The Importance of Reputation & Review Management for Attorneys

You might think online reviews are only important when it comes to tangible items (appliances, cars) or trades (electricians, exterminators). Not so. Consider the following data concerning the importance of online reviews for lawyers:

• 66% of consumers say they’d be more likely to hire an attorney with online reviews.
• 60% of consumers say they have considered online reviews when choosing a professional service provider, such as a lawyer or doctor. And that number jumps to 71% for Millennials.

Monitor What’s Being Said About You and Your Firm

Do you know the status of your online reputation? You should. Try doing an online search on your name and your firm’s name and look for your reviews. If you find a negative review, don’t ignore it. It’s not going away. Always respond to negative reviews in a positive, professional manner. Be empathetic. It might be tempting to respond with a nasty diatribe, but don’t; you’ll only lend credence to the negative review.

Ask for Online Reviews…from Everybody

This might fall way outside of your comfort zone, but it is important. Ask your clients to review you. The following are the most common sites where attorney online reviews can be found: LinkedIn, Avvo, Yelp, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Lawyers.com, LawyerRating.com, and Martindale.com. If anybody tells you that attorneys don’t ask for reviews, that they’re beneath the legal profession, refer to the aforementioned statistics. Asking for reviews and referrals is part of doing business in the 21st century.

Publicize Positive Reviews

Don’t assume positive reviews will magically fall into the right hands. Let people know your satisfied clients are willing to take the time to share their opinions about your legal expertise and customer service excellence. Put your reviews on your website and link them to online profiles you maintain.

LAW FIRM PRACTICE AREAS WE OFFER LAW FIRM REPUTATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR

Bankruptcy

Business Law

Business Litigation

Child Custody

Civil Litigation

Corporate Law

Criminal Law

Divorce

Estate Planning

Family Law

General Practice

Health Care

Immigration

Labor and Employment

Landlord and Tenant Law

Slander and Defamation

Medical Malpractice

Medicare and Medicaid

Personal Injury

Real Estate

Social Security Disability

Wills and Probate

Workers Compensation

If you have questions about your law firm’s reputation and review management, contact Accelerate Online Marketing (Accelerate). We’re an award-winning digital marketing agency that focuses on law firm marketing. We make digital marketing easy for attorneys.

With these values as the foundation, they build companies distinct from the competition, who are aligned with their target audience and that make a difference.

But it’s more than simply communicating a strong value-based message. It’s about demonstrating it. Let’s take a look at how successful brands are leading the charge with strong company values.

What is Values-Based Marketing?

There’s nothing more unique, and quite frankly marketable, than a company’s individual values. Differentiating these can help position a brand far above the competition. Drafting your messaging in alignment with these overarching principles is the essence of value-based marketing.

Make sure each value is sustainable enough to carry you through the long-term, but flexible enough it can be shifted as the market ebbs.

To give you an idea of the kinds of relevant core values that resonate with customers, here’s an overview of the words and work Globe Runner lives by:

• Play to Win
• Be the Spark
• Lead with Integrity
• Own the Work
• Put Clients First
• Never Stop Learning

Distilling these core values into a workable mission statement is the best way to gain traction.

What’s in an effective mission statement?

More than any other function, the mission statement makes clear the purpose of your business. When drafting, focus on demonstrating what you do, who you are, who you serve and how you do it.

It can and should be simple, so long as it effectively addresses why you exist at all and what you’re striving toward. (Usually outlined by a long-term goal.)

This is not to be confused with a company vision statement, which is more directed toward how you plan to impact the community at large.

Used together, a mission and vision statement serve as guideposts for success. They keep the company focused, serving as a litmus test for decision-making and action taking.

Start by hearing out your leadership team. Let them wax poetic about why the company was started and where it’s headed.

At Globe Runner, we started by making note of how we dedicate ourselves to customers, what experience we bring to the table and how we innovate based on the market.

The result? A three-part mission statement hinged on our guiding core values first, branding second.

Values Before Branding

Values-based marketing puts your purpose at the core of what you do and sets the framework for your branding. Not the other way around.

Done right, it taps into the emotions that drive consumer decisions and turns buyers into advocates. That meaningful brand connection is at the heart of what more than 87% consumers report that they look for when shopping, according to a 2014 Edelman brandshare survey.

