Marketing a Law Firm | Marketing Mailbag

I love Bill Simmons. If you don't know who he is, that's okay. He's just the greatest sports columnist of all time. Anyway, he does these mailbags every month or so where he posts real reader's emails and then responds to them. Because I'd love to be him, I'm going to do my own mailbag today. It's not going to be nearly as funny or entertaining, but you'll probably like it. Here we go.

Hello again,

I wrote the following email to you in July regarding my practice and never received any response. I would appreciate if you could read my story and get back to me. You regularly feature start up offices on your website and I was honestly surprised that my email was ignored.

I understand if it was just an oversight and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks,

Patrick, New York

I was debating for a long time whether or not I'd respond to this. I never sent an email back to this guy, because the first time I read it I was a little pissed off. Here's why. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I am not writing this blog for you. I am not here to meet your every whim and fancy. I am writing this for me. I like to talk about this stuff, and it's a great place for me to organize my thoughts and talk about a subject that interests me.

When I offered to do post start up stories here it was because I thought it would be interesting for everyone to read and see what others were doing. It was not to promote anyone's practice, nor was I obligated to post anyone's story. If you got your story posted, congratulations, you said something that I thought was cool. If not, try again. I promise you if you write something interesting, I'll post it here - if you don't believe me, use your second email as proof.

How is it going? I dont even know if you check this, so Ill keep it short. I read your entire SEO blog and I am trying to follow it as best as I can.

I am a criminal defense/immigration attorney in Houston. My website just went live 2 days ago and I have my blogs/articles set up. I read somewhere in your blog that I shouldnt start writing blogs (and backlinking) and articles (and backlinking) right away or else google will think something fishy is going on.

So should I stop? I have written 3 blogs in 3 days on each blog and I have submitted 1 article on goarticles. All of the blogs and the article have backlinks to my site. If I should stop....when is it ok to start up again? Thanks a ton! LOVED the blog!

Eric in Houston

See, this is the right way to ask a question. The tone here is completely different than the first question. But I digress. Here's the answer.

One post per day is great for your blogs, but for your own sake, you might want to slow it down a bit. What I'd suggest is two posts on your blog per week, and one article per day (Monday through Friday) linking to your blog and one linking to your website. What you don't want to do is have your site go live and then throw up 1000 links. If links were meant to be votes for your site, and you were some independent judge, wouldn't you think that was a little fishy? I would to.

So, you've got your posts done for this week, now go out and write some articles and link them back to your website and your blog. If you are going to err one way I would say more articles with links to your sites than articles on your sites.

I have a question about how you approach this keyword marketing. When you are targeting multiple keywords per site and doing 2 articles a day (4 keywords) how often do you use the same keyword? Twice a week? Once a week? I don’t want to use the same one everyday because I feel like it will have diminished returns, but I want to use it enough to boost my search ranking as fast as possible. What do you think? I am going to make a monthly spread sheet and mark off which words I use each day but I need to know how often to use each word.

Thanks and hope your practice is still going well.

Robert, Seattle.

Here's what I do. For each page (website or blog) you want to make a spreadsheet that lists five or six keywords that you want to target. For example, if you are doing criminal defense in Seattle you might think of Seattle criminal lawyer, Seattle criminal attorney, Seattle criminal attorneys, Seattle criminal lawyers, criminal attorney, and criminal lawyer. Every time you write an article and link to that page, make a note in your spreadsheet. If you cycle through those words every time you make a link you should be fine.

But I will tell you, when you are marketing your law firm on the internet it is important that you vary your keywords. You don't want to have a thousand Seattle DUI lawyer links and nothing else. That sounds weird to me and it sounds weird to Google.

And, one last note on a comment within the last question - "I want to boost my search ranking as fast as possible." This is not the mindset you should take into this. In many ways, SEO is a zen thing in that it will happen when it happens. All you can do is put the work in, keep your nose to the grindstone, and wait for the benefits to start rolling in. You have to take this approach because you have no idea how long it's going to take you to get where you want to go. If you are setting the timeline, you are likely going to be disappointed.

Okay, that's all for me. Have a great weekend. And again, thanks for all your emails, and thanks for reading!

Law Firm Marketing Book Review | Duct Tape Marketing

Another day, another law firm marketing post. This time I want to talk about a book I haven't actually finished reading yet, though I'm about to, called Duct Tape Marketing. And, before I even get started, I want to again point out that I am not being paid to talk about this book. In fact, I had to buy it myself. But it's worth it. And in about 3 seconds, I'm going to tell you why.

Duct Tape Marketing is not a law firm marketing book. And that's why I like it. It's about marketing a small business in general, which is what we all do.

Right away the book makes a great point, one I think I've made on here several times - we are all in the business of marketing. If you aren't promoting yourself, no one will be. After you open up your firm do me a favor and wait by the phone to see if it starts ringing. It won't. And it will continue to be silent unless you do something about it.

