Thursday
Importance of Your Web Site's Fold
Do it above the fold.
We're continuing our series on things you can do to improve your law practice economics. Today, the topic is getting more clients from your web site and specifically the importance of the fold.
Marketers call the fold of your web site the top part of your web site page that shows on the screen. It's much like what they call the "fold" for a newspaper: that part of the page that you see when the paper lays in its normal flat folded position on a table. That's important because most often the only thing that a lot of consumers see is what is "above the fold."
So, if you want to catch the reader's attention, you have to do it above the fold. If a consumer has to scroll down to read content, they won't do it unless you have grabbed their attention above the fold.
Second lesson? Make sure that on every page of your website your contact info appears above the fold too.
Web site visitors are notoriously impatient and sometimes a bit lazy. You have to make it very easy for them to contact you. You may be the right attorney for the job, but if they can't quickly and easily figure out how to reach you, by phone or email or whatever, they'll click on down the road to someone else.
So, do it above the fold. And do it lots of ways.
That means put your toll free phone number up there. Put a contact us link. Put a box for them to fill in info to send you, but keep it short. Put your email address there. Heck, put your regular (toll) phone number there too if you want. Just put lots of "point blank" ways for the visitor to see how to reach you. Make it quick. Make it easy. That way you can make a conversion of a visitor to a client. And it'll help your business too.
Wednesday
Dragon Dictation for the iPhone is Here
Breaking News ... Dragon has just released an iPhone version of its famous dictation software and just days later (like yesterday) they updated it.
The reviews for it are pouring in and everyone seems to love it. If you use Dragon Dictation on your pc, and you've got an iPhone, this is the app to get.
Not only is Dragon a terrific program with a great track record for excellent dictation/interpretation from voice-to-type, but the iPhone app is FREE. How long it lasts for free no one can tell, so get to the iTunes Store and do a search for "Dragon Dictation" and download it right away.
A quick look-see indicates this is not a crippled, half-baked version, either. For instance if it has trouble with a name spelling, it'll check your contact names for a correction. We'll find out more and write a review of our own in the near future.
But for now folks, this is one app that'll be on the "top 10 app" list for every busy dictating lawyer.
The reviews for it are pouring in and everyone seems to love it. If you use Dragon Dictation on your pc, and you've got an iPhone, this is the app to get.
Not only is Dragon a terrific program with a great track record for excellent dictation/interpretation from voice-to-type, but the iPhone app is FREE. How long it lasts for free no one can tell, so get to the iTunes Store and do a search for "Dragon Dictation" and download it right away.
A quick look-see indicates this is not a crippled, half-baked version, either. For instance if it has trouble with a name spelling, it'll check your contact names for a correction. We'll find out more and write a review of our own in the near future.
But for now folks, this is one app that'll be on the "top 10 app" list for every busy dictating lawyer.
Ron Burdge
Helping lawyers do business, since 1978.
7 Killer Methods for Marketing Without Money + # 8
We're continuing our series on things you can do to improve your law practice economics. Today, the topic is getting more clients with marketing and specifically what we think is the #1 web site for terrific marketing tips and ideas --- and it's unusually entertaining too.
The #1 unconventional marketing tv show isn't on tv at all. It's on the web and you can watch it there or download the podcast. In fact, if you don't watch it regularly, you are missing out on great ideas and tons of tips that are free every single week. I subscribe to the iTunes podcast so it downloads automatically whenever I hook up my iPhone. Then on the drive to court (or anywhere else), I plug in the iPhone and start listening to the podcasts.
But these podcasts are so good that I invariably end up watching them at my desk on their website too and making notes on the tips I get out of it for future implementation.
The podcast is called "Help, My Business Sucks" and the web site is http://www.helpmybusiness.com/. Now I like to think my business doesn't quite suck, but with a url name like that, and all the terrific ideas and content on the site, it's no wonder that it gets lots of attention.
The #1 unconventional marketing tv show isn't on tv at all. It's on the web and you can watch it there or download the podcast. In fact, if you don't watch it regularly, you are missing out on great ideas and tons of tips that are free every single week. I subscribe to the iTunes podcast so it downloads automatically whenever I hook up my iPhone. Then on the drive to court (or anywhere else), I plug in the iPhone and start listening to the podcasts.
But these podcasts are so good that I invariably end up watching them at my desk on their website too and making notes on the tips I get out of it for future implementation.
The podcast is called "Help, My Business Sucks" and the web site is http://www.helpmybusiness.com/. Now I like to think my business doesn't quite suck, but with a url name like that, and all the terrific ideas and content on the site, it's no wonder that it gets lots of attention.
Hosted by the admittedly unconventional, but vastly entertaining and lively, Andrew Lock, I heartily recommend that every business person (he calls them entrepreneurs) subscribe to the podcast for easy listening and viewing. But don't forget to visit the website, where you'll find even more info regularly posted and just as regularly updated.
Lock is, quite simply, the single most effective guru in marketing today. And he's fun to listen to.