Making this shift from product-pushy to customer-committed creates a lasting impression that can carry a sale from initial engagement to loyal customer.

In the end, attention is fleeting. Innate values usually aren’t.

Need help prioritizing and promoting your core values? Globe Runner is an expert at executing effective rebrands that do just that. We’d love to partner up and re-fuel you for success.

Call Globe Runner and talk to a member of our creative team at 877.646.6118 or simply enter your information in our contact form and we will help you get launched.

Live streaming is one of the most captivating ways to market an event and more and more options are becoming available to live stream your company’s event on social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Live all have great user interface and allow you to go live instantaneously. Each social medium has pros and cons and you really want to look at who you are trying to interact with when deciding what platform to go live on.

CEO Eric McGehearty talks about some innovative ways Twitter Live can be used, including a recent example of when MGM Resorts used it to great success.

SEO for Lawyers

What’s one of the most important things to include on an invitation? The location, right? Your address on an invitation allows your guests to find you. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is like the address on an invitation. It allows those searching for you online to find your legal website.

These searches take place through search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN or Bing, etc. If your law firm website design hasn’t been optimized to perform well in search engines, prospective clients won’t be able to find you. You might have the best-looking website in the legal profession, but if you don’t have visitors, you won’t have much of a party.

How Our Law Firm SEO Agency Works

Search engines face competition as any business does. They must do good work, by providing relevant search results, or Internet users will leave and go use another search engine. So, as the Internet has grown, and more and more pages have been added, search engines have refined their processes adjusting their algorithms to return excellent search results for every search imaginable.

Search engine algorithms use a variety of factors to determine rankings for any particular search. We know what many of these factors are, but we don’t know exactly how they are weighted in the algorithms, which can change daily. The factors that go into search engine algorithms are broadly classified in three categories. These are: site architecture (how a site is designed and built, technically, functionally and visually), content (information on the site), and links (links pointing to your site from other sites).

In order to have your site performing well in searches, just take care of those three areas—site architecture, content, and links, and your site will do just fine.

Site Architecture Tips for Law Firm Websites

Good site architecture has well organized information that is easily navigated by both human user and search engines. Its pages are organized and labeled in a way that makes sense to the user. Code, images, and CSS are streamlined so that pages load quickly. Its design is easy to use and intuitive, allowing the user to find what they want and perform desired functions easily.

Be sure your pages use the right keywords. In other words, the words that your users are searching for. You can do the research yourself. Start simple, with one or two keywords, then build to long tail keywords that are more specific to your specialty. A long tail keyword example might be “DUI attorneys who speak Spanish in Dallas”. Are the keywords you’ve identified producing the correct results? If your competitors are showing up, you’re on to something. Be sure not to overlook any. Make sure your keywords appear in the page titles, H tags and links on each page.

Quality Content

Over twenty (20) years ago, Bill Gates famously stated that content is king. It still is. One way to help remain relevant in light of algorithm changes is by creating high quality, unique content. Copying content from another website won’t get it done. Blogging, white papers and frequently asked questions are all good examples of quality content that will help search engines know exactly what your website is all about.

Link Building for Legal Websites

Links are a third important factor in search engine rankings. The links that point at your site from other sites send signals to the search engines that your content is valuable. They are votes of confidence from other sites that say that your site is an authority figure on its subject matter. Good quality content, as mentioned above, is very important to getting external links. Internal links are important too, so be sure your site has a good internal link structure.

SEO for lawyers & law firm websites isn’t a one-time endeavor

Successful law firm SEO program isn’t a set it and forget it proposition. It requires steady monitoring. Keywords that once worked may no longer produce the desired results. And content needs be fresh and relevant. The success of your legal SEO efforts will correlate with the amount of time you’re willing to give it.

According to a fifteen-year-old American Bar Association study, 100 percent of law firms with 50 or more lawyers and 85 percent of smaller firms had websites. And that study is fifteen-years-old! That 85 percent is probably close to 100 percent by now. And that’s exactly why Search Engine Optimization is so important for Attorneys and Lawyers. Why have a website if clients, either current or prospective, can’t find you?

