The Evolution of Legal Marketing: From Tradition to Transformation
*For the purpose of this blog, we use advertising and marketing interchangeably. Unprofessional and unethical – that’s how legal marketing was viewed until a 1977 landmark Supreme Court decision in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona opened the doors for lawyers to begin advertising for the first time. Lawyers Bates and O’Steen placed an advertisement […]
Your Website Bios Suck and Here’s Why
Statistics show that a professional’s bio is often the first entry point for prospects, yet many firms devote more time to other pages and neglect bios for years (or more). The focus on other pages, whether due to a belief that they are the primary conversion tools or a desire to highlight a team-oriented approach, […]
Writing What Clients Want to Read: Three Tips for Writing a Great Attorney Bio
With 74 percent of clients visiting a law firm website before taking legal action, it’s critical that your website is a fine-tuned marketing machine. Your biography is one of the first places clients look for information about you, and since you have complete control over it, it’s one of the most useful tools you have. […]
Marketing vs. Business Development for Law Firms
We constantly hear the terms “marketing” and “business development” used interchangeably, often with respect to law firms, but how do they differ? What do each of these strategies entail and how should they be utilized within a law firm setting to grow business? Typically, since clients hire individual lawyers rather than law firms, it’s pretty […]
Beating the Competition: Identifying What Differentiates Your Law Firm
According to the Thompson Reuters Legal Executive Survey, the demand for legal services has flat lined. The market is completely oversaturated and revenue growth is slow. To stand out from the competition in this environment, law firms are going to need to get creative. Why should a client choose your firm over another? It’s a […]
New Coke vs. Coca-Cola Classic: 30 Years Later
If there is one thing we know, it’s following the adage: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If there is no evidence of a real problem, don’t create a problem that isn’t there, just to fix it. In the early 1980’s, the Coca-Cola/Pepsi rivalry reached an all-time high when a blind taste test revealed […]
Miss Universe Blunder: Simple Mistake or Stroke of PR Genius?
On December 20, 2015, we watched in horror as Steve Harvey erroneously announced Miss Colombia as winner of the Miss Universe pageant. If you’re like me, you hadn’t watched the beauty contest in years but with the help of social media, were able to replay the mistake seen and heard around the world. You could […]
Customer satisfaction revealed in a cup of coffee
One of my favorite coffee shops recently demonstrated that a business’ approach to a problem – not the problem itself – is what creates long-lasting impressions. My husband and I usually go to Peet’s Coffee every morning. We drove up to the one on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica the other day and there was […]
Make a Living at What You Love…But, Learn How to Market
I knew what to expect as soon as the professor told me none of his students take business classes. These were jewelry students, but it applies to a large percentage of every profession: Many practitioners, whether they are artists or lawyers, whether they work with their hands or provide services, resist the idea that they […]
What’s in a Name?
In his book, How Pleasure Works, Paul Bloom cites research experiments that point to the fact that we are all drawn to and trust what is familiar. Lawyers, accountants, engineers, and other professional service providers, take note! Familiarity is an important factor to use to your advantage in business development. Your chances of obtaining a […]