Give First, Ask Second
You’ve all seen web forms that ask for your information in exchange for a “free report” or “white paper” on a given subject. What if the great report was right there for the taking, and you were only asked for your information after you read it?
There’s an awesome post by Matt Homann over at the [non]billable hour on this exact subject. He found an awesome study that proves people are more likely to give their information to you if you give them something first.
In short, give first, ask second.
How does this apply to your business?
Ruby Receptionist Rocks – My Virtual Receptionist
I first wrote about Ruby Receptionist in March of this year. I had just signed up for a free trial, and I was excited to begin using my new virtual receptionist for my solo law firm. (Here is my original post about Ruby Receptionist.)
I’ve now been with Ruby for five months. I regularly get questions from people who are looking to try out their service. So here’s an update.
I love Ruby!
In case there’s any doubt, I’m a satisfied Ruby client. They do a great job at handling my calls. They’re an asset to my law practice, and I …
Virtual Receptionist Free for a Month
I run my own law firm with no staff. It’s hard to answer the phone, go to court, and work on client matters.
To solve this problem, I hired a great virtual receptionist service: Ruby Receptionist.
Ruby has been answering my phone for a week now. I’m thrilled!
They answer promptly and professionally, saying whatever custom greeting I want. Then they connect callers to me wherever I am (office line, cell phone, Skype, vacation house, whatever!).
I’ve been extremely pleased to use this …
Is Pay-Per-Click Advertising Worth It?
Editor’s Note: This guest post was written and sponsored by Sequoia Legal Marketing.
Nearly 80% of the top 100 most expensive keywords using Google AdWords are legal related; all of which are over $43 PER CLICK. Using industry averages for bounce rate (they visit your homepage, but go no further before leaving) and conversion rates, we can calculate an average cost per lead (phone call or email submission).
Using one example from a divorce attorney, we can extract the following:
Mr. Divorce paid just over $80k to AdWords directly in 2008. The cost to manage this campaign through a …
Too Many Faces on Your Website
I’m a fan of personalizing websites with images of the author. And images of people generally help us to connect better. We’re drawn to people like us, and there’s no way to do that quite like photographs.
But it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Too many faces on your website is overload. Here’s an example:
A fellow attorney has created a website about the business of law. She’s doing lots of high-profile marketing and probably making some good money with her various projects.
But nobody wants to see three pictures of her above the …
Contract for Legal Services vs. Client Plan
I think it scares my clients when I ask them to sign a contract with me. Especially when they’re coming to me because they were just burned in a contract with someone else.
It’s partly my fault.
My previous contract was proudly titled: Contract for Legal Services. I was trying to be a good lawyer, explaining exactly what the document is about. It made sense to my rational brain.
But then I started thinking that maybe the title is daunting. I decided the title itself might be scaring clients.
I …
Business Card Idea – Keep It Simple
Every so often I come across a business card idea that I love. The above card is one of those.
Sure, this playing card business card is tacky. But it’s memorable. And for some professions, it just might do the trick. With the right person behind the card, I think it would be fun to receive.
How could you make this neater? Print on the playing card with your inkjet printer. Or find a place where you could just buy a bunch of Aces, and …
Nobody Searches for “Blog”
This post is focused on lawyer marketing, but the same techniques and logic should apply to anyone.
Here’s an SEO tip: nobody searches for the word “blog.” That’s an exaggeration, but let me explain…
If I’m trying to optimize my law practice website (or blog) for searchers, I have to know what they search for. Based on keyword research, my own general knowledge, and other factors, I come up with my target keywords.
Let’s use Bob Smith as an example. Bob is a New York personal injury attorney. …
Biggest Jerk Award Goes to LexisNexis
Update – Sept. 4 – Lexis posted a comment below.
It’s funny how some big companies just don’t understand the internet. And it’s infuriating when they breach simple rules of netiquette. LexisNexis wins the Biggest Jerk Award today.
I linked to Lexis
I wrote an article (Lunch, Break, and Hour Laws) over a year ago that linked to one of Lexis’ products. Ironically, that article is the most popular one on my entire site.
I provided a link to Lexis’ lawyer directory, since I thought it added some value …
Branding Strategy Should Be Consistent
Is your branding strategy consistent? BMW of Charlottesville certainly doesn’t have a consistent branding strategy. Their courtesy vehicle is a Honda. Do you see a problem here?
Consistent branding
If I owned a car dealership, all vehicles on the premises would be of the type I sold. They’d all be spotlessly clean.
Don’t most dealers do this anyway? They give demo cars to their salesmen. They use the brand’s van or SVU for their courtesy car. I’m not sure how this BMW dealer missed …
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About Andrew Flusche
Lawyer, bicyclist, husband.
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