Integrity Marketing

The First Work Day After Thanksgiving

We hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving and enjoyed your holiday with family and friends.

And now it’s time to go back to work.

The Monday after Thanksgiving is one of several days throughout the year when we encourage people to consider what they did this year and what they want to do next year.

You’ve had at least four days away from the office, during a time when other people – clients, courts and colleagues – are also out of the office. After this kind of a break, you may find your thoughts are less tied into the minutiae and more into the big picture.

That’s why we think this is a great time to reflect and project.

How many families did you help last year?

Were there any repeating issues that were different from the year before?

Did you see a difference in the age of your clients, or their asset levels?

Can you identify any trends of any kind?

This is another time when having access to data generated by an E-2-CRM will give you a powerful amount of practice changing data. If you found that your office was seeing a significant increase in the number of 50-something families who found your website and responded to a series of emails (automatically sent by the E2 CRM), then you would know that these kinds of families were responsive to frequent “touches.” You’d schedule more for 2016.

To make 2016 a great year, let’s talk soon about lawyer videos, E2-CRM, and your website. We can help you identify areas for growth and the tools to get you there!

Thanksgiving Wishes

 

From all of us at Integrity Marketing Solutions, warmest wishes for a Thanksgiving celebration that finds you surrounded by those you love, celebrating all the joys of the season.

I’m Ready for My Close Up Now, Mr. Zanuck

Bridging is a technique used in sales and in media training. It is used to deflect direct questions, control the conversation and provide information that the person being interviewed wants to convey.  Here’s an example:

Reporter: QUESTION: “Mr. Turkey, aren’t you glad that more and more people are becoming vegetarians?”

Mr. Turkey: ANSWER: “It’s not enough.”

Mr. Turkey: BRIDGE: “Did you know that turkey feathers are becoming the biggest fashion trend since stripes?”

Mr. Turkey MESSAGE: “People must stop buying clothing with turkey feathers if they want to save us.  It is no longer enough to stop eating turkey for Thanksgiving. Say no to the feathers!”

This is a lighthearted look at the approach, but you get the idea. Deflect, reframe the issue and respond with a message.

If this was ever a question on your mind about coming to Kansas to record your lawyer video, do not give it a second thought.

This is NOT what we do.  Quite the opposite.

When we sit down with you to talk about your estate planning practice, we want to know where you are coming from  - straight from the heart, for most of you. We want to give the people who visit your website an opportunity to see who you are, why you practice in this area of law, and how genuine you are.

There are no surprises with our videos.  It’s all about you, being honest and straightforward.

Here’s our interview with Mr. Turkey:

QUESTION: Mr. Turkey, aren’t you glad that more and more people are becoming vegetarians?

ANSWER:  Gobble gobble, cluck.

How to Manage Employees and Stress During the Holiday Season

The week preceding Thanksgiving is a mixture of holiday greetings and getting things done before the holiday season really gets off and running.

Your schedule this week may be a tale of two cities – jam packed with appointments from people who want to get things done before the end of the year or empty because no one is making an appointment for the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Offices are closing early, or they are staying late to finish up.

From here on in, it’s a balancing act. A few things to keep in mind during the holiday season:

Be sensitive to your employees. They may be fine – but it’s good to be aware that not everyone enjoys this time of year.

Some people get cranky due to pressure to have a perfect family life, an endless budget for holiday gifts and time to bake an assortment of cookies that would put Mrs. Claus to shame.

Few of us live that life, but some people feel that if they only try harder, it will be real.

Employees may be distracted with online shopping. You will want to set very clear limits on this now ubiquitous activity. Understand that it will take place, but try to manage it.

If your office’s bandwidth is totally tied up with online shoppers, you may need to set a time period for online shopping or tell people that they must use their own devices.

Your IT department can put blocks on specific websites if the problem gets out of hand.

Schedule your own holiday celebrations early – if you haven’t already done so. Your employees will appreciate a firm date and advance notice. Don’t overdo it-one holiday luncheon or dinner is plenty!

Decorate your office. It will give your employees a lift, make visiting clients smile and add a festive note to the workplace. However you do it, make it a fun event and if appropriate, give employees leeway to show off their creativity.

Get into the spirit and you’ll lift the spirits of those around you!

The Clean Desk Makes a Calmer Lawyer Guide

By Kelly Myers

We know that most of our readers are not going to walk through their offices with a smoldering handful of dried sage to cleanse the office of negative energy (unless you are a fan of “smudging”). But we do know that many of you consider the office your second home, and your immediate surroundings do have an impact on productivity.

