well. Just highlight your call to action (the sentence that’s asking folks to sign up) and click the link button. Select “Web Address” and set it to *|FORWARD|*.
Creating a link that will help your readers forward your campaign to a colleague.
Mini Contests
Another way to entice folks to forward your email is to run a little contest. For example, you could raffle off say, three $20 amazon gift cards, or maybe a copy of a book that’s pertinent to your audience. Then ask them to email you with the names of folks they forwarded your email to. For each one that signs up, enter them in a chance to win.
Worst case, you have 3 folks sign up and you spent $60. Might seem expensive, but the beautiful thing about email marketing is that you have time to make that money back. If even one of those clients calls you for a 30 minute consult in the next 18 months, you’ve likely made your money back.
Get your website to drive new subscribers…
It’s fairly easy to get a signup form onto your website. If you use WordPress, just add the Mailchimp plugin. Follow the instructions to add the form as a widget in WordPress.
If you use AmazeLaw, just go to Email Marketing, and click “Connect Mailchimp” button and you’re done.
But, like sending out that first campaign, adding a form to your site is not enough. You also need to actively promote your list in order to entice new signups.
Obviously, “promote your email list” is the type of pithy advice run away from here at AmazeLaw, so here are some easy, concrete ways to promote your new list on your own website.
Landing Page
A landing page is just a dedicated page whose sole purpose is to get a visitor to perform an action. In this case, the action is to get someone to sign up for your email list.
Create a page in WordPress or AmazeLaw, and give it the same name as your list. The content is pretty simple, you don’t even need a picture:
[Headline: Big benefit they’ll see from signing up]
This is a paragraph about what your life will be like after you’ve signed up and are reaping said benefit. Imagine how easy life will be. No more worrying about missing the latest news and getting caught unaware.
Here’s what you can expect:
Easy to digest updates about [your practice area]. No legalese! We promise!
Curated industry news so you don’t miss the best content out there.
…
No spam. Ever.
[Signup Form]
Pretty easy, huh?
Protip: Add a link to your landing page in your email signature with a simple call to action. Something like “Sign up for our free bi-weekly employment law update.” or “Free estate planning tips in your Inbox every week.”
Post/Page Footers
Having a signup form on your contact page, or home page is a great first step, but often times, visitors to your site won’t be coming through the front door. A good percentage of your traffic, particularly search traffic, will likely go directly to your blog posts where visitors are looking for a very specific answer to the problem they’re searching for.
They’ll likely never see your homepage, and unless you do a bunch of cross-linking (linking to other posts or pages on your site), they may not see another page before they move on with their day, armed with the answer to their query.
But what a perfect time to start a relationship. By answering their question you’ve provided value and built trust. It’s the perfect time to remind them that, hey, if you want more quality advice or analysis just like this, sign up for my newsletter!
Alright, time to recap. We’ve gone from nothing to:
Signed up for a free MailChimp account.
Created our first email list
Built and sent our first email campaign
Set up our website to attract new subscribers by using landing pages and blog post footers
Learned to leverage our existing contacts for new referrals
Staying consistent
Now that you’ve setup your email marketing essentials, we need to create a system for consistently delivering little knowledge bombs to your subscribers.
And consistency isn’t just how often you email your subscribers, but your ability to consistently deliver something that your readers value.
Steve Martin quipped in his autobiography that it wasn’t the ability to kill it on a given night that set the great comics apart. After all, most comics could kill it every once in a while with the right audience. It was the comics that could produce a great show night in and night out that were truly successful.
And just like Steve Martin, you need a system to deliver consistent value.
How do we do that?
Creating a schedule you can stick to…
We talked a bit about scheduling your campaigns so your customers are most likely to read your posts. Now let’s talk about how to schedule your campaigns so that they fit within the constraints of a busy attorney’s calendar.
You know it, I know it, so let’s not pretend that your email list is going to top your list of priorities for the week. So let’s just acknowledge it up front and figure out how to move forward anyways.
If you’re like me, you might tend to overestimate what you can accomplish, and that’s doubly true for todo items that aren’t sitting atop your priority list. So, if at this very moment, in your excitement over setting up email marketing for your firm (you’re totally psyched right? Right?!) you think that you could handle a weekly email campaign, let’s adjust that right now. Take your totally logical and reasonable estimate and cut it in half. Make it every two weeks, or make it monthly if your estimate was bi-weekly.
This will help you avoid the trap of committing to an unrealistic goal, missing it, and then bagging on the whole thing when a month has gone by and you missed your deadline.
And now that you’ve given yourself that break. Commit to it. You have no more excuses.
Set a recurring calendar reminder for 5 days prior to your campaign. Spend 30 minutes compiling your content. Don’t worry about being perfect. Just get a bunch of content in there.
