Integrity Marketing

It’s Time for a Content Marketing Makeover

Change is inevitable, no? I think Bob Dylan’s song "The Times They Are A-Changin'” hits the nail on the head … no matter what decade we are in.

Think about marketing for a moment. Has your law firm marketing strategy and execution changed since you started your practice? Some firms who’ve been around for 20 years would obviously say yes, but even newer firms of only 1-5 years would have to admit that marketing changes all the time. What works today may not work tomorrow.

What Influences Changes in Marketing?

There are many factors that influence changes in your marketing, but here are a few key players when it comes to changes in law firm marketing:

• Demographics/Target Market – Who you want to market to/where your firm serves clients.
• Consumer Behavior – How your clients or prospects engage or respond to marketing.
• Technology – How your marketing message is distributed and received.
• Changes in the Law or Practice – Federal or state law changes/changes in your practice areas.
• Competition – What “the other guy” is doing to attract more business.

All of these will influence the way you market your own practice, and all of these can change at any given moment. Regardless of how you adapt to these changes – through digital marketing, internal staffing, networking, etc.  – there is one tool you can use to address all of these issues that often gets left in the “olden days” – and that is CONTENT.

Your content strategy is very important, so if you 1) don’t have a content strategy or 2) haven’t updated your content in years, you may be missing the mark and falling behind.

Forbes shared great advice this week on updating your content marketing in an article titled “5 Ways Your Content Marketing Needs To Grow Up.”

Get a Written Content Strategy

Verbalize and write down what your content strategy is going to be. As the article says:

Most businesses can’t afford to continually create new content just for the sake of creating content; a mature content strategy will ensure that content is being used effectively as a way to achieve pre-determined business goals.

It’s not enough just to have practice area content any more. There is so much information being pushed out on a daily basis that people just do not have the time to read it all. Your content has to be effective – it has to have a purpose. If you have a strategy in place, you can refer back to it each time you are ready to push out another communication or make changes to your marketing. This keeps your messages consistent and streamlined.

Think Mobile

Yes, you need a mobile-friendly website. But the “think mobile” concept doesn’t end there. You need to understand how mobile affects your marketing content. Remember how Consumer Behavior influences marketing? How does a mobile-user view and interact with your marketing? Consumers now are viewing information on mobile devices, scrolling and tapping along as they go. Make sure your content is legible, easily accessible, engaging from the get-go, and conveys your message right away. Otherwise, they are going to move to the next thing in one swift swipe of their screen.

Content Has a Life Cycle

This is not a one-and-done thing. Although you can reuse content (and you should), you still need to address the life cycle of your messages. Plan, create, publish, distribute and then analyze your results. Was it effective? Should you make any tweaks to it? Can you reuse this message, or is it outdated now? Remember, your content needs to have a purpose. And once that purpose is fulfilled or no longer applies, it’s time to move on.

How Are Consumers (or Clients) Using Your Content?

This goes beyond how they are viewing your content (such a mobile above), and dives into the reason they are looking. Where are they in the buying process? Are they researching information or ready to set up an appointment? If they are ready to call you, are you making it easy for them? Does your message help guide them down the right path? Make sure your content complements the consumer’s place in the Customer Journey.

Be conscious of preferred content format too, such as inclinations to watch video, view information on social media, or the need for a consistent touch-point via email.

Tell Your Story

Why? Your story creates the emotional connection that a client or prospect needs. Have you heard of the phrase “show, don’t tell”? This is key when it comes to law firm marketing. Legal terms often leave people confused and overwhelmed. But if they can understand your story, this form of communication passively sells your practice without a direct plug. I think the article said it best:

“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the minds stays up all night, telling itself stories.” – Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal

So, what is your story? How can your content marketing strategy change your practice?

Reference: Forbes (May 19, 2105) - "5 Ways Your Content Marketing Needs To Grow Up"

Making Your Videos Work For You

If you’ve made the trip to Kansas City to meet with video specialists James Campbell and Michael Campbell, you have great footage on your hands.  

While it is imperative that these clips are on your website, you can also utilize them on your social media platforms. According to Ad Age, “the number of videos showing up in people’s [Facebook] new feeds has increased by 360% compared to last year.”

