Integrity Marketing

Knowing the Numbers: Your Marketing Report

In today’s “go, go, Go!” society, it can be a challenge to stay in touch and up-to-date with the happenings of those around you.  As an Essential Solutions client, your e-Newsletter is a really great way to bridge the communication gap between you and your clients, associates and referral sources.

Your e-Newsletter is a monthly email of interesting information and resources sent to your “subscribers,” or those who have opted-in to receive your updates.

Not only can e-Newsletters help you and your law firm stay top-of-mind, they can be used as resources, referred back to, shared and are searchable in your inbox or on the web.  Because your e-Newsletter will also be located on your website, search engines connect you with Estate Planning and Elder Law searched key words and the frequent updating of your page tells search engines your site is a credible resource.

Subscribers and Open Rate

Your account manager will ask you for an e-Newsletter email list.  Generally, they can help you copy or export the addresses from where they are currently stored.  However, in the end, we need a quality list.

We’re not in the business of sending unwanted e-mails.  Your list should be past, current and possibly some prospective clients, colleagues and referral sources – as long as they are people that you know (and know you).

Every month, your account manager will review the number of subscribers you are sending e-Newsletters to and how well your message is being received.

As you begin sending e-Newsletters, your list may be somewhat small.  You may tend to have a very high open rate – the percentage of recipients that open your e-Newsletter – because it’s new and exciting!  Do not be surprised if this slowly drops a bit month to month.  Your account manager can provide you with guidance to maintain an appropriate open rate percentage even after the “newness” has worn off.

Your next focus will be on growing your subscriber list.  With “Read” or “Subscribe to our e-Newsletter” likely prominently displayed on your website, new subscribers can easily view and join.  Your e-Newsletter can also be promoted across your social media accounts and blog.  Have you thought about adding a link to your subscribe page to your e-mail signature?

While it varies somewhat by company, well-performing e-Newsletter lists reach between 500 – 1,000 subscribers each month.

“Okay, e-Newsletters seem like a great marketing tool, but people get a LOT of email.  How can I stand out?”

Your e-Newsletter will be customized to carry over the branding from your website.  You can also add a welcome message and update it month to month to engage your readers.  We are also not sending a daily message which can quickly be considered spam and discarded.  The frequency will be a refreshing reminder each month about you and your practice, and will provide information the readers are interested in learning more about.

Learn more about our Essential Solution® marketing system.

Knowing the Numbers: Your Marketing Report

To be honest, the term “blogging” sounds pretty weird.  You may be thinking, “What is a blog? And what does it have to do with my estate planning or elder law firm?”

A blog is a website dedicated to you or your practice that will share news, educational resources or other interesting information frequently.

As an Essential Solution client, you will be expected to blog each business day. 

Blog Post Count and Impact

Your account manager will visit your blog and count the number of posts for the previous month and will include your “grade” in your monthly marketing report.

Research supports what our “A+” clients have found: blogging 100% each month has a tremendous impact on your overall online marketing.

• Search engines see your blog as an extension of your website and can see that the page is updated often.  New content is a factor search engines use in the results “ranking” algorithm.

• Because new information is added often, your blog can be used as a resource to clients or potential clients, giving them a reason to come back to your site multiple times (staying top of mind) and stay on the page longer to read one or more posts.  This way, you gain credibility and move up through the page results and rankings.

• Your blog will also be automatically shared through your social media accounts as a foundation of your social persona.  As visitors read and enjoy your posts, there is increased likelihood of them sharing the information with their friends, parents or other family, driving referral traffic to your office.

• The content IMS will provide to you is researched and written by lawyers, full of keywords and specific phrases that potential clients are searching for on the web.  When your site continues to be a relevant match for searched queries, search engines consider your site to be a reputable page.

In summary, blog!  Blog daily!  Blogging is really your secret weapon to success.  You reap all of the benefits mentioned above and it really only takes 10-15 minutes of your Friday to schedule next week’s blogs in advance. If your time is tight, assign this responsibility to a staff member. Your account manager is happy to have a Blog Training call for them so they can efficiently post like a pro.

Learn more about our Essential Solution® marketing system.

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Seriously -- Who Are You Talking To?

