Marketing for Law Firms - SEO, Social Media, PR

Since the referral fee ban back in April 2013, the legal sector (namely personal injury solicitors) have had to be more creative and rethink how they generate leads and new business.

Law firms that once used to pay for leads/referrals can’t anymore.

So, firms of solicitors that didn’t change their marketing strategy significantly were either already pretty much getting it right or have now gone bust.

It’s been a tough 7 months for most law firms.

Here’s just a few options to consider for 2014:

Online marketing

• Search Engine Optimisation - hire an seo agency with a proven track record and make sure you budget for seo in 2014.
• Social Media - essential to help build brand awareness and a must if you want to rank highly in Google.
• Online PR - goes hand in hand with brand, seo and social media.
• Google AdWords - an ideal way to generate initial traffic and test how your website converts.

Offline marketing

• Offline PR - builds credibility and brand awareness.
• TV Advertising - gets your brand in front of potential claimants.
• Radio Advertising - offers efficient targeting, radio ads aren't as easy to ignore as they are on TV.
• Outdoor Advertising - Includes billboard / vehicle advertising. Has a lower cost per thousand than other forms of advertising.
• Other Marketing (printed media, beermats, leaflets etc) - Be creative, think outside of the box. Think: where, why and how.

What about brand?

Of course, you can spend all the money in the world on marketing and advertising but without considering brand first you could well be throwing money away. Choosing a firm of solicitors following an accident isn’t as simple as choosing a new pair of shoes or deciding where to buy insurance from… it’s a big thing to make a claim for compensation so people will, more often than not, choose a brand they know and feel they can trust. A brand that will do them justice.

They’ll choose a brand they can relate to, a brand who’ve been referred to them by friends and family (word of mouth), a brand they’ve ‘seen around’ (TV advertising, Social Media, SEO, PR, Billboards, Taxi's, Buses) and read or heard about (Radio, Social Media).

So it’s hugely important to know what your brand is and what it stands for. Getting this right will give your marketing efforts a better chance to be successful.

We think the following law firms are getting it right:

 

Brand

TRUE Solicitors
First4Lawyers

Social Media

Irwin Mitchell

SEO

Irwin Mitchell
Slater & Gordon Lawyers
Thompsons Solicitors 

 

TV Advertising

InjuryLawyers4U
First4Lawyers

The above list is only a small percentage of solicitors who are obviously doing something right as they’re at the forefront of our minds. 

Are there any other law firms that you think are getting it right and any who are getting it wrong? Let us know your thoughts… leave a comment further down.

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7 major reasons why your website isn’t converting

Okay, so you’ve hired an SEO agency to increase website visitors and improve search engine positioning hoping for more sales. You‘ve possibly also setup a few Google AdWords campaigns. And you’re also partaking in social media. 

As a result of your online marketing efforts you now have an increased number of relevant visitors to your website, and what's more, you know that your traffic is of a high quality. 

But you're still not seeing an increase in sales. Why?

The rate of success you achieve on the internet depends on two things: traffic and conversions.

The internet is a game of numbers and you winning or losing this game depends on the number of people you get to your website and more importantly how many of them convert into paying customers.

So just why isn’t your website converting?  Here are 7 major reasons:

1. Poor content

Nonexistent or ‘thin’ content and content written specifically for search engines is probably one of the biggest reasons why you are struggling to convert your visitors into sales. The truth is, your visitors don’t care about how many times or where a keyword appears on a page and neither do the search engines to an extent.

So forget keyword density and keyword placement, do you want to know what gets websites to the top of the results pages and in front of prospective customers? Google and other search engines rank pages according to these two factors:

• Popularity
• Value

Of course, to have very popular content, it must be valuable and by this I mean it must address the needs of internet users who come across it. Now, this does not mean that you should ignore keyword research, meta data, page descriptions and the like, however, it does mean that you should focus more on your readers. In short don’t write for robots write for humans.

Know your audience, connect with them and build that trust. Think about it, what kind of content goes viral on social media? Inspirational, funny, whacky and weird. Informative, educational and helpful. People will share your content with their own followers/fans but only if it adds value. 

2. You’re a copycat!

What’s worse than publishing boring content is copying other people’s work and presenting it as your own. Too many businesses and entrepreneurs are held back on their growth by trying to write like the ‘guru bloggers’.

