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Local SEO strategy will put your law firm on the map

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The goal of all search engine optimization is to get found on the Web easier and more often. That gets you more eyeballs—and ideally more legal clients.

For attorneys, who are typically embedded in their local communities and continue to do much of their business face-to-face, making connections via “local” SEO for law firms is more crucial than ever.

Local SEO is a segment of online search strategy designed to deliver results that are most relevant to a “searcher” based on that person’s current location. Given the rise of mobile phone use, local SEO has become indispensable for brick-and-mortar businesses, but increasingly valuable for professional services as well. It’s obvious why optimizing around geography would be critical for a pizzeria. When someone types in “best pizza restaurants” while driving around town, a pizza joint just around the corner should come up first in Google results. One click and a mobile user could be placing an order for a large pie.

Local SEO can be just as valuable in professional service industries like law. Why? Because people are increasingly doing a majority of researching on all topics, interests and motivations online from small, portable mobile devices that they keep with them at all times. Convenience is key for consumers, but it can also lead to quicker conversions for companies. Let’s say someone was in a car crash. While still in crisis mode that person might start to search for legal representation from the nearest local hospital. You want your law firm of auto accident lawyers to come up first in that victim’s search. It’s instant top-of-mind. That’s what local SEO for attorneys can accomplish.

 

What’s in a local listing?

A local search marketing campaign is built around creating a variety of business listings online. These are mini profiles on popular sites and directories that will include your law firm’s name, along with a physical address, phone number and other details you deem most relevant to searchers and callers. The big players in the local-listings space currently include Yelp, Google+ Local, Bing Places, Internet Yellow Pages and Yahoo! Local, many of which share data with each other.

In local SEO, more is better. The more relevant listings you have the more visible your attorneys will appear online and the more chances your law firm has of ranking well in local searches—and therefore being found by prospective clients.

The first step in solid local SEO is to make sure you have “claimed” any listing of your business online. While each local business index does this a little differently, the process simply verifies that you are the owner of a valid business and are authorized to maintain its presence on the Web.

The baseline local business listing across all indexes include these criteria:

  1. Business name or DBA
  2. Local phone number that matches your city of location (toll-free, shared and call-tracking numbers won’t work)
  3. Physical street address (no shared addresses or PO boxes) where you can make live contact with clients who want to do business

 

Common local SEO snags and solutions

Because local SEO is multifaceted and continues to shift like all things related to Google’s changing algorithms and rules, it can be a devious space to navigate alone. That’s why local SEO specialists for law firms are in high demand. While it’s typically not possible to take on local SEO alone, it is still helpful to understand some of the most common pitfalls that occur with this very specific sector of digital marketing.

We’ll categorize some common mistakes, as well as some tips to avoid them, under some big local SEO buckets, including content, “indexability,” citations, Google My Business (GMB) and links.

Clean content

In order for local SEO to work the way you want it to for Google, the content on your website must be scrubbed of all the little errors and issues that search engines don’t like and will penalize you for.

TIPS

  • Stick to one powerful umbrella website rather than breaking up content into microsites.
  • Use only original content—don’t scrape it from other sites.
  • Make sure content is robust enough and is not duplicated anywhere on the site.
  • Consider unique “city landing pages,” where you can leverage local testimonials, if you offer legal services in different locations.
  • Integrate a blog, videos and images to add the “freshness” that search engines like.
  • Build in location specifications wherever possible: schedules/calendars for different locations; bios of staff in other offices; sponsor/promote events by city region; and create tips-style content specific to your geographic region

 

“Indexable” optimization

Instituting a solid local SEO strategy does not get your firm out of having a great website. The same SEO best practices still apply in that to be “found” quicker your professional website must be well organized, properly optimized, easily “indexable,” free of errors and work on any device. Overlooking any of these fundamentals will only work against local SEO for attorneys.

TIPS

  • Make sure you have a complete Contact Us page on your website.
  • Your phone number should be clickable and highly visible throughout the site.
  • A site-wide footer needs to include all of your locations.
  • Your name, address and phone number (NAP) should be perfectly consistent.

 

Citation consistency

These little nuggets of information—complete or partial references to your name, address, phone number or website online—get a lot of attention, and for good reason. Studies are showing that with citations it’s consistency that matters more than their specific “strength” or volume, so, like content, keep citations clean. To start, ask an authority in local SEO for law firms to show you common aggregators for citations.

TIPS

  • Build a unique set of citations for every physical office and ensure accuracy of each.
  • Learn acceptable citation abbreviations, for example St. for Street, because they vary by platform.
  • If you have multiple offices, point the website link on each citation to the corresponding website landing page.
  • Once you’ve built citations for biggies like Yelp and Google, move on to local listings like your chamber of commerce, the BBB, or city newspaper.

 

Dueling duplicates

One of the most detrimental downfalls of good local SEO is ignoring duplicate business listings. Often lawyers don’t even know about dups. But if you don’t catch these copies they can quickly weaken the muscle you’ve built in local SEO.

TIPS

  • There are plenty of free tools to detect duplicate listings. Just Google it.
  • If it’s dups on Google that are tripping you up, look for cleaning options like the search engine’s Map Maker.
  • For advanced issues with duplicate listings, you’ll need a combination of paid scraper tools and some slick query strings. (Ask a pro.)

Google My Business

Because it is linked to the most powerful search engine on the planet, law firms must be especially cognizant of Google’s own local indexing machine—Google My Business (GMB). Remember, if you are ranking well in Google’s eyes the more likely it is that people will see your site or call your business.

