AttorneySync Blog

I’ve run into quite a few lawyers recently asking for advice about getting an online video produced and up on their site. They want to know the benefits of video and what they can expect with the investment. I want to share what, in my humble opinion, you can expect an online video will do for your website.

What Online Video Can Do:

1. Increase Conversion: A professionally produced video may help with conversion on your site. If the video is informative, well-done, and includes calls to action, it has the potential to help the traffic coming to your site convert into a lead for the firm. This is not a guarantee and does require testing to prove out the value.

2. Add Professionalism To Your Site: Let’s face it, a well-done video will make your site appear that much more professional. People coming to your site understand that you’ve made an investment and that you care about how you present and market your firm.

Some Things To Keep In Mind

There are some companies that push web video very hard with their website packages. The profit margins for these companies can be very good with video and sales guys receive better commissions on selling larger packages to you. Just be aware of this so that you are purchasing web video for the right reasons, not because it is being sold as the holy grail to getting new clients online. Videos can help generate some more leads from your traffic, but most likely will not bring a huge influx of new clients in the door on it’s own. Often web video appeals to our egos, it’s exciting to see ourselves in a little movie on the web. But we need to be aware of exactly what all those extra thousands of dollars are doing for us. As I always say, what is your return on the investment?

The truth is that while web video can be a nice addition to your website, there are other important things that should be a priority first. You need to make sure that you are properly allocating money and resources towards getting your site found, producing new content, etc. so that people can actually watch your video. An awesome video on a site no one goes to doesn’t do you much good. I think of it like buying a new car and spending a ton of extra money on fancy rims with no consideration, or money left over, to put gas in the tank.

Photo by: Voxphoto

Free Guide: How To Get Your Law Firm Videos Found In YouTube Want to learn how to get your law firm videos in front of more potential clients? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide On Getting Your Law Firm Videos Found On YouTube.

Continue Reading

AttorneySync’s is releasing its latest guide: The Short Guide To Getting Your Law Firm Found On Google.

Simply having a website is like having a needle in the internet haystack. There are many things that need to be done over time to actually get your site found.

Learn About Getting Your Law Firm Found In Google Including:

• Common myths held by lawyers about their websites
• Keyword Research & Competition
• On-Page Optimization
• Off-Page Optimization & Link Building
• Hiring A Professional

Click Here To Download Your Free Guide

Continue Reading

The NFL is heading into week 10 of its season, and whether you like football or not, there is a lot to be learned about law firm internet marketing from some of the league’s top quarterbacks.

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis

Analysis: Ultimate field general … processes and executes information at a high level … unbelievable durability, second only to Brett Favre … unrivaled combination of durability and dependability.

What Manning teaches us about law firm internet marketing is the need to have a comprehensive plan in place that is dependable and durable. While some internet marketers may focus on a handful of the strategies available, very few are able to implement a plan that covers the entire process from search, to social media, to conversion. Law firm internet marketing is also about durability. Too many internet marketers focus on quick-fix strategies that won’t last over time. Winning in August doesn’t necessarily translate to victories in December.

2. Tom Brady, New England

Analysis: Great pocket instincts … disciplined approach and execution (film study, weight room, how he plays, etc.) … uses tricks of trade to manipulate defenses (through snap counts, eye placement, pump fakes).

Brady teaches us the benefits of discipline and strategy in law firm internet marketing. Internet marketing is a grinder’s game. There are no real shortcuts and no real mysteries. It takes work (keyword research, link building, content generation). But there are practices, methods, and strategies that, if used correctly, can give you an edge over your competition.

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans

Analysis: Master dissector of defenses … fiery leader who demands excellence from those around him.

Brees shows us the importance of competitive analysis. Knowing what your competitors are doing is a cornerstone of successful law firm internet marketing strategy. By understanding your opponents plan (where they are getting links) you can identify their weaknesses and take advantage of them.

4. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh

Analysis: Great improvisational quarterback … rhythm and timing passer … growing in the discipline of the position (handling pressure).