To help you get in the game, SocialMediaExaminer.com outlined the steps to take to add video to your Facebook Business Page.  Check out, “#8: How Do I Show a Video in the About Section?” in the link above.

After you are logged in to your Facebook Business page as an administrator, select the “Videos” option.

Here, you can upload your full video file.

Keep it short and sweet. You’ll likely get more engagement on videos clips of 1-2 minutes in length.

Files vs. Links. You may be tempted to just share the link to your video on your YouTube channel.  Statistics show that Facebook’s algorithm shares posts containing videos uploaded directly to Facebook more than links to videos hosted on other sites.

You can upload multiple video files so that you form a “playlist” for your viewers. This playlist could include a video describing your firm and how to connect with your office, a client testimonial, if you have one, as well as educational videos explaining a little bit more about your areas of practice.

Finally, select which of the uploaded videos you want to be “featured” on your main Facebook Business Page.  The video you choose will appear to the left of the “timeline,” where your posts appear on your Business Page.

Video is a key component of our most successful Essential Solution clients.  It allows people to get a real glimpse of what working with you and your company would be like.  Video helps draw potential clients in (as well as deter clients that would not be the best fit for your company!).

If you are interested in learning more about getting video shot with Integrity Marketing, please click here to learn more about our process.

Reference: Social Media Examiner (April 27, 2015) - "Top 9 Facebook Marketing Questions Answered"

Your Most Effective Marketing Tool (and how to put it to good use!)

A recent study found that, for small and medium-sized businesses (like those of our Essential Attorneys), company websites are the most effective marketing tool. In fact, their results show that websites blew every other marketing channel way out of the water! In light of this, small and medium-sized businesses also reported that they are planning to devote more of their budgets to their websites in 2015.

Regardless of your budget, realize that if you aren’t dedicated to maintaining your website, then you’re missing out! Here are a few ways to keep your website up-to-date and effective:

Update frequently

At least once a month, I would recommend going through your website and making sure all information is up to date. Are all of your staff members and attorneys listed on the About Us page? Are old seminar and workshop dates removed and replaced with the most up-to-date schedule? Fill out the forms on your site and make sure the responses are being delivered to an email address that you check daily. Check out this comprehensive list for other things to review.

Go Responsive

In case we haven’t said it enough lately, it’s time to go responsive! In light of Google’s algorithm change, it would really be a shame for your most effective marketing tool to get pushed aside just because it isn’t mobile-friendly. Contact us today to discuss your options.

Schedule a Private Firm Retreat

For a truly personalized experience that will recharge your entire marketing system, schedule a Private Firm Retreat. The IMS team will work with you to evaluate your unique issues when it comes to marketing and branding and come up with a strategic solution. For more information on private firm retreats, call James today.

Make sure you are fully reaping the benefits of your most effective marketing tool – your website.

Reference: eMarketer (April 7, 2015) - “SMBs Put Their Money Where Success Is: Websites” 

Our Spring Workshop Is SOLD OUT!

We’re putting the finishing touches on the Spring Practice Enhancement Retreat and getting ready to welcome the lawyers, paralegals and other team members who have committed to building their practices and profitability.  As you can probably imagine, we’re excited – and so are the men and women who are coming to invest three days with us to that will change so much for them and their law practices.

If you wanted to make the trip this year but could not, give us a call and talk with us about two options – one is waiting until the next workshop is planned – most likely the fall – the other is  a workshop based on your schedule and your team’s needs.  Yes, we can do that, and the cost is still very affordable.  We know it is not easy to get away for three days – but we also know it’s a worthwhile investment in your practice – and your future.

Here’s a quick look at what the Spring workshop will cover:

• Strategy sessions to help you identify what clients and referral sources value most from your firm and what drives their value-indicators.
• Sandblast the marketing myths that are holding you back – use the hard data found in Google Analytics to clarify what is working and what is not on websites from hundreds of estate planning and elder law websites nation-wide. 
• Workshop intelligence – use the E2 Dashboard to manage every aspect of your workshops, including follow-up, which is where most workshop programs run off the tracks.
• Video Marketing – 1 billion users of YouTube – you may not need a billion, but you DO need a video that showcases you as a caring person and competent lawyer.

