You've Got to Send a Newsletter

It never ceases to amaze me just how effective a personalized, well-written client newsletter can be for lawyers. In fact, dollar for dollar, a newsletter typically represents the best return on investment for law firms.

Just this week I've spoken to two or three attorneys that have picked up new cases from recent mailings of their newsletter.

For maximum effectiveness, a newsletter should:

• be sent consistently (monthly is ideal, once every two months is very good).
• be interesting - no one wants to read a bunch of legalese.
• include lots of useful, relevant information for the reader.
• include a call-to-action.
• be full-color.
• be mailed first class.
• include pictures.
• be printed professionally.

Marketing expert Dan Kennedy has stated that business professionals who don't consistently send out a newsletter are crazy, and I tend to agree with him.

The best part about producing a newsletter (aside from the increased business you'll enjoy) is that you don't have to do it alone. There are many companies out there that can help you develop an attractive, professional newsletter, including some that specialize in newsletters for attorneys to send to their current and former clients as well as their prospects.

One excellent option for lawyer newsletters is the company Top Practices, which has partnered with Great Legal Marketing to produce a monthly newsletter that attorneys can easily customize and have mailed out.

Yellow Pages Still Worth It?

I just returned from the Great Legal Marketing Super Conference 2009, and as is usually the case, there were many discussions about whether or not advertising in the Yellow Pages is a viable option any longer for law firms.

My take on this is that the Yellow Pages can still be an effective advertising medium for lawyers in certain areas, but only if they take an entirely new approach. One of the biggest problems with most lawyer ads in the Yellow Pages is that they all look identical. If you still have a book around the office, take a moment to thumb through it, and you'll see exactly what I am talking about. Page after page of "No Recovery, No Fee" or "We'll Fight for You", pictures of serious-looking attorneys, long lists of practice areas, and boasts about many years of experience.

There is absolutely no differentiation, and you can see why it would be so hard for a prospective client to find you among the crowd. Plus, the Yellow Pages rep isn't doing you any favors, either, because they simply want you to sign up for that double truck ad that looks just like the one your competitor is doing. It's really kind of a crazy, frustrating system when you think about it.

But, there is a better way.

If you make the decision to invest in the Yellow Pages, do yourself a favor and follow these tips:

• Focus on just one type of client you are seeking or on one practice specialty (people are more likely to consider you an expert in that one specialty than if you list 20 practice specialties). It doesn't mean that you should restrict your practice to one specialty, but your marketing should give the impression that you are focused on just one.
• Develop a compelling headline that speaks to a prospective client rather than boasts about your firm.
• Offer a free report, or better yet, a free book (again, the expert factor is huge with this).
• Give people two or three easy ways to respond to get your free information, including a pre-recorded message that's available 24 hours a day.
• Use a unique phone number and Web landing page dedicated to just the Yellow Pages ad.
• Track your results.

Following the tips listed above will differentiate you from 99% of the lawyers out there and go a long way toward helping you develop a truly effective Yellow Pages ad. Plus, you'll enjoy the satisfaction of getting a real return on your marketing investment rather than just making a donation to your local Yellow Pages rep each year.

For additional information about effective Yellow Pages advertising, take a look at www.yellowpagesprofit.com.

Automated Lead Follow-up System a Must for Lawyers

An automated lead follow-up system has become one of the most critical elements for lawyers looking to build thriving practices.

Why? Because an automated system ensures that the precious leads you worked so hard to generate (and probably paid a lot of money for) don't simply just fade away because prospective clients weren't ready for your services the first time they saw your ad or responded to your marketing.

Once you set up an automated sequence to keep in regular touch with a prospect at least 12 times a year, you've significantly increased the chances that you will be "top of mind" when the time comes that they do need representation.

Another key reason that an automated system can make such a big difference in the success of your practice is that the vast majority of lawyers don't have such a system in place. By investing in an automated system, you gain an immediate and distinct advantage over your competitors.

Finally, by building a complex, consistent follow-up sequence, you make it nearly impossible for your competitors to swipe your ideas or copy your approach. Sure, they may be able to generate a single ad or direct-mail piece like one of yours, but unless they've also built a system to regularly stay in contact with their prospects, they will not generate the level of business that you will.

Most of the attorneys I know of that are using automated systems use one of two companies - Blue Orchid Marketing or Infusionsoft. They each have their own advantages and unique qualities, so you'll need to determine what makes the most sense for your practice before making a decision.