Roethlisberger demonstrates the necessity of coming up with unique ideas. This is where a law firm internet marketer is really worth their weight in gold. Finding consultants that can generate interesting content, compelling link building strategies, and “out-of-the-box” techniques is usually the difference between getting good results and great results.

5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid Want to learn 5 of the most common mistakes when marketing your firm? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide: 5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid.

Continue Reading

Have you heard the one about the…

“Blanks” are safe from the threat of automation taking over their professions. No one would build a robot to do nothing.

If it weren’t for “blanks”, we wouldn’t need them.

Talk is cheap…until blanks get involved.

It is the trade of “blanks” to question everything, yield nothing, and to talk by the hour.

Two “blanks” were walking along negotiating for their clients. “Look,” said one, “let’s be honest with each other.” “Okay, you first,” replied the other. End of discussion.

“Blanks” are the only profession where the more there are, the more are needed!

What do you call 100 “blanks” at the bottom of the ocean? A good start!

Lawyer jokes? Nope. We’re talking about SEOs.

Like the legal profession, attitudes toward the SEO community are filled with skepticism, distrust, and a general sense of negativity. And, like the legal profession, at least some of this reputation is deserved. Take for example the following SEO paid-search ads:

“Rank #1 In Google In 48 Hours!”
“Top Ranking Internet Marketing Firm We Bring Websites To The Top!”
“#1 Ranked Internet Advertising Firm Results in 24hrs. 30% off Today!”

Hopefully by now, most of us realize that such claims are misleading, irrelevant, and generally dishonest. The truth is that no one can guarantee rankings in Google except for Google. Furthermore, getting “ranked” doesn’t necessarily mean more business for your law firm.

However, as is the case with hiring a lawyer, asking the right questions and being armed with some basic knowledge can help you avoid dealing with shady SEOs.

And, like having a good lawyer, having a good SEO firm on your side can make a all the difference.

As you know, people hire lawyers to navigate the complicated waters of the legal system. Likewise, SEOs perform services that most people typically don’t have a handle on, or more often, don’t have the time to execute. Getting new clients from the internet requires a full-time effort. It’s competitive out there!

When you have a good working relationship with your SEO, you maximize the benefits that the internet can provide to your business.

Here are a couple of basic questions that can help you hire the right SEO for your law firm:

1. Does your service include organic seo? The first thing to make sure is that we’re talking apples to apples and not apples to oranges. Some “SEO” firms will talk “SEO” but are really offering paid-search solutions. Paid-search is fine, but it’s simply not the same thing as organic SEO.

2. How quickly can you get me a top ranking? This is really a trick question. If the SEO responds with anything short of 2-4 months, be wary. The truth is, good SEOs won’t sell on ranking. Further, getting “ranked” is only part of the picture. You can probably get yourself “ranked” for your name in a couple of days. But unless you’re Brittany Spears, or President Obama, chances are not that many people are searching for your name (In fairness, branded law firm campaigns can produce results if implemented properly).

3. What specific strategies do you employ? What are you planning on doing? There is a wide spectrum of activities that an SEO might employ. These can range from benign and ethical, to flat-out malicious. Find out exactly what strategies your SEO plans to use and make sure you are comfortable with them. Ask them how they plan on obtaining links to your site. If you don’t understand their terminology, look it up. The internet is filled with information about SEO strategy. Make sure you are on the same page.

4. How do you charge for your services? Don’t lock yourself into long-term service contracts with your SEO. Make them prove value to you on a regular basis. Insist on reporting metrics. Just like every other form of marketing, you need to measure the value of your SEO’s services.

Photo by Hartboy

Free Guide: Hiring A Law Firm SEO Consultant Are you looking to increase your visibility online but are feeling overwhelmed by the number of service professionals promising the world to you? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide On Hiring A Law Firm SEO Consultant.

Continue Reading

AttorneySync is excited to release a new guide today: 5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid.

