Larry Bodine Law Marketing Blog

Spreecast Video is the Future of Attorney Marketing

Larry Bodine — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:03:03 -0500

I've seen the future of legal marketing and it's Spreecast -- a new online video conference service that enables lawyers to broadcast a video instantly, and to invite clients and prospects to attend and participate.

Hats off to social media maven Mitch Jackson, a successful trial lawyer at Jackson and Wilson in Laguna Hills, CA, for introducing me to Spreecast. Mitch is all over social media and is particularly skilled at video.

Spreecast is free. All you need is a laptop with a webcam. I recommend you add it to your marketing toolbox today.

Mitch interviewed me online last night (see below) about online marketing, and it felt like we were in the same room. Many people attended the live web presentation and could watch -- and participate.

As the moderator, Mitch clicked in the admin screen and an attendee's webcam image appeared on screen. I talked live with David M. Ward of Attorneymarketing.com - it was so cool to see him and hear him live. Lawyers can use this technique by having a marketing professional interview them, or the lawyer can interview a client or colleague.

It took me only 30 minutes to figure it out. Caveat: it's glitchy and buggy -- the video quality can be poor and the sound cuts in and out. I blame my slow Internet connection. But Mitch has Spreecast down pat -- check out how clear his image and audio are. I can't wait to do this again.

Majority of Clients Go Online to Look for an Attorney

Larry Bodine — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

When you read this statistic, let it sink in:

3 out of 4 consumers seeking an attorney over the last year used online resources at some point in the process

The way consumers look for a lawyer has changed in today's digital age. The advent of social media, smart phones and search engines has dramatically affected the way consumers find lawyers.

Think about it. Would you ask your neighbor whom to call if you were charged with a crime? Would you ask your relatives to help you shop for a divorce lawyer? I don't think so.

You'd rather research these issues in private by opening your laptop. And with smart phones now outselling computers, a wide swath of consumers can conduct an online search.

Read the latest research from LexisNexis (where I work) about how clients look for lawyers.

5 Factors Attorneys Need to Know about Social Media

Larry Bodine — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

You can't practice law today without knowing about the law as it applies to social media. Thanks to attorney April Besl at Dinsmore in Cincinnati for pointing out these important facts. Be sure to check out the invitation at the bottom of this guest blog post.

1. Social Media Impacts Every Facet of Your Client’s Business and Your Business
Social media isn't something that can be pigeonholed into one segment or area of yours or your client's business. Instead, it impacts every facet of the business, from human resources and marketing/advertising to research & development, and routine operating decisions. Even if you or your clients are only using social media for occasional free advertising, the employees of your organizations are using social media daily, bringing with that new issues in labor, intellectual property, corporate and other areas of the law that must be addressed.

2. Not All Social Media is the Same
No single site is the same on social media. Each comes with its own rules and policies that you need to know to protect yourself and your clients. For example, Twitter only allows a takedown of infringing accounts under trademark law if you have a registered mark. Facebook will allow you to rely on common law rights, but has more stringent standards for impersonation than Twitter. Knowing the different rules and policies is crucial.

3. Privacy Does Exist on Social Media
Many people make the mistake of thinking privacy has no place in the world of social media. On the contrary, privacy controls are not only important, but can protect private information, even before the courts. More and more, courts around the country are recognizing the validity of privacy controls in discovery to prevent attorneys from conducting “fishing expeditions.” Even outside of the courts privacy remains important, as evidenced by the recent controversy surrounding the decision of some companies to ask potential employees for social media passwords in interviews and job applications.

4. Ethics Rules Apply on Social Media
The rules of ethics do not disappear at the click of a login button on social media. Attorneys must still follow the same obligations of confidentiality, respect, and advertising provided for in the rules. For example, attorneys should not use the word "expert" in a LinkedIn profile to describe themselves. Similarly, attorneys should consider putting the words "This is an Advertisement" on their profile if they are advertising their skills and knowledge. More importantly, attorneys should remember that nothing can ever truly be deleted and that posts about opposing counsel, a client, or even a judge may come back to haunt them.

5. Social Media is Worth the Effort
Too often companies and attorneys decide it is easier to forego any use of social media to try and avoid the issues that can accompany it. However, the truth is social media is worth the work. Take the Procter & Gamble Old Spice “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” social media campaign. This campaign resulted in 38% growth in the Old Spice brand, close to 3000% percent growth on Twitter, and close to 300% greater traffic to OldSpice.com. All of this resulted from a few videos on YouTube and regular media, handled smartly through collaboration between in-house counsel and the business. Social media is truly worth the effort it requires and if done the right way, can reap success for both attorneys and their clients.