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese practice of rearranging physical objects to create a harmonic environment. We’re going to give you the extremely abridged version.

A cluttered workspace is not a good thing. When you walk into your office and see piles of papers on the desk that spill over onto nearby chairs, console tables and every available surface, chances are you are feeling overwhelmed by simply walking into your office.

If you have never been able to tackle this problem, find someone who can. You may feel more comfortable finding a professional organizer – look for one affiliated with a professional association. If you have an office manager who is a whiz at keeping chaos at bay, let her do it – and you leave the room while she attacks the clutter.

Just as your staff won’t find files if they are scattered around the office, you can’t possibly keep tabs on your clients without logging their information into a centralized database. IMS clients who started using the E-2 CRM are functioning with greater efficiency. They can access Mr. Jones and Ms. Day’s information after a few clicks and are far more comfortable getting on the phone when they can see all of the couples’ information on their monitor.

Another part of Feng Shui is incorporating objects that have meaning to you. Again, for details on exactly what to put where, look at a chart that will show you precisely where things should go. But in broader strokes: keep a photo of your loved ones nearby to remind you why you work as hard as you do. A beautiful, healthy plant in your office cleans the air, and gazing at something green and growing is refreshing to the mind. Use your desk as a reminder of the areas in your life that hold value and encourage a flow of positive energy through your work space. 

How Estate Planning And Elder Law Marketing Is Like College Football

By Anneliese Krull

Have you ever thought “I am better than so and so, but why are they more prominent on search results? 

If yes, then read on.

I graduated from Oklahoma State University (Go Pokes!) in 2014, making me a sophomore in the fall of 2011. (Alabama fans, you may know where this is going.) Although the Cowboys had clinched the Big 12 Title, had only lost one game to Iowa State and had the same record as Alabama, the Tide was selected for the championship game by .0086 of a point even though the computer numbers pointed to Oklahoma State.

Why bring this up?

No, I am not trying to discount Alabama’s win or whine about what happened.Instead, i want to use this example of how we can learn a lot from history.

You are the best. Be like the SEC - Southeastern Conference – and get the “system” on your side.

Here’s how:

Coverage. With its ESPN programming deal, the SEC was promoted across the country. Because ESPN wanted to promote its viewership, they of course promote the SEC teams. While you don’t have ESPN promoting you, Google wants people using its search engine. For example, make sure you have a branded Google Plus Business page that you are posting to regularly. Google will like you better.

Legacy. The SEC has developed a distinct brand. Its coaches and teams are truly legendary, and the current teams have been blessed with that rich history. It has awards and deep associations with the Hall of Fame. Let your clients know your awards and honors. Were you named to the Best Lawyers or Super Lawyers lists? Post it on your blog, send it out in your newsletters, and add the icons to your home page.

Faithful. The SEC has legions of faithful and vocal followers. Its fans are “raving fans”! They are very public about how much they love their team. Contact your “client fans” with a request to write online reviews about their experiences with you. Your clients are proud of your work for them, so encourage them to share it. The internet takes both client and peer reviews seriously. With many positive reviews, search engines will rank you in the estate planning and elder law “standings” accordingly.

Connect. If SEC teams relied only on the SEC for coverage, it would severely limit its exposure because people enjoy the sports experience through a variety of channels. Whatever your opinion of social media, it is important to our culture. It is accessible to people any time and any place. Use social media, and you will have a constant connection to your consumers.

Performance. The SEC consistently plays good football. Its teams hire and recruit success. First and foremost, continue doing quality estate planning and elder law.

How Important Is Your Law Firm Website?

We have a client who loves his IMS website. Every time we see him at a conference, we break out into a fan club meeting. Not only does he receive compliments on the website, but high net worth clients as well as people of more modest means are comfortable with placing their trust in him after just visiting his website. They visit, watch a video, read a few pages, and call his office to make an appointment.

Isn’t that your goal for your law firm website?

Here’s what makes a website a success:

Quality photographs. Professional photographs are an investment, but they make a difference.

A great video. This adds a dimension that a lawyer website without a video simply can’t compete with. It gives viewers a chance to meet you before meeting you in person. People love lawyer videos.

Updated content. Whether you are using the Essential Blogs or writing your own, new content helps search engines find you and, just as importantly, it tells your human visitors that your website is up to date and that you are active in providing them with new information.

