Using Regional SEO to your Advantage for Your Estate Planning Law Firm

October 18, 2024

by Saima Omar Uncategorized

Having an online presence in the area or region in which you serve is much-needed for law firms of all sizes, particularly those specializing in estate planning. As potential clients increasingly turn to the internet to find legal services, the significance of regional search engine optimization (SEO) cannot be overstated.

Regional or local SEO is the practice of optimizing your online content to attract more clients from relevant local searches. If your law firm generally gets most of its clients from surrounding areas, then it’s an area you must consider working on, to capture more regional website traffic, so that you can turn that traffic into business for your estate planning law firm.

In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of regional SEO for estate planning law firms, the strategies to implement to capture the right types of regional traffic, and the tools available to ensure your law firm stands out in a crowded market.

Understanding Regional SEO

Before looking into the specifics, it’s a good idea to understand what regional SEO entails. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on broader search terms, regional SEO zeroes in on specific geographical areas. For estate planning attorneys, this means optimizing your website and online content to rank higher in search results that are relevant to your region or city.

Why Is Regional SEO Important for Estate Planning Law Firms?

Targeted Client Acquisition: Estate planning is a highly localized service. People typically seek out attorneys who are familiar with local laws and regulations. By optimizing for regional searches, you can attract clients who are looking for estate planning services in your specific area.
Increased Visibility: As search engines like Google prioritize local results, a well-optimized site for regional SEO can significantly improve your visibility in search results, making it easier for potential clients to find you.
Higher Conversion Rates: When clients find a law firm that is located near them, they are more likely to engage with your services. Regional SEO helps you capture this audience by making sure you show up when they search for estate planning assistance.
Cost-Effective Marketing: Compared to traditional advertising methods, regional SEO is often more cost-effective. It allows you to reach your target audience without overspending on broader marketing efforts.

The Benefits of Regional SEO for Estate Planning Law Firms

When someone searches for estate planning services online, they’re often looking for local, reputable firms. Regional SEO allows you to rank higher in local search results, ensuring that your firm appears in front of people actively seeking estate planning assistance in your area. Optimizing for location-based keywords like “estate planning attorney in [City/State]” helps drive traffic to your site from users likely to convert into clients.

1. Enhanced Online Visibility

In a saturated market, visibility is key. Regional SEO helps your firm appear in local search results, which is particularly beneficial for estate planning services. A strong local presence increases the likelihood of being found by clients searching for services in your area.

Estate planning is deeply personal, and clients value an attorney who understands the specific legal landscape of their region. With regional SEO, you can optimize content to highlight your knowledge of local laws and your understanding of community needs. This approach not only boosts search rankings but also reinforces trust, signaling to potential clients that your firm is a knowledgeable local resource.

2. Improved Google My Business (GMB) Rankings

Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business profile, along with other local directories, gives potential clients quick access to your contact information, hours, reviews, and directions to your office. This increased visibility can make a significant impact on your practice by making it easier for clients to find and reach you.

A well-optimized GMB listing is vital for local searches. It allows you to control how your firm appears in Google searches and on Google Maps. Properly optimizing your GMB listing with accurate information, photos, and client reviews can enhance your visibility and attract local clients.

3. Building Trust and Credibility

Ranking high in local searches not only improves visibility but also enhances your firm’s credibility. Clients are more likely to trust firms that appear at the top of search results. Furthermore, a high number of positive online reviews can bolster this trust, making clients more inclined to choose your services.

Many law firms underestimate the power of regional SEO, leaving an opportunity for your firm to stand out. By prioritizing regional SEO, your practice can appear above competitors who haven’t optimized for local searches, positioning your firm as a leader in the local market. This strategic advantage can help you capture a significant share of potential clients looking for estate planning services near them.

4. Cost-Effective Client Acquisition

SEO, especially when focused on regional efforts, can be more cost-effective than traditional marketing methods. By targeting specific geographical areas and client needs, you can maximize your marketing budget while attracting potential clients who are more likely to convert.

5. Increased Client Engagement

When your firm appears in local search results, potential clients are more likely to engage with your services. This can include visiting your website, calling your office, or even stopping by for an in-person consultation. Increased engagement leads to higher conversion rates.

Key Regional SEO Strategies for Estate Planning Law Firms

To effectively implement regional SEO for your estate planning law firm, consider the following strategies:

1. Optimize Your Website for Local Searches

Your website is the foundation of your online presence. Here’s how to optimize it for regional SEO:

Keyword Research: Identify keywords that potential clients in your area are using to search for estate planning services. Focus on long-tail keywords that include your city or region (e.g., “estate planning attorney in [City Name]”). Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can assist with this.
On-Page SEO: Incorporate local keywords naturally into your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and content. Make sure to include location-specific terms that resonate with your audience.
Create Localized Content: Develop blog posts and articles that address specific estate planning topics relevant to your region. For example, discuss state-specific laws regarding wills and trusts, or provide information about local probate processes. This positions your firm as a knowledgeable resource in your community.

2. Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

A Google My Business listing is one of the most effective tools for local SEO. Here’s how to make the most of it:

Claim Your Listing: If you haven’t already, claim your GMB listing and fill out all relevant information. This includes your firm’s name, address, phone number, and website URL.
Choose the Right Categories: Select categories that accurately represent your practice. This helps Google match your firm to relevant searches.
Add Photos: Including high-quality images of your office, team, and events can enhance your listing and make it more appealing to potential clients.
Collect Reviews: Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on your GMB listing. Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, demonstrates that you value client feedback and can build trust with potential clients.

3. Build Local Citations

Citations are online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across various directories and platforms. Consistency is key, as discrepancies can harm your local SEO. Here’s how to build local citations:

List Your Firm in Local Directories: Submit your firm’s information to relevant local and legal directories, such as Avvo, FindLaw, and local bar association directories.
Ensure NAP Consistency: Make sure your business information is consistent across all platforms. This includes your website, GMB listing, and all directories. Inconsistencies can confuse search engines and impact your ranking.

4. Focus on Online Reviews and Reputation Management

Online reviews significantly impact your firm’s visibility and credibility. Here’s how to manage your online reputation effectively:

Encourage Reviews: After a successful client engagement, encourage clients to leave reviews on your GMB listing and other review platforms. You can do this through follow-up emails or by providing a link to your review page.
Respond to Reviews: Engage with clients by responding to reviews. Thank clients for their positive feedback and address any negative reviews professionally and constructively. This shows potential clients that you care about their experiences.

5. Use Localized Content Marketing

Boosting your website’s content is essential to capturing search traffic and connecting with the right clients. While weaving in keywords is important, quality content is key: it should provide genuine insights or solutions that resonate with visitors. Whether you’re offering educational resources, tackling frequently asked questions, or explaining your services, content should serve as a valuable touchpoint for potential clients.

For example, you might publish an article titled, “Understanding Probate: What It Is and Why It Matters,” and another titled, “How to Hire An Attorney For My Probate.” Each piece has its own appeal—while the first might draw curious readers wanting to learn more about probate, the second could attract those actively seeking legal guidance for probate matters.

Crafting unique, easy-to-read content that conveys authority is essential, as is including a clear call-to-action (CTA) to encourage readers to take that next step and connect with you directly. This approach not only draws the right audience but positions you as the go-to resource for estate law guidance in your area.

Content marketing can significantly enhance your regional SEO efforts. Here’s how to approach it:

Write Blog Posts: Create informative blog posts about local estate planning laws, recent changes in legislation, and other relevant topics. This not only helps with SEO but positions your firm as a thought leader in the community.
Use Local Keywords: Incorporate local keywords into your content to enhance search visibility. For example, “estate planning laws in [City Name]” can be a good focus for blog posts.
Share Community Involvement: Highlight your firm’s involvement in local events, sponsorships, or community service. This showcases your commitment to the community and can attract local clients.

6. Mobile Optimization and User Experience

With the increasing use of smartphones for searches, optimizing your website for mobile users is crucial. Here’s how to ensure a positive user experience:

Responsive Design: Make sure your website is responsive and looks good on all devices. This not only helps with SEO but also enhances user experience.
Fast Loading Speed: A slow-loading website can deter potential clients. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix any loading speed issues.
Easy Navigation: Ensure that your website is easy to navigate, with clear calls to action and easily accessible contact information.

Measuring Success in Regional SEO

To assess the effectiveness of your regional SEO efforts, consider the following tools and metrics:

1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. Monitor key metrics such as:

Traffic Sources: Identify where your website traffic is coming from—whether it’s organic searches, referrals, or direct visits.
Geographic Data: Analyze the geographic locations of your visitors to ensure you’re attracting clients from your target region.
Conversion Rates: Track how many visitors are converting into clients, whether that’s through form submissions, calls, or consultations.

2. Google Search Console

Google Search Console allows you to monitor your website’s performance in Google search results. Key metrics to track include:

Search Queries: See which keywords are driving traffic to your site and their respective positions in search results.
Click-Through Rates (CTR): Analyze the CTR for your top-performing keywords to identify opportunities for improvement.

3. Local Rank Tracking Tools

Use local rank tracking tools like Moz Local or BrightLocal to monitor your firm’s rankings for targeted regional keywords. These tools provide insights into how well you’re performing in local searches.

