Integrity Marketing

Owned, Paid, and Earned Media: Which One Is the Most Important to Your Marketing Strategy?

The simple answer is all of them!  It is best practice to have an integrated marketing strategy that includes a good balance of owned, paid, and earned media types. 

As we all know, the marketing industry is constantly changing due to advancements in technology (right now, particularly mobile).  And media types are evolving due to how people are consuming information.  Paid media, for example, is not what it once was.  The main outlets for paid media used to focus primarily on is still a major player in paid media, but a lot of this traffic has moved online to paid search, display banners, and video ads. 

Let’s take a look at what owned, paid, and earned media consists of today.

Owned Media

Owned media consists of properties that your brand controls.  This may include your site, blogs, e-Newsletters and possibly some direct mailers.  This is managed directly by the company which can be time consuming, but there are benefits to utilizing this type of media.  For example, nearly half (46%) of people say a website’s design is their number one criterion for determining the credibility of a company (business2community).  Content marketing through blogs and email campaigns appeal to today’s consumers, and it is in your brand’s best interest to incorporate video.  65% of today’s audience are visual learners, and visual data is processed 60,000 times faster by the brain than text (business2community). 

Paid Media

Paid media is placed and bought, and requires an investment.  Mobile has definitely changed how we approach paid media today.  If a consumer owns a smartphone, and over 60% of Americans do (ABCnews), then they literally have an abundance of information at the palm of their hand.  This makes contextual and “in the moment” advertising very appealing.  Users want a personalized experience, not an ad that is displayed to the masses.  And with all the data that is available to marketers, we can give consumers a more personalized advertising experience in their path to purchase through paid search, video advertising, paid social media, and retargeted ads.   

Earned Media

Earned Media is referral based and mainly consists of engagement on social media channels.  Not only has social media taken over the internet, but it has taken over the way many companies market their brand.  As of January 2014, 74% of online users use social networking sites (PewResearch) and this continues to increase.  With so many consumers on social media outlets, companies are doing their brands a disservice by not being present on any social media channel, particularly LinkedIn for the legal industry since it is the social network for white-collar professionals to network, and its audience is highly desirable since it is a high-income and highly educated user base (BusinessInsider).  Organic social media has also in a way become the new “word of mouth” advertising with many consumers relying on Facebook posts or Pinterest pins of family members and friends as recommendations for products and services.  A great way to boost your brand’s earned media is to incorporate paid social media advertising with your organic social media.

It is always best to combine parts or all of these media types when creating an effective marketing campaign.  Together they can increase brand awareness and drive conversions.  Contact Integrity Marketing Solutions today and request a complete review of your brand’s marketing strategies.

Knowing the Numbers: Your Marketing Report

Successful social media engagement may seem like a difficult category to measure for estate planning and elder law attorneys (or, a category you don’t have time to think about!). It is important to keep in mind, though, as social media platforms are being used like search engines more and more.

After having a social media overview meeting with an account manager, Essential Solution clients are equipped to begin building their online brand awareness and relationships with current and potential clients, starting small, then working up to the bar Integrity Marketing sets for client success.

How Can I Be Successful in Social Media?

Every company is different and will have different “personalities” represented on social media.  These differences are good!  The differences are what make up a unique brand.  However, to be successful in social media, there are a few basics all Essential Solution clients need to "ace" on their monthly Marketing Report.

Three Tips to Take Your Social Media to the Top:

1. Blog every business day.
2. “Friend” and “Connect” with clients on all your profile pages, inviting them to “Like” them or leave reviews.
3. Post status updates like interesting articles, pages from your website or photos from a recent community event or office party.

Account managers will outline the process for blogging and posting “share-worthy” updates to your social media accounts.  While some of this can be automated or at least scheduled in advance, social media is a place to create or build current relationships – which does take some time.

The attorneys at each firm should sit in on the social media training call with the account managers, if at all possible, to understand the process as a whole.  But be honest about current workloads and consider the allocation of this portion of the marketing plan to an eager staff member to maintain week to week.  It may be the most successful thing you can do for your social media presence – actually have one!

Learn more about our Essential Solution® marketing system.

Learn How to Change Your Default Search Engine in Firefox

You may have noticed Firefox uses Yahoo as its default search engine now. Did you know you can change it in four simple steps?

1. Type one letter into your Firefox search bar … any letter.
2. Click Change Search Settings at the bottom of the search drop-down window.
3. In the Default Search Engine section, drop the menu down and select the default search engine of your choice.
4. Click OK at the bottom.

Have a great week!

April

Is It Time for a Logo Redesign?

Is it time for a logo redesign? I’m not talking about how many months or years have gone by since you last commissioned a logo design. (Even a brand new logo could be doing your brand a disservice.) I’m talking about the appearance and function of your logo. Is it accurately representing you and your brand? Is it effective in every medium and use?

We often get emotionally attached to logos, making it hard to tell when a logo isn’t working as hard as it could be. Even worse, it’s hard to tell when your logo might be hurting your brand image instead of helping it. To help you review your logo objectively, here are five indicators that it’s time for a redesign.

It might be time for a logo redesign if your current logo:

1. Uses dramatic gradients. A gradient is a design technique in which one color blends into another. This technique works best if the shift is subtle, such as from a dark blue to a slightly lighter blue. However, a more dramatic shift, like blending a dark blue to a light yellow is not as attractive. Dramatic gradients tend to look dated and make a logo difficult to read when it’s viewed at a small size or on social media.
   