The site is loaded with tons of valuable content that can kick start your marketing effort or really zoom it up, depending on where you are in the marketing process. There's so much on the site that I can't cover it all here, so you just have to trust me and head over there to see for yourself.
For instance, yesterday I downloaded his publication "7 Killer Methods for Marketing Without Money." It was free, so how could I go wrong? Dig around on the site and you'll find it too, but don't forget to sign up for his free tv show updates, so you don't miss anything.
So, how good were his 7 Killer Methods for Marketing? Well when I read through Andrew's 7 Killer Methods, I smiled when I suddenly realized that they were some of the very things that I was already doing. I just didn't view them as marketing methods but, as Andrew says, "marketing is everything and everything is marketing."
The site is loaded with tons of valuable content that can kick start your marketing effort or really zoom it up, depending on where you are in the marketing process. There's so much on the site that I can't cover it all here, so you just have to trust me and head over there to see for yourself.
For instance, yesterday I downloaded his publication "7 Killer Methods for Marketing Without Money." It was free, so how could I go wrong? Dig around on the site and you'll find it too, but don't forget to sign up for his free tv show updates, so you don't miss anything.
So, how good were his 7 Killer Methods for Marketing? Well when I read through Andrew's 7 Killer Methods, I smiled when I suddenly realized that they were some of the very things that I was already doing. I just didn't view them as marketing methods but, as Andrew says, "marketing is everything and everything is marketing."
I can vouch for the accuracy of his 7 Killer Methods. They work, folks.
He is dead on with these methods and, best of all, they are free. All it takes is a little of your time and if you do it every day, it will definitely help your business get more clients.
But for lawyers, I'd add this tip as Killer Method #8 to Andrew's list: get on http://www.avvo.com/ and regularly answer the public questions posted there. It's a great way to show your expertiese to the very people who are looking for legal advice. You can even write articles (for both potential clients and potential referring attorneys) and publish them on the Avvo site. Also, you can limit yourself to answering questions just in your geographical area so you can get maximum impact and value for your time.
Okay, so the point is we can all use a little marketing help from time to time and Andrew Lock is one of the best resources out there. If you want to hear the best tips every single week, this is the web site you want to go to and the podcast you want to listen to so you don't waste your time or your money. http://www.helpmybusiness.com/ does just that. And it'll help your business too.
He is dead on with these methods and, best of all, they are free. All it takes is a little of your time and if you do it every day, it will definitely help your business get more clients.
But for lawyers, I'd add this tip as Killer Method #8 to Andrew's list: get on http://www.avvo.com/ and regularly answer the public questions posted there. It's a great way to show your expertiese to the very people who are looking for legal advice. You can even write articles (for both potential clients and potential referring attorneys) and publish them on the Avvo site. Also, you can limit yourself to answering questions just in your geographical area so you can get maximum impact and value for your time.
Okay, so the point is we can all use a little marketing help from time to time and Andrew Lock is one of the best resources out there. If you want to hear the best tips every single week, this is the web site you want to go to and the podcast you want to listen to so you don't waste your time or your money. http://www.helpmybusiness.com/ does just that. And it'll help your business too.
Ron Burdge
Helping attorneys help clients, every day.
Saturday
Knowing the Cost of Clicks on PPC
We're continuing our series on things you can do to improve your law practice economics. Today, the topic is getting more clients and pay per click, or "PPC" as it's sometimes called. The key idea here is how to find out what the web traffic is for particular key words and what they cost so you don't waste your money. There's a web site that will give you that and a lot more and it's free.
There are lots of marketing ideas out there and PPC is one of them. That's where you use one of the search engines own marketing programs to set up a PPC ad. It's really reasy to do and the best part is it's free. At least it is until the clicking starts.
You've seen these PPC ads along the top and side of the screen whenever you have run a search on one of the major web search pages. The ad costs you only when someone clicks on it to activate the hyperlink to your web site. If you use the right key words, the theory is that your ad will show up on the side of search results for those key words.
There's lots of ways to spiff it so that your target viewer is much more narrow, but what we are going to talk about today is a nifty web site that you can use to see what the actual traffic is for some of those key word phrases and what the costs are. Keyword Spy is a terrific site that'll do the job.
It allows you to plug in your key word phrase and pick a country and then it'll return to you the stats for that phrase and others like it. You can quickly see just how many people are running searches and using that key word phrase and the others that are like it. Best part? They also tell you the current cost per click (called "CPC") too.
Let's take, for instance, "Lemon Law." As of this writing, there are 35 PPC advertisers using that phrase and the CPC is $18.27 and in the US there are 201,000 searches using that phrase each month.
Another great thing about KeywordSpy is that they show you, graphically, the last ten months of stats too.
Even better, with one click you can get the background info on those 35 PPC advertisers who are using the Lemon Law phrase. With that info you can see a screenshot of their website, domain name, their PPC budget in CPC terms, the number of PPC keywords their site uses and the number of perceived PPC competitors along with even more info. It's a gold mine for marketers trying to figure out the most cost effective way of using their internet PPC dollars.