These are just a few of the highlights from next week’s session – there’s plenty more.  And we’re not even counting the camaraderie and team building that happens when your team spends a few days with the IMS team.  Want to know more?  Give us a call at 877-352-2021 and ask to speak with James to make it happen!

Top 5 Attorney Marketing Mistakes

I came across an interesting article from Forbes recently called “5 Mistakes That Professional Service Providers Make When It Comes To Online Marketing.” What grabbed my attention the most was the opening paragraph:

What do an attorney, accountant and doctor all have in common?

Now this might sound like the introduction to a tired joke that old Uncle Charlie tells at the Thanksgiving table year after year, but the truth is that many professional service providers have something in common –  they have lackluster and underperforming websites …

You see, these professionals (such as yourselves) understand that they need a website. But they don’t always go about it the right way.

Are you making these 5 Attorney Marketing Mistakes?

1. They attempt their hand at it or let their neighbor’s teenage nephew design the site. With advancements in technology, DIY is all the rage. Many attorneys will attempt to build their own sites or have a friend/family member build one for them. What they don’t understand is that by building their site on a basic template to make it “look pretty”, they are doing their practice a huge disservice because the functionality and uniqueness of the firm gets left off the table. Your site will be no better than millions of other DIY sites – and it will get lost in the mix. eMarketer recently reported that websites are the most effective marketing method for small businesses. So don’t skimp when it comes to designing a website for your firm – you have too much at stake to leave this to your nephew!

2. They try to appeal to everyone. “If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll be nothing to no one.” This is so important to remember in marketing. Who is your target audience? What services do you really focus on – and which ones bring in the most revenue for your time? You need to have a focus in your practice AND on your website. Online marketing is competitive, so if you don’t stand out and focus on your strengths you’ll get lost in the mix (again). And clients do not want to sift through tons of information to find out if you can help them. Make it easy by getting to the point of what you can really do for them. In doing so, you’ll actually attract quality clients who need your services.

3. They fail to highlight the specific benefits that they bring to the table. This goes along with #2. You have to define who you really are and why a prospective client should pick you. Afterall, your website is promoting YOU. So, what makes you so great? Why should this client work with you instead of your competitor down the street? Dig deep and show people what is unique about your firm. Online payments, referral programs, firm events/workshops, testimonials – these are great ways to explain more about your firm’s sweet spot.

4. They fail to include a call to action. What good is a website if it doesn’t even work? Gah! It doesn’t matter how snazzy the site is, if someone doesn’t know what to do when they get there then it’s just a pretty face on the web. What is your goal with the website? To get visitors in for a consultation? To get them to sign up for a workshop or seminar? Make the call to action clear and prominent on the website. The easier the user-experience, the better. Your clients don’t have time to sift and search, and they will move on to someone else’s site in a matter of seconds if they can’t figure out what to do.

5. They don’t build a mobile site. We cannot ignore mobile marketing any longer. The number of mobile users (think smartphones, iPads, etc.) is substantial and still on the rise. If your website is not easily accessible on mobile, you are likely going to miss out on some business. And have you heard about the latest algorithm update from Google? Starting April 21, Google will favor mobile-friendly or mobile-optimized sites in search rankings. This is no joke – Google was clear in saying that the update “significantly impacts” how all websites will rank worldwide.

Want some good news?

We can help! IMS has you covered for all 5 of these marketing challenges. We build top-notch, responsive websites for estate planning and elder law attorneys that are mobile-optimized and designed with your firm’s strengths and goals in mind. Contact us today to get started.

Reference: Forbes (April 6, 2015) – “5 Mistakes That Professional Service Providers Make When It Comes To Online Marketing”

How Well Do You Know Your Customer?

Have you heard of Think with Google? This is a dedicated website of useful industry data and analysis to assist businesses with digital marketing. Here is a summary from the website explaining what Think with Google is all about:

Digital innovation continues to propel the marketing industry forward, and the pace is mind-blowing. As marketers, we rely on data, analysis and insights to stay informed and inspired. Think with Google is our way to share all of this and more with you.

Think of us as your resource for everything from high-level insights to deck-ready stats to useful tools. Here you will find the data we’re exploring and the trends we’re tracking along with forward-looking perspectives and behind-the-scenes looks at digital campaigns —across industries, platforms and audiences. We hope you find it helpful and visit often.