The guide is free to download. Learn 5 of the most common mistakes when marketing your firm including:

1. Forgetting To Do Research

2. Failing To Distinguish Yourself

3. Trying To Do Too Much In One Ad

4. Creating Ads That Do Not Encourage People To Take Action

5. Failing To Measure And Track Your Results
We dissect each of these mistakes and demonstrate simple ways to avoid the trap when marketing your firm.

Continue Reading

When it comes to creating a presence for yourself or your practice using social media, LinkedIn is one of the most important tools you can use. By using LinkedIn, you can connect to over 43 million professionals in over 200 countries around the world. Whether you run a small firm, are a partner at a large practice, or anything in between, LinkedIn can be an incredible asset for your career.
You might be thinking that LinkedIn is just a virtual resume but in reality it’s far more than that. Instead it is a resume, cover letter, references document, a phone directory and a place where you can professionally interact with others in the legal industry.
The hardest part about using LinkedIn however is there is a lot less upkeep compared to networks like Facebook or Twitter so you may not spend as much time on it as you should. This makes your profile useless and devalues your virtual presence. With that said, here are 8 things to keep in mind that you can do to enhance your brand on LinkedIn and transform your profile into a very effective element of your lawyer-marketing repertoire.

1. First Impressions - Like it or not, first impressions have a huge impact on our personal and professional relationships. Good first impressions can seal the deal and bad first impressions can kill all the potential. Your headline and picture are your first impressions on LinkedIn and they can greatly affect your prospects of building a strong network. So make sure you have a professional looking picture and a headline that represents your current position in the legal industry. If you are looking for lawyers to join your firm, looking to catch on at a firm, or looking for advice on a case then put that in your headline.
2. Be Accessible - Most people are not going to work at trying to find you or connect with on LinkedIn. So if connecting with you is easy and associable it makes you more attractive to others. Most of the time, to “link” with someone you need his or her e-mail address. To make things easy include your e-mail on your profile or at the end of your summary or experience so it can be easily seen.
3. Create A Custom URL - If you don’t have a custom URL for your LinkedIn profile then you’re missing out another critical opportunity for people to easily find you. Furthermore, a custom URL will cause your profile to rank higher on Google. So if your LinkedIn URL doesn’t appear as www.linkedin.com/in/yourname then you should absolutely change it.

4. Promote Your URL - Now that you have a custom LinkedIn URL it is imperative that you promote yourself. Include your URL on your resume, blog, Twitter and Facebook profiles and even on your business card.
5. Keywords – You should inundate your entire profile with key words because other lawyers or other industry professionals will be using LinkedIn as a talent search engine. Find keywords that are in your headline and scatter them throughout your profile so you will have a better chance of showing up on “people searches.”
6. Ask and Answer Questions - If someone in your network asks a question that relates to you or your practice then you should answer it. By participating in discussions like these, you show others that you a valuable contributor with a strong skill set. Asking or answering questions will certainly increase your stature and build up your brand.
7. Add Your Websites and Company Links – On your profile page, you have three opportunities to add websites. I would suggest that you add an official company website, a blog, or possibly a link to another social media network. Moreover, you should customize the names of each link so your experience and affiliation standout more. Google will rank your other websites more often as well.
8. Link Yourself With Yourself - Like I said before, LinkedIn is a very important piece of your social media portfolio, but it is still just that, a piece. You’re going to want to complement your LinkedIn profile with a presence on Twitter, Facebook, a personal blog or website, and other sites that deal with the legal industry. The whole point of building up your brand is to make sure it is unified and concise over all platforms and mediums.

9. Utilize The LinkedIn Groups - LinkedIn offers a wide array of groups you can join to interact with like-minded lawyers and legal professionals.  You can search for groups with the LinkedIn search feature and join relevant ones for your interests.

Photo by 4_EveR_YounG

LinkedIn Guide For Lawyers Want to learn pro tips on utilizing LinkedIn for networking and growing your practice? Download AttorneySync’s Free LinkedIn For Lawyers Guide.

Continue Reading

I’ve decided to start a series of blog posts that will address different lawyer marketing how to’s.  To kick things off, I wanted to introduce social bookmarking and the most popular site for it: Delicious.