4. Online Reviews and Ratings

Keep an eye on your online reviews and ratings across platforms. Tools like Reputation.com can help manage and analyze your online reputation, making it easier to respond to reviews and gather feedback.

Using Regional SEO strategies for law firms

As estate planning law becomes more competitive, regional SEO is a tactic you can use to your advantage. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can attract more clients, build trust, and ultimately grow your practice. Implementing the strategies outlined in this blog will help you enhance your visibility, improve client engagement, and establish your firm as a leader in your community.

As you embark on your regional SEO journey, remember that it requires ongoing effort and adaptation. The digital landscape is ever-changing, and staying ahead of the curve will ensure your estate planning law firm thrives in the long term.

Ready to capture more clients for your law firm using your online presence? Reach out to Lawyers with Purpose to see what kind of marketing support we can provide under our membership levels. You may book a law firm assessment here.

WORDS: Saima Omar

Saima Omar is a seasoned SEO Content Marketing Manager and qualified journalist with a background in crafting high-impact content strategies for startups and scale-ups. She specializes in SEO for industries like legal, fintech, and consumer, helping businesses boost visibility and drive targeted growth through tailored content.

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What Is A Successful Workshop? Here’s All You Need to Know…

August 17, 2016

by David Zumpano with One Comment David J. Zumpano Estate Planning Drafting Software Legal Marketing Systems & Processes

I've been working with estate planning attorneys around the United States for almost 20 years, and I am always intrigued about how excited they get when they deliver a presentation, seminar or workshop. The interesting dynamic is how pumped they get in front of a room full of people. It might surprise you to learn that such a situation is not exciting to me or to any LWP attorney, for one simple reason. We have learned that it is not the number of people in the room or your ability to speak to them that matters, but rather your ability to communicate and create relationships with them so they trust you and understand how you can help them accomplish their goals. That’s when they hire you.

Under the Lawyers with Purpose workshop system, our members are provided three different workshops, depending upon which best matches their personal objectives. We offer members the “Estate Planning Essentials” workshop, the “Seven Threats to Every Estate Plan” workshop, and the “How to Protect Your Stuff in Three Easy Steps” workshop. All three teach the same concepts and utilize similar stories, but most importantly, all connect and relate to the Estate Plan Audit™ utilized in the Vision Meeting™ with individuals who attend the workshop and opt for a meeting with you. They also delve into what estate planning is and the specific issues you want them to know (all contained in our trademarked and copyrighted workshops).

Why is this relevant? Because the excitement over the number of people in your workshop is baseless if none of them hire you. If your workshop can't show people how you can help them and explain how your solutions are relevant to them and will benefit them, then stay home with your family rather than waste the time.

So, to avoid that scenario, let’s consider the core elements of a successful workshop. First, ensure in advance that you are clear on who is registered to attend your workshop. You should also ask how each attendee heard about you; that is, what source of marketing got them to call your office (a professional relationship, a retail advertisement, or other). Second, your staff should welcome all attendees during enrollment, excite them about the workshop they're going to attend and touch on how it will offer new ideas to solve their concerns. Third, your team should follow up with attendees ahead of time and confirm attendance. Fourth, during the workshop it is essential to set the expectation up front that you will make commitments to the audience, and to make sure the audience understands that you expect them at the end of the workshop to complete the evaluation and request a meeting if they think it's appropriate. This is perhaps the most important part of the workshop – not all the education you provide, but rather the invitation for them to move forward with you at the conclusion. You must be enthusiastic and excited for them to come in and apply what they learned to their personal situation, in hopes of helping them accomplish their goals and objectives based upon what they’ve learned in the workshop. If you don't believe in yourself, why would they?

And finally, another very important element of every workshop, one in which I have found that most lawyers fail, is to follow up with the attendees to schedule the appointment. I cannot tell you how many times I've worked with attorneys who either neglected to get an evaluation at the end or got the evaluation and failed to follow up on it.

Life is busy. People don't have “free time” to just pop into a workshop, and oh, by the way, I can't wait to go see a lawyer tomorrow to talk about all this crazy stuff. For most people, their lives are busy and complicated, and they're confused. You must be the one who clarifies the confusion and shows them a simple approach for them to get their concerns solved.

That's what the Lawyers with Purpose workshop system does. In fact, we call it the Client Enrollment System™ because it's a complete process, from identifying the client's needs after their initial contact with you, to the point of their engagement with your firm. That's the significance of workshops and seminars: not the excitement of delivering them, but the excitement of actually being able to help people implement great planning solutions that protect them and their family. Contact Lawyers with Purpose today if you want to learn more about what we can bring to your estate and/or elder law practice. Just click here and give us a little information then download our membership brochure.

