Integrity Marketing

Add a Facebook Call-to-Action to Your Business Page, Today!

If you are an Essential Solution client, you have probably heard the phrase, “Call-to-Action” a lot!

During the Design Consultation, we discuss how your company starts relationships with potential clients. The style that works best for you is clearly outlined on your homepage in what we refer to as your “Call-to-Action” -- the next steps that you would like an online viewer to take.  This could be watching a video, completing a Contact Us form, signing up for a workshop or just calling you right away to set up an initial consultation.

Your account manager also asks you to include a “Call-to-Action” in your social media posts. 

So why is a “Call-to-Action” so important?

If a visitor has made it to your website, that is really great!  But if they have never been involved with Estate Planning, Elder Law or worked with an attorney before, they may not be sure of the first step to take. 

This uncertainty can cause potential clients fear or anxiety.  A “Call-to-Action” identifies what a potential client should expect and what exactly they should do next, making the next step less stressful.

At the end of last year, Facebook began offering this feature for your business profile page, too!

If you are an administrator of your business page, you can log in right now and add your Call-to-Action button today in just a few simple steps -- here’s how!

How to Add a Call-to-Action Button to My Facebook Business Page

1. Visit www.facebook.com
2. Log in with the credentials of someone who is an Administrator of the page
3. Navigate to your business page:A dialog box will appear.  You will need to decide what step you wish viewers of your page to take next:
   • One way is in the very left-most column, under the “Pages” heading
   • Another way is the tiny down arrow in the very top right corner, and select “Use Facebook as:” and selecting your business page from the list
4. Your business page should open with a button in the bottom center of your banner that you can click that says “Create Call-to-Action.”
   
   
5. A dialog box will appear.  You will need to decide what step you wish viewers of your page to take next:

• Under Choose a Button, you may select from their current options of: Book Now, Contact Us, Use App, Play Game, Shop Now, Sign Up or Watch Video.
• Under Website, enter the URL of the website associated with your Call-to-Action.  For example, this client has video on their site.  In a separate tab, I navigated to the page of their website with the video on it, and pasted that website URL here: 
  
  Click “Next” for this screen and the two referring to mobile devices iOS and Android – keep the “Website” default setting.
• Select “Save Changes” and you’ll now see your brand new Call-to-Action on your business page!
  
  
  
• You’ll be able to see how many people engage with your Call-to-Action in the stats listed on the right.
• Want to change or remove your Call-to-Action?  Easy! Click the drop down arrow on the right of your Call-to-Action button to Edit or Delete.

Need assistance? Submit a Support Ticket to the IMS Team and we'll guide you through the Call-to-Action process.

Website Design: 5 Elements to Showcase Instead of a Slider

A few weeks ago, we talked about five reasons why a slider might not be the best choice as a showpiece on your estate planning or elder law website. But if we don’t use a slider, what are some alternatives?

Here are five things to showcase on your website in place of a slider:

1. A local landscape photo

If your law office is in a picturesque part of the country, consider showcasing the local beauty! This shows viewers and potential clients that you are dedicated and invested in your city or town. The best choices of landscape photos for websites have solid colors towards the top (such as sky or water) so that your logo, address and navigation will still be easy to read.

2. Emotional response photo related to main practice area

If you really want to grow your practice in a specific practice area, consider featuring that practice area predominately at the top of your website along with a related photo that evokes an emotional response – like a sweet photo of a family with young children to emphasize that you assist with planning for minor children. This is a great way to really connect with your viewers, grab their attention, and help them realize the impact of the services you offer.

3. Subtle gradient or pattern

The use of a soft, subtle gradient is a growing trend in web design. I love the way it adds color and interest without distracting from your main message and call to action. If a gradient is too sleek or modern for your brand, another great option is to use a subtle pattern or texture. Patterns can vary from traditional to modern, making them a great solution for a wide variety of brands and firms.

4. Tagline/mission statement

After you’ve spent hours crafting the perfect tagline or mission statement, don’t keep it hidden! Your mission statement can be a powerful message that helps your viewers quickly understand who you are and what you stand for as a firm. In order for this technique to be most effective, the statement should be no longer than two short phrases or sentences. Keep it short and to the point.

5. Firm photo

To immediately create a personal bond with your viewers, consider including a professional photo of yourself or the entire staff. The best photos for this use will have an interesting but not overly complex background and leave some empty space for the call to action. If you decide to implement this technique, ask your photographers to take a wider shot with more background than you think will be necessary. We can always zoom in, but we can’t zoom out!

