Step up Your Business 200%

If you are looking to grow your Law Firm the Solicitors Marketing Club can Help – Free of Charge.

Alan Kerr’s
LAWYERS BREAKTHROUGH
2019

Simple to Follow Step by Step Strategies to Increase Your Profits by 100-250%

We enter 2019 facing serious issues but also with tremendous opportunity. The threat of economic chaos caused by BREXIT and accompanying Global uncertainty means that we need to take steps to streamline and protect our client acquisition process, and our business. With uncertainty comes Opportunity. Whilst some may fall by the wayside, new marketing 2.0 opportunities are changing everything: The Mobile Revolution, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and unprecedented opportunities to use Google and Facebook to achieve rapid business growth…

I cannot over emphasise this – the game has changed. In 2019 we are living through a new revolution in online marketing. The paradigm has shifted, and you need to at the very least be aware of the new skills you need to survive and to succeed.

JUST IN! TWO THINGS THAT ARE SO REVOLUTIONARY I HAD TO INCLUDE THEM AT THE OUTSET.

A: WE HAVE BEEN TESTING A PRESS RELEASE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS US TO SUBMIT A CUSTOMISED CAREFULLY WRITTEN PRESS RELEASE; COMPLETE WITH KEYWORDS, LINKS & IMAGE TO AROUND 500 NEWS SOURCES.
THE RESULT? WITHIN 72 HOURS YOUR SITE RECEIVES LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF BACKLINKS AND CITATIONS AND CATAPAULTS TO THE 1st PAGE OF GOOGLE SEARCH.

JUST IMAGINE HOW MANY MORE ENQUIRIES, LEADS AND CLIENTS YOU CAN GET.
THE BEST PART? RESULTS ARE GUARANTEED. NOT ON FIRST PAGE WITHIN 72 HRS = FULL REFUND
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS Alan Kerr 16 Feb 2019

B: WHILST YOUR COMPETITORS WON’T BELIEVE IT – IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO INCREASE SALES BY 200% BY HAVING A GOOGLE ADS ACCOUNT THAT IS MANAGED PROPERLY.
( New changes in the algorythym allow us to target your competitors like never before! )

Client Acquisition 2019

The most important part of your business is getting clients. The future of your business, your firm, your practice, therefore, depends on Marketing. However, the clients who, just a year or two ago, would take the time to look at your website on their PC or laptop, are now running around looking for your business on their Mobile devices… they are less patient… hate advertisments….do not fill out online forms… do not open emails, and increasingly live on Social Media.

The good news is that the Solicitors Marketing Club (SMC) can help you to be so good at getting clients that these new behavourial shifts and the economic uncertainty, will be irrelevant. However, the key is to start NOW.

Your Sales Message

So let’s take a step back and look at the “ Sine Que Non”, of your business. Ask yourself, “What is your primary Sales Message, – Why should someone choose my firm?” Crafting a compelling sales message is vital. Once you have refined and distilled your primary sales message you should predicate your entire marketing on it, and it should run through your business like a message in a stick of rock.

Marketing for Lawyers

Let’s be clear, Marketing for Lawyers is not easy, although, paradoxically, the SMC will make it seem easy! Marketing for a professional services firm is harder than selling products. Your services cannot be seen or touched, can be difficult to differentiate and have an abstract quality that maybe hard for people to relate to. Marketing is futile if it does not result in immediate or future sales, and it is important to ensure that every marketing activity you undertake should result in a positive ROI. Remember that all you need to achieve is to get potential clients to contact you. The aim is NOT to try and sell your services in the initial stages of marketing.