Mobile friendly. We can’t imagine why you would not want to have a mobile friendly website, many months after Google announced that website that are not mobile friendly will be at a serious disadvantage. If your website is not mobile friendly, you are not showing up on mobile searches as well as a competing law firm that is mobile friendly.

If your website is not performing like a champ, give us a call. This is a great time to get yourself geared up for a great 2016!

If a Tree Falls in the Forest…

You know the adage. If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it fall, does it make a sound? This discussion has been going on for centuries, and the overriding response appears to be that without a set of ears to feel the sound waves that are created, there is no sound.

If your marketing efforts are directed to the wrong people, will they make a sound?

Sadly, once again the answer is no.

We frequently receive lavish, four color brochures printed on heavy stock from luxury car makers and department stores that sell million dollar his and her gifts. We enjoy looking at the brochures and catalogs, but in the end they are tossed into the recycling bin. They are perfect examples of marketing being done wrong.

When you only have one piece of information about a potential client – their zip code, or their age  – you might be tempted to think that one piece of  information is all you need. But not everyone who lives in the zip code is the same.

That’s part of the science behind the E2-CRM that our clients are now using. By gathering information and pairing it with data that is available through research databases, our clients are able to target their marketing efforts with precision accuracy. And that accuracy leads to better results, less wasted efforts, and fewer materials making their way to the recycling bin.

Want to make a big noise with your marketing? Call James at 877-352-2021 x80.

A Bird’s Eye View of Your Law Practice

It’s Monday. Your phones are ringing, emails are piling up and your clients are showing up right on time for their appointments. Then you wake up – and realize it was only a dream…..

Like it or not, it is not enough to be a good, or even a great, lawyer to be a successful lawyer, especially in the estate planning and elder law field. If you are not sure what to do next, here are some big-picture ideas to consider.

Be organized. That means you need to have an office that can handle all of the moving parts, from client intake to marketing to document storage.

Keep up with the latest in the law. Study groups, bar association meetings and journals, conferences and staying in touch with colleagues who practice in your area.

Keep up with technology. Your document management system, telephone system and everything that can be plugged in to an outlet or a USB port needs to be up-to-date. You wouldn’t go to a dentist that was still using metal for fillings, would you?

Maintain a steady flow of new business through marketing. Is your website mobile friendly? Does it feature videos of you speaking about estate planning matters, or talking about why you chose to practice in this area of the law?

Focus on your client and prospect’s needs. If there is a change in the law, are you making sure that your clients know about it in a timely manner? Put yourself in their shoes, and think about what they expect from you.

Stay in touch. Situations change, families welcome new members, people pass away. If you are only in touch with your clients when they call you, they may feel like you don’t care. But if they hear from you, even if it is just to say hello in an email or a quick phone call, you may discover changes that require your help.

 

The End of the Year Rush – Are You Ready?

Every year around this time, we start hearing from our estate planning attorneys about the clients who call with matters that need to be resolved by the end of the calendar year.

Sometimes the clients are miffed that their attorneys did not pro-actively contact them about deadlines, other times the clients are less angry than worried, concerned that if they miss the end of year deadline, key parts of their estate plan may not work as well as they had hoped.

Here’s the question:

How many hands can one estate planning attorney hold at the same time?

At IMS, we understand how estate planning law practices work. We know that you are constantly bombarded with last minute requests. We are confident that some of you have a system in place to deal with this – even a few extra hands on deck that you bring on board every year. For others, this may be the year that all your great planning didn’t come together and for the first time, you are facing this problem.

A few helpful hints:

If you don’t have an extra admin or paralegal who comes in when things get busy, consider identifying someone for a part-time or emergency position.

Keep yourself and your team motivated and fed. If you are burning the proverbial midnight oil, you will do better with healthy foods and snacks. Too many trips to the vending machines or ordering in fast food will take a toll on your weight and ability to concentrate.

If you haven’t already incorporated the E2-Dashboard CRM into your practice, consider using this powerful tool as a way to head off the end of the year rush. The E2-Dashboard CRM will help foster greater contact with your clients throughout the year, sending out reminders and making it more likely that appointments will be made in advance.

Do you use a time management system? Some offices institute “quiet times,” when attorneys focus solely on getting work done and do not respond to email or even take phone calls. This takes training and discipline, but can dramatically increase productivity.

Add something fun to look forward to for you and your team. Planning a holiday party will keep spirits bright and let your team know that their efforts are appreciated.

Make an appointment with yourself to set priorities, determine what tasks must get done that day or that week. Some attorneys do this in the morning, while others do not leave their workplace until they have the next day’s tasks planned.