What Is Social Bookmarking?

Wikipedia tells us:

“Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet.

In a social bookmarking system, users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share.”

Why Is This Useful?

Sites like Delicious allow you to store bookmarks online instead of just on your computer.  This way you can access the bookmarks from anywhere.  You also have the ability to tag your bookmarks.  This will help organize, categorize, and best of all allow you to share them with others.

How Can This Help My Firm?

Delicious can help generate traffic and awareness to your site or blog.  Other users bookmark and tag your content for future reference.  Popular delicious bookmarks can serve as great references on a specific legal topic.  People search through Delicious bookmarks to find relevant material, articles, and thought leaders.

In addition, it allows you to save articles, blogs, and websites to check later at home, while traveling, on another computer, etc.

Delicious can also be used as a search engine of sorts to find tagged articles of interest to you and your firm.  You can search for keywords and other users that have similar interests.  It’s a good way to discover industry related material and niches.

Where Can I Setup a Delicious Account?

Visit the Delicious Homepage and click join now.

Twitter Guide For Lawyers Want to learn more about using Twitter for your practice? Download AttorneySync’s Free Twitter For Lawyers Guide.

Continue Reading

In the above video, one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, speaks about the evolution of spaghetti sauce.  He tells the story of how one man named Howard Maskowitz reinvented the spaghetti sauce industry.

Up until the mid 1980’s there were only a couple of varieties of spaghetti sauce on the market.  Prego was losing out to Ragu and came to Howard asking to help revitalize the brand.  His solution was that there is no perfect spaghetti sauce, only perfect spaghetti sauces. Howard’s genuis was that he realized the need not for the one perfect spaghetti sauce that everyone would universally enjoy, but rather a variety of sauces that appeal to different people.  In other words, some of us prefer chunky, some of us like smooth.  I like mushrooms, you want garlic.  The point is that “the perfect” sauce isn’t the same for each one us.  There is no one size fits all.

How does this fit into the legal world?

The way business is conducted and the workforce in general is experiencing a shift.  The internet has changed many things.  It has afforded the ability to connect and communicate from virtually anywhere.  It has also allowed for people with very specific specializations, niches, interests, and problems to be found and to find others that can fill these needs.  Free-lancers and niche specialists are thriving like never before.

The end result is the need to be remarkable at specific area of law, not just okay in several areas.  In other words, lawyers need to find out how to become one of the “perfect sauces” rather than fighting with everyone to become the “perfect sauce.”

Questions to think about: What is your legal niche?

What legal field do others recognize you as an authority on?  Do you blog to boost your reputation within your legal niche?  Are you the first name that another lawyer would think of when they need to refer a very specific type of case out?  Do you position yourself as an expert and a thought leader for your niche or do you just “fight harder than anyone else”?

I believe to stay ahead today, especially with the amount of new lawyers entering the market each year, it will be imperative to carve out your niche.  Once you become the go-to guy, it will be much harder to displace you.

Update: If you enjoyed this post, please read a terrific expansion of these ideas written by Carolyn Elefant at Myshingle.com.

5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid Want to learn 5 of the most common mistakes when marketing your firm? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide: 5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid.

Continue Reading

What exactly is an RSS feed and how does it benefit me?

WhatIsRss.com tells us:

“RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.

RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site’s email newsletter.”

Why is RSS important to my lawyer marketing efforts and my legal blog?

1. RSS enables you to syndicate the content you produce for your legal blog and website. It gives people a quick and easy way to stay up to date with all your latest postings.  Anything you can do to help people receive your content with the least amount of friction possible is advised.

2. Helps you to develop a following. RSS enables people to stay up to date without having to remember to visit your site each day.  A user will be much more likely to follow your posts through an RSS Reader (see below) that is checked every day as opposed to visiting your blog on a regular basis.

Most blogging platforms come standard with RSS feeds nowadays, however if yours doesn’t you can sign up for a free RSS feed account at Feedburner.

What do you use to read/view RSS feeds?