Devise a System to Set Your Business on Autopilot

Your objective is to institute a SYSTEM to achieve the maximum results with the minimum effort, and put your business on “Autopilot,” so that you can reduce the necessity of you having to constantly be there, and start to actually enjoy running your law firm. This system will inevitably make things easier. It will allow you to release control whilst enjoying more control. So, this is what you need to do – and there are four basic areas to set up your system.

i. Analyse and measure the current performance of your business, and then measure and track future performance; taking note of and recording your metrics, and performance indicators
ii. Improve and perfect your existing marketing channels, and the process of client conversions.
iii. Addition of new optimised marketing channels.
iv. Pricing. The prices you charge are the foundation of your business model. You need to ensure that your profit margins are sufficient for you to achieve financial freedom. At the heart of this is putting the client first and foremost and delivering an excellent service. Only then can you charge the prices and achieve the profits you deserve.

Conversions – A Biggie!

The Solicitors Marketing Club (SMC) helps you to differentiate yourself from the pack, get more enquiries, and convert more of your existing enquiries. This process of conversions is critical and must be the Starting Point for any Lawyer looking to grow his business. This may not be immediately attractive as other forms of marketing, but farming is easier than hunting, and this is where you should start. So a good place to start is the process by which your leads or enquiries become clients. This is critical to your business and improvements here will directly increase your income.

Step 1 is to measure your current conversion ratio i.e. the number of enquiries who become clients.

Step 2 is to analyse each stage of how incoming Leads are dealt with and improve it wherever possible. It is important to track them from the time they come in – they are the life blood of your business and should be treated as such. Such simple things as “How did you find us”, to how to answer the phone. Being as helpful as possible, putting the client first and taking a genuine interest in them, are all important. Can potential clients get access to actual lawyers when they want to discuss important issues? It is essential they do not get the feeling that they are being fobbed off or treated as a number.

Who deals with them? What do they say? If it is a receptionist or non-lawyer are they properly trained? Do they filter out promising leads? What protocols are in place? How can current systems be improved? Should I consider using a Call Centre? It may go against the grain and seem too “salesy” but in essence, you want to create a sales funnel with leads coming in one end and clients coming out the other and track the results. Sales funnels and Landing Pages are currently all the rage in Internet Marketing circles – if you want to learn more about them you can find out more at Clickfunnels.com or Convertri ( UK equivalent).

Step 3 assuming a lead gets past your gatekeeper and is properly directed, the enquiry enters another critical phase. It is at this stage that the lead normally speaks to a lawyer. There is plenty of scope for this to go wrong and so it is more important than ever that you follow the “Client First” formula. Remember that your lead is not a lawyer and will simply be confused at this early stage if you bamboozle them with legal issues. Rather, it is best to listen to what they have to say and gain their trust. People make purchase decisions from those they: know, like and trust.

Initial conversations are rarely about legal issues and more likely what they want and need. Far better to have meaningful conversations and try not to focus on price. Instead, it is preferable to concentrate on understanding their needs and give yourself the best chance of turning them into a paying client. Offer them a high quality, personal, attentive and professional service.

You may lose some leads who are in the business of price comparison, but your end game will pay dividends. The important point to remember is that you have to tailor your responses to the enquirer’s personal needs. Remember too that it is a case of horses for courses. If you find that one person in your firm is really good (or bad) at this task of empathising with enquirers, and meaningful conversations, then structure your funnel accordingly. As an aside, I would add that many people want to speak to a lawyer and do not like the idea of discussing matters with non-qualified personnel. You can make this part of your unique sales proposition that enquiries will be dealt with by expert lawyers!

Suffice to say, you should NEVER serve prospects anything less than the best your firm can be. Incidentally, this also applies to leads coming in via other forms of communication, such as emails. Always seek to engage and empathise, but not discuss or mention prices. That can come later – once the relationship is established.

Step 4 following up on leads is the last stage of the Conversion Process and is incredibly important since it represents an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and personal service. Did you know that many, if not most, solicitors do not follow up properly? You can employ phone calls, emails, text messages and post to follow up. The key is to deliver VALUE and differentiate yourself, so you stand out from the crowd. Enquirers should receive an email, follow up letter (NB. letters possibly carry more weight than previously, since they are rarely used these days) and a phone call detailing the enquiry response the very next day.

