Integrity Marketing

Scam Artists Can Be Convincing!

Your phone rings. The caller just reviewed your website and found serious flaws that are costing business every day. They just happen to be in town this week and would love to meet with you.

Do you go?

If you go, how do you know whether you’re talking to a snake-oil salesman peddling a scam, or an honest expert with advice that can help?

“Sue” got a call a few weeks ago from “someone at Google,” alerting her to the fact that her website is not viewable on mobile devices. Sue quickly pulled out her smart phone and looked for her website. Sure enough, there it was, plain as day.

The caller said, “You are the only one seeing it because you are searching from your own phone.”

The caller was so confident, and the air of Google’s authority rang so true, that Sue started to question her own eye witness evidence.

The caller directed Sue to several of her competitor’s websites.

“See, this is costing you business. All of your competitors’ websites are visible on mobile devices, but yours is not.”

Sue started to think that Integrity Marketing must have dropped the ball, that they must have missed some crucial setting that was blocking her website on mobile devices. She got angry. How lucky that Google found this and alerted her. She started searching for a copy of her Essential Solution® contract to see how she could get out of this mess with Integrity Marketing. She would gladly pay Google a few hundred dollars a month to fix all this – and she could pay them with the money she saved from firing those idiots over at IMS!

Sue was just about ready to give out her credit card information, when she had a niggling thought. She remembered learning something at the last IMS marketing retreat … what was it?

“Google does not have a sales force and they are not going to call you.”

This is a true story, though the names have been changed to protect the embarrassed. This story had a happy ending. Sue did not hand over her credit card information; she did not try to cancel her contract with IMS. Instead, she excused herself from the “Google” call and dialed our office. She asked her honest questions, and got honest answers.

And, of course, Sue’s website is visible on mobile devices. And so is every Essential website.

Don’t fall victim to the next marketing scam artist.

Join us October 9-11 for a full-on marketing retreat.

Sit down face-to-face for a personal marketing consultation with CEO Jennifer Campbell Goddard. Review your marketing performance reports, ask your questions, and discuss your goals for 2014. Leave armed with a new strategic marketing plan, and plenty of information to protect you from scammers!

• Wednesday, Oct. 9: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. /
  Evening Reception at IMS Office in Olathe
• Thursday, Oct. 10: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.(lunch provided) /
  President’s Dinner @ 6:30 p.m. (included in your registration)
• Friday, Oct. 11: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (lunch provided)

We took every good idea from our past workshops, threw out the so-so, and revamped the workshop to focus on the highest-return activities that we KNOW will work for you! Over the past year, we poured over more than 5,000 marketing performance reports from you and your Essential colleagues to pinpoint the strategies and tactics that propel the Top Performers, habits that undermine marketing success, and the often-overlooked details that make a huge difference. Now, we’re bringing our entire team together with their unique abilities to focus on YOU and YOUR SUCCESS.

Here is how it works:

1. Three concurrent classroom sessions and the video studio will be open for the entire three days. Studio time is limited. You are encouraged to register early to reserve a space. You will have a personalized track of instruction based on your needs.
2. One classroom for general sessions and break-out discussions. We will meet together at the beginning of each day, again at lunch, and to wrap-up each day before dinner.
3. The second classroom is set up for hands-on work online. BRING YOUR LAPTOP and your passwords for LinkedIn, Avvo, Facebook and your blog. You won’t just hear about good ideas – we’re talking Instant Implementation. Our staff will guide you step-by-step live and online.
4. Your Personal Marketing Consult in the Board Room where you and your staff meet with CEO Jennifer Goddard to review your marketing statistics, uncover hidden opportunities, and carve out a strategic plan for 2014.
5. Meanwhile, the video studio will be open by appointment for those who want to record personal video and for everyone to get a FREE studio session for a Website Welcome video recording. Even if you choose not to use this video, the in-studio experience will help hone your on-camera performance – a necessary legal marketing skill in today’s video world!

We also have some great, fun experiences for you – like the President’s Dinner on Thursday night (included in your registration), a tour of the IMS offices and studio, a fun reception and social hour, and round table discussions where you bring your own questions and try to stump the pros!

Register online.

