It might seem strange to think of your law firm’s practice as a “brand.” It’s a word most of us associate with consumer goods. Why should you market your services as though they were a line of wristwatches or a bag of potato chips?

The fact is, a “brand” is simply an identity — an image that your clients and prospects have of you. And that image is essential to your firm. Why? It helps you stand out, which is critical since people tend to make make hair-trigger decisions on what they see and feel. In a sense, they think in brands.

Given its importance to your firm’s marketing efforts, it pays to audit your brand from time to time. Here are four ways to accomplish that.

1. Ask the big questions

This doesn’t need to be a highly formal process. But it should include checking in with your partners and perhaps even your clients for their take on your brand. Questions to consider:

• Does your firm’s brand still accurately communicate what your practice does?
• Is there general agreement about what your brand stands for?
• Does it provide clear and compelling reasons why potential clients should work with you?

2. Evaluate your focus

What distinguishes a law firm brand from a consumer brand? Consumer marketers, of course, want you to feel something about their products — they want their car to conjure a sense of freedom and the limitless promise of the open road. They want running shoes to offer the promise of physical transformation.

While that approach isn’t necessarily right for you, emotion is by no means completely divorced from an attorney’s brand. Clients, actual and potential, have to feel good about working with you. And that good feeling is primarily rooted in trust, reputation, and authority — all of which you can help build through blog posts and social media links.

3. Focus your message

Your practice may embrace many disciplines. But in branding, focus is crucial. So take a close look at yourself and your firm and ask:

• What specific elements make you and your attorneys unique?
• What do you stand for?
• What do you do that is different, even if your work is a crowded field such as, say, bankruptcy law?

4. Take a new look at your look

It’s worth spending the money to hire a firm that can create not only an attractive look for your logo but also carry its design elements (logos, typeface, even colors) over to  “touchpoints” — the places where clients connect with your brand. Those touchpoints include your letterhead and marketing materials, your website design and copy and your social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. And if your marketing includes print or broadcast advertising, make sure your brand’s look and tone carries over there, too. Consistency helps you stick in people’s minds.

A brand is both permanent and fluid. It requires refreshing with changes in your market. But it should always reflect your core strengths and principles — and why a potential client should work with you.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

When it comes to online marketing, many businesses— law firms included— tend to take a narrow view. The common bias: It’s all about how high your firm ranks in search engine results.

Without question, rank and proper search engine optimization (SEO) techniques are critical, particularly since the majority of consumers (97 percent, according to Google) now use the Internet to find local businesses. But search engine rank isn’t the only factor to consider.

One reason why: Search engines algorithms deliver results that are relevant to individual users. Those algorithms factor in everything from a user’s location and search history to the type of device and browser he or she is using and more. The result is that there’s no way to guarantee your firm’s site will always appear at the top of search engine results.

Given that, it pays to view rank as part of a larger ecosystem, one that also includes a number of equally important elements.

Element #1: Content and design

Yes, you want prospects to find your firm online. But you also need to consider what happens once they arrive. More specifically, you want to make a memorable first impression and provide them with reasons to stay long enough to learn about your capabilities. Here’s where style and substance come into play. A professional, user-friendly design makes a compelling statement about your law firm and its brand. Relevant content — in the form of blog posts, articles and the like — showcases your legal expertise and offers prospects insight into your approach.

Element #2: Conversion

If content and design are like the opening elements in a dialogue with a prospect, conversion is akin to sealing the deal. The phrase simply refers to using site elements to help convert Web visitors into clients. How? Through copy that anticipates and addresses potential clients’ needs. By prominently displaying phone numbers and contact forms. With tools such as online chat that make it easy for visitors to connect with you or your attorneys at any time of the day or night.

Element #3: Multi-device capability

Here’s a statistic to mull over: Per several recent studies, up to 50 percent of all Web users now search exclusively with mobile devices. Look for that figure to keep climbing in the years ahead as consumers continue to embrace smartphones and tablets. The implication is clear: If your website isn’t optimized for mobile viewing or employing responsive design techniques, your visitors won’t stick around for long — no matter how high you rank in search results.