Perhaps one of these ideas has sparked your imagination. If so, we are always happy to take a look at any photos you may have or find! Keep in mind that for a photo to be used as a background image on a website, bigger is always better. Once a photo has been cropped, it usually cannot be enlarged. We ask that photos be at least 1900px wide at 72ppi to be a full-screen background on a responsive website. If you are curious as to which of these techniques would be best for your firm’s brand and website, contact our team today!

Facebook Insights Tell Time for Social Media

Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly when you should schedule your blogs and social media posts so as many people as possible see them?  Now you can!

Facebook Insights allow you to see more in-depth information about your fan base.  Utilizing this information will allow you to pinpoint the proper plan for posting.

Check out this Social Media Examiner update and scroll down to #5: Post at the Right Time.

How Do I Check My Facebook Insights on My Business Page?

1) Log into your Facebook account

2) Access to your business page is available in a couple of locations:

• In the left-most column, under “Pages”
• In the very top, right-hand corner, the tiny down arrow

3) Administrators of your page can click on “Insights” at the top.
    Your fans do not see these options or information.
      

4) Click on “Posts” in the second row of buttons.

5) Below, you can see the how many people you are reaching each day of the week and at what time of the day that you have the most engagement.

      

For this particular client, they have a relatively consistent viewership throughout the week.  Posting their blogs Monday – Friday will reach the majority of their fan base regularly. 

In regard to timing, generally, engagement is high in both early to mid-morning and early to mid-afternoon, but it’s important to find out when YOUR fans are online.

According to this client’s Insights, there is a bit of a spike later in the evening, around 9pm.

Please take note: This data is for the past seven days.  I recommend checking on your Insights once a week for at least a month before making any drastic scheduling changes. Gather data about the days and times you have the most engagement.  Look for a trends.  Then, plot out your plan.

Seeing that a few more readers stop in on the weekends may encourage this client to throw in a manual (not IMS provided) blog sometimes, scheduled for Saturday and/or Sunday. 

Or, this client could possibly schedule their posts around 7 or 8 o’clock at night.  While the spike is at 9pm, you want to send your content a little in advance.

Facebook Insights is still making its way to all business pages. It’s possible that, if you do not see the “Insights” option, it is “Coming Soon!”

Eliminate Duplicates in Excel – in as Few as Five Steps!

Do you have a new mailing list you'd like to incorporate into your new Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)? Or perhaps a combined list of email address from your past workshops … just sitting there waiting for someone to go through them all? If so, you may be procrastinating because you just don't know how to tackle all of those duplicates. In as few as five quick steps you can get a jump on cleaning up your list by using MS Excel.

Caveat, you will be eliminating data from your spreadsheet. Before you begin, create a copy of your data for backup purposes.

1. Select the rows/data you want to check. TIP: If you are in the data, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+8 (on the keyboard, not the number pad).
2. Click the Data tab on the menu bar (aka ribbon).
3. Click Remove Duplicates in the Data Tools group. Excel displays Remove Duplicates dialog box.
4. "My data has headers" should be checked. Click to Unselect all columns then click the box next to the column heading you are ready to check for duplicates, i.e., Address or Email.
5. Click OK and you've completed your mission!

If you are working on a list of addresses, you may need to resort by zip code and address then visually scan your list for remaining duplicate addresses that may have slight variations due to abbreviations.

Have a great week!

- April

Introducing Event Espresso. Event Management, Made Easy!

Do you host retail workshops or events? Are you looking for an easier solution to create and edit events, gather information, and manage attendees?

IMS is now offering Event Espresso as an affordable add-on to your marketing system. Event Espresso is an event management CRM created to streamline the event sign up process.

• Create and manage your own events in one, easy platform. 
• Past events are removed automatically. No constant updates!
• Duplicate events. No need to enter the same info over and over. 
• Gather information from multiple participants. 
• Automatic confirmation emails sent to registrants, with event information, contact info, event address and map. 
• Receive an instant email when someone registers for an event. 
• All registration information goes directly into the Event Espresso database. View or export for your own use. 
• Easily select past venues used, or create new ones. 
• Semi-custom platform branded to match your website. 
• Spam protection. 

To sign up for Event Espresso, or schedule a demo, please call James at 877-352-2021 x. 80.

We will be doing a full demonstration of Event Espresso during our Spring Marketing Workshop, April 20-22 in Kansas City: Evidence-Based, Data Supported Strategies to Grow Law Firm Profitability. 

At this highly interactive workshop, you will map a strategy to guide every member of your team and every aspect of your practice – from marketing and sales to staffing and performance management. You'll immediately see how to serve your firm's market sweet spot and gain the confidence to reject unprofitable business that undermines your success. Register Now!

