Marketing legal services Archives - Page 9 of 128

Make them come to you

August 4, 2023 by David M. Ward

You’ve heard it before—don’t chase clients. Because it looks bad (and feels bad) and usually pushes cliens away because you look needy and unsuccessful.

Clients want to hire successful lawyers, and if you’re chasing, that’s not you.

Something else, when they chase you, they’re usually willing to pay more to work with you.

So don’t chase, make them come to you.

How? What marketing strategies are best for attracting clients?

First (by a long shot) are referrals. When clients and professionals and business contacts recommend you, it is the ultimate affirmation of your success. They know you. They’ve seen your work. And their recommendations make their referrals easier to sign up.

You also tend to get better clients and bigger cases through referrals than any other marketing method.

On the other hand, you can’t scale as quickly as you might like via referrals, which leads to my second recommendation—advertising.

Surprised? Don’t be. Advertising allows you to maintain posture.

You’re not chasing anyone because you’re not talking to anyone—until they decide they like what they see and want to talk to you.

Yep, they come to you.

And advertising scales. And can pay for itself. When you have an ad (or campaign) that works, you can run more ads in more places. You can run bigger ads and run them more often. And bid on more competitive keywords.

You don’t have to advertise your services directly if that’s not something you want to (or are allowed to) do. You can advertise your book or report, your channel or blog, your seminar, or anything else that gets your name and offer in front of prospective clients and the people who can refer them.

They see, they like, they come to you.

The third way to get clients to come to you is through content marketing.

You share information about the law, explain problems and solutions, and show people what’s possible, and in doing that, those people see that you know what you’re doing and become interested in learning more about how you can help them.

They come to you.

You can do content marketing via a blog, newsletter, podcast, video channel, or by being interviewed on someone else’s channel or for their newsletter. You can speak at industry events, conduct seminars, network with people in your target market, or offer your content via social media.

Or through advertising.

Referrals, advertising, and content marketing. Three proven strategies for making clients come to you.

Filed Under: Advertising, Content creation, Marketing legal services Tagged With: attraction marketing, posture

How to promote (anything)

August 1, 2023 by David M. Ward

Promotion is the art of getting people to do things you want them to do. This might be attending your event, watching your video, buying your book, reading your blog post, downloading your report, making an appointment, or. . . hiring you.

You can promote a meeting or phone call. You can promote people—a business or professional you want to support, for example, or someone you’re working with and want your clients or prospects to meet.

You can also promote an idea, like a judge granting your motion, or why it’s important to have an attorney review important documents before signing them.

It’s an art because it takes skills and finesse. You don’t want to turn people off by your clumsy or overly aggressive manner; you want to turn them on and do what you’re asking them to do.

Sales skills are part of it. (NB: study salesmanship). More than that, it requires commitment to getting the results you want, and consistency in how you go about it.

Most of all, the art of promoting has these 3 key elements:

Intensity. Don’t merely announce it, put energy and emotion into your words, to show people why it is important, why you believe in it, and why they should act on it immediately. Let them see and feel your excitement, because excitement is contagious. (NB: if you’re not excited about it, pick something else to promote.)
Vision. Emphasize the benefits they get when they do what you’re asking them to do. What do they get? How will they be better off? Tell them what others got when they did it, so they can see how they can get it, too.
Repetition. Once is not enough. People don’t listen to or believe you, or they have other demands on their time. Promote it again and promote it often.

The art of promotion is one of the most valuable things you can learn and do. Use this skill in all aspects of your practice and watch your practice grow.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: promoting

3 stories you need to know (and use)

July 31, 2023 by David M. Ward

Marketing legal services is more effective when you use stories to show people what you do and the benefits your clients get when they hire you to do it. Stories provide context and help people understand and appreciate what you can do for them.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write (or have written) a few stories you can use in your marketing materials, presentations, and conversations.

And then use them.

Start with these 3 types of stories:

Your story
Your firm’s story
Client success stories

Your story is often the basis for the “about” page on your website, statistically the most read page by visitors of all stripes. It might include the reasons you went to law school or opened your own practice, people or events in your life that influence you, what you appreciate about your work, what you do during a typical day, and, of course, how you help your clients.

Your firm’s story, even if you are a sole practitioner, might talk about the firm’s mission, capabilities (practice areas, accomplishments, awards), reputation, charitable work, and the types of clients and industries you serve.

Client success stories are like testimonials but written in the third person. You describe clients who came to you with a problem or objective, the pain or secondary problems this caused, what you did to help them, and how they were better off as a result. If possible, quote the words of your clients describing their situation and praising you for helping them.

Write at least one client success story for each of your practice areas or services. Choose clients with different backgrounds or in different industries. You want prospective clients to recognize themselves or their situation and appreciate that you can help them, too.