The need to develop your own unique blogging voice cannot be overemphasized. It’s important to remember that on the internet your credibility is much more important than anything else. People follow people, not companies.

Developing your own unique blogging voice will help to distinguish you from your competitors and establish you as an authority in your niche.

3. You don’t know your target audience

Only a con would sell anything to anyone. A salesman/woman would (or should) only sell you products and services you need and want. The truth is, we are all in sales whether directly as a vocation or indirectly.

The problem is, most of us don’t know that! Today most businesses that are successful offline are struggling online because they don’t know who they are marketing to. They don’t understand their market and yet they still expect to make money from it.

Taking the time to identify your market and ways to reach them can save you a lot of money that can be used for other areas of business.

4. Poor website design – page pollution

First impressions matter a lot and the same is true on the internet. Your website is a reflection of you and your business. By not taking the time to invest in good design, you are literally leaving a lot of money on the table.

Within 5 seconds of landing on your website, users have already made a decision whether to continue reading your content or close the window. Having an effective website that clearly explains what your business is about and guides your readers on what to do can put you miles ahead of your competition.

Your homepage should be simple, clean and welcoming. It shouldn’t be crowded, confusing and messy. This is your ‘shop window’, make it welcoming and tell your prospective customer clearly what it is you do or sell.

5. Lack of engagement with your readers

Would you leave your guests unattended in your home? Of course not, but how many of us do that with our blogs, websites and social media platforms?  We publish great content and promote it well but when the traffic starts trickling in, we are nowhere to be found. In essence what you are doing is like sending out invitations to your party and when everyone turns up, you are missing in action.

Before long your casual attitude becomes negligence. Comments, emails and questions are not responded to and readers feel unappreciated. The few relationships you had built start crumbling and before you know it, nobody reads your blog, Twitter page or website anymore. Responding to comments, questions and emails is a key metric that will greatly determine the success of your online real estate.

That said, comments are not only meant to make your readers happy, they are a way to add value to them. Usually, readers will ask questions about your services or products through comments and by responding to their questions you will be increasing their trust in you and building your credibility.

6. No sharing options – anti-social

If you are like most people, the first thing you want to do when you hear good or bad news is to spread it. However, by publishing great content and not having avenues that let your readers share it, you will be impeding your own growth.

With 1.19 billion people on Facebook alone (Source: Facebook) and 231 million active Twitter users (Source: socialmediatoday.com), chances of your content being of value to someone else is very high. Therefore, by neglecting to include social sharing channels on your blog or website you are limiting your own reach.

7. Lack of Consistency

Eating seven apples on Saturday instead of one a day just isn’t going to cut it. Similarly publish 5 pieces of content today and none for the rest of the week is bad. You must have a systematic approach to your content marketing efforts otherwise your ROI will be in the red.

Moreover, sporadically publishing content on your website/blog confuses your readers and shows a lack of seriousness on your part. You must be consistent in your content marketing campaigns if you are to increase your conversions.

What do you think? Do you agree with this list? Want to add to it? Let’s continue this discussion on in the comments. We would love to hear your thoughts on this.

…

End note

There are of course lots of other reasons why your hard earned visitors don’t buy from you. Even making small tweaks and changes can see an upturn in conversions. 

Want to find out how angelfysh can help you?.. Contact us today… we’d love to help.

Congratulations Sam, Overall Winner at the Superstar Awards

Last night Samantha Jackson, our group accounts manager, was recognised as Overall Winner at the Superstar Awards.

We're very happy for Sam; no one works harder or deserves the recognition more. This was said about her:

“Starting at the company over a decade ago as an apprentice, she has grown into a professional, tenacious and reliable individual. The every day reality of customer service levels across the group are set and driven by her. We all try to meet her standards and whilst we may get close we never match them.””

Well done Sam. 

We’re lucky to have you as part of the team.

Blog Content Ideas - 10 tips on what to blog about

Do you struggle for ideas of what to write about when blogging? Not sure what to write about?

You’re not alone. Quite often we’re asked if we can provide ideas and advice on what our clients should be writing about in their news / blogs and on social media. So we've put together a list of 10 blog writing tips below.

Here's a list of blogging ideas

1. Lists - People love lists. Top 10 lists - 5 tips for… type lists - 7 ways to… lists. Start with a number and fill in the blanks.