Element #4: Awareness-building tactics

By itself, a highly ranked website will attract visitors. But you can augment that ranking and expand your universe of prospects via a range of other methods. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media platforms can refine your positioning and offer additional ways to engage potential clients. A paid search advertising program can allow you to zero-in on specific audience groups and quickly raise your visibility. And strategic public relations efforts can generate positive media coverage that will expand your reach.

Bottom line: Using a variety of tools and tactics is the safest and most productive way to reach prospects and boost your law firm’s presence on the Internet.

Get your FREE consultation now to learn how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help grow your firm.

There seems to be a disconnect when it comes to using social media channels as legal marketing tools. Plenty of attorneys and law firms blog regularly. A growing number use Facebook, Twitter and even niche platforms. But some lawyers continue to view LinkedIn — the world’s largest professional social network — as little more than a place to post a resume and a basic profile of their firm.

That’s a wasted opportunity. LinkedIn now has about 250 million members. It’s expanded its offerings with content tools such as the SlideShare presentation app. And it continues to add innovative features such as news feeds and a Contacts function that can merge information from your email account, online address books and calendars.

In sum, it can be a remarkably useful platform, one that can help you stay in touch with your legal colleagues and extend your network in ways that can bring in new clients.

But to make the most of your LinkedIn presence, you need more than a mere presence. You need to make sure that presence is out there working for you. Here are three ways to help you accomplish that.

1. Beef up your profile and page

One thing you might have noticed if you’re looking for someone online: LinkedIn results typically appear on the first page of search engine results. Given that, you don’t want to skimp on what potential clients will find. Instead of a basic timeline of your experience, include a full (but not overly long) summary of your skills and expertise.

Encourage your firm’s partners or associates to join LinkedIn. Set up your firm’s LinkedIn page with a concise but detailed description of your services. And take advantage of the Recommendations feature, which allows satisfied clients and others to review your services.

2. Get active

While LinkedIn doesn’t get the press of Google or Facebook, it offers a wealth of amenities. One of the simplest and most useful is the Updates section that appears on the left side of your LinkedIn page. This is the spot where your connections can learn who you are connected with, and it’s also a place to share attention-grabbing links and quick observations. And that can help build your status as an authority, particularly within your legal practice area(s).

3. Network

That leads us to connections. It might sound obvious, but it bears repeating: The bigger your network, the wider a net you’ll cast. When you use it actively, LinkedIn is a relationship builder and a relationship maintainer. And relationships can translate into new clients — people you might not realize are out there, looking for a law firm like yours.

LinkedIn isn’t the only social media platform out there, of course. In fact, it pays to be on more than one. Think of online marketing as an ecosystem — a web of connections that brings together brand building, establishing authority and social interaction. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

There’s a good reason why so many lawyers blog these days. In fact, there are numerous reasons why blogs have become an effective legal marketing tool. The more you blog, the easier you make it for potential clients to find you online. A well-crafted post can also build your authority as a thought leader in your law firm’s practice area(s). Both can directly generate new business.

Blogging can bestow indirect benefits as well. If a local journalist is looking for an expert, your blog can position you as a source of useful, reliable knowledge. Any resulting positive media attention can raise your profile — and lead to more cases.

But blogging can be risky business. Done incorrectly, it can drive readers away from your website and compromise your credibility. Here are five ways to sink your blogging strategy.

1. Write infrequently

Simple formula: The more you blog, the more readers you’ll get — and the higher your blog and law firm name will appear in search engine results. Blog once a month or less, and everyone, including you, will lose interest. Rule of thumb: Post once a week, if you can.

2. Write while patting yourself on the back

It’s fine to occasionally mention an accolade or courtroom win. But if your blog becomes too much about you and not your area of expertise, your readers (and it pays to think of them as potential clients) have hundreds of other law firms and legal blogs to choose from. A blog markets you in an indirect way — as a knowledgeable expert. Think of it this way: Would you want to hire a slick self-promoter as your attorney?

