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Month: July 2017

Lawyer Rankings: The Good, The Bad and the Waste of Money

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Lawyer rankings are big business these days.

An article earlier this month in the Wall Street Journal documented emails that have been stacking up in many lawyers’ inboxes over the last few years, all proclaiming the recipient as Top, Super, Best, Leading and many other superlatives.

It’s tough to burst my clients’ bubble when they forward me another breathless email declaring that they are among an elite group of attorneys being named to this latest list.

But most of these awards are just scams, cleverly disguised as ego stroking.

The fine print will explain that while you have been named to this list solely because of your supreme mastery of your area of law, unfortunately no one will know about this great news unless you buy a plaque, pay for an expanded profile or write a check to be included in an upcoming ad.

To be fair, there are legitimate lawyer and law firm rankings out there. American Lawyer Media, Acritas and Chambers are a few that have real methodologies backing up their lists. And perhaps they are right that general counsel look to these lists when determining where to send their bet-the-company work.

Perhaps.

Nonetheless, here is an easy way to navigate these awards.

If an awards entity wants to say nice things about you, let them. Put it on your website news section. Post it to LinkedIn. Maybe even add it to your bio – but no badges, please.

Just don’t give them any money.

Instead, use that money to trademark a new superlative adjective, and start your own business model capitalizing on the egos of, say, accountants. Those guys will totally fall for it.

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Jocelyn Brumbaugh is the founder ofThe Brumbaugh Group, which provides marketing and lateral integration strategy for law firms and other professional services firms.  She also runs Legal & Professional Services Council, a Chicago-based nonprofit trade group for in-house law firm marketers.

Need marketing support? Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

5 DIY Website Improvements to Increase Revenue

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Do It Yourself

The landscape of technology is constantly changing. To keep your brand top-of-mind, your website might be changing too! Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to hire a developer to totally overhaul your existing site. These simple DIY website improvements will keep your website looking sharp, fresh, and effective.

Hyperlinks

Use distinct hyperlinks. Utilize visual cues to help readers know where to click and what they’re going to get on the new page. Underline your hyperlink and change the color. This will draw the reader’s attention and encourage them to spend more time on your site. The more detailed the link titles, the more informed the reader will be.

Page Speed

Improve your page speed. No one likes waiting for a website page to load. Today, people want immediate satisfaction, especially online. They expect it! With internet access literally in the palm of users’ hands, potential clients can visit your website wherever and whenever. Don’t lose business due to a slow web page! Thanks to Google’s free tool, you can get information on your page speed and take the right steps to improve it.

Get Them Moving

Include calls to action. It might sound simple, but label calls to action with action words. For example, instead of “sign up for our newsletter,” you could say, “Sign up now!” Here are some other action oriented words and phrases you can incorporate; get started, share it, see more features.

Bullet Points Are Better

Bullet points make things better. In the spirit of providing immediate satisfaction, bullet points help your readers get the information they need as efficiently as possible. Not to mention, it’s aesthetically pleasing. Feel free to think outside of the box. You don’t have to stick to the traditional circle bullet point. Find an icon that matches your unique brand!

Go Mobile

Go mobile or go home. As mentioned, technology is growing by leaps and bounds. Part of that growth includes websites being mobile friendly. Is your homepage layout just as visually pleasing on mobile as it is on a desktop? Do your hyperlinks work on the mobile site? These are all worth investigating and checking. Unsure about the mobility of your website? This site can help.

Need marketing support? Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

The July Attorney Social: Attorney Marketing Tips

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Thank you to Advitam IP, LLC for hosting yet another wonderful attorney social for the Amata attorneys Wednesday night. Plenty of new faces were seen from diverse areas of practice and at one point contact cards were being dealt like a game of poker was about to begin.

Before the event attorneys were asked to submit their best marketing tips. All submissions were printed and hung on the walls and attendees voted for their favorite throughout the night. While specific tips benefitted certain practices more than others, everyone in attendance could agree that the key for success is always the simple matter of being personable and ending the job with work well done.

That being said, a clear winner pulled ahead at the end of the night with a great tip applicable to any type of practice. Congratulations to Michele Katz of Advitam IP, LLC for her winning marketing tip on creating email templates for client follow-ups!

Michele’s tip and all the other submissions are below. Thank you to all attorneys willing to share their tricks and tips and all who attended the event. You kept the atmosphere lively and the only thing flowing faster than the wine was the conversation. We hope to see you again this August for the final attorney social, the river cruise.

July Attorney Social: Attorney Marketing TipsView more images from event.

Marketing Tips For Attorneys

  1. This tip is simple: Undercut the competition’s prices.
  2. Engage website visitors.
    Instead of a simple picture of you and your staff on your homepage:

    • Feature an engaging video (answer the questions you know they will have)
    • Offer a free book or report
    • Offer a free case evaluation
    • Provide a benefit calculator or a ‘How Much is my Case Worth’ form
    • Include a catchy headline
  3. Want referrals but don’t know how to ask?
    On your outgoing message, after you say you are unavailable, add a quick statement that says: If you were referred, please let me know who referred you so that I may thank them.It takes two minutes of your time, but allows everyone hearing the message to know that you want and accept referrals.
  4. Make your referral a concrete introduction.
    If a contact asks for a referral for a specific type of attorney, ask permission of the contact to make an email introduction between them and whomever you plan to refer them to.This extra step goes a long way toward the referral being “sticky” with the contact following up. Plus, the attorney receiving the referral will know how it originated.
  5. Add live chat and exit pop up technology to your website.
    According to American Marketing Association, live chat increases conversion by 20 percent and results in a 305 percent overall return on investment (ROI).
  6. Use Google ads.
    Google may be most readily viewed as a search engine company, but they make most of their money through advertising. With trackers on 2.2 million sites and 1 million apps, they have the data to ensure your ad is seen by the right people.Yelp ads can’t hurt, either.
  7. Do a good job, get client referrals and don’t overcharge.
  8. Get to know non-profits.
    Contact a local non-profit whose message focuses on potential clientele and see if you can do an event or presentation. Even a simple “Know Your Rights” presentation to the right group can provide you with leads.You can also partner with them to be their go-to referral if anyone asks for an attorney providing the services you do.
  9. Write a column in a local paper.
    Reach out to small, local newspapers and offer to write a weekly column about legal matters for free. The newspapers will usually allow you to add your contact info on the column so people can reach you.
  10. Michele’s Tip: Make an email template for follow ups.
    If you have to retype a follow up email every time you are less likely to get the task done. Make yourself a template with easy fill-ins for their name, where you met etc. You can save it as a signature and then quickly add it into a blank email on any platform. Or save it as an e-mail “Quick Step” on Microsoft Office.Dear ___,
    It was great meeting you at ___. We will keep in touch…
  11. Establish a strong social media presence.
    You want clients to be able to find you, and everyone has a preference on where they go for their information. So be everywhere. Make a Facebook page, update your Google business information, establish an Avvo profile.Make sure people can find you and rate you and spread the news on how you helped them.
  12. One-page newsletter sent by U.S. Postal Service to existing clients.
    We all receive hundreds of emails, sometimes in one day. Real mail has less competition. A one-page newsletter is easily skimmable; particularly if the topics talk about legal developments that interest.Your name and number should be included on the newsletter. Each time an issue goes out clients will call to ask questions or mention a relation who is having a similar problem. You will stay on their minds!

Need marketing support? Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.