David J. Zumpano, Esq, CPA, Co-founder Lawyers With Purpose, Founder and Senior Partner of Estate Planning Law Center

Members! Join Our Marketing Roundtable On Local Search With Nifty Law!

June 2, 2016

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Legal Marketing

It’s not easy for a person to find the right lawyer, in the right town. With today’s clients turning straight to the Internet to find that one unique lawyer in their local area, marketing your practice can feel like trying to break the Enigma Code.

Join us on Thursday, June 9th at 4 EST along with Mike Ramsey of Nifty Law to learn the nuts and bolts expert tips about directory listing, search engine dos and don'ts, paid online advertising – getting links, likes and shares.

For anyone looking to unlock the mysteries and getting found on the Internet.

This is a members only event.

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Do You Employ The “Fifty Shades of Grey” Publicist?

February 16, 2016

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Systems & Processes

E L James is the author of the extremely popular erotic romance trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey," released in May of 2011 and followed by the movie of the same title on February 13, 2015. This was the author's first novel, but she clearly hit a home run!

Maybe that is where I had my misconnect. I write poetry, some of which is provocative. Believing the new release of the movie would be a great opportunity to connect two pieces of art, I sent a letter via email to Ms. James’ publicist, which included three topic-appropriate poems. Yes, it was gutsy and a stretch, but history is not made by watching other people take action (and neither is money).

It has been a year and I have not heard from Ms. James or her publicist – not even a "We are not interested." It makes me wonder if Ms. James ever even got my letter, or if her publicist independently discarded it without discussion.

When are referrals or opportunities sent to you that you are not aware of? Often.

Just to share a few in my law office I, much too late, learned of:

A resume for an administrative position received by a paralegal and discarded without bringing it to me.
A referral, from a good friend, that wouldn't follow our office procedures and requested a free consult without first attending a workshop. Discarded.
An offer to make a presentation to a nursing home.

Would I have accepted any of the above opportunities? Maybe, but now I have no choice.

I was in fact hiring at the time the resume was discarded.
I would have done pro bono consult to help a colleague.
I would move mountains to get in front of a nursing home administrator.

So why were they discarded? Why was my opinion trumped?

Because of one of two reasons, or both.

Employees who believe they know a) what is best for you or the firm, or b) what you would have said and didn't want to bother you. These are rogue employees in the guise of being independent and efficient.

You haven't been clear on your expectations. A system should be in place for each member of the firm to report opportunities of ALL kinds presented, accepted and rejected. An opportunity in this sense should be defined as "a request of some sort by another person or organization to either the firm or the managing lawyer."

I appreciate efficiency and independence, but I appreciate opportunity even more. The owner or manager of the firm should have the final say to accept or deny.

I feel certain that, had Ms. James been presented with my letter and poetry, she would have taken one of two actions:

Remembered her beginnings and reached out to assist a sister in the arts.

Sent a reply politely denying my request.

Don't your prospects and professional community deserve the same?

What are you missing? What processes can you implement to catch them? What can you do to gently discard the others without leaving them hanging?

Did you know that Lawyers With Purpose has it's own Cloud Based Workflow System specifically for estate and elder law firms? If you want to learn more about it, join us on Friday, February 26th at 2EST for a FREE live demo! Just click here to reserve your spot now.

Victoria L. Collier, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation; Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; Founder and Managing Attorney of The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC; Co-Founder of Veterans Advocates Group of America; Entrepreneur; Author; and nationally renowned Presenter.

Do You Hold Your Client’s Hand Through The Planning Process…

January 26, 2016

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Legal Marketing

I was walking to the park with my daughter when she asked me to hold her hand. There is no feeling like my child’s hand in my own. But I was confused when, as we were holding hands, my daughter said, “No, Mommy, hold my hand.” I thought I was. I was not. Rather, I was letting her hold my hand. My fingers were still outstretched and not wrapped around her hand. She wanted the security of my hand holding her tightly.

In our law firms, how often do we believe we are holding our client’s hand when actually we are not? We feel we are providing a top-notch service but we are not. Are we holding their hand or really just letting them hold ours?

Becoming eligible for and applying for veterans benefits is complicated. The client must be instructed step-by-step through the process. The same is true for Medicaid applicants. From the time the client engages our services through the receipt of a benefits award, we are regularly communicating and giving instruction. I know we have stopped holding their hand when the client calls and says, “Why isn’t this going faster?” or “I’ve paid all this money and I don’t think we’ve gotten our money’s worth,” or “It just doesn’t feel worth this trouble,” or “I wish I had not even hired you.”

Those are not words you want to hear from a client. They are often followed by words that sound like “refund.” It is easy to get defensive and blame the system or the VA. But what is really happening? We have stopped holding our client’s hand and just let them hold ours. We have stopped providing them the security they need to feel safe and confident in us.

