The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

Does your newsletter have to contain news?

December 20, 2023 by David M. Ward

Mine doesn’t. Because there isn’t a lot of news related to marketing legal services, at least anything I want to talk about, and when there is, readers can find it from a lot of sources.

You don’t have to write about the news, either. But as a practicing lawyer, it’s probably a good idea.

Whether it’s a major court decision, new legislation, or new rules that affect your practice area and the markets you serve, write about it. It’s a great way to keep your market informed and buttress your position as an authority.

Mention the news, explain what it means, offer your opinion, offer related ideas, and tell your readers what they need to know and do.

It’s all good.

Depending on your readers and market, however, you might not want to do a deep dive on the subject. That might be too much. (The technical term is “Boring A. F.”)

Provide appropriate news in appropriate quantities and make it interesting. Because if it isn’t interesting, they won’t stick around to read it.

Spend most of your words writing “around” the news. Write about the people and situations it affects, not (just) the facts.

Most of all, tell them what to do about the news.

You know, your opinion and advice.

Your readers can get the news from a lot of sources. But they can only get your opinion and advice from you.

Filed Under: Blogging, Newsletters

How well do you know your target market?

December 19, 2023 by David M. Ward

One reason I promote niche marketing is because it allows you to get to know your prospective clients on a deeper level. When you do, you get better results in all aspects of your marketing.

Higher response rate for your offers, better-pulling ads, more leads and inquires, fewer objections, a higher closing ratio, and more repeat business and referrals. With less time and effort and at lower expense.

Because you know your market and your market knows you.

Niche marketing means going “deep” in your niche rather than “wide,” as most attorneys do. When you go deep into a niche, you become more familiar with that market and their problems and interests.

You know what they read, who they listen to, and what’s on their mind. You’re better able to talk to prospective clients, in your articles and other content about things that matter to them, with specificity other attorneys cannot.

Your stories and examples resonate with them. They see that you already represent people like them and can see why you are a better choice to represent them than attorneys who represent “anyone with a legal issue they are qualified to handle”.

You can also get to know the influential people in that market, and through them, meet other people who can hire you or refer you, and will often do so simply because the industry leader has introduced or endorsed you.

It’s possible to do these things when you market to the bigger market, but far easier in a niche.

Which leads to the one reason many attorneys don’t target niche markets.

When you focus on a niche market, the medical community, for example, your stories and articles exclude people who don’t belong to that niche. “I don’t want to limit myself,” they say.

But just because you target one niche doesn’t mean you can’t also target others.

Yes, it’s more complicated. You’ll probably need more than one website, different content, separate marketing funnels, and so on, to accommodate different niches. But it’s worth it in view of the other benefits, especially if by targeting a niche you’re able to dominate it, which is another benefit of going deep rather than wide.

Start with one niche. Something you know well and where you already have clients and referral sources. If you want a second niche, you can do that later.

But you may not need to. You may find that you can make an entire career of targeting a single niche, something I’ve done for more than 30 years.

How to choose the best niche(s) for you

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: Niche marketing

Are you a better writer or speaker?

December 18, 2023 by David M. Ward

That’s one question you need to answer if you want to use content to market your practice, but just one. You also need to consider how long you take to produce a piece of content and how often you plan to publish.

Creating videos and podcasts usually requires more time than writing a newsletter article or blog post. They also require a different set of skills. But you might have those skills and experience and be able to push out a new episode or video quickly.

Or outsource those skills and functions (research, editing, formatting) so you can focus on what you do best.

Also consider your market. Short videos work well in some markets; long articles and reports work better in others.

How do you choose what to do? It’s different for all of us. Maybe “none of the above” is right for you.

But don’t reject anything (or choose anything) too quickly. Try different things and give them a bit of time. Something that doesn’t work for you today may be massively successful for you tomorrow.

But don’t decide solely based on results.

The best thing to do is to choose the method you like best. Because if there’s something you like, you’ll probably stick with it. If you stick with it and turn out a piece of content every week, you’ll bring in more business.

And that’s the point, isn’t it?

You don’t need to do everything or be great at everything you do. You just need to do something and keep doing it.

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services

Lucy, you’ve got some ‘splainin to do!

