Law Firm Marketing BLOG

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.

Last week, the heads of our company divisions met in Temecula, California for staff meetings to discuss the latest trends in lawyer marketing and to brush up on our skills.
 

Search Engines Optimization (SEO) for lawyers’ websites has definitely been the focus.  Many of our clients are already showing up well in the natural/organic listings; however, the rules continue to change.  The biggest lesson: don’t try to outsmart Google.  Make sure you narrow the focus of keywords per page (no more than 10), have good titles and descriptions in your meta tags, and focus your H1 tags.  Don’t go after generic words; find keywords that really explains who you are – not just a New Jersey personal injury attorney, but that you are an Atlantic City security negligence attorney.  The more specific – the better.
 

Pay-per-click is still a strong aspect of a law firm’s marketing strategy.  Since some keywords can cost $40/click, you really want to be wise in the keywords that you choose – again, the more specific the better.  Then you want an appealing title and description; make sure it has a call to action.  Also, try more than one ad to see what works best.  Google allows you to rotate ads and then automatically chooses the most effective one.  If Google offers help, definitely take them up on it! 
 

Another hot topic was attorney website designs.  The biggest point to make is that you want your law firm web design to be different; don’t use the typical columns and gavels – use pictures of your firm and office and city.  Use a logo and a slogan – that may be what someone remembers.  Don’t be afraid to let the website show consumers who your firm really is – do you wear jeans and boots to the office, are you all business all the time?  It’s no longer a matter of what color is most appealing – it is what lawyer website design best describes who they are and to what type of client they want to connect.
 

As always, there was goal planning, convention planning, and more planning.  But, that’s not to say we didn’t get to have fun, too.  We went surfing in Carlsbad (or I guess you can call trying to get on your surfboard and getting beaten up by the ocean surfing) and we went wine tasting in Temecula.  Did you know that Temecula is Southern California’s wine tasting region?  Wilson Creek’s almond champagne is definitely my favorite sweet drink.  But, if you are looking for a laid back winery that is informative and fun – go to Cougar and make sure to say hi to the two dogs Sandy and Diego (get it? San Diego? Haha!)
 

I think this session definitely revitalized us and we are back and working hard already!

California Consortium has hired us to implement an Internet Marketing strategy for the firm.  We will be creating a SNAP pay-per-click campaign immediately and we will phase in Search Engine Optimization.  California Consortium is well-known in its industry; however, the company was interested in expanding its internet presence.

California Consortium, an agricultural management company, is a USCIS designated regional center.  They provide investment opportunities for EB5 green cards.  California Consortium is affiliated with many companies in the San Joaquin Valley.