Perhaps not everyone on the team even knows they are supposed to hold your client’s hand. My marketing director was speaking with a nursing home administrator during a synergy meeting. The nursing home administrator asked, “Do you hold your client’s hand through the process?” My marketing director said, “Oh, no, we don’t hold their hands.” When I heard that, I was confounded. How could he say such a thing when we work so hard to please our clients? His definition and my definition of holding hands was different. Just like when I was holding my daughter’s hand, her definition was different from mine. Her expectation was different from mine.

I encourage you to review your office procedures and processes. Are you providing to your client the sense of security you believe you are providing? Are you meeting the expectations you have given your clients? Where can you more securely hold their hand? Just a slight adjustment will make a huge difference to them. Now, when I hold my daughter’s hand, I pay close attention to ensure that my fingers wrap around her hand, as she wants, expects and needs.

If you would like a free eBook and discover the secret smart estate and elder law attorneys use to run their practice and generate success by design rather than default click here to download "The Five Essential Roles For A Successful Practice".

Victoria L. Collier, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation; Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; Founder and Managing Attorney of The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC, www.ElderLawGeorgia.com; Co-Founder of Veterans Advocates Group of America; Entrepreneur; Author; and nationally renowned Presenter.

I Never Expected This

December 16, 2015

by David Zumpano with No Comment Asset Protection David J. Zumpano Legal Marketing

Recently I finished my first book, “Protect Your IRA: Avoid the Five Common Mistakes.” It was a project I've attempted to do for years, but quite honestly I wasn't prepared for the strategic by-products that came from it. Most interesting was the impact it had on those closest to me – my family – who don't know the details of what I do. They were intrigued by how the book took very complex information and made it simple to understand. After reading it they said, “Wow, I didn't know you dealt with all that stuff.”

The other surprise was how it landed on the professionals I work with. After reading the introduction and closing, they felt as if they were part of the book with me because of the commitment in the book to having professional alliances to help clients attain their goals. Coworkers were also intrigued, and pointed out that as many times as they've heard me say the things that were in the book, they never understood it as a whole, organized in the fashion it was, with such poignant points for clients to understand. In fact, they even suggested it will make them more competent in talking to clients on this very complicated issue of IRAs. Finally, the client’s response after reading it was, “Do I need to get in and get a checkup? Am I all set?”

While this reflection shares the impact my book had on me, the most exciting part is that it can have the same impact on you as a joint author. We've had dozens of attorneys use this book in their community to derive the same benefits and insight that I have been able to derive from it. If you're a Lawyers With Purpose member, and these benefits are something you're looking for in your practice, I encourage you to go to www.lwpirabook.com to find out how you can be a co-author of “Protect Your IRA: Avoid the Five Common Mistakes.” If you aren't a member (this is just one of the hundreds of benefits you do get by being an LWP member) just pick up the phone and talk with Molly Hall at 877-299-0326 x 202 to learn more about becoming a member and launching your book project!

David J. Zumpano, Esq, CPA, Co-founder Lawyers With Purpose, Founder and Senior Partner of Estate Planning Law Center

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Hello Work Day!

October 29, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Legal Marketing

That’s how they start their days in Silicon Valley. There aren’t alarm clocks blazing at 6 a.m., or parents rushing to get the kids to the local bus stop, because buses don’t take kids to school. Mom or Dad does that. People stroll in around 9:30 a.m. after drop-off. It’s work/life balance at its best! When work is something you look forward to, and fun and creativity exists in your office culture, the alarm clocks seem a little softer, and maybe even “friendlier!”

That culture was apparent – not only fully supported, but cultivated by the companies –on our field trip to visit Google, Adobe and Dropbox.

They’ve also got ping pong tables, fully stocked kitchens, video gaming rooms, foosball tables, soundproof rooms complete with guitars and drums, and even bars (both coffee and spirits). Yet everyone is hunkered down and focused 100% on reaching goal, part of a creative team working toward that one common and clearly defined objective. And, by the way, it’s probably written out on the wall, so the entire team can see right where everyone stands on their delegated task.

This is all far from the traditional law firms we see – you know, grey suits, rooms so quiet you can hear a pin drop, with the proverbial receptionist offering coffee or water with a conference room behind her. Did I mention the conference rooms at Adobe are all painted with whiteboard paint so you can just write on the walls – one of which even had a garage door that opened up on one side. The conference room name was “Journey,” and there were Journey albums plastered on the walls. Who wouldn’t be inspired working in a room like that?

We can’t all be Google – but we can take a little piece of what they do and bring it into our everyday world.

Bring in creativity and outside-the-box thinking! Allow some freedom of creativity among teams.

