Solo and Small Firm Marketing » Taking action http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com Effective (but oftentimes unusual) marketing of your law firm Fri, 28 May 2010 19:07:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 My interview with Stephen Fairley of the Rainmaker Institute. http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/my-interview-with-stephen-fairley-of-the-rainmaker-institute/ http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/my-interview-with-stephen-fairley-of-the-rainmaker-institute/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:56:12 +0000 Ben Glass http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/?p=201 I interviewed Stephen Fairley the other day for my coaching program. He was marvelous and during the call I received several e-mails telling me how motivational the discussion was. One attorney wrote to tell me that she had been procrastinating writing her monthly newsletter and it never even finished her first issue. After hearing Stephen and I talk about the importance of both contacting and educating your raving fan base she started working on the newsletter as soon as the call ended.

Nothing is important in marketing a small law firm is staying in contact with those people who know you, like you, will refer others to you, and will talk about you. Attorneys make a huge mistake in assuming that just because they “did a good job” for a client that the client will remember them later. They won’t.

We recommend sending a newsletter at least once per month and “touching” your fan base inviting at least 15 to 17 times a year. Too hard?

]]> http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/my-interview-with-stephen-fairley-of-the-rainmaker-institute/feed/ 0 Multi-Media Marketing http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/multi-media-marketing/ http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/multi-media-marketing/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:44:09 +0000 Ben Glass http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/?p=128 When choosing where to spend your marketing money, there are so many choices. Determining whether to invest in one media over another is always a challenging decision and it often rattles your mind after the check is written as to whether or not that was the right choice. The secret is that all media works. When marketing and advertising is not successful it is usually because the message, not the media, is not working.

I believe that all media can be made to work. It’s just what’s the message and the goal? While one of the goals certainly is to get cases that are going to pay now, a secondary goal in our office is to grow a herd of people who are giving me permission to market to them. I’m looking to offer them something in a media that says let’s start a relationship, even if they don’t have a case yet. Now I’ve gotten permission to market to them and now they think of us, hopefully as an interesting person. So, if we’ve got media that at least we’re not losing money on, but we’re growing a heard of people who find us interesting, it’s an advantage that is incalculably large.

There are two different kinds of advertisements that are found in the Yellow Pages. First of all, brand-image advertising is: I am a lawyer and I offer free consultation. On the other hand (the more important hand) we have lead generation ads and lead is a word. It’s all about doing marketing that provokes a response. The important steps in lead generation marketing are grabbing their attention, provoking a response, making them stop their search until they get our materials, and only accepting the cases that don’t fit your perfect practice.

One way that these ads generate leads is by bringing people to our recorded message that allows them to order our books for free. I’ve got lots of different messages for different practice areas, each tied to a specific extension, which is tied to a particular ad, so one way that they might initiate that conversation with you is toll-free, free recorded message. Now, why would I do that? There are a lot of people that are afraid to call and get someone live on the phone. They’re afraid they’re going to be sold by some slick-talking lawyer, afraid they’re going to be made to sound dumb, because maybe they don’t know the answers to the questions the lawyer’s asking.

They’ve gone through the yellow pages or seen another print ad and you’re lowering the resistance barrier to them initiating that conversation with you. In this case, they get a message that really is in essence a three-minute radio ad, played only to someone who’s already said that their interested in it, all in an effort to get them to leave me their name and contact information.

Get a free lawyer marketing CD.

]]> http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/multi-media-marketing/feed/ 0 What Dumb Companies Do in a Recession (Krispy Kreme) http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/what-dumb-companies-do-in-a-recession-krispy-kreme/ http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/what-dumb-companies-do-in-a-recession-krispy-kreme/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:04:18 +0000 Ben Glass http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/?p=116 Just back in from a donuts with dad “breakfast” at my kids’ elementary school. Two weeks ago the local Krispy Kreme franchise offered to donate several dozen donuts for the event. Yesterday the folks from school went to pick them up and were told by Krispy Kreme “we can’t be giving away donuts, there’s a recession going on, didn’t you notice?”

What a bunch of morons.

Here’s what a smart entrpreneur would have done.

1. Delivered the donuts in a Krispy Kreme truck that remains parked just outside the door while the event is going on.

2. Brought a banner to hang up over the donut table that said “Donuts Courtesy of Krispy Kreme, Ask How You Can Get YOUR Free Donuts”

3. Stayed during the event, handing out coupons for more free donuts, coffee, redeemable within 5 days at the store (thus driving traffic through the front door)

4. Started the Krispy Kreme Birthday program and had the kids (its an elementary school) and their parents signing up for the “free donut on your birthday program.”

Don’t you think that in a recession this company could have thought of any of this to drive more folks through the door this weekend? Morons.

Instead, they’ve got a couple of hundred parents saying Krispy Kreme, what a bunch of cheapskates.

]]> http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/what-dumb-companies-do-in-a-recession-krispy-kreme/feed/ 1 I’ll Do a Free Review of Your Attorney Yellow Page Ad http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/ill-do-a-free-review-of-your-attorney-yellow-page-ad/ http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/ill-do-a-free-review-of-your-attorney-yellow-page-ad/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:48:33 +0000 Ben Glass http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/?p=40 Got some offline inquiries from yesterday’s post. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll review your attorney yellow page ad for free. Here are the terms:

1. Firms of 5 or fewer attorneys

2. Fax your ad and your letterhead to 877-576-6752–fax only, no emails.

3. Give me three weeks to respond (don’t tell me the rep is coming on Friday!)

]]> http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/ill-do-a-free-review-of-your-attorney-yellow-page-ad/feed/ 1 What have you done, TODAY, to bring in more clients? http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/what-have-you-done-today-to-bring-in-more-clients/ http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/what-have-you-done-today-to-bring-in-more-clients/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:12:02 +0000 Ben Glass http://soloandsmallfirmmarketing.com/?p=28 I’m sick and tired of hearing lawyers moaning about the “economy.” Many, many lawyers are prospering even “now.”

Here’s a high level secret to marketing the solo and small firm law practice: Every single day you have to do at least one thing that is specifically designed to bring you more clients. You can’t allow marketing to be an afterthought. Great lawyers with thriving practices TAKE ACTION every day.

Some ideas:

1. Call “time-out,” go to a cave and read a great marketing newsletter (or read the last six issues)
2. Go the the library and read every book there is on marketing
3. Spend some time with a blank piece of paper and just THINK about your business.
4. Write one personal note (NOT an EMAIL) to someone on your list every single day
5. Study the yellow pages.. what marketing message is your competition sending out–how can you be different.
6. Same as 5, but with websites.
7. Write a page of copy a day for your web site (this is killer)
8. Join (or form yourself) a mastermind–Hint: Napoleon Hill.. Think and Grow Rich
9. Grab 3 highly successful people who aren’t lawyers and get them to tell you how they think.
10. Stop whining…

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