Measuring Your Marketing ROI: Part IV
By ESQCoach, Terrie S. Wheeler
Email: TWheeler@MarketYourLawPractice.com
This is the fourth and final post on Measuring Your Marketing ROI. This post will focus on the fourth pillar of marketing–Creating Targeted and Effective Communications. Below are listed Pillar IV marketing strategies, along with suggested techniques for measuring ROI.
Strategic Communications
Does your practice have the ability to send out truly strategic communications? Targeted and effective communications are not broad-based “firm newsletters” but instead are communications that are sent to various segments of your client base with targeted messages relevant to them.
If you invest your time and energy to create this level of targeted messaging, you can measure you ROI by tracking the number of direct responses from clients and referral sources because of your various communications. In addition, over time, you should see an increase in the level of client retention and flow of referrals into the firm.
Marketing Database
A marketing database is only valuable to you if you keep it updated. A strong marketing database should be easy to update, allow segmenting of client type for targeted communications, and interact with other firm data (like client revenue numbers).
Your ROI for creating your marketing database can be measured in saved time and increased client communications. In return for investing in your marketing database, you will save billable time by not needing to send individual lists to professionals for updating. Additionally, as a result of the database, you will find it easy to communicate with various groups of clients, contacts, and referral sources because you will have email addresses and other contact information for each person on your list.
Website
A website is a must-have for every law firm. When used correctly, a website can be a powerful marketing tool with the ability to attract new clients and retain current clients. The content on your website should be regularly updated and should reflect the overall branding and identity of the firm. You should also ensure that your website is search engine optimized, which will result in higher rankings on Google and other search engines.
Website ROI can be measured tangibly by tracking search engine rankings and by using Web-trends, Google Analytics or other programs to track and measure website visitors and activity on your website. You can also track your website’s strength by monitoring direct client inquiries from the website, seminar registrations using web-based registration options, and client comments on the website.
Learn more about maximizing your website. Read my blog post on “Online Marketing Strategies for Lawyers: Make the Most of Your Website.”
Client Events
Hosting a client event can be a time consuming challenge for any firm. Lawyers often wonder if the event is worth the hassle. How can you tell if your client event is a success?
Start by tracking the number of clients who attend the event—the more clients there, the better! Next, be sure to provide an evaluation form and ask clients what they thought of the event. In the evaluation, ask clients if they would attend the event again next year. Repeat attendees demonstrate that clients appreciate your event and see it as a valuable service. Track how many professionals from the firm attend the event and ask them if they were able to actively build relationships. Ideally, the event will lead to new clients or new matters generated from the event.
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What Lawyers Need to Know About Search Engine Optimization
By ESQCoach, Terrie S. Wheeler
Email: TWheeler@MarketYourLawPractice.com
What is Search Engine Optimization and Why is it Important?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website through organic searches on a search engine. Increasingly, potential clients are turning to the web to find legal services. To be competitive, your website must be found by potential clients when they search the internet using search engines like Google or Yahoo, or when they are surfing the blogosphere or social networking sites like LinkedIn. Learn more about SEO so that you can ensure that you are being “found” on the internet!
The Difference Between Paid and Organic Search Results
There are two types of results on search engines—paid results and organic, or natural, search results. Paid results are typically listed at the top of the search results or in a side bar and must pay a fee to the search engine for the listing when certain key words are used in the search. The most common type of paid result is the Pay Per Click, where the website pays the search engine every time someone clicks on the paid link.
In contrast, organic search results are generated by search engine crawlers that go through websites, scan their content, and then list the websites most relevant to the search term used. If your website is one of the first sites that comes up, it is more likely to be clicked on. Not only are these organic search results free to you and your website, but organic search results are clicked on much more frequently than paid search results.
How are Rankings Decided?
In order to make the most of organic searches and get more web traffic directed to your website, it is important that your site is ranked highly so that you are one of the first websites listed in the organic search. Search engines like Google rank your website based on relevance to the search term, which is determined by factors like the content on your site and the number of links to your website from other websites.
How To Search Engine Optimize Your Website
- Determine Your Key Words: Decide what search terms you want to be found under. For example, you may want to be highly ranked when someone searches for “Minneapolis patent attorney” in a Google search. Be sure to use words that your clients would know and use when creating a search, not legal jargon.
- Gauge the Competition: Do a search for your selected keyword and look at the top ten to twenty results. Do you think you can overtake them based on your site’s relevance and authority related to the search term? If not, you may want to experiment with another key word or search term.
- Work with your Web Developer: Once you’ve selected some key words you want to be found under using a search engine, work with your web developer or technical support to ensure the terms are used in the page content, the metatags, page titles, and page descriptions. If you are in the process of creating a website, be sure to work with the copywriter or content creator to ensure that key words and terms are drafted into the site content from the beginning.
- Build Inbound Links: The more websites that link to your website, the higher your ranking will be because search engines see such links as a recommendation or referral to your site. You can use hyperlinks within your own site to other pages on your website. You can also submit your website to online directories like Yahoo! Directory or business.com. Finally, consider creating a blog and participating in social networking activities in order to build traffic to your site.
For more information, see my blog postings on:
- A LAWYER’S GUIDE TO SOCIAL NETWORKING
- BLOGGING 101
- ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR LAWYERS
- BLOGGING FOR LAWYERS
- SOCIAL NETWORKING: TIPS FOR LAWYERS WHO WANT TO TRY IT
Measure Your Results
Website analytics programs, like the free Google Analytics
(www.googleanalytics.com) program, allow you to measure and analyze various aspects of your website traffic. You can track site statistics, like the number of site visitors and unique site visitors, how long visitors view each page, and, most importantly, what key words are driving visitors to your site and what search engines they are using.