In most cases, it is prudent to contact them again some days later to follow up again if you have not had a response. The cost of this is negligible when compared to other marketing efforts, but the rewards in terms of increased conversions are great.

It is important to realise that enquiries are VALUABLE and cost money. Just divide the cost of marketing by the number of leads and voila – your cost per lead! Attaching a monetary value to leads can have the beneficial effect of taking them more seriously. Once you are satisfied that you have optimised your client conversion process you can turn your attention to getting new leads and enquries.

(NB. I am assuming that you comply with the latest GDPR legislation – Suzanne Dibble, an award winning solicitor has an excellent GDPR guide/Compliance Pack and check list )

Let’s Start Marketing

At the risk of repetition – it is critical that you put the client first in everything you do. Amazon has grown into the economic giant it is today by following the formula that the customer is king. Jeff Bezos realised this and constructed his business on this principle. Indeed, the whole concept of customer reviews has become an integral part of Amazon and may be seen everywhere today on sites like TripAdvisor etc.

How many times do you check out customer reviews before making a purchase? Your client has to be your #1 priority! You probably already receive leads (and hopefully clients) via word of mouth and referrals. This source of business is extremely important and should be rewarded and cultivated. By constantly delivering Value, having a Client First philosophy and a streamlined, efficient lead conversion process, you are already on the way towards putting this source of business on autopilot.

WARNING! In all cases, it is important to constantly monitor, measure and test performance so you know what is working. If you have a website, install Google Analytics and track your Key Performance Indicators such as Total Visitors, Page Views etc… this information is priceless.
Back in the day, all you needed was an entry in the Yellow Pages and perhaps your Local Chamber of Commerce Directory and you were all set for a steady stream of enquiries and leads. Things are more complicated these days but that does not mean it need be more difficult.
Recent advances in demographic targeting and artificial intelligence are opening up a lot of new possibilities. Digital marketing 2.0 is now upon us and is really exciting. Nearly everyone has a mobile phone which has the power of a PC and this means you can get your message out to everyone.

Beyond Websites – The Mobile Revolution, Artificial Intelligence and Bots

It is likely that your online strategy in general and website, in particular, was NOT created to deal with Online Marketing 2.0 in 2019. To find your Prospects you need to realise that they are now living in a Mobile, Multimedia world. For your marketing to succeed it must be predicated on a Mobile Strategy, and the chances are it is not. Many sectors are seeing their response rates crumble… but if you get it right, the opportunity for more business is actually greater and easier.

SHOCKING REVELATION! Your website is probably out of date and does not work on Mobile Devices. You may have made it “ Mobile Friendly” but the truth is that is not enough. Increasingly, viewers like to be able to scroll down the entire site and do not like to have to click through to other sections or pages. In fact many prefer that the entire site is to be found on one page. How many Solicitors sites conform to these new developments? If you want to see what a modern landing page looks like just click here; and be sure to view it on your mobile – and then look at your own site!

Whilst it is now essential that your site looks great on mobile devices – these days over 60% of your potential clients see your site on a mobile. It also has to load really quickly.

The 8 second Limit. On average, 50% of visitors leave your site within 8 seconds. Why?.. they are surfing and make an instant decision on the Value of your site. It must be compelling. Most website designers do not take this into account. When designing your site your focus should be on the 8 second test. It is also important to design your site so that it acts as your sales assistant, working 24/7 with the sole aim of collecting leads and making your phone ring. Many big, pretty sites do not serve the primary purpose they were built for and do not bring in enquiries. Sliders in the header and many contact forms are pretty much obsolete.

There is an internet myth (propagated by many website builders) that if you build a big, beautiful website they will come and if you build a big beautiful website it will attract visitors -the idea you can sell immediately to people online does not usually work.
Instead, the purpose of your website should be to begin a relationship with a customer. Give them something of value, i.e. a video, free consultation or information in exchange for their email/contact details. This is permission-based marketing. If you try to sell something you may achieve 1 sale out of 100 visitors; however, permission-based marketing can increase this by up to 25 people.