December 14, 2023 by David M. Ward

Apparently, Ricky Ricardo never actually said that. And there’s a lot of discussion online about why everyone thinks he did. But while Lucy may not have been called to explain, you are. Lawyers are asked to explain things all the time.

What does this mean? How does this work? What happens if I do (or don’t)?

And you prepare answers to these frequently asked questions on your website. They help clients and prospects understand things. And help you save time not having to answer these questions.

They also help differentiate yourself from other lawyers who post few (or no) FAQs. You look more experienced and knowledgeable and open, and clients like that.

If you don’t have a robust FAQ page on your site, I suggest you add one post haste. But don’t just answer questions about your office hours and practice areas. Answer questions about the law.

Explain cases and code sections, procedures and timeliness. Explain what happens when you investigate or research. Explain risks and contingencies, options and opportunities.

Start with a list of what clients and prospects ask you. Add things you typically find yourself explaining.

In some industries, these are called “explainer docs”. Some professionals and businesses post “explainer videos”. Whatever you call them, they give you a chance to demonstrate (some) of your knowledge and experience and how you help your clients.

If you have a newsletter or blog, you can bundle up some of the “best of” your content and use these, at least to start.

They can help you sign up more new clients and sell more of your “other” services to your existing and former clients. They are also a tool for generating more referrals as they are shared online or via handouts.

As you create these, give copies (or links) to your new clients. Hand them out when you do in-person presentations. Keep a supply in the briefcase you bring with you to networking or speaking events.

And let them ‘splain what you do and how you help people.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: faqs

Push-Me-Pull-You

December 13, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s a marketing thing, silly, not a two-headed talking llama (pushmi-pullyu) from the1960’s Dr. Dolittle movie.

Ah, now you remember. You know what that means, don’t you?

It means you’re old.

Yes, but what does this have to do with marketing?

It’s a reminder that there are two types of marketing: “Push” and “Pull”.

With push marketing, you push your message at prospective clients, whether they ask for it or not.

”Hire me,” “Call me,” “Buy my book,” “Here’s a list of my practice areas and my headshot—don’t I look successful?”

“Pull” marketing does the opposite.

You draw people to you, usually by giving away information or something else the prospect needs or wants. They find your name and offer through search or on social or a referral. Or through an ad.

Yes, most people know you want to sell your services, but because the information is free, there is less resistance and you can get a lot of takers.

Which one is better? They both work. The question is, which works better for you?

Are you trying to attract people who know they need an attorney and are trying to find the right one? Are you building a list so you can market to prospective clients over time? Are you focusing on building name recognition in your target market to support your other marketing efforts?

Or all three?

Push marketing can get your name and offer in front of more people, especially if you’re using paid ads. But that doesn’t mean you’ll get more clients.

Pull marketing can generate a high response because you’re giving away something, but many of those responses only want the freebie and aren’t able or willing to hire you. On the other hand, if your information is valuable and not just more of the “hire me” variety, you could see a lot of new clients because your information proves you know what you’re doing.

You won’t know what’s best for you without testing different options.

If you’re starting out or have a limited ad budget, build a list. You’ll be able to stay in touch with prospective clients, show them what you do and how you can help them, and build a relationship with them that could develop into a lot of long-term clients.

If you are in a highly competitive market, with prospects who need help sooner rather than later, advertising might be your best bet if you have the funds to do enough of it.

Ideally, you’ll be able to do both. Use push marketing to get in front of clients who need help today and pull marketing to build a list for tomorrow.

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services

You can’t sell your services without answering three 3 questions

December 11, 2023 by David M. Ward

Prospective clients (and the people who refer them) won’t hire (or recommend) you unless you answer some fundamental questions about yourself and what you offer.

(1) Why should I give you any of my time?

I’m busy, I have problems and a life or business. Why should I download your report, watch your video, visit your website, or sign up for your webinar? Why should I listen to you or talk to you?

What will I learn? How will I be better off?

(2) Why should I hire you (now)?

What can an attorney do for me I can’t do myself?

What problems do you solve? What risks will you help me reduce? Why should I hire you now instead of waiting?

Will you save me money? Time? What other benefits will you help me get?

There are lots of attorneys who would like my business—why should I choose you? What do you do other attorneys don’t do? What do you do better or faster?

(3) Why should I trust you?