 

TIPS

  • Get linked: Local SEO Guide’s recent study of 30,000 businesses across more than 100 SEO factors showed that links (with optimized anchor text for both keyword and city) are the key competitive differentiator in GMB rankings.
  • Having a keyword in your business name will help you rank higher in GMB searches.
  • GMB also seems to like business with a strong showing of owner-verified profiles, online reviews and photos.

 

If all this information on local search has made you feel anything but grounded, we understand. It’s tricky digital stuff that only gets more sophisticated by the day.

Network Affiliates has always been here for attorneys and will remain at forefront of digital marketing to ensure that our legal clients have the tools they need to succeed. Give us a call to start localizing your SEO strategy: (888) 461-1016

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Trending: Law firms putting purpose before profit

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How community involvement can – and will – change the perception of your law firm

Community involvement is a pivotal part of how your law firm is perceived. However these days there are a wide variety of ways that attorneys can put purpose before profit by reaching out and giving back. These efforts fall under the category of corporate social responsibility or CSR. Continue reading “Trending: Law firms putting purpose before profit”

Why A/B testing matters in modern digital marketing for attorneys

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Specific split testing can boost attorney marketing for the greater good

A/B testing on webpages is an increasingly popular way to enhance the performance of digital assets and conversion rates in attorney marketing. Online A/B testing compares two “versions” (variant A and B) of a webpage, using alternate URLs or testing scripts, to see which one performs better among similar visitors at the same time.

The goal of A/B testing, also called split or bucket testing, is to test what your audiences need to convert from visitors into to a secured clients or legal cases. For example, even if your website gets a high number of hits, has a low bounce rate and boasts a fully integrated a social campaign, it’s still possible that you’re missing out on actual conversions. In A/B testing, the page that converts more visitors—or turns into greater realized revenue—wins out and should be used as a baseline going forward.

Law firms can leverage A/B testing to maximize existing traffic to a website section or landing page for a specific mass tort or area of law, for example. The methodology can pay off significantly because conversions are considered cheap when compared to acquiring paid traffic through web ads or competitive keywords. A/B testing dangles some very tempting return on investment, because even minor changes can generate a big spike in leads and “sales.”

There are plenty of examples of where making a minor tweak to copy, a call to action or the visual organization of a page can lead to a significant jump in conversions. In one example a Microsoft technology partner tried a simple A/B test at its website’s biggest conversion point: the verbiage on the button people needed to click on to get a quote. Veeam Software changed the phrase “Request a quote” to “Request pricing” and saw its conversion rate jump by over 160%.

On a legal website that “conversion point” could be related to online chat, a request-more-information form or a CTA on a landing page. If people aren’t taking the next step to talk to your attorneys, a basic A/B testing could be an effective way to trigger new business—without a massive investment.

 

Why aren’t more law firms A/B testing?

If you’re new to the concept of A/B testing, you’re not alone. While huge social platforms such as Pinterest or brands like Apple do A/B testing regularly to see what’s going to engage people more online, most lawyers aren’t aware of the advantages of A/B testing. In fact, they’re happy if their websites are up to date.

The reason more lawyers haven’t used A/B testing is because it can seem overwhelming to institute and measure online experiments, especially with confusing factors such as seasonal spikes or unrelated site changes that lie outside of A/B controls. Split testing can also get complicated because of regular updates in search-ranking algorithms, including Google’s increasing dependence on artificial intelligence outcomes.

Likewise, the content management systems on which most legal websites are built can also be a barrier to A/B testing. Standard CMS often doesn’t include obvious capabilities to make test arbitrary groups of pages easily. It can also be challenging to gather the right information and understand how to analyze metrics that will lead to effective future digital strategies—without jumping to conclusions. Testing content and design changes to a page can require special codes or tools that most attorneys don’t have the in-house capability to install, manage or monitor.

The key to smart A/B testing that will yield true ROI is starting with good data and an isolated goal; employing an expert marketing crew and sustainable implementation strategies; and knowing how to identify real results and subsequent best practices to follow going forward. The easiest way we can cover these topics is by addressing some the most common questions our attorney marketing clients have when it comes to A/B testing.

 

What should I A/B test for?

Sometimes the answer to this is quite obvious. For example, your landing page about talcum powder lawsuits or a webpage where it should be easy to start an online chat about a car accident case isn’t yielding the results you’d expect. Other times, it’s not clear what’s not working, but you know your phone isn’t ringing and people aren’t engaging with your firm online or sharing your content.

What’s neat about A/B testing is it’s really wide open. You can test hunches that your content is off or the visual layout of a page is too cluttered for people to digest. This can include split testing on all kinds of elements, including headlines or sub headlines; body or paragraph text on a page; testimonials; a specific call to action; button text; live links; images; content at different places on the page; social triggers; media; and more. Advanced tests can compare different promotions, free trials, navigation orientation and other tweaks to the user experience on your law firm’s website.

 

Where do I start with my first A/B test?

The best way to institute your first A/B test sample is to start with your most pressing attorney marketing question. Why is our website’s bounce rate so much higher than the competition? Why are only a fraction of visitors chatting with our lawyers online? Why aren’t people sharing the informative content we write? Where’s the ROI on the landing page we launched? After you’ve pinpointed the question you want to answer, follow these steps:

  1. Use Google Analytics or other website metrics tools to understand the full picture of your current visitor behavior before you start an A/B test.
  2. Lean on your attorney marketing gurus to help you pinpoint a hypothesis that you can test easily, such as adding additional links to copy on certain pages or adding video to a landing page.
  3. Create a site-wide A/B test in which the variant page includes the changes in your hypothesis designed to achieve a specific goal.
  4. Analyze data via website tracking statistics. Are your specific identified issues (i.e., bounce rate, time on page, link clicks, shares, etc.) changing or improving?
  5. Act on your conclusions. When you’ve agreed that you’ve given an A/B test enough time to play out, have your marketing team draw conclusions and update your pages as needed. Then move on to the next test.