Do yourself a favor, though, and invest in one of them.

The Maureen Dowd Lesson

If you follow the news with even a passing interest, you've almost certainly heard about the recent controversy surrounding famed New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. It seems that Dowd, who is known for her scathing political commentaries, plagiarized nearly an entire paragraph from the popular blog Talking Points Memo (TPM) in her latest column. TPM is written by Josh Marshall.

Here are the two paragraphs, and you can instantly see the similarities.

Dowd's paragraph in the Times: More and more the timeline is raising the question of why, if the torture was to prevent terrorist attacks, it seemed to happen mainly during the period when the Bush crowd was looking for what was essentially political information to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Marshall's paragraph in his TPM blog: More and more the timeline is raising the question of why, if the torture was to prevent terrorist attacks, it seemed to happen mainly during the period when we were looking for what was essentially political information to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Dowd contends that the copied words were an inadvertent, honest mistake, and you can decide whether or not she is being truthful. It's not my goal with this post to determine her guilt or innocence.

The bigger issue for this post is pointing out the tremendous lesson to be learned or reaffirmed from this case: as a lawyer doing his or her own marketing or perhaps as a lawyer who has hired a person to handle your marketing, you must be absolutely certain that you and/or your hired help do not copy and paste other's words and use them without attribution. This applies to all media you may use such as the firm website, any blogs, lawyer articles posted on the Web, the firm's newsletter, etc.

Also, if you are relying on someone else's article or blog post as source material (which is fine), you have to change enough of it to legitimately make it your own. I've heard varying percentages as to how much you need to change, but suffice to say that you can't change one or two words and assume that you've made it your own.

Bottom line - a plagiarism offense, whether intentional or not, can have serious negative ramifications for your practice. The Web is a wonderful tool for marketing your practice, but it can also serve to quickly damage a firm's reputation if the online community finds out that your firm has been pilfering other people's words.

Be vigilant, especially if you outsource your blogging, article writing or website content.

My Top Ten Legal or Courtroom Movies

Having worked with lawyers for many years, I've come across all sorts of interesting life stories and compelling personalities. However, nothing can quite compare to the stories that Hollywood can produce about lawyers and law firms.

For today's post I decided to have a little bit of fun and list my favorite movies that focus on lawyers or the courtroom.

Hope the list brings back some memories and inspires you to update your queue on Netflix or make a run to your nearest Blockbuster.

Here's the list:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. A Few Good Men
3. Michael Clayton
4. A Time to Kill
5. Primal Fear
6. Presumed Innocent
7. My Cousin Vinny
8. In Cold Blood
9. The Verdict
10. The Rainmaker

Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts.

If you would like to see another point of view, the American Film Institute produced a list of what it considered the top 10 courtroom dramas, and it can be found here.

Twitter in Trouble?

Great blog post from Larry Bodine at http://blog.larrybodine.com/2009/05/articles/tech/60-of-twitter-users-quit-after-a-month/#pings. The post seems to reflect exactly what I am seeing with my lawyer clients and colleagues.

Most people seem to be curious about Twitter at first but then quickly lose interest. Frankly, I'm surprised that Facebook is making so many dramatic changes to its design and structure in an effort to be more like Twitter. I think Twitter faces a serious challenge to even remain relevant in the months and years ahead.

That being said, maintain your Twitter presence if you've already signed up. Used effectively, I've seen Twitter generate a good amount of new visitors to lawyer websites each month. My main concern, like Larry, is how long Twitter can keep it up.

Must-Read Book for Lawyers on Web Marketing

Recently read the book The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott. It’s a primer on how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, and online media to reach buyers directly.

Scott wrote the book to help illustrate how profoundly the Web has changed marketing in recent years and he outlines a straightforward program to help readers harness the power of the Web to connect with their clients. As Scott consistently points out, the key is clearly defining your audience and then producing interesting, useful content that focuses on them rather than you.

This book is perfect for lawyers who are looking for a way to compete with the big spenders without actually spending big money. Plus, you don’t need to have all sorts of technical knowledge and expertise to implement the concepts that Scott presents here.

With revised and updated sections on social media, the book remains relevant and topical despite the rapid changes in the online world. Scott’s real-world examples and engaging writing style make this an accessible and enjoyable book to read, and I highly recommend it.

You can also check out Scott's blog at http://www.webinknow.com/ for additional information and tips on how to effectively market using the Web.