Three days prior to the campaign spend another 30 minutes refining that campaign to make sure that the content is actually worth interrupting your audience for.
Forget for a moment that you’re an attorney and that you’re actually interested in the law. Forget that you want more clients. Forget every inclination you have to talk about yourself.
Just imagine your ideal client reading your email and constantly asking the question “What’s in it for me?” and “Why do I care?” If a sentence or bullet point isn’t written to answer those two questions, cut the sentence or rewrite it so that it is.
And finally, one day before your campaign is to go out, spend 30 minutes and perform the following exercise:
Read the following articles that summarize some simple techniques for coming up with headlines that inspire action
Now, set a timer on your phone for ten minutes. Turn off your wifi, and just start listing out subject lines for your campaign. Don’t worry about how good it is, just get it out and move on to the next one. The goal here is quantity.
When the timer goes off, look over your list. From the perspective of your ideal client, which one do you think would inspire them to skip the ‘delete’ button and actually read that email?
There’s your subject line.
For example, here are 10 subject lines I came up to use in an email that would describe this exercise using those formulas. Which one resonates with you?
5 subject line secrets that will get your email read… 7-Minute brainstorms that WILL get you new clients… Write subject lines like Don Draper, even if you’ve never written a word of copy… Send emails that get read 50% more than ‘real marketers’ with 10 minutes of work Write emails your clients WANT to read… Don Draper couldn’t beat your copy if you follow this one simple exercise… 5 minutes could mean the difference between being spammy and being awesome How to avoid writing subject lines that make your email invisible… Are your subject lines wasting the effort you put into your newsletters? What professional copywriters do when they can’t think of headlines
That was 10 minutes of work. Some of those headlines are clearly better than others. Some are repetitive, and that’s ok. But you’ll notice, the odds that the first subject line (the one you would’ve used had you not done the exercise) is the best one is slim.
This simple exercise will routinely get you two or three times as many opens on your campaign.
And that means two or three times as many opportunities to get in front of your clients, which means two to three times the ROI for all of this effort you’re putting in.
How to come up with (great) content
It can be hard to come up with something to say week in and week out. And it’s even harder when you only have 30 minutes between client meetings to do it.
So rather than setting yourself up for 30 minutes of staring at a blank page, let’s create a simple system for building up that hopper of great content throughout the week, so when it comes time to write, you just need to pull items off your stack.
First, we’ll need a central place to accumulate all of these notes.
Everyone’s style is different, so I’m sure you can come up with a tool that works best for you. But the whichever method you choose, the key is to optimize for being able to take a note as quickly as possible whenever the thought strikes.
I prefer to use Evernote. I just keep one note and add newsletter ideas to the top of it as I come across them. My wife uses Trello, creating a new card for every idea. I’ve seen folks use Google docs. I’ve also tried using a Word document or even writing in a notebook, but those two options make it hard to access from my phone on the go, or lack the ability to quickly copy and paste a URL for a link I want to remember to share.
So, over the course of the day, any time I think of something that might be worth sharing with the email list, I write it quickly at the top of the note. And at the end of the week, I have all sorts of items I can pull from to write the actual campaign.
What sort of things should you be on the lookout for? Here are just a few:
Common questions from clients that you could answer in a paragraph or two
Events that your clients might find valuable (even if they’re not valuable to you)
If you happen to be attending them, mention that and invite readers to come say hello.
Legislative changes (but only those that, upon learning about would cause your ideal client to say “Oh man, I’m really glad I know that, I’m going to change X…”)
Articles that your potential clients would want to read
Anecdotes that can bring a little levity to the newsletter
Interactions with readers that could benefit others
Positive news about those in your readership. Did someone just win an award? Did they get some positive press?
Take note and share it. And then invite others to share their good news when hey have any.
If you get into the habit of taking note of these tidbits, you should find that when you sit down to write your newsletter, you’ll spend more time figuring out what should be left out, than figuring out what to add.
That’s it!
This isn’t rocket-surgery. It just takes patience and practice. If you have any questions, please let me know. And if you take this advice and create your own newsletter, be sure to add bryan@amazelaw.com to your subscriber list. See! You already have an audience!
Now quick, go write your first campaign. I’ll be here, looking forward to reading it.
Psst! Don’t forget to grab the starter template to get your email marketing started without a hitch!
41 Classic Copywriting Headline Templates When you’re stuck and need to come up with headlines or subject lines in your emails, these articles will get you unstuck right quick. It’s like mad-libs, except instead of laughs, you get tons of clicks 🙂
Being a solo practitioner comes with added obstacles and challenges that established law firms may not experience. From office administration to employee management to client intake, there are many tasks that must be performed in order for a legal service to succeed.