What I really like about this book (and by the way, in case I don't say it, you should read this book - it's got a ton of helpful information) is that it's low on philosophy and high on tools to utilize in your practice. That's not to say you don't need the philosophical books (you do), but this is a great book to actually develop a marketing plan.

One of the most important lessons I hope you take from this book revolves around standing out from the crowd. In our profession, it's really difficult to differentiate yourself from everyone else. And it's impossible if you don't sit down and take some time and actually think about what it is you want to do.

For example, let's say I Google Houston criminal lawyer. You get 836,000 results. Now, that's probably about 200 law firms that claim to be practicing criminal defense. Go look at their websites. They all look the same. They all say they are aggressive and determined and experienced. Because they all say that it washes out with potential clients. You've got to climb over that hurdle and come up with a dynamic message that is going to cut through the usual clutter. Getting yourself to the top of the search engines for Houston criminal lawyer is a big part of the equation, but you're not going to make as much money as you should unless you connect with people once they get to your site.

Duct Tape Marketing (link isn't to book but to website) gives you a plan for figuring out how you are different. They give you at least three ways to drill down into what your law firm is all about to find what sets you apart from everyone else. And that's what I really like about it.

The other thing that's great about the book is the outline it gives you to set up a fully functioning marketing system with your practice. If you implement the items discussed in this book you'll have a leg up on everyone when it comes to website and advertising performance, generating referrals, and creating happy customers who love to talk about you. I can't wait to start implementing the suggestions in this book.

And remember, that's the important part. Reading the book is not enough. Take what you can from the books you read and actually make them a part of your practice. They say it takes about 28 days to make something a habit. Today's a great day to start day number one.

Have any of you read this book? Thoughts, comments, suggestions? I always look forward to hearing from you.

Why Now is the Right Time to Start a Law Firm

Before I get too far, I want to tell you that we aren't doing the Mastermind on here with Anonymous. There was simply far too much information and far too much to get into. I shared some private email exchanges with them and hopefully they'll take the initiative to go out there and get a business coach (and if you don't like RJon go find someone else - he's not the only one out there).

Now, on to today's topic, "Why Now is the Right Time to Start a Law Firm." I'm going to let you in on a little secret, I do a lot of reading. Books and blogs are my two main vices. I read about all kinds of stuff. For example, right now I'm reading two books, one is about the formation and rise of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club, and the other is a book mixed with Eastern philosophy and business advice. But the post today was sparked by a blog post I read. I'm going to give you most of it here.

The blog is called "A VC: musings of a VC in NYC." In case you don't know, VC stands for venture capital. This guy invests in businesses. Here's his blog post, entitled "What's Going On?"

I talked to my mom yesterday. She was upset about the jobs situation and worried that Obama will not have any solutions when he addresses Congress on the issue this week. I'm worried about all of this too. But I have no illusions that Obama or anyone in government (including those who want Obama's job) can do much about it.

The most interesting piece in the New York Times yesterday was not David Carr's hatchet job on Mike Arrington. It was the piece about problems at the US Postal Service:

The post office’s problems stem from one hard reality: it is being squeezed on both revenue and costs. As any computer user knows, the Internet revolution has led to people and businesses sending far less conventional mail. At the same time, decades of contractual promises made to unionized workers, including no-layoff clauses, are increasing the post office’s costs. Labor represents 80 percent of the agency’s expenses, compared with 53 percent at United Parcel Service and 32 percent at FedEx, its two biggest private competitors. Postal workers also receive more generous health benefits than most other federal employees.

Right there you have in a microcosm the issue facing most developed economies, particularly western europe and the US. We are undergoing a big time technological revolution that is disrupting big industries and big companies all over the place. And many of these big companies (and societies) have in place huge entitlements that make it impossible to operate them profitably.

The US Postal Service story is not a unique situation. It is the situation. And we are going to be living with this situation for many years to come. We are crossing a huge chasm from an industrial society to an information society. And there is immense pain in that transformation. Obama can't solve the problem nor can any of his opponents. Time will solve this problem as new industries get built, people learn new skills and new jobs, and we dismantle entitlement systems that are not sustainable.

That is what is going on. I'd love to hear Obama tell the country that. But I doubt he will. But someone should.

Here's what I got out of this article, and why it's a great time to start a law firm - the legal industry is one of those industries that's being blown up by the switch from industrial society to information society. And you are here at the beginning to set your roots and take advantage of the opportunity.

When I think back to when I opened my firm, I see that I couldn't have opened at a better time in my life. In the last ten years we've undergone a huge transformation. No one talks on the phone anymore. No one uses the yellow pages. Everyone goes to the internet. Everyone wants everything done now. And everyone wants everything done as economically as possible. Okay, maybe not everyone. But a lot of people.

