13 ways to get web traffic without search engines

October 23, 2007 by
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At last count, 564 subscribers to The Prosperous Lawyer newsletter have downloaded the free ebook from websmartlawyer.com I mentioned a few days ago. Apparently, a lot of lawyers have or want to have a web site to help them build their practice. If you didn’t get your copy, here is the link.

In reading the author’s discussion of search engines, optimizing web pages, and generating search traffic, I started thinking about how all lawyers should have a web site but many undoubtedly hesitate to get one because of the enormity of the task of generating search engine traffic. If you feel that way, forget about search engines for the time being and get a web site anyway because it provides other valuable benefits.

A web site is a mechanism for prospective clients and referral sources to get to know, like, and trust you. It sells you and your services and operates 24/7, at almost no cost to you. Browsers can spend as much time as they want, getting to "know" you through your web site, learning more about what you do, and for whom you do it, and discovering everything else they might like to know that could bring them closer to calling and making an appointment.

Your web site can be (should be) a resource of valuable information, helping clients and prospects to better understand their legal situation and the options that are available to them, as well as demonstrating your experience in helping others with similar issues. This can result in new business, repeat business, and referrals.

Your web site allows you to "cross sell" your other services to clients who may not know "what else" you do.

It provides a mechanism for building your email list, allowing you to communicate more frequently (and at less cost) with clients, prospects and referral sources.

And it is a resource for networking with other professionals. Your clients may be among the 25% of Amercians who don’t use the Internet, but I assure you, your prospective referral sources are not. Your web site and online newsletter give you a reason to reach out to those professionals, perhaps to have them write "guest articles" for your newsletter or blog, or to participate in an online survey.

Now don’t get me wrong, you do want search engine traffic. It’s free, it’s targeted, and it’s a brilliant way to build your practice. But there are other ways to get visitors to your web site, beyond search engines. Here are a baker’s dozen:

  1. Put your website on your business card, stationery, brochures, and in your email signature. (I hope you’re not still using your personal email address. Instead of lawyerjoe[at]sbcglobal.net, it’s much more professional looking to use yourname[at]yourdomain.com. It also allows you to "brand" your domain with every email you send. If you don’t already have your own domain name, get one immediately.)
  2. Use a "resource box" at the end of articles you write; list your contact information, including your web site
  3. Put your web site address in your bio, and your introduction for speaking engagements
  4. Write articles and post them in online article directories (e.g., www.ezinearticles.com, et. al.)
  5. Post comments on others’ blogs or in online forums or list servs, and link to your web site
  6. Write press releases and submit to www.PRlog.com or www.PRWeb.com
  7. Advertise offline: newspapers, magazines, TV/Radio, direct mail, etc.
  8. Advertise online: ezines, Google Adwords & other PPC, www.craigslist.com, etc.
  9. Provide an appropriate testimonial for a product or service you use, with a link to your site
  10. Submit your site to online niche directories
  11. Buy a domain name related to your niche that is already receiving traffic and forward it to your site.
  12. Create an Amazon.com profile and submit reviews for books and other products
  13. Create an ebook and list in on the free ebook sites; contact others who serve your target market and offer to provide this as a free resource to their clients (just like the author at websmartlawyer.com)
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Filed Under: List building, Networking, Online Marketing, Web traffic Tagged With:

New resources for marketing your law practice online

October 18, 2007 by
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If you’re interested in marketing your law practice online (and you should be) there are two resources I want to recommend. The first is a new book, "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" by David Meerman Scott. The sub-title is, "How to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing & online media to reach buyers directly." That about says it all. I’ve just started reading it and can tell you, it’s excellent. Highly recommended.

The other resource is a free ebook from consultant Brandon Cornet at websmartlawyer.com. It covers web sites, blogging, search engines, lead generation, and has links to oodles of resources. Valuable stuff.

Cornet’s ebook is itself a fine example of viral online marketing, in that it is a free download from his web site (you don’t even need to supply an email address to get it), coupled with good content that demonstrates his knowledge and experience. Sure enough, here I am "distributing" it to you, and thus, this strategy could quickly generate hundreds of qualified leads for Cornet’s consulting services.

It illustrates another key marketing concept, niche marketing. Cornet could hold himself out as, simply, an Internet/website consultant, hoping to appeal to "everyone" but, like so many others, he would find his voice drowned out by his many competitors. Instead, by targeting lawyers, he narrows his focus, which should make it easier to both generate leads and close them, since clients (and that includes lawyers) prefer specialists.

Both books agree, the Internet has forever changed the rules of marketing. Those who ignore this, do so at their peril.