Think with Google has recently updated their Customer Journey marketing tool.  This great tool analyzes industries of different types, sizes, and locations and determines which digital marketing channels impact a customer’s decision to make a purchase.  It provides valuable insights so that businesses and agencies can market to customers at the right place and right time.  It breaks down and provides an understanding of how each channel effects your customer’s buying decision.   This can be very useful when deciding where to allocate your digital marketing dollars to receive the best ROI and how to best nurture your leads.

Visit https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/ to check out this FREE interactive digital marketing tool. 

I used the tool to analyze small businesses in the Law & Government industry in the U.S. Below you can see a consumer is most likely not going to convert (or purchase your product) by being exposed to one advertisement.  Today it takes more marketing power to influence a buyer and for this industry it can take on average 5 touch points for a user to convert to a client. 

This is just a quick snippet as to what the tool provides.  Contact Integrity Marketing Solutions and let us walk you through the customer journey and help you devise a successful digital marketing strategy that is more cost effective for your business. 

 

RSVP for a Responsive Website Today. By May, Your Search Rankings Will Thank You!

I love how simple the introduction of Sara Angeles’ Business News Daily article sounds, “Want to rank higher on Google search results? Make sure your website is mobile-optimized.”

Of course, Google’s search algorithm is much more complex than this one, single variable.  In fact, there are over 200 variables that come in to play in Google’s determination of where you and your website show up for viewers all around the world. However, there will be much more truth to Ms. Angeles’ statement by next month. 

On April 21, 2015, the mega-search master intends to begin ranking websites and content that can be easily accessed by a mobile device (phone, tablet, etc.) higher in the search engine results than websites that choose not to upgrade.  Google clearly stated in their formal notice that this update to the formula “significantly impacts” how all websites will rank across the globe.

This news certainly did not come as a shock to us here at Integrity Marketing.  I glanced back through our blog history to find posts about web user research, workshop topics, design tips and more about the importance of a mobile-friendly website in Estate Planning and Elder Law marketing – some dating back to 2007 – whoa!

In case you missed some of them, I’ve included links below.  But here are a few highlights we hit regarding responsive design so you know what this mobile-friendly hoopla is all about.

Responsive Design

A responsive website design automatically adjusts to make sure your website looks like a perfect 10, no matter the device – desktop, tablet, phone. 

• Give it a try! Open one of the websites from our portfolio on your desktop computer. 
• Make the screen full size. 
• Now, slowly drag the side of the browser in about halfway.  You should see the design automatically adjust to “Tablet View.” 
• We’re not done yet!  Keep dragging the browser in.  Now you should be able to see the design in “Mobile View.” 
• See photos below. Cool, right?
  
  
  
  
  

• A responsive website provides an optimum user-experience, easily showing the most important parts of your website in an appropriate and effective layout automatically, regardless of the screen size.
• A responsive website means you don’t need a separate mobile site – just one design to update once, instead of multiple sites to manage.
• In case you feel like your target audience is probably not concerned about mobile-devices, search engines find over half of all local searches are performed on a mobile devices.  Remember, sometimes it’s the children of your target audience that are helping their parents find help with their estate plans or asset protection.
• Last but not least, the number one search engine is weighting mobile-friendliness in determining what websites to show to people searching for Estate Planning and Elder Law issues. 

If you do not have a website for your company yet but were considering contacting IMS, please know that all of our new designs for new clients are mobile-friendly, (beautiful) responsive websites.

If you are already an Essential Solution client who has been considering a responsive website upgrade, now is the time! Give us a call and we'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about how to get started.

Reference: Sara Angeles, Business News Daily (March 3, 2015) - “Google Gives Mobile-Friendly Sites a Boost in Search Ranking.”

IMS Blog Posts RE: Mobile-Friendly Websites:

Is Your Website Designed for Thumbs?

5 Great Things About Responsive Design

Going Mobile -- What's the Big Deal?

Design for Mobile Websites vs Desktop Websites

Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Website

As you may have read, Google has announced that starting April 21 their algorithms will shift to favor websites with mobile-friendly designs. While any of our Essential Clients’ websites will show up on any device regardless of mobile optimization, there are two ways to go about creating a website that is optimized for mobile (which is what Google likes).

