Network Affiliates

Tools Needed To Buy Media In This World

2010-02-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

What tools do you have in your advertising arsenal? Are you able to know exactly what your competitors’ schedules are so you can “out-position” them?

Research suggests that for every client you engage you miss nearly 20 others. That means missing out on almost 95% of potential clients. Imagine what it would do for your case intake if you could reach even a portion of them. So, how can you do it? How can you acquire more clients?

Invest In Competitive Tools
Does your ad agency or media buying service allow you to completely and comprehensively know exactly where your other competitors are placing their commercials? Do you have this information at your fingertips when you are planning your media buy so that you can better strategize and work around crowded TV environments? Buying without this knowledge is like going to court without completing discovery of the defense’s case.

When was the last time you dissected your media plan?

If you haven’t done it in the last five years, you might not even be aware of the tools that are available to you today. Cutting-edge market-analysis technology, database mining and media tracking devices are helping law firms compete more effectively than ever in the marketplace. Your competitors are using these tools. If you’re not, you could be handing them the lion’s share of potential clients.

You Don’t Have To Do This Alone
As a lawyer and business owner, there are some marketing tactics only you can affect. For instance, you cannot hire someone to take your colleagues out to lunch or to maintain significant referral relationships. But, there are many aspects of legal marketing and advertising that do not require your personal involvement. Selecting and purchasing the best tools for media planning and placement is definitely in that category.

At Network Affiliates, we have invested in these tools so you don’t have to. We use sophisticated media software that allows us to determine the demographics, ratings, share and reach for programs, stations, and dayparts in all 211 markets. We have access to all of your competitors’ TV ads. We know what ads they are running, where they are running them and how much they are spending, so we are educated and informed to spend your money wisely.

Our clients have the advantage of knowledge. Shouldn’t you?

TV Messaging... Where is Your Silver Bullet?

2010-02-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

You may assume that as long as you are on TV and your ad is well placed, it will be effective. Getting your name and number out there is not enough. Television is still the most powerful advertising medium for law firms, but if your message gets lost in a sea of other ads you may as well throw your advertising dollars out the window.

Too many law firm advertisements look alike and say the same thing. Even if you are sending the message that speaks to your target audience, if your ads don’t stand out, your prospect may wind up calling someone else, even when she had you in mind in the first place.

Think about it. A prospective client needs to hire a personal injury lawyer. She vaguely remembers having seen your ad, but can’t remember your law firm’s name or phone number. She is watching TV hoping to see your ad again to write down your number and call you. Another law firm’s ad appears. It is basically what she remembered. So, she writes down the other firm’s name and phone number and makes the call.

With so many attorneys advertising on TV, how can you prevent this from happening? There is no easy answer. It takes time. It requires some serious competitive intelligence. It requires a dedicated and committed advertising and marketing team with the ability to develop a message that will set you apart – an ad campaign that won’t be confused with all the other lawyers on the air. You need to be sure that when a prospect wants to call you, she remembers your ad, and your law firm, and calls the right number.

And, don’t fall in love with your own TV ad. Maybe you came up with the creative concept. Your partners, associates, and your friends and family all love it. Remember, that the concept and the message that you love may not resonate with your potential clients. It doesn’t matter how much you love it, if it doesn’t speak to your potential clients, it needs to go. You have to put yourself in their shoes, or work with someone who can.

The creative team at Network Affiliates has over 28 years experience developing messages and ad campaigns that generate business for lawyers. We understand how to put ourselves in your clients’ shoes. We know what stands out, and which messages speak to the people you need to reach. We know the difference between a message that sounds great and a message that will get your prospects to call you. Please, contact us today to learn how you can send the right message – and get more business.

Toll Free Vanity Phone Numbers

2010-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

At first glance, everybody loves the idea of a toll free vanity number. It’s catchy, it makes you feel clever, and everyone will remember it so that’s the number they will automatically dial when they need an attorney, right? Not necessarily.

Vanity numbers can be very effective, but they do not always deliver the promised benefits. Many of our clients have found that they get excellent results from a simple phone number that is easy to remember, such as one with repeating numbers. The key to success is not just the number, but the effectiveness of your law firm advertising campaign that brands the number in the mind of your prospective client.

Getting Value out of Toll Free Vanity Numbers is Not Simple
Getting real value out of a vanity number requires more than just a catchy name or word in replace of digits.

It must be a seven digit word, one that people will not confuse with something similar. It must use 800, rather than the alternatives 888, 877, or 866 for most people to actually remember it. To really milk the value out of a vanity number, your branding has to be consistent over a long period of time and emphasize the number in your law firm’s TV, radio and print ads.

A Few Concerns about Vanity Numbers
Some vanity numbers will generate wrong number phone calls for you; an annoyance, but one you could live with. However, your potential clients may reach the wrong place of business if they do not remember the number precisely, and that can cost you business. This is more likely if your vanity number is not an 800 number (888, 877, or 866).

Vanity numbers may irritate some people who struggle with converting the letters to numbers. This may become more problematic as consumers convert to smart phones with full keypads. If you look at your blackberry, you can see that the numbers and the letters don’t match up with a traditional phone keypad.

Network Affiliates can Help
Sometimes the flashy concepts backfire. With over 28 years of experience in attorney advertising, the marketing experts at Network Affiliates have learned the difference between costly marketing gimmicks and comprehensive marketing strategies that really work. If a vanity number will help your advertising campaign, we will tell you – and, because we have relationships with several vanity number providers, we can help you get a good one. Contact us today to learn more about effective phone numbers and other “little things” that can mean big ROI for your law firm’s marketing campaign.

Tracking Your Advertising

2010-01-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

Be honest.... YOU ARE NOT TRACKING. How can you make intelligent decisions when you do not know what is working?