 

Marketing to Subcultures: Tell Me about Your High School

As a St. Louis, MO native, I’m very used to people asking me, “So, where did you go to high school?” While the question might seem off-putting to visitors, the question is asked with the best of intentions. St. Louis has an unusually high number of private and parochial schools in addition to an extensive public school system, so each high school has a very distinct culture and set of traditions, which often span generations.

The answer to “Where did you go to high school?” reveals a great deal of information about an individual. That answer can give you a sense of the person’s religion, economic background, friends and acquaintances, and the neighborhood in which they grew up. While many of these identifiers are based on stereotypes, they still reveal a great deal of true information about the subculture they were raised in – if you are familiar with the different high schools and their reputations, that is.

Marketing and Subcultures

Every city has a subculture, a set of quirks and traditions that makes it unique. In the same way that St. Louisans identify themselves by their high school alma mater, residents of other cities claim these regional traditions as part of their identity. This kind of inside knowledge can really make a marketing and branding campaign truly unique and effective. Knowing the economic background of your target audience, the kind of people they are acquainted with, and the quirks of their neighborhood can help your marketing team design a campaign that more effectively meets them where they are and addresses their specific concerns in a way that is comfortable to them.

The problem is, as much as I love to travel and explore new places, it just isn’t possible for me (or the rest of the IMS marketing team) to know the nuances of every Essential Attorney’s hometown. Online research has helped a lot, but, even so, that information is limited to the facts that are posted online. It is often difficult to find information on the “unofficial” culture, so-to-speak. So we need your help.

Where to Start? The Design Consultation

The design consultation meeting is a great time to tell us what you love about your target area. Tell us about the iconic landmarks and the things that everyone in the area “just knows”. What is your city’s equivalent of the high school question?

I love creating a truly personalized design for our clients. With your inside knowledge, together we can create a marketing system that really speaks to your local audience.

Spread the Love: Client Appreciation Ideas for Valentine’s Day

I’ve been talking a lot about engaging with your social media fan base lately and wanted to give you some practical pointers that you could put into place this week to show some love – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Estate Planning and Elder Law are interesting areas of practice. While there are strict guidelines that must be followed for effective end-of-life decisions and more, there’s more to it than just rules and regulations. Those looking for advice in these areas care about their families. They want to make sure that each one of them is well taken care of, even after they are gone. 

I’ve found that this relational aspect of Estate Planning and Elder Law is why many of you are in this field. Your story drives you to do what you do, and do it well. It’s that story that needs to be conveyed from your website and your social media accounts. Yes, your credentials are certainly going to play a part in a potential new client inviting you into their family decisions. However, sometimes it’s best to let your resume take the backseat and show the other side of the “legal” coin.

Here are two ideas to get you started:

1. Share Your Appreciation
   Tell your clients and loyal fans how much you LOVE working with them and are thankful to, in a small way, be part of their family.
    
2. Tell Your Story
   What experience brought you into this field of law? Is there a situation that you or someone you knew went through that inspired you to become an attorney, especially in Estate Planning or Elder Law? It’s much easier to relate to someone who shares a similar experience as you. Be brave – a little vulnerability can go a long way!

Using one of the themes above, or one you think of, you can present this inside peek at your practice’s personality by:

1. Scheduling a special Saturday edition of your blog.
2. Shoot a quick (30 sec. – 2 min., max) video. Ask a friend to help, using your smart phone, or possibly a camera on your computer. Share the video directly to your social media accounts.
3. Share a story of a couple that has been married for a really long time!
4. Clients coming into the office this week? Grab a bag of candy from the store (or, maybe bake some cookies?) to hand out while clients wait for their appointment, etc.
5. Call a couple of clients that you know have lost their Valentine and let them know that you are thinking about them.

These are seemingly small steps that can actually make a big difference!

The New Face of Animation in Web Design

Adding animation is a great way to really polish a website design. When done correctly and thoughtfully, it can take your viewers on a journey down the page, drawing attention to the key points and elements you don’t want anyone to miss. Animation draws the eye and adds excitement. 

One of the first ways designers and developers added movements to websites was by using a program called Adobe Flash. With Flash, users add photos and graphics in different layers, and then add animations over a timeline. When the creation was complete, the resulting animation was saved as, essentially, a video file that would be embedded into the web page. This process, however, resulted in a file that was large, took a long time to load, and was (in very technical terms) clunky.

Animation in web design has come a long way in just a few years.

Today, we can move elements on the page with just a little bit of JavaScript and a few focused commands. And, in the situation that JavaScript isn’t the best solution, then we are even discovering ways to animate objects with the same code that tells the browser which fonts and colors to use. While that may not sound all that exciting, let me assure you – it is! It means that animations are now able to load faster and be more sophisticated. These new animations give so much more control, both in the design and development phase, as well as control for users viewing your site!