We started a complete marketing overhaul for one of favorite clients last week -- Kyle Krull, Overland Park, KS estate attorney and IMS President. Like so many of you, Kyle's marketing is a little stale and in need of an update. After all, it's been two years since we launched his current site -- and in today's environment of high-velocity change, well, two years is almost a lifetime!

So, Kyle came in for his own private retreat with the team. When we asked him to describe his "ideal" client, he paused and seemed a little exasperated.

"You know," he said, "we really work with everyone." He explained that, since the near-demise of the federal estate tax and with it the taxable estate discussion ... virtually every adult American needs fundamental estate planning and there are no real asset-level parameters.

His is a common first response when we begin marketing strategy sessions.

Defining a market -- whether geographically or demographically -- is a difficult process for attorneys. You don't want to exclude anyone. Most attorneys will initially define their target market in the broadest possible terms: reluctant to define a city, neighborhood or zip code, they want to capture their entire state; and rather than focus on a specific demographic, they want to reach everyone.

Truth: If you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing to anyone.

Without focus, your broad marketing messages are just vague. They are not compelling. They do not resonate with anyone. 

And when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), Google really does call your bluff. Google knows that you do not actually cover your entire state. In fact, they know that most of you don't even cover your entire city. No matter how hard you try to tell Google that you should show up in organic search for that wealthier, larger market 50 miles from your office ... they are not buying it. 

Focus is the most important aspect of any strategy. Remember, strategy is about choice. Strategy is more about what you won't do than what you will.

Defining your best potential new clients is the first step to developing a portfolio of marketing personas, and making your marketing more strategic ... and effective. Personas help you develop more compelling messages that resonate with people on a personal, human level. 

With this understanding, we can start meaningful conversations. Rather than just talking to people, we want to engage them in conversations that we hope will continue across many touch points. It's not about getting everything you want to say out there on a single web page, postcard or firm brochure. Not at all. Not anymore.

Meaningful conversation requires us to know much more than a demographic like "people over age 55 with at least $1 million in estate assets." That is not a persona. That is a data point. 

One way you'll know that you've got a data point instead of a persona is to ask yourself if you have ever heard someone describe themselves in the terms you just used.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I am a married person over age 55 with more than $1 million in estate assets," said No One Ever.

 We might start with some data points, though. For example, one target demographic description might be "people ages 45 to 65 with at least $1 million in estate assets." And the next question is, "Who are these people?"

We want to know things like:

• What types of jobs do they have? What is their average income?
• What is their family dynamic? How many children? Married, Divorced, Single, Remarried?
• Where do they live? How big is their house ... and their mortgage? 
• What are some of their goals, challenges and primary values? 
• Where do they get their news?
• What does their online behavior look like? Are they active on social media, and if so, which ones and why? How do they find and choose a doctor, a dentist or a lawyer?

There are many resources to help answer these questions: your CRM, Google Analytics, market research firms, social media listening, even surveys and interviews with your own clients. 

As you really get to know your ideal client, your branding, messages and strategy can become more focused and effective. 

I will be speaking on these topics in London on December 16th at the Local Search Today! conference. Among the highlights, I'll be talking about how understanding the customer journey from Awareness to Purchase is fundamental to your marketing strategy; and how important it is to not just show up at the various touch points along their journey, but to deliver relevant value that keeps the conversation alive. 

If you can't make it to London, you can still bring these powerful insights into your own marketing with a private firm retreat right here in Olathe. Retreats are a great way to get your team together without the daily office distractions and truly focus on what matters to your law firm most -- reaching the right clients, with the right messages, at the right moments. When you come to our office you get the benefit of meeting with your entire marketing team where we can work on your branding strategies, shoot video, and develop the collateral materials to support and implement your plan.

To learn more about private retreats, call James at 1-877-352-2021. We are scheduling retreats now for the first quarter of next year, so call soon.

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November Marketing Plan for Your Law Firm

By now everyone has had their fill of Halloween candy and already dreaming about the Thanksgiving turkey. Yes, November is here and December is not far behind. The holiday season fills up fast, so it's best to check in on your marketing plan before the hustle and bustle takes over.