I don’t know you. I’ve been burned by attorneys in the past. Can you prove what you’re telling me?

What are your capabilities and experience? What resources do you have? What is your track record?

Do you have testimonials, reviews, endorsements, or awards attesting to your abilities and “service”?

When you address these questions in advance, you clarify need, increase trust, reduce objections, and get more prospective clients to hire you or take the next step.

Think of these questions as the agenda for all of your marketing and you won’t go wrong.

Filed Under: Copywriting, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship

Marketing doesn’t get any simpler

December 8, 2023 by David M. Ward

“I have an attorney friend who helps people [do something]” That’s how your email begins.

Along with that email, you send your clients or subscribers a copy of or link to that attorney’s report or form or article. Or a replay of their seminar, video, or podcast—something that shows them how to [do something], get something, improve something, or understand something.

Your subscribers or followers get some intellectual goodness. Your attorney friend gets some exposure. And you get the rest of the day off.

It’s a triple win.

Okay, objections. Let’s hear them….

Still waiting…

Bueller?

Yeah, I thought so. Not so tough, are you?

Okay, maybe you don’t have an attorney friend who has something you’re comfortable sharing with your precious list. Well, get one. Someone who knows what they’re doing and can write something useful. Read it before you send it and make sure it’s good.

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy your day off.

Wait, I forget to tell you. Choose a friend who is willing to send their clients or subscribers a copy of YOUR report (et al.).

Okay, now you’re smiling. About time.

Anyway, that’s your homework. Not too bad, right? Pretty nifty, actually.

Did you just nod your head and say yes? (Really? Out loud?)

Great. Your next assignment will be to choose another attorney friend. Or an accountant. Or broker. Someone who knows people you want to know.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

You’ll thank me later.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

What to do when prospective clients say your fees are too high

December 7, 2023 by David M. Ward

You don’t want to lose them and you don’t want to cut your fee. What do you say or do with prospects who say you’re too expensive?

First, you realize that this might be true for them. In which case, you let them go. But before you do that, offer a lower-priced service if you have one, or a smaller portion of your full service. If not, offer to introduce them to a lawyer or firm with lower fees.

Help them and they’ll remember you if their financial situation or legal needs change. And by referring them to another lawyer, you might earn that lawyer’s referrals when they have a conflict or a client who needs more help than they can provide.

For everyone else, consider that you might not have a fee problem, you have a marketing problem.

You might be targeting prospective clients who are not a good fit for you in terms of their needs and your capabilities. If you are a sole practitioner, for example, and they want to work with a bigger firm, you either need to show them why you are more nimble and can provide them with more personal attention as a sole practitioner than a bigger firm, or otherwise convince them you can deliver what they’re looking for.

Your timing might be the culprit. If you’re speaking to a prospect at a low point in their cash flow cycle, or in the middle of an inflationary cycle, introduce them to a bank or other source of funding, or adopt more flexible payment terms yourself.

Your timing might also be a problem if (they think) you’re not responding to their inquiry quickly enough.

Maybe they think you’re too aggressive in trying to get them to sign up. Or not aggressive enough if that’s something they are used to or expect.

They might not like your style. Some clients need a bit of handholding, and you might not be solicitous enough for their taste. Others might equate being overly nice with being weak.

It could be ineffective marketing materials. Your website or presentation might talk too much about features and not enough about benefits. You might not have enough testimonials or reviews to see the deal. Maybe you haven’t shown them you provide enough value, especially if they’re comparing you to your competition who offers more or does a better job of articulating that value.

Maybe the whole package they see is too lawyer-like (somber, boring, tight-lipped) for them, or not lawyer-like enough.

If you want to sign up more clients and have fewer prospects tell you your fees are too high, you need to find out what people want and what they expect. It comes down to research, testing, and conversation.

Try different approaches and see what works best. Survey or talk to prospects, new clients, and especially, the ones who got away.

You can learn a lot just by talking to people.

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Fees and Billing

Ideas? Where we’re going, we don’t need ideas

December 6, 2023 by David M. Ward

Many attorneys do no content marketing. No blog, no newsletter, no articles or videos or podcasts. The two primary reasons they give are (1) They don’t have enough time, and (2) They don’t have enough to write about.