These are the basics. They show people what you do, for whom, why, and how well.

And while first-party success stories, e.g., testimonials, reviews, and letters of endorsement from other professionals, are often more persuasive, you get to write these success stories and can have as many of them as you have clients.

Client success stories are some of the most powerful marketing tools you can use because they are about people and emotions, pain and relief, and are more effective than abstract facts and lists of features.

Facts tell but stories sell.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: Marketing tools

How to get more (and better) reviews

July 26, 2023 by David M. Ward

One of the most powerful tools you can use in your marketing is third-party validation of your work. You get more clients and better clients when other clients describe their positive experience with you.

It is (marketing) law.

But your clients are busy and don’t provide reviews or testimonials as often as they could, or as often you’d like. What can you do?

One of the simplest things you can do is survey your clients, to find out what they like about you and your services (and also what they don’t like because you need to know that, too).

Then, when a client fills out a survey and says nice things about you, thank them and ask if they would post their words on a review site you tell them about, or let you use their words as a testimonial.

Tell them they can do that anonymously if they prefer, i.e., initials or first name/last initial only. Yes, full names are better, but a review with initials only is better than no review.

Tell them how much you appreciate their providing a review, and how much other people will benefit by seeing it.

Get them to commit to doing it, help them if they need help, and thank them again.

What do I mean by “if they need help”? I mean, if they struggle to put their story into words, or what they write isn’t as clear or specific or interesting as you’d like, rewrite their review for them.

Don’t change anything material. Clean it up, flesh it out, and make it easier to read. You’re saving them time and making them look good. You should find that most clients appreciate that help.

You can do the same thing when a client thanks you or pays you a compliment over the phone or in person. Write down what they say, clean it up a bit, and send it to them, along with a request to post it or let you use it in your marketing materials.

Simple and effective.

What else can you do?

Every new client, in their “new client kit,” should get a list of review sites you recommend, along with a sampling of reviews you’ve received from other clients. Not only will this help them feel good about their decision to hire you, it will also make it easier and more likely to get reviews from them later.

Finally, always send a thank you note. Tell the client (again) how much you appreciate their kind words and how it helps other clients find the help they need. If the client was referred to you, send a copy of their review, along with a thank you note, to the referring party.

Showing them they made a good decision to refer their client or friend to you makes it more likely they will refer again.

The Attorney Marketing Formula

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Marketing legal services Tagged With: reviews, testimonials

Are you giving clients too many options?

July 24, 2023 by David M. Ward

Have you ever heard the expression, “A confused mind says ‘no’?” Research confirms it—when we have too many choices, we often choose nothing.

A confused mind says ‘no’ because it is confused.

When you give people too many options, you make their decision more difficult. In your marketing, therefore, rule number one should be to make things simple for clients and prospects, and that usually means giving them fewer options.

Do you have an ad that describes all of your services? Do you feature all of your practice areas in your content? Clients might be impressed by your capabilities, but they’re usually looking for the solution to one problem. Too many options or offers, especially when most of them are not currently relevant, make decisions more challenging, which is why people tend to say no.

This is also true with content creation. If you give people too many articles or blog posts to read, videos to watch, or events to attend, it is more likely they will choose “none”.

This doesn’t mean you should eliminate other options. It means featuring or leading with the best, the most relevant, the most likely to become a gateway to your other content or services.

Post everything on your website, but make the visitor dig for it if they want it. Or send it to them later in your email sequence.

But just as offering too many options can lead to confusion and fewer “sales,” offering only one option can do the same. If the prospective client sees they can hire you for service X and service X doesn’t tick all the boxes for them, they have no other choice but to say “no”.

Which is why it might be better to give them two options instead of “hire me or don’t”.

When I created my first marketing course, I thought about offering several packages but eventually settled for just two: Basic and Deluxe. Instead of “yes” or “no,” the choice became this package or that one and it resulted in more sales.

If you want more people to read your content, sign up for your list, or choose you as their lawyer, don’t give them too many options, or too few.

Filed Under: Advertising, Content creation, Copywriting, Increase your income, Marketing legal services

Unforced errors

July 17, 2023 by David M. Ward

We needed some work done on our house and got a couple of bids. Company number one made a compelling presentation and a reasonable bid (compared to what we expected based on our initial research). Company number two had an even better presentation, and we went with them even though they had a significantly higher bid.

NB: It’s not just about price or fees; you can get more customers or clients by doing a better presentation.

One thing that made the difference is the way the salesperson at company number two followed up with us after his presentation. He called and texted and emailed and showed us he was at the top of his game.

They did the work, and we’re happy with it. The building inspector who came out afterwards told us (without prompting) that the company had done excellent work.