RSS Feed Readers and News Aggregators. There are many free options to check out.  Some are web based and others can run as a program on your desktop (Feedreader) or integrate with desktop software such as Outlook (Newsgator).  I personally use Google Reader which is web based.  Some other web based options include Bloglines and My Yahoo.

Free Guide: Guest Blogging For Lawyers Want to learn how guest blogging can help build relationships and bring more business for your firm? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide: Guest Blogging For Lawyers.

Continue Reading

The movie Braveheart was on tv the other day and I caught the last hour and a half.  Since this was somewhere around my 14th viewing of the movie, my mind was wandering to lawyer marketing as I’m sure happens to everyone when they watch Braveheart.  It dawned on me that there are some pretty valuable lessons to be learned from our friend William Wallace which we can apply to our lawyer marketing efforts.  Here goes:

1. People respond when you address their needs and problems, not when you talk about your skills. The people of Scotland rallied behind William Wallace because he stood for something that addressed the problems and needs they all had.  They desired freedom from Longshanks, the King of England, and the oppressive reign of his minions.  Wallace offered solutions to their problems and the people responded.   Do you think they would have had the same desire to follow him had he simply said that he was a skilled military strategist and a solid fighter?  Well, do you think customers retain your services simply because you are a lawyer that works in a certain practice area?  No, they feel you have a solution to their problems and needs.  Make sure you market yourself as a solver of problems, not simply an individual with a certain skill set.

2. Be passionate about what you are doing. Wallace was certainly passionate about his efforts.  So much so that he gave his life for the greater cause.  People saw his passion and wanted to be a part of the movement.  It inspired people and showed through in his work.  I think in terms of lawyer marketing, the same point holds true.  I understand that every marketing effort isn’t going to make you boil over with excitement, but having some fun with it will enable your enthusiasm to show.  When it does, the message and emotional impact is much greater.  People can tell you like what you are doing and a person that gets fulfillment out of their job is going to be someone people are likely to hire.

3. Build relationships. Much of William Wallace’s success can be attributed to the relationships he built and the people that helped him to succeed.  His mission was too large an undertaking to be successful on his own.  He would have died multiple times if it weren’t for the friends and acquaintances he picked up along the way.  Similarly, your marketing efforts online and otherwise should be designed around building relationships.  This is where you develop your reputation and where the best clients will come from.  Kevin O’Keefe wrote a post discussing the importance of relationship building for lawyers online.  Obviously, I think your networking efforts should also include all the offline activities that have been staples of your lawyer marketing for years.  The point is to make sure you include heavy doses of networking and relationship building in your marketing plan.

4. Have a plan and be ready to adjust. In order to succeed, you need a good plan of action.  Wallace and the Scots were outnumbered, short on resources, lacked the military might, and should have had no shot at winning the battle.  But by utilizing the tools they did have (calvary, shields, wooden spears) and thinking through a plan ahead of time, they were able to defeat the army they faced with all odds working against them.  In the same context our lawyer marketing efforts face many hurdles.  We might be short on resources (time, extra money to invest) and possibly we lack the man power.  But we do have the ability to come up with a sound plan of action.  So long as we have a direction we are heading in, an idea of how we want to get there, and the ability to be flexible we will put ourselves in a position to win with our marketing plan despite the obstacles.

5. Give people a reason to talk about you. One of my favorite lines in the movie comes about as Wallace’s legend grows.  People begin to tell stories of his accomplishments across Scotland.

“William Wallace killed fifty men, fifty….if it were one.  Cut through them like….Moses through the red sea”

People dug Wallace and wanted to get on board with what he was doing.  I’ve written before about the art of story telling when marketing a law firm. When you do good work, people talk about you.  Don’t ignore the built in marketing opportunities that exist with happy, former clients.

6. Painting your face blue and wielding a weapon can be intimidating. This has absolutely nothing to do with lawyer marketing, but I challenge you to deny that it’s true.

5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid Want to learn 5 of the most common mistakes when marketing your firm? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide: 5 Lawyer Marketing Mistakes To Avoid.

Continue Reading