Integrity Marketing

May Print Newsletter Deadline

The deadline for making edits to your May issue estate planning newsletter is April 7, and the articles we have scheduled for you are: Estate Planning Risks for Veterans and Get Your Act Together.

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.

May Animated & E-Newsletter Deadline

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

Have a GREAT week!

— April

Design Myths BUSTED: Part 3

Design Myth: Important information must be above the fold on a website.

“The Fold” is one of those terms leftover from the days before websites. In the newspaper business, headlining stories are always placed above the horizontal fold in the middle of the paper. When applied to web layouts, “above the fold” describes the content visible on the page before having to scroll down.

But actually, websites don’t have a fold.

Today, websites are being viewed on a multitude of different devices, each a slightly different size. This makes it so that the amount of visible information before having to scroll is different on every single device.

Think about it this way: when you load a website on your smartphone and look at it in the landscape orientation, you can only see a little bit of information, probably just a logo or header area. Switch to vertical orientation and now you can see the navigation. On your tablet, you can see the top call-to-action too. But some people use their tablets in a vertical orientation and they can also see some buttons further down the page. Laptop viewers can see some of your welcome message, while desktop viewers can see the entire welcome message. If you worry about getting all crucial information above the fold on every device, it’s going to get messy very quickly.

It’s better to just ignore the fold (to a degree … trust your designer on this one) and focus on a good overall layout instead.

And studies show that viewers don’t mind having to scroll. In fact, they expect to!  In one article I found, their study suggested that when less content is above the fold, viewers tend to scroll and engage with the content more. Looks like less is more after all!

Myth: Busted!

Websites don’t have a fold. It’s probably more accurate to say they have many, many folds making designing for “above the fold” impossible. Instead of focusing on cramming everything above the fold, let the expert designers at Integrity Marketing focus on creating an engaging layout that will encourage viewers to follow your call-to-action – whether it be registering for an estate planning workshop, requesting a consultation, or something else. 

Source: Leech, Joe “The myth of the page fold: evidence from user testing.” cxBlog, September 18, 2009.

March Madness Marketing - Get In The Game

We are in the middle of March Madness, and all things basketball seem to have flooded blogs, social media, advertisements and numerous other types of internet chatter.

Whether you want to start an office pool for tournament brackets or not, you may as well get in the game when it comes to your law firm marketing.  This is the perfect time for you to connect with your followers and have a little fun!

Here are ideas for your March Madness Marketing Game Plan:

• Tournament Bracket Standings: Update your social media followers on bracket wins and upsets from your staff. There are many broken brackets here in the Kansas City area as KU got knocked off by Stanford. Since I am a Missouri girl, I could have a LOT of fun with this outcome ... but I'll play nice for now ;).
• Baller Blog Posts: Need some blog post ideas? Why not relate the game to your area of expertise? Estate planning is very much a form of "defense" and "offense" depending on how you look at it. Being proactive with your estate plan is a good offense for setting the ball in motion towards your goals and wishes. It's also a great defense from probate, family feuds and creditors. Take these ideas and create some blog posts to share with your readers.
• Slam Dunk Emails: Create a fun campaign around March Madness and send out an email to your contacts. You can even tap into your blog posts for content, or ask for help from your IMS Team on a special e-blast. Be sure not to send bulk or mass emails, unless your recipient list is fairly small.
• Watch Party Warm-Up:  Consider hosting a watch party during one of the games for clients or referral sources where you can network and build relationships. Bring plenty of business cards and print material for attendees, and don't forget to ask if they would like to sign up for your free e-newsletter! Once you make some new connections, be sure to follow up with them the week after in order to keep the new relationships going (phone calls, LinkedIn connections, Facebook friends and more).

Even if basketball isn't really your thing, going out of your way to engage your audience will pay off in the end.  So don't be left on the bench, get in the game with your law firm marketing!

Law Firm Marketers, Let Them Eat Cupcakes!