 

How long should we conduct an A/B test?

Every A/B test is different, so the timing will vary accordingly. For example, how quickly you see the effects of a change depends on the size of your website, how many pages you’re testing at once, the existing traffic on those pages and the scale of the shift you’re deploying. You could argue that an A/B test should last until you start to see any clear improvement against your control indicator.

If you’re willing to wait a bit to ensure that you’re not acting on premature data, especially for large-scale alterations, let the test settle a bit and dig into the data deeper so you can make an informed decision and prioritize types of A/B tests for the future.

 

Is it true that you can “cheat” on A/B testing?

Not so much anymore. Search engines like Google have cracked down on cheating your site and its content to get better rankings. People used to “stuff” their website content with hot keywords. Google now de-ranks sites for that. Likewise Google dings websites for “cloaking,” or showing a set of content to humans and a secret set to the Googlebot, even in A/B testing. Legal websites that try to get away with this practice will actually get demoted, which will only work against improving conversion rates.

 

What are some best practices when it comes to A/B testing?

A digital attorney-marketing agency can walk you through the smartest ways to accomplish your specific A/B testing goal, but in general there are some rules to follow to ensure that you get good results and make the process less intimidating. We’ve covered some of these above, but the most effective place to start is with concrete data, both qualitative and quantitative, about your audiences and their online behaviors. Keep design, branding, and tests as simple as possible; research has shown that typically the most simple “variants” win out. Look at both text and visual elements when considering what to test. You can streamline content that may be turning visitors off, and you can play with the color, shape and size of everything from buttons to pictures.

But perhaps the most important practice to keep in mind when A/B testing is to focus on optimizing around ROI. Remember, more website traffic is great, but more conversions is what will ultimately lead to a swifter revenue stream.

At Network Affiliates, our goal is to help lawyers craft every word, every placement and every decision in the digital world with highly targeted, laser-like focus. Let our experts walk you through an A/B test that could boost business starting today. Call toll free: (888) 461-1016.

 

The benefits of 24-hour call intake for lawyers

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Should your law firm be open round-the-clock?

After hours call intake is an affordable insurance policy to ensure you’re converting leads you’ve already purchased.

Ask yourself: are you missing calls that could become cases?

It doesn’t matter if you are a firm that spends thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands dollars per year on marketing, you are paying to generate leads that need to be spoken to and evaluated.

If your after-hours calls are being sent to a voice mail system where prospective clients may not leave a message, think of how much money you could be leaving on the table. Stop wasting money and give yourself the opportunity to sign more cases off the leads you are already paying for.

Whether you’re a busy law firm that’s understaffed or a small practice with a light case load and hopes of converting more after-hours calls to cases, your call-intake strategy absolutely needs to be a marketing priority.

Seriously, do not spend another dime on marketing/advertising until you’ve shored up your intake coverage. You’ll be throwing money away. 

There are many benefits to call services. Among them:

  • It ensures your firm puts customer service first
  • Phones are always covered, so you don’t have to stress about business you might be missing out
  • Eliminate “dropped calls”. Dropped calls are legitimate leads that call your firm only to be greeted by a voice mail system… then hang-up. Your firm doesn’t even know a lead was generated in this particular case. Eliminating dropped calls can improve your bottom line by thousands of dollars immediately.
  • After-hours assistance can help with effective appointment scheduling, weekly planning and follow-up

Since you can’t predict when accidents are going to happen, when a dispute will take place or when a lingering legal matter will become a pressing one, being there all the time sends a valuable message about the quality of your legal services, before, during and after a prospect becomes a client.

Just like the inevitable broken bone that snaps at the most inopportune times—after-hours when every medical office is closed or on the weekend when an emergency room visit is in order—legal demands are equally unpredictable. But we all expect to have our needs met, whether we’re sent home with a Band-Aid or a cast.

The same level of service is expected from law firms. If you don’t have some call-answering service in place for those vital after-hours or weekend needs, you could be losing out on cases. Prospective clients either may be turned off by lack of access or response and simply call the next law firm on the list. There is no doubt that losing cases to other attorneys that have 24-hour intake arrangements for their lawyers could be costing your firm.

There are a variety of intake service levels, depending on the size and budget of your firm. Obviously larger, high-volume firms may be able to employ a 24/7 live answering team that specializes in legal intake, complete with sophisticated call tracking. A medium-size caseload might call for a mix of a dedicated intake professional taking calls during the day and an automated after-hours system at night and on the weekends, with a systematic follow-up procedure.

A small law practice might be able to get by with a trained receptionist handling intake from 9 to 5, a recorded message for after-hours that details the expectations for follow-up from an attorney, plus some email check-ins over the weekend for online inquires. The setup is certainly flexible, but all-hours intake is an important consideration for any attorney.

The cons & pros of after-hours intake

If you are still trying to evaluate why and how to implement a call system or upgrade your existing intake process, there are a number of benefits and a few drawbacks that you should be aware of. Let’s start with a couple cons of 24/7 intake for lawyers.

The most obvious is outsourcing your calls when you’re not around means you can’t actually leveraging your own legal expertise by talking to prospective clients. That takes some of the control out of your hands, but there’s no reason that phone-bank pros or online-chat staff can’t be trained in your business. You can employ scripts as a guide or at least some structured reassurance to callers that if their questions can’t be answered specifically enough at this time, someone will be in touch within 24 hours, for example. Answering enough to keep clients interested is better than, well, “crickets.”