 

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Filed Under: Blogging, Book review, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Press release, Publicity, Specializing, Technology, Web traffic Tagged With:

How to influence social media users

October 11, 2007 by
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It’s just over a month since I began blogging. Here’s a quick self-evaluation:

THINGS I HAVE DONE WELL

  1. Posted good content (Positive comments attest thereto)
  2. Posted regularly (nearly five days a week)
  3. Built traffic, subscribers (RSS and newsletter), made new friends
  4. New customers for Referral Magic and The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit without paid advertising

THINGS I NEED TO IMPROVE/DO MORE

  1. Reach out to other bloggers (Comment on their posts, point my readers to their good content)
  2. Improve search engine rankings for certain key words
  3. Learn more about "nettiquite"–what’s the proper way to quote others, post comments on other blogs (i.e., can you link to yours?), etc.
  4. Learn more about "social networking" sites and how I can use them to build traffic and develop relationships with prospective promotion partners and mentors.

An excellent article on doshdosh.com, "How to influence social media users" presents a step-by-step plan for doing just that and has applicability to any kind of online networking.

Many of the web sites mentioned I’ve never heard of let alone visited, but they influence millions. So much to learn in this new world. . .

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Filed Under: Blogging, Networking, Online Marketing, Relationship marketing, Web traffic

Is this fee splitting or smart marketing?

October 2, 2007 by
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Wouldn’t it be great to have hundreds of people referring clients to you on a commission basis?

"You can’t do that! That’s fee splitting. It’s illegal!"

Well. . . it depends.

It’s true that you can’t compensate non-attorneys for referring clients to you. But there’s nothing wrong with paying commissions to people who sell your book or tape set or other product–or service–as long as that product or service does not constitute "legal services".

The idea is simple. Let’s say you’re a divorce lawyer and you write a book (ebook, audio book) entitled, "Squash ’em: The complete guide to successful divorce". You offer your book for sale from your web site. The more books you sell, the higher your profits. But the purpose of the book isn’t just to make a retail profit. Think bigger.

People who buy a book on divorce, written by a divorce lawyer, are likely to be a prospective client for that lawyer’s services, don’t you think? Or someone who works with couples with marital problems, perhaps. When they read your book and see how you have helped other people in their situation, they’ll see how you can help them (or they people they can refer).

If these people do hire a lawyer, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll be the one who is hired, especially if your book offers a free consultation or otherwise invites them to take "the next step".

Okay, so your book does a good job of selling your services to those who read it and the more books you sell, the more clients you are likely to have.

Now, to sell more books, you could advertise, and you might want to do that. You can offer your book on amazon.com and through a myriad of other outlets. But you can also set up an affiliate program and let other people advertise your book for you.

Why not let marriage counselors and people who run support groups, for example, sell your book to their clients? You pay for "advertising" (commissions) only when sales are made.

Technology makes it easy to automate the selling process and track affiliate commissions. All you do is find more affiliates and tell them about your book and the opportunity to market it. The affiliates sell the book, the book sells you, and hundreds of prospective clients find out about you and the services you offer, and pay you for the privilege!

Another strategy is to give away your ebook. Offer it as a download from your web site in return for the visitor’s contact information. You can also invite others to offer it from their web site, as a free resource to their readers, or, perhaps, as a premium for subscribing to their newsletter. The viral nature of ebooks could bring you an enormous amount of target traffic to your web site.

If your book is available online, you’re likely to get inquiries from prospective clients in jurisdictions where you do not practice. Now you’ll have the delightful problem of finding lawyers in the appropriate jurisdictions and developing reciprocal referral arrangements.

There are many other benefits to publishing a book and most lawyers are capable of writing one in about 90 days. If you don’t have the time, you could hire a ghost writer, work with a collaborator, or create something you do have time to do, i.e., a recording of one of your seminars.

One last thing (and I wish we lived in a world where I didn’t have to say this): check with your jurisdiction’s authority (bar association, law society, et. al.) regarding the ethics of this strategy. If they say you can’t do it, move. This is too good an idea to pass up.

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Web traffic, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New tool brings free website traffic

September 18, 2007 by
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See that widget in the far right column? It’s a new tool that brings free traffic to your blog. It’s called BlogRush and it’s from Internet marketing star, John Reese.

BlogRush is like a traffic exchange. You put the widget on your blog and get a credit each time it’s displayed. For each credit you generate, your blog articles are syndicated across other blogs that use the widget.

I installed it at The Attorney Marketing Center and I’m already getting referrals.

There’s a short video that explains what it is and how it works. Click here to watch the video.

Here’s a quick explanation: There is a ten-level referral system, so if you refer other people into BlogRush, you also get credit for credits they generate. You also get credit for people they refer and so on, up to ten levels below you.

Since this widget was just released this weekend, it’s the perfect time to join and start referring other people and generating credits that will turn into traffic for your blog.

Watch the video or sign up free by clicking here.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Web traffic
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