2. How-to-guides - People are now searching Google using questions instead of keywords. How do I 'blah blah blah' - which type of 'widget' is best - step by step guide to 'whatever'. People love easy to follow instructions that answer their questions.

3. Industry news - Comment on what’s in the news with regards to your industry. Become an authority on your subject / market, have an opinion.

4. Own news - Give updates on what’s going on in your own business. This can be anything from employees taking part in charity events, new products/services, showcasing your own work etc.

5. Reviews - This is dependent on your market of course but here’s some suggestions of what you can write a review type article about:

• Product reviews
• Website reviews
• Books
• Music
• Restaurants
• Hotels

6. Tips - Write a post full of tips to help your readers. Try starting with ’10 tips to…’ for example. This type of post is very ‘shareable’ on Twitter, Facebook etc.

7. Recommendations - Create an article of websites your recommend, books, software, places to visit, cars, product recommendations… anything really.

8. Interviews - Try interviewing an expert in your field or create a series of expert interviews. This is a great way to provide interesting content for your readers. It also encourages the interviewees to help promote your blog post to their own network of readers and followers.

9. Links to interesting content - Compose a blog post that includes links to other websites/articles/blogs that you think your readers will find useful.

10. Guest Posts - Invite experts in your field to contribute to your blog by writing a guest blog post.

Blog in-house or outsource?

Whilst some of our SEO clients here at angelfysh are comfortable blogging themselves following our advice, others do prefer for us to write blog posts and articles on their behalf as part of their SEO strategy. Either way works. 

Get in touch if you'd like us to help you.

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Other resources you might find useful

What to blog about - 187 ideas for blogs

Blog content ideas and creative writing tips

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SEO in 2014: How you'll be affected

SEO is expected to continue to be a necessary practice if businesses want to rank highly in Google's search engine. Ranking highly in Google is especially important for getting potential customers to your website. Although SEO updates to the Google search algorithm such as Penguin, Panda, and Hummingbird have had a harrowing affect on some business websites, the predictions for next year's algorithm updates are expected to be less drastic. In addition to the predicted SEO trends and algorithm updates in 2014, we'll provide a deeper look into the importance of social media and what you can do to increase your online presence in 2014. Start the New Year with a bang!

Predicted SEO trends in 2014

It’s predicted that SEO practices will continue to be the same in 2014 in respect to the importance of unique and relevant content with relevant back links. However, the current Google algorithm continues to allow certain websites to fall through the cracks.

For instance, the popularity of link buying may still work during the current updates of Google. However, Google is working hard to give credence only to links which are done in a natural manner. For instance, having 100 links with variations on the keyword "hair dye" as anchor text will be more effective than having 100 links which all contain the exact same keyword (known as exact match anchor text).

Although content and links will continue to be the main pillars of SEO success, social media has quickly become the third pillar which must be addressed in order to maintain and increase the ranking of your website.

Quickly following the importance of social media is the importance of multimedia in SEO tactics for 2014. Website content such as relevant images, videos, and audio should be encouraged in order to gain more visibility on Google's search engine.

Not only will the inclusion of multimedia possibly increase your Google ranking, but it will allow you to create synergy within your marketing campaign by integrating your brand, website, and social media presence: think viral marketing.

Expected Google algorithm updates

Google is no longer ranking pages for particular words. Rather, they are trying to find the best answer to users' queries. Hence, the new Google search engine is trying to be more conversational rather than informational.

This means that Google will ignore content that is too optimized for a particular word, and will instead try to gather the meaning of a particular page through the interrelationship of a variety of keywords and of media on a web page.

In short, they are trying to contextualize their search results. For businesses, this means that your content should answer questions by giving relevant answers. This will give your readers value which may get them back on your website and possibly make your company profitable in the long term.

The importance of Social Media: an SEO game changer

Google updates in 2014 seem to be instigating a global, online popularity contest in which the most socially popular websites will get the highest-ranking.

A company's Facebook likes, Google+ likes, and how socially active a company's profile is will factor heavily into a website's page ranking.

For businesses, this means that social media management has become a must. It is highly advisable that you hire a social media manager or commission an SEM/SMM agency to market your brand on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other social media platforms.