Another con is related to follow-up protocol, which can be a tricky area for many lawyers. If you do it one way during office hours and a different way or it takes longer during evening or weekend calls, that’s not positioning your practice as a reliable resource. For large operations, a high number of intake staffers could lead to greater inconsistencies. Will it be clear to whom the client spoke last night? Did you get all the details you need to suss out the client? Is everything recorded in some universally accessible way? How do you ensure no one slipped through the cracks?

Overall these are relatively minor issues when considering the implications of having no after-hours intake at all. It’s a matter of degree, but generally the benefits of employing some system, whether it’s a massive live-caller operation staffed with legal intake experts or an automated voice-mail message that delivers vital information, the pros far out weight the cons in intake for lawyers.

By far the most critical element of intake is conversion. Just like digital marketing strategy for lawyers is all about “being wherever they are,” whether prospective clients access your attorneys via email, social platforms or online chat, for example, your legal brand must be ubiquitous—everywhere on every platform—whenever and wherever people are ready to convert. The same goes for the phone, which remains a lifeline in the legal industry. You must be available—at least in some format—when a crisis occurs or people are ready to take action and reach out for advice.

Here are some other benefits of round-the-clock intake that can’t be overlooked:

We live in a society of instant communication and gratification. Consumers today want results/action immediately.  By having 24/7 coverage, you basically insure that human interaction to engage prospective clients and get them into the sales funnel.  Without this, you have a big hole in your bucket.

Money saver. Especially for smaller firms looking to save money, a 24/7 answering service can reduce the overhead of employing an inbound call expert. This approach almost always costs less than a full-time receptionist. While it’s certainly not the same as having a live person on the phone, an answering service could provide needed consistency while also covering those “lost” after-hours communications that keep you up at night.

Lifestyle enhancer. Even a lawyer, one professional who is still known for pulling off the occasional all-nighter, having regular time off and not always being on call can provide the kind of lifestyle balance that could make you a better parent, spouse, human, not to mention a better lawyer who understands priorities and boundaries. Nobody wants to lose business, but nobody wants to work every day, all day. An intake system is always on—even over holidays. Having it take over when you close the door could do wonders for your physical and mental wellbeing.

Consistency catalyst. Receptionists go on break. Other front-desk staff members that handle intake, even if they are great at their job, are often tasked with other duties around the office. All of these little things can add up to inconsistent intake that may send the wrong message to a caller—and could cost you a case when a prospective client dials the firm across town. An answering service picks up every call exactly how you want it to in a professional manner each and every time. Likewise, with a trained live-intake staff for after-hours, you can set the protocol for uniform tone, tracking and troubleshooting.

There should be no doubt that having a 24/7 intake strategy is paramount. Previously we’ve covered some of the best next steps in regards to anticipating callers needs; picking the right answering service; recording calls; knowing your dropped-call rate; and “secret shopping” your intake service.

We’ve helped many law firms improve their bottom line significantly by consulting them on the merits of after-hours intake and improving their during hours intake procedures. Call us today and speak to a legal marketing expert about your practice (888) 461-1016!

 

TV just a pixel in multiscreen personal-injury advertising

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Today, 38 percent of all daily media interactions happen on “second screens”.

With annual attorney television advertising approaching the $650 million mark, and a handful of law firms spending over $10 million each on campaigns, there’s no doubt TV ads are still valued as an earnest investment in the legal vertical. But while the reach of TV simply cannot be replicated, the “first screen” is only one “touchpoint” in increasingly essential multiscreen marketing strategies.

TV is traditionally considered the first screen, and people still watch a lot of it, mostly for entertainment value. But they do it differently now. They’re not exactly totally tuned in anymore. Most viewers now watch the big screen with a supplementary device such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop, also known as a second screen, in their hands.

Shifts in consumer purchases and behavior support this trend. The number of devices per person has more than doubled since 2000 and figures indicate that over 60% of Americans now “browse” the Internet while watching some form of video programming. Nielsen has reported that 80% of smartphone and tablet owners log device time while watching TV.

Either way, it’s abundantly clear that people still watch TV, but it’s those who view it with a second screen in hand who hold the key to the future of multiscreen marketing and advertising for lawyers. Synching legal brands across devices is the only way that lawyers can truly leverage initial spend on television advertising.

Unfortunately the digital space is a highly competitive place for lawyers to advertise. In fact, the top 23 of 25 Google keywords used to link search topics to Internet ads are in the personal injury law firm category. That kind of demand translates to higher spending for competitive search terms like the phrase sitting in the most expensive seat right now—“San Antonio car wreck attorney.” It’s a cool $670 per click.

But that doesn’t mean smaller firms or lawyers with limited budgets are excluded from either television advertising or pay per click advertising. It just means law firms need to be smarter and more sophisticated in their approach to marketing on all mediums. It’s about understanding how, when and where consumers spend time on different devices, as well as how to draw the lines between first and second screens to make a bolder impact, separate your legal brand from the competition and increase engagement with prospective clients.

 

TV’s new challenges: from distraction to engagement

So what are people—potential legal clients—doing on all these distracting devices while passively watching TV? Well, mostly surfing for information, often related to what they’re seeing on TV, which could just as easily be your law firm’s ad as an awards show or sporting event. Other times they’re multitasking (reading email, doing work, shopping online, etc.) in an efficient way that at least creates the illusion of productivity. Or they’re simply socializing via text and social-status updates.