There is nothing hampering thoughts or brainstorming or a work-life balance in these Silicon Valley giants. It’s in their blood, in their culture, on their walls. And this is why it’s important to get out of the office to foster brainstorming and creativity with your teams. Give yourself the work-life balance, because without it you’re limiting a future that could otherwise be limitless.

Looking at it that way – do you truly make a difference? Are you investing in the world you’re in when you do? Or are you investing in the world you want?

Disrupt yourself; go to war with your brainstorming and team support. Get outside your office and work on your marketing plan, your money plan, your strategic planning. Explore new and innovative ways to bring out the power of creating change in your firm with your team.

Reshape your practice and our industry. Completely break away from those big law firm impressions. Own the small firm and make it work for you! Cultivate a small family feel for your office that offers warm baked cookies and a warm smiling face that your clients connect with. By asking how their family is, and inquiring about their legacy goals, and making them feel acknowledged and heard, you give yourself an advantage over those big, cold firms that so often intimidate people.

You can create a firm that has a culture for you and your team that offers creativity, effective brainstorming and a work/life balance that “WOWs” them and your prospects – not to mention their families.

At Lawyers with Purpose, we have the systems and process to give your practice effective brainstorming sessions – just attend a retreat with your team and you’ll get what we mean. Thursday at the retreat is always a “work with your team” day facilitated by Dave, Molly and Victoria. Teams huddle in the best spot for them – with or without coffee house music in the main conference room, poolside, couches, etc. It’s all at your fingertips on the member’s site, and when you take the tools and put them into play – well, that’s where the magic happens. It’s your chance to use the tools, create a path and plan – pen to paper – of implementation and execution in a creative space, with your team.

If you want to know how Lawyers With Purpose can support you with growing your practice AND have a work/life balance, contact Molly Hall at mhall@lawyerswithpurpose.com for a complementary 30 minute law firm diagnostic.

Roslyn Drotar, Online Marketing Strategist, Lawyers With Purpose

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Thinking Of Becoming A Sponsor For The Next LWP Retreat? 5 Things To Know

June 15, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Legal Marketing Team Building

Guest post by Laura Lee Sparks:

Almost seven years ago, I had the privilege of facilitating an estate planning conference with Dave Zumpano as one of our guest speakers. He was there to educate our members on his proprietary estate planning and elder law software.

I remember watching the presentation and thinking that he was ahead of his time in creating and designing technology that not only generated comprehensive documents, but also automated every need of the client. It inspired me to hone my own skill set and shift my focus to helping the public see estate planning in a more holistic and forward-thinking way.

In 2010, I restructured my business, Legal Marketing Maven. My husband was dying from cancer, and he urged me to devote the majority of my efforts to helping lawyers spread the word about their services to desperate families and caregivers in their greatest time of need.

In less than six months, Legal Marketing Maven doubled its profits, as well as the size of our team. More importantly, we were out there making a difference. Our efforts have continued to grow and evolve ever since.

One key strategy that contributed to our rapid success was choosing to exhibit at legal events across the country. We’ve been to many conferences as sponsors, some of which have been worth our while and others that have been very expensive learning experiences.

Rewind two weeks ago. I had the opportunity to be a sponsor for the first time at LWP’s June Tri-Annual Practice Retreat in St. Louis, MO – and the event was unlike anything I have experienced in the legal conference space.

Maybe you do funding, financial services, drafting, complimentary legal services, marketing or some other business that serves estate planning and elder lawyers. All I can say is that you are doing a huge disservice to your company by not getting yourself and your team to LWP’s next live event.

Here are just a few ways that my experience at the Lawyers with Purpose event stands out from other vendor opportunities I’ve had:

1. LWP is a family – and they invite you to be part of it. When you attend an LWP event as a sponsor, you are not looked at as just another “salesperson” lurking in the hallways. The culture is one of family, so even vendors are accepted with open arms into the LWP tribe. It was a great feeling, and we made many amazing new relationships as a result.

2. All sponsors are personally vetted by company leaders. Because attendees know that the LWP team carefully selects the sponsors for a reason, there are more opportunities to build relationships with prospects and educate them about your services without skepticism or jumping through hoops to get attention.

3. LWP supports your business and APPRECIATES your contributions. The entire LWP team has been in your shoes. They are practice owners, entrepreneurs and experienced marketers. They know what it takes to grow a business and they are sensitive to the needs of complimentary business owners who attend their events as sponsors.

4. LWP’s unique abundance mentality leads to amazing collaborative opportunities. LWP does a wonderful job of helping lawyers shift their mindsets from one of “I have to crush competition at all costs” to one of abundance. We had the opportunity to sit down with “competing lawyers” in over-saturated areas who wanted us to help them WORK TOGETHER to support each other’s efforts through marketing. This happened more than once! The collaborative environment among attendees, as well as sponsors, was unlike anything I’ve seen before.