NB. There is a dilemma that you may encounter here. Mobile friendly sites need to be simple, but to properly show your legal services to good effect you may require a considerable amount of content, and it is true that Google likes Content. For this reason, I also recommend adding a Blog to your site and posting regular content.

I have seen legal sites that feature at least 10 pages per service. If you concentrate on adding excellent original content, thoughtfully laid out, with suitable images and video then you can develop a substantial website. You may consider using specific landing pages which are very fast loading and convey a simple message to the enquirer to elicit a response for your marketing campaigns.

People are often “on the go” and want to have facilities like “Click to Call “or” Click to Email.” In a word they want SIMPLICITY. You have to make it easy for people to contact you and want to contact you. Avoid disclosing prices if possible, but state that initial consultations are free. Importantly, you have to demonstrate that you are the trusted professional that they are looking for and provide proof in the form of reviews or testimonials.

Another Internet Marketing 2.0 feature that is often lacking on most solicitor’s websites is video. Online video is vital on the website. Silent websites are like silent movies. People do not like them. Your internet presence should now be on a multimedia level. Embrace the new technologies – don’t be scared of them. Speaking to potential clients in this way can increase engagement by 200%.

Putting video on your site is not as hard as you might think. One easy way is to arrange a simple interview and reply to the commonly asked questions in your business. This can be done with a smart phone. You do not need to be concerned about creating a Hollywood movie. Take imperfect action. People like genuine people, imperfections and all!

Remember that your site should be easy to navigate and have a natural flow so the visitor can easily understand how to find the information. It should also have a loud and clear CALL TO ACTION inviting them to contact you for a no obligation complimentary consultation.

Your Online Reputation, Reviews, Directory Citations, Google My Business & Local Maps

These days people are increasingly interested in reviews and the more the better! It is amazing how few sites feature good reviews from satisfied clients. Moreover, hardly any feature reviews on directories other than Google. You should not forget that you should have Directory entries (called citations) in all the major UK directories i.e. Google, Yelp, Facebook, Yell, Yahoo, Bing etc. These must be entered in a very precise and consistent fashion or they will show as errors and could actually be counterproductive. However, having these (and more!) correct entries will help you to show up on the first page of Google local search and enable potential clients to find you!

For this reason, the focus of our SMC Pro Package is on the Top Directory sites to ensure your listings are entered correctly and that your Review Process is properly configured and up and running! You can test this package for 30 days for just a £1.

Finally, a word about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO.) Many marketing companies are obsessed with SEO. This is the practice of manipulating search results to get higher listings… you should not do this … better to work with Google. This does not mean that you should not optimise your site with the correct titles and tags or have backlinks to your site. This is desirable if it complies with Google’s terms of service. Kindly note that the SMC offers a complimentary website analysis & guide so that you can see exactly how to do this.

Email Marketing

People are scared of this … but the truth is that most people make more money from email marketing than their websites. Keeping in touch with clients is really valuable. Many even send daily emails.

There is an old marketing expression that the money is in the list. Marketing from your list is efficient and easy. The key here is action. Simply set up a system whereby all enquiry emails (subject to GDPR) are transferred to your list. It may be worth automating this process with what is known as an autoresponder. I use one called Aweber. They are one of the market leaders.

There is a small monthly charge, but they do offer a free trial so you can take it for a test drive! The beauty of this software is that it enables you to build sequences of emails in advance and then put them on autopilot. So, for example, you could send out an ebook in one email and then discuss points of interest in another, invite them to call in for a free consultation in the next week etc.

NB. Autoresponders use a system called double opt in which is permission based and confirms that the subscriber has requested to join your list.