This article will focus on the importance of lawyer websites and why having one would benefit a solo lawyer.
Here’s a quick overview of everything this solo lawyer’s guide will cover:
Getting a website
Finding web design ideas
Starting a blog
Promoting the website
Improving the website’s performance
Reasons Solo Lawyers Need A Website
Solo lawyers have the ability to choose their own hours, select who they work with, and decide which cases they want to work on. While this may sound appealing at first, the additional work required to run a law firm by yourself can take a considerable amount of extra time.
To reduce some of the inevitable work, solo lawyers can use a website to delegate many of their regular office tasks.
Here are a few benefits solo lawyers can get with their website:
Advertise Legal Services.
Find New Clients
Establish a Brand / Reputation.
Improve Intaking.
Share Professional Legal Knowledge
There are some DIY website builders or if you don’t have the time to build a website yourself, you can hire a professional developer.
Website Design for Solo Lawyers
Although a website should provide useful information, the design and functionality can affect whether a visitor will use your legal services or search somewhere else.
Most visitors coming to any website will be searching for the information they need right away. If your solo lawyer website takes too long to load, has an unattractive design, or is confusing to navigate, expect visitors to leave before ever inquiring about your practice.
Designing a website with your prospective clients in mind will have greater benefits in the long term. Here are a few tips to guide you toward a good website for your solo service:
Choose A Good Design. The aesthetics of your solo lawyer website is important. Consider the look and feel of your website. Ask yourself, does it showcase your professionalism? Expertise?
Don’t Confuse Visitors. When visitors come to your website, keep the message clear and make your pages easy to navigate. Nothing is more frustrating to someone online than landing on a website and not knowing what to do or where to go.
Offer Quality Content. While it may be useful to have a website featuring your office hours and contact information, you can improve your website’s performance by adding a blog and providing helpful information.
Have A CTA. You need a Call To Action on your website. This could be an onscreen pop-up requesting an email or your contact number in large font that offers the visitor a free consultation if the contact you today.
When you discuss your website with a web designer, remember to focus on the website’s function while paying attention to the overall aesthetic and design. To get more ideas for you website design, check out 2017’s best lawyer websites or 2018’s best law firm websites.
Blogging About Law
Solo lawyers with a blog on their website can improve their reach for prospective clients. Blogs are a great way to share informal information, showcase your expertise in your area of law, and build an online reputation.
Blogs allow solo lawyers with competitive strategy for marketing their legal services. For example, the information and expertise about the law may be unique to you. Sharing some tips, such as what to do after getting in a car accident, can help you stand out against other law firms in your area.
To create a successful lawyer blog, you’ll want to consider the keywords people are using in search engines. For example, if you’re a solo lawyer practicing divorce law in California, you’ll want to write an article with similar words inside. Keep reading to learn how keywords in your website can improve its performance.
Promoting Your Legal Services
In order for a solo lawyer website to serve its purpose, finding new clients, it is going to need visitors. Paid promotions can be an effective method toward promoting your legal services and finding your next client.
To get started, two of the most common places to promote a website include Google PPC and Facebook Ads.
Google uses competitive keywords to provide ads on the first page of their results to people making searches related your selected words. Facebook offers this same feature, however, it has an even more powerful tool for targeting the perfect audience.
Depending on your budget and goals, Google PPC and Facebook Ads can have different results. For more information about which one you should use to promote your website, go to Google PPC for Lawyers or Facebook Ads for Lawyers.
[thrive_leads id=’702′]
Improving Your Website’s Performance
For alternatives to paid promotions, you can make a few modifications to your website to improve the performance. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a method of making your website better recognized by search engines which presents your website to more people.
As mentioned before, having a blog is one way to improve your SEO. Blogs allow you to add various keyword rich pages to your website which can improve the likelihood of your website being discovered.
Other methods of improving your solo lawyer website’s SEO includes:
Improving the SEO of a website can be both technical and confusing. To get a better understanding of SEO and the things you can do to improve your website go to SEO for Lawyers.
If you’re fresh out of law school, you might consider starting your own law firm. In order to succeed in legal profession, having the ability to find new clients will become the foundation of your success.
One of the first things new lawyers that you can do to spread the word of your career is by simply talking about it. Whenever you meet new people, let them know you’re a lawyer.
What you shouldn’t be doing is giving away free advice but instead discuss what it is your law firm can do and how they can get in touch with you.
If you want a few more ideas on how an attorney can get clients, here’s a list of ideas to help you refer clients and grow your firm.
Friends and Family
Your friends referring clients and family will be one of the best referrals to help you find new clients as an attorney.
Since they know you best, you’ll become the first person they’ll mention if one of their friends or someone they know needs a lawyer.