3. Write in legalese

It’s tempting to show off your knowledge by loading up your posts with legal jargon. Don’t. Yes, other attorneys could well read your blog, but you need to keep your core audience — potential clients — in mind when you start writing. You’ll impress them more with a down-to-earth style that spells out your points in layperson’s terms.

4. Write too casually

Blog posts may feel like something you just dash off. That may have been the norm back when blogging was new, but smart bloggers craft their posts carefully. Before you post, let the piece sit. Then reread and revise it. And closely check your grammar and spelling. Remember: Even one error can deflate your authority.

5. Write too long

Nearly everyone will read your posts on their laptops, smartphones and tablets. And given how we’ve all embraced the mobile lifestyle, plenty of them will be reading while on the go. So practice brevity. Rules of thumb: Don’t stray beyond 500 words and focus on simplicity of expression, depth of thought.

To sum up: Blogging is a conversation, not one-way communication. You might not have a lot of listeners at first. But there are people out there who want to hear what you have to say. Keep at it, keep delivering quality information in the right way and they’ll find you.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

Nearly two decades ago, Amazon.com revolutionized how products are bought and sold. Yes, the company pioneered online retail, but it also made an equally radical move by allowing consumers to review and rate the products they purchased.

Fast-forward to today. Reviews are now an accepted part of online life. Consumers looking for mechanics, dentists, caterers or law firms now turn to sites such as Yelp.com and a huge range of social media networks for detailed ratings and information. They can even post reviews directly to your Google+ Local profile.

How can you deal with this new reality? The first step is acceptance. Online reviews are here to stay, so you might as well make them work to your advantage. Here are four steps to help you do that.

Step #1: Pay attention

If people are talking and writing about your law firm, you need to take note of it. And that makes online reputation management a necessity. At the least, you should set up search engine alerts for mentions of you, one of your attorneys or your firm on the Web. Another more advanced approach is to use dashboard-style tools that offer at-a-glance details on when and how your law firm appears on the Internet.

Step #2: Respond — in the right manner

A glowing consumer review is an extremely powerful marketing tool, one that provides independent, third-party validation of your law firm. If that happens, thanking the client is courteous and a way to keep your firm top of mind with him or her.

But what if you find a negative review? Or one that features wrong information? Given the unpredictability of consumer behavior — particularly in the semi-anonymous environs of the Internet — you could find yourself dealing with how to respond. Some law firms have sued reviewers in the last few years. A less extreme option: reply with a carefully crafted, respectful response. Providing a genuine reply to a reviewer’s concerns is good customer service and a skillful public relations gesture. It can also help repair the damage done to your firm’s brand. You could also offer to contact the person offline to discuss the matter in more depth.

As always, be sure to check what your local bar association and other governing bodies say on the topic.

Step #3: Ask for reviews (if it’s permissible)

Speaking of local bar association rules, check if it’s ethical for you to ask satisfied clients to write online reviews of your firm. If so, consider asking as early as possible — i.e., at a point when the outcome is still fresh in the client’s mind. And make it easy by suggesting the online venue(s) you prefer.

Step #4: Steer clear of reviews-for-hire

Given the prominence of consumer reviews, it’s not surprising that there’s an entire industry devoted to writing them. The industry is growing too — the Gartner research firm predicts that 10 to 15 percent of all online reviews will be paid for by companies within two years. Yes, it’s a no-brainer, but stay away. Paying for reviews is an ethical violation and a direct defiance of Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

In building your online marketing efforts, you might have overlooked a tool that has been staring you in the face — namely, Facebook.

Sure, you know the social site is huge, with more than one billion users worldwide. You might have a personal Facebook page yourself. But Facebook is more than a place to post family photos. It’s also a serious marketing platform. People on Facebook not only socialize with other people — they also connect with businesses they “like.” And by doing so, they let their friends know about those businesses. And that includes the lawyers they know, trust and even recommend.