You know you need to track the effectiveness of your advertising. You need to know what works and what doesn’t so you can stop doing the things that do not work and keep doing the things that do work. But, do you really know how to track?

You ask the prospective caller…So, where did you hear of us?
They say they “saw you on radio”. Maybe the yellow pages, maybe TV. Maybe on a sandwich board on 8th and Main Street?

Tracking is complex. You cannot simply sit back and guess. You may assume that your phones are ringing more this week because of a new ad, and you may be wrong. It could be a minor change in your law firm’s media buy, a flurry of hits on your law firm website, or maybe an older ad has just started driving the message home and picking up business. Or, you may be right, but those calls may not be quality calls that result in new cases.

You are probably familiar with some of the old, basic ad tracking techniques such as tying a special phone number to a particular ad campaign or the promotional codes that retailers sometimes use. Today, you must have a much more sophisticated tracking system in place, and it must be comprehensive.

Just think of all of your marketing and advertising tactics. Of course, you must track your TV and radio ads, but you also need to track your online advertising. (You should insist that your website marketing firm uses Google Analytics.) As you branch out into social media, you need to track the effectiveness of your posts. That includes the comments you make on other blogs. Even if you participate for your own pleasure, it is still marketing and you need to track it.

Obviously, technology can help you with your tracking on many levels, but you also need to ask your clients why they decided to call your firm in the first place. Gather all this information in your client management software such as Needles, Client Profiles, etc. If your firm’s software doesn’t help you evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing, you should be looking for some new software….

When you make marketing decisions based on guesswork, even guesswork that seems logical, you are just throwing your money and time around aimlessly. Not only do you risk dumping money into something that does not work, you may wind up pulling your best ad because you do not know it is bringing in business.

Also, gather information from your colleagues about what their tracking data shows. At our semi-annual client networking meetings, our clients share this information with each other and it makes them stronger and more effective. As an ad agency that has been working with law firms since 1981, we also have years of empirical data about what works and what doesn’t. It all comes into play.

When you start to get the picture of how tracking really works and what is involved, it can be overwhelming. You do not have to do all this yourself. Network Affiliates has a proprietary tracking system called AdTrack that we use in combination with your advertising, so you can really evaluate the effectiveness of your legal advertising campaigns. Contact us today to find out how you can finally track your advertising and make the best marketing decisions.

Do You Have a Referral Strategy?

2010-01-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

If your best cases come from referrals, why don’t have a comprehensive referral strategy? A better question may be: do you even have a simple plan in place to generate referral business?

With everything else you do, The BEST cases come from Referral, Agree?

The quality of the cases is high, and people who are referred to you by someone they trust are much more likely to contact and work with you than those who consider you a stranger. Referrals mean being vouched for; you skip the part where potential clients are still trying to decide if you are really above board or any good at what you do. Many people even feel obligated to work with someone who has been recommended to them, whether it is for legal services or another type of service.

But, you already now all of this, right? So, why aren’t you tapping into it?

WHY?

It is easy to think of referrals as something that just happen. Of course your friends, colleagues, and existing clients are going to send business your way. They know you, they like you, and they know that you are the right person for the job. That is probably all true, but you probably are not the first thing on their minds unless you put yourself there.

Your referral base does not just operate quietly and effectively in the background without some stimulation on your part. You must maintain active relationships with your clients and other lawyers for this resource to work for you. A haphazard approach, intending to get in touch, will not make it happen. You must have a plan and stick to it.

You can start with the basics.

Top of Mind Awareness – Client Relationship Management for Lawyers - Communicate with your clients regularly; greeting cards, newsletters (e-newsletters), any kind of communication to keep you on their minds. Pick one and be consistent.

Being consistent is the key to succeeding in Advertising!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Social Media Networking offers a tremendous tool to generate referrals, but, as with the others, you must be consistent. Set up a Facebook Fan Page for your law firm – and post on it regularly. Talk about your successes. Talk about how you contribute to the community. Post video as well as text comments. Take advantage of LinkedIn to build your professional network. Join groups and post comments about issues relating to your areas of expertise. There are many more opportunities here, but you have to have a plan and stick to it.

Network… Network… Network… Call other attorneys, take them out to lunch, attend events, and make these activities a part of your schedule. Do not wait until you get around to it. Rotate who you contact. Make a list and make sure you so not just focus on the people whose company you enjoy most. Do prioritize your list according to those who you know are your best referral sources.

Your law firm’s advertising campaign can help with this, but if that is all you do, you will miss out on some big cases. Keep in mind that your ad campaign will help with this only if you develop an effective brand within your community.

Do not forget to thank people for referrals. It will keep them coming. Do it right away and make it sincere, personal and meaningful. When appropriate give a heartfelt gift.

To learn more about creating a comprehensive plan for harvesting referrals, contact Network Affiliates today.

Group Advertising Programs – Do They Work?

2010-01-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

Group advertising programs work for some firms, some of the time. In our experience, the key to success is using a group or network with strong brand name recognition. A good example of this is the Jacoby & Meyers Legal Network. This program works because of the Jacoby & Meyers brand name, which dates back more than thirty years.

Without the brand name, however, group advertising campaigns can be an ineffective use of your limited legal advertising budget. No matter what your budget, you need to ensure that you generate the maximum return on your investment.

What You May or May Not Get From Group Advertising

With a group advertising campaign you pool your budget with a number of other law firms. One reason to participate may be your desire to maintain your anonymity. Another common reason applies to law firms in large markets that may be unable to afford the expense of an effective advertising campaign on their own. The group or network approach may enable you to reach a larger audience than you could afford to reach on your own.

There are a few potential downsides: You need to ensure that the agency managing the campaign actually invests the bulk of the group’s advertising dollars into the media. Avoid group advertising programs that lack name recognition and do not guaranty that a specific portion of your investment goes into the media buy.