If you’re opening a new firm, be sure to send an announcement via letter or e-mail to let everyone know.
Join the Bar Association in Your Community
If you have absolutely no connections, the first thing you should do is join any bar associations of committees in your community. Making connections and building relationships with other attorneys will give others a chance to get to know you and what you do.
Eventually, this can lead to mutual exchanges of clients back and forth. If one of your new lawyer connections has a client they can’t help (i.e. your connection is a divorce lawyer looking for legal advice for a car accident) they may refer that client to you.
In exchange, when you get clients at your own law firm, seeking services you don’t provide, you can refer them to someone in your list of connections.
Develop Your Online Presence
Social media and online browsers are great places to start finding clients as an attorney.
Get started with a website. Having a website allows you to showcase your previous cases, give information about your law firm, and most importantly, let’s visitors know how you can help.
Once thing to consider when setting up a website to find new clients is your domain name. The domain name you choose for your law firm’s online identity should stand out and briefly highlight your area of expertise. Make sure you choose the right domain name for your brand new law firm, before going live.
With your newly made law firm website, you can begin to share your knowledge on a blog. Blogging allows you to share content about your law firm in a way that connects with prospective clients dealing with legal problems.
Articles like, “What to do if you want a divorce” or “Steps to take after a car accident” provide information people may be searching. Of course, within articles like those will include “contact a lawyer to start a consultation.” If you’re content marketing is done well, you can use blogs to attract visitors to your website, get them to contact your firm, and potentially increase the number of clients you get.
Social Media
With a blog for your law firm’s website you can begin sharing content on places like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. Sharing on these platforms allow you to make direct connections with those who may need your legal services.
As your social media channels grow in size, you can occasionally share promotional posts such as “Get a free consultation” or “You pay if we win!”
Posting frequently on social media is how you’ll stand out online. While this may seem like an added amount of work, your posts have the ability to get new clients organically. An alternative to this would be advertising.
Creating a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign with Google will put your law firm’s website at the top of the search engines. Instead of worrying whether your website is ranking high in the search engines organically, you can use a PPC campaign to put you at the top.
Google AdWords uses keywords to match your ads with someone searching for it. For example, if someone was searching for, “attorneys in New York,” having an ad using that phrase will increase the likelihood of it being clicked. However, depending on where you live and what area of practice you are in, Google AdWords can be very expensive.
Facebook Ads is another way for an attorney to get new clients. You can modify your ads to target specific groups of people and create a distinct purpose. Facebook ads can be used to grow your social media page or directed toward a contact page or get in touch with your firm.
You can also create ads for LinkedIn and Instagram depending on your practice area and how detailed you know your prospective client types.
When using online advertising to push clients to your website, be sure to send traffic to pages that convert. You could end up paying a lot of money if you’re web pages are not created to turn a curious visitor into your next client.
Attorney Lead Generation Services
If you’re not good with technology, social media, or websites, you can use an attorney lead generation service to find new clients.
Total Attorneys and AttorneyBoost are services which allows you access to a pool of people looking for a lawyer. Total Attorney handles your own marketing efforts and sends traffic to your website.
Online attorney solutions vary in quality of clients and conversions on your website. Use these with caution.
As an attorney, getting clients is the key to a successful legal practice. How you find clients will require a combination of the above ideas in addition to the methods you discover and learn.
How to Get New Clients as a Lawyer
In the legal sector, digital marketing can attract up to 50% of potential clientele.
How Lawyers Get New Clients With Networking
Networking has never been a buzzword anymore and the key is to be a part of every sector. In law practice, lawyers must create networks for the client. Networking is essentially more than meeting attorneys at conferences or meetings. While networking has an important role to play, extensive networking is essential for attorneys in order to connect to individuals and entities outside a legal network. Imagine a motorcycle accident lawyer.
Lack of Positive Reviews
Our society is fueled by online reviews in a way where the average person will value the online review more than a friend will. When one searches online for an attorney, the choice usually depends on what stars are next to the firm. A lawyer who received poor ratings should read the reviews of those reviews carefully, as 90% of consumers’ decision is made based on what they read. Having positive feedback from previous clients can give them confidence that you have a great reputation and increases the chances that you will be asked for an interview. Then again, online reviews must be considered a bit like the credit ratings.
How Can Lawyers Get More Clients With SEO
The next steps in becoming a successful lawyer involve using the power of search optimization. Search engine optimization for law firm attorneys is a technique that makes your website recognizable for search engines. the Google search it’s algorithm for rankings differ according to various factors. Websites that get high rankings may appear on page 1 of the search engines. This organic results are shown above the paid advertisements, more about those advertisements to be announced soon. If one wants to be viewed in a clientele area the importance is in creating a landing page on the SERP.
