Lawyers Don't Disagree to Chat

Some things learned from doing marketing with lawyers

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DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this page/website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this page/website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.

This article is for lawyers as well as those marketing firms and consultants working with lawyers. Some observations, tips, and insights gathered from the trenches.

One of the greatest successes and frustrations encountered in marketing came when using social media for new business development for lawyers. Success came when things were done that benefited and resonated with the average person looking for a lawyer. The frustration came because lawyers are not allowed the same freedoms other businesses when advertising. It was very important to follow the Rules of Professional Conduct at all times. As a marketer or agency, we must know the RPC which applies to the firm and abide by them. This is our responsibility. To respect the profession and to help them communicate with their audience. The challenge in the work is achieving a balance between the world of law and the layperson.

Facebook Works

In a nutshell, as a marketing consultant, I've had great success with using Facebook to deliver clients until the lawyer didn't want to do it anymore. Be careful to set limits on the hours that a lawyer is going to interact with posts and chat. Otherwise, social contact with people and problems who are not yet clients can cause burnout.

Rule 1. Chat works, but shut the phone off, not the marketing. Establish limits for when chat is open to engage with prospective clients. Otherwise, use a chatbot to handle some of the lead qualification and segmentation.

About Lawyers In Public Forums

People on Facebook love to voice their opinions especially on topics related to the law. It seems like there is plenty of things being discussed that involves the law lately. There is a sort out there that is downright nasty to lawyers. Warnings can be given but in the long run, we've had to ban them. The only question is how long it is tolerated before being banned.

Resist the temptation to post stories from the more sensationalist and controversial news organizations. The goal should be to attract people with questions related to a practice area, not with a political ax to grind.

Stick to high authority, credible news publications. We stuck to mainstream media and focused reads on topics such as the Hill, Politico, etc., without stirring things up too much. Every now and then we would dip into Vice News and the Intercept. When publishing or curating articles from trade magazines such as ABA News Journal, etc. realize that what may be significant and obvious to a lawyer might be murky and confusing to a general audience. Take a moment to break down an article that is relevant to a practice area and explain it in layman's terms.

The Best Things to Post are Other People's Stories

When it comes to choosing a lawyer the most important thing for a prospect is to be able to tell their story and feel that they are being listened to. Conversely, people love to hear stories about people that were in a situation similar to theirs with a successful outcome. One caveat to be aware of is to be careful about arousing an expectation of similar results. Always make it clear that lawyers work with a process with which they have some control over but they have no control over a judge's decision. Give people an idea of the legal process in a given matter. This is empowering for them and places the lawyer in a position to more easily manage expectations.

When curating topics, select stories that have a general consensus where the lawyer can present themselves as an authority and answer publicly without giving specific advice. Beginning an answer to a question with, "it depends" may sound like a hedge but remember this is public comment. The goal is to shift from the comments to a Facebook Messenger chat /conversation, then to a phone call and follow up with an email with the proper intake questionnaire.

"Please message me so we can continue the conversation with confidentiality."

For example when discussing topics where personal info may be needed, just say "Please message me so we can continue the conversation with confidentiality." Make sure that a client-attorney relationship is not implied by clearing moving off the conversation to a meeting with a retainer. The community sees that the lawyer does read the comments, does answer the question, and they can earn a private one on one with them by asking good questions and being polite.

Rule 2. Avoid long protracted discussions and back and forth in the comments section. Acknowledge the comment and move on. Deal with direct questions privately. Move the conversation from the comments section of a post to Messenger for chat and then to a phone call, or email.

Use High-Value Outbound Marketing Materials

Most marketing services for lawyers are based on a combination of inbound marketing and outbound marketing. The outbound method where the firm initiates the conversation, such as Google Ad Words for instance, for many turns out to be an expensive proposition until the marketing engages with an offer of value e.g. a download of a white paper, or report or guide. Writing about a process or what comes next is a piece that people gravitate to. The mistake I've seen is an investment in printing marketing materials, color copies, next day postage, cost of labor, preparing and scraping databases for lists when conversion rates are untested and there is no benchmark.

Rule 3. Use electronic media e.g. email, social media, to test outbound campaigns to see if the investment is warranted in the material. Do testing to find an offer that converts.

The ultimate high-value offer is the offer of a free consultation. After all who doesn't love free professional advice whether from a doctor, lawyer or consultant.

The problem lawyers have with the free consultation is the expenditure of time that is non-billable. The need is to only meet with prospects that are qualified. Create a lead generation funnel and use gamification to get highly qualified leads and pre-screen them before making an appointment with an attorney for the consult. Better to have someone ask the questions who is being paid at $20/hour than a lawyer who bills at $300/hour.

Rule 4. Be smart with time. Consider making videos to answer FAQs answered, podcasts on the topic at hand.

Inbound marketing works for lawyers when the prospect searches for what they need and finds a plethora of material on the desired topic from press releases, articles, guest blogs, Op-Eds and news coverage which provides 3rd party authority and builds trust. This content should be scheduled on a calendar and published regularly. Make sure to be focused on the firm's unique selling proposition. Of all the lawyers out there why should someone pick the firm? What set's them apart from the competition? How to choose to differentiate the firm speaks volumes about what kind of service and results that can be expected.

Rule 5. Align all messaging, advertising, content with a unique sales proposition. There should be congruence across the practice areas and professional goals as well.

Many businesses take the USP for granted and some assume that because they are already in business it is unnecessary.

The whole point of the USP is to have an understanding of what the consumer expects from a brand and how they perceive the brand, rather than what is a company's goals or mission.

Look for my next article for a more detailed exposition on how to arrive at a unique sales proposition with some examples.