5. LWP staff and attorneys have the most fun. Enough said. You’ll quickly forget you are there on business with all the friends you’ll be making.

We’re planning to attend the October Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat, and we hope you’ll join us, too! There is no greater opportunity to connect and partner with a group of forward-thinking lawyers who are literally changing the world and making significant and impactful differences in their local communities. Don’t wait to reach out to the team about sponsorship. We’ll see you in Arizona!

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities at the October Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat, please contact Roslyn Drotar at rdrotar@lawyerswithpurpose.com for dates, location and a Sponsorship Prospectus.

Laura Lee Sparks, CEO, Legal Marketing Maven

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Social Media Guide For Lawyers

May 27, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Legal Marketing

Let’s talk about lawyers getting social. What does that mean, and how can it support your marketing? Social media is an umbrella term for programs that connect individuals through an online platform (such as Facebook or Linked In). Social marketing is more of an approach to connecting with your audience for their “social good,” not necessarily for financial reasons.

One of the biggest challenges faced by small law firms is how to get started in social media. Where do you start? Which platform should you focus on? What and when should you post? How do you get followers and fans? It can be overwhelming!

There is so much to think about and so much to distract you, because researching this is like going down a rabbit hole. Information and opinions are everywhere. It can also be a moving target – the best practices of last year are often today’s don'ts. But one thing remains consistent: It’s not going away. So let’s do something with it.

One of my favorite quotes sums the situation up perfectly: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Start where you are: Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting your practice or already have an existing client base, just start now where you are so it can begin to grow and evolve. Don’t worry about where it should be a year from now. Get started, because if you don’t, it can’t go anywhere.

Use what you have: You might not have a budget for social, or employees to support it, and you probably think you have no content. Remember, it’s social. So just showing your personality and your law firm brand, and sharing your moments, is enough. And, you have resources right there in your office, and you have opinions, so share them. That’s what’s valuable to your audience. I bet each person reading this has content sitting on their desk they could share and comment on.

Do what you can: If you can only post one time a day on one platform, start by blocking out the time in your calendar to make sure it gets done. Once you get the hang of Facebook, for instance, it won’t take as much time to add Twitter or LinkedIn after that. Don’t try to post three times a day if once is all you can commit to in the beginning.

Remember that quote: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

If you’re still stuck on why? The reason you should use social marketing is that it has become an integral part of our world and continues to evolve. The new theory with social marketing is that it is more than just a channel or tactic, it’s a strategy that should be present in your marketing plan. The question is no longer whether you should do social; it is, simply, why wouldn’t you do social?

Social marketing is really beyond your website and participating in social platforms. Statistics confirm that having a social presence (whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter) can boost your career and build your reputation. Prospective clients are Googling you and your name after hearing about you through word of mouth. And Google archives social pages! So 9 out of 10 times if you Google someone’s name, you’ll find a social profile on Facebook or LinkedIn along with their website – and it's typically the top result!

Think of social as lead nurturing, touching, top-of-mind awareness, further defining hot leads – or those that want to “think about it” to be sent to conversion at a later date. You are creating connections and showing up in their world.

How to Get Started:

It’s important to decide which social platform you want to start with and what your objective is. If the plan is to provide workshop information, Facebook is probably the best channel for that, and it’s a good place to start if that’s where you’re most comfortable. If you want to work your RMS, then the best platform would be LinkedIn.

If you already have your social going but it’s not active, then allot enough time to decide what you will post, create that content, and make at least one post two to three times a week. That will probably take you two hours if you include time to respond to conversations.

The content you want to contribute is valuable content or insight for prospective clients. Ask yourself, what’s in it for them? Why would they want to “like” your post? What do they get out of it? It’s not all about you!

Suggestions for Posts:

Have a sense of humor
Share pictures or photos of fun times within the firm
Relevant information and insight on estate planning – think educate to motivate
What do they want to know?
Share the most common questions you get asked, and answer them
Current events

Do’s & Dont's

Do:

Focus on the people
Experiment and have fun. It’s social!
Answer any questions posted, tweeted, etc.
Participate in conversations
Discuss the passions of your audience
Anchor to the 80/20 rule – only 20% about you and your offerings/selling props – 80% valuable content
If you have published work – a book you authored – share the content
Post photos of you at your workshop, or of you participating in community events

Don’t

Focus on making money
Do the same thing over and over again
Go dormant – ignore your audience
Be afraid to connect with others who do what you do
Don’t just talk about you and your practice

Best Times to Post:

Facebook – Best from 1-4 p.m.; peak time Wednesday at 3 p.m. Facebook is a good platform for engaging with your prospects, so you’ll want to run content relevant to them.

