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.

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Lawyer internet advertising begins with an inherent disadvantage regarding the material you are writing for your website.  This is because the subject matter is complex, detailed, and requires an advanced degree to understand completely.  The copy on your website is faced with the unenviable task of explaining, in layman’s terms, very complex subjects while at the same time facing the fleeting attention of internet users.

It is important to understand that writing copy for the web is unique and should be approached differently than other types of traditional writing.

Successful lawyer internet advertising requires understanding how to write web copy

I want to address writing website copy from the standpoint of usability and engaging your readers.  While it is also important to understand how to write web copy for search engine optimization,I will reserve that topic for another post.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing copy for your firm’s website:

People on your website scan the pages…they don’t read them – Keep your paragraphs and sentences short.  Use headlines and bolding that highlight your key messages.

Use bullet points - People love lists on the web.  When lists and bullets are used appropriately, a user can more easily scan and digest the points you make.

Be conversational, less “markety” - I always stress that people want to buy from other people, not faceless firms.  This is especially true when selling professional services.  Make sure you write with your voice, while maintaining a professional tone.

Stay away from legalese – Not only doesn’t the average Joe understand it, but they will quickly dismiss your material and move on to another site.  Attention is fleeting on the web, if a potential client doesn’t understand what you are saying, they will quickly go somewhere else.

Use pictures and illustrations in your writing (where appropriate) – I discussed in a previous post the importance of using pictures and video with your blog.  This is true for the content sections of your website as well.

A great book to read on the subject is Net Copy by Nick Usborne.  It is a quick read that addresses how to approach writing for the web.

Taking a closer look at the copy on your website will increase the effectiveness of your lawyer internet advertising.

Photo by envina

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.

Is there no such thing as bad publicity when it comes to lawyer marketing?

When Irish author Brendan Behan said, “There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary”, he was referring to the attention he got from his drunken public appearances, on both stage and television.

Nonetheless, he may as well have been talking about Joe Jamail’s, now notorious, Texas-style deposition.

But does the “no such thing as bad publicity” idea really apply to lawyer marketing?  Perform a simple search for Mr. Jamail in google, and it becomes quite obvious that his reputation as a trial attorney is highly celebrated.  And he certainly isn’t alone.  The internet is filled with lawyer videos and advertisments depicting completely unprofessional, if not unethical, behavior.  But based on the sheer volume of lawyers that engage in these tactics, they must be working, right?

Perhaps “bad publicity” is simply a matter of opinion.  While my reaction to the “Texas-style deposition” was appalled, many people responded quite differently.

“Wow, what a fighter!”, “I’d like to have him fighting for me”, and “I wouldn’t want to face him”, were just a couple of the “positive” responses I have heard from others.

Now I certainly don’t consider myself self-righteous, but perhaps many of us have come to believe that cursing, insults, and threats a good lawyer make.

In any event, before engaging in this type of “lawyer marketing” strategy, you may want to consider the broader ramifications of such an approach (I understand that Mr. Jamail is no longer welcome to practice in Deleware, not that he cares).

Other consequences may include, losing professional relationships, high blood pressure, and getting your a** kicked!

While I don’t agree with many of the arcane, inflexible, and downright arbitrary attorney advertising rules, I do believe that some degree of lawyer marketing professionalism should be encouraged, if not mandated.

I am sure my criticism of such tactics will be met with, “Well he’s made millions with that lawyer marketing approach.”

This, I cannot deny.  However, in my professional experience, success with this type of “style” is the exception, not the rule.  Whether you’re a Boston bankruptcy lawyer or a Los Angeles civil rights attorney, the likelihood of benefitting from such an approach is low.

Call me weak.  Call me idealistic.  Call me “big-boy.”  But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

It isn’t about what you do, it’s about what they need

I love this post by Seth Godin on self-promotion.  Seth explains the dichotomy of marketing your product as me-centric vs. you-centric.

Seth explains, the me-centric approach says “I published a book so I need you to read it.”  The you-centric approach says, “There’s something you need to read, so I wrote about it.”

Everyday I read legal blogs and look at law firm’s websites.  I’m overwhelmed by the number of firms that market themselves in very me-centric ways.