 

Mobile Website

The first way to create a mobile-friendly website is to create a separate site just for mobile. With this option, we create a completely separate set of code and include a script that tells browsers to display this set of code on a smartphone, and the desktop set of code on all other devices. The mobile site is indicated by “m.” at the beginning of the URL instead of the “www.”

 

Pros:

• User Experience - This way of coding allows us to focus on making sure that the mobile version of the site works well on phones. Buttons are large and easy to click and the menu is simplified for easy navigating.
• Speed – For mobile sites, we remove most of the images from the desktop website to allow more space for text and buttons. With fewer images and animations, the site loads faster, which is great for mobile users.

Cons:

• More maintenance – A separate code set means that any time you make an update to your desktop site, the edit must be made separately to the mobile site. We do use a service that is meant to sync any changes to the desktop site with the mobile site, but sometimes that doesn’t always happen smoothly.
• Lack of features – The mobile sites we create cannot support the same level of graphics, animations and features that the desktop sites create. This often means that mobile users are not having the same experience on your site as desktop users.

 

Responsive Web Design

The second way to create a mobile-friendly website is to make your website responsive. Unlike a mobile website, a responsive design uses one set of code, regardless of device. With this option, you only have one website.

 

Pros:

• Single website – Having a single website makes maintenance much quicker and easier. You also ensure that your users have the same experience on your website, regardless of how they view it.
• High Tech – Responsive websites use the most up-to-date coding techniques. Because of their fluid layouts, responsive websites are more “future-proof” meaning that they will look good on a wide variety of devices, even as smartphones get bigger and bigger.

Cons:

• User Experience  – Having a responsive website presents the challenge of always presenting the appropriate information to the appropriate audience. For example, more mobile users are going to want easier access to your phone number than desktop users.
• More complicated coding – With one site meant to work across more devices, the coding gets a little more complicated. Exceptions and cases must be made for different devices to ensure a smooth experience across all platforms.

While I believe that the current best practice is to use responsive design, a mobile site can still be a good option. If you haven’t already, consider which option is the best solution for your firm. Then give us a call! 

Follow-up to Finding Followers: How to NOT Lose 'Em Once You Got 'Em!

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies. I found what looked to be an awesome recipe – I mean, soft, gooey, delicious. I couldn’t wait. I had all of the ingredients I needed already in my pantry. I’m a total rule-follower, so I carefully measured out the exact measurements listed. I looked up what “cream together” meant for the butter and sugar, just to be sure. I used parchment paper so the bottoms of the cookies would not burn. I even set the timer three minutes short so they wouldn’t get too done.

The result?

Small, hard, and dry cookies.

What went wrong? I followed the recipe to a “T”!

Turns out, there are some things that you shouldn’t do when baking cookies (that I did) that the recipe didn’t outline.

Why am I telling you this?

Last week, I read a very interesting article about a question many Estate Planning and Elder Law attorneys ask us, “How can I get more people to follow me on social media?” The article outlined several important “ingredients” to use in your recipe for successful social media engagement: e-mail, networking and investing in design.

However, just as in baking, there are also things that you shouldn’t be doing (that you may be doing) that could be driving away those followers that you just got!

Andrea Lehr of the Hubspot Blog learned about why people are following a brand’s page in the first place. The top reasons are an interest in the company, the chance at free or discounted offers and hearing about the new company happenings, like products or services.

This particular study revealed that followers prefer to learn about your business via photos first, closely followed by video and reviews. You probably have most of those items covered in sharing your blogs, pages of your website (potentially with video!) and articles of interest.

So why would anyone choose to un-follow you? Take this quick test to see if you have committed any of these social crimes!

HAVE YOU EVER…

1) Posted Too Much Self-Promotion or Uninteresting Content?

It is important to encourage visitors to check out your website or notify them of upcoming events. However, just like in real life, if someone is ONLY talking about themselves, it’s tough to get involved in the conversation. Be sure to share community events, interesting articles and a big one, ask open ended questions. These items will add value to your reader’s experience and engagement.

2) Overused Automated Messaging or Lacked Personal Engagement?