Ask yourself these questions about your November Marketing Plan:

• What did you complete from your marketing plan in October? Review your "wins" for the month and evaluate the results. What do you think paid off the most? How can you keep this trend going in the months to come?
• What did not get checked off the list? Marketing tasks that do not get done can largely impact the effectiveness of your marketing system. All parts have to be working together to achieve the greatest result. That being said, if things aren't getting done it's time for a staff meeting to figure out where the break-down is happening.
• Are you still on budget for 2014? The end of the year is upon us, and you've got less than two months left. Is your budget on track or completely out of whack? Likely, you have started or will soon start your budget planning for 2015. Review the marketing expenses for this year and goals for next year to determine your 2015 budget. If you need assistance, be sure to contact your IMS Team for a marketing review.
• What November topics will you use for social media and blog posts? Although Veterans Day has passed, dedicating posts to Veterans is still a hot topic for November. Do you practice in VA Benefits? Let your clients know the services you offer. Other November topics include Thanksgiving, National Adoption Day/Adoption Awareness Month, Year-End planning, Charitable Planning and holiday festivities.
• What's ahead? Are you counting down the days until Christmas and New Year's? Because it really is almost that time of year, and planning your firm's year-end activities is imperative. Contact your IMS Team for Tips for Law Firm Holiday Cards and any custom-card creation. Also, it is never too early to start your marketing and budget planning for 2015.

The start of a new month is also a good time to review your website content to ensure that everything is accurate and up-to-date.  If you need to make a change, you can use our online Support Ticket to submit your request.

What's New at IMS?

Want to know what's been going on with your favorite marketing firm? You can stay up-to-date on all IMS events by visiting our "What's New" page and our "Speaking Engagements" page. Here are some upcoming events:

• Local Search Today!: London Speaking engagement  – December 2014
• Florida Bar Elder Law Section: Orlando, FL – January 2015
• The Ultimate Estate Planner: Los Angeles, CA – January 2015

Integrity Marketing Achieves Google Partner Status

Integrity Marketing Solutions (IMS) is pleased to announce we have been named a trusted Google Partner.  This highly sought-after credential is a significant milestone that demonstrates IMS’ expertise and commitment to staying at the forefront of online marketing.

“As a trusted Google Partner, our expertise and knowledge of AdWords has been tested and proven,” said Jennifer C. Goddard, CEO of IMS. “This recognition by Google underscores our continued use of best practices in AdWords campaigns for our clients.  We’re proud of the work we do, and we’re also proud to have achieved this goal.”

Google says, “The Google Partner badge means that we trust you, and your clients should too. It shows your business is healthy, your clients are happy, and that you follow Google best practices.

The Google Partner program is based on skills and experience in the use of Google AdWords, demonstrating best practices in client AdWords account services and high-performing accounts.  Partners are expected to maintain a superior level of performance and have access to special events, trainings, industry research and new products from Google AdWords.

New IMS Team Member - Shannon Wanna

IMS welcomes new team member Shannon Wanna! 

Shannon is a Digital Media Specialist. She brings more than five years of digital marketing experience in lead generation, search engine marketing, social media marketing and digital marketing strategy and analysis. Shannon’s primary responsibilities with IMS are paid search management (Google AdWords) and our proprietary CRM and email marketing platform.

Shannon is Google AdWords certified. She graduated from Creighton University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a focus on Marketing.

To learn more about Shannon, visit our website.

Knowing the Numbers: Your Marketing Report

Have you ever “Googled” yourself or your company?  If not, try it now.  You may learn a lot!

Did you know the top ten – or Page One – organic (or un-paid) search results that appear on your device at work may be different than what you see at home? Or that a family member across the country sees?

Google Page One Results

There are hundreds of components that search engines process through using formulas (in about a millisecond) to populate the most relevant results for each search query.  Some of the categories we expect: domain information, the content found on your page, reputable brands, etc.

Would you guess that your previous search history impacts the results you see when you search?  What about your bookmarks in your browser – the sites you save so you can easily access them again?  These factors and more make “Page One” results different for each search engine visitor.

Here at IMS, we have experience and a track record of success using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices for the ever-changing (over 500 times per year) search algorithms.

As an Essentials client, your monthly marketing report will include a snapshot to estimate your current search results “rank” for specific key terms and phrases. 

