Integrity Marketing

Print Is Not Dead!

Today, more and more things seem to be “going digital”. There’s even been talk that in just a few years all print media will be a thing of the past. And it seems like a real possibility.

Just think of all the time you spend on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.  How many of our workplaces are paperless or heading in that direction?

Despite the obvious trend toward a purely digital world, I firmly believe that print media will never truly die. When used and designed well, print publications can be a wonderful marketing tool.

Here are 6 Reasons to Use Print Media in Your Marketing:

6. No Technology Barriers – With a great print promotional piece, you never have to fear a computer crash, a power outage, or that an Internet browser will not support your content. You can rest assured that your audience will know how to navigate and use a brochure or postcard.

5. Completely Customizable –There are so many unique options to choose from in print production today. With specialty printing, you can easily show off your company’s personality. Are you traditional? Choose a really nice, high-quality paper stock. Trendy and unique? Pick a custom size and a specialty printing technique. Unlike digital publications, in which the dimensions and settings are predetermined, print media offers endless possibilities for customization.

4. Print is Personal – Nothing (ok, almost nothing) excites me more than seeing an envelope in my mailbox with a handwritten address. It makes me feel special! At least for the few seconds that the sender was writing my name and address, I know that they were thinking about me. Give your clients that same feeling of individuality by handwriting addresses on mailings or writing a short personal note on a brochure or business card before handing it to them.

3. Further your Branding – Print media is a great way to push your brand beyond the confines of a screen. Having a company brand that coordinates across all platforms – both digital and print – shows that your firm is consistent, organized, and polished.

2. Staying Power – With a print piece, chances are greater that, even if the recipient doesn’t respond immediately, they will keep the piece around until they have the time or opportunity to act. Print media acts as a great physical reminder of your services. It’s also a great take-away from workshops and events to help your guests remember your wonderful presentation once it is over.

1. Print is Easily Integrated into Digital Marketing – It’s easy to use print media to support your current online presence! Send out invitations or postcards announcing your next workshop or event. Create a brochure to target a more specific audience or practice area.  Adding a QR code or a website address to your printed piece is a great way to lead clients to your website. The opportunities to use print media in your marketing truly are endless!

Using print media to complement your website is the perfect way to create a presence for your firm – both online and in the “real” world.

Got a great idea for a new pamphlet or brochure? Have an upcoming workshop that could use an invitation or take-home piece? Contact the IMS team today to get started!

Law Firm Marketing in the Summer Heat!

Fourth of July is just around the corner and it's time to begin planning your July newsletter communication! It's warming up and you probably have ball games, practices, and vacations to pack for. But don't miss out on this opportunity to communicate with your audience. If you have a fun story to share, a glimpse of what's to come in August or farewell wishes (or advice) to the graduating Seniors in your community (and their parents), take the time to prepare your message now. Tip: those Seniors who will be 18 any day now need to have their health care directives prepared before heading to their college dorm!

July Print Newsletter Deadline

The deadline for making edits to your July issue estate planning newsletter is June 5 and the default articles we have scheduled for you are: Planning the Next Chapter and The Non-citizen Spouse.

To see the additional articles available for custom issue creation, download a preview of the newsletter article library.

If you would like assistance customizing your SELECT Print Newsletter, please feel free to contact me, April, at 877-352-2021 x82 for a quick walk through. Be sure to have your message prepared and saved to your computer or network for easy access. Around 150 to 220 words.

July Animated & E-newsletter Deadline

If you are not scheduled for a July print newsletter, please don't hesitate to submit your message for inclusion in your July electronic communication.

More Marketing and Social Media Ideas

Remember to have fun and keep it real in your social media marketing adventures. Here are a few more ideas to keep things interesting in July (and don't forget to refer back to Social Media ideas for June):

• Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day: How about sponsoring and serving ice cream at a Senior Center or nursing home, or even an office ice cream party with photos to post on your blog and Facebook page.
• National Pecan Pie Day: How about sharing your family's favorite pecan pie recipe – or a pie baking disaster! I know we have one in our family … a homemade cherry pie – pits and all!
• National Strawberry Sundae Day, National Ice Cream Day and Vanilla Ice Cream Day: Okay, why not just claim July as National Ice Cream month?! Share a photo or your favorite ice cream flavor in honor of one of these important holidays.
• Mutt's Day: No matter what type of furry or feathered friend you have, don't forget to make proper plans for their care when you are no longer able to. Use your Social Media accounts to encourage planning for pets and adoption or fostering of pets from local shelters.