Another risk with a group advertising campaign is turnover within the group. Many group campaigns lose participants because some members of the group generate more leads – or are more effective at converting their leads – than others. When this happens, the group advertising budget may decline causing the lead volume to decline for everyone. Again, it pays to go with an established group with a strong brand and name recognition to minimize this risk.

What You Know You Will Not Get

One thing you know up-front that you will not get from group marketing is any kind of personal name recognition or branding. Just remember that branding does bring long-term value. When your potential clients know who you are, they can seek you out in their time of need and at their convenience. In the long run, the brand recognition will add value and increase your referrals

With over 28 years of experience in attorney marketing, Network Affiliates knows how to create a marketing strategy that will be effective for your firm within your budget, giving you the best value for every dollar you spend. Please, contact us today to learn more about your options.

So What Do you Do Story......

2010-01-05T14:56:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a pleasant New Years.
I went to a party and each time I met someone they asked..."So what do you do"?
How do you generally respond to this question? Most lawyers I know just say: "I’m an attorney."
Responding in this way means nothing, relays no benefits and is boring.
The real response should focus on what value and benefits you bring to the table.
In other words, if you’re an IP lawyer, why not state, "I protect the trade secrets and intellectual property of companies so they can maintain a competitive advantage."
Or, "I’m a personal injury attorney and I help injured people make sure they get fully compensated for their injuries."
Another style of "elevator pitch" can be:
1. Ask a question like..."Do you know how when people decide to end their marriage they are overwhelmed by all the decisions they have to make concerning property, custody, and support"?
2. "What I do is protect and help people gain control of all these issues by providing them cost effective legal advice every step of the way so they can protect their assets and provide them peace of mind during a difficult time in their life."

Can you see the difference it will make when you answer the question with what you actually can do for the person?
A unique and benefit-laden elevator speech will not only set you apart from other lawyers, but will show your prospects the value you deliver.
These two different ideas will set up apart every time someone asks ...so what do you do?
Stay well.
Cole
http://www.Findcareersuccess.com
(609) 306-8098
The Silver Group Ltd.
8 Dorchester Lane, Suite A
Moorestown, NJ
08057
US

Civil Rights Hero Falls From Grace:

2010-01-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

Following is an interesting article I found on CNN. It is worth reading.

Bobby DeLaughter, the prosecutor who secured the conviction in the infamous Medgar Evers Mississippi murder case, is himself now headed to prison.It was DeLaughter's dogged 1994 prosecution and the subsequent conviction of Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith that helped trigger the reopening of dozens of civil rights cold cases.

DeLaughter became an instant hero of the civil rights movement. Alec Baldwin portrayed him in the 1996 movie, "Ghosts of Mississippi," and his closing statement was once dubbed one of the greatest closing arguments in modern law.

A Fall From Grace

Bobby DeLaughter, who is best known for successfully prosecuting a white supremacist in the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers, was to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence Monday for lying to the FBI during a corruption probe. Here, DeLaughter appears in court July 30 in Aberdeen, Miss.

Ryan Moore, AP

"Is it ever too late to do the right thing?" DeLaughter told the jury of eight blacks and four whites. "For the sake of justice and the hope of us as a civilized society, I sincerely hope and pray that it's not."DeLaughter would go on to become a state judge in 2002. His years in the robe came to an end in 2009, when DeLaughter pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for lying to an FBI agent in a far-reaching corruption probe that has rocked Mississippi's judicial system.

When DeLaughter was sentenced in November, Byron De La Beckwith's son sat in the chamber wearing a Confederate flag pin on his red blazer. His father had also worn a Confederate pin during the 1994 trial.DeLaughter is to begin serving his 18-month prison sentence today at a facility in Kentucky."

The man has now been destroyed, politically and economically. It's that serious," said Charles Evers, the brother of Medgar Evers.He said he is trying to raise money to help pay DeLaughter's expenses while he's in prison. "What can we do but fight for a man who fought for us?" he said. "I want DeLaughter to know I'm behind him 100 percent."DeLaughter's attorney, Tom Durkin, refused CNN's request to speak to the prosecutor-turned-judge ahead of his incarceration."

Bobby DeLaughter remains a civil rights hero, and nothing is going to tarnish that," Durkin said. "The penalty he's paying is enormous, and I think it's sad and unfortunate. But that's simply the way it is."

Over the past month, CNN spoke with more than a dozen lawyers in Mississippi about DeLaughter's fall from grace. They paint a picture of an ambitious man with a brilliant legal mind who ran afoul of the law -- of friends betraying friends and of big-time money corrupting the system. Some take delight in his downfall; others call it a tragedy that has stained the legal community.In the end, the lawyers said, DeLaughter trusted one man too much: his mentor, Ed Peters, who exploited their friendship and then turned on DeLaughter to avoid prison."

This is a Shakespearean tragedy in the sense that a person falls from grace due to their own character defects -- in this case, misplaced trust in a friend and, perhaps, some combination of ambition and hubris," said Matt Steffey, a law professor at Mississippi College School of Law.

The story of DeLaughter going from civil rights hero to convicted felon is complicated, involving years of contentious litigation in his courtroom.At the heart of the case is Dickie Scruggs, a high-powered lawyer who made tens of millions of dollars in tobacco and asbestos litigation. Scruggs is the brother-in-law of former Sen. Trent Lott and is now serving seven years in prison for trying to influence Mississippi judges, including DeLaughter.

According to prosecutors, Scruggs wanted to get to DeLaughter through his mentor, Peters, to try to influence DeLaughter's ruling in a high-stakes case, potentially worth $15 million. Peters received $1 million in illicit payments as compensation for his actions, prosecutors say. Peters was granted immunity in exchange for his cooperation."

