How to build and strengthen your law practice --State Bar of Michigan Practice Management Resource Center

By Roberta M. Gubbins Legal News More than 100 lawyers came together at Thomas M. Cooley Law School to spend a Friday learning how to build and strengthen their law practice. Some were seasoned lawyers now setting up a practice for the first time, others were gaining new skills to use in their offices, and still others had yet to graduate. The event, sponsored the SBM Practice Management Resource Center, was held on March 19th. "The Internet," said Stephanie Fraley, Internet Marketing Consultant, LexisNexis, "has given us a tremendous opportunity to generate new clients. It is the most effective and the most efficient tool because of its trackability and low cost." "In the month of December, 2009, Google, which accounts for 64% of the search volume, reported 51,550,000 searches for the terms lawyer, lawyers, attorney, attorneys, law firm and law firms. The average monthly search volume for those terms is 41,290,000. What is incredible about these numbers," Fraley said, "is that they are not just random, these are actual people who are searching these terms." "How do you attract these searchers to your website and how do you turn them into potential clients? A well-built website is the foundation of the Internet Marketing, one that communicates the right message and is one that the search engines like to see. We need to drive traffic to the website and monitor its results." "The well built website, which is a virtual office, must include, first, information about your expertise, second, portray accessibility, such as the design of the site or 'I answer the phone in 24 hours,' third, value, which includes how you work the case and finally, likeability, which can include videos on your website. The content must be concise," she said, "just enough to give them some information but not so much that you over-educate your visitors. It should be informative and gently persuasive." "Websites are of two types: a general firm website or a lead generation or topical website," she said. "The general website talks generally about the firm. A lead generating website will be aimed at a particular client such as 'railroad crossing accident' lawyers." "Three things that should be on every single page of your website, regardless of type, are the phone number in the upper right-hand corner, the contact form, and the address," she said. "This is because it is possible that your prospective client will land not on the home page but on another page of the site." Search engine marketing includes pay per click (PPC) or bidding on advertising space within search engines, and search engine optimization (SEO), the process of updating a website to increase non-paid rankings. Fraley, who recommended both methods of marketing, noted that the strategies that can advertise and better position your website include: * Tap existing opportunities for links. * Use social networks * Syndicate articles. * Distribute press releases. * Participate in a blog but only if you keep it up to date. One method is to participate in other peoples' blogs. Finally, Fraley stressed the importance of monitoring the results of your website. From something as simple as asking new clients "How did you hear about me?" or "Did you visit my website?" to the more complex monitoring of traffic and rankings using such services as Google Analytics, WebsiteGrader.com or SEORush.com. Along the same theme, Vincent A. Romano, Attorney Services Marketing, spoke of the many ways solo and small firms can compete effectively for clients including advertising, speaking, websites, newsletters, both electronic and snail mail, business and client networking, professional associations, community relations and press releases. "Remember," he said, "there is no such thing as a 'former' client. They may not need your services today, but they are still your clients so you want to be sure that when they need a service or a friend needs a service, they think to contact you." Advertising in the form of direct mail, either by e-mail or snail mail is effective. "It is less important what you communicate," he said, "then the fact that you are communicating. The idea is to keep your name before the clients. The most effective frequency of communications is contact every two months." Finally, he emphasized that marketing should be a priority. To be successful, "deadlines should be part of your plan, be persistent, and track results." Finally, it is important to "differentiate yourself--develop a standard statement of what it is you do and how and why that is different from what your competitors do or how they do it. Have an 'elevator speech' or be able to explain what you do in 30 seconds flat." Each participant walked away not with reams of paper materials but with a small, silver, flash drive, titled "Office in a Flash," which included the following materials from the workshop: * Attracting, selecting and retaining good clients by Michael Eberth, Esq. * The Keys to Successful Financial Management of Your Law Practice by Joan Vestrand, Esq. * Marketing Strategies for a Successful Practice by Vincent Romano, Esq. * Search Engine Optimization by Stephanie Fraley, Lexis Nexis * The top ten mistakes to avoid when hiring support staff by Rebecca Simkins, Esq. * Technology for Effiective practice management by JoAnn Hathaway. SBM * Frugal Firm Technology by Diane Ebersole, SBM In addition, material from the State Bar Foundation regarding the use of IOLTA accounts was included on the flash drive. Participants received the IOLTA attorney brochure, the notice form, and the financial institutions honor roll. For more information, please contact the State Bar of Michigan Practice Management Resource Center at 1-800-341-9715 or http://www. michbar. org/pmrc/content.cfm Published: Thu, Apr 1, 2010

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