11 Concepts to Better Leadership

In searching for blog topics this week, I was a bit stuck. I decided to reflect back on my own advice about brainstorming new ideas. I decided it was time to check in with Dave Kerpen to see if he had any words of wisdom. Now, I don’t actually know Dave, but as a NY Times Best-Selling Author & Keynote Speaker his posts are always spot-on.

I came across this great article from early in the year titled “11 Simple Concepts to Become a Better Leader.”

Jackpot! Who doesn’t want to become a better leader? And the term “leader” to me can mean anything from being the CEO to spearheading a team project to motivating your coworkers … leadership comes in many forms. I think we can all benefit from reviewing these principles.

11 Concepts to Better Leadership

1. Listening – Good listeners know what’s up.  They know what challenges their staff is facing, what their clients need, and what is happening in the industry.
2. Storytelling – Following listening, a good leader needs to convey their message. Storytelling is the most engaging way to do so, as it draws in the audience and wins them over. You can even do this online with your social media posts, blogs and video messages!
3. Authenticity – Be real. Be YOU. Do what you say, say what you do, and above all – have integrity. We like the word “integrity” if you haven’t noticed.
4. Transparency – Have you ever heard the expression “secrets don’t make friends”? Well, they don’t. Be honest. In this day and age, someone will find out if you are not. And in the legal world, we all know that can get messy!
5. Team Playing – There is no “I” in “TEAM”. Working with a good team will help you achieve way more than you could ever achieve on your own. Encourage your staff to bring their ideas to the table and take teamwork seriously (while having fun!).
6. Responsiveness – Don’t ignore anyone! Everyone needs to know they’ve been heard, whether the message is good or bad. You can handle communication several ways; phone, email, social media (Tweet, Facebook post, LinkedIn mail), personal visits or even a small note.
7. Adaptability – Change is inevitable. Once you accept that truth, you will find ways to adapt and improve with each adjustment. Humility goes a long way.
8. Passion – Do what you love, love what you do. If you have passion for your role, it will show and others will want to follow your lead.
9. Surprise and Delight – I love this line from the article: “Likeable leaders underpromise and overdeliver …” Bringing a pleasant surprise to the table can boost morale immediately. Whether it is monetary or just a nice laugh with the team, create nice surprises from time to time.
10. Simplicity – Keep it simple.  Our world is chaotic, so sometimes we need to get to the basics in order to get things done. Find a simple solution for those complex challenges and don’t overthink everything.
11. Gratefulness – Appreciate what you have and what your team does. And tell them! Thank your staff, thank your clients, and remain humble.

Dave Kerpen ends his article with the Golden Rule: “Above all else, treat others as you’d like to be treated.” I couldn’t agree more!

October Print Newsletter Deadline & October Topics

The deadline for making edits to your October issue estate planning newsletter is September 5, and the articles we have scheduled for you are: Family Limited Partnerships and Asset Protection.

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.

October Animated & E-Newsletter Deadline

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

Topics to Consider for October Communications & Social Media

• Memories or details of a family visit to an apple orchard or farmer's market … don't forget to include photos and post to your social media.
  
• Get ready for Halloween. Will you be participating in any open houses, trunk-or-treat / trick-or-treat, or other fall activities in your community? Announce it on your print newsletter or e-mail newsletter.
• Oktoberfest. Well, if you've celebrated too much, you may want to keep those stories and photos to yourself.

Save $100 and Get on the Fast Track

Success is not something you have, it’s something you do. Join IMS for a three-day workshop, October 9-11, and start Doing Success.

Early registration through September 1st will save you $100! Go online to Register.

Labor Day / IMS Offices Closed

• Our offices will be closed on September 2 for Labor Day.

Enjoy your extended weekend!

April

“Above All, Keep Your Colors Fresh!”

Deciding on the perfect color palette is difficult! Whether I’m designing a new website or picking out a new living room wall color, I always get wrapped up in trying to pick exactly the right color. It’s so easy to just stick to what we know works well. But after awhile, relying on go-to color schemes can start to look boring.

Nineteenth-century French artist Edouard Manet is credited with once saying “Above all, keep your colors fresh!”

In that spirit, here are some fresh color palettes to inspire your next marketing project, sorted by main color (click the images to enlarge):

Red

Warm colors, like this bright red, are very exciting and can add lots of energy to a design. But if the overall palette has too many warm colors, the viewer’s eye can get overwhelmed. This palette avoids that issue by using a slightly softer red (it’s not Fire-Engine-Red-bright) and combining it with cooler blues and greens.