So, we’re happy. But puzzled. We haven’t heard from the salesperson or anyone else at the company since we authorized the job.

Leaves you feeling like a commodity instead of a client. Slam, bam, thank you sucker.

Anyway, not following up with us was a mistake. And not just because there’s a cooling-off period and we could have canceled the job if we got cold feet. Following up after the sale gives the company the opportunity to keep the customer happy and take a step towards creating a “lifetime” customer or client instead of just another entry in the ledger.

We didn’t hear from them after the work was done, either. No calls to see if we’re satisfied or had questions.

And that’s another mistake.

To this day, weeks later, they don’t know if we’re happy. Or have other work we want to talk to them about. Or have a neighbor who might like to talk to them.

Nothing. Not even a note thanking us for our business.

Or a request to provide a review or referrals.

If they had asked for a review, we might have mentioned that the building inspector volunteered that they did a great job. Thorough and tidy. Very reassuring to a prospective customer who sees that review.

But now, because the company didn’t ask, no review.

If this is how they operate on every sale, they’re missing out on a lot of additional business. A cautionary tale for anyone in a service business or profession.

It’s so simple. Call the client after the work is done (or have an assistant do it), see if they have additional questions or concerns, send them some brochures or a referral card they can pass out to people they know, and if they’re happy, ask them to leave a review.

The only thing worse than not doing some simple after-sale follow-up is what company number one did after they emailed us their bid.

They did nothing.

They didn’t follow up to see if we want to go ahead with them, had any questions, or needed help with financing. They didn’t ask if we went with another company and, if so, why.

And now, weeks later, they haven’t followed-up with us to ask if we’re still interested (and hadn’t hired anyone). Or if we went with another company, had problems, and needed to talk to them about fixing it.

Follow-up during the presentation process, after the deal is signed, and after the work is done. Or after the prospect doesn’t sign up.

Never stop following-up. Because tthe fortune is in the follow-up.

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Marketing legal services, Referrals Tagged With: Follow-up, reviews

Build your email list offline

July 14, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s probably not the best way to get subscribers, but there are a couple of advantages. For one, it’s free. You don’t have to pay for leads or traffic or anything else. Just the paper on which the information about your newsletter (or whatever list you want to build), plus postage if you decide to mail them.

Another advantage is you’re not competing with everyone else who is promoting or advertising their offer online. Thus, your message and offer will be more likely to stand out.

Finally, depending on how and where your offer appears, it will inherit the implied endorsement of the person or place where prospects see it.

For example, when a local business or professional puts your flyer, brochure, or card in their waiting room, it suggests to their customers or clients who see it that they know you and think you’re okay, resulting in more sign-ups than would occur without that implied endorsement.

You can distribute your brochure, report, or flyer in the back of the room where you are speaking or networking, or on the table at trade shows and events in your target market.

To start, put your flyers or brochure or flyer in your own waiting room. You have a captive audience who already know, like, and trust you (or soon will) and are more likely to sign up for your list with no additional prompting from you. You can also give extras to new clients, along with your business cards or regular brochures, and mail them to existing and former clients and business contacts.

One key to making this work is to offer a bonus to anyone who signs up for your newsletter or event. A free report, your ebook, a free consultation, or other bonus often results in a higher rate of response, just as it does online.

Offline isn’t likely to result in a flood of sign-ups compared to what you might see online, because it’s not as easy to scale. But if your flyer or brochure is well written and distributed through the right people, it certainly might.

It also might stimulate immediate inquires about your services from people who see your flyer and want to talk to you about their legal issue. Or referrals from folks who see your offer and pass it along to friends.

How to get more referrals without asking for referrals

Filed Under: List building, Marketing legal services

A simple marketing plan

July 12, 2023 by David M. Ward

It’s got to be simple or you won’t do it, right? At least not consistently. You can always do more if you want to, but if you’re pressed for time or don’t want to do anything else, this plan can deliver meaningful results.

And I promise, you can do this. No matter how busy you are.

There are only 3 things you need to do:

ONE: CONTACT 2 PEOPLE A DAY

Again, you can do more but it’s better to contact 2 people a day, every day, than what you can, when you can, because when you do it daily, it becomes a habit, you get better at it, and your results compound.

You can contact them by phone, text, mail, email, or a combination thereof. Or, if you roll that way, you can talk to them in person.

Who do you contact? Your choice:

Existing clients
Former clients
Prospective clients
Business or professional contacts

In short, anyone who has or could hire you, provide referrals, or send traffic to your website.