To learn more and better prepare yourself for the world of social media, join Dinsmore on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, for the program Lost in [new media] Space. Speakers include Steve Caldwell of The Procter & Gamble Company and Karen Gaunt and Geof Oberhaus of Dinsmore.

GPSolo: Law Firms Use LinkedIn, Blogs & Twitter to Market

Larry Bodine — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Check out the ABA's GPSolo eReport, which just published Surviving Social Media: Nearly All Small Firms Use Social Media in Legal Marketing by yours truly. Discover that:

90 percent of lawyers use professional social networks like LinkedIn and MyLegal.com.
88 percent write blogs.
73 percent use Twitter.
68 percent use consumer social networks like Facebook and Google+.
51 percent use video networks like YouTube and Vimeo.
Only 19 percent use social question-and-answer sites like Wikipedia, Quora, and Yahoo Answers.

Joining the crowds online, lawyers in small firms are actively sending updates, tweets, and blog entries to promote their practices. In fact, 91% of lawyers in small firms (one to five lawyers) plan to implement social media as part of their marketing programs, according to research by Vizibility Inc. and LexisNexis. This is a higher percentage than law firms in general, of which 81 percent report plan to use social media marketing tools.

It’s true that LinkedIn Is a Happy Hunting Ground for Lawyers. Rule No. 1 of law firm marketing is to “go fishing where the fish are.” That fishing hole is LinkedIn, where 100 million executives and in-house counsel have profiles. In my opinion, if you’re not on LinkedIn, you are invisible online.

For all the statistics visit Surviving Social Media: Nearly All Small Firms Use Social Media in Legal Marketing

Register for Raindance in Chicago

Larry Bodine — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:01:30 -0500

Collaborate and Succeed!

June 5 & 6, 2012

Mid-America Club, Chicago

Don't miss out on RainDance 2012 ~ the conference that will provide you with practical tools to bring back to your firm and put to use right away.

Each session will be interactive with audience participation, table work, Q&A's or assignments, providing you with a great opportunity to share ideas with your peers.

All attendees will receive "Why Do Clients Choose the Firms They Do?". This is an exclusive study conducted by Acritas, the world's most comprehensive study of the global legal market, which explores the processes currently involved in selecting law firms, the key considerations, best pitch highlights and why businesses ultimately choose the firms they do.

Register now and join your peers from these and other firms....

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz

Ballard Spahr

Banner & Witcoff

Barnes & Thornburg

Benesch

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

Cassels Brock & Blackwell

Davis Wright Tremaine

DLA Piper

Drinker Biddle & Reath

Edwards Wildman Palmer

Evans and Dixon

Faegre Baker Daniels

Fenwick & West

Foley & Lardner

Fraser Milner Casgrain

Goodwin Procter

Goulston & Storrs

Greenberg Traurig

Jones Day

Katten Muchin Rosenman

Leonard Street and Deinard

Littler Mendelson

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun

Nutter McClennen & Fish

Ogletree Deakins

Perkins Coie

Ropes & Gray

Sokolove Law

Stoel Rives

Thompson Coburn

Thompson Hine

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice

How to Motivate the Next Generation of Rainmakers

Larry Bodine — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Now you can have Mike O'Horo, David Ackert and me in the room at the same time, telling you how to get other lawyers in the firm to generate more files.

We'll be broadcasting live on the web in 14 days about How to Motivate the Next Generation of Rainmakers. Register now to get the 15 early discount.

This program directly answers the question:

How do we get our lawyers to generate new business for the firm?

In this live webinar, you will learn:

Why are lawyers frustrated by their efforts or reluctant to market?
Which resources are most effective in shifting lawyers’ attitudes and behaviors?
What can law firms do to create proactive, methodical approaches to business development at their firms?
How can law firms improve their "sales culture"?

Register by Friday, May 18 to get the 15% early discount -- registration for $255.
As many people as you wish can join at one location. After May 18 registration is $300.

