Marketing Tips and Strategies for Lawyers & Law Firms

Most people know that social networking is an important part of Internet marketing with Facebook and Twitter at the helm. However, Google announced in January 2013 that they had reached a user milestone of 343 million on G+. This is the equivalent to nearly 50 percent of Facebook’s active users, making it the second largest social network. This means that it has outranked Twitter, which stands at around 288 million active users.

For a law firm site to be successful it has to be professional. This means that professional website design can get the job done. The site is one that requires a lot of care and consideration. It cannot be thrown together quickly or it could look like the competition’s or not possess the information that the website’s visitors are looking for.

Important things covered include Letting Clients Know They Can Call For A Free Consultation, How To Clearly Relay Information, 5 Seconds And They’re Gone, Practice Area Focus, and Proper Branding.

The whole point behind having a website is so potential clients can contact you. If that wasn’t the point, you’d be providing individuals with free information and that is it. Nothing else would happen.

Lawyers are always looking for ways to promote their law firms, making the online press release a very cost-effective tool to get a lot of attention.

Personal injury law attorneys often ask us how much it would cost for them to advertise on TV. They, like the rest of us, are witness to the scores of commercials that inundate the airwaves touting scores of firms’ commitment to “fight for you” at virtually no risk to the client (i.e., “We get paid only if you do.”) Many of these firms are known for doing quite well. Hence, it is only reasonable that competitors express interest in duplicating their efforts.

More than 80 business associations and companies requested U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary John Bryson, to act immediately to urge the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to postpone a new generic top-level domain (gTLD) expansion.

If you are a personal injury attorney and the leader when it comes to advertising spending in your market, this article is not for you. If however, you are a personal injury attorney who cannot afford to “outshout” the competition on television radio, or in print, fear not. There are a number of tactics the smaller PI firm or attorney can do to ensure their voice is heard. And they involve four very different though interrelated activities.

Effective law firm Internet marketing is essential when your desire is to stand apart from the competitors in your market. Today, more and more people are searching online for their needs, rather than the yellow pages in the phone book. Is your law firm there, front and center for anyone in need of your services?

Publishing your professional legal work online has significant benefits in terms of building your professional reputation. It is also a critical component to search engine marketing.

Over the years, we have seen, that the most successful marketing tool for generating new family law clients over the short-term, has without question, been the seminar.

In today’s digital world, a mobile device just might be an attorney’s best friend. No matter where you are, you can read email, speak with a client, check with your office or use the recording function to create a voice memo of a judge’s instructions. And that’s not all!

Need help with online reputation management? What’s Your Internet Image?

Moving Away from “Business as Usual”

The problem with many websites today is that they were thrown into cyberspace like a fishing line in the ocean, hoping to hook customers on the line.

Marketing to your current clients is the absolute best way to generate profitable new revenue quickly. Your clients already know and trust you, so it is easy for them to say “yes” to more services. This article outlines five legal marketing campaigns that will help you with connect with current and past clients now.

If you operate a local law firm, there are some unique Internet marketing techniques with which you should be familiar. Since Google's Place Search update in October, getting found locally takes a combination of classic search engine optimization techniques combined local search marketing strategies.

As Google continues to become more social and local, testimonials, reviews, and ratings of your law firm online become increasingly important to maximizing your local search visibility.

Whether you are working with a local web designer or a big design firm, there are a few things you should require from your web design team. The following basic guidelines for professional attorney websites will help guide you through the process of working with a web designer successfully.

Setting up a Facebook Business Page for your Law Firm can be an absolute pain in the neck. Here's a easy, step-by-step guide to Facebook for Lawyers.

Have you recently noticed that your search engine positions in Google have significantly changed? This is most likely to Google's recent Place Search update. For some law firms, the update may provide you top positions for search phrases that you previously weren't even first page. On the other hand, you may have also lost visibility for local search phrases for which you were previously number one.

We recommend that our law firm clients ensure that their high standards of professionalism and excellence are reflected not just in the caliber of legal services, but also in their public images and reputations.

Whether you are a first-year associate or on the cusp of making partner, marketing does matter. To be a successful lawyer, you must keep one faithful eye on clients and the other on your future.

The year is quickly slipping by and you didn't devote the time to client relations and marketing that you had intended. Don't give up! It's not too late to make a difference this year and to start the new year off on the right track!

What are the keys to getting and keeping new clients?

Three Keys for Successful Legal Marketing.