What the transition from industry to information has done is give everyone the freedom to ask "can we do this differently?" And, typically, the answer is yes. And, if you get started right now, you can be the answer to this question.

Technology allows you to start a law firm that is more efficient, better organized, better staffed, better run, and that gets better results than the old, established firms. You've got managing partners in law firms that don't even know how to use email!

Now is the time to take advantage of this great change. Now is the time to set your roots. Now is the time to take advantage of the opportunities out there so you can become the established presence in this new paradigm. All you have to do is get started.

Like Blockbuster and Borders, large law firms are going to start to go belly up. The infrastructure they've built and the traditions they live by don't apply in the information age. Sit down tonight, think about how you can take advantage of this blossoming new society, and get to work.

Starting a Law Firm in a "Bad Economy"

If you read any of the comments on this blog, you'll notice a pseudo discussion that broke out regarding Wednesday's post on the starting a law firm mastermind session I recently attended. It wasn't going the way I wanted it to (i.e. nothing productive was being said) so I issued a challenge to the commenter - tell us your story and let us see if we can help you past your problem. Hopefully they will accept the challenge.

One of the issues I had with the commenter's comment was the idea that things are tough because the economy is bad. Now, don't get me wrong, I know the economy is bad, and, honestly, it's probably going to get worse. But if I ever talk to you I don't want to hear the economy is bad, and here are just a few reasons why.

1. The Economy is Macro - Your Law Firm is Micro

When people talk about the economy they talk about it in one of two ways. They either talk about the country, like "the stock market just tanked again because a new jobs report came out and it sucks" or they talk about themselves personally, "the economy sucks because I lost my job and can't find another one."

The truth of the matter is, for most people, the economy is just fine. People have jobs. People work. People pay taxes. People buy boats. People buy houses. People go on vacation. These people are our potential clients.

When you start a law firm your goal should not be to take over the legal needs of every person in the United States. You pick a niche so you can focus on a specific group of people. Within that group of people I'm sure some people have money and some don't. Take an hour to sit down and think about where the potential clients with money are and then go get them.

2. The Economy Provides a Great Excuse to be "Special"

One of the things we talked about in our mastermind was the need to be special, and the need to get over that. Being special can happen in two ways.

The first way it can happen is by comparing yourself to others to make you feel like the better person. This can manifest itself in many ways, but the one we all know is the person you talk to that can never just say congratulations when you've accomplished something. They've always got to have a story that's better than yours. They've always got to be seen as the best.

The second way is comparing yourself to others to make you feel like the worse off person. This can also be known as the pity party. The idea is by making others see how much you are struggling, how much pain you are in, they'll feel bad for you and give you some attention.

This business about the economy is a great way to feel special by getting people to feel bad about you. By telling everyone you meet how terrible the economy is, you can get a lot of sympathy, a lot of well wishes, and a lot of pats on the back. The problem is, you're still going to be poor.

3. A "Bad Economy" Gives You an Excuse to do Nothing to Build Your Law Firm

If it's the economy's fault that everything is so bad, then I guess there's nothing you can do to change it. You'll just have to wait around until the economy improves to make any money. Hopefully it improves.

The truth is, there is money out there. There is a lot of money out there. You just have to go find it. And finding it is going to take some courage. It's going to take doing things that you have never done before. And the scariest part about this whole thing? It's not going to take a lot of money, but you're going to have to risk falling flat on your face.

Times have changed dramatically from even 10 years ago. Things are not done the same way they once were. People are walking around with smartphones and iPads. They are working from home. They are using their minds much more than their hands. They are partnering with people around the world. And they are becoming much more sophisticated from a marketing standpoint (and by sophisticated I simply mean a lot more skilled at weeding out information that is not important to them - i.e. advertising).

If you want to start a successful law firm you are going to have to step out of the box, set the box on fire, and start building a new box. For example, one of the things I do when I think about marketing is take a look at what everyone else is doing. If I'm doing that I stop and re-evaluate to see if I can come up with a way to do it just different enough (or completely different if necessary) to set myself out from the crowd or reach people in a new and exciting way. That is how you become successful, in the law business or any business.

Stop Talking About Your "Economy" and Start Getting to Work

Before I go any further, by the way, I want to make one thing clear - this post is not aimed directly at the commenter from Wednesday - it is aimed all of us. We all have our "economy" sticking point. We all have that thing that we fall back on to rationalize why we didn't do something or why something didn't pan out. We all have something to explain why we aren't reaching our full potential.

Today is the day that you should shed those crutches. Recognize and embrace that success beyond your wildest dreams is possible. Believe that you can be as successful as you want to be at this, and then attack this endeavor and your life with the excitement that it deserves.

I hope anonymous sends me that email.

In the comments, I want you to tell me two things:

1. What is your "economy?"

2. What can you do to get over your bad economy?

Can't wait to hear from you!