Rotary Club Learns About Social Media Do's and Don'ts

Last Friday I had the privilege of being invited to speak to the Lenexa KS Rotary Club about the importance of utilizing Social Media in business. The Rotary Club consists primarily of small business owners, entrepreneurs and local politicians.  I was pleasantly surprised to see their interest in Social Media/Internet Marketing and impressed with their knowledge of "how the internet works". Their interest stemmed from a desire to not necessarily increase revenue, but to connect with their customers and community on an ongoing basis.  We went over all of the relevant Social Media platforms, why they are important, and how to use them.

Our lead graphic designer, Emma, created a terrific infographic that the group found very helpful. It outlines the "Do’s and Don'ts" of Using Social Media for Business:

The event went off without a hitch and I had a great time. Everybody I met was very gracious and inviting, and I truly appreciated the opportunity. Are you a member of your local Rotary Club? If you are not, I highly recommend you look into joining. They support excellent causes and provide a terrific framework for networking -- both offline and on!

Go Mobile or Go Home (Without Directions)

How many of you have a mobile device that you use on a regular basis? If you aren’t sure what that means, a mobile device is basically any type of handheld computing device, including smartphones and tablets of some sort (i.e. your iPhone or iPad, or similar model from a different manufacturer).

I personally use my smartphone all day, whether I’m checking emails, checking/updating Social Media, reading scripture, taking photos of my kids, or planning my next meal on Pinterest. I use my tablet to help entertain the kids from time to time with games, movies and music (guilty as charged, but I do limit their use and access). Mobile devices have become part of our daily lives, online or not. Anyone else get that occasional tingly thumb from scrolling their screens? No? Ok, maybe that’s just me.

Studies show that between 15%-50% of web visitors access websites on a mobile device on any given day. That number is growing, and business owners are taking notice. As the web is becoming easier to access on the go, mobile marketing is rapidly becoming a priority among marketers and business owners alike.

So what does this mean for your law firm? Do people really need to access your firm’s website on their mobile device?

It’s not like your law firm is the city movie theater or local Target store, so I understand the hesitation some attorneys have with adding a mobile website to their marketing toolbox. But I will tell you that the one sure thing people WILL go to your website for is this: DIRECTIONS. Or really, contact information in general (i.e. your phone number, address, and hours of operation). I’m sure you know the scenario: you have an appointment, forgot to look up directions, and reach for your smartphone to assist you in getting to your destination.  And how frustrating is it when you pull up the website on your device and you can’t locate the phone number or address b/c it’s NOT mobile?! Ugh!

Save your clients the hassle and go mobile with your site. IMS will create your mobile site to be branded just like your regular website with easier access for prospects, clients, and referring professionals to find you on the web. We not only build the mobile website, but we maintain it and synchronize it with your desktop website, which means that when we make changes to your main website (such as new content, newsletters, workshop dates, etc) we manage how those changes sync to your mobile site, so your mobile site stays current without you ever having to lift a finger!

All IMS websites are mobile accessible -- which means they can be viewed on mobile devices, but accessible is not the same as optimized. A mobile website is optimized for mobile viewing, which means your viewers will not be forced to squint and scroll to read content on your site. Also, mobile websites feature one-click calling, one-click emailing, and one-click maps with driving directions.

We track and report every performance aspect of your Essential® marketing system, including your mobile website. I pulled a sampling of last month's stats from three of our clients to see how their mobile sites performed: 

Mobile Stats	Client 1	Client 2	Client 3
Page Views	90	193	196
Click to Map	1	2	3
Click to Email	2		2
Form Submissions		2	2
Click to Call	8	10	12

This clearly shows that valuable clients, referral sources and prospects are being generated directly from the mobile website. The whole idea behind having a web presence is to draw visitors in, make them feel comfortable, and create a user-friendly experience.

Here is a short video on our Optimized Mobile Websites for attorneys.

 

When Should You Review Your Facebook Security Settings?

Anytime Facebook goes through an update you should review your security settings. Here's a funny, but informative, video to help you understand what happens when Facebook switches things up on you.

 

Memorial Day / IMS Offices Closed

Next Monday (May 27) is Memorial Day. Our offices will be closed.

Memorial Day is dedicated to service men and women who gave their lives for our freedom and their country. It is also a time to remember loved ones who have passed away. The roots of Memorial Day go back to 1865 and the end of the Civil War.

We encourage you to get involved with your community. Attend a parade, visit a cemetery to honor and remember our servicemen or volunteer to assist with the production/setup of a local ceremony; these are just a few ideas. Most important, take time to remember your lost loved ones in whatever way you feel is appropriate.

Have a great day!

Adding “Call to Action” to Your Social Media Posts

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase thrown around before: Call to Action. Have you ever thought of what it means?

