START YOUR ESTATE PLANNING WEBSITE

Transcription

1 1 START YOUR ESTATE PLANNING WEBSITE LawLytics Phone: (800) Website:

2 2 DAN JAFFE, ATTORNEY & LAWLYTICS CEO J.D Admitted in WA & AZ 10 years in private law practice Built practices in Seattle & Phoenix 100+ jury trials to verdict Co-founded LawLytics in 2011

3 3 PRESENTERS Victoria Blute, BA Topic: Strategy Sophia Oliboni, MS Rachel Chalot, MSW, JD Topic: Design Topic: Content

4 4 ESTATE PLANNING: THE OPPORTUNITY Marketing for estate planning cases is changing; The internet is a great equalizer. There are now two paths to success: Effort or budget. Getting started is easy and cost-effective. There is a lot of money to be made. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. - Lao Tzu

5 5 THIS ESTATE PLANNING WEBINAR SERIES 1. START (today s topic): Get going the right way. 2. GROW: Build smart. 3. DOMINATE: Take over. WITHOUT WASTING TIME OR MONEY

6 6 WHO IS THIS SESSION FOR? Your law firm practices estate planning or intends to; and You re starting your website or your website isn t working; and You want it to work; and You re able to invest your time or money to make it work.

7 7 SUMMARY OF TAKEAWAYS 1. Start smart; 2. Don t overcomplicate; 3. Your participation matters.

8 8 WHAT IS LAWLYTICS? LawLytics is the leading website system for lawyers who want their marketing to work without wasting time or money. Unlike full-service marketing companies, our system adapts as the law firm s needs evolve, so our members don t overpay. Unlike do-it-yourself software, our system was built for lawyers, so our members don t struggle or miss opportunities.

9 9 HOW LAWLYTICS WORKS 1. Needs and strategy assessment; 2. Membership registration; 3. Website setup and styling; 4. Content is added; 5. Your website is launched; 6. We train you and help you with strategy; 7. We support and advise you.

10 10 WHY HAVE A WEBSITE FOR AN ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICE? Your clients are online and will use the internet to make hiring decisions. Referral sources and opposing counsel are validating you online. You re already online anyway, so you need to control your messaging. Show you care. Show you know. Show that you re successful. There s no magic trick. There s a proven method and a window of opportunity.

11 11 MARKETING ASSETS Invest in marketing assets, but make sure they are assets you own. Google: commoditization of lawyers

12 12 WHY CREATE HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT? Search engines will like it; Your clients will find it; They ll know that you care; They ll know that you know; They ll trust you; They ll be more likely to hire you; They ll be easier to manage as clients.

13 13 LAW FIRM SEO Victoria Blute LawLytics Community Manager

14 14 WHAT IS SEO? Search Engine Optimization (n.): The process of growing your website s visibility in organic search engine results.

15 15 HOW SEARCH ENGINES WORK Crawling Indexing Retrieval

16 16 HOW YOUR PNCs USE SEARCH ENGINES The fundamental problem with law firm SEO

17 17 HOW YOUR PNCs USE SEARCH ENGINES My potential client opens their laptop. They go to Google. Then, because they need an estate planning attorney in Atlanta, they conduct a search for estate planning attorney Atlanta They find my website because I m an estate planning attorney in Atlanta. They contact my law firm.

18 18 HOW TO ATTRACT POTENTIAL CLIENTS Content.

19 19 Law Firms & The Longtail

20 20 SEO PROVIDER MYTHS A promise of quick results We can get you to the top of Google. SEO is complicated or that you won t have time to learn. Special relationships with Google There s a secret to ranking well

21 21 OTHER COMMON SEARCH ENGINE MYTHS Keyword meta tags More web pages = better ranking Overvaluing keywords/keyword stuffing Paid search helps organic results

22 22 THE CONTENT PROBLEM... Will you delegate it? No You need content. Will you write it? Yes Yes Excellent! No You need content.

23 23 Tell A Compelling Story Inspire Confidence Engender Trust Convey Sameness

24 24 YOUR PNC: ABOUT THEM AND THEIR PROBLEMS Show them that: You know what you re talking about. Establish subject matter expertise. You re passionate and interested in them and their problem. Their problem is complex and they ll benefit from your expertise and assistance.

25 25 Structural Elements Text Images Video & Audio Maps, Forms, Etc.

26 26 CONTENT: YOUR FIRM S MARKETING FOUNDATION Types of Content: Blog Substantive Reputational

27 27 BLOGGING Why do attorneys need to blog?

28 28 SUBSTANTIVE CONTENT About you and your firm About them and their problem About your firm Practice area pages Attorney bios Detailed law pages Office locations Local pages Recommendations Case results, deal flows, etc Questions and answers pages Case studies pages

29 29 ABOUT YOUR FIRM First person vs. third-person? Does it engage? Does it set you apart and capture your firm s USP? Does it let PNCs and referral sources get to know your firm?

30 30 YOUR ATTORNEY BIO The most important page(s) on your site(s). A powerful business generator.