In terms of new SEO practices, it's important to note that Google doesn't care what you say you do, rather it gives more status so what other people say you do. Meaning, that reviews, comments, likes, retweets and posts will weigh heavily on a website's PR. So now is the time to get those social media icons on your web site and start tweeting; it could be the difference between 1,000 visitors per month and 10,000 visitors per month.

Summarized trends for SEO in 2014:

1. Forget about just keywords, and focus on providing valuable answers to valuable questions.

2. Social media marketing: do it or die.

3. Integrate natural links and multimedia.

Now that you have an idea of where SEO is going in the future, you may wonder how you can use this to your advantage to grow your business by increasing your online audience. 

Here are 5 ways to make an impression on Google and on potential customers in 2014:

1. Make your website Mobile accessible

Google's release of Hummingbird was entirely geared towards optimizing their search results for mobile web users. This means that there is a growing trend towards mobile web use and it is highly advisable that businesses ensure their websites are optimized for mobile use to stay on-trend.

One easy way to achieve this is to increase the use of multimedia on your website. Mobile users are more likely to interact with photos, video, audio, and social media icons than they are to read long blocks of text when using their mobile devices. And of course it’s recommended that your website is a responsive website. 

Responsive websites are websites that adapt the layout to the viewing environment whether it be a 20” monitor, 11” widescreen laptop, iPad, iPad mini, other tablets, iPhones and other mobiles. Basically the purpose of responsive web design is to make websites that fit multiple screen sizes.

2. Get Reviewed

Reviews of your product/services will contextualize your company in the eyes of Google. Using reviews is the primary way that Google ascertains who you are, what you do, and how well you do it.

Because Google is concerned with giving users the best answer possible to the question typed into their search engine, it follows that companies with reviews within your industry will be ranked higher in the page results than companies with no reviews or poor reviews.

Reviews will also influence potential customers heavily because consumers are more likely to Google your company's products/services before making a purchase. So, make it easy for them to find you online by inspiring your current clientele to write about you.

3. Use content marketing techniques

Today's consumers are more highly educated and suspicious of traditional marketing tactics. This makes it harder to build trust with your potential market. A way in which you can do this is by offering them valuable content that puts your brand name in their good books. Although they may not make a purchase instantly, it helps you build and maintain goodwill: that is priceless.

More importantly, it gives people a reason to visit your site. Most people are entering a query into a search engine for a reason; they are trying to find the solution to a problem. If you can provide the solution to a problem in the form of a blog post, an FAQ page, a ‘how-to’ guide, or perhaps even a funny photo or video, you can gain their trust and their viewership.

4. Build a brand community

This takes time to do, but it could be the difference between success and failure. Think Facebook, Jeep, and Mac. What do all of them have in common besides being extremely successful companies? They all have passionate consumers who identify themselves with the product.

More importantly, they have opened up dialogue between the company and the consumers using social media platforms and other modes of online communication. An online presence can not only give your company publicity and create a brand identity, but it can allow others to make your brand culturally significant. This cultural significance makes it easier for people to identify with your company, products, and services.

Integrate social media into your website, but try to go above and beyond. By using multimedia platforms such as YouTube, Vine, and Pinterest, you can create a culturally stimulating marketing campaign that encourages your customers to interact and identify with your brand.

5. Get users back to your website

Ninety-five percent of people who come to your website will never return.
If you could get people back to your website by providing amazing content, or some other valuable incentive, you can increase the profitability of your website simply by getting more out of your regular clientele.

One very simple way to get repeat visitors is to use social media and continue to communicate with your fans/customers. The more you post on Twitter and Facebook, the more exposure your brand is getting, and the more likely someone is going to click, link, and share your website.

Although an increased online presence may not directly result in increased sales, it is definitely an important step in authenticating the quality of your products/services and is a cost effective method of generating brand awareness on a global stage.

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Sources:

Ball, Jon. “Local link building: an easy win.” Search Engine Watch. Inclusive Interactive Marketing, 14 June 2013.

DeMers, Jayson. “The top 7 social media marketing trends that will dominate 2014.” Forbes Magazine, online.  Forbes, 24 Sept 2013.

McCoy, Josh. “3 SEO success factors for 2014.” Search Engine Watch. Inclusive Interactive Marketing, 14 October 2013.

“What’s the Future of Online Marketing in 2014? Predictions and Projections.” Syndacast, 25, Oct 2013. 

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