The reason why law firms and other businesses choose to invest (sometimes) vast sums of money in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is apparent. The logic fits. You get on the first page of Google, large numbers of people see you, and you’ll bring in clients. The reasoning behind this is why it’s more than a $20 billion industry in the U.S. alone.  Behind the curtain lies the secret of how it fails more than Read More

Good attorneys will get referrals regardless of how they market themselves. However, they’ll get more of them if they do. Tracking referrals is one of the most important things your firm can do, and I have found that very few people do it. You can leverage simple, cost-effective marketing strategies like newsletters to drive referral rates. You can’t know whether your marketing is working without tracking your Read More

Everyone quickly mentions Google, but YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. It has over 2 billion active users and deserves a place in your marketing plan. It’s a solid platform that allows you to create valuable, educational content that your past, current, and future clients can use. However, it is important to recognize that leveraging YouTube involves more than uploading videos. Let’s talk about Read More

Look at some of the marketing services we provide our clients: websites, blogs, e-newsletters, video FAQs, social media, and podcasting. These were not random choices but were designed to work together.  Imagine all of your past clients and connections are in the center of your circle. A touchpoint is when one of them comes in contact with one of your marketing efforts. However, not all of our services would land Read More

You must determine your goals before developing a marketing plan or strategy. Marketing is as broad a term as legal counseling. Under both umbrellas, there are a multitude of disciplines that apply to different types of problems. All four marketing misconceptions we outline can be traced back to this thought process.  Misconception #1: Blogs are for SEO Some marketing companies (we’re not one of them) view Read More

Recently, I created an advertisement for a magazine (people still do this occasionally). It was for Spotlight Branding and briefly discussed content marketing, ROI, and SEO. Like any proud son, I sent the ad to my mother so she could tell me how amazing I was. Instead, she told me she didn’t understand the ad copy and that maybe she wasn’t my target audience. I have also had other experiences where I emailed Read More

We’re going to get right into this one. Remember, as I have said, you must know what you want to achieve with social media before you start marketing yourself on a platform. When I ask my clients this question, they say they want the typical things such as likes, engagement, and followers. This leads us to the first two mistakes people make with social media: they have the wrong expectations and measure their success Read More

Years ago, one of my clients asked to speak with me about their law firm’s social media. We’d posted educational content (blogs, videos, relevant articles), quotes, and calls to action. That last one was geared toward getting readers/viewers to book a consultation. When we got on the phone, he explained that he had a younger employee who told us we were doing his social media all wrong. He said she just “got Read More

I once worked with a client who offered business law and estate planning services. One of his largest challenges was working in New York City, where there would never be a shortage of competition. During one of our conversations, I asked him why clients would choose him over a rival. What made him slightly different from his competitors? He told me that was a great question, but he didn’t have an answer.  I Read More