31 31 HIERARCHY OF POTENTIAL CLIENT NEEDS They Want To Know What You ve Done They Want To Know How Enthusiastic You Are They Want To Know How Much You Care

32 32 OFFICE LOCATIONS PAGES More than just an address and phone number. Bring your office to life and make it interesting. Add dynamic maps (LawLytics does this for you automatically). Add attorneys at each location (Single click in LawLytics). Add office location facts. What you do there? Directions, parking, finding the suite, landmarks, etc. Add office pictures (internal and external).

33 33 RECOMMENDATIONS Write a good lead-in to your recommendations page. Explain each recommendation to give it context. Consider the order of your recommendations to tell the story your way.

34 34 YOUR CASE RESULTS Give each result, deal flow, representative client context. Each entry should tell a story that your PNCs and referral sources can relate to. Explain details in both legal and simple terms. Add visual elements such as maps, pictures, videos.

35 35 TELL A COMPELLING STORY The Facts Detailed fact patterns that tell a relatable story. The Challenges What were the odds? What needed to be overcome? Who was your opponent? How did you prepare? What was at stake? Who (or what) you were fighting for? Where did this happen? Why did you care? The Quest The Result What heroics or ingenuity did you bring to bear? How did it improve a person s life or the world? How did your background make you uniquely suited to win? How did it stack the deck in your favor going forward? Marry to bio when possible (see Bio Clinic Webinar). Marry to recommendation when possible.

36 36 Why was it necessary? Is it replicable? What did you learn? Who did it help? The Story Of Your Results Where did it happen? Why did you succeed? What were the odds? Why is it remarkable?

37 37 PRACTICE AREA PAGES Describe in their language (usually not lawyer-to-lawyer). Give simple overviews of each area. Then cascade to more complex and nuanced treatment of each topic: On the page. On different pages using intuitive linking.

38 38 DETAILED LAW PAGES Let readers drill down in as much detail as they are curious about. Don t be thwarted by the idea that readers consume only a small fraction of what you write. This is a good thing. If even one client asked you about a detail in the past, many more may be curious about the same thing.

39 39 LOCAL PAGES Get hyper-local. Call it out with its own page, map, pictures, etc. Estate Planning Examples: Banks Brokerages County Recorder s Office Probate Courts

40 40 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGES Q&A s may be woven into any other page, or displayed on dedicated free-standing FAQ page(s). Write the question like your PNCs and clients ask. Answer in simple and direct terms.

41 41 CASE STUDIES PAGES Use real, published cases and fact patterns as teaching materials. Create hypothetical case scenarios and talk about possible outcome and approaches. Consumers respond to fact patterns that they can relate to.

42 42 LANDING PAGES Substantive Pages Blog Posts About Pages Landing Pages

43 43 INTRODUCTION TO CONTENT Rachel Chalot, JD, MSW Vice President of Content Operations

44 44 CREATE GUIDING AUDIENCE PRINCIPLES - Synthesize common characteristics of a potential new client Who are they? What is their mindset? What is the target local language (geographically and colloquially)?

45 45 WHAT IS NECESSARY TO LAUNCH? Focus on covering the basics, while planning for the future

46 46 THINK LONG-TERM

47 47 PRACTICE AREA PAGES : COMMON MISTAKES Concern about size Incorporating audience guidelines Are inadvertent mistakes avoided?

48 48 TRANSITIONING TO GROW Track as much data as possible

49 49 TRANSITIONING TO GROW What types of cases are you attracting? What trends do you notice in your area? What questions are being asked of you (and your staff)?

50 50 ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE (800)

51 51 GROW YOUR ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICE: FEBRUARY 27 Additional tools for long-term content strategy and planning Lessons learned from successful estate planning firms / pitfalls to avoid

52 52 DEVELOPING HEALTHY CONTENT HABITS How often? What topics? Who will write it? It s not a brief, it s a blog!

53 53 WEBSITE DESIGN FOR ATTORNEYS Sophia Oliboni, MS Senior Designer

54 54 YOUR ESTATE PLANNING WEBSITE Is your website design for you or for your potential clients?

55 55 AESTHETICS IN WEBSITES

56 56 WHAT IS USABILITY? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Coffeepot for Masochists, from the collection of Don Norman, 2002.

57 57 FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS. Don t sweat the small stuff.

58 58 THE IMPORTANCE OF WHITE SPACE Minimalism brings important content forward and minimizes distractions.

59 59 LESS IS MORE: HICK S LAW Related phenomenon: Analysis Paralysis. Too many choices can overwhelm.

60 60 YOUR LAW FIRM WEBSITE LINKS View our firm s case results here. vs. View our case results.

61 61 YOUR LAW FIRM S BRAND How does branding affect an estate planning practice?

62 62 DEFINING YOUR LAW FIRM S BRAND What is your firm s mission? What are the benefits of choosing your firm? What do clients think of your firm? What qualities do you want prospective clients to associate with your law firm?

63 63 CHOOSING A LOGO What s in a good logo?

64 64 LAW FIRM TAGLINES Does your tagline capture your brand?

65 65 NEXT MONTH: GROW YOUR ESTATE PLANNING WEBSITE Learn more about design details that encourage potential clients to engage your firm.

66 66 GETTING STARTED The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. - Lao Tzu

67 67 THANK YOU Web: Phone: (800)