U.S. law firms are catching on to this, albeit slowly. A 2012 American Bar Association survey found that 55 percent of its attorney respondents were on Facebook, and that 38 percent were using Facebook for professional purposes. Now Facebook has the potential to become even more useful for legal marketing, thanks to Graph Search, a new search tool that launched in January 2013.

Internet word of mouth

Unlike familiar search engines Google and Bing, Facebook’s Graph Search taps into “social graphs,” which are the webs of connections between Facebook users. Very simply, Graph Search is looking for results from its users’ “likes” and comments. You type in a phrase — say, “DWI attorney” or “Italian restaurant” — and Graph Search digs through your connections’ likes and comments for matches. You could think of it as an Internet-style word of mouth.

Because it’s still new, it’s quite safe to say that Graph Search won’t put Google’s search dominance in danger anytime soon. Still, there are three good reasons to keep tabs on it.

1. It’s Facebook

True, you don’t need to reach all of its one billion users. But Graph Search does plug you into hundreds of local prospects. And if your practice extends beyond your local area, it can reach even more.

2. It’s another way to build your brand and reputation

Graph Search’s results are based on what people say about a business, and how highly they regard it. So if your firm is highly respected by Facebook users, that puts you ahead of competitors who aren’t so well regarded.

3. It’s a work in progress — that’s also loaded with potential

When Graph Search beta-launched in early 2013, its focus was primarily a kind of extension of online reviews and recommendations — restaurants, bars, books and so on. And right now, it’s available only to a small group of users. But it will become more widely available over time, and thus useful to other businesses.

Another point to consider when it comes to that potential: A recent study by Web analytics firm comScore found that mobile users searching for local businesses are more likely to use Facebook than search engine apps. In other words, Facebook is becoming the Internet to mobile users.

Given the continued growth in mobile usage, Graph Search could make Facebook even more powerful before long. How can you tap into that potential? Make sure your firm has a presence on it — and make sure your clients are happy to vouch for you online.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

When it comes to getting found online, search engine optimization (SEO) is still your best long-term bet. But what if you want to quickly boost visibility in a unique niche? Or target a specific audience — such as people searching for “oil spill attorney?”

In those cases, paid search advertising, or pay-per-click (PPC), can be a smart option. PPC programs allow you to bid on, buy and create ads that match specific keywords or phrases. When a Web user types the word or phrase you’ve purchased into a search engine, your ad appears in a special section, usually next to the top of the organic search results. You only pay if someone clicks on your ad (hence the “pay-per-click” name).

Yes, PPC can deliver serious and fast ROI. But as with any marketing effort, there are no guarantees. Here are four factors that can make the difference between a successful PPC campaign and a flop.

Factor #1: Choose the right provider

You have options, including Google AdWords^TM, Bing Ads, Facebook Paid Ads and a host of smaller providers. Each has unique characteristics. Bing Ads appear on both Bing and Yahoo! search results. Facebook Paid Ads let you precisely target specific demographic types. And Google offers unmatched audience reach, along with a wealth of customization options such as the ability to quickly revise your ad.

Factor #2: Get a handle on the bidding process

This is where it can get tricky. You have to identify the right keywords and how much you’re willing to spend. You then submit a bid in an auction against other law firms looking to use the same words. Point to note: High bids don’t always win. Google, for example, weighs both your bid and what it terms “quality score” — a ranking of your firm’s relevance to potential clients. The highest and most relevant bidders get the prime positions.

Factor #3: Create the right ad copy

Even with a top-shelf position, users will ignore your ad if it doesn’t speak to them. You need to concisely convey how your firm will solve their problem(s) — and why they should click on your ad.

With that in mind, you need to understand your prospects:

• Who are they?
• What messages will resonate with them?
• What words or phrases would they be likely to type into a search engine?

Factor #4: Consider what happens after the click

Say a prospect clicks on your “oil spill attorney” ad. Unless your firm only deals with oil spills, don’t send the user to your home page. Remember, he or she wants specifics. The better alternative is to create a landing page that highlights your oil spill expertise and features a robust call to action, all designed to help convert readers from prospects into clients.

