As a lawyer you naturally deal with issues that are sometimes sensitive to people so it is important to not be overbearing regarding trying to obtain and maintain new clients.

Finding new clients on social media platform doesn’t have to be something you hate doing. In fact it’s actually a lot of fun once you learn how to do it correctly.

The American Bar Association Stance On Social Media

The American Bar Association currently has a video out based on a recent webinar involving social media and the legal profession.

In it they addressed the issue that many attorneys have not yet begun to consider social media as a good platform for advertising or recruiting new clients.

However, in recent times, the ABA has noted that many attorneys who have an active website and who take part in social media tend to do better in general than those who do not.

Here’s the ABA video:

The ABA takes the position that social media is one the best ways to find leads for any business, including lawyers.

It’s a fact I agree with one hundred percent.

My best avenue for meeting new clients is on Facebook and LinkedIn by far. It’s something I work hard at but it’s certainly not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination.

Grabbing new clients from any social media platform is fairly simple and probable once you learn what you need to do to pull it off.

9 Tips For Using Social Media For Lawyers

These 9 tips will help you acquire new leads in a way that maintains your professionalism and integrity among your social media followers:

1. Put out free legal information, such as ebooks, pamphlets, and downloadable PDFS on social media.

Indirect Marketing Is A Great Way For You To Find New Clients.

You can put together a helpful legal guide on topics of interest to potential clients.

For example, lawyers who deal with slip and fall injuries could offer free information on how to avoid severe injuries from falls, to show care and concern for potential clients who might be looking for information on these topics. Then, if someone does experience a fall, they would call on the attorney who gave them the information.

This is known as indirect selling and it is the impetus that drives most blogs on attorney websites (as well as other businesses) to give people valuable, free information, in exchange for leads and suggestive selling.

2. Start legal threads discussions in closed Facebook groups dealing with legal topics.

Do a search for Facebook groups which focus on legal issues or people asking questions about the law and offer to answer some questions for free.

Answering legal questions for free is a great tactic for grabbing the attention of potential new clients.

You would need to offer a caveat, of course, regarding the fact that you are not offering free legal advice and that each case is different.

This will give you a chance to offer to have a consultation with individual potential clients, after you explain that you need to gather all of the facts about a particular case before proceeding with formal legal advice.

3. Submit friend requests.

The secret to finding new clients via friend requests on social media sites is to be very selective with who you send them to. Less is always more when it comes to connection requests.

Sometimes you can just watch what people are talking about and look for people on social media who are interested in knowing about legal services, then submit a friend request to them.

This way, you are creating your own personalized leads list of people who are most likely to solicit the help of lawyers and you can send them a private message when it is appropriate and ask if they would like help from an attorney.

4. Offer free consultations.

Offering free consultations is one of the single best ways lawyers can let clients try out their services before buying too.

This is a strategy that many lawyers use any way in the real world and it can be used easily and integrated with social media.

On Twitter and Facebook, consider putting in a brief description of your services, then offer free consultations for people in search of legal advice.

Again, by giving them something for free, you will win credibility and favor in the eyes of those searching for legal help, and they will be more likely to become paid clients once they have experienced your services.

5. Collect Twitter connections which deal with legal topics.

Twitter has thousands of specialized groups, companies, and individuals who are sharing content about specific topics.

By joining other professional lawyers and legal organizations dealing with your topic, you will increase the likelihood of generating relevant leads and clients in your area of the law.

6. Referrals- The American Bar Association stated that over 60% of individuals looking for an attorney comes from personal recommendations from people they know and trust.

Most of the referrals your firm receives will happen via social media.

Networking, therefore, by joining professional societies both online and in the real world, (including social media), you connect to people who know others in need of legal service.

Social media, therefore, functions as the link between people who are known to others and lawyers, when people have a need for legal services.

The American Bar Association has come to see social media as just an online version of the networking that has already occurred for years in the real world, whereby there is a network or pipeline that brings new clients to your door.

7. Keep the message “low key.”

The ABA refers to this as “interacting, not broadcasting.”

People do not want to hear messages that are too overt or sales-oriented. Instead, start conversations with potential clients and interact with them.