Have you ever submitted a question online and received an e-mail immediately after? Something like, “Thank you for contacting us. You are important to us. We will respond to your message as soon as possible.” These messages are helpful confirmations that our submission reached the proper destination. But, if you do not get a response “as soon as possible,” you are disappointment. Followers can feel the same way on social media. 

Be sure you are taking time to reply to the messages you may receive in your inbox on your social media platforms. If you get a new follower, “Like” it, if possible, so they feel acknowledged. If they leave a funny comment on a blog post or photo on your page, reply as much as you can.

3) Used Hashtags Wrong?

If you don’t know what a Hashtag is, here you go: #. Yes, that’s a pound or number sign. But the Twitter world started a Hashtag phenomenon that basically addresses the subject of the content you are posting in a brief word or phrase that then becomes a searchable link for all posts with the same Hashtag.

Be diligent to use your Hashtags sparingly and only if they make sense with your post.

If you’ve just been caught red-handed, be sure to remember a few specific guidelines. 

• First, it is okay to post regularly. Your followers are expecting that! Just be sure that you treat your posting as a sort of conversation. Conversations that are one-sided or “salesy” won’t last long. 
• Be sure you are sharing information that you think your readers might really want to know. 
• Try engaging with them directly – wish them well on their birthday or “Like” pictures they post, etc. In this way, you are developing relationships. A brand that is near and dear to you is one that you may share with your other friends and loved ones. Be the brand that gets shared!

Can You Hear Me Now? Five Workflows for Finding Followers

Think about your own loyalties – where are you most likely to go to find information? What are the websites you visit frequently? Why? What do you like about them? What do you find helpful about their content or brand?

I enjoyed reading the data of Neil Patel, a marketing entrepreneur in his “How to Build a Loyal Audience on the Web” infographic (via Hubspot’s blog).

Three of his points jumped out at me in particular in relation to the questions I frequently get from Estate Planning and Elder Law attorneys about growing their following.

First, Patel reminds us of how often search engines and social platforms update their techniques. To build their own following, Google, Facebook and the like are always tweaking and changing the way their websites function, hoping to continually provide a positive user experience. Regular reorganizing can impact who can see the content you put out. 

While of course we will grow and adapt right along with the social media sites and always suggest to you new ways to “socialize” on them, one platform that is pretty reliable is e-mail. Yes, you may have a few unsubscribes occasionally, but you know that everyone that remains on your mailing list is getting your message. Social media algorithms may pick and choose which of your contacts see what content right away.

• Essential Solution Client Tip #1: If you are not already, it is important to always be adding new names to your monthly eNewsletter subscription list.

• Essential Solution Client Tip #2: Send in a new “Welcome!” messages to go out with your eNews. You send your eNewsletter to real people that you are in a relationship of some sort with. Keep in touch by keeping them updated. Hearing the same story over and over can get, (yawn…), boooorrring!

• Essential Solution Client Tip #3: Make that e-mail list work even better for you by uploading it to your Facebook Business Page.  Here’s how. Doing this will allow Facebook to suggest to any of those clients with e-mail addresses linked to Facebook your Business Page as a “Recommended Page” on the side of the timeline sometimes.

The second piece of advice Patel gives that I think would really benefit Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorneys is to use the buddy system. He encourages companies to get involved with other complimentary brands. This idea may push you out of your comfort zone and brings up the buzzword, Networking.

• Essential Solution Client Tip #4: See if you can make a connection with a local nursing or funeral home, a bank or financial planning firm, or a meal service program for the elderly, etc. Tag them in shout outs on your social media platforms to help them increase their reach and ask that they do the same. Schedule events together, if possible, if you do workshops or seminars. Or, talk to your account manager about getting a brochure printed that you can leave with them to use to refer potential clients your way. You only know so many people.  Invite others to help you connect with more people in your community.

Finally, Patel shows the results of his “invest[ment] in design.” It’s amazing how his page views, invitations to speak and rankings increased due to a fresh, up-to-date design.

• Essential Solution Client Tip #5: Technology changes so quickly! Even if you are a long standing Integrity Marketing Solutions client, what was effective even eight years ago is elementary in comparison of what works today. Transition to a technologically-sound website that functions on any type of device, including desktop or laptop computers, tablets and smart phones alike (called Responsive).