Looking at what key words current site visitors are using to find you can help you determine which key words to use when you optimize. Moreover, getting a snapshot of your site’s traffic both before and after search engine optimization will show you how well your SEO worked or whether you need to make some modifications.
Other Resources:
Information on SEO from Google
Learn more about Google Analytics
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Online Marketing Strategies for Lawyers: Make the Most of Your Website
By Terrie S. Wheeler, MBC Founder
TWheeler@MarketYourLawPractice.com
For lawyers, a website is no longer a “nice to have” tool – it is a competitive necessity. As a result, nearly every lawyer and law firm in the country has website. Because of this, it will become increasingly important to ensure your online presence in more than simply an electronic brochure. Following are hands-on, practical suggestions that every small firm and solo practitioner should consider.
Tips from Our Experts
The objective of your website is to validate your firm, build its image, create credibility, convey important firm and industry information, and help prospective clients, contacts and referral sources contact you. Following are some tips to ensure you make the most of your firm’s website investment:
Be strategic – Develop your website based on and in support of your firm’s strategic marketing plan. Your website strategy and marketing strategy must be in synch and based on:
- A clear definition of who your target market is and what makes your firm unique
- Positioning against firms with whom you compete
- Your firm’s brand, image and visual identity
Think creatively – Use the “Parade of Homes” concept and visit law firm/attorney websites. Pick the most creative functions you like and build your “dream home” website. Select features that allow you to stand above the competition versus blending with it.
Find a strong technical partner – Make sure your website developer has the turnkey skills necessary to:
- Create a strategic site map and user-focused navigational strategy
- Design the visual/graphic elements of the site
- Develop the content with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind – - writing for the Web is very different
- Technically develop the site
- Register your site and domain name with relevant search engines
- Integrate web-driven database functions
- Maintain your website to ensure that over the long run your site remains current
- Provide statistical updates on website usage using software like WebTrends, or Google Analytics
Do your homework – Create an overall plan and outline for your website so that it is logical and consistent; focused on the experience you want visitors to have when they visit your site. This will help your website designer create the site map.
Be realistic – Allow enough time and money for the project.
Plan for the future – With the proliferation of websites, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pick a domain name that is not already in use. When you do find the domain name that works for you, consider registering not just the .com but also the .net, or other extensions.
Be consistent – Make sure you have a unified strategy for visual design (logo, font and tagline) that is consistent across all of your printed marketing communications materials.
Be creative – Try to let go of the old, boring, static approach. Make the website reflect your success and solid experience combined with a dynamic modern approach. Don’t create a website that is simply an online brochure. Rather, focus on creating a dynamic, ever-changing site that is constantly updated with new content of interest to your visitors.
Stress what makes you unique –Make sure that your website promotes the services and features about your firm that are truly unique and client-service oriented. Use representative experience to show clients you have done what they need versus just identifying a long list of client services: show them don’t tell them!
Focus on your audience – Build every feature and function of your website with your clients, contacts, and referral sources in mind.
Brag! – Your home page should promote your successes, big deals your firm has done, and awards received. Set a goal of updating your “what’s new” content weekly.
Create a Web-based media room – An online media section will support your firm’s public relations efforts. An online press room can include news releases, published articles, fact sheets, backgrounders, biographies, contact information, and more. Make it easy for reporters to cover your firm in the news by providing media kit information on your website.
Market Your Website – Make sure you add your website address to your email signature block, to your invoices, letterhead, note cards, and any other printed or electronic materials used to communicate with your clients and contacts.
Promote your Website – Create a proactive plan to communicate the existence of your website to relevant audiences. Generating traffic to your website is a continuous job. In a service business, it is likely you will need to “drive” traffic to your site rather than wait for someone to find you online.
Track your Website’s effectiveness – Subscribe to WebTrends or Google Analytics, software that allows your website host to provide valuable visitor information including:
- Number of visitor sessions
- Number of unique visitors; number of repeat visitors
- Search phrases used to access your site
- Length of time visitors stayed on your site
- The path visitors use on your site – the pages they accessed
- Most popular day of the week for website traffic
- Top referring search engines
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About MYLP
Unique Web-Based Tool to Help Lawyers Develop New Business
ESQCoach, Terrie Wheeler has been helping lawyers attract new clients for more than 24 years. In 1996, she founded Professional Services Marketing, Inc. (PSM), helping professionals develop Targeted Strategies for Business Growth. In January 2011 Terrie merged PSM with Ingenuity Marketing Group in Saint Paul, MN.
Launched in 2007, www.MarketYourLawPractice.com (MYLP), is an innovative web-based marketing coaching tool for lawyers which replicates ESQCoach Terrie Wheeler’s individual marketing coaching process. Today, MYLP is helping lawyers across the US and in the UK develop new business, retain and grow current client relationships, increase their name recognition and more effectively communicate with clients.
Numerous bar associations across the country, including New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Vermont, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and others, have recognized MYLP as a cost-effective marketing coaching and training tool for lawyers and have partnered with MYLP to offer the tool as a valuable member benefit.
MYLP was recently launched internationally in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Visit www.MarketYourLawPractice.co.uk, developed with our UK business partner, James Dunning of Geotrupes Consulting.
Join our Linkedin Group: The Legal Network - created just for lawyers and in-house marketing professionals to compare best marketing practices.
We have also launched a sister product for financial advisors, www.MarketYourFinancialPractice.com, and are marketing the site nationally to financial advisory firms.
For more information, contact Terrie: ESQCoach@MarketYourLawPractice.com
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