Build a High-Performance Website to Attract More Legal Leads
If potential clients see you through an appealing website they will be happy with your firm’s ability. Using these steps, you can convert prospects into customers. A good lawyer’s website is essential and must have no overstatement. Having no good website can result in poor performance in marketing and advertising campaigns. Your paid marketing strategy generates a terrible return on investment. If you thought you didn’t have the skills to write an effective website to attract and retain new legal clients, then it’s not necessary.
Build an Online Presence
Referrals provide many clientele. However, it is decreasing from 21% in 1 year to 43%. It doesn’t surprise anyone as 96% seek legal counsel online for their questions. As a lawyer looking for clients you should not neglect the potential for digital marketing. The internet has become a more effective platform to advertise & have clients find other clients. How can I make more leads through my website? SEO isn’t a simple process.
Referrals From Other Lawyers
85% of business is generated through referrals. Developing strong relationships with your former clients and colleagues is the key for the business development side of an effective legal practice. Of course, sometimes it is necessary to go an additional mile for the best possible customer satisfaction. Law firms with higher referrals usually have quid pro quoi. Tell your customers you appreciate this gesture when a client does!
Create Free Lead Generation Opt-ins
To gain legal clientele, an attorney should gain the confidence of their target audience. This can easily happen utilizing free lead generation opt-ins. In general, lead generation opt-ins are very valuable content and can be easily accessed through e-mail. What are the similarities? Maybe you have already tried doing it to look at an item. For a new attorney, you can download e-books and other useful documents for legal matters (e.g. filing a divorce). Tell me the reason why people signup as clients?
Legal Directories Are a Good Source for New Law Firm Clients
Lawyer’s lists will help you improve brand visibility in many ways. Specifically, we suggest that you use legal directories to ensure search results are valid for multiple directories. Listed in legal directory websites can improve online visibility. Among the most popular legal websites you can find a list of all the top legal professionals and firms you work with in one site: You’re better off using multiple directories to increase visibility.
Local SEO Is Key to Getting More Lawyer Clients
Local SEO is an online optimization method that targets clients located near the location of law firms. This is the most efficient way to have clients find lawyers for a client. If your website has local clients, it must be optimized with keywords that match specific locations. You just need to tweak your keyword list and include words like the name of the city you live in. So let me say your lawyer provides bankruptcy services in Atlanta, Georgia. You can use the keyword Bankruptcy law practice in Atlanta.
How Lawyers Get Clients With Organic Search
Most people know about SEO. You might even be able to see how this is done by weaving keywords into the site content. Moreover, many people can type his query on Yahoo, and then contact an attorney for advice on the matter. But these are merely a few SEO tactics worth pursuing. Optimizing your website for search makes it a better search site. And a drop in rankings is astronomically huge. What does Google think happens when it shows up first in search? How many times do people click a site to get more visitors?
How to Get More Clients for My Law Firm Using SEO (Tutorial)
To improve search visibility, there are online and offline optimization strategies that need to be considered. For a personal injury lawyer alone, it can be tricky to determine keywords when searching a website for a particular keyword. We say this to our potential clients. Tell me your desire? How can one illustrate this problem? It’s great, and you aren’t here yet. Tell me the answer to this question? Your prospective clients will probably look into “what happens in personal injury cases” more frequently.
Run Advertising Campaigns
Often the most recent lawyers have a preference towards paid advertising. Advertising is available in all forms: print, radio, television or online. Because our firm specializes in Digital Advertising for Law Firms, our focus is Internet Advertising. It is also advantageous for your potential client-ele to find leads quickly within your target location. Tell me the way things are working. I mean, a man searches online for criminal lawyers in New York. Depending on the content of your site your ads should appear above the main page. The chances are increased that a customer clicked on a link or booked a meeting on this site. Does that sound very nice? Basically, advertising is an incredibly effective way to attract customers.
Be Helpful to Get More Clients
Several prominent law firms need SEO to be successful in Google. Your company is unique. Use Google Ads and digital advertising to improve your search ranking and increase visibility on search engines. Can someone get more legal clients? Answering client questions. The more beneficial the content, the longer they remain on your search engine marketing website.
Lawyer Directories
Legal directories are an excellent resource to grow your visibility. They help lead finding more paying clients by having an important place where they can be seen. Check all the legal directories available and confirm your application is approved. You can increase the chances people call you when someone wants help. Several legal directory websites specialize in just one field. Therefore, knowing what makes your presence different is important for a great result and for you.
Slow Response From Legal Team
Tell me the average amount of time a prospective customer takes in response to a website request? It’ll be hard to turn prospects into business. This is possible via chat bots or automated software. The technology can respond automatically to requests for specific data from clients. Automated response meets client’s desire for instant gratification.
