attorney marketing

When you want to make an impression on your potential clients, then having a unique business card is the way to go.

Think about it.

Most business cards are thrown away or shoved in a desk and forgotten about. They don’t last.

That’s because they’re all the same.

Plain with a white background. Professional, but boring.

If I just described your business card then your law firm needs this card instead!

Introducing The Creative Business Card That Will Make Your Firm Stand Out

Ready to try a business card that makes a real impression?

Order plastic business cards for your company.

These cards are unexpected and rarely fail to get a compliment.

That’s because they stand out!

Plastic business cards are see-through – making the color pop!

Your logo, social icons, name and contact info all stand out on these cards.

It’s unique, modern and creative.

I have clients tell me all the time that they couldn’t throw my card away because they felt bad.

If you give someone a high-quality business card they’re likely to keep it.

This means it’s still in their possession when they have a need for your services.

Whether you’re a personal injury attorney or criminal defense attorney, these cards are perfect for your law firm.

It doesn’t matter what type of law you practice.

Attorneys know that the competition is fierce.

You need every opportunity you can get to stand out from your rivals.

This business card will do just that.

Don’t Underestimate Your Business Cards – They’re An Investment In Advertising!

Consider how much money companies spend on advertising.

Google Adwords alone can take up a good chunk of someone’s marketing budget.

Many lawyers understand the value of investing in advertising, but still fail to update their business cards.

It’s understandable.

With so many options for advertising, business cards are often overlooked.

However, physical business cards that the client feels guilty throwing out can have a significant ROI!

I ordered my best plastic business cards through Plastic Printers.

It was worth every penny.

They were about $1.00 each.

That’s steep for a business card, but you need to consider the advertising value.

I’ve directly generated business from these cards because my clients kept them.

You may be tempted to search for a cheaper alternative.

You should shop around!

But know that if you buy plastic business cards on price alone then you could be taking a risk.

I tried using a cheaper company to make my plastic business cards.

I thought they would be similar, but the quality was inferior.

The cards were useless and I didn’t end up handing them out.

I learned that it pays to go with a good company.

Start Fresh With New Business Cards That Your Clients Will Keep

It’s time to throw out your old, boring business cards.

Your potential customers already are.

Switch to plastic cards and see the difference it makes the next time you hand out your card.

Sometimes, it’s the simplest and least expensive marketing strategy that can make the largest impact on a law firm.

Lawyers don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a billboard or TV commercial in order to build awareness in the community.

Instead, follow these steps to implement the best legal marketing strategy:

Monitor the News For Great Legal Marketing Opportunities

Start your morning off by reading the news and looking for stories that are relevant to your business.

For example, if you are a personal injury attorney, look for headlines on catastrophic car crashes, defective products, or medical malpractice.

Record A Video

If you find a relevant story, take out your camera and record a video of yourself commenting on it.

Let’s say you find a story on a defective product that has injured hundreds of people.

Create a video explaining who is liable when a defective product causes consumers harm and what victims can do if they have been injured.

Hold the phone sideways as you are filming and make sure the video is no longer than two minutes and 20 seconds.

Distribute the Video to the Media

The next step is to distribute the video to the media.

Find the reporter who wrote the story on Twitter and send him or her a copy of the video along with a note that states, “I have an interesting take on this story that I thought you may be interested in.”

You can also distribute the video to other reporters who have written about this story or who write about similar stories.

Reporters who want fresh content about the topic may use the video on their website.

Some journalists may even reach out to you and ask if you would be willing to sit down for an interview on the subject.

In fact, this is exactly what happened to a law firm in New York that implemented this strategy.

With one simple video, the lawyer was featured on multiple news websites and became known as an authority on the subject.

This is free marketing for lawyers who are willing to spend a few minutes creating a video on their own.

Be Persistent

Follow-up if you don’t hear back from anyone you contacted.

Some lawyers may find success with their first video, but many others will probably need to create multiple videos before a journalist takes the bait.

It’s important to be persistent even if this strategy is not effective the first time.

Repeat this process every time you see a relevant news story that is worth talking about.

Even if one of the fifteen videos you create is picked up by a journalist, it can make a huge impact on your business.

There are probably dozens of other law firms located in your area.

Many of these law firms use the same traditional marketing methods such as billboards and pay-per-click ads.