Basically, a Call to Action (CTA) is anything that prompts a reader/web visitor to follow through on what you’re asking. Here are some examples:

1. Contact Us Via Email
2. Click here to subscribe to our blog
3. Sign up for our eNewsletter list
4. Share this post with your friends.
5. Visit my estate planning website.
6. Join a Workshop
7. Request a free estate planning consultation.

And that list can go on… It’s a basically a request to move past just READING this information, and doing something with it. CTAs are (obviously) very important. If you are unsuccessful in getting a web visitor or user to take part in a call to action, you most likely won’t get a new client. Nobody wants that to happen.

Integrity Marketing strategically builds your website with a vast amount of call to action buttons, areas, platforms, etc. So your website is good to go (YAY!). But an online presence doesn’t just stop at your website: It continues to spider out to your blog and social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc).

As a social media and blogger, it’s your responsibility to continue implementing CTAs throughout your social media posting and interactions.

Here are a few tips to engage your readers to interact with you further.

1. Figure out what you want your prospects to do, and make them an offer they want.

Example: You want them to read an eBook about Medicaid planning and realize this is something they need to commit too, and then contact you.

Provide this eBook on your website. Write a social media post with this webpage link, and ask readers to take advantage of this “limited-time offer” a free eBook on the basics of Medicaid planning.  Make sure you remind them to “contact you if they have concerns”.

Other great items you can offer are eNewsletter subscriptions; white paper downloads, and frees consultations.

2. Create a “hook” and let them know what’s in it for them.

Example: “Proper planning now can save your family money, time, and emotional hassle in the future. Make sure you know the facts - join me for a free Estate Planning 101 workshop on June 1^st, 2013 here in our private boardroom. We’ll discuss the 15 Estate Planning Essentials everyone should be aware of. [[Insert workshop sign up URL here]].”

Your request must make sense to them. This means not asking prospects to purchase if they’re still in an information-gathering mode.

3.     Motivate your prospects to act with a sense of urgency.

Don’t use scare tactics – but let them know that your “offer” ends soon. “E-book provided for a limited time,” “free consultations in the month of June,” “Workshop space limited.”

Carefully remind your readers they need to “act fast” if they want to reap the benefits.

Developing proper social media skills takes practice, but if you follow the tips above and “be yourself” in the process, you will have an easy time directing people to the resources on your website.

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Estate Planning -- Making it Relevant for Clients

One of the biggest challenges of marketing estate planning services is breaking through the routines of people's daily lives with relevant, compelling messages. No one likes to talk about death, disability or taxes. So, how do you reach people with important messages that motivate them to take action?

Here are some ideas you can use right now:

1. Use news headlines to spark a conversation. You'll find lots of interesting articles in major news outlets like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg's Financial, Kiplinger's etc.. The great thing about this strategy is you are actually tapping into someone else's (sophisticated, expensive) market research. You see, major media like these know which topics most interest their readers. Chances are good your clients are interested, too.
   
   
2. What's happening in your neighborhood?
   GRADUATIONS. You may be attending a few graduation ceremonies this month. Do you suppose, amid all the congratulations, families have thought about what new legal documents they might need now that their previously minor child has reached the age of majority? This is a good time to focus on the need for parents and their newly-minted "adult children" to consider durable powers of attorney and health care proxies. Most parents don't realize that they can no longer "automatically" make decisions for their adult children, including medical decisions should that child become incapacitated by serious illness or injury.
   
   
3. Think outside the box about special events. We're always thinking about ways to meet prospective clients, and I'm sure you've done the traditional ones from senior fairs to financial fairs. Why not break the mold and consider hosting a booth at some of these seasonal events (and, if not a booth, how about a workshop? or at least a blog?):
   
   BRIDAL FAIRS. Yes, it's wedding-season. First weddings, second weddings, third ... you get the drift! Young couples frequently receive pre-marital counseling, and perhaps part of that counseling should include a primer on basic legal self-defense for the newly married. From beneficiary designations to new health care proxies to pre-nuptial agreements, weddings require a plethora of estate planning adjustments.
   
   BOAT, SPORTS & TRAVEL SHOWS. You know that summer time is "travel time" for many families. Consider providing a packet outlining the legal protections every family should have in place before heading out for all of that fun.

Buiilding campaigns around these themes makes your message relevant to prospective clients. Remember, a most of estate planning is about successfully navigating life's transitions. Your estate planning messages become compelling when they relate to these transitions.

At the same time, try not to over-think it. A "campaign" could be as simple as a blog post and some timely comments on social media. Or, gear up for workshops, special events and direct-mail. Whatever you do, remember to relate to your clients on their terms.