Reputation Management Is Key
Let’s just say that some reviews will be good, some are bad. Finally, you must address the negative review. Your answers will show you the integrity your prospects are looking for. Upon the failure of a project, it will go back. Negative reviews can be useful lessons if you are concerned about something you could improve. All negative comments will mean that you either give help or contact me directly. Besides reputation management, some of these directories have been mentioned previously.
Make a Great First impression
Having a good first impression is vital for convincing someone to trust you on personal issues. With an ever-changing legal landscape, every law firm should differentiate themselves as an important choice for clients. Insight from clients automate their intake process to improve customer satisfaction. The rapid response of our clients leaves lasting impressions in every step of their journey.
Smooth Client Experience
Without the need for an ongoing client intake, the leads (potential customers) often get lost. Consumers enjoy smooth and low-effort experiences. The more attention you give the child the more happiness they’ll have. Client intake software allows for quick access and quick collection of leads’ data using an online client intake form that automatically creates a record of them in your database.
Email Marketing Can Get Lawyer Clients
Email marketing offers many benefits. Email marketing is a very efficient way of managing it all. For instance, if a user visits the blog a few days before the event and provides their information, you can include it in the list you have on this website. Afterwards, it is possible that you send regular mail weekly. The emails are intended to remind clients that your firm exists.
You might think the purpose of your lawyer website is to provide information about your law firm’s legal services or a place where people can request a consultation. While these may be the primary objectives, there are a few things you must do before the phones start ringing.
From a digital marketing point of view, lead generation is a popular term you should understand. When you’re looking for potential clients for your firm, driving the right traffic to your website is the first step then turning those visitors into clients is the next.
If you’ve been wondering how to get more leads at your law firm, perhaps this will help you out.
What is Lead Generation?
Perhaps you’re new to owning a website and you’re just getting into all the technical language that comes along. Here’s a quick overview of common words used in online marketing:
Traffic refers to the number of visitors to your website which can either be real people or bots. You can see this if your website connected to a tool like Google Analytics. Once installed, you’ll be able to track both web visitors and the number of page visits.
Lead Generation is the process of curating or collecting prospective client’s contact information and taking them as clients.
Landing/Squeeze Page can be used to send web traffic to a specific web page to offer valuable content in exchange for their contact information. Alternatively, you can offer a special promotion (i.e. free consultation) which can only be found on this page.
Sales Funnel is a series of steps that takes leads through the process of becoming a new client at your firm. From a lawyer’s perspective, you use various strategies to market and bring in new clients (i.e. drip marketing).
Conversion Optimization is a process of increasing the percentage of visitors to your website and converting them into a new client.
Perhaps you can start to see that there are various angles you can take when it comes to marketing your law firm’s website. The essentials include web traffic to generate leads and a landing page to collect them. As well, you’ll have to perform ongoing site analysis to find new ways to turn more visitors into clients at your firm (maybe changing some of the colors on your website will work).
This will likely be an ongoing process for your online marketing strategy. In the meantime, let’s explore how you can improve you lead generation at your law firm.
More Leads. More Clients.
When you’re considering a lead generation strategy for your law firm, you want to ask yourself these kinds of questions:
By addressing these questions, you can start to develop your own methods to finding clients that you prefer to work with. Remember, this is your business which means you ultimately decide which types of clients you choose to work with or not.
What Kind of Clients Do You Want?
Let’s start here. Do you even know what kind of clients you prefer working with?
You probably don’t enjoy taking on clients that add more stress and more work than is needed. Perhaps if you’re in a desperate situation, you may accept these clients because you need the cash. But, you know if you continue doing so, you’re going to burn out.
Instead, take a moment to determine who you enjoy working with and what specific cases you handle best.
If you’re depending on the internet to find almost all of your clients, you have to be prepared that people are going to be “shopping around” for the lowest rates. Nonetheless, that’s not to say you can’t find quality clients online, it’ll just take a bit of effort and testing to find.
Now, before you keep reading, ask yourself this: was there ever a client you would rather not work with?
Where Will You Find Your Clients?
Your prospective clients are likely a few clicks away from stepping into your office to get their legal struggles solved.
You should be aware that search engines receive a lot of queries from people looking for solutions to their legal problems. Some common search entries may be:
[Lawyer Type] + [Location]
[Lawyer Type] + Fees
Cheap/Affordable Lawyers + [Location]
Often, you can design your website in a way to attract these searcher to your website. This is the process of SEO and you can find more information about that kind of strategy for your law firm here.
Knowing where your clients are spending much of their time online can be difficult if you’re not familiar with the web. However, social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), are great places to start targeting specific groups of people who may be in need of your legal expertise.
For the solo lawyer doing all the marketing yourself, you may want to consider these marketing ideas coming next (these ideas also apply to lawyers and law firms of any size).