Mississippi would like to shake its image of being tied to civil rights crimes and the good ole boy network, and we see these two things overlap here," Steffey said."

It's enormously unfortunate for a person like Judge DeLaughter who, at the very least, accomplished heroic things with bringing Byron De La Beckwith to justice. And it's tragic for the people of Mississippi -- that the end story here is that he is a corrupt judge in prison."

DeLaughter has denied taking any money in the case or that he was improperly influenced. In his guilty plea, he admits to only obstruction of justice; the more serious charges of involvement in a bribery scheme and mail fraud conspiracy were dismissed as part of the deal."

To me, he is a tragic figure because he had a good career and he threw it away," said attorney Bill Kirksey. "He became an embarrassment to the legal community, to the judicial community and, I would hope, to himself."Kirksey has an ax to grind with DeLaughter. He was one of the attorneys representing the client who stood to gain millions in the case at hand.

Kirksey and DeLaughter also trained under the same attorney several decades ago; Kirksey believes DeLaughter turned his back on everything they learned."Bobby DeLaughter betrayed every single oath he ever took. He betrayed the whole system of justice that we live by," Kirksey said."You measure a man by the whole of his life, not part of it. When the measure of the man is that he's dishonest in the end, then you have to wonder why he did anything in the beginning."

Merrida Coxwell was one of two lawyers who represented De La Beckwith in the 1994 trial. He has known DeLaughter for three decades, first as a defense attorney, then a prosecutor and finally as a judge."

Quite frankly, I thought he was a very moderate, straight-down-the-line judge," he said.

He was shocked when allegations first surfaced. For a judge to be caught up in such a scandal, Coxwell said, is unfathomable. "If you can't have justice inside the justice system, then it's no good at all."

Morris Dees, the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, represented Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers -- the NAACP leader who was gunned down in his driveway on June 12, 1963.He says only one man had the guts to seek prosecution in the case when two previous trials years before ended without convictions."

If Bobby DeLaughter hadn't been around, it would never have happened. I can guarantee you that," Dees said. "It was the first modern-day prosecution of one of these old civil-rights-era murders, and it resulted in the prosecution and convictions of a large number later."

DeLaughter's bravery in seeking justice in the Evers case, Dees said, makes it tough to swallow his more recent failings as a judge. "Certainly, when a judge is put in prison and pleads guilty," Dees said, "it certainly tarnishes his legal and judicial reputation."Charles Evers said he will continue fighting for the man who fought so valiantly for his brother. "

We will do whatever's necessary to help him get over his dilemma, and I'll say that over and over again."Evers blasted prosecutors for offering immunity to Ed Peters, DeLaughter's mentor who avoided jail time even though he was the one accepting illicit payments. "

The man who squealed on him should be going to jail," Evers said."

I hope that some day justice will be fair and equal. ... It's not fair and equal in this case."

Creating Your Law Firm’s Brand

2009-12-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Creating your law firm’s brand is one of the first steps to effective marketing. When done correctly this is a powerful tool that carries your message and sets the tone for your marketing campaigns. It becomes easily recognizable and it has meaning. The goal is to establish positive and accurate brand recognition.

In order to do this, we must start with authenticity. Your brand must be created to fit your firm. It must realistically represent who you are and you must be able to live up to what it promises. A great looking logo and catchy slogan will get you nowhere if they do not accurately represent your firm. Recognition generates expectations.

When creating your brand we take many factors into consideration. How do you want to represent yourself? What sets your firm apart from all the others? Who are you trying to reach? How do you want them to remember you? Always bringing the answers back around to check, does this really fit?

If not, is it what you are striving to become and can you make the necessary changes? You see, branding is more than just your name, logo, and colors. It is not just how you are represented. It must be backed up in person. It is a two way street, and everyone in your firm is a part of it.

When you work with Network Affiliates in creating your brand, we get to know you so the results align with who you really are, send a positive message, and you maintain that branding, that image, naturally.

Client Communication Strategies

2009-11-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

If you are putting all of your marketing budget and energy into bringing in new clients you are missing out on your most effective audience – your existing clients. They know you, they like you, and they know that you get results for them. That doesn’t mean they are always thinking about you, though. You need to stay fresh on their minds. You do not have to convince them of anything, just remind them that you are there and let them know about services you offer that they may not be aware of or remember.

Network Affiliates’ creative services can help you stay in touch with your clients with a variety of client communication tools so you can mix it up and keep their attention.

Oversized post cards let you say more to your clients, but still get their attention because the message is right there in front of them without having to open anything. They are brief and to the point and lead your client to your website to learn more. They can be used for announcements or they can be educational.

Custom law firm brochures remind your clients of who you are and what you do. They are in line with your firm’s branding so it is not just another brochure that goes straight from the mailbox to the trash can. They will go into your client’s files for quick reference, much like a takeout menu.

Firm video brochures combine the best aspects of direct mail and television advertising. They have the power that only video can deliver and you know unquestionably that they are reaching your target audience. Your client will know that you made a special effort to deliver this important information to them.

Mail inserts are an inexpensive, but effective way to let your clients know about services you offer that they have not yet taken advantage of.

Greeting cards remind them that you are human. You are thoughtful and courteous and you really do take the time to remember them.

Contact the law firm marketing specialists at Network Affiliates today to learn more about effective client communication strategies for law firms.

Writing an Effective Press Release

2009-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

To be effective your press release must first get published and second it must get your readers’ attention.

In order to get your press release published you must strictly follow submission guidelines. Contact every media outlet you plan to send your press release to for the most current guidelines, including the format in which they prefer to receive it as this may change over time.

