Law Firm Marketing BLOG

During our quarterly staff retreat last week, one of the big topics was about our new Customized eNewsletter feeds for the exclusive use of a single law firm.  These newsletters are proving to be an invaluable addition to any law firm marketing strategy since the newsletters provide fresh, timely, relevant content directly to the law firm’s website.  Clients are able to provide us with specific topics that we can include in their article writing, which makes it even more relevant to the specific firm.  Since this new service provides content for one firm only, we eliminate the problems associated with duplicate content.

The purpose of the eNewsletter service is to help with a law firm’s optimization, as well as to give readers a reason to drill down further into the site.  We rotate the headlines on the homepage, much like major news sources, such as MSNBC.com or CNN.com.  This way, if a potential client sees an interesting headline, they will click on it to read the full article, which means that they spend more time on your website. 

Due to the high demand for our eNewsletter services, including generic, state-specific, and customized, we have brought a managing editor on board.  Carrin will be responsible for having articles written on the client’s topics of choice, entering the new articles into the feeds, removing articles that are too timely, and adding articles monthly, as well as on an as needed basis.

We get a lot of inquiries about our lawyer marketing services; one of the most common hesitations that clients have is cost.  Our attorneys realize that you have to spend some money to make some money; however, they don’t have a lot to put out at the onset.  If you’re looking for the most cost-effective, fastest results, pay-per-click listings still rule.

We recently had an attorney contact us in regards to how our services compare to a major competitor of ours.  After finding out what law firm marketing strategies he had implemented in the past and what his current strategy was, we were able to put a proposal together for him.  The attorney was interested in getting a return on his investment before expanding to a full-blown marketing program. 

We suggested that he should create an effective law firm website design; due to cost, our Gallery Websites would probably be the best option.  Then, to get the fastest and most cost-effective return, a pay-per-click SNAP campaign would work best; this way, their ads would be up and running the same day that the website launched and we could easily control placement and cost.  Once the attorney saw a return, he could expand to optimization, newsletters, BLOGs, and more.

Unfortunately, our competitor felt differently.  This competitor told the client that he needed a website (which we agreed with) and that he needed an eNewsletter and that’s it.

We told the client that the purpose of an eNewsletter is three fold.  First, it provides fresh content to the site regularly, which helps in optimization.  Second, if you feature the articles on the homepage, it gives readers a reason to drill down further into your site.  Third, a reader could bookmark the page and come back later for more information.

However, what the competitor failed to tell the client was that optimization works well over time and there are no guarantees.  It could take 6 months to a year to be effective and, then, there is no guarantee that you will show up well.  The pay-per-click listing guarantees first page results in the same day.  While you may not get a huge volume of cases, they tend to be more qualified, so you are more likely to take on enough cases to pay for your expenditure and then some.  Once you have received a return, it makes sense to expand to eNewsletters and optimization, but until then, you will just be waiting for 6 months for a phone call. That doesn’t seem cost effective or fast.

The one thing that we remind our clients is that we won’t suggest a service if you don’t need it.  For a firm just starting to make a presence, a newsletter is not going to give you a return and you don’t have the time to wait.

Don’t take the word of one law firm marketing company – ask around.  You will become educated and know what to ask other companies.  This way you can really compare them without just looking at dollar signs.

Vlasac and Shmaruk’s, LLC became our first Russian-speaking law firm.  Jack Vlasac and Boris Shmaruk were looking for a more effective website to attract clients throughout New Jersey. 

The law firm’s internet marketing campaign already includes optimization strategies, which we will continue when designing the law firm website.  Our customized attorney website design will stress the firm’s focus on personal injury cases in New Jersey.  Since the firm already has a logo, we will use that as a starting point; once the site’s corporate identity has been created, the attorneys will be able to transfer this to all future marketing pieces, such as letterhead and brochures.  We will also be incorporating a state-specific eNewsletter for New Jersey personal injury; this newsletter will be refreshed weekly and will assist in optimization strategies.   

Vlasac and Shmaruk’s New Jersey personal injury law firm is unique in its ability to cater to English, Spanish, and Russian speaking clients.  In addition to personal injury cases, the firm also assists clients with real estate litigation, municipal court matters, medical malpractice, commercial litigations, estate planning, workers compensation, insurance litigation, PIP, condominium litigation, and collections.