LAW FIRM PRACTICE AREAS WE OFFER LEGAL SEO SERVICES FOR

Bankruptcy

Business Law

Business Litigation

Child Custody

Civil Litigation

Corporate Law

Criminal Law

Divorce

DUI/DWI

Estate Planning

Family Law

General Practice

Health Care

Immigration

Labor and Employment

Landlord and Tenant Law

Libel, Slander and Defamation

Medical Malpractice

Medicare and Medicaid

Personal Injury

Real Estate

Social Security Disability

Wills and Probate

Workers Compensation

For more information about law firm SEO for attorneys, contact at Accelerate Online Marketing’s legal digital marketing experts in Dallas, TX. We specialize in helping law firm marketing.

We can all agree inexpensive marketing tactics that elevate your brand above the competition are a win-win. Co-marketing benefits the customer and your chosen industry affiliates while effortlessly promoting your company at negligible or no extra cost.

Looking for a cost-effective marketing strategy to help rocket sales? Let’s look at five benefits of a successful cross-promotion campaign along with some easy ways to get it implemented.

Widen Your Reach

It’s a beautiful thing when two (or more!) industry-adjacent companies make introductions to the other’s audience. Start by checking to see where your chosen partners have the largest following. If it’s on social, you might leverage the other’s audience with a well-timed tag. You could also cross publish one another’s latest blog posts to your respective social media channels.

If you’re looking to double your email list, put together a collaborative newsletter. Note that publishing general industry-related content could help you appeal to larger audiences.

Tap Different Market Segments

Many companies cross-promote to new market segments with a special product or service. For example, Target did, and they have had major success co-marketing with high-end designers who were looking to reach the retailers mid-level market base. The result: empty shelves and soaring sales.

Link building is another great way to get in front of potential customers and increase your Google ranking. Start by creating a partner page on your website. Once you’ve targeted a high-performing site, add them to your own. Email the editor or marketing lead to let them know you appreciate what they’re doing and you’re sending additional web traffic their way via your site. There’s a good chance they’ll return the favor.

Enter New Markets

Poised for expansion? It takes effort to build your online presence in a different city. Start by getting on board with other local businesses. Target some native social influencers or popular long-standing establishments to join you in hosting a contest or product give-away.

Make sure you’re also checking the online community to see whose blogs are already getting traction. The right collaboration will introduce your brand to their readers (aka: your target audience).

After making contact with all the movers and shakers you can find on and offline, focus on what you can offer their followers. The more hype you can create, the better off both parties will fare.

Strengthen Your Industry Connections

Companies that are in your wheelhouse are prime candidates for creating symbiotic cross-promotion. They’re also likely to respect you for bringing additional attention to their brand. With this deepened connection, don’t be surprised to see a spike in your referral-based business.

One way to solidify your connection with industry leaders is to host a webinar or business brunch. It’s the ultimate show of respect and is a fantastic way to get your respective followers in the same room.

Improve Brand Reputation

Reputation marketing is big business. Successful companies can no longer afford to neglect it. Managing your online reputation is a full-time endeavor, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and rewarding too.

One of our favorite ways to improve an online reputation is to partner with a non-profit or support a good cause.

Charitable sponsorships are known to gain traction and can be even more effective if co-sponsored. For example, try hosting a supply or food drive on behalf of your business’ favorite charity. Let the organization know what you’re doing ahead of time to plan out a robust cross-promotion strategy.

The Takeaway: The Perfect Partnership

Keep in mind that a cross-promotion campaign is only as good as the partnership itself. Do your research and select your collabs based on the products and services that provide the most value to your current customer base.

In the end, you’re looking for an audience that’s comprised of qualified leads. Just keep in mind that those leads will ultimately associate you and your chosen partners. Make sure their marketing prowess aligns with yours and let the leads roll in.

Words work. Though they’re a far cry from the grunts and gestures our language originated.

Used in the correct combination, you can accomplish amazing feats like evoking emotion and amassing a crowd. (A useful SEO copywriting technique we’ll address in a moment!)

When it comes to copy, great content depends on it. Your audience expects it. And the search engines demand it.

But do you need to spend another $10,000 in school to perfect your SEO copywriting skills? Maybe not. Our CEO, Eric, breaks it down in under a minute.