Listen to what their concerns are, establish connections, then sit back and wait. Don’t be pushy and blur the lines of propriety by being too forceful with your advertising.

Hundreds of “ambulance chasers” on national TV ads that promise to take people to court in your favor after car accidents have made this type of advertising unprofessional-sounding in the ears of clients.

Don’t be one of them.

8. Discuss local stories that deal with issues of the law in your own area.

Blogging about local news in your area is a subtle and professional way to network and get on the radar of potential clients.

While the internet is global, most of your real clients come from your immediate geographical area.

Focusing on your local clientele, keep your local area’s interest at the forefront. You can share links and images, videos, and other media regarding local stories. This will draw attention to your areas of expertise in an indirect way as you make comments about the topics at hand.

It is a subtle and professional way to network and get on the radar of potential clients.

9. Create a business page for your local law firm that is separate from your personal page.

It is important to create a Facebook page dedicated to your law firm.

You do not have to be overly sales-oriented on this page either. But the key is to start your network and add people to your connections, so that they will have easy access to your page.

Encourage people to LIKE your page, so that anything you post will be sent to them as a notification immediately after you post.

Statistics Involving Social Media And The Legal Profession

When you take the time to study the statistics of how many people use social media daily it becomes very clear to why you need to improve your skills in that department.

The statistics involving social media are interesting:

• 65% of Americans are on social media at some point during the day
• 50% of Americans check their social media first thing in the morning
• 42 people are reached per post, on average when someone shares important information via social media

Keeping Professional

Lawyers have not been the first on the band wagon regarding the power of social media. Many felt it wasn’t the most professional way to contact potential clients and that these things should be done in the real world.

However, in the legal profession, as in any field or industry, you have to go where people are. And the statistics tell us that they are on social media to such a large degree that it is too big of a market to ignore.

The best thing you can do to get the word out about your firm is to connect and network with people both in the real world and on social media.

Following these tips will get you started. But the key is to build relationships with people who will also share the information with others, and increase your credibility by offering some free information, and free services, such as free initial consultations.

The Importance Of Video Marketing

Finally, make sure you have a formal video talking to people about your services.

YouTube is video platform. But it is also a search engine (second largest in the world), and it is also considered social media. Integrate your videos within your other social platforms for the greatest impact.

These things will help you to stay on potential clients’ radar, while still adhering to the integrity and principles that is expected of lawyers.

Topic Focused Forums And Platforms

Never underestimate the power social media groups have in attracting potential clients to your firm. Ignore them at your own peril!

Facebook Groups, Twitter chats, and other social media communities such as Google communities and groups are excellent ways to target your market toward those people who are most likely to become clients.

Targeting specific groups that are most likely to buy from you is the single best way to use your social media impact to the best advantage while remaining professional in the online marketplace.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is considered a more professional social media platform than Facebook or Twitter.

You can use LinkedIn to connect to potential clients as well as co-workers and others who are likely to need your services in the future.

The best thing about LinkedIn is the capabilities of the profile on the platform. You can put a lot of information about your law firm and yourself within the profile and allow people to view this without being overly intrusive with ads or sales pitches. This works for lawyers well and keeps them professional without being too aggressive in the eyes of potential clients.

Where To Place The Bulk Of Your Posts

Your interacting can occur on any one of several social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus.

All of these social media types have their own unique type of networking potential that can help attorneys use social media to increase your client base, leads, and revenue online.

A mix of all platforms is the best idea for lawyers, with an emphasis on the most professional forums and platforms such as Linked In and Facebook business pages.

ABA: Interact, Don’t Broadcast

Keep your marketing efforts on social media sites low key, but connect to people and be there when they need you. Then, they will remember you when they do.

Don’t overdo advertising. Simply interact and respond to questions and comments instead.

Prospects are used to hearing and seeing a lot of ads which bombard them with the idea that a certain company, product, or attorney is better than another. But, when you use social media responsibly, and speak softly about what matters most to them, you may find that your quietest voice is also the loudest voice they hear.

Did we miss a tip you think we should of included? If so let us know by posting in the comment section below!