How to Motivate the Next Generation of Rainmakers
PRESENTED BY: The Ackert Advisory and PBDI
SPEAKERS: David Ackert, Mike O'Horo and Larry Bodine
DATE: Thursday, May 24, 2012
♦ 10 am Pacific ♦ 11 am Mountain ♦ Noon Central ♦ 1 pm Eastern
LOCATION: On the web, on your computer
MORE INFO: Larry Bodine; (Tel) 630.942.0977 or Lbodine@Lawmarketing.com
WEBSITE: bit.ly/attorneymarketing

How to Pick a Good Picture of Yourself

Larry Bodine — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Spend the money to get a good photo taken.

Speaking to a group of lawyers recently, I advised the attorneys to be sure to put a color picture on their LinkedIn profile. Afterwards a man confided in me that he hated getting a picture taken. He never liked how he looked -- and I totally sympathized.

I recommended he visit a professional photographer and then ask his friends and family to choose the best picture. That took the weight of the decision off his shoulders. He was slim and mature and I told him he had nothing to worry about. He still wasn't happy about it.

When I look at pictures of myself, I hate the chipmunk cheeks, the double chin, the huge honking nose -- everything. Many of us are our worst critics. Here are some rationales to rebut the fault finder:

Do not use an outdated photo when you were younger and prettier. When people see you in real life they'll be struck at how much older you've gotten.
Go ahead and get a picture taken when you're heavier than usual. Chances are you'll get more fit and when people see you they'll be impressed that you look better.
Dress the way you usually do at work. Over the last 10 years I have visited a lot of law firms and casual dress is the norm today. When I do see a man in a suit and tie, it appears that the guy is trying too hard.
Ladies, wear something that flatters you. Do not wear tight or stretchy clothes unless you're a runner or someone in their 20s. If you have to ask your man whether the outfit makes you look fat -- it does.
Don't make a giant grin if it turns your face big and round. Try a Mona Lisa smile instead.
If you have a double chin, position yourself so that you look up at the camera. This pulls your neck skin tighter.
Should you have an eagle beak, look straight into the camera. Singer Joan Baez used this technique successfully.
Wrinkles are OK in my book. Even kids nowadays appreciate the look of experience.

If there is something about your appearance that troubles you, then spend the money to pay a professional who knows how to make people look good. Lighting and angles make all the difference. Photography is digital nowadays, and a pro will edit out your moles and splotches.

I'll let you know how this works out for me.

Boost Your Practice with YouTube

Larry Bodine — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

I'm a big fan of using video for business development. Here's a guest blog post by Sam Mauzy, who is a blogger and contributing writer for the conversion optimization service Invesp:

If you want to boost your new-business opportunities, social media is a must for your marketing toolbox. The triple threat of social media includes Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube -- with YouTube offering an engaging visual experience for your audience.

Business and consumer clients love video: 100 million viewers take action on YouTube every week; 500 years of YouTube video are watched every day; millions of YouTube subscriptions occur every day. With numbers like that, can you afford not to use YouTube?

Video enables viewers to see and hear stories about your law firm, your employees and your services. It’s easy to gain trust and establish good rapport rapidly with video that widens your communication reach. Share your law firm’s stories, views, culture, mission, processes, services, facilities -- and almost any other aspect of your practice that benefits your clients. Use these easy YouTube tips to showcase your practice, tell your law firm story and engage a wider audience than you ever thought you could reach.

Visit YouTube to see this selection of attorney marketing videos.

Promote Your Brand
Video is a uniquely visual way to promote your brand. Your law firm name, logo and message must be in your videos for viewers to associate your content with your practice. YouTube is an opportunity to unify your written promotional materials and your law firm’s unique message with your brand. Logos, mottos, reputations, law firm colors and brands incorporated into video make them work overtime for you on the Web.

Capture Good Video

Although it’s tempting to grab the nearest video camera and start filming, resist and plan ahead. Amateur video footage may seem friendly and personal, but it can also look sloppy and cheap. You might not want an overly slick, professional video, but consider hiring a business videographer to shoot a few videos that introduce your law firm. Casual but carefully prepared video vignettes, professional video editing and some scripting will convey the message you want the world to see.

Create Good Content

Good video content is just as important as good video quality, or perhaps even more important. Make sure the focus of your practice videos is on a positive business impression, with relevant and original content. Incorporate YouTube video into your marketing plan and develop a blueprint for what you want to present in video format before filming. Use video to:

Create holiday or year-end thank you messages for those who do practice with you.
Highlight career opportunities in your law firm.
Describe your unique method of client service.
Film your employees getting awards.
Have your best clients give testimonials (ethics rules permitting).
Give your viewers a video tour of your facilities.
Invite colleagues to give interviews.

