Attorney marketing is tricky in many ways. You must sell a service that only a certain percentage of the population will ever need, and you do not have the same ability to manufacture demand as large retail companies like Nike or Apple. Attorneys are also restricted in many different ways by a variety of recommendations unique to each state bar’s interpretation of best marketing practices. Lawyers must even approach marketing…
May 24
LegalTech Keynote Reminds Attorneys of Their Technological Responsibilities
LegalTech© West Coast opened on Tuesday with a keynote presentation that pulled no punches in its critique of attorney technological competence. Speaker D. Casey Flaherty said that the failure of associates to understand many technology basics results in hours of wasted time and over-billing. Flaherty, who serves as corporate counsel at Kia Motors America, says he is tired of paying what he sees as exorbitant fees for routine matters. In…
May 6
Getting personal leads to getting new cases
People hire you to handle their legal matters. They don’t hire logos, DIY legal document services, they hire you – your experience, your credentials, maybe even the style of your hair. Whatever it is, you are who they are contacting.
You need…
Read MoreApr 18
Attorneys recognize the value of simplicity in design
One of the more well-documented design trends of this year is a move toward more simple website layouts. Designers are removing clutter, utilizing larger elements, paring down navigation to the essentials and creating user experiences that are less busy and more intuitive. Simplicity is both visually appealing and increasingly necessary as firms strive to make content accessible to the widest audience on the greatest number of devices possible.
An aspect…
Read MoreMar 20
Beat the crowd: Tips for rising above the competition in a saturated market
The Am Law Daily announced last week that early numbers show only modest growth for a prestigious group of New York’s largest law firms last year. Within the study is the admission from several partners that persistent pressure to lower rates is cutting into profitability, even with a rise in some types of litigation work. The push for firms to lower their rates or pursue alternative billing…
Feb 25
Creating a Sitemap for Your Law Firm’s Website
Since content is one of the most important aspects of your website, it is time to do some planning. For the sake of this demonstration, we are going to use the fictional law firm of Smith & White, divorce lawyers in Boston.
Decide on the type of general overview page you want to use – for example, “About Us,” “Attorney Profile,” or “Firm Profile.” The “About Us” or…
Read MoreFeb 22
Create the right impression with your profile picture
Even if you are consistently posting the most prescient, insightful information on your social media profiles, people will likely notice your picture before they start paying attention to what you have to say. First impressions matter, and they are almost always visual.
Like it or not, you need a good profile picture – a picture of you, not your dog or your child or your favorite beach. And…
Read MoreJan 28
Mobile Optimization is a Must for Law Firms
Last year, Google’s paid links (listings powered by Adwords) saw traffic from mobile devices account for 25 percent of clickthroughs — a significant number, and one that law firms must pay attention to.
When looking at consistency between natural Google rankings on desktops and smart phones, we see little changes. About 85 percent of desktop rankings have the same position when conducting a search…
Read MoreJan 11
Eight ways to come up with new ideas for your lawyer blog
If you blog or write articles on a regular basis, you will inevitably face times during which you believe there is simply no way you can come up with another interesting topic. The blank page stares at you, taunting and mocking. Everything that can be written about has already been done.
Generating a regular flow of informative posts is difficult, but it is a necessity for…
Read MoreJan 4
Communication counts – avoid clichés and buzzwords like the plague
Poor writing is an instant turnoff. Be it incorrect grammar, overused and tired phrases or a simple failure to proofread adequately, sloppy writing comes across as lazy and unprofessional. For attorneys who must be able to communicate with a range of audiences, from judges to peers to clients and prospective clients, bad writing habits can be costly.
You have read them – sentences that seem to drag on…
Read More