Orange

Orange gets a bad reputation for looking juvenile or dated. But by replacing bright orange with softer tints and some darker shades it can look very modern.

Yellow 

Pale yellow can be tricky, but when paired with this lovely dark purple and some soft greens and blues, it looks perfectly elegant and sophisticated.

Green

This palette is considered monochromatic, meaning that it is made up of different shades, tones, and tints of one color. This effect is very polished and easy to work with.

Combining blue, brown and green is one of those go-to palettes that works nearly every time. This palette varies the saturation and brightness of those colors for a fresh take on a classic.

Blue

The soft yellow-oranges in this palette work perfectly with the light blues and keep the selection from looking too cold.

Focusing on the darker shades of blue in this palette makes it an extremely calm, sophisticated choice.

Purple

Bright palettes, such as this one, can be professional too. To achieve this, use the light blue and the purple for the majority of elements and use the other three colors very sparingly.

Neutrals

I’ve heard it said that brown and black should not be combined. Absolutely not true! Just make sure there is plenty of contrast between the shades used. This palette of soft browns and stark blacks with just a tiny bit of bright red is chic and elegant.

Feeling inspired? These modern palettes are all wonderful choices for a new website. Updating your firm’s color palette is also great way to refresh your entire brand. Call us today to get started!

Give Your Blog Posts More Real Estate On Social Media

I know you’ve heard us say it a million times before, but a Blog is an essential part of marketing. Blogs give us a “sounding board” to inform clients and colleagues about what we do, our knowledge and expertise, our opinions of industry news and much more. Furthermore, daily blogging boosts website Google Rank and website traffic.

We encourage our Essential Clients™ to not only blog daily, but to share those blog posts on Social Media accounts.  There are several ways of doing so, including automatic posting from your Typepad account, setting up a triggered share command through a free internet service (ex: IFTTT), and manually sharing your blog posts yourself. It really is up to you on how you want to share these posts, but let me tell you from experience what I’ve found makes the most impact.

Manual Posts With An Image Get More Attention

Sharing your blog post manually to your Social Media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.) using an IMAGE gets the most attention.  The reason these posts get more attention is because an image or photo takes up more of the screen’s real estate or SPACE. I typically get more “likes” on shared images, creating more engagement from followers … which leads to shares and post clicks.

View the screen shot below to see an example (click to enlarge). The blog post on the left is shared manually with an image/graphic, a short description and the link to the blog post. The blog post on the lower right is shared automatically by either copy/pasting the blog link or by an auto-share feature from the blog itself. The blog post on the left obviously gets MORE SPACE and grabs your attention FIRST.

If you want to give your blog posts more real estate on your Social Media pages and news feeds, follow this step-by-step guide for a manual share:

1. Save the blog image used in your blog post OR find a free image that corresponds with your post (your own photo, a free image online, etc.).
   
   
2. In your Social Media account, choose to upload a photo (browse to the image on your computing device)  -- DO NOT post the image yet, you need to add some text first!
   
   
3. Add a short description of the blog post (be informative, yet social!).
   
   
4. Copy/paste the link to your blog post at the end of your description. This is very important! If you do not post the link to the actual blog post, followers will not be able to view your blog. They will only see the image and the description – this is that tricky, manual part. Make sure the link goes directly to the blog post itself, not to your main blog page. See the graphic to the right for an example.
   
   
5. Post to your Social Media account – and done!

The same notion of gaining more social space applies to uploaded videos, so don’t forget to include video in your blog posts from time to time.

If manually sharing your blog post will not work with your schedule, do not feel obligated to do so! Automatic sharing is the next best thing – anything to get your blog posts on your social accounts. If you have questions on how to manually share your blog posts, feel free to email me for assistance: [email protected].

Quote of the Month for Social Media Sharing

This month's quote is: “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

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 website. You can also share the graphic to other Social Media accounts such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.

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

1. Navy: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0813Quote_1Dwight-Eisenhower.jpg
2. Gold: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0813Quote_2Dwight-Eisenhower.jpg
3. Burgundy: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0813Quote_5Dwight-Eisenhower.jpg

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

Back to School – Bus Safety Tips

You've probably seen the little ones riding the bus or waiting at the bus stop as many schools open their doors this month and into the beginning of September. At the National Safety Council's website, you can find a handy printable list of bus safety rules.