Getting a legal job is very similiar to getting new clients...the same skill sets are required.

Performing local law firm SEO is a great way to attract clients from a variety of local outlets online.

While writing effective legal blog posts can be challenging, following some simple guidelines can make the process flow more smoothly.

These quick tips will help encourage visitors to your website to actually read your articles.

Understanding some basics about how search engine marketing works, will help you maximize your law firm search marketing efforts.

Setting up a new website for your law firm does not have to be complicated or expensive. Use these quick tips to get started with a professional law firm website and blog.

Of the thousands of screenplays written every year, only 450 to 500 of these are "lucky" enough to be made into motion pictures. Of those produced, less than half are released in theatres and of those remaining, only a portion are released directly to DVD.

The terms vision, mission and values have become over used words and often are confused with old fashion strategic planning retreats where hours and even days are spent word smithing a mission statement that is never looked at again. Many times the words are interchanged causing more confusion over the value for creating a mission, vision and value statement.

If you have a law firm that could use more targeted traffic and better rankings, a reputable SEM and search engine optimization company is something you definitely need to investigate. Firms that you find listed on page one and two for your chosen keywords and phrases certainly do not end up there by accident!

Survey research is used to provide greater levels of understanding in a wide variety of disputes. Issues such as consumer confusion, misleading advertising claims, disparagement, copyright infringement and trademark disputes can be better assessed as a result of developing and executing survey research. The purpose of this monograph is to aid attorneys in understanding what research standards and guidelines might be relied upon in their use of survey research.

Search engine optimization for law firms is absolutely necessary if you want to improve the position of your website in the search engines for your targeted key terms and phrases. The main purpose for doing this is to have your company become highly visible to anyone who may be looking for the services you provide.

A client recently confided that he discovered the need for search engine marketing only after he built a new web site. Expecting that "if you build it, they will come," this sophisticated international attorney was surprised to learn that launching a new web site is only the first step in the continual effort to get business over the Internet.

Law Firm Marketing can be a daunting task and can require a lot of different objectives to succeed online. However, one of the most overlooked marketing efforts that can really make a positive impact is online video for your law firm.

When it comes to search engine optimization for law firms, the services that law firms receive often vary to a major extent. Therefore, as a law firm operator, you need to ensure that you carefully select the best option to help yourself and your firm. You need to ensure that you choose a company that will produce incredible results in a short period of time to improve your return on investment.

An online law firm business needs exceptional search engine optimization and marketing strategies to achieve the desired results. Is your website ranking on page one? Have you noticed a significant increase in targeted traffic since implementing these strategies? If not, you may have chosen the wrong company.

Do you advertise your attorney or law firm business more toward a local audience? This can be tough when dealing with search engines. There are SEO strategies that can be put in to place to help you get much higher visibility in your local area. Most legal firms do not market globally, so you need to make certain that your website is seen by the people in your area who may one day need your services.

Every law firm needs an online presence these days. Effective website and Internet marketing strategies can not only make your online business highly visible, it will make a very noticeable difference in the number of potential clients you receive, as well as your bottom line.

Has the economic tsunami hit your law firm financially? Appeal it with Law Firm Internet marketing and search engine optimization.

A well-planned and well-executed SEO campaign can work really well for niche markets as they tend to give excellent search results in specific areas. That’s why, as a law firm if you want to grab the moment and catapult yourself from an anonymous online existence to one of popularity, search engine optimization is what you need to consider.

Writing an article is an excellent investment of your time, especially if the thought of making a speech causes you to break out in a cold sweat. “Speaking” on paper is an ideal alternative. Corporate general counsel, among others, frequently contact attorneys based on published articles.

In this day of virtual business transacting, telephone technique is important. Major business deals are initiated, developed, and consummated without the parties ever having met each other except by phone. Ongoing business relationships are sometimes maintained only by phone. Make no mistake -- we assess people's intelligence, manners, sincerity, business acumen, and other attributes through telephone conversations. And this is true especially for professional service providers.

I understand an attorney wants to feel you out, so to speak, and there seems to be a fine line as to whether you give too much information or not enough. Is it common to just say "Yes, I believe I can help you" and just ask for the file to review, and then charge a fee? Is it common to just charge a fee to review the case file and then send a written general opinion on the case?

What can your law firm do to generate more revenue quickly? The answer is surprisingly simple. Current clients represent your best source of new business, since you already enjoy a trusting relationship with them. Here are ten steps you can take now to increase current client billings.