Craft YouTube videos for every message you want your clients and prospective clients to receive. See “Using Video to Tell Your Story,” an earlier post by Larry Bodine.

Include a Clear Call to Action

Include a clear call to action in every video, such as your contact information at the end of the videos, the website address to apply for open positions on a recruiting video, or your law firm street address, phone number and web address in a facility tour video. Ask for the sale, ask for client contact information, ask the viewer to visit your practice website, or ask for viewers’ comments. Your videos have the dual purposes of providing an enjoyable and informative experience for viewers as well as prompting a desired business action.

You can really make YouTube videos work for your practice. Coordinate your YouTube videos with your sales and marketing campaigns. Promote your videos by posting them on your practice Facebook page and asking for comments. This way you can reach millions with your practice YouTube presence.

This lawyer video got more than 15,000 views

Winning New Business with Legal Process Improvement

Larry Bodine — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

How you present your services when you are pitching for new business makes all the difference. Here's a guest blog post by Roger Ledin of Legal Process Consulting, Inc. in Lakeville, MN. He he can be reached at rledin@legalprocessconsulting.com.

When a potential client asks why they should do business with your firm, do you struggle for an answer more substantive than, “because we’re really good lawyers?” Clients increasingly want to see the “why” that sets your firm apart – and Legal Process Improvement (LPI) can help provide the answer.

LPI helps you understand, and therefore better market, the detail behind your services. On many occasions for RFPs and marketing presentations, I have provided process diagrams of proposed services that clients can immediately relate to and then use as a benchmark for competitor comparisons. Setting the standard leaves a lasting impression and can significantly improve your chances of winning the business.

The following simple example shows the roles, responsibilities, and sequence of tasks from drafting through signature of a real estate purchase agreement. These process diagrams should be easy to understand with the boxes representing key tasks and the color coding designating responsibilities. This task and assignment information can then be used to set expectations for responsibilities and delivery of service. Getting everybody on the same page helps eliminate dropped handoffs and missed assignments.

Example: real estate purchase agreement.

Key: blue = buyer firm
Red = client (buyer)
Green = seller

Clients really like these visuals because of the clarity provided. In addition, with many clients already employing process improvement disciplines, speaking the “language of process” provides a distinct advantage. Your firm, in turn, reaps the benefits from the process improvements that help not only your firm’s bottom line, but also client satisfaction as delivery of services is more consistent and predictable.

Hola! Attorneys Catch on to Latino Marketing

Larry Bodine — Sat, 05 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

I don't always drink beer, but when I do... I keep ENLawyers number on hand.

The web is alive with marketing to Hispanic clients this weekend. Unless you are in West Virginia you know today is Cinco de Mayo, a day when smart law firms joined the festival. It is so big, even Irish bars and Italian pizzerias have Cinco celebrations. Here are some legal examples:

Berg Injury Lawyers announced free cab rides home in San Francisco in a press release.
Eldridge & Nachtman DUI lawyers put celebration advice from your Maryland Lawyer on its website. Hilariously, they offer advice from The Most Interesting Man in the World.
PI lawyer Brian G. Price of Kingston, PA, wishes online visitors "Happy Cinco de Mayo – from Your Spanish speaking lawyer."

I recommend that you download Nielsen’s recent State of the Hispanic Consumer: The Hispanic Market Imperative report right now. Then read it, highlight key points and memorize it. The U.S. Hispanic population is the largest minority segment and is growing dramatically. The future legal economy will depend on Hispanics because of demographic changes and cultural shifts.

Latinos are a fundamental component to law firm success, and not a passing niche on the sidelines.
Latinos are tech-savvy, are active in social media, go online with smart phones and watch a lot of online video.
Rapid Latino population growth will persist, even if immigration were somehow to be completely halted.
Latinos have significant buying power, despite perceptions to the contrary.
Hispanics want their kids to speak Spanish as well as English.
Rather than disappearing into the American melting pot, Hispanic culture is being preserved as a feature of American culture. Can you say benvenidos?
Technology and media use do not mirror the general market but have distinct patterns due to language, culture, and ownership dynamics.
Latinos exhibit distinct product consumption patterns -- they purchase less often but spend more when they do.

Tiene su negocio habla español? It's time your law firm did.