Holding your reader’s attention could be as simple as creating sticky and succinct copy. Here’s what our content marketing specialists recommend.

Stick it to Them

 ‘Sticky’ SEO copy will encourage users to stick around after they land on your page

Whether you’re looking to increase your Google ranking and build your business or improve your marketing automation emails, sticky copy is key.

What do we mean by ‘sticky’ SEO copy?

In short, it’s well-worded and thoughtfully-styled content that beckons users to stay and explore your site. You’ll know it’s working when you see increased traffic coupled with decreased bounce rates.

Effective SEO keywords are no doubt important. However, they’re only part of a successful strategy.

They may identify you in a search, but how do you lay down the proverbial flypaper? Let’s investigate.

Keywords Take the Wheel

First we need to understand why effective keyword-driven copy is so important.

Keywords help you speak the language of both man and machine. (More on this in a moment.)

The right turns of phrase essentially promise an answer to your audience’s most burning questions. They also alert the search engine crawlers to push your content to that magical first page.

Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and write them into your copy in a variety of natural-sounding ways. Don’t be afraid to use synonyms, analogies and metaphors to vary your copy while still illustrating your point.

Curiosity Killed the Copy

See what we did there? Actually, curiosity is just one of the methods you can use to make your copy extra ‘sticky’.

What are some additional ways to grab a customer’s attention and get clicks that transform into conversions?

Curiosity falls under the emotion-based marketing umbrella. It’s one of the tactics we use when re-fueling a client’s rebrand strategy.

Speak to a reader’s emotions on a guttural level and their curiosity will drive them to resolution. It’s also a great way to differentiate your brand from the competition. Try sharing your company’s values and beliefs to stay elevated in the emotional minds of your target audience.

Man vs. Machine

Always prioritize the reader experience over the search engines

In life, balance is everything. Same goes for skilled SEO copywriting. The best rule of thumb is to follow the search engine optimization “rules” while always thinking about and writing to your audience first.

There is no shortage of ways to strategize your content. A few of our favorites include:

• Inverting your paragraph pyramid. You know we love a good pyramid analogy. When it comes to content, put your most important sentence–the solution or topic–first. Use the short supporting sentences to back up your text.
• Write subheads to break things up. It’ll give readers a roadmap of your content.
• Use bulleted and numbered lists. Like we’ve done here.
• Increase the white space. It’ll make your content more ‘readable’.
• Create visual breaks. Images with captions are good way to highlight certain points.
• Emphasize certain concepts. You can embolden or italicize

Regardless of which combination you choose, the end goal remains the same: make your content skimmable.

Let’s Review

Don’t know where to start or want to perform a quality control check before you take your content live? Use Forbes’ writing checklist in the editing room.

1. Does the copy honor the promise of the headline?
2. Does the first paragraph grip the attention of the reader?
3. Is the content understandable to a 6th grader?
4. Does your copy make promises, guarantees, and statements that are true?
5. Is the copy persuasive?
6. Is the copy specific?
7. Is the copy concise?
8. Is the copy relevant?
9. Does it flow smoothly? Read your writing out loud to determine if there are any hiccups in the way.
10. Does it call for action? An appropriately placed call-to-action button in your email composition will do wonders to expand your email list.

No matter your industry, the end goal of your content should be to grab people’s attention. Once it does, make sure to hold them there with sticky, succinct copy. When in doubt, weave a web of words that people want to share it because they enjoy interacting with your brand.

The brand pyramid. This is a great way to think about what your company does and what your company represents. There’s the day-to-day activities at the bottom of the pyramid. These are the core activities of any business. At the very top is the peak experience, or the essence of the brand pyramid.

Once you get to the top of a brand pyramid, you get to the distinguishing factors. The value adds. These would include having the best or fastest widgets. Your “unique’s”. There lies the essence of your brand. This top level should be very succinct.

It should be succinct because this top level represents you. This is what makes your company really unique. Sure, it’s important to have the best guarantee and quality assurance. But knowing your X-factor from the outset is important and that’s why we create brand pyramids for our clients. It represents not only what sets us apart in business, but what emotionally sets us apart, as well.