The post 9 Social Media Tips For Attorneys Looking For New Clients appeared first on Marketing Secrets For Lawyers.

Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

Having a website is important, but not everyone is aware that a website, especially in today’s world, has to be optimized for search to be effective. First, websites are now required to be mobile-friendly.

Google constantly updates its algorithm to provide the best user experience possible. More and more people use their mobile devices to find information, products and services.

Optimize for Local Search

Secondly, your website must be optimized for local search. Today’s consumers are on the move. They want reliable information, and they want it fast.

If your website is optimized for local search, there’s a chance that anyone, in your geographical area, looking for services that your law firm provides will be given your location.

There’s usually fierce competition in the field of law. Your goal is to trump the competition. Rest assured that if clients are finding your site, they’re likely looking at your competitor’s pages.

Third, make sure that your sites content, Meta descriptions and keywords are spot-on with respect to your services. Your information should be informative, relevant and useful.

Include information about your local community and how your firm provides an invaluable service to local residents. Include a blog. A blog is a great way to establish authority and to alert search engine algorithms that your content is refreshed and on topic.

If your firm doesn’t have time to write a blog, hire a writing service. Your blog can serve as an excellent source for legal commentary that’s cutting edge.

Get Familiar with Social Media Strategies

Social media has exploded. It’s now a major element of any serious marketing strategy. Over 800 million people are connected through sites like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and YouTube. Countless newsfeeds report stories and events that happen in real time.

The tools that people use to engage in social media are continually evolving. Smartphones and iPads allow people to access online content from anywhere in the world, 24/7. Social media has virtually changed the way people connect on both a personal and professional level.

Many young lawyers have grown up with technology. It’s intertwined in nearly every aspect of their lives. It would be rare to find a young lawyer who’s not checking their Facebook page, or updating their LinkedIn profile, on a daily basis.

Even senior lawyers have jumped on board the social media express to join industry networking sites. The concept of networking is ancient. The Internet and social media simply takes it to another, accessible level.

Email Advertising for Lawyers

Email marketing can be on the most effective and affordable ways to get new clients for your firm. A steady stream of new clients keeps the doors open and the utility bills paid. With the right type of email campaigns, educated clients and prospects are likely to become paying clients.
An email marketing system can be put in place that will keep clients signing up for years to come. The reason being is that the email content will always be relevant to a client’s needs.

Email blasts can keep place your firm at the very top of your clients’ minds. The goal is to stay in touch with clients, while continuing to cultivate a strong referral base.

Targeted email courses can also be applied. These courses are designed to educate and inform people who’ve shown an interest in a particular service. They can provide answers like: what to expect when hiring a lawyer, or what are the likely outcomes of a particular case etc.

An effective email campaign will require two main things. First, a list of subscribers must be compiled along with a content creation schedule. Your list can contain current clients, college connections, degree connections, social medial connections, and mobile phone contacts etc.

There are email marketing programs, such as Mail Chimp, that can help you manage your list while providing ready-made templates that are easy to deploy.

Online Public Relations

Over the past few years, public relations has taken a quantum leap. Social media is one of the biggest reasons. The role of journalism has changed. Traditional press releases have changed. Many journalists are now bloggers. To get their attention, you’ll have to blow them away with something unique. Find trending stories to “wow” them.

Just as it’s impossible for a lay person to practice law, it’s difficult for many lawyers to understand the nuances involved with creating an effective online presence. The truth is people no longer search for an attorney the way they used to.

Up until six years ago, a person looking for an attorney would likely have gotten a referral from their accountant, a friend or another attorney. In today’s world, a typical client has normally done a fair amount of Internet research even if an attorney has been referred.

Up to 75 percent of people who hire an attorney conducted online research before hiring their attorney. Just imagine what would happen if a client couldn’t find your website, after having been referred. Or imagine people landing on a competitor’s website when looking for your legal services!

Like most every other service offered on the Web, clients will stop searching once they’ve found a dependable source for their needs.

Real Solutions

#1. Start with the foundation. A competent SEO will optimize the code and content of your website. This means paying attention to indexing problems, title and header tags, ensuring that internal links are pointing in the right direction, and optimizing page speed with a host of other things

#2. Build your brand. Local citations, directory listings, case studies, and infographics are a great place to start.