How Will You Attract Those Clients?
Are you familiar with the term bounce rate? It wasn’t defined above however it refers to the amount of people who visit your website then leave right away.
This happens because the content or information on your website and landing pages aren’t fulfilling the need that people were looking for.
In order to attract more clients to your firm, you’ll have to test a few different strategies to see what works and discard what doesn’t work from your marketing methods. Here’s a few strategies you can consider to start generating more leads:
Strategy #1: Compelling Landing Pages
If you’re running a PPC campaign, you’ll want to make sure your marketing dollars are getting you the biggest return possible.
The best way to ensure you don’t waste all your money is making sure the keywords you use in your ads is congruent with the message on your landing page.
If you think of your website in terms of a sales funnel, consider offering a free consultation. As you run your ads, target the immediate needs of people thinking about divorce, those recently in a car accident, or a new business in need of copyright protection.
You should understand the fundamentals of keyword research to know which words people are using to serve better ads. As well, you should create ads that not only look good but remain consistent to the overall message.
Then, when people start are arriving to your landing page, use a strong and compelling message that gets them to sign up to an email list, send a message to your firm, or to call you right away.
Strategy #2: Helpful Videos
Are you Camera Shy? Hopefully, not.
Offering a helpful video, especially with your expertise in your area of practice, can allow you to make stronger connections and build better trust online.
Let’s face it, a few words on a screen may not be the icing on the cake when it comes to choosing a person who’s going to help a dire situation or prevent someone from going to jail.
Instead, videos allow you to reveal your personality and send a direct message to those considering a lawyer in their community. Take a look at this lawyer who takes a camera to his office and capturing his entire day:
Strategy #3: Offer Free Information
You’ll see this strategy used a lot of online services. They create a free piece of valuable content, host it on their website, then give it away for free in exchange for someone’s contact information.
As a lawyer, you know there’s all kind of questions people have about their legal situations. For example:
Those going through divorce want to know what rights they have, the risks involved, and the possible outcomes to their situation if they and their spouse can’t come to an agreement.
In the business world, copyright infringement can ruin a business. People want to know how they can protect their creative intelligence and what kind of legal action they can take if their ideas are stolen.
Some people experiencing a traumatic event may not know what actions to take in their situation.
You can then follow the same idea from above where you use the emails collected to send more content, offers, and information about your legal services.
Quick Warning About Lead Generation
If you ever consider hiring someone to help with your lead generation, there are a few things you should consider before you do. These services may offer pay-per-lead or pay-per-click vendors. However, you have to watch out because you can get a lot of leads (i.e. emails, phone numbers, etc.) but they may not be interested in your business.
In case you want to go ahead and use these services, consider these lawyer specific pay-per-lead services:
Please do your own due diligence before using any of these services. We do not endorse nor receive payment from these services. These are just a few of the available PPC and PPL services you can use for your firm. Results will very and should always be measured for cost effectiveness.
Whether you have a small or medium-size law firm, one need remains the same: clients. But not just any warm body will do. You need to find clients who are qualified and have a need for your services. That’s a tall order, but one that we’ll fill by the end of this post.
Stick around to find out how you can use the magic of the Internet to find qualified clients for your legal practice. Let’s discuss!
Would you like a worksheet for finding the perfect client? Subscribe to receive this extra resource.
The best way to start is by identifying your ideal client. To aid in this, I’ve provided a list of questions to help:
Who are they? Include basic demographics such as age, gender, location, and income.
What do they need from you? How likely are they to reach out to you?
Why do they need your service? If you offer more than one service, consider creating a client persona for each.
Where do they live online? Are they mostly on Facebook, Google (everyone’s on Google), Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp, Avvo Law, or Pinterest? If you’d like to know which platform you’d be more likely to find clients, check out this post on Choosing the Best Social Media Platform for your Law Firm.
When do they research lawyers? Does your target client wait until the last minute? When they do reach out, what time do you get the majority of your calls? Is it 10 AM? 3 PM? This can indicate a lot about your average client.
Create a Website
Now that you’ve compiled a client persona, it’s time to create a marketing strategy to welcome those clients in.
When trying to find and nurture clients, always start with a website.
Remember, it’s not the 90s anymore. Folks use the Internet (not the Yellow Pages) to find everything from appliances to Zumba. As an attorney, you’ve got to make sure that your services are represented online, too. The way to do that is with a website.
A website is like an “always on” salesperson. Your website works for you even at midnight and on holidays. If you plan it right, your website can provide just as much information as your front office staff (but don’t tell them I said that).
On your website, be sure to create a blog that people actually want to read. Blogs are a powerful tool that can help you educate your site visitors and establish yourself as the knowledgeable pro that you are.
