David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Simple, not easy

August 28, 2024 by David M. Ward

To persuade prospective clients to hire you, you want them to know that what you will do for them is simple, but not easy. There’s a lot of work to do, much of it is complex and difficult, but you have the knowledge and experience to do it.

Because you’ve done it many times before.

In your marketing messages, don’t confuse “simple” with “easy”. What you do isn’t easy. If it was, any attorney could do it, and that’s not the message you want to convey.

It’s simple but takes a lot of skill, experience and hard work. They’ve chosen the right attorney for the job because you’ve helped many others through this process and are ready to do it for them.

Imagine if you suggested otherwise, that what you do is easy to do. That’s not what a client who is being asked to pay big bucks to think.

So, choose your words carefully.

Choosing you is simple. Hiring you is simple. Working with you is simple.

But the work isn’t easy.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Get more clients by making it easier for clients to contact you

August 26, 2024 by David M. Ward

You can get more new clients (and repeat clients) by making it easier for clients (and referral sources) to contact you.

Especially via email since this makes it easier for them (and for you).

The key? The contract form on your website. Encourage visitors to fill this out any time they have something to ask you or tell you. Tell them when you will reply, e.g., within 24 hours or 48 hours if it is a weekend, and what to do in an emergency.

Making it easier for people also means not requiring too much information on your contact form. Ask for the minimum, just enough for them to hold up their hand, which usually means just their email and question or reason for contacting you.

Don’t make them fill out a lengthy questionnaire (as I’ve seen some lawyers do). Don’t pre-qualify them before you speak with them. Don’t tell them what you will or won’t do or what you do or don’t need from them.

For now, you just want to know their name and an email address. You can get the rest later.

Yes, you will get a lot of inquiries that go nowhere. But you will also get a lot of inquires from prospective clients who fill out your form because you made it easy to do that, and your competition didn’t.

If you get inundated with inquires and you can’t handle the volume, well, that’s a nice problem to have. There are things you can do to mitigate this but it is likely to be more profitable not to.

Keep your form as simple as possible. If you need to talk to them, you can invite them to call or ask for their phone number so you can call them. You can also direct them to your FAQ page or an index of your articles.

Show people it is convenient to connect with you and more people will.

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing

Originally is overrated

August 22, 2024 by David M. Ward

For creating content—blog posts, articles, videos, presentations, or anything else meant to inform or inspire your readers and followers, the writing is the easy part.

What to write is the challenge.

You don’t want to write what everyone else writes about, or say the same things, so you stay away from certain subjects or points of view, hoping to find something unique and borderline amazing.

But this is unnecessary.

Most of your readers and listeners aren’t reading or listening to others in your niche and if they are, they’re not reading or listening too carefully.

But even if you write something nearly identical to what others write, your article will still be different.

Because you are different.

Your experience, cases and clients, stories, opinions, and writing style might be similar, but they aren’t the same.

So, relax. You don’t have to create original content.

In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say that it is usually better not to. It’s usually better to write about the same things others in your space are writing about. The existence of their articles and posts and videos shows that there is a “market” for those ideas.

People read those posts and they will read yours.

Knowing this should not only encourage you to let go of whatever might hold you back from creating (enough) content, it gives you a simple way to find all the ideas you will ever need.

Here’s the plan.

Once or twice a month, browse through the list of blogs and newsletters or channels you follow, whether lawyers, industry experts, or other creators who inspire you, and bookmark several posts you can use as fodder to create your own.

I do it. Sometimes, I get the “perfect” subject to use for my next article or post. Sometimes, I get nothing and those posts go back into the slush pile or get deleted to make room for something new.

And sometimes, I zero in on a small part of something someone said and I’ll say something about that.

In a few minutes, I have my subject. I’ll add a headline or title and my new post is almost nothing like the original.

If you aren’t doing this now, try it. Nobody owns ideas. Besides, they are only a prompt. A place to start. And when you’re crazy busy cranking out billable work, a place to start is your best friend.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

Add these questions to your client intake form

August 19, 2024 by David M. Ward

By adding a few additional questions to your intake form your clients and prospects can help you improve your marketing.

Start with a few questions about where and how they found you.

Was it a referral? From who? How do they know them? What did they ask them? What did the referring party tell them about you or your firm?

Was it a search? What keywords, questions, or information did they use? Did they research their problem first or immediately search for an attorney? What did they find that prompted them to call?

Was it an ad? Where did they see it? What did they like about it? Did they see it more than once?

Did they find you via one of your articles or blog posts or presentations? What convinced them to take the next step?

You can ask them to fill out a form at their initial meeting but consider talking to them in person as you will get better answers, be able to ask follow-up questions, and assess their body language.