Did you know that cupcakes -- the humble single-serving of cake in a cup -- are the engines driving economic recovery in cities from New York to San Diego and almost everywhere in between? Yes, cupcakes are a growing $6 billion industry in the U.S., feeding high-end bakeries and scores of related industries, including caterers and kitchen suppliers where consumers drop big bucks buying up the tools of the bake-it-yourself trade: muffin tins, flour sifters, cake decorating tools and even cake stands!

What does this have to do with your law firm marketing? (Aside from fact that you might want to chat with your local cupcake purveyor about planning for the wealth their business is generating ... )

Stick with me here -- your law firm marketing is very much like a perfectly baked cupcake. And in a world where marketing is a cupcake, your law firm website is the flour. A light, pastry-perfect flour. How so?

Flour is the foundation of a cupcake. It's the protein in flour that gives structure to a cupcake. But, you have to be careful with that protein. Sturdy flours (higher protein) are used to support the tougher dough of breads. The cupcake, on the other hand, requires a finer, lighter flour (lower protein) to achieve that lighter-than-air, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the perfect cupcake.

Similarly, your website is the foundation of your law firm marketing. And, like flour, websites are structured differently for different purposes. The sturdy sales approach of a retail website supports their click-here-and-buy-now toughness. The law firm website, on the other hand, requires a more refined, professional approach to build trust and generate leads.

And, of course, just as you would never slip into the corner bakery and request just a cup of flour (blech!), you'll need more than just a website to market your law firm.

We're going to have some fun with this topic on Friday when James and I speak to the Wealth Counsel Florida Forum about finding the perfect blend of marketing technology for your law firm. Stay tuned, the photos alone should be worth it!

A Quick Lowdown on Google Business Listings and Google+

Integrity Marketing used to avoid Google+ like the plague. Too many updates and changes and edits going on to make anything we did feel productive. Now that Google+ and their Business Pages seem to have gotten their ducks in a row, it's time to start reaping the benefits of what the King of Search (Google) has to offer.

Having your business listed in Google can help bring your business to the top of the search page from both an organic perspective and a local perspective. Organic being what people are finding in the search engine, Local meaning they are looking for your business on a map. Oh! And another perk of having your address listed on Google? Step-by-step GPS directions to your business with Google Maps and nearly all GPS devices. Bonus!!

Figuring out your Google Business Listing logistics is not the easiest task in the world, especially if you have been around a while through all the twists and turns in the Google/Google+ updating megathon (which likely, you have).

If you log in to your Google account and go to www.google.com/business, you’ll probably see duplicate accounts for your business. One may be verified, one may not be. One might have the right name and address, and the other looks like it was guessed by Google. It probably was.

You’ll need to consolidate these listings into one, verify it via the Google verification process, and then connect it to your website. Lastly, you’ll need to use the proper listing and create your Google+ Business Page, and that can be a whole ‘nother adventure!

Confused yet? It’s OK ... the easiest way to do this is to contact your IMS account manager. If you provide us with your Google credentials, we’ll do a quick evaluation and see exactly where in this process you need to get started. We’ll even help!

The result? A higher ranking website and an easier to find law firm. Let’s get started!

Quote of the Month for Social Media Sharing

This month's quote is: "He who has put a good finish to his undertaking is said to have placed a golden crown to the whole." — Eustachius

To use this month's inspirational quote, download one of the following graphics and share it to Facebook (along with a simple comment if you desire). You can also share this graphic on other social platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest. It really is that simple to get social.

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/0314Quote_%201Eustachius.jpg
2. Gold: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0314Quote_%203Eustachius.jpg
3. Burgundy: http://blog.estateplanningpartners.com/images/0314Quote_%205Eustachius.jpg

If you have a quote you would like to submit for consideration, feel free to pass it along to me, April at estateplanningpartners dot com.

Have a great week!

April

Faster Results with Google AdWords

How does your Essential marketing system go from Good to Great? By accelerating your good results -- generating more leads, more phone calls and more inquiries faster with Google AdWords.

As Essential Attorneys, you have a terrific competitive advantage in the AdWords game: your website already ranks high in organic (non-paid) Google search, you already have compelling content and professional design, and you already have social media and blogging in place. Integrating Google AdWords can open the floodgates, getting you more results, faster.