#3. Conduct ongoing maintenance. Make sure the site is mobile-friendly. Optimize for both conversions and SEO. Convey trust. Make sure that all copy/conversion elements are firmly in place. Continue to blog and create a content schedule that allows you to take the lead in thought leadership.

#4. Develop authority. Build quality links, both inbound and outbound.

#5. Go strong with social clout. Build trust on every relevant social media site.

Letting the Experts Help

You can rely on SEO experts to take your law firm to its next level of business through such things as:

• Paid Search Marketing – Paid search is a way of placing your law firm on the first page of Google. The knowledge gained, such as the right combination of keywords, can be used to run your organic search engine campaigns.
• Analytics and Reporting – Knowing what your visitors do while on your site and how they arrived can help you better market your business. Analytics allows you to improve marketing campaigns month over month.
• Conversion Rate Optimization – Driving traffic is one thing. Getting those visitors to convert is quite another. Smart marketing can help you double the conversion rate of the leads that you already have. Clear copy, written with trust signals, can get the job done.

Law Firms and SEO

Unfortunately, there are no SEO classes taught at law schools. Are there really any programs that teach aspiring lawyers how to build, run and market a law firm? The truth is, SEO is not an agenda at law schools. That’s not a bad or a good thing. It simply is. Unfortunately, many lawyers may be out of touch with the subject of SEO and its practices.

When the time comes for lawyers to get brought up to speed, it’s easy for them to become targets for providers who are selling nothing short of snake oil. These shady providers may call law firms with the promise of quick results. They may even make the claim that they have a special relationship with Google. The truth is SEO takes time. However, when done right, SEO works.

As a law firm, decide what you need with respect to SEO. Do you need a one-time audit, link building, progressive content marketing, or a host of new leads to increase business? Regardless of your knowledge of SEO, you should have a sound idea of where you want your business to go.

Once you have an idea, select several SEO firms and ask them what direction your firm needs to take. Ask for pricing and a proposal for each SEO company. Finally, ask prospects for references and case studies.

SEO is a learning process. Armed with the right knowledge and support, it will only be a matter of time before your firm notices an increase in business and bookings. Happy SEO hunting.

The post What Can Attorneys Do to Improve Business? appeared first on Marketing Secrets For Lawyers.

Those cartoon images no longer fit, though. As I see it, SEO isn’t black or white any more. The question isn’t whether you want to wear a black hat or a white hat; it’s whether it fits your needs.

High-Value or Low-Value?

High-value strategies cost more, but the return on your investment of time and money is greater. With a low-value strategy, you’ll pay less initially, but you’ll need to switch to a different strategy when search engine algorithms pull the plug on your current low-value, high-volume SEO strategy. Buyers generally overestimate the return and underestimate the investment in a low-value SEO plan, so consider carefully before you buy.

High-Risk or Low-Risk?

High-risk SEO tactics find loopholes in search engine algorithms and drive massive traffic through them until search engine programmers close them. While you may get large gains from a high-risk strategy, your traffic stream could dry with the next Google update. You also risk your site’s reputation; once you’re consigned to the oblivion of low rankings, it’s a struggle to regain lost ground.

Short-Range or Long-Range?

While low-risk strategies are safer, they’re also meant for the long haul and take time to develop. In volatile markets, your peak profitability may be less than a year; a long-term plan isn’t as important as implementing your SEO strategy quickly.

I can’t decide what kind of SEO strategy you should pick, but I hope I’ve helped you find the hat that fits without worrying about its color.

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The answer to your lack of new clients is also most likely due to the fact that you are not using effective marketing techniques such as using SEO with online marketing. Perhaps, I can help with suggestions of tips you might try.

Technique #1 – A Marketing Budget of 2.5 Percent of Gross Revenues

If you’re spending less than 2.5 percent of your gross revenues, you’re not marketing. You’re only pretending to be doing marketing. The 2.5 percent only includes money that is ear marked only for new business generating, entertaining clients, or travel expenses to visit clients. If you have hired people to do the marketing work, that should be an additional expense over the 2.5 percent. Only activities directed to marketing are considered in the 2.5 percent. Marketing for lawyers costing less than the 2.5 percent shows that you simply are not serious with your marketing, and you certainly are not going to get successful results.