The best part about these newer animation techniques is that they are mobile-friendly. Mobile devices either require additional software to be able to view Flash animations or they are completely incompatible with Flash, resulting in a disappointing experience for your mobile users.  The fast load times and compatibility of newer animation techniques ensure that your users will have the same journey when viewing your website on any device.

How can you tell if your site features animations created in Flash?

If the animation is only in one spot of the website (usually the banner area), or if it is replaced with a static image when you view your website on a mobile device or smartphone, then chances are good that it is an embedded Flash file.

Talk to the team at IMS today about modernizing the animation techniques on your website! 

Preventing Social Media Overload

Last week I outlined a few tips for managing your social media accounts, especially focusing in on engaging with your fan base.  If you read that post, I am sure a few of you said something like, “How am I supposed to balance all of my responsibilities AND not get overwhelmed by additional relationships to manage online?”

During my sophomore or junior year of college I remember I was up really late.  I think I had just finished studying for an upcoming test or writing a paper.  Of course, those 2AM infomercials were on my TV.  Now, overall, I hate shopping.  I make my list, enter a store, purchase said items from my list, and exit.   I am not usually swayed by endcap displays at the grocery store or Amazon’s “add-ons.”  However, for whatever reason, this little blonde spunky lady on the screen had me hooked!  I had always been very active in sports in high school.  I’m from a small town – they’ll let you play anything just so they have enough people to fill the roster.  But Chalene convinced me that her workout, complete with DVD set, meal plan and some training equipment, would get me back into shape like high school again, if not, better!

Fast forward seven years.  I was surprised to see Chalene’s face pop up on a marketing newsletter I follow as a speaker for an upcoming seminar in California.

What I didn’t know about her is that she is more than just a fitness trainer.  She is a business owner, a parent, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a wife, an employer and much more!  I’m sure many of you fit into similar categories and wear multiple hats throughout the day.  She and her husband now train other business owners on how to effectively and efficiently run their businesses in a way that fulfills them within their jobs as well as personal lives. 

I listened to her podcast on “Managing Social Media Overload – Social Salvaging.”  Word of warning: I already knew what to expect and liked her from her workout DVDs and, as a fellow marketer, can track with her pace.  However, if you are an Estate Planning or Elder Law Attorney, she may drive you a little crazy.  So, if you are thinking about listening to this (free) podcast, I recommend starting at about the 15 minute mark (of 30 minutes).  You’ll skip her fast-paced build-up and hit the highlights for preventing Social Media Overload, including:

1) Salvage Your Content.

You don’t have to come up with a new something every single day!  It’s better to re-share something you’ve shared before than not post at all that day or week.

If you found a really great article or have a handy tool to direct clients to on your website, save that information.  Post it on Facebook on Monday with a quick text blurb.  Then, post it at the end of the next week, again, this time with a different title – maybe ask a question, instead.  You can use it again the week after that, saying something like, “In case you missed it….” 

Salvaging your current content saves you time searching for something new to share.

2) Don’t Be a Social Media Slave.

Yes, last week I asked you to engage with your fan base.  However, if you have come home and your child is asking for your help with homework and you can’t put down your phone because you are replying to new “Likes” and “Comments” on your Facebook page, we have a problem. 

If you just posted something interesting to social media, keep the page up for about five minutes after your post.  Reply to the first few responders.  Then, move on to your next task.  Do make a point to respond to social media inbox messages at least once a week if you can, but know that it is okay (and reasonable) that you cannot reply to every single person.

While online relationships are very important, they are in no way more important than the real life relationships asking for help with their Algebra homework.

3) The “Cleaning Out the Closet” Mindset.

This probably applies a little bit more to the ladies reading this post, since I hear men tend to keep clothes for, say, 30+ years before they get retired… but a general rule for your closet is that if you buy something new, it’s time to give away something old.  This keeps your closet manageable, not too full or disorganized. 

Same thing with your social media.  We’ve given you an outline for the staples: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and maintaining an Avvo profile.  We push most for you to manage Facebook and Google+ as you are getting started, getting “Likes” and especially “Reviews.”  Since there are only so many hours in a day, if you decide to add a social media platform, you may need to pull back from another.  Try to focus on at least two and understand that the others will be operational, but more from a maintenance than heavy engagement view.

Reference: Chalene Johnson hosts The Chalene Show, a free podcast available on iTunes.  The Managing Social Media Overload episode is currently #53 from 08/26/14.