Attorney Advertising - Personal Injury TV ads

A blog is a good way to reach out to potential clients and let them know there is a real person behind the name. It shows that you take enough interest in your field to write about it on a regular basis, and that you have a desire to keep your readers up-to-date on the latest developments.

Blogging can be an easy way to capitalize on your marketing dollars, but it should not be approached haphazardly. There are some tricks to successful blogging.

Your posts should appear on a regular, consistent basis.

While your blog may be rather personal and informal, for many readers that is the draw of a blog, it still needs to be consistent with your brand. It doesn’t hurt to throw in something fun now and then, but overall you should keep your posts relevant.

When readers comment on your blog you need to respond and respond in a timely fashion. It is a direct reflection of the attention and respect you give to your clients. When a potential client posts a comment and it goes ignored, they will expect their phone calls to be treated the same way.

Many of your potential clients will not post a comment at all, but they will look at the comments and your responses, and they will form judgments. If they see that you are involved and responding on your blog, they will feel more confident about getting personal treatment when they hire you.

Your response should be relevant, not just the same automatic response to every comment, but you do not have to compose a lengthy response to every comment.

Following are a few effective law firm blogs:

• Orlando, Florida Personal Injury Attorney Blog
• National Injury Law and Criminal Defense Blog
• Oklahoma Accident Lawyer Blog
• New York Medical Malpractice Attorney Blog
  

These are just a few things you need to know about blogging. I would be happy to help you learn more about putting a blog to work for you, without turning it into a time sink. Please email me or call me with questions.

More and more people are abandoning phone books for the internet. Many people still keep the latest books, but rarely if ever use them - choosing to do Google searches instead. When you combine that with the number and size of law firm ads in the Yellow Pages - as well as the cost of Yellow Page advertising, it may seem like a waste of money to continue to buy full page or double truck yellow page ads.

Here are some considerations:

1. Some people still use the Yellow Pages, but that number is declining each year.
2. If you have a strong Internet presence - where you show up high on the Google, Yahoo MSN and Ask search results for searches like "_____ personal injury lawyer", "______ accident attorney", "malpractice attorney", etc., you should consider a significant reduction in your Yellow Page advertising budget.
3. Not every potential client has access to the Internet. For example, a victim's family may be staying in the hospital for the first few days following a catastrophic accident. The Yellow Pages may be where they turn to find a lawyer. For these people, it may make sense to maintain a presence in the Yellow Pages - to make it easier for people to look up your name or your firm's name. While most people who already know you by reputation or through your advertising campaign will get your phone number through the Internet, many will look you up in the Yellow Pages or the White Pages. A small presence in the phone books - possibly just a Bold listing or an In-Column Listing should be enough to serve this purpose.
4. At Network Affiliates, some of our clients still generate business through the Yellow Pages. In most of these cases, however, they are on the back cover or the spine. A few have found success by having a presence in smaller books outside of the main metro area. However, the vast majority of our clients are telling us that they want to find a way out of the Yellow Pages because they are not as effective as they have been.
5. Tracking is key. You have to use unique phone numbers. When people call using these numbers, dig a little. Did they just look you up because of your ongoing branding through your law firm's TV advertising campaign or did they actually find your ad in the Yellow Pages.
   
6. Several of our clients have significantly reduced their Yellow Page expenditures and seen almost no drop in intake volume.
7. Yellow Page reps make it really hard to reduce the size of your ad. Often, they will even charge you more for smaller ads. Some of my clients have reported that this is the straw that broke the camel's back and caused them to completely abandon anything more than bold listings in Yellow Pages.
   

If you choose to continue Yellow Page advertising, monitor the results carefully to make sure they are really working for you.

Contact Network Affiliates today to learn more about evaluating Yellow Page advertising for lawyers.

Your clients need to know that you are the best at what you do and that you can win. They also need a reason to believe that you are fighting for them, not just your take.

How does giving back help them believe that? It shows that you care about something other than yourself. It can show that you care about helping people and about justice.

You should be proudly advertising your pro bono work, the donations you make, and any volunteering that you and your family participate in. Do you support any non-profits with free legal help? Let your clients know, and let them know why it is a cause that you personally believe in.

Have you adopted a dog from your local Humane Society for your kids? Work it into the conversation. It shows that you are a regular person with a heart. Do you remember what a hot news item the Obama's dog decision was and the huge public call for them to adopt a dog from a shelter? There is a reason for that. If you can capitalize on it you should.

Donations and volunteer work can also be a great form of "free" advertising. Donations can buy you a plaque, a listing and a link on a high profile website, and a mention in a newsletter or other publication. Volunteering can get you in the paper or on the news.

Your potential clients are looking for someone who can get the job done, but it is just human nature to want to work with someone who you believe is a good person and who you feel supports the issues that are important to you. Let them know that you are a real, caring, and well-rounded person who uses your success for good, not just for yourself.

For more ideas on how to let your clients and potential clients know how you give back, and how to make that work for you, contact Network Affiliates today.

Your marketing plan must include staying in touch with your existing clients. You've already done the work of getting their attention, bringing them in, gaining their trust, and proving first hand that you can deliver. Most of the work is done, but you can't afford to neglect them now. If you can keep your brand on top of their minds, they can be some of your greatest marketing assets.

Repeat business
It may seem obvious to you that when a former client is injured or involved in an accident, he will just pick up the phone and call you. Some will, but some may need a reminder. Maybe they've lost your contact number. They may not realize you handle a specific type of claim or for some other reason think that you can't help them with their current needs. Or, they may simply put their need for an attorney on the back burner and neglect to call you.

Your marketing plan should include reminding your clients that you are there, and making sure that they are aware of all of the services you offer, not just what you have done for them in the past.

Referrals
No matter how much your clients love you, most of them have other things on their minds. Many may not even realize that you would welcome referrals. Not only do you need to stay in front of your clients and in their minds, you should be letting them know that you appreciate referrals. And when you see them in person, make it easy for them by giving them more than one business card.

Client relationship marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies available to a lawyer. The keys are consistency and effectiveness of your marketing communications. You have to do it right. The experienced legal marketing team at Network Affiliates can help you with this process. Let us help you make the most of this valuable resource that is already at your fingertips.