I wrote a blog post so people should want to check it out.

Our firm specializes in (fill in the blank), so you should hire us.

I’ve accumulated all these awards, aren’t I great.

While it’s important to have people understand your accomplishments and areas of expertise, there are subtle and more effective ways of acheiving this.  As we’ve pointed out in previous posts, writing and talking about yourself all the time can appear spammy and self-indulgent.  People don’t care about you, they care about themselves and their problems.  By addressing their concerns and tapping into the emotions of your potential clients, you will position yourself as someone that understands their needs (you-centric marketing).

Wouldn’t you be more likely to hire someone you feel understands what you need vs. someone who promotes how great they are?  Doesn’t everyone claim to be the best?  We need to do better than that to stay competitive in today’s saturated marketplace.

As the saying goes, old habits die hard.  This is no more true than in the arena of law firm marketing in the web 2.0 world.  Too many lawyers are still clenching tightly to the traditional marketing concepts.  Randy Brown’s latest post about the counter-productive effects of self-promotion is spot on.

But lawyers’ blogs are not the only culprit of being “billboardy”.  Newsletters, websites, and lawyer advertisements, are also guilty.

Thus, establishing a strong web presence becomes a double-edged sword.  While everyone might know who you are, they know you for all the wrong reasons.  Marketing one’s legal services is one area that the old P.T. Barnum saying doesn’t apply.  Not all publicity is good publicity.

Make sure you aren’t becoming a social media billboard (SMB)!

Here’s how to avoid the SMB trap:

1.  Never talk about yourself. You might be thinking this seems counterproductive.  The truth is, that by being informative, you are indirectly talking about yourself.  Think of the last time you read something you really liked by an author of whom you had never previously heard.  Chances are that if you enjoyed what they wrote, you found out who they were.  That’s what lawyer marketing 2.0 is all about.  Provide valuable information and you will be remembered.

2. The Internet has ADD. In lawyer marketing 2.0, you don’t have a lot of time to keep reader’s attention.  In fact, some services like Twitter, limit how many characters you have to convey your message.  Be informative, but be concise.  I always tell lawyers to think back to their attack outlines in law school.  Lot’s of information, not a lot of room.

3. Keep current, but not consumed. In addition to being concise, you have to stay current.  In lawyer marketing 2.0, no one is going to wait a week, let alone a month, for your next great post.  That being said, don’t get consumed or overwhelmed by lawyer marketing 2.0.  My friends at Hubspot offer the following advice, plan out a couple good blog posts per week (2-3).  Do the same for your social media efforts.  That way, you maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your lawyer marketing 2.0 efforts.

4.  Lighten up. Be interesting.  The sea of information deepens with every passing second.  To rise to the surface, you have to be interesting.  Check out this post comparing SEO to dating. When you’re having fun, it shows.

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.

Thanks to Amy Campbell for bringing us this fantastic new resource for lawyers.  The Legal Marketing Reader is an easy way to keep tabs on law firm marketing news and resources. The web site is designed for lawyers and those marketing legal services.

The reader is a great way to keep track of law firm marketing news, tips and resources via the many blogs, news and resource sites around the net.

Legal Marketing Reader consolidates several law firm marketing resources from around the web.

Here are a couple lawyer advertisements that I pulled off YouTube.

The Ugly:

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.

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One of the Internet’s strengths is its ability to help consumers find the right needle in a digital haystack of data. ~Jared Sandberg (The Wall Street Journal)

On December 30, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. (CST), a google search for find a lawyer produced the following: Results 1 – 10 of about 24,500,000 for find a lawyer. (0.25 seconds)

In other words, there are 24,500,000 needles in the “find a lawyer” haystack.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Am I in the haystack at all?  Where am I in the haystack?  How do I get to the top of the haystack?

To understand how to get to the top of the haystack, you have to understand how to get the search engines to “like” you.

This is where AttorneySync can help.  Here’s how:

1.  Search engine marketing tools and resources specifically geared toward lawyers.

2.  Contact information for potential clients in your geographic area and fields of practice.

3.  Lawyer marketing tools and resources to turn potential clients into actual clients.

Check back with us to find out more about our services and where we believe the future of lawyer marketing is going.