Before you begin, you need to think about some questions yourself. Should you be writing a press release at all? Is it news? Why will people want to read about this? Is this useful information? Why and how will it prompt readers to take action (call you)? The answers to these questions should guide your writing. Remember this is news, not an advertisement (even though it really is marketing).

Be timely. Is this relevant today? Does it relate to current events? It doesn’t necessarily have to, but you need to think about why this is news today. It could be as simple as announcing your own event or accomplishment. If you are announcing an accomplishment, ask yourself why anyone should care. Does it do anything for or mean anything to your readers or are you just tooting your own horn?

Your opening will make or break the press release. You must get your readers’ attention with the headline and in the first sentence, so these should get the most of your attention when writing your final draft. Make your point in the first paragraph. Make it an overview that lets them know why they should read on. Save the details for later.

Don’t get fluffy, and leave out the exclamation points. Avoid flowery language, and excessive adjectives, but do use strong adjectives where appropriate. Your press release does not need to be long; it needs to be powerful. If you find yourself padding with unnecessary words for length, maybe you don’t really have anything to say.

Do include the pertinent details – who, what, when, where, and why. You are trying to motivate your readers to take some kind of action, so don’t leave them hanging. Do not assume that they will be so impressed that they will do their own research. Give them the information they need.

Include every contact option you can, and double or triple check to make such it is accurate with no typos. An incredible press release with one wrong digit in the phone number or a typo in your email address may as well not exist. Again, do not expect your audience to be so motivated that they will look up the right phone number if the one you provide does not work for them.

For more tips on writing an effective press release, please contact Network Affiliates today.

Are You Capturing All of Your Calls?

2009-11-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

When your marketing works potential clients are motivated to pick up the phone. They should be encouraged to call 24/7 so that they do it now while it’s fresh on their mind instead of forgetting or putting it on that never-completed to-do list. If you do not capture and respond to the call, it may as well have never been placed.

Existing clients are more likely to contact you during normal hours of operation, but sometimes they will call as soon as something comes up, from the scene of an accident in the middle of the night, for instance. If you do not respond, those clients will seek help elsewhere.

What goes wrong in call capturing?

First of all, some callers will not leave you a voice mail. Sometimes, voicemail systems fail to record or save the message, but don’t expect your callers to think of that when they never hear back from you, and if you say you didn’t get the message they will think it’s due to incompetence somewhere within your firm or that you are lying.

You have a few options to improve your call capturing.

A live answering service will prompt callers who avoid voicemail to leave a message. Make sure you use a service that will record the numbers of any callers who refuse to leave a message so you can get back with them.

If you are willing to take the calls yourself, you can forward your calls to your cell phone or home phone. If you forward to your home phone make sure that you answer in a professional manner and that anyone in your household who answers the phone is instructed to do the same. This is not a good option for capturing nighttime calls, but it can work well when you must be out of the office during business hours and if you want to take calls personally on the weekends.

At the very least, use caller ID. Check it every morning, or have your assistant check it. Write down every number and check that against your voicemail messages. Make returning calls your first order of business every day. If you can’t do it yourself, assign the task to someone who can at least call and say that the message was received and you will be getting back to them personally this morning or by the end of the day. Make sure you do it. If possible have the person who calls back ask for more information so you can prepare for the call.

Of course, your callers should never, ever get a busy signal. Double up on capturing calls that come in while the line is tied up by forwarding to voicemail and using call waiting ID. Every time you get off the phone, check your voicemail and the caller ID to make sure that you did not miss an important call.

Generating Positive Word of Mouth on the Internet

2009-11-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

Word of mouth advertising is very powerful, but hard to obtain. It’s hard to create because the advertising must come unsolicited from the consumer. In the past, creating positive word of mouth took tons of time, energy and resources. With the advent of the Internet, however, generating positive word of mouth has become much easier to capture.

An area of the Internet that is growing rapidly is the realm of social media. Within the social media world, there’s a website called Yelp which can help your law firm generate more positive word of mouth. Yelp is a review website where people post reviews about local businesses. These reviews come from the unfiltered minds of your clients.

So now I bet you’re asking, how do these reviews benefit my law firm? It’s really quite simple. People often times take to the Internet to search for a lawyer. If you search for a law firm with a local term, like Denver Personal Injury Lawyer, a map will pop up above the organic search results. In these listings are reviews from websites like Yelp. The more reviews your firm has, the more relevant your listing becomes in the eyes of Google. And if these reviews are positive, those results become more valuable to your potential clients. Unbiased opinions from peers can sometimes be the most powerful endorsements you can receive as a lawyer.

Here is an example of a Yelp page from a lawyer in San Francisco that is getting high marks on Yelp. After reading reviews like that, wouldn’t you want to hire that lawyer if you had some sort of immigration issue to handle?

One thing to keep in mind is that Yelp is not the only website which allows users to post reviews. Google Local allows you to post reviews as well as Bing Local. Those results will go straight to the search engines, which is beneficial to your search engine rankings. Here some other notable examples of review websites:

Citysearch
Insider Pages
Yahoo Local

On top of empowering your clients to post reviews in these spaces, you should also pay attention to what people are saying about your firm on these websites. Spotting a negative review and responding to it could mean the difference between getting a case and not even having a chance at getting a case. Managing your online reputation is important and these websites will help you leverage your positive reputation.

If you have any questions about Yelp or Internet marketing in general, please contact us.

Developing a Comprehensive Law Firm Marketing Strategy

2009-11-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Effective marketing involves more than running a television ad or throwing up a quick website. To bring in new clients and keep your old clients coming back, and to make the most of your marketing dollars, you need a comprehensive marketing strategy.

What does a comprehensive law firm marketing strategy include?

This will vary somewhat depending on what is appropriate for your firm and in keeping with your branding and budget, but there are some basic components that, when used together, work for most firms.