   
2. Uses heavy drop shadows. A drop shadow is an effect that seeks to add a sense of dimension and realism by adding what looks like a shadow of an object or text. Obvious, dark shadows are distracting and can also cause legibility issues.
   
   
3. Has more than three elements. An icon or monogram, your firm name, and a tagline are all that should be in a logo, at most. The best logos often get away with using only one or two of those elements. The more elements make up your logo, the more complicated and visually overwhelming it gets. The best logos are instantly recognized, which makes simpler a better choice.
   
   
4. Uses more than two fonts. While it might seem counterintuitive, using fewer fonts actually creates a more polished, professional look. Using multiple fonts adds visual clutter and can be confusing to viewers. Stick to using two or fewer.
   
5. Is ineffective when in black and white. There will always come a time when your logo must be viewed in black and white. If your logo is dependent on color for an icon to be recognizable or for text to be legible, then it’s time for a redesign. Color should enhance your logo, not define it.
   
   

Did your logo pass the above criteria? If so, great! Let your logo keep on working hard for you. If not, give James a call today. IMS has a great team of designers that can tweak your law firm logo and branding to present a cohesive image and encourage brand recognition. We can’t wait to give you a polished, professional image!

Knowing the Numbers: Your Marketing Report

Did you know your estate planning or elder law firm’s website may not be the only place a potential client reviews information about you and your company online?

If you “Google” your firm or yourself, from what other websites do results appear?

The overall message conveyed across the web should be consistent, engaging and guide visitors through the steps of becoming a client.

Social Media Overview

Our Essential Solution clients will have a meeting with their account manager specifically dedicated to social media.

The account manager will provide resources for Essential Solution clients to reference during the week – an agenda of how many posts to be sharing and where, how to find interesting information to share and even completing a couple posts to help attorneys get started off on the right foot!

The agenda provided is a sample. Each practice is welcome to mold it to fit their specific processes as well as slowly build up to the expectations listed.

It is worth noting that Essential Solution clients are also provided blog content for each business day of the month.  For more reach, attorneys may set up an account that will automatically share blog posts to social media accounts.  However, while blogging is important, the automatic sharing of blog posts cannot be the sole social media engagement if an attorney wishes for the full marketing plan to be effective.

In regards to the marketing report, account managers will check in on social media accounts at least once a month to see how well Essential Solution clients are doing meeting the sample agenda expectations.

Account managers will outline what may be working well and areas to focus on and improve – including inviting past, current and some potential clients to “Like” the business page, leave reviews, or join a company’s “circle.”  Only visitors who complete these types of actions will receive the updates added to a company’s profile or page.

For some, social media can be a completely new concept, so please know that it is not unusual for additional social media calls to be required.  It will be important for attorneys to carve out time to work with their account manager to complete their social media profiles as well as directories like Avvo and Yelp. A consistent online message that is optimized for search from the get-go will certainly help overall online performance.

Learn more about our Essential Solution® marketing system.

The New Customer Journey

How involved is your practice with your client’s journey to “yes”?

If your practice needs a steady stream of new clients – and we don’t know a single practice that doesn’t – you need to be engaged with potential clients on every step of the path to purchase – also known as the Customer Journey. Successfully guiding prospective clients along this journey requires a multi-channel approach that connects with clients at every important touch point along the way.

Your best prospect might not be tweeting, but they may be heavy Facebook users because that’s how they stay in touch with their grandchildren. They may not be using social media – but they compare notes with friends and family members and learn that someone read an article “somewhere” about their exact situation and had some good recommendations. It may be that this article was actually a blog post, a website page, or an email newsletter that came from your office and their friend will send it to them – and they may find themselves in your office.

We know, without a doubt, that keeping your appointment calendar filled requires an ongoing flow of compelling, relevant interactions.   

That’s the topic of CEO Jennifer C. Goddard’s presentation at the Local Search Today! conference, taking place in London on December 16. Jennifer joins top executives from leading companies like Google and MakeBuzz as she explores Digital Brand Strategies for the New Customer Journey and how to make that journey end at your office door.

Not going to London? No worries! You can join Jennifer and the entire IMS team of professionals this spring at the New Strategies workshop here in Kansas City.

But that’s not all…..we want to let you in on a little secret….

Our company is gearing up for a big anniversary celebration in 2015.  In preparation, we are digging into a big project – analyzing performance and user analytics from hundreds of legal websites.  Much of what Jennifer is presenting in London is gleaned from these insights. We will be sharing this information with you throughout the coming year.  

Knowing the Numbers: Your Marketing Report

Have you ever wondered, “How many people call my office after visiting my firm’s website?”

This is an important question, especially as an Essential Solution client, or a potentially soon to be one.  “How do I know this website works?”

At Integrity Marketing Solutions, our team strategizes with our Essential Attorneys to utilize the best practice marketing tools cohesively to represent their estate planning or elder law firm well. These tools drive traffic directly back to their website! 

Call Count from Website

Essential Solution clients are given a tracking phone number on their website, only. The tracking number will not be used anywhere else – not social media, blogs, e-Newsletters, etc., so a clear differentiation can be made of the number of calls that come directly from the site. 

The tracking number provides very helpful data on a website's performance and potential clients, like who called, when, from what location, and if the call was answered or not.

There’s no need to worry about the tracking number being used. If it is dialed, the tracking number is redirected to the firm’s office line without missing a beat!

The number is very cool because it is actually a code on the website. Computers and search engines still “see” the firm’s office number on the website, so it matches the search engine’s previous records.

If you are currently an Essentials client and have not implemented a tracking number, in the coming weeks you will be contacted with more information about how you can get on board!

Learn more about our Essential Solution® marketing system.