Final point: Managing a PPC initiative is a big job, and it’s not hard to find companies that will offer to run a campaign for you. Your best option is one that understands how PPC fits into a larger marketing plan. And don’t ignore external credentials. Official certification from Bing or Google (e.g., Google Certified AdWords^TM Partner) is a tip-off that you’re dealing with a legitimate PPC specialist.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

If you haven’t noticed, Google wants to help you. Yes, the Silicon Valley giant is always working to tighten its grip on the search market. But it’s also continuing to provide new tools such as Google+ and Google Authorship.

You can add another one to that list: Google+ Local. Formerly known as Google Places for Business, it’s a tool that can boost your odds of connecting with potential clients. Much like Authorship, Google+ Local allows you to “claim” something — in this case, your firm’s spot on Google search results. Of course, it’s free. And it includes applications for Android and Apple devices.

So why should you consider using Google+ Local as part of your marketing strategy?

1. Like the Name Suggests: It’s Local

Here’s the key statistic to consider: Per Google, 97 percent of people looking for a local business — a store, a restaurant or a law firm — now look online first or solely. Google+ Local boosts your neighborhood exposure in multiple ways. Potential clients can find your firm through a simple Google search, a search on Google Maps or via a search on Google+.

2. It Can Provide Richer Search Results

You might be thinking: My website is search engine optimized. Won’t my practice come up in search results that way? The short answer: Sure, but not as powerfully. Google+ Local combines the local visibility enhancement of Google Places with the social media functions of Google+. With Google+ Local, Web searchers can find your firm’s address and contact information and up to 10 photographs (that you upload yourself). They can read client reviews of your firm. They can view your Google+ profile and links to your Google Authorship-tagged articles, blog posts and other writings. As Google itself notes, the result is “one simple experience across Google.”

3. It Can Sharpen Your Niche Marketing Efforts

A New Yorker searching for a lawyer probably won’t type “New York City attorney” into a search engine. He or she will be more precise, using a phrase such as “Queens labor attorney” or “Staten Island divorce lawyer.” A complete and specific Google+ Local profile will help connect your firm to the right prospects and help you fortify your online niche.

So far, so good. But there are two key points to keep in mind before you dive in.

Don’t Double-Up

Before you establish your Google+ Local profile, make sure that you don’t already have one. No, Google’s not a mind reader (yet). But unbeknownst to you, a computer-geek nephew or other helpful soul may have set one up. If that happens, you may spend time updating a page that won’t appear in search results. Even worse, Google could view the duplicate pages as an attempt to game the system and suspend your Google+ account.

Free Isn’t the Same as Easy

A Google+ Local profile can deliver tangible results, but make sure you have the time to devote to the endeavor. Few things can weaken your firm’s credibility faster than a neglected Web property.

If you would like to learn more about how FindLaw’s legal marketing solutions can help your firm, contact us for a free consultation.

Chances are good that you have an investment portfolio. And unless you have a fondness for risk, chances are also good that you’ve diversified that portfolio, divvying it up between stocks, bonds and cash. It’s a sensible strategy.

The same goes for your law firm’s marketing efforts. You have a range of marketing options — websites, social media, blogs and more — at your disposal. Focusing on only one or two is akin to burying cash in your back yard. It’s potentially risky, and your initial investment will never grow. On the other hand, diversifying your tools, mediums and channels can open new doors for connecting with prospects and expand your firm’s business.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula for diversification. What works for a, say, family law firm, might well flop for a criminal defense attorney. That said, here are three all-purpose strategies to help you create a well-balanced marketing mix.

Consider page rank — but don’t make it your only priority

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the backbone of any online marketing initiative. But while SEO and page rank are crucial, they’re not the only tactics to consider. For example, you can complement your firm’s Web presence with Twitter, a LinkedIn profile and a Facebook page. You also can create a Google+ account and use the Google Authorship tool. All will provide content that will help reinforce your firm’s brand. Bonus: They can also help boost your SEO.