When deciding what to send out, it is important to focus on adding value for the subscriber. Never attempt to sell your services but seek to build trust. If you add value, your emails will not be perceived as a nuisance or even worse, spam. However, always ensure that the Unsubscribe process is clearly visible and simple. The aim is to consistently remind subscribers that you are the authority in the area. The tactics to use here are similar to those that you can employ on social media to build your profile i.e. getting people to know, like and trust you.

I would add that many marketing books have been written on the subject of emails. Suffice to say that plain text emails are normally the best option. Keep the subject line short, but enticing – it should elicit curiosity. The body of the email should be interesting and offer value so that the prospect thinks about your services. Remember that your reader is not a lawyer, so avoid complex jargon and do not give everything away. The aim here is to stimulate action on the part of the reader i.e. perhaps to call or visit the website for more details. Check out this “ what to write” pdf…complete with free templates!

Postscript: Marketers are constantly complaining that email open rates are falling. Whilst it is true that email is not what it used to be, the critical factor in whether it works for you is whether you are delivering VALUABLE INFORMATION to your subscriber. If it passes this test then email marketing will work and you will be able to increase the frequency that you contact your database.

Pay Per Click

Google Adwords is brilliant and is perhaps the most revolutionary thing to hit marketing in the past 10 years – and it is getting better. Right now people are searching for your service on Google and if you are not there you are losing out. If you are not doing PPC on Google you should do it and become really good at it.

The advantage here is that your advertisement is ONLY seen by prospects who have typed their search term into Google. Google Ads today is more effective than ever. AI and superior targeting place it firmly in the realm of Internet Marketing 2.0. It is possible with Google Ads to only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. Think about this for a moment! You are only paying for interested leads – isn’t that wonderful?

Setting up Google Ads campaigns is complex and best done by professionals. You will get a better return on investment and not wasted money.

Bing & Yahoo operate a similar system and are actually cheaper. I would highly recommend also using them since they can give you around 25% of your PPC leads.

10. Social Media Posts eg. Facebook, LinkedIn

Looking through the vacancies on Indeed.com recently I was shocked by how many jobs are being advertised for legal marketing. It is clear that may firms, particularly larger ones, are hiring marketing experts. If you hire the right one then this may be a great solution, but what if you cannot afford this or cannot find the right person – then what?

These days having a website is simply not enough. You also need to be found on Social Media. Having a Facebook page and putting up the occasional post or ad does not really help. Similarly, getting Likes does not really help and marketing should only be carried out if it produces income.

Developing your brand, and your authority with Social Media is and will become increasingly important. Also, tapping into Facebook’s targeting power and AI allows you to acquire clients, practically on demand. The costs associated with this revolutionary new development are insanely low and it is essential that you are conversant with the opportunities this offers you.

With the SMC I strive to stay on the cutting edge, and I am happy to share. One case in point is the emergence of Facebook Messenger as a communication platform and list building tool. While email open rates are dropping, Messenger Open rates are often near 100%. It can, therefore, pay to use Messenger as a means of communication with your prospects. Coupled with this innovation is the emergence of Messenger chat bots.

These can vary from a simple response which works 24/7 to complex funnels utilising AI. We are in the process of customising one of the best chat bots out there, Cleverchat, for use by solicitors… watch this space!

“Finally, a word of advice. Recent changes in the Google and Facebook algorithms and the increasing complexity of Google Ads, Google Maps/My Business are plunging us into what we may call Internet Marketing 2.0.

The transition from Internet Marketing 1.0 is well underway. Previously, you could still get leads and business from most websites as long as they were mobile friendly and had an Enquiry Form. People were patient with loading speeds and took the time to fill out forms on mobile devices as well as desk or laptop computers. They were not really concerned with online reviews and so the transition from the old Yellow Pages books to Digital Marketing 1.0 was relatively painless.

There are bumps in the road – like getting an SSL security certificate or GDPR compliance. However, the continued rise and pre-eminence of Mobile Devices and continued lack of attention span coupled with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning has created a situation where doing it yourself successfully is increasingly difficult, but at least knowing what is out there helps you to make the right decisions for your Business!”