You may want to share this link through your own social media accounts and remind your clients, family, friends and office team to be alert and watch for children who may be walking to/from the bus stop or walking to/from school.

Have a great week!

April

Your Monthly Performance Report: A Quick Reference Guide

I’ve received numerous requests and questions this past week from our members concerning their marketing reports. Our members (and their staff) are taking a vested interest in their analytics, which really makes us happy! Use this quick reference guide to help you translate the handy analytical information provided to you in your monthly marketing report.

Executive Summary & Recommendations

Index Page by Google:

Your index page count is the number of pages that form your website. This number should grow each month as you post to your blog. Google will rank a steadily growing website higher than a static website with zero growth. This is one of the reasons blogging is SO important. Get a head start before your competitors and blog every single business day with the IMS provided content.

TypePad Blog Posts:

This is how many posts you posted in the reported month. This number should always be 100% of the business days.

Typepad Blog Visits:

This is the amount of online visitors that found your blog either by Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Search, Your Website, etc.

Animated Newsletter Sending Rate:

This is how many e-Newsletters you are sending on a monthly basis. Just because you have 850 emails on a list, does not mean that 850 people receive your email. Usually, about 95% of your list is made of working emails. Email accounts expire, are forgotten about, or fill up to the point where they can no longer receive incoming emails (bounce!). It’s important you add at least 10 new emails a month to counteract this normal decrease.

Monthly Goal:

If you are super busy and can only focus on improving one thing at a time (which is pretty normal for our members!) then this is the highlight of the report for you. This goal is one single-most-important-area you need to improve on to make your website work better. It might be: blog 100%, post more to your social media pages, or add new emails to your subscriber list. This is to help you achieve a focus point on your marketing report.

Overview Web Ranking Report:

This report shows what page you rank on Google for a group of hand-picked search terms. Anything with a number 1-10 is Google Page One (GREAT!). 11-20 is Google Page Two (Also good!). 21-30 is page three, and so on and so forth. This is a great way to tell if we have optimized your website for the proper search terms.

Google Analytics

Visits:

A visit is a group of interactions that take place on your website within a given time frame. For example a single visit can contain multiple pageviews, events, and social interactions. It doesn’t matter how long they were on the site, if they are viewing your website it’s a visit. Google does not do a very good job of tracking exactly how many visits a website can get. The truth is, relying solely on Google Analytics “visits” as a metric of marketing performance can be misleading at best and a dangerous business practice at worst. For example: when SSL search is used (e.g., if the user is signed in to a Google account, or using the Firefox search bar, or they have cookies disabled), Keyword will have the value (not provided) [support.google.com]. This accounts for about 40% of all online searches, so your numbers are off by AT LEAST 40%. Monitoring trends is the most ideal way to determine if your website is working, and total “visits” is just a small smart of the monitoring process.

Page Views:

A pageview is defined as a view of a page on your site that is being tracked by the Analytics tracking code. If a visitor clicks “reload” after reaching the page, this is counted as an additional pageview. If a user navigates to a different page and then returns to the original page, a second pageview is recorded as well [support.google.com].

Pages/Visit:

The average number of page’s viewed per visit/visitor.

Bounce Rate:

There are a number of factors that contribute to your bounce rate. For example, visitors might leave your site from the entrance page if there are site design or usability issues. Alternatively, visitors might also leave the site after viewing a single page if they've found the information they need on that one page and had no need or interest in visiting other pages [support.google.com]. For example: if the visitor just needed your phone number or contact information, this visit would count as a bounce. We like to see a bounce lower than 65%. A bounce rate will fluctuate from month to month (high/low) which is normal, as long as the bounce rate does not steadily increase over a period of time. This means your site is well-built and engaging.

Average Time on Site:

Average Time on Site can be an indication of the level of interest or involvement that a visitor has with the website. It is a good indicator that your site is well constructed and engaging, and overall attractive. A good average for an estate planning website is about two minutes. Anything higher than this is considered excellent. The actual number is not so important, but that it is not steadily decreasing over time. This can indicate something is off with the structure of the site. Average Time on Site will generally not increase over time, but fluctuate each month around the same amount of time (usually between :30 and 2:00).