What do you say to them? That depends on who they are and how you know them (and how well). Some examples to ponder:

Welcome aboard (new clients, new subscribers, new seminar attendees)
Nice meeting you
How can I help you? (What do they need or want, besides legal services?)
Thank you (for hiring me, for your referral, for your review, etc.)
Just following up (with prospects, clients, and others you’ve talked to or communicated with, after a meeting, conversation, or consultation)
Here’s something I thought you might want to know (article, website, news story, a report, gossip)
Just checking in (see how they’re doing, say hello, find out about their family, client, business, etc.)

Okay, so that’s part one. Easy to do, but extremely effective. Try it for 30 days and you might be pleasantly surprised.

TWO: A WEEKLY EMAIL

Send an email to everyone you know and keep them informed about the law, their market or industry, your new blog post or article, someone else’s blog post or article, or anything else you think will benefit or interest them.

You don’t have to call it a newsletter. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to be brilliant. You don’t have to sell anything or promote anything. But provide a link to a page where they can learn more about you and your services or event.

Tell them something, remind them to do something, warn them about something, share something, or tell them what you’re doing they might want to know.

If weekly is too much, send it monthly. But send them something as often as you can.

Because no matter what you send, every time you show up in their inbox, you remind them that you’re still around and can help them and the people they know.

THREE: 10 PAGES/30 MINUTES A DAY

You are your business, and your business is you. To become more successful, work on yourself as much or more than you work on your business.

Read 10 pages of a good book. Listen to audiobooks or podcasts for 30 minutes. Watch videos, take classes, or talk to people who can teach you something you need to know.

You can read about marketing, business, writing, speaking, negotiating, productivity, and the tools and resources for making what you do easier or better. You can also read about leadership, managing or working with people, history, creativity, and anything that inspires you.

Professional development is important; personal development arguably more so.

Bonus tip: Take some of what you learn and put it in your weekly email.

Okay, that’s it. A simple plan. Commit to doing these 3 things consistently. It may be (nearly) all the marketing you need to do.

For a more comprehensive marketing plan, get this

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Why should I believe you?

July 6, 2023 by David M. Ward

You’ve been practicing for thirty years? Handled thousands of cases? Have a billion dollars in settlements and verdicts?

Impressive. But so what? Maybe you got that way by cheating your clients. You’re a lawyer and I’m scared. Just because you tell me you’re good and will help me doesn’t mean I’m ready to believe you.

What’s that? You have reviews? Testimonials? Things other people say about the good things you did for them? Or for their clients?

In their own words, not yours. Their stories, with enough details to convince me they’re telling the truth?

Much better. But hold on. I see other lawyers who also have good reviews. Maybe y’all only post the good ones and pay off the bad ones.

The struggle is real.

Hold the phone. I just remembered my friend hired you once and asked him about you. He said you did a great job for him.

I know him. And trust him. Sign me up.

Yes, there are other ways to get people to trust you. But these are the best. These are the ones you should focus on getting and deploying.

Number one, referrals from clients and from other professionals (whose clients have hired you).

Number two, reviews and testimonials from your clients and endorsements from lawyers and other professionals who know you and your reputation.

Number three, articles (by you or about you) in prestigious publications, awards you’ve received from prestigious organizations, and presentations you’ve given at prestigious events.

If you say it, they can doubt it. If other people say it, it’s probably true. If someone they know and trust says it, it must be true.

How to get referrals from other lawyers

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: building trust

How to get new clients to pay you more

July 5, 2023 by David M. Ward

Actually, you can do this with existing clients, too. Anyone who is about to hire you or authorize you to do some work. Before you hand them the retainer or ask for the go ahead, ask them one more thing:

“Do you want fries with that?”

That simple question sells more fast food and it can sell more legal services.

It’s called an upsell, and it’s an effective way to get clients to hire you to do more than they originally contemplated.

It’s good for them, because they get something else they need but might have postponed. It’s good for you because you get paid more, but also because it’s one less thing to ask them about later.

It works because the client is in “buying mode”. They’ve already decided to hire you for something and thus are more likely to hire you for something else.

Instead of asking if they “also” want your additional service or add-on (your fries) you can ask if they want to upgrade their entire “purchase.” If you offer a basic service and a deluxe version, explain why they should consider the upgrade—the additional protection they get, the convenience of not coming back for more later, and, if (if you want), that they will save money by buying the package instead of getting all of your services separately.

You could instead position the extra services or addons as a free bonus for electing your deluxe package.

Another option for you is to “cross-sell” instead of “upsell”. Bundle your other unrelated services, or the services of another lawyer in your firm, and give the client reasons to get everything at the same time.

Upsells and cross-sells are simple ways to get clients to pay you more (and be happy about it).

Filed Under: Attorneys fees, Closing the sale, Fees and Billing, Marketing legal services Tagged With: increase-law-firm-profits