LinkedIn is Four Times Better for Business Leads than Facebook or Twitter

Larry Bodine — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

I found a fascinating post by David Meerman Scott on the Social Media Today blog about the superior effectiveness of LinkedIn for converting online visitors from businesses into leads.

LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.60%, four times higher than Twitter (.67%) and seven times better than Facebook (.39%). The stats are based on a study of 3,128 business customers of the marketing agency HubSpot.

This is good to know because 91% of lawyers in small firms (one to five lawyers) plan to implement social media as part of their marketing programs, according to research by Vizibility Inc. and LexisNexis.

"This data clearly shows that LinkedIn is a good lead source. But few B2B companies use LinkedIn to its full potential," writes Scott, who is a marketer for the agency.

This news comes with the introduction of LinkedIn “Targeted Updates, which allows a law firm to target certain followers specifically and exclusively deliver content to them. In other words, with this feature not only can a firm segment its LinkedIn followers by a range of variables such as industry, job function, company size and geography but also deliver them targeted content. Check out the quick video about it.

For more information, download HubSpot's free ebook Learning LinkedIn From the Experts: How to Build a Powerful Business Presence on LinkedIn. In it, five LinkedIn specialists provide insight into how you can use LinkedIn to successfully grow your network and business.

New Yahoo Dashboard is Useful for Lawyers in Small Firms

Larry Bodine — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Today Yahoo! launches its new Marketing Dashboard, which lawyers can use to see what is being said about them online, check directory listings, measure website traffic, and manage email and pay-per-click campaigns -- all in one place.

In development since last December, the Yahoo dashboard saves time by collecting marketing information stored in different locations -- such as the results of Constant Contact email campaigns or Google Analytics reports about traffic to a lawyer's website. Lawyers can create a free business profile at http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/marketing-dashboard that links all the data together.

The purpose is to get new clients online. The dashboard is a command center where a lawyer can analyze marketing efforts, spot trends and see which online initiatives are working. The free version has several modules:

Local Visibility is a service that sources more than 100 search engines and directories like Google, Yelp and YP.com to show where a law firm is listed online. Users can add profiles to directories where they can make corrections and add profiles where they are missing.
Reputation Tracker gathers ratings, reviews and mentions from up to 8,000 online sources and provides a glimpse of a lawyer's two most recent reviews. It shows an overall star rating and a breakdown of positive and negative reviews.
Site Traffic displays a law firm website's most popular pages, which web sites and search engines are sending visitors and top keywords that are search to find the firm website.
Campaigns shows the results of search engine optimization, email and online advertising campaigns.
Orders reports online orders and revenue. Not many attorneys sell things online so this will be less relevant to lawyers.

The Yahoo dashboard is a service that will encourage lawyers to market online, by making measurement easy. You can't beat the price. The paid version includes upgrades that cost $52 to $124 per year and will be valuable to lawyers who are serious about finding new business online.

Click to enlarge image.

Three Ways to Outsmart the Competition with Social Media

Larry Bodine — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:00:00 -0500

My friend Stephen Fairley has some great advice about beating the competition in his Rainmaker Blog. In case your missed it, I've excerpted it here:

By nature, attorneys are a competitive bunch, but very few know how to turn that competitive nature into a legal marketing advantage. This is especially important for small law firms and solo practitioners, who rarely have the resources to out-market the big law firms.

So if you can’t out-market them, try out-smarting the competition by using social media tools to gain insight into what your competitors are doing and if it is resonating with your target market.

Here are some tips on using social media tools for competitive intelligence:

Find their social media footprint. Go to each competitor’s website and look for links to their social media pages – usually it’s an icon that you can click on that will take you directly to their LinkedIn and Facebook pages, Twitter feed, etc. If it is not displayed on their website, you can search for them on each social media site.

Using LinkedIn. If your competitors have a company page on LinkedIn, you can see a list of their followers (kind of like an online client list). You can also scour information on employees and the activities they are engaged in on LinkedIn, which will give you some insight into how they are marketing themselves on this business site. This is also a great way to gather data on a company you may want to pitch. And it goes without saying (but I’ll say it) that you should be following all your clients on LinkedIn as well.

Using Facebook. You may have to become a fan of your competitor’s page to see everything they are doing. It’s worth it to get inside their Facebook marketing strategy! You can find out how (or if) they are using Facebook to generate leads and how their fans are reacting to what they are doing.

