LPM Tip

Accelerate your marketing: top sound bites from the MBA’s Annual Marketing Conference

There was much wit and wisdom being passed around during last week's Third Annual Super Marketing Conference, presented by the Massachusetts Bar Association, in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, Suffolk University Law School's Advanced Legal Studies department and Avvo. This year's conference, tagged 'Accelerate Your Marketing' focused on web marketing.

Below are some of the top quotes from the show, per session:

--"Don't hide your fees; instead, be transparent, and demonstrate your value to clients."
Mark Britton
Founder and CEO, Avvo
Ten Opportunities Lawyers Miss in Online Marketing

It is still the rare law firm website that features a pricing chart. While pricing legal services is not the same as attaching value to a 1999 Honda Civic, price transparency and price certainty are important things to modern consumers, including consumers of legal services. Attorneys should conceive of their pricing matrix as part of their sales pitch.

--"Repurpose your content.  Each piece of content can, and should, be used multiple times."
Cynthia MacCausland
Principal, Law Offices of Cynthia E. MacCausland
Content Is Still King: Marketing by Publication

With the proliferation of free publication tools (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ etc.), there are no shortage of places to publish your content. And, you should probably publish your content more than one time, depending on the medium, since information streams are so heavily populated these days. You should also consider repurposing your content: an article can become a blog post, you can create an infographic and/or make a presentation.

--"Plan to reevaluate your social media presence. The technology changes so quickly."
Lesley Ridge
Digital and social media strategist
The Social Web: New Media Marketing for Lawyers

So true; and, I had this same thought as I was constantly revising my Twitter book, due to Twitter's impressive ability to consistently make major changes to its platform, just when I had a publication deadline. The pace of technology in 2013 is staggering; and, it's easy to get overwhelmed. But, you do have to harness each of the social media tools you're going to use. You should review your settings every now and then, to make sure you're getting the most out of your profiles; and, if you follow the right blogs, you should be able to get updates on a regular basis respecting important features upgrades.

-- "Online readers don't like to read the way lawyers write. Use short text, bullet points and bold headers, as opposed to prose."
Todd Curlett
Senior business development consultant, FindLaw
More and Better Clients: Five Ways to Make Internet Marketing Deliver

Guilty.

--"YouTube provides HD distribution for free on the world's largest search engine."
James Ringrose
CEO, Real Cool TV
Using Video to Market Professional Services

The vast majority of law firms have not yet caught the video bug; but, it's becoming a more important part of online marketing every day.  Professional video production services may not cost as much as you think they do; but, even if you do it yourself, if you invest in the right equipment, and get a YouTube channel set up, you can do quite well in video marketing.  The integration of Google services, and the rise of Google + means that social, including YouTube videos, is intertwined with search like never before.  If you want to take a look at a method for integrating video, check out what fellow LPM Tip contributor Stephen Seckler has done at his website.

--"Websites are about products, and are static.  Blogs are about people, and are dynamic."
Amy Ullman
Inbound marketing consultant, HubSpot
SEO Tactics for Getting Local Buzz

. . . which is why many attorneys situate their blogs at the main page of their websites: to get consistent content turnover.  However, the point is, nevertheless, well-made: websites represent what you offer in the way of specific services; blogs highlight what you offer in the way of expertise.  With the increasing use of traditional blog platforms for website creation (WordPress being the prime example), it's easy to think of your blog and your website as one entity.  However, keeping in mind the dichotomy presented above will allow you to present a more coherent view of your services.

--"The cost of obtaining clients is high.  The cost of retaining clients is far lower. CRM tools help with client retention."
Morris Singer
Litigation consultant, The Boston Expert Witness Group
Finding, Tracking and Converting Prospects: The Use of CRM Systems in Legal

Many lawyers have their heads down looking for new clients. But, it's true that your best sources of business are your existing clients, including the referrals that they make to you. So, you've really got to put in the effort to stay in touch with your clients in ways that are relevant, and that show that you continue to care about them and their needs. They'll pass the value of that connection along to your next potential clients. The clear majority of solo and small firm attorneys do very little to track their client relationships from a marketing standpoint; but, CRM tools, even non-legal-specific tools, can go a long way to helping you to leverage that aspect of your client relations.

. . .

For almost all of the buzz surrounding the conference, you can check out the still-active #LHLM hashtag Twitter feed.  To connect with the presenters and conference participants, Inside Legal's Twitter List is your go-to spot.

Tip courtesy of Jared Correia, Law Office Management Assistance Program.

Published May 23, 2013

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

To learn more about the Law Practice Management Section, which is complimentary for all MBA members, contact LPM Section Chair Thomas J. Barbar or Vice Chair Cynthia E. MacCausland.