But, if you want to set yourself apart from the competition, you must think of unique law firm advertising ideas.

Everyone loves getting free stuff, so the best way to market a law firm may be handing out promotional items.

But, no one wants to receive a branded pen or stress ball that every other law firm in the state already uses to market their business.

The key to this legal marketing strategy is choosing items that people in your target audience actually want.

Find A Promotional Item Potential Clients Will Use Daily

Let’s say you are a criminal defense attorney looking for new DUI clients.

Many people who drink alcohol on a regular basis also smoke, so a branded lighter would be the perfect promotional item.

You could even look for one that features a lighter on one side and a bottle opener on the other so you can appeal to people who don’t smoke, too.

Buy custom lighters that prominently feature your law firm’s branding.

Since you are targeting DUI clients, make sure the branding mentions “DUI attorney” instead of simply “criminal defense attorney.”

Now, think of where your potential clients spend a lot of their time.

Potential DUI clients probably spend a lot of time in bars, so this is the perfect place to distribute the items.

Visit some of the most popular bars in the area and give a box of these lighters to the bartenders.

Explain that you are a local attorney and ask them to hand the lighters out for free to people who are smoking at the bar.

Since many of your potential clients actually use lighters, this strategy will ensure that people who may get DUIs know about your law firm.

How Will This Strategy Help?

If they are ever charged with a DUI, the first law firm that will come to mind is the one that is printed right on the lighter that they take with them everywhere.

Not only is this strategy effective, it’s also far less expensive than other law firm marketing strategies.

Law firms can implement this idea for around $600, but the price can vary depending on the promotional item that is chosen.

Even if you only acquire one new client with this strategy, it’s very likely that the client will generate enough revenue to cover these costs.

Uber is probably not something that comes to mind when thinking about ways to market your law firm, but it should be.

Believe it or not, law firms can use Uber advertising to find new clients.

All it takes is finding an Uber driver who is willing to drive a vehicle wrapped in your law firm’s advertising.

Uber drivers travel back and forth across the city all day, so wrapping an Uber car with your branding is a great way to market your law firm.

Some lawyers may be hesitant about spending money on a vehicle solely for marketing purposes.

But, when you break the costs of this strategy down, it’s actually less expensive than many other marketing tactics, including pay-per-click ads and billboards.

How can you implement this legal marketing strategy?

Follow these four steps:

Buy A Car

Invest $10-15k in a reliable car that can be used by an Uber driver to promote your law firm.

It’s best to choose a car with four doors and a large trunk so it can accommodate Uber passengers.

Insure the Car

Next, you will need to get insurance on the car to protect yourself and your law firm.

Uber and other ridesharing companies only provide coverage from the moment that the ride is accepted until the passenger gets out of the car.

So, you will need a commercial policy that covers ridesharing during the times when Uber’s insurance policy is not in effect.

Wrap the Car

Find a local company that can design and apply the wrap to the vehicle.

Be sure to pay attention to the information placed on the back of the car.

Many people read information off of vehicles when they are stuck behind them in traffic, so this is an important advertising spot on the car.

Get An Uber Driver

Ask friends, family members, and employees if they know of anyone who would be interested in this type of arrangement. If this doesn’t work, use Facebook instead.

There are countless Facebook groups for Uber drivers in different metro areas, so find one that is close to you and create a post about this opportunity.

Be sure to highlight the benefits of this arrangement by mentioning the driver will get to use a car for free as long as he or she agrees to pay for gas and work a minimum number of hours per week.

Law firms must be willing to be creative if they want to outshine the competition, and marketing using Uber cars is one way to do so.

Marketing Ideas for Personal Injury Lawyers: How to Use Uber to Market Your Law Firm

With thousands of potential clients searching the internet every day for lawyers, advice, and legal services, a substantial web presence is imperative for any flourishing law practice in the year 2017 and the years ahead. If you are marketing your law firm properly online, you are consistently driving potential clients to your website by taking advantage of social media, blogs posts, pay-per-click advertising, and links from a variety of other sources.

But when a prospective client lands on your home page, is that client finding something that will lead to a contact and a consultation? Do visitors find your home page to be helpful or confusing? User-friendly or user-unfriendly? If you want to convert more website visitors into clients – which is the whole point, of course – your home page must express these five key qualities or characteristics:

1. YOUR HOME PAGE MUST OFFER SPECIFICITY

It should be immediately obvious what kind of lawyer you are. Spell it out plainly. The top of the home page is not the place to explain details. People seeking a divorce want a divorce lawyer, and people charged with crimes want a criminal defense attorney. If the kind of lawyer you are is not instantly clear to your visitors, they will leave your home page immediately and find what they are seeking somewhere else.