Visitors who visit the website, but never click another page within the site (like if they just wanted to find your phone number or address) are not counted in the Time on Site metric - so this number can be misleading. It also does not count a session where a browser is left open for an extended amount of time. The first few pages clicked through would count - but the last page is never counted, in case of this incident (like if someone went to lunch, or opened a new tab).

Top Keywords:

Your Top Keywords report shows the words and phrases that search engines have associated with your content and used to find your site. These also contain keywords that people are typing into Google and finding your site with. You want to make sure that the keywords in this report are what you want to be associated with. If you dig deeper into these phrases, you should also be able to uncover reader questions.

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You can always schedule a call with Dana Alley (IMS Personal Account Manager) to review your most recent marketing report, discuss latest trends, or ask questions about specific areas you can improve.

Integrity Marketing reviews your monthly reports diligently to make sure your website is working fluidly on our end. We also determine the best ways you (as the website owner) can contribute to make your website and online marketing work for you! 

Workshop Invitation Through Video

Attorney Marty Burbank out of Fullterton, CA is currently getting his Bullet Video Package developed on a month-to-month basis. Just this past week I finished a video for his website that covers a key call-to-action page -- his Workshop page. If you are the type of attorney that does workshops, it is vitally important that you make a good impression on visitors when they browse to your website for upcoming events.

Here at Integrity Marketing Solutions,  we do not use a teleprompter.  We have a conversation about what the attorney wants to communicate to their audience, creating an inviting atmosphere for the end-user. I had a lot of fun working with Marty, and it is clear to see that he comes across as comfortable, inviting and natural on camera.

Check out this page to see why having a video like this works so well, or you can also view Marty's workshop video below: http://www.ocelderlaw.com/workshops.php.

 

 

IMS Staff Post

by Mike Campbell, Videographer

 

The Social Media Age – What Will We Say Looking Back?

In honor of “Throwback Thursday”, or more commonly known on Facebook and Twitter and #tbt, I’m going to take a different approach of sharing something from the past. What do you think Social Media and web users would say looking back on these times? From Facebook to Instagram and everything in between, it would be interesting to hear from our future selves about the "good ‘ole days."

I found a short video on YouTube that might be a pretty close representation, check out “Future Hipsters” below! And pardon the end language, apparently we still don’t have much of a filter in the future ;).

 

Have you come across a fun video online recently that relates to your practice or expertise? Share it with your followers or post a blog – sometimes it can be a nice change in the normal rotation of information going out to the masses. 

Five Habits and How They Benefit Your Law Firm

I came across this list the other day: 5 Weird Habits That Make People Successful and Awesome. I thought of the ways these leadership traits apply to myself and YOUR success. While I don't consider any of these habits weird, I do consider them integral to how our team at IMS works and pulls together to be a piece of the puzzle toward your success. So here's my take …

Argue:

Oh Yes! I got this one covered. I love to argue, especially with James. But how does this benefit you? When our team comes together to develop new material, promotions, products and protocols, I ask questions – perhaps in an argumentative way. This is how I work things out in my head (out load) to figure out how this can be the best product or solution possible for you, our client. It also helps us foresee and work out potential issues before they become a problem for those on the receiving end. In this way, I argue for you.

Confront:

I do this each and every time I review or proof marketing materials. If the bullets are not lining up just right or there is a variance in the margins, I am more than willing to point it out. And if there is a design aspect that I am not sure about, I ask our designer if that was her intention. And, should we receive supporting items from your law firm that are below standards (e.g.  low resolution photos), I am here to say "I'm afraid your photo is not the high quality image needed for printing and will not produce the quality product you will be expecting from us … in the interim, we have a photo you can use!"

Be Ruthless:

See prior two points! I am willing to get on someone's nerves to provide a service and product that stands above the rest. Everything that leaves our office represents our team and we are top notch. You can lean on us for support and in return, you – and your support staff – must be willing to be receptive of our support.

Seek Out Rejection:

Well, this one is not quite so easy – but necessary; when testing new ideas rejection is necessary to find the best solution.

Isolate Yourself:

Literally – I have the pleasure of being able to work from home. This certainly allows me the opportunity to think things through. Time to think is crucial to developing efficient plans and procedures to provide the best possible service we can for your law firm.

We enjoy building relationships with each law firm we have the privilege to serve.

Cheers, to your success and ours!

April Leabo