Using Twitter. You can view your competitors’ tweets to learn what kind of strategy they are using and judge its success by the number of followers they have. You can also view all those followers and get information on them through their short bios. One Twitter management tool – Tweepi – allows you to see follower details on one screen. Be sure to search on Twitter by username so you can see replies to your competitors’ tweets, which can provide some valuable information on the feedback they’re getting. You can also research what content on a website gets the most retweets – a good sign it’s something that their followers like that you may want to consider emulating.

Using social media for competitive intelligence gathering not only helps you learn about what your competitors’ law firm marketing strategies are and how they are working, but also lets you identify areas they may be missing – areas you can successfully target with your law firm marketing.

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Five Tips for a Successful Trade Show Booth

Larry Bodine — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Here are some great tips from my friend Steve Boutwell, Director of Client Services at Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, LA:

My firm exhibited at a large conference of in-house attorneys this week. The experience reinforced the notion that if you put a lot of thought and effort into trade show marketing, it can pay big dividends. If you don't, well, it won't. A few thoughts:

1) Engage passersby: If you engage them, they will come. If you simply nod, or read internal email from your firm about someone finding a set of keys in bathroom on your Blackberry/iPhone/Android, or eat, or stare into space, you’ve lost them. However, if you engage attendees with a “good morning”, or a “how are you” or some other acknowledgement, you’ll have more success.

2) Shiny Objects: Like bees to flowers, have shiny, colorful, unusual trinkets. Pen? Multicolor highlighter? Candy? Why bother! We are a Louisiana firm, so we had our own hot sauce, Mardi Gras beads, cookbooks, and Gumbo mix.

3) Elevator Speech: Be prepared to tell a compelling story about your firm in 15 seconds or less. Rehearse it well and be prepared to make it interesting. Follow your story by asking about theirs.

4) Information Capture: Ask for a business card, send a follow up communication (we are sending New Orleans pralines), and add contacts to your CRM.

5) Never Leave: Man your booth as if your life depended on it. Some of the best conversations we had were during times the in-house counsel were coming from, running to, or avoiding the CLE sessions altogether.

I love the tip about giving Mardi Gras beads. Giving something that's uniquely New Orleans is a great idea. Now if Steve asked attendees to pull up their shirts and show show off to get the beads -- that would be priceless.

10 Types of Effective Follow-up

Larry Bodine — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Rainmakers know better than to make empty follow-up calls saying, “Anything new?” or “Is there something we can do for you?” or “How would you like meet one of my partners?” These calls will fail because they offer nothing of value. It is essential for each follow-up message to offer the recipient a reason to continue the relationship with the caller. Following are 10 ideas to choose from.

Offer free training or CLE at the client’s premises. If they liked the general conference, they’ll love the intimate tailored workshop.
Invite prospects to attend your Web seminars, speaking engagements and public seminars. Not only will they learn something, they’ll more likely perceive you as an expert.
Send congratulations — personal and business. This is why it’s useful to learn another person’s birthday and to notice their career promotions.
Invite potential clients to social events, mixers and firm outings. If you plan to have a good time, you can win new business by sharing the fun with clients.
Send a link to a relevant blog or online news story. The other person may already know the news, but will appreciate that you thought of them.
Distribute a case study that analyzes an actual situation that the person you are pursuing can relate to.
Send a checklist that the other person can keep on hand, such as “10 things to do after a traffic accident” or “Estate planning steps to take when an elderly parent goes into assisted living.
Publish a “Biggest Mistakes” newsletter recounting cases and transactions where a legal disaster happened to someone like your target. Good topics might include “How a local construction company went bankrupt” or “Lessons learned after a costly divorce.”
Ask people to “Rate Yourself” against best practices. People love quizzes. Any prospective client will appreciate a one-page list of policies and procedures that your must successful current clients are using.
Give a GOT. I credit this idea to David Ackert, a business development consultant in Los Angeles. A “GOT” is a Gesture Of Thoughtfulness. An example is a Chicago lawyer I knew who would personally deliver finished documents to a bank client, and bring along several coffee cakes that he had baked for all the staff and clerical personnel.

Remember, before you undertake any marketing initiative, Step #1 is to plan what the follow-up steps are and who will take them. What a lawyer does after the first meeting is more important than the initial meeting. Be sure to follow up in a meaningful way that makes the other party want to have more contact. The new clients, files and revenue will all arrive after the initial meeting.

Creating fresh content and SEO best practices for Bloggers

Larry Bodine — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0500

The latest issue of the Best Practices in Lawyer Blogs newsletter is out. Be sure to get your own free subscription and send a copy to your colleagues.