Twitter – Best from 1-3 p.m. or 5 p.m.; peak Monday through Thursday. Twitter is great for B2B. You’ll find a lot of other estate planning attorneys already on Twitter, along with marketing companies, power partners and other relevant connections.

Linked In – Best from 7-9 a.m. or 5-6 p.m.; peak between Tuesday and Thursday. LinkedIn is best for wholesale marketing. You’ll get a good array of referral sources.

Google+ – Best from 9-11 a.m.; peak during work hours. Google+ is good for SEO and authorship.

Reporting:

Do the best you can with tracking and reporting your social reach, but be aware that the reporting you get from the different platforms is all over the place. People don’t tend to always chime in or react when they see something they like. It’s like if you were to do something funny at a dinner party. People don’t come up to you and congratulate you, or pat you on the back after.

We all see things on social that we think are funny or interesting, but we don’t click “like” or “retweet” for every little piece of wonderful content we come across. So do not gauge your ROI on the likes, shares, etc., that you get.

I read an interesting anecdote on Lexblog that really illustrated the return you get. Dan Goldman, chair of Mayo Clinic’s business law practice group, was at a conference for legal marketing and business development professionals. When they began discussing the need to measure the return on investment on their social efforts, he chuckled a bit.

Goldman explained that Mayo’s 43 in-house lawyers taught him that people tend to hire the lawyers they know, like and trust. So the ones who got hired were the ones who use social media. Mayo’s in-house lawyers became known and trusted through their social efforts.

Goldman cited recent studies showing that lawyers who don’t use social media are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the people who would hire them, especially, as he put it, “when they’re just not connected.”

Here’s hoping the info above might help you avoid the same fate.

If you don’t nail all of this right out of the gate, don’t worry. It’s social; give yourself permission to just show up at the party and have fun!

Roslyn Drotar – Internet Marketing Strategist, Lawyers With Purpose

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Not Signing Enough Appointments From Live Events? 3 Quick Fixes & Training For You!

May 8, 2015

by Lawyers With Purpose with No Comment Legal Marketing

Have you ever been invited to speak to a group, or hosted your own event, where a majority of the attendees failed to request an appointment at the end of the presentation?

Of course, everyone can have an “off” day where your presentation doesn’t go quite right or the event itself is a dud. But, if this is happening to you consistently, something is MAJORLY wrong.

You should be booking appointments at EVERY event that you do—whether you are invited to speak in front of a networking group, or you are hosting your own estate planning workshop, or presenting for a referral source.

At LWP’s Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat, happening June 1-5, we have included a high intensity boot camp known as “Speakers School” where we teach lawyers the art of speaking to not only educate, but to SELL estate planning or elder law services right on the spot.

If you are struggling right now to turn more attendees of your presentations into paying clients, or you are not doing as much speaking in the community as you would like to, I would encourage you to go here NOW and reserve your space.

We are hosting Speaker School because it works. Past attendees often tell us how they are now forced to carry their calendars with them or bring staff to handle scheduling because people are so anxious to get their appointment on the books after the talk (…don’t worry about what to say or do to make this happen… we’ll teach you our entire presentation outline and success formula!) If you can follow a recipe, you can host a 5 figure ROI event!)

This event is limited to 20 attendees, and spaces are filling up. If you are even remotely curious how Speaker School can help you boost your results and make speaking the most profitable thing you do in your practice, view our agenda and reserve your space HERE.

Until then, here are three areas to investigate if you are hosting a ton of workshops but failing to fill up your calendar with fresh appointments from your efforts:

1. Your marketing– If you are hosting your own events or handling the promotion of events for referral sources, it is possible that your marketing materials are attracting the wrong prospects. Try tweaking your invitations, flyers, etc. to help prospects better “prequalify” themselves or tweak the demographics of where your materials are being sent.

2. You are not speaking to SELL- Anyone can give a lecture; speaking to sell is an art. If your presentation is not designed in such a way to “seed your offer” from the start of the talk and lead your prospects down a funnel where the only obvious choice at the end of the workshop is to schedule an appointment with you, you are wasting your time, effort and resources.

3. Zero or Insufficient Follow Up– Some people need a few days to digest all that you’ve taught them before they make a buying decision. If you did not cleverly capture their email or phone number during your workshop, you will have no way to contact those people who are still on the fence a few days later. Talk about leaving money on the table!

Of course I am here to chat if you have specific questions about Speaker School or any of the other workshops we are hosting this year at our Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat. Just email me and let me know how I can help.

Best Regards,

Molly