Television ads are still a crucial part of marketing. The key is to have ads that stand out from the competition and a media buy that will put you in front of the right audience.

Direct mail is one of your most cost effective options. It is a great way to keep in touch with your existing clients, staying fresh on their minds and getting referrals. It is another oldie but goodie that should not be pushed aside. Bottom line? Direct mail marketing works.

You absolutely must have a law firm website. It needs to be more than just an online business card. You need informative and interesting content so that potential clients feel that they are already receiving value from you before they even pick up the phone. It lets them know that you know your business and what you can do for them.

These basics are just the beginning and the core of your comprehensive law firm marketing strategy. Timely press releases, choosing the right type of ads, deciding when, how often, and in what way to use direct mail campaigns, and so much more go into developing your marketing strategy.

It may sound overwhelming, but we will help you the way you help your clients deal with difficult situations. Please, contact us today to find out how we do it.

Remember Stella Liebeck who Sued McDonalds.

2009-11-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Remember Stella Liebeck? The lady that had the audacity to sue McDonalds for serving coffee that was so hot she had to have skin grafting? Watch the trailer of this movie currently in production....www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/trailer

Strategic Marketing Consulting

2009-11-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Strategic marketing is a long-term approach to your marketing plan that makes for more effective and streamlined marketing. It allows you to stay current without having to constantly scramble to get in on today’s hot topics. It means less time and attention spent on marketing for you, and never having to make radical changes midstream.

Strategic marketing also helps you get the most out of your marketing budget, making the best use of every penny. It allows you to buy when prices are their best and avoid expensive marketing emergencies.

Strategic marketing consulting helps you develop your strategic marketing plan. Developing your brand or evaluating and fine tuning your existing brand is an important part of the process, but there is so much more.

We identify your marketing goals. Developing a database marketing strategy is crucial. Generating business from existing clients and referrals is less expensive, more rewarding, and should be included in the plan.

We identify your target audience and how to reach them. That may not be who you think it is.

We also look at what your competition is doing and what we can do to give you the edge. You do not want to follow the same path as they are. You want to stand out, and your marketing needs to work in such a way that it is not just directly vying against another firm.

We look at trends to anticipate changes in your potential clients’ needs and interests. Strategic marketing is about anticipating what the hot topics will be six months from now and planning for them. It also means planning for flexibility, being in a position to respond quickly to changes without changing your entire plan midstream.

With over 25 years of attorney marketing experience, Network Affiliates provides strategic marketing consulting that really works. Contact us today to learn more.

Improving Client Relationships

2009-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Improving your relationships with your clients means better retention rates and more referrals. No matter how happy you believe your clients are, there is almost always some area in which you can improve and make them happier.

Create realistic expectations
You may be tempted to wow a new client by promising them the moon, but if you can’t deliver your client will see it as either incompetence or dishonesty on your part. And, they will spread the news.

More difficult to deal with is the client who comes to you with unrealistic expectations already established. Some clients often have a strong sense of entitlement and feel that they have been grossly wronged.

Your job is to create realistic expectations while remaining sympathetic and being on their side. Acknowledge that they deserve better, but be clear about the limitations of the law. Make sure they understand that these limitations were not your idea.

Know your client
No one can be expected to remember all of the details about each client they see or speak to, but forgetting any detail will plant a seed of doubt in your client’s mind. Always take good notes, writing down the personal details that do not necessarily apply to the case as well. Before meeting with or calling your client, review your notes.

Ask timely questions. You don’t have to get too personal, but if they are returning from a vacation or their kid just had a birthday party, mention it. And, by all means, have the details of their case straight and fresh on your mind.

Communicate promptly
One of the easiest ways to put people off is to be slow about returning calls or emails. You may be too busy to give a thorough response right now, but just letting them know you got the message and you are going to get back with them on the matter as soon as possible means you are paying attention and have the respect to show them common courtesy.

No one wants to feel like their case is on the back burner.

Keep in touch, even if nothing has changed
Keep your clients updated on the progress of their case. Even if nothing has changed, give them a call or send a quick email just to check in and let them know everything is still on course. And, if something does change, let them know right away even if it requires no action on their part.

Finding the weaknesses in how you and your firm deal with clients can be tough, but necessary. Bringing them in is only the beginning. To learn more about how your firm can improve client relationships, please contact Network Affiliates today.

Getting Started on Blogging

2009-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome back to the second part of my ongoing blog about topics related to social media and the Internet.

I was planning on posting a blog about how one sets up a blog and gets going with blogging for my second blog. However, I think a better place to start would be this great post I read from leading social marketer, Chris Brogan. He published a nice little piece on how to start using social media if you are a small business. It has some great pointers and further reinforces the fact that if you are standing still when it comes to using the Internet, you are falling behind.

Advertising on TV is not enough anymore. Competition during these tough economic times has only increased and more small businesses are looking for inexpensive alternatives to marketing on TV. One of these avenues is the Internet, and if your firm has not at least considered marketing on the Internet, you are doing yourselves a disservice.

Now that we got that out of the way, where do you set up a blog? Good question. Here are some options.

Blogger:

Google’s very own blog platform. We at Network Affiliates use Blogger and we think it works out quite well. It can be set up to match the look of your existing website and can even be posted on your existing website. Best of all, it’s free.

WordPress:

WordPress is a free, open source blogging platform. What does open source mean? It means anyone is free to make modifications or improvements to the program. This means that if you have a handy IT person who knows your business, they could potentially add functionality to your blog. Pretty cool, huh? You can also buy themes for WordPress if you want more sophisticated tracking, looks, and other things.