Blog Topics: Keeping Content Fresh

Finding new and interesting content for your blog can be tough—particularly if you practice in a narrow niche. LexisNexis^® eMarketing Specialist Hildy Silverman offers three tips for creating fresh blog content. Learn more ...

5 Ways to Get Your Entire Company On Board with Social Media

Tired of being the only blogger in your law firm? It’s time to get other lawyers involved. Marcus Sheridan offers five tips for getting your colleagues interested and excited about social media marketing. Learn more ...

12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time

Sometimes you are your own worst enemy. That’s particularly true when it comes to search engine optimization. Why isn’t your blog getting any traffic? Maybe it’s because you’re ignoring the basic tenets of SEO. Learn more ...

Blog Marketing with LexisNexis^®

LexisNexis Blog Marketing provides a comprehensive Blog & Social Media presence, designed to drive leads to your firm. You can get a custom blog on a separate domain, syndication of your blog to Facebook^®, JD Supra™ and Twitter^®, and even get two custom blog posts written for you to edit. Learn more ...

Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies For Your Law Firm

Larry Bodine — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Join Stephen Fairley and me for a Free Webinar on Social Media Strategy and Tactics presented by LexisNexis:

Date and time: Wednesday, April 25, 2012
12:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Duration: 1 hour
Description:

How to select the social media channels and tools that are right for your firm
How to raise visibility and enhance credentials via social media
How to create a sustainable, effective blogging strategy
How to use social media to attract new talent to the firm
How to monitor your presence in social media sites
How to leverage social media to differentiate your firm from competitors
How to address ethical and legal considerations related to use of social media

Stephen Fairley is the CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, the nation's largest law firm marketing company specializing in lead conversion for small law firms and solo practitioners. His company helps lawyers nationwide learn and implement proven marketing strategies to convert more prospects into paying clients.

This free webinar is designed for solos and lawyers in small firms, this program will explain why blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are critical for legal marketing success. We'll cover how to formulate a strategy, and the specific tactics to bring in more business.

Roger Sterling of Mad Men Advises How to Close a Customer

Larry Bodine — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Roger Sterling

There's a priceless moment in AMC-TV’s Mad Men when ad agency partner Roger Sterling advises Lane Pryce about how to close the deal with a customer. It's a teriffic lesson for lawyers about selling by asking questions and listening.

Lane is a finance guy and he has no sales experience (like most lawyers). Just before Lane takes the customer out to dinner, he asks Roger’s advice as they review an RFP from Jaguar motors and an advertising order form.

“The beauty of this dinner if that if you do it right, you can actually have him tell you all the answers. In fact I once got a guy from Dr. Scholl’s to fill it out for me,” Roger says.

“There’ll be plenty of drinks,” Lane worries.

“Not for you. You order a scotch rocks and water. You drink half of it until it turns see-through. You get another,” Roger says.

“Very good,” Lane says.

“And then, well, then it’s kind of like being on a date,” Roger says.

“Flattery, I suppose,” Lane says.

Lane Pryce

“Within reason. But I find it’s best to smile and sit there like you’ve got no place to go, and just let them talk. Somewhere in the middle of the entrée, they’ll throw out something revealing. And you want to wait until dessert to pounce on it. You know, let him know you’ve got the same problem he has, whatever it is. And then you’re in a conspiracy. The basis of a ‘friendship.” Then you whip out the form,” Roger says.

“What if I don’t have the same problem?” Lane asks.

“It’ll probably just be something like he drinks too much, he gambles. I once went on a five-minute tear about how my mother loved my father more than me. And I can assure you that is impossible,” Roger says.

“Very good then. And if for some reason he’s more reserved?” Lane asks.

“Just reverse it. Feed him your own personal morsel,” Roger says.

“Oh I see,” Lane says.

“That’s it. Get your answers. Be nice to the waiter and don’t let him near the check. Oh, and find out everything you can before you get there,” Roger says.

“That I’ve done,” Lane says.

“And you still like him?” Roger asks.

“I do.”

“Let it show,” Roger says.

Business Development for Litigators

Larry Bodine — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:25:26 -0500

Business Development for Litigators

Join us for a Webinar tomorrow - April 19

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/207559214

Program description: http://bit.ly/J4lIbO

Join us in our most popular program about how to capture more litigation files. David Ackert, and guest speaker Larry Bodine, Esq. will show you how to grow your litigation client base by continuing the relationship after the case is over, focusing on dispute-rich industries, picking the "hot" practice areas for trials, and prioritizing your business development efforts.