As someone who initially resisted creating content for those same reasons, I do have something to say about this subject.

“No time” does not compute. If writing a blog or newsletter brought you twice as much new business as you get now, and it could, or brought you bigger cases or better clients, and it could, you’d find the time. Or hire someone. Or both.

Content marketing works—if you work at it.

Besides, if you follow my “system,” you can write something people want to read in under an hour.

One hour a week to double your client intake? Even if it “only” brought you one additional client or case a month, would that be worth it?

Now if you don’t want to do it, fine. But if you do want to, you do have enough time.

What about not having enough to write about?

That’s also a non-starter. As long as you’re practicing, you’ll never run out of things to write about.

Write about your practice. Your cases, your clients, the laws you work with every day, problems, solutions, questions and answers. Write about what you say when you give a presentation, what you tell people who ask about what you do and how you can help them.

You want ideas? Go through your email. Think about the last case you settled, the last brief you wrote, or something opposing counsel said or did that made you roll your eyes. It’s all fair game. It’s all something your clients and prospects, readers and followers, want to know.

Besides, there is a never-ending parade of new people finding and following you who haven’t seen anything you wrote before. That means you can write about something you wrote before.

You might have noticed that I do that, in spades.

I use different words and different examples, at least I think I do—I can’t remember what I wrote months or years ago, can you? New subscribers don’t know, old subscribers don’t remember (because if I can’t, they can’t), but even if they can, good ideas are worth repeating.

Good ideas are worth repeating. (See?)

So, re-read your old blog posts or articles and update them, re-write them, or say something different about the same subject.

Now, if by some miracle you really are fresh out of ideas, the Internet is your friend. Go see what other attorneys have written about in their blog or newsletter and steal their idea. (The idea, not the words).

Yes, but what I run out of attorneys? Are you serious? Okay, you can do the same thing with business blogs or consumer blogs and anyone else who said something that might interest your readers.

The world is awash with ideas you can write about. Too bad you don’t have enough time.

Ideas

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

The fortune is in the follow-up

December 5, 2023 by David M. Ward

In marketing, many lawyers prioritize getting new leads and attracting new prospects when they should prioritize following-up with the ones they already have.

Anyone who expressed interest is far more valuable to you than someone you’ve never spoken to, doesn’t recognize your name, and may or may not have any interest in hearing how you can help them.

And since you’ve already invested your time or money to acquire those leads or attract those inquires, why wouldn’t you follow up?

Some attorneys never follow-up. They meet someone, give them their card, and leave it up to the would-be client to take the next step. Or someone visits their website and downloads their report or asks a question and once they deliver the report or answer the question, that’s it. No additional follow-up.

They justify this by saying, “If they want to know more, they know where to find me.”

This may be true, but it is beside the point. They showed interest but may not be ready to take the next step or ask for more information. If you don’t follow up with them, by the time they are ready to hire you or talk to you, they may not recall your name or know where to find you.

Or they hire another lawyer who did follow-up.

How long should you follow up? Days? Weeks? Months? Years?

Forever. Until they “buy or die”.

Actually, don’t stop after they buy. They might buy again. Or need an update. Or tell someone about you. Or provide a review or testimonial. Or share your content. Or ask a question that gives you a great idea for your newsletter.

Don’t stop when they die, either. Their surviving spouse or children or partner may need your services, or know someone who does.

So never stop. Once someone is on your list, don’t stop emailing or remove them unless they tell you to.

“But I don’t want to annoy them?”

Annoy them. You might email them precisely when they need you and be very glad you did.

It’s better to contact someone too often than not often enough. They can delete or ignore your emails, click the link to remove themselves from your list, or tell you to do it for them.

How often should you contact them? At the beginning, just after you’ve met them or spoken to them or they signed up for your report, more often. They are more likely to hire you or take the next step with they are “fresh”.

Make your initial follow-ups more personal and do them more often. Strike while the iron is hot.

After a suitable period, stay in touch with them more generally and (perhaps) less often, via a newsletter. You might choose to supplement that with something more personal: a card, a call, a reminder of something they told you or asked you about, but you don’t have to. You can let your newsletter do the heavy lifting, and it will.

How to use an email newsletter to follow-up with prospects and clients

Filed Under: Email, Marketing legal services