TypePad:

TypePad is the only non-free blogging platform I will mention in this post. It costs a $15 a month for a pro membership, which will give you all of the functionality you could possibly need. TypePad also provides a great mechanism for publishing your content on Facebook and Twitter.

All of these platforms, again, integrate seamlessly with your current website. And while these are just three examples of widely used and respected blogging platforms, there are hundreds of others out there. These three mentioned in this blog post are great benchmarks for comparison, though.

After you get your blog registered with a blog service, the tricky part begins: developing content. How do you develop content? That is the topic for another post. Until next time, take some time to visit the other posts on this blog or some from your colleagues. Visit them to see how you might use a blog. Thanks for reading. Be on the look out for another post in the near future.

- Clay Frickey

Law Firm Advertising Strategy Evaluations

2009-10-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

In any business, effective marketing is a full time job. If you choose to handle your own marketing it can quickly eat into the time you need to spend doing what you do best. It is easy to fall into the rut of ineffective or mediocre advertising.

If you got off to a powerful start, you may not be keeping up to date because you simply don’t have time to stay on top of it. Or maybe you had some brilliant ideas, but something is off in the execution and your advertising is not reaching the right audience. The wrong placement that does not effectively hit your target demo can cause the very best message to fizzle because your potential clients never see it.

Do you know if your law firm’s advertising is working? Do you know how it compares to what the competition is doing? Is it as effective as it can be, or could it use some improvement? Do you need an entirely new approach? Do you just pay the bills and hope for the best?

An advertising strategy evaluation is a basic component of effective marketing. It lets you know what is working, what you need to keep doing, and what needs to be changed. Without it you are shooting in the dark.

It may sound simple on the surface. You run your ad and you either get more business or you don’t. In reality, you have to know how long it should take for your advertising to produce results. Get impatient and you may give it up before it has had time to be effective. Maybe your advertising has your phone ringing, but you are not converting potential clients into actual clients. You need to know why and how you can change those results.

The legal marketing experts at Network Affiliates can give you the answers you need. Let us evaluate your current marketing strategy today.

South Beach Client Meeting

2009-10-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

The Network Affiliates Client Meeting in South Beach last week was a tremendous success. Many of our clients were in attendance. The meeting was preceded by two days of custom production where a number of attorneys shot custom TV Ads. We covered a lot of material at the meeting including Howard Hyden as the featured speaker explaining how “customer focus” can improve your “Positive Word Of Mouth” referrals. The new syndicated legal advertising campaigns were well received as were some of our custom ads and marketing materials. The Silberstein Awad & Miklos medical malpractice brochure handed out by Jeff Buenz also generated very favorable reviews.

The meeting covered a lot of ground, and one highlight for me was the first speaker - Gibson Vance of Beasley Allen. Mr. Vance, who is the President Elect of the AAJ, explained that many firms are ignoring valuable product liability claims. He spoke about the potential product liability claims involving single vehicle accidents – including single vehicle tractor-trailer accidents. Many of these cases are turned down because the driver was at fault, but Mr. Vance pointed out that if there is a death or serious injury, single vehicle accidents should be evaluated for product liability.

He listed several examples of product liability claims arising out of single vehicle accident cases that ranged from the obvious to those that can be discovered with in-depth investigation. Among other things, they include:

Roof crush.
Faulty seat belts.
Ejection through the back or side windows.
Fifteen passenger vans.
Tire blow outs.
Reclining seat backs.
Defective door latch.

He encouraged each of the lawyers to forward any such claims involving serious injury or death to Beasley Allen. His firm will not pursue the personal injury claims – the referring attorney could handle those. Beasley Allen would just investigate and pursue the potential product liability claims and share legal fees with the referring attorney.

Mr. Vance also mentioned that many product liability lawsuits arise out of workers’ comp claims. If the claim involves a serious injury (amputation, death, paralysis, etc.), Beasley Allen will evaluate the potential product liability claim for no charge.

He mentioned some other claims with good potential as well including FLSA claims that are very easy to evaluate simply by adding three questions to your intake form. He said that he would forward those questions to Network Affiliates for distribution to the attorneys.

Overall, the talk gave our clients some simple ways to generate some additional revenue from clients that are already calling.

Holidays - Marketing to Your Clients

2009-09-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

School is well on its way and it will be holiday season soon. You can make the holidays work for you in a variety of ways.

As much as we hate to look at it this way, the holidays can be a painful reminder of lost loved ones. We miss those who are no longer with us more poignantly during those times when we should be celebrating together.

Holidays are also ripe with accidents. For many families a holiday marks the anniversary of an accident that either killed a relative or destroyed their life.

The holiday season is the perfect time for you to give your potential clients a gentle, tasteful reminder of your presence and how you can help them.

You must approach holiday season marketing efforts carefully. You do not want to look like a vulture preying on their grief. There are several avenues you can pursue to get yourself in front of your potential clients, but stay in a positive light.

You may want to incorporate a public service message into your television campaign, such as one reminding the public of the high accident rate and to drink responsibly during the holidays.

Contributing to a charity or participating in a charity event, can also remind the public of who you are, what you do, and that you care.

Of course, you want to blog about it. If you are doing something charitable, mention it in your blog. If you are not, you can still talk about safety and lost loved ones with a personal tone rather than a blatant push.

Please, contact the legal advertising specialists at Network Affiliates today to start your holiday season advertising planning. We can help you. Please call.

Combating the Guilt

2009-09-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

Once again, on the subject of motivating potential clients to take action, you must take into consideration the obstacles that prevent them from taking action and how you can remove those obstacles.

Those with the strongest, most deserving cases are often the very people who will not take action out of a sense of guilt. It is unfair, but it makes sense. An opportunist, looking to make a quick buck, will come to you with anything they think they might be able to sue for; or even make something up.

