I’ve talked about the importance of the marketing funnel. Some might call this a “long-tail funnel.” Remember, most lawyers are doing one step: run ad, hope they call, get them in. (yes, that’s one step)
Here’s what happens at our firm when a prospect fills out a web form at our site.
1. A series of emails, directed at the specific practice area they inquired about. Each email is short, offers additional information and MOST IMPORTANTLY, does not talk about us.
2. A package of information including appropriate specialty book, The Truth About Lawyer Advertising, free reports, newspaper clippings, CD and DVD.
3. Follow up postcards with more tips about their area of interest.
4. Tear sheet advertising
5. Follow up phone call
6. Past issues of newsletters
7. Monthly newsletter (mailed, not emailed!)
Here’s the key…the prospective client may have spoken to our contacted several lawyers at the same time they contacted you. If you are the only one marketing to them in multiple ethical, interesting ways you have a much better chance of being hired.
I got several emails after Saturday’s post asking, “what is a marketing funnel?”
For most lawyers there is no “marketing funnel.” They run an ad, they hope they get calls and they either schedule the prospective client for a “free initial consultation” or they don’t.
I’d call that a one step marketing funnel.
Really smart marketers know that the decision to hire an attorney can be a long process. Our own data shows that in serious accident cases, that decision can be as long as 4-12 months after they first contact a lawyer. (Not, after the accident–but after they first contact a lawyer.
Lawyers who are really good at marketing know that having a complex, multi-step, multi-media response to an inquiry from a prospective client can be vital. Lawyers who have been to one of our conferences know that in the first year following an initial inquiry from a prospect, that prospect may get as many at 20 “touches” from us. Many come into our offices carrying everything we’ve sent them.
This is the question that any attorney should ask themselves before spending even one dollar on their next marketing campaign.
Are you putting something out into the world that is actually different from what your competition is doing in your marketing place.
If the answer is “no” then you are engaging in what my friend Bob Battle calls “random chance marketing.”
You are just hoping that by some random chance they actually make a decision to find you. Were I to be advertising in the Yellow Pages today (I don’t need to) I would spend the time studying the attorney ads that are already there. I don’t mean in the 5 minutes before the rep walks in the door. I mean going to the public library and studying all of the ads in all of the yellow page book they have there.
Next time, I’ll show you how to study.
Do you want to influence someone who is not your client to become your client? Do you want them to hire you as their attorney and not hire the hundreds, if not thousands of other choices they have?
Be authentic. Show them you are a real person. Don’t be afraid to disclose a little bit about your self in your marketing. This doesn’t apply to just your “front end” marketing like your radio, TV and yellow page ads. In fact, its very difficult to do so in 30 or 60 seconds.
But how about once they are in your marketing funnel? What are you telling them that lets them know you are MORE than a lawyer? Anyone can tell them “we care.”
South Carolina spent time, money and energy trying to shut down this TV ad:
It’s not your fault you were hurt on the job, but I know you’re afraid to file a job injury a job injury claim. You’re afraid your boss won’t believe you’re really hurt-or worse, that you’ll be fired. We’ll protect you against these threats-these accusations-and work to protect your job. I’m not an actor. I’m a lawyer. I’m [name of attorney.] Call me and we’ll get the benefits you deserve. The [name] law firm.
Find out what the South Carolina did to try to prove this ad was “deceptive” and ask yourself, could this happen in my state?
For most of the lawyers that I work with around the country their firm newsletter is the #2 marketing weapon in their toolbox. Most Great Legal Marketing members position well on the Internet and have a comprehensive funnel that markets to prospective clients well beyond the initial phone call.
What they are doing, on top of that, however, is they are using an interesting, readable, monthly newsletter. Unfortunately, most lawyer newsletters from non-GLM members are boring, canned and so dry they end up being used as cat litter.
We can fix that…we’ve just launched an attorney newsletter program that, on a monthly basis, provides you with a “Ben Glass style” firm newsletter. This isn’t for everyone and the BEST way to go about this is to write a monthly newsletter yourself, as I do each and every month, but for many, this will be the next best thing.
You can check out the Ben Glass/Great Legal Marketing “done for you” newsletter here.
In a continuing effort to provide Virginia residents with useful information after an accident but before an attorney is hired I’ve launched “Before You Talk to the Adjuster.”
This site is on a very cool WordPress Theme and is worth your study.
As the information about our next marketing conference (January 15, 16 in Northern Virginia) starts to hit the mailboxes we are getting calls about our coaching program. Our coaching members in a $1000 discount to are today attorney marketing seminar.
We’ve set up a special page that has all of the information about the program and a way for you to download the application. The program is by invitation only and is not for everyone. Whether or not it’s right for you however you might just want to look at the application to use it as a measurement against the state of your own law practice.
Information about Ben Glass’s Great Legal Marketing Coaching Program is here.
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?
My friend Dan Kennedy has a great quote in this month’s “No B.S. Marketing Newsletter.” The quote is attributed to motivational speaker Jim Rohm. I find this to be so true.
If we were to ask people why they feel the way they do about certain issues, we woudl proabbly discover that the reason why they FEEL the way they do is becuse they don’t really KNOW a great deal about those issues. Lacking all of the information, they form conclusions based on bits and pieces that have come their way (not that they sought). With their limited knowledge, they often make poor decisions about how things are. If they KNEW better, they would think better.
I see with with lawyers all the time. They dismiss marketing (or certain aspects of marketing) their practice without knowing a whole lot about what they are talking about. Maybe they’ve never actually run a law practice. Maybe they got burned by some marketing vulture. Who know?