You’re not just looking for their responses, you want to note the words they use (and don’t use), their emotional context, and additional information they might supply about themself and their situation.

You want to know what potential clients think or do when they have a problem or desire, and what they do to find a lawyer who does what you do. You can use this information to improve your content—articles, presentations, emails, etc., improve your keywords and ad copy, and improve your conversations with prospective or new clients.

Pay attention to what they say and how they say it. One client might emphasize their concern about their injuries and damages; another might zero in on the amount of time they’re losing from work, a third might speak primarily about their pain and treatment.

It’s all important, but knowing what’s most important to your prospects and new clients can help you better relate to them and they to you.

Filed Under: Client relations, Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing

The cost of marketing your legal services

August 16, 2024 by David M. Ward

Lawyers choose which marketing strategies to use based on a variety of factors, not the least of which is cost (money, time, other resources). But cost is a misleading factor.

It’s not how much we spend. It’s how much we earn in return.

We might think a certain ad campaign (or any marketing strategy) is “expensive” but if the ROI is high enough, it might actually be “cheap”.

If you spend $1,000 per month on an ad, for example, and it brings in $5,000 per month in net revenue, that ad is profitable. If you can continue to get that kind of ROI, you would want to invest as much as you can in as many ads as you can.

The same goes for seminars, mailings, video production, other content, or other marketing endeavors.

It’s also pertinent to hiring additional staff (or better staff), a bigger office, or even a better wardrobe.

Nothing is expensive if it pays for itself and helps you increase your profits.

You might be reluctant (or unable) to spend $50,000 per month on advertising, but if you’re getting a 5-1 return (and you can handle all the new business), you’d be foolish not to beg, borrow, and steal to get more money to invest in that slot machine.

There is a risk that you won’t continue to get a sufficient ROI, however, so you have to watch your numbers.

But many lawyers don’t. They allocate a monthly or quarterly budget for “advertising” or “marketing” and hope it pays off.

But that’s not how a profitable business (or practice) should be run.

Filed Under: Advertising, Increase your income, Law office management, Marketing legal services

The simplest way to become the top lawyer in your field

August 14, 2024 by David M. Ward

You don’t have to outspend or outwork other lawyers in your field to get to the top. You don’t have to go to more networking events, create more content, increase your ad spend, or improve your speaking, writing, or interpersonal skills.

There’s an easier way, and it’s more likely to take you where you want to go.

The simplest way to get to the top is to choose a segment of your field or market—a niche—and dedicate yourself to it.

Instead of promoting your services to “everyone” who might need or want your legal services, tailor your message to your chosen niche.

Focus on their industry or market and the people in it. That doesn’t mean ignoring everyone else who might need your services, it means concentrating your marketing message and activities towards your chosen niche market.

Study that niche. Learn all you can about their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Learn their stories and share them in your marketing. Use their buzzwords, reference their events and milestones, and notable legal issues.

And meet the leaders in their market and ask them to introduce you to others.

Why go to this bother? Because your goal is to stand out in that market. When someone in that niche, industry, or market has a legal issue, question, or case, you want them to think about you and reach out to you or think, “I’ve heard of you” when you meet them or they see your name.

If you do estate planning, you compete with thousands of other attorneys who do what you do. Instead of trying to show the world you are better, show up for the people in your niche, show them you “speak their language” by using their buzzwords, referencing their stories, and talking about problems and solutions that are important in that niche.

If you choose “health care professionals,” for example, you won’t talk about what other estate planning layers talk about, you might speak to them about medical/ethical/legal/tax issues for physicians and administrators and the need to protect their assets and plan their estates accordingly.

Dedicate a website or blog to that niche. Create content for that niche. See and be seen by key people in that niche.

When they see you understand their niche better than other lawyers and are actively working with their colleagues, clients, and contacts, as your name becomes well known, eventually, perhaps sooner than you think, you will become the expert in their niche, and the top lawyer in your field.

To choose the best niche for you (and how to approah it), The Formula will help

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan Tagged With: Niche marketing

The easiest clients to sign up

August 12, 2024 by David M. Ward

Not all (prospective) clients are created equal. Some are easier to sign up and are likely better clients than others.

The top three categories are:

Existing and former clients. Clients who have hired you once are the most likely to hire you again. Easy sale, zero marketing costs, and because they’ve worked with you before, they should be easy to work with. That’s the theory, at least.
Referrals. Someone they trust vouched for you and introduced them to you, so, if they need you and can pay your fees, they should be relatively easy to sign up. You don’t have to invest time or money to find them or court them so they are profitable, too.
Prospects. Leads, opt-ins to your newsletter or list, attendees at your presentation, consultations, people who answered your ad, were, at some point, interested in what you do and how you can help them. If you stay in touch with them, when they need your help (and are willing and able to pay for it), it should be relatively easy to get them to take the next step.