How much should I charge for my expert witness services? It’s an important question that will determine the success of your consulting practice.

Here are some “best practices” as you build your expert witness consultancy.

Miami CSI and other TV crime solving shows captivate viewer attention with the glamour, excitement, and challenge of forensic police activity. We watch as the prosecutor insists on hard, incriminating evidence that will withstand court scrutiny to put the bad guys behind bars. If you are considering a forensic career, this five-part series will explain the role of the expert witness and describe how you can qualify as an expert.

Modern lawyers and law firms must build a strong web presence to be competitive in the Internet age. This article explains why this is so important, and also offers some tips for building a highly visible web presence.

Your greatest opportunity for new business is hidden in your existing accounts. New business obtained from current or past clients tends to be more profitable, due to a lower cost of acquisition and a higher likelihood of successful completion.

In this article, Ray Horak makes the point that effective communications is all about choosing the right words. The corollary is that ineffective communications is all about choosing the wrong, or perhaps intentionally vague, words. That's where interpretation comes into play, and that's where technical experts and even lexicographers get involved. Horak shares some interesting examples of his litigation support experience defining words...sometimes again and again.

Marketing without a plan is one of the biggest mistakes a law firm can make. This article gives you the key elements to an effective marketing plan for your law firm.

Law firm marketing fans reading will appreciate a new Google feature that will add a competitive advantage to your legal search engine marketing campaigns.

What is a law firm managing partner to do when preparing to weather today's troubled market conditions?

We all set goals, whether formally or subconsciously, especially at the start of a new year, when we feel we can wipe the slate clean and start anew.

A couple of years back I was invited to author a brief, highly pragmatic and regular 250-word snippet for the ABA’s Law Practice Magazine addressing the strategic issues that law firms face on a continuing basis.

Drawen from surveys, discussions and interviews with managing partners, here are six 'thought starters' to reflect upon with respect to your leadership style and approach.

Real estate, government, intellectual property, international, privacy, immigration, trusts & estates, environment, employment and health care are projected to be the top 10 law firm practice areas of interest to the news media in 2008, projects law firm marketing consultant Margaret Grisdela. Plan accordingly!

What is the difference between a lawyer referral network and an attorney's contact database? It's a good question, and one I was just asked the other day.

Daily Business Review Editor David Lyons said today that journalists are turning into "mobile journalists." Speaking at a legal media panel luncheon co-hosted today by the Legal Marketing Association South Florida City Group and the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, "MoJo" reporters are becoming multimedia and videography experts as print newspapers turn increasingly to electronic communications.

Ever wonder how much attorneys are paying for their text ads on Google?

The holiday season is upon us, which means lots of opportunities for social networking. Think of this as the perfect time to skillfully launch your 2008 personal marketing efforts. You don’t have to be the life of the party to attract serious business development opportunities on the social circuit; you just need to have a plan. Here is a simple five-step program you can easily implement.

What is the difference between a referral network and a contact database? It's a good question, and one I was just asked the other day. A referral network is a group of 5-10 professionals who have the ability to send you high quality business leads, while your contact database is a list of all your prospects and clients.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. This old joke works because of its wisdom. Now that you have an audience, advance planning is essential to the success of your presentation.

You know the conferences where the movers and shakers in your industry meet to stay abreast of current events in the legal industry. Getting a seat on the podium will strengthen your position as a leading attorney in your field. It is never too early to start your quest for speaking engagements. Major annual events book their speakers a minimum of 6 to 12 months in advance. The sooner you get named as a speaker, the more publicity you will generate through advance promotion.

Inevitably any law firm with at least a handful of attorneys and more than one area of emphasis is faced with a critical business development question - does it market the firm in general or does it promote the successes and qualifications of individual attorneys. To do the former alone offers the tantalizing possibilities that come with branding. The latter promises the kind of word-of-mouth “buzz” that brings in clients for very specific reasons.

Without a doubt, clients can be your best source of referrals. Yet in my 18 years of marketing work with lawyers, I have met few who actually ask clients for referrals. For all of those lawyers, I say, it is time to change your ways!

Are you offering cookie-cutter legal services to your clients? Think about it for a minute. If you are, chances are that your client can easily go to a competitor who promises lower rates and/or higher service levels.

Acquiring new clients can cost five times more than retaining current clients, and the average company loses a staggering 10 percent of its customer base each year, according to the American Marketing Association.