To register for this seminar, just Click Here. Registration fee: $300

Business development is especially difficult for litigators, who will labor for months on a case, bring it to a successful conclusion, and then have a gaping hole of billable time to fill.

Are you or your litigators building the referral network you need to bring in litigation business?
Do you know which industries or types of litigation to pursue?
How much work do you continue to bring in from former clients?
How well are you bringing in new work for your firm and taking control of your career?
What business development techniques must you apply to make it happen?

Business development experts David Ackert and Larry Bodine have helped litigators at dozens of firms keep their caseload steady and growing. In one case, they helped a litigator at a trial boutique increase her revenue to the firm from $200,000 per year to $2.5 million in one year! She simply followed their advice, which includes the following.

Registration fee: $300

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Pursue groups of businesses where you have clients already.
Get referrals from megafirms—we'll show you how.
Identify small-firm lawyers who can send you referrals.
Focus on the "hot" areas of practice, as identified by market research.
Use methods to create a good reputation that will attract files and cases.
Employ the four priorities of business development.
Build long-lasting relationships with clients.
Use our #1 most effective marketing technique.
Penetrate organizations of potential clients.
Become the industry expert that every business client wants.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Experienced litigators who want to smooth out the peaks and valleys of their practice.
Young litigators eager to build a career in litigation.
Marketing partners who plan to build up their firm's litigation practice.
Managing partners seeking to maintain and grow revenue from a solid litigation practice.

Click here to register instantly with a credit card. You can display the program in a conference room, put the telephone on speaker mode, and invite as many attendees at your firm as you wish. One connection per registration. Registration fee: $300

Best Writing Techniques for Online Readers

Larry Bodine — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:37:36 -0500

Laura Johnson has a terrific article in the latest issue of Professional Marketing magazine about writing content for online readers. She is a freelance writer specializing in SEO and online communications. See and follow @laurajanewrites on Twitter. Here's an excerpt:

Writing for online media is different to writing a brochure, a sales proposal or a press release. In these more traditional professional services marketing channels, we refer to the words on the page as copy. When you structure words to work specifically in an online context (taking into account how people read, behave and consume information online) it becomes content.

Digital marketing content has four common qualities that make it stand out from conventional marketing copy, regardless of whether it’s an email, a social media update or a web page. Without these characteristics your online marketing efforts are destined for the gloomy depths of the virtual dustbin.

1. A strong call to action. A clear and focused purpose. This tells the reader what you want them to do, e.g.‘download a report’.

2. Succinct. Jakob Nielson, a web usability guru, estimates that good content is usually at least fifty per cent shorter in length than print copy. We read slower online and take in less; content needs to reflect this reader behavior.

3. Scannability. The use of bullets, bolding and sub-headings make it easier for readers to pick up key messages at speed without having to read every word.

4. Links. They boost search engine optimization (SEO) and simplify navigation to relevant supporting material.

When it comes to online content, get your SEO and technical structure right first and then add your brand tone of voice to inject personality and interest.

Create word hooks. Get into the mindset of your target audience. What words will they type into Google when they are looking for the information, products or services you are offering? What words are they looking for when they are scanning the web to solve a particular problem? These are your keywords and phrases.

Put keywords in powerful positions. Through his research Jakob Nielson, found we read web pages in an F-shaped pattern, focusing on two horizontal stripes at the top of the page and a vertical strip down the left hand side. Based on this, he suggests the optimum positions for your keywords are the first two paragraphs of a page (where the bars of the ‘F’ fall). Starting subsequent subheadings, paragraphs, and bullet points with keywords increases the likelihood that readers will notice them as they scan down the left hand side of the page (the stem of the F).

Contextual links. To boost your SEO, make the words you use for links relevant to the destination (eg. ‘agenda for the day’) rather than the action (eg. never link ‘click here’).

Keep it short. When it comes to writing online, the art of brevity is a virtue. Do you read web pages carefully from top to bottom? Honestly. Probably not, most of us scan. Bolding, writing in small blocks of text (about two sentences long) split with subheadings, bullet points and having a clear call to action in the first paragraph all aid scannability. This approach reduces the yawn factor that will quickly cause your reader to desert your site in search of juicier content.