What about everyone else? Look for people who have hired an attorney in the past. They know the value of representation and advice, have a general idea of what it might cost and how long the work might take, and have experience working with attorneys and the legal system.

They should be easier to sign up than someone who has never hired an attorney.

But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to watch out. Why are they talking to you if they have or did have another attorney? You need to know.

It’s one thing if there’s a conflict, the other attorney doesn’t practice the type of law they need or is otherwise unavailable. If there was a personal issue or their case is a stinker, well, that’s different.

They may be easy to sign up, but do you want to?

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Marketing legal services

A simple formula for attracting more clients

August 9, 2024 by David M. Ward

If you want to attract more clients, your job is simple. Share some of your knowledge, the benefits and solutions you provide, the way you do what you do, and how to get in touch with you, and put this where prospective clients will see or hear it.

Online, you can do that by writing articles, a blog, a newsletter, videos, or via advertising or social media.

Offline, you can do this via presentations, networking, speaking, advertising or direct mail.

Disseminate it wherever your ideal clients live, work, or “hang out”.

What are you good at? What benefits and solutions do you provide? Share this with people who need or want your help.

You can also share this with your clients and referrals sources so they can share it with their clients and friends.

As people discover you and read or watch or listen to your message, if they like what they see or hear, they will ask for more information and eventually hire you.

That’s how you attract clients.

But it takes time. Time for your audience to discover you, get to know, like and trust you, and decide to take the next step.

So keep showing them what you do and how you help your clients. Keep showing them your passion for your work. Keep telling them the benefits and solutions you offer.

And invite them to contact you to get more information or ask about their situation.

And they will.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services

Take off your mask

August 7, 2024 by David M. Ward

Many attorneys hide behind a mask of invincibility. They easily talk about their strengths and accomplishments but never admit to their weaknesses and mistakes.

They want their clients to see them as tops in their field, the best of the best, massively successful and eminently capable of doing whatever their clients need.

Mistakes and weaknesses don’t fit in with that narrative.

But clients and colleagues know you’re human. They don’t expect you to be perfect. They trust you to be honest with them and do your best for them—unless they discover you’ve been hiding something.

In fact, one of the best ways to build trust among your clients and colleagues is to be upfront about your flaws.

Your imperfections humanize you and make you more trustworthy, not less. The trick is to admit to mistakes and flaws that people can understand and accept. The kind that make you “guilty with an explanation”.

You were late filing something because a page had to be re-printed or a signature was missing and you ran out of time. There was a late fee (which you paid, not your client) and all was well.

When you tell a client or prospect you don’t handle a certain type of case, and they expected you would because other lawyers do, tell them why you don’t. Most clients will respect your decision to stick to what you do best and not attempt to do everything or fake your way through it, but tell them this up front.

Your reputation is everything. You don’t have to reveal every blemish and imperfection, but don’t go out of your way to hide every single one, either.

I wrote recently that transparency is often overrated, and that’s true. But the consequences of a lack of transparency are often under-appreciated.

So, how much should you reveal and how much should you keep to yourself?

Good question. If you find a good answer, please let me know.

Filed Under: Client relations

Too much of this, not enough of that

August 5, 2024 by David M. Ward

It’s all important: Legal work, client relations (internal marketing), cold market (outside) marketing, community relations, admin, CLE, and more.

My guess is you prioritize billable work, but don’t always do enough of the marketing.

Including market research. Understanding your target market and the people in it. Including your competition.

I suggest you allocate time to study your competition. It can help you do everything else better.

Study the firms in your market or niche. See what they’re doing well and what they could improve.

Start with a visit to their website. Is it professional looking, up-to-date, and informative? Does it sell visitors on the value of taking “the next step”?

Look at the structure and content of their website, review their offers, sales copy, and lead magnets.

What do they do to get visitors to call them, follow them, sign up for their next event, or subscribe to their newsletter?

Do they have a blog? How often do they publish? How long are their posts? What do they write about?

Do they have a podcast, make videos, do seminars, or speak at live events?

How do they position themself in the market? What do they say about their capabilities? What services and niches do they focus on or do they not focus at all? What do they say about you (their competition)?

Spend a couple of hours reading their content, follow them on social media, and subscribe to their newsletter. Immerse yourself in their marketing and what they do to promote their services.

Make sure you also check out their reviews (and endorsements) and see what others say about them.

While you’re at it, see if you can figure out which keywords they target in their marketing.

Study your (strongest) competition. What can you learn, what can you do that they do, what can you do better?

Take notes and study them again next year to see what they’ve changed or added.

They are your strongest competition for a reason. Do yourself a favor and find out why.