Unlike our competitors, when we implement your AdWords campaign, we fully leverage the great marketing resources you already have. Your targeted landing pages are integrated with your website, constantly driving more traffic and boosting your SEO.

We recently launched AdWords for a client targeting estate planning, elder law and VA benefits. In just three days, their ads logged more than 21,000 impressions in their local market, one web form conversion and eight phone calls for consultations.

To discuss whether AdWords might be right for you now, call James at 877-352-2021x80 or email [email protected].

Keep Your Marketing Simple – KISS It!

Many times we rely on the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid) to make marketing programs effective. Why? Because if you can't implement and maintain your marketing, it simply won't be effective. So KISS it.

That said, we're always looking to expand our minds. Here's a video with this week's vocabulary lesson:

So what do you think? Will you use these fancy words today? Or will you KISS it?

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Essential Clients: Join us the week of April 14 - 18 for our Video Enhancements Retreat! This is your chance to create a website "welcome" video, educational videos, and the option to record online webinars, seminars, or workshops. Call James at 877-352-2021x80 for more info or watch his video invitation online.

Enjoy your week!

April Leabo

Optimizing Basics for Social Media

Having a website without a strong social media presence behind it is like building your house on the sand. It might last for a while, but eventually your web rankings and analytics will go-a-crumblin’. Waves of blog posts and social media interaction from your competitors will cause your own website to lose its stability. Don’t get washed away!

Make sure your website and social media platforms are “connected” through a few easy optimization strategies. Here are a few known, but not-that-well-known tips from the professionals at IMS.

1. Always include a link on your social platform back to your website. This applies to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Avvo, etc. Most social media profiles have a place to link to your website and blog. Use both! Extra Tip: Always list out your full URL when possible - http://www.yourwebsitedomain.com
2. Put your physical address and phone number on your social media accounts exactly as it appears on your website - this is especially important with anything related to Google. Extra Tip: Copy and paste from your website if you need to. It needs to match exactly, right down to the punctuation.
3. Build a Google+ Business Page and get it verified. They are owned by Google, and even if you don’t use it much, get it optimized (or have us help you do that) and play by the “King of Search’s” rules. Extra Tip: If you need help getting your profile created and verified, contact your account managers at IMS. Verification can be tricky, especially if you seem to have racked up multiple Google places accounts over the years.

These tips are excellent for anyone just starting out, but also a great refresher for those who have been doing things for a while. Methods of optimization are always changing - and it's important to stay abreast on these topics!

If you have any questions at all - submit a support ticket with our new ticketing feature!

The Secret Ingredient of Powerful Marketing

Marketing is both art and science, requiring a broad range of skills from strategic thinking and analysis to accounting, creative writing and graphic design. Rarely do you find a single person endowed with the complete range of skills and talents required to effectively conceive, construct and execute even a single marketing campaign.

This is why we have assembled one of the best teams in the business; from graphic and web designers, SEO and social media specialists, to experts in branding, videography, pay-per-click advertising, personal and referral marketing and strategic analysis.

But none of these talents really matters without the single most important aspect of marketing. It’s never about a beautiful web design or a well-crafted sentence. Nor is it about your legal expertise, your qualifications or even your fees.

Without this secret ingredient your marketing messages are empty and weak.

Powerful marketing is empathetic. It generates from an ability to step into the shoes of your prospective clients and see things from their point of view. What is keeping them awake at night? How does that make them feel? And, to be honest, how do they feel about calling an attorney? Maybe a little anxious, possibly even scared? Do you suppose they might be worried about the cost?

When you place yourself in their shoes, and feel what they are feeling … well, psychologists tell us that empathy is known to increase pro-social (helping) behaviors. In other words, when you put yourself in your clients’ shoes, you naturally want to help them. You naturally start thinking of what you might do or say to comfort them, to make them feel better.

And there – you just did it. That’s your powerful marketing!

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of telling your own story, convincing people to trust you and hire you. A lot of people market like that, and it seems like they are always screaming and pounding their chests. That’s weak marketing.

Powerful marketing touches the heart with messages that resonate. It begins with empathy.