Use Paid Advertising
We’ve discussed how to use paid advertising before, so I won’t rehash it here. Check out how to use paid advertising to dominate the local search listings. Be sure to click on that link because there we discuss what SEO and search advertising really means for your law firm. I also give you the exact formula for how to get on a first-page listing on Google’s search results.
Create a Call-Only Ad Campaign
Have you ever searched on the Internet with your smartphone? Chances are, you’ve seen a little call button to the right side of the top few listings. That’s little button is going to transform your online marketing campaign, and here’s how:
People who search for lawyers with their smartphones are motivated to go beyond “research mode” and into results mode. They want to speak to a live person. Instead of directing them to a webpage, you should offer a call button for quick access.
[Tweet “People who search for lawyers with their smartphones go beyond research mode and into results mode. “]
This is known as a call-only ad campaign.
It costs the same as a regular headline click, but you’ll have a much more engaged prospective client who wants to act now.
By the way, don’t forget about Bing. While Google is the undisputed giant in Internet search, Bing does have 20% of the market share. You can follow these same steps on Bing to find qualified clients there, too. And it may even be cheaper.
Provide Enhanced User Experience
Did you know that a bad first impression of your website can lower your chances of getting clients? It’s true that you can lose site visitors just by a slow website– and by slow, I mean a site that takes three seconds or longer to load.
Three seconds.
No one wants to wait for answers. You’ve got to make sure that your website is fast load and provides all of the answers your prospective clients need immediately.
Even worse than a slow-loading website is one that’s completely disorganized and hard to navigate. If your site visitors have to click a lot of links trying to find the answers they’re looking for, they’re going to give up and hit the back button.
Here’s how to prevent a disorganized website:
Get clear about what information you’d like to share on your website. Here’s a good idea of where to start:
On your Homepage: Discuss what services you offer and who would benefit most from them. Keep it short, simple, and clean.
On your About page: Discuss who you are but keep it client-focused. Craft your About page to help the prospect understand why they should choose you. It’s good to underscore the kind of cases and clients you often work with in this page.
On your Services page: Be very clear about what services you offer and then break it down even further. Remember, your prospective client probably doesn’t know much about law, they just know that they need a lawyer. Use language they would understand. Oftentimes, a layman doesn’t know exactly what something’s called. Here’s your chance to educate and empower them to figure out what service they need from you.
You may also find it helpful to create a separate page for each service that you offer.
Prepare a Thorough FAQ Page: A lot of folks head straight for the frequently asked questions page, if you have one, to decide whether they need your services. This is yet another golden opportunity to answer common questions that you’d normally discuss over the phone. It’ll free up your phone lines for more specific questions, and provide a valuable resource to online prospective customers who are searching for answers.
There are times when you’re just not available. For example, maybe the caller left a message after hours. Perhaps you’re on another line. Whatever the case, don’t let that prospect fade– be sure to follow up immediately whenever possible.
Here’s the thing to keep in mind: a prospective client who doesn’t reach you will oftentimes go to the next attorney on the list. Boo. But, that doesn’t automatically mean you’re out. By calling that person back in a reasonable timeframe (by the end of the business day), you may be able to persuade them to choose you – especially if you’re presenting yourself as friendly and helpful.
Unlike emails and voicemails, phone calls are great for gauging interest.
Push the In-Office Consultation
Of course, you don’t want to give away everything in a phone call. It’s so crucial to get the caller into an in-office consultation. This is where you’ll be able to separate those who just want free legal advice from actual paying clients.
Should you offer free or paid consultations?
There’s compelling opinions on both sides. The benefit of offering:
A free consultation – You’ll definitely set more appointments because everyone loves “free”. You’ll also separate yourself from your competitors because they’re more likely to charge for consultations.
A paid consultation – You’ll get more motivated prospects. People who are willing to pay an initial consultation fee are more likely to sign a representation agreement.
A happy medium? Consider charging a consultation fee but then crediting it back to their account if they choose to retain your services.
You can also explain your process over the phone and on your website to help drive the in-office consultation.
Polish Your Profiles
By now, you know how important it is to have a website, but that’s not the only way to represent your law firm online. You also need to expand to social media networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
Being on a social platforms helps you extend the reach of your online marketing. You can start amassing followers and then updating them through your social platforms. While they may not always come to your website, they can always be connected to you through your social media updates.
Prospective clients may head to these review sites first before even starting a Google search. What will they find once they get there?
Negative reviews are one thing; negative reviews without a follow up from you are a death sentence. Don’t make that mistake. Follow up on all reviews, trying to resolve those that you can, but acknowledging everyone else with a heartfelt thanks for their feedback. No sarcasm, please. Remember– you’ve got an audience.