Paid search advertising, or pay-per-click (PPC), as it’s also called, is another diversification option. With PPC, you pay to appear on a search engine’s results page when users type in a phrase or key word. Done correctly it can help you pinpoint key prospects and deliver fast results. Keep that “done correctly” phrase in mind, however, as PPC can be a complex undertaking.

Embrace mobile

Not long ago, you only had to think of desktop computer users when you marketed online. Not anymore. The number of mobile users continues to grow exponentially, which means you need to factor in their needs and employ techniques such as responsive design to ensure your website looks and performs the same on all types of devices. Yes, it takes more work, but there’s a potential payoff. A recent Google/Nielsen study found that 75 percent of mobile searches trigger follow-up actions such as additional research, phone calls, purchases and word-of-mouth sharing.

Blend offline and online

With good reason, online marketing gets most of the headlines these days. But you shouldn’t ignore TV, which is still a powerful medium. According to the Nielsen research firm, the average American watches more than 34 hours of live TV each week. A 2012 Google report also notes that we multitask while we’re at it: 77 percent of all viewers watch TV while also using another device such as a smartphone or tablet.

In short, augmenting your Web presence with TV ads can be a potent combination. How potent? According to a 2012 Internet Advertising Bureau study, combining the two increases your chances of customer conversion by more than 50 percent.

Like integrated marketing, diversification takes additional work and planning. The rewards, however, can be substantial when you consider the impact that a comprehensive law firm marketing strategy can make.

To learn more about how FindLaw can help with diversified marketing solutions, please contact us for a free law firm marketing consultation.

Spend any time on the Internet and you’ll quickly find that a lot of the content is, well, disappointing. Bare-bones case studies. Blog posts dashed off with scant attention to detail. Articles that lure you with enticing headlines and then fail to deliver anything worthwhile.

Of course, there’s plenty of fresh, useful content too. You or your law firm might be producing some of that yourself. (Or at least you should be.) The question is: How do you get your blog posts, articles, and other content that you’ve written to stand out —not just from the muck but also from the other good stuff?

Google wants to help. The search engine has introduced a platform called Google Authorship, which has two chief goals. One, it allows experts such as attorneys who post their written expertise on the Internet to claim ownership wherever their writing appears — whether it’s on your firm’s website or through a link elsewhere.

Two, Google is using Authorship to help it separate the wheat from the chaff on its search results. Very simply, Authorship is designed to push anonymous postings and spurious, search engine-optimized “content” down in the search results.

How it works

To use Authorship, you need to create a profile on Google+. Though there’s still some question whether Google+ is a social media network or part of a larger plan to revamp the Web search landscape, it can be a useful marketing toolbox for professionals. Authorship is one of those tools. And since it’s a Google product, it’s free.

Authorship helps you claim all the content you’ve posted no matter where it appears. It uses a markup system that connects the pages where your online writing appears and links them back to your Google+ profile. The more links you have, the more reliable your content is deemed to be — especially if it’s linked to other reliable sites. The result is that your content will rise higher in Google’s search results in the areas where you have expertise.

So why might Authorship be worth dipping into?

1. You build authority

Simple formula: The more you write, the more authority you build. Google Authorship helps you build up a body of a work that potential clients can readily access.

2. You build trust

On the Internet, almost anyone who writes a lot can claim to be an expert. But not all experts are created equal. You need to build a reputation for reliable expertise. Authorship is designed to reward that reliability.

3. You stand out

One bonus benefit that Google Authorship offers: attaching your photograph to links to your content that appear in search results. For Google, that helps weed out “anonymous” content. And it can help you stand out — and make you more appealing. Potential clients can put a face to the name.

Needless to say, it’s crucial that you keep your quality level high. Post content to the Web and you effectively become a publisher. Your information needs to be trustworthy and thought-provoking. If it isn’t, Google Authorship’s low rankings of your online writing can make that very clear.