Technique #2 – Website Video

The use of videos in marketing is becoming more and more popular. For instance, YouTube is the fourth most popular site on the internet. Thirty percent of the population has had the internet present in their lives, and the entire thirty percent look for and expect to find videos. Few people realize how very easy it is to both record a video and add it to your online website. A video on your website is a trick you don’t want to miss. People can see you in person, hear how you talk, and learn what you’re like. What better way can you make yourself more attractive to clients? This is a technique to get new clients you don’t want to miss. Don’t forget SEO when constructing your website, you want prospective clients to find your website.

Technique #3 — Marketing for Lawyers Must Be Measurable

It’s foolish to spend money on marketing if you don’t know just how successful your efforts have been. For example, even if you have spent $20,000 on public relations or advertising, there is no way you can measure your results. In other words, is it possible to verify that you, in fact, produced results? I sincerely doubt it. Instead, you should implement techniques that are measurable. For instance, when you publish a blog, you can check to see how many visitors you have had. Remember SEO that is well planned will bring more visitors. In addition, a blog will enable you to see how many comments have been made. If you feel the need to do advertising, do it with a banner. With a banner, you are able to see the number of people who have clicked on the banner and the number who have seen it. The success of email newsletters can also be measured. In order to measure their success, you can see how many of the emails you sent were opened. If you put a link inside the email, you will be able to see the number of people who clicked on the links.

Technique #4 — Marketing for Lawyers Should Begin with Clients

Your existing clients are where you should start with your business growth. They already give you work, know you, trust you and like doing business with you. Therefore, it is in your best interests to attempt to get to know them better and develop closer relationships with them. You will find that to get a new file from a client is much easier than generating new clients. When it comes to measuring your success, you can keep track of the number of times you or another attorney in your office takes a client or a source for a referral out to lunch or dinner or visited a client. You can plan a special event such as an informational presentation on a topic of interest to your clients. You then can count the number of people attending, record their information for contacting them, and keep track of how many of them become new files. Always keep in mind at the start of any kind of marketing enterprise how you will measure its success.

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In a nutshell, don’t be lazy about SEO audits. You can’t just look at your social media interaction and call it an audit. There will just be no results. Nearly everything on your page must be inspected. Links, social media,

keywords, citations and connections to Google are all critical to success. Professional auditors make it their mission in life to create a website with the most bang for your buck. I’m ready to hop on that train right now.

Meraz makes an excellent point about using spreadsheets to organize an audit. Microsoft Excel is on your computer for some reason, so open up a blank document and start the analysis process. Don’t get overwhelmed, but just move through your website systematically. Type out all the imperative questions and notes into the spreadsheet to make the process streamlined. I realize there’s a lot to SEO audits, so you may want to take the alternate route after creating the spreadsheet.

Hire an audit team! I can’t say it in any simpler terms. If you aren’t comfortable with the audit process, get an expert in on the game. You’ll have much more success with this alternate route when you’re a newbie to the auditing process.

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Website designers used to boast about optimizing sites and the simplicity a job took on with lucrative paydays. This isn’t the case anymore. Read over this article to really get a feel for all major myths. SEO and optimization are hard jobs. You practically need to be a mathematical genius or computer guru to decipher all the right moves for the perfect website.

Accuracy is the key with SEO because the return data can make or break you. If you inputted all your company locations and created perfect metas, customers should just appear on your site. This concept only works if the SEO data is interpreted correctly though. Locations may be good, but do they have separate maps and page descriptions? Your analytics may not touch on that fact so audit your website with caution and skill.

Links are a necessary evil. You may not be excited at link-building, but it draws people in. How do you think the small guys became the big guys? Make sure those links make sense and relate somewhat to your content. Yes, quality content is still necessary too! Keep up honest and hard work on the website and you’ll see some great analytics.

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Use your multiple locations as a benefit to the website. You probably have up to 10 or 20 pages allowed on the site so use them! Add one page for each location.