Especially among the millennial generation, which has literally grown up on screen time, users are going to the Internet to dig deeper and ultimately engage more directly and personally with brands, whether that’s through social networks, interactive website features, online video or other digital marketing components.

That said, younger users are also smart enough to use their devices to distract themselves during what they deem as boring TV commercials (hopefully not yours). This makes marketers’ jobs ever harder. Attorney television advertising now needs to be more original, more compelling and more memorable than everything else out there to keep a viewer’s attention. Simultaneously legal brands need to be making an impression on the Web when, on a whim, browsers turn their attention to the second screen.

Knowing what trends in technology are allowing for the vast interplay between the first and second screens is critical to building a comprehensive marketing strategy for the future and learning how to reallocate some traditional advertising dollars toward connected devices. The exciting part is new cross-screen platforms and opportunities are coming online all the time and these will only improve how well lawyers can continue to market across multiple screens. As you look to the future, here are a few things keep on your radar.

 

Advertising is only as good as what you consume it on.

Simply put, advertising content must be tweaked for the medium on which it is viewed or digested. What works on TV, while it should similar enough in look and feel to maintain brand consistency, won’t be viewed (and therefore understood) in the same way on a PC or phone.

For example, Microsoft found that people don’t mind advertising as much when it appears on a larger-scale screen like a TV, or even a computer or tablet, but ads get progressively more annoying as the screen gets smaller. You law firm’s ad can feel downright intrusive on a smartphone, so keep that in mind for your mobile marketing strategy.

 

Adjust your digital content for the context.

We know that consumers feel differently about content depending on the device on which they’re interacting with it. For example, laptops, which are traditionally associated with work and productivity, are generally thought of as tools for teaching and informing, before shopping or gaming. Content known to be consumed via laptop, therefore, need to be catered to the context.

Mobile phones, because they are our constant “companions,” are more linked to behaviors like building relationships and communicating socially. Keeping user behavior on different devices in mind when developing content marketing strategies will help your attorneys engage more appropriately and gain better reach—not to mention what putting a consumer’s needs first does for reputation management and brand loyalty.

 

Monitor, measure and morph what’s not working.

The goal of every second-screen marketing effort should be to create authentic, helpful content and deliver it in a way that drives engagement with the user you’ve already hooked. This can happen in a huge variety of ways through a huge variety of tools and platforms, but the ultimate goal is to help users easily discover important information; consume it in a way that feels both palatable and memorable; and gain immediate access to the tools they need to share content with whomever they want.

If you’re doing your job, your digital analytics will show an increased number of active users, opt-ins and longer time spent interacting with content. If website page-performance numbers are stagnant or decreasing, on the other hand, it’s time to mix things up or try a new tool. And, of course, in the second-screen digital environment testing the effectiveness of new marketing tactics is not only entirely possibly, it’s a commonplace practice.

While it’s no longer as easy as signing up for an attorney TV advertising package, digital marketing doesn’t have to be a burden either. Network Affiliates has been staying in front of trends in legal marketing since attorneys were first allowed the distinction of advertising.

To handle each part of the process, we maintain in-house creative, production and media planning departments. Longtime legal clients often call us the “one-stop shop” for law-firm marketing. Call us at (888) 461-1016 to start taking back your market share.

Personas: What They Are and Why You Should Care

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Kick your law firm’s digital marketing strategy up a notch by truly understanding your audiences

Understanding your audiences can be complex. While free tools like Google Analytics have made it easy to tap data related to keyword searches, website traffic and content performance to learn more about online audience behavior, the next-level strategy is identifying different audience “personas” and learning how to connect with these prospective clients. Continue reading “Personas: What They Are and Why You Should Care”

How to Identify a Spokesperson for Your Law Firm’s TV Ads

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The traits, tone and temperament that will make a great face for your firm

A spokesperson for any legal brand must wear a lot of hats these days. If leveraged correctly, this person will not only represent your law firm on TV, but may also set the tone for your corporate blog, social profile, speaking engagements, interviews and more.

Because communication comes in so many forms—especially with the proliferation of digital content owned by law firms—a spokesperson must not only fit what your legal brand wants to represent, but also be able to handle all the important tasks and deliverables that come along with taking on such a significant role.

Like many lawyers, who are versed in the rules of law but may lack the confidence and skills for uncovering and anointing an advertising spokesperson, you may be wondering what you should be looking for in the first place. There are many factors to consider:

  1. If we don’t have an obvious “talking head,” how do we scout or “interview” for a spokesperson?
  2. Do we have someone who can represent the universality of the firm in a consistent and calm way?
  3. Is the person we’ve identified passionate enough to make a statement and move people emotionally, but serious enough to show we mean business?
  4. Does having a male or female representative matter in our industry, region or type of law?
  5. Should we be looking for someone younger who might better represent the future of our law firm?
  6. If this person can deliver a coherent presentation on technical aspects of law, does it mean he or she can adequately relate to our prospective clients?
  7. Do they know our law firm inside and out, or is that deep knowledge irrelevant if they can connect with our audience?
  8. Do we have someone who can really speak and balance timing, inflection and even subtle humor?
  9. Can our spokesperson act quickly on his or her feet and remain personable, humble and lighthearted even when things go wrong?
  10. Is this person someone that our brother or mother or nephew would believe and find not only engaging but also credible?

OK, that’s a lot of questions. We’ll try to address as many aspects of finding the right spokesperson as we can to fuel your mission to pinpoint the right person in an educated, systematic way.