The clients you want have a good case and will be honest with you about the circumstances involved. But potential clients with a conscience may be easily swayed by the propaganda that says litigation is hurting society in general. Right now we hear this a lot with the health care debate and passions are running high.

Medical malpractice is a leading cause of death, yet only a tiny percentage of victims take legal action. These victims need to be reminded and reassured that by suing they do not cause harm and that failing to take action is what allows the wrongdoing and death to continue. You have to turn around the thought that suing would be selfish and show them how it serves the greater good.

For individuals, choosing to initiate a lawsuit is a big decision. Letting your potential clients know you are there for them and how they can benefit from your services is just the first step. Chipping away at the barriers between fantasizing and taking real action is necessary if you want to bring them in. Our legal advertising strategies can help you do that.

Motivating Your Audience to Take Action Now

2009-09-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

It is human nature to put things off, especially when they seem complicated and possibly expensive. You already know the importance of educating your potential clients about contingency fees to counter the assumption that they cannot afford a personal injury attorney. It is equally important to inform them of time limits in a way that motivates them to take immediate action.

Most people are familiar with the term “statute of limitations”, but may not have a full understanding of what it means to them as plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit. There are several common misconceptions.

One misconception is that if you are in the right and someone has done you wrong it does not matter if you miss a deadline. Good prevails over evil, the law is on the best man’s side, and all of those idealistic notions that make for a willing and positive client, but can cost them their case. On the other end of the spectrum are the pessimists who assume that it must be too late already, so why bother.

The third common misconception is a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. It is the assumption that time limits are simple and consistent and accurately portrayed on television. People with this misinformation get the basic concept of the statute of limitation, but typically have an amount of time in their mind that they are sure applies to their case, and they are usually very wrong.

Your law firm’s advertising campaign needs to correct all three groups without scaring any of them off. You must communicate a sense of urgency that clearly negates the first misconception, “If you wait too long you will lose your rights forever, no matter how right you are.” At the same time, you don’t want that to convince the second group that it really must be too late. You can avoid that by attacking the third misconception and letting your audience know that every case is unique and that statutes of limitations vary depending not only on the type of case but the jurisdiction.

At Network Affiliates we have the experience to help you get the right message across in your legal advertising campaign; one that will create a sense of urgency while reassuring your potential clients that meeting with you is an opportunity for them to gain a clear understanding of their rights. Please, contact us today.

2009-08-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Social Media Revolution: How to Use Social Media in Your Law Firm (Part 1)

Hi there. My name is Clay Frickey and today I will be sharing with you part 1 of a running series of blog posts on how to use social media in your law firm. I hope it is informative and will get you thinking about what opportunities there are for your law firm on the social web.

Social media has become the hot new movement in the world of advertising and marketing. Recently, I watched a video that shows the impact of social media on the cultural landscape. Here is a link to the video:

http://thedenveregotist.com/article/4806/the-social-media-revolution/

So, what does all of this mean to you? Do lawyers need to be concerned about their online presence? Absolutely! More and more lawyers are beginning to dip their toes into the social media waters. Some dove right in, using services like Twitter and have amassed thousands of followers that read their tweets. Here’s an ever updating list that contains all of the lawyers that JD Supra follows on Twitter. As of today, there are over 700 lawyers using that JD Supra follows.

http://scoop.jdsupra.com/2008/09/articles/law-firm-marketing/145-lawyers-and-legal-professionals-to-follow-on-twitter/

Does this mean that if you aren’t on Twitter, that you’re going to lose market share to your competitors? Not necessarily. If you haven’t considered Twitter or the benefits of blogging or search engine optimization, on the other hand, you would be doing yourself a disservice.

So, what’s the next step if you aren’t actively engaging in social media? First, educate yourself on the topic of social media. Search on Google for legal marketing blogs. Then, read what your competitors are writing about. This will give you guidance on how to write your blog and show you how your web presence can improve. Then, after finding some other blogs that you like, comment on blog posts you agree or disagree with and start a conversation. After being involved in a conversation on these blog posts, you will begin to see the power of blogging and the internet in general.

Next time, I will be discussing how to set up your own blog and how to use it to drive business to your law firm.

The Power of Testimonials

2009-08-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate the power of a personal story. Testimonials reach people in a personal and emotional way that facts simply cannot do alone. They remind your audience that you work with real people, individuals just like them.

If you have ever tried to sell a home you are familiar with the concept of letting potential buyers see themselves in your home. Your real estate agent or house staging consultant will ask you to depersonalize by putting away family photos and making the décor more neutral so that people looking at the house can mentally superimpose images of themselves, their families, and their stuff in your living space.

Testimonials can help you accomplish a very similar goal, but by doing the opposite. Where we tend to see homes as a very personal space, easily overwhelmed by the personality of the current owner, images of your office can easily make your firm appear too cold and unwelcoming; too business like. Testimonials can neutralize that effect. They allow you to maintain your image of professionalism while helping your clients visualize themselves working with you one on one. Seeing examples of real life people who have unique and personal anecdotes to share about how you worked with them, sets their minds on the course of imaging the little personal touches that would come into play in their situation.

Then, of course, there is the believability factor. You can rattle off the numbers and give the statistics for your success. You can even tell specific stories yourself. But hearing it from the horse’s mouth has more impact. Seeing the real emotion and hearing the authentic voice and wording from a client who has benefitted from your help in their time of need just sounds more real and tangible, no matter how honest and believable you are to your potential clients.

When you incorporate testimonials into your television ads, they need to come across as authentic, but still need to maintain a certain level of professionalism. The clients on the screen should not look too polished and destroy the credibility factor, but they should be well groomed and well spoken. It is a careful balance.

Please contact Network Affiliates today to learn more about the power of testimonials and how to achieve that balance that will bring clients in rather than turning them off.