When you have customers that live in those areas, they’ll appreciate the regional information that feels customized just for them. Making your visitors feel good only encourages them to buy or support your product or service.

You know those meta descriptions you hate to write? Go ahead and get used to them because you’ll need one for each location page. Seriously, you’ll be happy to put forth the effort because local SEO only looks at you in a better light with these additions.

If you were wondering how to keep up with social media, you’ll have to find a concise management technique because each location needs their own feed. Am I kidding? Believe it, but separate location pages on Facebook are much more effective at driving traffic than a general page. Don’t panic yet. Start with one page and keep building. The resulting website traffic is your motivator.

Remember to keep all locations separate for maps and other website pages. Local SEO rankings will improve with each separation you make.

The post Follow These Local SEO Tips For Setting Up Multiple Locations appeared first on Marketing Secrets For Lawyers.

Are you obsessed with keywords and millions of links to one page? You’re looking at it all wrong. Take a look at several local SEO tactics to employ on your site instead of just a couple. Google counts on you moving with the times and their constant updates change your ranking almost daily.

It’s all about location, location and location. Optimize your pages with properly spelled cities and names while adding in an entirely separate page with mapping graphics. Search engines will hone in on these cues to pump up your local SEO rankings. Remember, today’s listings pop up with a photo, business name and a short description. You need to get as much out of that short blurb as possible.

When it all comes down to it, creating a diverse website is like a diverse resume. Keep up with those links to other sites while conversing across as many social media sites as possible. You are a local place so make it regional with area sights and sounds. Find your way through local SEO red tape to reap the rewards of a job well done.

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Google is known for making changes to how it prioritizes search results to ensure its users get the best results and keep returning to the site. That is simply good business. The company began detecting and rejecting sites that practiced keyword stuffing and meaningless link exchanges. More recent changes have included tracking how long visitors remain on your site before searching again, which likely weeded out a number of the sites that were not mobile friendly.

It would make sense for Google to bury those sites even further. Smartphone and tablet users will have very little use for a search engine that produces a list of websites that don’t appear correctly, or at all. Some experts have predicted that, to protect its status as the top search engine, Google might eventually remove the non-friendly sites from its results entirely.

For those companies who haven’t incorporated mobile technology into their Search Engine Optimization… First of all, why not? Phones and tablets are clearly becoming the go-to means of browsing the web, and to look professional, you need your site to look great on any device. If that isn’t enough, Google has given you a second reason to to put mobile optimization at the top of your to-do list. Otherwise, you might find yourself demoted, maybe even culled, by the leading search engine on the internet.

For more information on these warnings check out the recent post Ahrefs by clicking here.

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Large websites that can access a multitude of information about consumers are using it for marketing purposes. This isn’t big news to anyone. They’ve been doing this for a long time, and businesses have been profiting off this consumer information in order to sell more of their items. However, giant websites are gaining access to more of their users information than ever before.

In the article, “Google Versus Facebook Advertising: A Power Play With Atlas” by Larry Kim, he explains the advertising competition that may occur between Google and Facebook. Google tends to have the upper hand when it comes to online advertising. The Google Display Network is made up of an influential group of websites. Some of these are places where Internet users visit everyday: Gmail, Blogger, Google Finance and YouTube. Here, online users see Google AdWords ads, and click on the advertisements that seem enticing to them. Businesses have been able to select where their ads appear, set a budget for their marketing campaign and find out how many people are clicking on their advertisement.

The article goes on to describe how Facebook could surpass Google when it comes to effective marketing messages that are placed in front of the right potential customers. Atlas, an advertising program purchased by Facebook, claims to take powerful digital information from their Facebook users that will be incredibly beneficial to companies. The program follows the Facebook users as they move from one device to another. It doesn’t matter if they’re on their mobile device, tablet or computer. Atlas has the ability to gather consumer information that was nearly impossible to do in the past. The program can find out specifics about the potential customer’s activity so they know how to advertise to them in the best way possible.

Using these types of methods won’t necessarily be popular with everyone. Facebook Atlas will surely come under pressure from Facebook users who feel that their privacy is being compromised.

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