While this information is helpful to analyze what key terms boost your firm to the top and alternatively highlights practice areas or geographic locations ranking lower than you prefer, we don’t stop there.

It doesn’t do much good to be on Page One if the phone isn’t ringing and you aren’t getting new clients.

The rest of your marketing report will detail the marketing tools available to your firm – blogs, social media, newsletters – and analyze how well you are using them.

Learn more about our Essential Solution® marketing system.

IMS Client Spotlight - Attorney Fiona Van Dyck

Our Client Spotlight this week is Fiona Van Dyck from Princeton, NJ.

Fiona is a brand new client of ours, specializing in Elder Law & Estate Planning. Fiona upgraded her Essential Solution with a video package, which she shot on-site at the Integrity Marketing Video Studio.

Her videos and custom YouTube Channel educate her website visitors and current clients on various topics while creating a special experience through sight, sound and movement. Video optimization is a powerful tool and helps Fiona connect with web visitors on a personal level.

We are excited to see video working for Fiona!

www.vandyckfirm.com

What Is Resolution?

When you become an Essential Attorney^™, one of the things we ask you to provide is a high-resolution professional headshot of yourself. In a previous post, we’ve talked about the power that your headshot has in your marketing materials as well as tips for a great portrait. But why do we ask that it be high-res? And what does that even mean?

What is High-Res?

“High-Res” is production slang for “high resolution”. We ask that you send us a photo that is at least 300PPI. PPI stands for “pixels per inch”. On a computer screen, everything you see is made up of tiny squares called pixels. The more pixels in an inch of space, the more detailed the image appears.

I like to think of it kind of like a paint-by-number activity. The overall picture is divided up into little shapes with numbers in them. Each number is assigned a certain color. So all of the shapes with a 4 in them would be colored orange, for example. The more divisions there are to color in, the more detailed information you can add into the overall image.

One of my favorite paintings, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges-Pierre Seurat, is also a good visual example of what PPI looks like up close. Seurat used a technique now known as pointillism, in which he created the entire painting with tiny dots of colors. From far away, the shapes and colors all look solid and filled in. But when standing close, viewers can see the separate dots of color.

In the same way, when you zoom in on an image on your computer, you see the little individual pixels of color. As you zoom out, those pixels blend together until they create smooth, blended shapes.. When a photo is low resolution, there aren’t enough pixels for the shapes to become smooth and seamless. A higher resolution photo has enough pixels for shapes to appear nice and smooth.

While the topic of resolution can get extremely complicated and confusing, hopefully this gives you a better understanding of why we are so particular about the resolution of the images you send us. We really just want your marketing to look as good and professional as possible.

"Georges Seurat - A Sunday on La Grande Jatte -- 1884 - Google Art Project" by Georges Seurat - twGyqq52R-lYpA at Google Cultural Institute, zoom level maximum. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

My Top Five Favorite Bookmarks

I'm always game for helpful web tools and have a very well organized list of bookmarks in both my Chrome and Firefox browsers. My bookmarks – or favorites – folders are organized by SEO Tools, Web Tools, Blog Tools, FUN and all the rest that may not fit into one of those folders.

Here's a list of my top five bookmarks – I hope you find something helpful!

1. USA Time Zones Map: http://www.worldtimezone.com/time-usa12.php
   A visual map of the time zones! Especially important this week while we re-adjust our time difference with our Arizona and Hawaii friends who opt out of Daylight Saving Time and are now one our closer to us in the Midwest.
2. Wikimedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
   A great place to find a unique photo. Some are public domain, while others have specific terms of use. Be sure to follow the artist's licensing restrictions.
3. Guide to Grammar and Writing: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
   Just because sometimes I need reminded that it's and your's are not the proper possessive forms of it and your … and anything else I should need to review.
4. Email Address Encoder: http://www.wbwip.com/wbw/emailencoder.html
   A must for encoding emails for client websites.
5. Automatically Capitalize Your Title: http://titlecapitalization.com/#
   Essential for checking and updating title caps for blog posts and articles.

What are some of your favorite tools and helpful web sites? What's at the top of your favorites list?

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Have a great week!

April