2. YOUR HOME PAGE MUST BE DIRECT

Especially on your home page, your paragraphs must be short and must get directly to the point. Most website visitors will resist reading long blocks of solid text. Be certain that the information you provide on your home page is pertinent, important, and useful. Your writing must be candid, compelling, readable, and genuine. It’s imperative to avoid advertising phrases and clichés. Your prospective clients are looking for useful information, and they are also looking for an attorney who gets right to the point – without too much self-promotion.

3. YOUR HOME PAGE MUST DISTINGUISH YOUR LAW FIRM FROM OTHERS

The truth is that too many attorneys can’t distinguish themselves from their competition. Every law firm claims to offer high-quality legal services, to have substantial legal experience, and to provide “big firm-style service” with “small firm-style personal attention.” And when every attorney sounds like every other attorney, prospective clients start looking exclusively at prices. The better strategy is to stress your firm’s achievements, the benefits you’ve brought to clients, and the way you solve problems creatively and innovatively.

4. YOUR HOME PAGE MUST EXPRESS YOUR TRUSTWORTHINESS

Are the things you say about helping your clients really true? Putting positive testimonials and online reviews on your home page – or links to those testimonials and reviews – offers some proof that you can be trusted. Another way to gain trust – right from the start – is to clear all of the legal lingo off of your home page and “speak” in plain English. In an era of “fake news” and constant surveillance, you have to work hard to gain a prospective client’s trust, and you are more likely to gain it with plain English rather than “legalese.”

5. YOUR HOME PAGE MUST MAKE VISITORS COMFORTABLE WITH YOU

What you can do for clients is important, but the truth is that other attorneys can do it too. What a prospective client needs to know is, “Will I be comfortable working with this attorney? Will I like this person?” That’s why you need some video on your website and particularly on your home page. A video on your home page is a chance to introduce yourself and your services, talk about your clients and your achievements, and basically put visitors to your website at ease and make them feel comfortable contacting and approaching you. Text explains what you do, but video expresses who you are.

WHAT ELSE IS REQUIRED FOR A TOP-QUALITY HOME PAGE?

Understanding the expectations of prospective clients is key to keeping them on your website long enough to read your content and be impressed with what they find there. While it’s imperative to articulate the five qualities and characteristics listed above, text alone usually doesn’t persuade a website visitor to become a client. Symbols, graphics, fonts, colors, and the overall design and appeal of the home page are just as important as the text.

The page’s design should be simple and uncluttered. A poorly-designed home page sends prospective clients the wrong message and so does a home page that hasn’t been updated in years and looks like a refugee from 1999. Avoid the free website offers, and if you are not a website designer, don’t try it yourself. Contact an internet marketing company and have it done right.

A home page should also include something that encourages visitors to call or to email you. If a visitor can order an ebook or have a brief question answered without obligation, it will create a connection and begin building the visitor’s trust in you. Offer something for visitors right there on your home page, and don’t make prospective clients click through three, four, or five pages to find something. An impatient newcomer will probably just go to another attorney’s site.

Without a genuinely effective home page, you may be doing a great deal of work for nothing. Website analytics can tell you how many visitors your home page receives, how many are new visitors, how many are returning, and how much time they spend on your website. If more than half of your new visitors are leaving after briefly landing on your home page, you probably need to make some changes.

Your website’s home page will probably be your sole opportunity to turn a website visitor into a client, so you must take full advantage of that opportunity. It’s fine to gather ideas from other websites and home pages, but if you don’t have the time to do it right, consider hiring an experienced internet marketing agency to create an effective home page – or to manage all of your online marketing.

An internet marketing agency can create your graphics and videos, design your home page and your other pages, and even supply the text. Your options are almost unlimited. The services of experienced legal writers, videographers, and web designers can all be available to you through one professional agency. If your website’s home page needs a shake-up, or if you simply want to discuss marketing strategies, have a consultation with some internet marketing professionals who can manage some or all of your online marketing needs. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll come away with some good marketing ideas.