With another click you can actually read the PPC ads and get an idea of the "return on investment" of the wording, which KeywordSpy calculates for you. Another click gives you the related keywords. Or misspelled keywords. And there's lots more.
And it's all free.
You can get even more results if you register for their "lifetime free trial."
Okay, so the point is that if you want to try out some pay per click advertising, this is the first web site you need to go to so you don't waste your money. www.KeywordSpy.co.uk.
Next time, we'll talk about what I think is the single most entertaining, and effective, guru on marketing. He's remarkable.
There are lots of marketing ideas out there and PPC is one of them. That's where you use one of the search engines own marketing programs to set up a PPC ad. It's really reasy to do and the best part is it's free. At least it is until the clicking starts.
You've seen these PPC ads along the top and side of the screen whenever you have run a search on one of the major web search pages. The ad costs you only when someone clicks on it to activate the hyperlink to your web site. If you use the right key words, the theory is that your ad will show up on the side of search results for those key words.
There's lots of ways to spiff it so that your target viewer is much more narrow, but what we are going to talk about today is a nifty web site that you can use to see what the actual traffic is for some of those key word phrases and what the costs are. Keyword Spy is a terrific site that'll do the job.
It allows you to plug in your key word phrase and pick a country and then it'll return to you the stats for that phrase and others like it. You can quickly see just how many people are running searches and using that key word phrase and the others that are like it. Best part? They also tell you the current cost per click (called "CPC") too.
Let's take, for instance, "Lemon Law." As of this writing, there are 35 PPC advertisers using that phrase and the CPC is $18.27 and in the US there are 201,000 searches using that phrase each month.
Another great thing about KeywordSpy is that they show you, graphically, the last ten months of stats too.
Even better, with one click you can get the background info on those 35 PPC advertisers who are using the Lemon Law phrase. With that info you can see a screenshot of their website, domain name, their PPC budget in CPC terms, the number of PPC keywords their site uses and the number of perceived PPC competitors along with even more info. It's a gold mine for marketers trying to figure out the most cost effective way of using their internet PPC dollars.
With another click you can actually read the PPC ads and get an idea of the "return on investment" of the wording, which KeywordSpy calculates for you. Another click gives you the related keywords. Or misspelled keywords. And there's lots more.
And it's all free.
You can get even more results if you register for their "lifetime free trial."
Okay, so the point is that if you want to try out some pay per click advertising, this is the first web site you need to go to so you don't waste your money. www.KeywordSpy.co.uk.
Next time, we'll talk about what I think is the single most entertaining, and effective, guru on marketing. He's remarkable.
Ron Burdge
Helping lawyers make a living. Since 1978.
Thursday
How Do I Improve My Business? Step One to Improving Your Business.
Okay. So the economy is tanked and your phone has stopped ringing. How do you improve your business?
How do you get the phones to start ringing again? How do you get your business back to normal? How do you survive the downturn so you can keep helping consumers solve their problems in the future? After all, Consumer Law attorneys depend on consumer clients for their livelihood.
When people find themselves in financial distress, it's common for them to "hunker down" and conserve everything they can. They don't take risks they can avoid. They don't spend money they don't have to. And they get afraid of anything that they even fear can cost them money too.
For many people, that means their fear takes over. That's when they decide to put up with harassment and aggravation that, at any other time, would cause them to get angry and call a lawyer for help. Instead, afraid of unknown legal costs they are afraid they can't handle, they don't ask for help. They put up with it because they feel like they don't have any other choice right now.
Until the economy gets better, "right now" turns into tomorrow. Then, next week. Then next month. Next thing you know, it's next year. And they still aren't sure. That's understandable. But it doesn't help you make payroll.
We've been working on some ideas for you to consider ... things that can help. The first one sounds corny but it is so very true. It is, simply, to have faith.
If you're like many Consumer Law practitioners, you are struggling right now. And so are most of your clients. As hard as times are right now, and they are hard, they will pass. These times will ease up, both for you and all of us. And for our clients too, both current clients and those who have yet to call us for help.
The work that Consumer Law attorneys do, doesn't go away. It goes up and down, but it doesn't go away. New clients will call for help. How do we know? Simple. Because the people who violate the laws never really stop doing what they do. Even when they clean up their act and violate the law less often, or even if not at all, others will take their place.
What changes, in keeping with the economy of the times, is the willingness of consumers to put up with it. When personal economic security is less at risk, then the insult of unfair and deceptive conduct by a merchant is more intensely felt --- and tolerated less.
In short, consumers are more willing to find out what their rights are and less tolerant of the abuse that is heaped upon them.
So as the economy picks up, your business will pick up too. And that is true no matter all the other peripheral issues you are dealing with.
So, in tough times the first thing for a Consumer Law attorney to keep mind is that no matter how hard each day may be, have faith that each day after that will get better. It's not just a corny thing our parents said when we were kids (although they did), it's something that is true.
Now, of course there are some not-so-corny things to be doing ... but that's for next time and the days that follow. We'll talk about that next time.
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