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Quote of the Month for Social Media Sharing

This month's quote is: “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.” — Maya Angelou

To use this month's inspirational quote, download one of the following graphics, share it to facebook (be sure to include a simple comment or call to action) and include a link to your law firm's Web site.

You may choose from three different color palettes: (follow the link, view the image, right-click and save; then share to your facebook profile!)

1. Navy: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0513Quote_1Maya-Angelou.jpg
2. Gold: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0513Quote_2Maya-Angelou.jpg
3. Burgundy: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0513Quote_5Maya-Angelou.jpg

If you have a quote you would like to submit for consideration, feel free to pass it along to [email protected].

Dance like a Chicken!

In other important news, today is Dance Like a Chicken Day! So shake your tail feathers and do the chicken dance!

Building Your ENewsletter List: Think Outside the Box

Compiling a list of contacts can be tricky, and we understand that it takes some effort to gather a good email list for sharing news about your law firm. Once you send us your initial email newsletter list and that first e-News goes out, I’m sure it’s a huge relief and a great accomplishment in regards to the e-News process!

What you may not know is that you really need to keep BUILDING your email list as you go, and some attorneys get stuck when brainstorming ways to add contacts.  I have previously provided a thorough list of ways to grow your email newsletter list, and I know if you are an Essential Client™ you have integrated many of those strategies into your marketing through the Essential Solution®.

Let’s take these ideas one step further and think outside the box. Building an email list goes hand in hand with networking, so keep that mindset when you are venturing out to find more contacts.

• Don’t be afraid to ASK. When you are out and about networking at events, just ASK the people you meet if you can sign them up for your free e-Newsletter. Explain what information they will be receiving and ask for their email address or business card. This allows them to get to know you through your law firm news, which is more casual than meeting for lunch.
• Share the wealth, so to speak. Consider sharing a link in your e-News to another newsletter or blog from someone you trust and who has interesting content to share.  This creates a great referral-style relationship, and in turn they may be willing to share YOUR e-Newsletter link to their contacts …which could turn into more subscribers for you.
• The POWER of a PowerPoint. Are you giving a presentation any time soon that includes PowerPoint? Your audience will not be able to hold eye contact the entire time and will no doubt be drawn to look at the visual you are providing.  So be sure to use the last page of your PowerPoint as a showcase for your e-Newsletter sign up link.  This slide is normally up during the “Q&A” segment of a presentation, so your audience will be prompted to write it down as questions are being answered. You can suggest they do so and also offer to sign them up on the spot!

As you can see, there are many ways to branch out and build your email list. You never know when one of your subscribers is going to need your services, and if they are receiving your e-Newsletter regularly they will want to contact YOU for help.

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Don’t Take a Vacation from Your Social Media – Planning Tips for Trips

James and I are leaving for Mexico tomorrow! Jealous? Ok, we won’t rub it in too much. It really hasn’t sunk in yet anyways, because we have A LOT to prepare before leaving the office.

It is the busy season for conferences, business trips, and networking events as the weather improves for abundant travel.  And soon enough, those summer vacations will be here and you’ll be scrambling to keep up with your Social Media efforts. How will you get it all done? Do you just stop posting updates while you are gone? NO. Please. Keep. Posting.

But how?

Well, it takes some preparation. And luckily, we’ve got some great tools and strategies for your upcoming trips:

• Delegate, delegate, delegate. Take some time to pre-write Social Media posts and pass them on to someone on your staff.  Make sure they are trained to use Social Media and have appropriate access to accounts. A good rule of thumb is a set of company-related posts with a few industry-related articles. This provides a nice balance of law firm information AND hot topics while you are away.
• Schedule your blogs. Hopefully you are doing this anyways, but if not you can schedule your blog posts to go out when you are gone with your Typepad account.  If you need a brush-up session on how to do this, contact Account Manager Dana Alley for assistance ([email protected]).
• Make use of Social Media tools. There are some great tools out there to help you pre-post to Social Media.  Check out www.IFTTT.com, which is a free service that will share posts through an “if-this-then-that” approach. You can create what’s called a “recipe” that is triggered by one Social action that in turn will post to a Social account of your choice.
• Go Mobile or Go Home. Ok, you don’t really have to “go home” if you don’t have a mobile device to use …but it sure makes life easier if you do!  You can post updates from your mobile device as long as you have internet access.  Or consider getting WiFi in your hotel room for making or scheduling posts. Many resorts and hotels also offer a computer lab for your use.
  

Luckily we live in an online world, so it’s not very often that we find ourselves without access to these Social Media accounts and the Web. But if you don’t want to have access to the Net, be sure to get organized before you leave so that someone can take over and you can – finally – relax.