From single-sided talking head to multifaceted messenger

There’s arguably no segment more tied to the “talking head” spokesperson than TV advertising for lawyers. This traditional tactic worked in the past when the legal space was less crowded and attorneys were first noodling out how to best demonstrate their prowess on the big screen. (Lawyers were only granted the ability to advertise on TV in 1977, after a U.S Supreme court ruled Arizona’s state ban on legal advertising a violation of free speech.) However, today spokespeople are increasingly tasked with using their personalities and public-speaking skills in entirely new ways on TV—and beyond.

For example, instead of sitting in front of a camera for a one-way conversation, where the talking head reeled off the law firm’s extensive history, biggest wins and top-ranking lawyers, modern TV marketing tactics may require a law firm spokesperson to introduce a real-life scenario of an accident victim; play a character role; interview a former client; and consistently set the brand tone on the airwaves (and the internet).

As TV advertising for lawyers has shifted to increasingly more creative strategies in effort to outfox rather than outtalk the competition, spokespeople must be not only great conversationalists, but inspiring, empathetic and engaging communicators.

Finding that ideal representative can be a challenge, often because this spokesperson may no longer be the most obvious person in the law firm—the oldest member, for example, or the hot-shot lawyer who just joined the team, or the astute attorney who can network her way through a room in style. It may the person who can wear the most hats—and make it look easy in all of them.

 

So what traits do modern-day spokespeople have in common?

Let’s explore.

Passion. These are people who are deeply vested in what they do. They are in law for a clear reason and have navigated to your law firm for a specific purpose. They demonstrate passion—a constant, curious drive for self-improvement and knowledge—in everything they do, even outside of the legal profession.

Creativity. Top spokespeople can think out of the box—and do it very quickly on their feet. They are not so rigid in their thinking that they can’t take direction, see the value in expert advice or shift on the fly. Creativity also pairs with compassion, a critical element of connecting with a viewer of advertising. When you are open to seeing beyond a set pathway, lifestyle or stereotype, you may more easily find compassion for others—ultimately, the clients lawyers want to serve.

Humor. While lawyers certainly must tread lightly in this territory, often the best-performing spokespeople are naturally witty and have a knack for using humor only when and where it’s appropriate. Subtle, situational humor can work wonders for putting others at ease, delivering a poignant message, connecting with audiences on a personal level and even disrupting the status quo in a memorable way.

Calm. It is possible to be both passionate and calm. Creative and centered. Humorous yet cool under pressure. It is the people who employ the traits mentioned above when necessary, but ultimately operate from a center of calm that can send a consistent, believable message that will in turn create the kind of client loyalty law firms count on.

 

How about the actual innate or learned skills necessary to become a spokesperson for an entire law firm?

Tone. This could be anything from a deeply resonating and memorable vocal pitch to a friendly, girl-next-door tone that is instantly relatable. Just listen to the radio. It drives home the different voices and talent used for different advertising messages. Decide what your spokesperson is “saying” through his or her tone. What impression does it make? Does it fit your legal brand? Is it credible? Does it make people feel comfortable?

Timing. As the best comedians know, timing is everything. While most people associate timing—such as being able to deliver a punch line appropriately, pausing at the right moment for dramatic effect and using body language to change the tempo of your speech—with a natural ability, that’s not entirely accurate. Effective public speakers practice timing and dial it in over time, as can any spokesperson with the will and drive to make messages more powerful.

Connection. Everyone has had the experience of connecting deeply with something a speaker has said or demonstrated. That’s exactly what you want to do with your audiences in advertising: connect. Connection comes through emotion and empathy. Truly gifted spokespeople have the ability to connect through storytelling (for example, sharing a personal or universal fear or hope); through emotion (for example, feeling or showing sentimentality outwardly); and through empathy for other people (for example, demonstrating something deeper than compassion in carefully chosen words, physical gestures or voice inflection).

Expression. How a spokespeople express themselves goes way beyond words. This is about physical energy, posture, body gestures, vocal range, confidence and so much more. While we think of fully “expressive” people as “filling up a room,” that doesn’t always have to be result. Your spokesperson doesn’t have to be the loudest, boldest or most dramatic person in the room. But the person you choose to represent your law firm must be uniquely expressive—in a way that always leaves an impression.

Need more ideas for turning up your TV and overall marketing advertising? We at Network Affiliates can help you with plenty of tips on pinpointing a spokesperson, plus in-house creative, production and media-planning to handle all your firms  advertising needs. Call  us at (888) 461-1016 for a FREE confidential evaluation of your Law firm’s current marketing.

We are currently helping over 88 clients in 96 markets win the battle for Fresh, New, High Valued cases.

Avoid These Problems To Maximize Your PPC Campaign

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An in-depth Q & A session with Network Affiliates’ in-house PPC Expert, Buzz Banda

Remember Yellow Pages? Bet you do. It used to be the bible for a lawyers’ print advertising campaign. It was all rather simple back then. Reserve your ad, maybe even maximize a cover or feature spot; hone your listing; and wait for the phone to ring. People were used to looking for services in the phone book—and that’s where your law firm was found. Nice and neat.

Fast forward a decade-plus, and what used to be a go-to resource for attorney advertising is nearly obsolete. So where are people going to find lawyers when they’re in serious and immediate need of representation or want to research their legal options for the future? The answer will come as no surprise: online—where more and more people are going to get answers, get informed and get business done.

What this means is lawyers are required to leverage online marketing strategies or risk losing out on a massive amount of leads. However, digital marketing has become a sophisticated science during the decade that the Yellow Pages died. And that means you will undoubtedly need some help navigating the digital landscape. A PPC advertising expert can teach your law firm how best to make an impact with pay-per-click advertising (PPC), or paid search, which leverages user “clicks” on keywords to garner leads online.

While dedicated PPC campaigns have proven to work very well for attorneys, there are some landmines that you should be aware of if you want to stay alive—and competitive—when marketing online against other law firms. To address these challenges—and solutions—we put Network Affiliates’ resident PPC expert, Buzz Banda through a Q&A session. Check out his helpful insight below.

Q: What are the benefits of PPC for lawyers?

 

A: While digital marketing is a competitive play for lawyers, the benefits far outweigh the marketing method’s shortcomings. The flexibility and speed of paid search are unmatched in traditional advertising. One major benefit of PPC for law firms is sheer speed to market. In many cases, lawyers can have a campaign up and running within a couple of days. It’s also possible to see the first-page ranking for a majority of your keywords within days after launching a campaign.

There’s also great flexibility in that you can pause an existing PPC campaign while starting a new campaign with the click of a mouse. This is a huge benefit over long-term strategies like simple SEO or trying to rank for keywords. It may take months to obtain first-page ranking on a search engine results page with this tactic alone. Incorporating a paid-search strategy also allows you to track which keywords are being used by your potential clients, which is very helpful for refining your future SEO strategy.

Q: Why are PPC keywords for lawyers so expensive?

 

A: Keywords and keyword phrases for law firms are some of the most expensive keywords to purchase because a large number of attorneys are competing for a small number of highly valued search terms, such as “car accident attorney.” Because of the high cost of keywords, it’s very important to be able to determine which keywords and phrases produce conversions versus the ones that do not.

Conversion tactics need to be engineered with a reverse strategy. Begin with the landing page. Is your landing page built to optimize conversions? Think about mobile-first strategy, online forms, and call to actions. Then develop your keyword strategy to align with the content on the landing page. Last, if you are optimizing for phone calls, make sure you know which keywords are producing the calls.

This reverse technique allows you to focus your bidding strategies on keywords that are performing. Obtaining high-quality scores for PI attorneys, for example, can be challenging, although this needs to be a main area of focus. Falling short in any of these areas may result in a very expensive endeavor with very little to show in terms of new cases.

Q: What does the removal of right-hand ad placement mean for PPC users?

 

A: After nearly two years of focus-group testing, Google recently eliminated all ads on the right-hand rail of search-result pages. These right-hand ads consistently showed a lower conversion percentage when compared to those at the top of the page. This decision was also supported by consumer feedback: Users noted that content was much easier to read and understand without intrusion by right-hand ads. Along with this change came the addition of a fourth ad at the top of the page.

The visual adjustment also backed Google’s new mobile-first strategy. When doing a search on a mobile device there are now three ads instead of two at the top of the screen, however, Google is considering adding a fourth to further support and improve the position of paid advertisers. With newly limited space for paid ads, many worry this will increase costs. Google thinks not. The number of people doing searches isn’t decreasing, so the question is do you want to be one of the four ads competing for their business?

Q: But how do PPC ad campaigns make the phone ring?

 

A: About two years ago Google stopped allowing phone numbers in ads, but you can still add a phone number if it’s set up with a call “extension.” This type of ad also requires a strong call to action. Make sure you use a different number for your call extension than you are using for your landing page. A unique number—or track line—will help you trace the lead back to your PPC campaign. Whenever you get a call from your call extension, you know someone called you before they clicked on your ad. This means you were not “charged” because there wasn’t a click. We see a remarkable 50% of the calls to our legal clients coming from the call-extension tactic.

Q: How can I get a PPC campaign customized to my keywords?

 

A: Using the correct keywords in your campaign is critical. If you haven’t already identified these keywords, using Google’s Keyword Planner tool can offer many suggestions on the appropriate keywords for your customized PPC campaign. One other strategy for developing a good set of keywords is simply surveying people in your law office. Create a scenario for them: Ask colleagues to imagine that someone they know has just been hurt in an auto accident and needs to find a law firm fast. What would the person type into a search box to find that law firm? Using real people to develop real search phrases will give you an additional list of keywords, many of which we find produce great results.

Q: What’s different about PPC ads viewed on a mobile device?

A: For the first time in 2015, the number of searches on a mobile device exceeded desktop searches. After the first 30 days of your PPC campaign and each month going forward, it is important to know where your searches are coming from—mobile or desktop? You can find this information in Google AdWords. If the majority of search is coming from mobile, you need to optimize your mobile bids and make sure you have created mobile-friendly ads. Mobile ads, especially, need to give people a reason to call. Your mobile bid optimization should be keeping your law firm within the top three positions—or at minimum an average of two.

 

Need more information about pay-per-click advertising? Call Buzz Banda at (303) 597-9625. Network Affiliates is happy to review your current PPC program for free to see where you stand. You can also contact us here or give us a call at 800-461-1016.

Stand Out: How to Create Unique TV Ads for your Law Firm

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7 EXAMPLES OF COMPELLING, NOT CHEESY, LEGAL COMMERCIALS

Every lawyer can play in the TV advertising space and win new business. But you have to be doing something different than the other firm. The originality and authenticity of your campaign is critical to capturing new eyeballs; making prospective clients stop, think and remember your firm; establishing an initial element of trust; encouraging people to share your message; and ultimately possessing people to take action.

This begs the question: How can attorneys distinguish themselves from one another in such a highly competitive space?

  • How can a TV commercial come across as so compelling that viewers simply can’t turn away?
  • How can a legal advertisement’s creative license inspire action in a way that no message has done before?
  • How can the elements that make a legal brand different from the firm next door truly reveal itself on screen?
  • How can attorneys without massive advertising budgets still compete on TV against lawyers with national reputations—and exposure?
  • How clever can law firm television advertising campaigns get and still make the phone ring?

Facts continue to show the enduring value attorneys place on law firm television advertising. TV advertising already constitutes more than $70 billion in annual spend nationwide and is predicted to hit $90 billion in the next three years. Law firm TV advertising makes up a huge chunk of this figure, growing six times faster than all other ad spending between 2008 and 2014. And today legal services sits at the number six spot among the top 20 biggest broadcast advertisers in the U.S.

There are so many best practices that professional video production artists, including our own in-house studio staff, use to help lawyers distinguish themselves in the marketplace.

However the most successful law firm TV advertising campaigns today include these components:

  • Sound, smart and savvy scripting
  • Professional-grade visual and audio production
  • Expert talent execution and editing
  • Video diversification and dissemination
  • Strategic digital placement and social promotion

After being in the business for more than 30 years, our legal marketing experts could tell you some tips and tricks for helping law firms advertise on television and online, but it might make more impact if we employ video itself to tell the story. Here are seven of Network Affiliates’ most effective law firm television advertising spots—and why they work. These include both original commercial creative as well as a few new favorites from our library of pre-produced ads that can be customized for law firms practicing in some of the most common areas of law.

 

OUT OF CONTROL

Why it works: This shocking campaign stands alone in a sea of lackluster legal advertising. “Out of Control” is a series of commercials that attempts to recreate the formidable, frightening feelings accident victims experience in the days, weeks and months following an injury. When the victim mindset takes hold, people typically feel panicked, lost and taken advantage of by everyone—from the careless driver to the bill collector. While the spot undeniably fuels this tension by reminding viewers of how bad it is, there’s immediate payoff for reliving the pain: help. Expert legal counsel can quickly show victims a way out from under water.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/0iz0s2yim8?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

 

SHATTERED

Why it works: One of our most memorable law firm television advertising spots to date, “Shattered” goes against everything you’ve seen in the legal industry before. Switching the emphasis from touting the accolades of a chest-pounding lawyer to showing the physical reality of a car-accident victim, this production phenomenon actually slows down footage to create the sense of how a life can be shattered in an instant. Props included a stylized, turntable-mounted car cabin, silicone “glass” cannons and two air guns to create a haunting and lasting visual impact.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/edexy2khlt?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

 

NEED TO KNOW

Why it works: This totally out-of-the-box, totally fun and totally informative spot shakes things up in the traditional legal TV advertising community by using a no-nonsense script and bright, quirky graphical cues to keep viewers tuned in. It’s like a favorite tips piece—only in video format. People are intrigued by anything that informs them in a way that makes them feel more in control during what is inevitably a very stressful and confusing time. Simply knowing some steps to follow when dealing with insurance companies gives viewers an immediate sense of confidence—and ideally enough resolve to take the next step to call a lawyer.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/3iz6qvooq0?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

 

CLAIM NUMBER

Why it works: Underscored by tight art direction and high production value, this spot’s fundamental play is emotion. Humans can quickly identify with a moment when they, too, felt downgraded to a nothing but a “number” by an insurance company whose best interests were in dollar signs. It’s happened to the best of us, and it leaves us every one of us feeling powerless. In this quintessential moment of weakness and vulnerability, having a trusted attorney to turn to restores a sense of power over the situation. “Claim Number” is a poignant, engaging ad designed to connect with clients after a life-changing event.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/enhfs673lg?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

 

STORYTELLER

Why it works: This pre-produced segment is simply a modern interpretation of the old-fashioned testimonial spot. But instead of a generic talking head, we get a real-life story, a universal sports scenario that people of all ages and backgrounds can relate to and find meaning in. This encapsulated 30-second ad demonstrates how video is a powerful mechanism for putting the viewer in the victim’s shoes. These dramatic, testimonial-style scripts are simple to produce and can be customized for any law firm looking to capture and engage viewers in an entirely fresh and responsive way.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/v69y5g9oy5?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

TURN TO DUST

Why it works: Goose bumps. Any commercial creative that gives you goose bumps has generated a strong physiological reaction that will no doubt leave a lasting impression. This is one of those legal spots that you literally feel. And after it washes over you, you’re left feeling like you need to take action—reach out to a loved one, protect yourself or call a legal expert who can take over. This completely original message is visceral and serious. It’s incredibly effective for those reasons and the fact that there’s simply nothing like it on TV. Perfectly juxtaposed against our graphic “Need to Know” spot, “Turn to Dust” demonstrates the vast range of creative approaches that can work to tell your firm’s story and connect with an audience through different emotional triggers.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/idmpbfpezr?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

 

JUST ANOTHER DAY

Why it works: This fast-paced dramatic reenactment is immediately engaging and entertaining because it’s relatable: Unexpected things happen to people just like you and me every day. This unforgettable commercial is especially effective because it draws viewers in, hooks them and then builds to an emotional crescendo. It’s this creation of suspense that drives home the ultimate message: We’re all just one moment away from an accident. The authenticity created by filming people doing real-life things helps prospective clients connect to the spot. But the real magic happens when viewers are left breathless by the tragic ending to “just another day.” They’re compelled to think twice about whether they have the right legal representation ready—if and when they need it.

http://digourideas.wistia.com/medias/pxm8hs66p8?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=622

 

Want to separate your law firm’s message from the competition? It starts with compelling, one-of-a-kind creative. The production artists at Network Affiliates’ in-house video studio are highly skilled and highly creative thinkers. See how great creative can help you grow your market share today. Call (888) 461-1016.