What exactly does Internet marketing mean and how does it apply to attorneys?
Generally, Internet marketing involves information management, public relations, sales and customer service. Attorneys can use the Internet to sell their services to business and private clients as well as provide a platform for client service management.
Sales to individuals
For attorneys who focus on individual clients, the Internet and search engines can be used to drive traffic to a law firms website. This can be done in a variety of ways, however the most common business models now used include search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, newsletters, press releases and blogs.
Organic?Search Engine Optimization
This method is attempting to drive traffic to your website by being a highly ranked result for a given keyword. In the crowded world of attorneys, this can be very difficult to top 10 internet security without paying (see below: Pay per Click Advertising). Generally, the methods used to improve a sites ranking among the search results tm net my mail Keywords in the title tag, keywords in links pointing to the page, keywords appearing in visible text, and link popularity. Keyword laden pages that provide quality and informative content for broadband connection are often used as a method to enhance a sites search engine rankings. This can be done on the primary site or by creating blogs that are heavy with a specific law firms advertising.
Pay per Click Advertising
This business model involves paying a search engine or website a certain amount of money each time a user of their site clicks on your ad. The theory is that the ad will have a yield of actual clients and that the cost the law firm pays per click of the ad will be proportional to the value of the business resulting from the ad. The law firms that pay the largest per click price for certain keywords will be featured in a search engines search result. These are the ads you see in blue on the right side of the page when doing a Google search.
Newsletters and Press Releases
Newsletters and press releases can often be used to create interest or a buzz around your legal firm. Content that highlights recent successful business or results can often create a flurry of traffic. Often firms can use professional writers to cast their legal firms successes in a manner that will have broad media appeal.
Blogs
Blogs offer an interesting business model by providing users with consistently updated content that drives traffic to the website where they will be exposed to valuable information and targeted advertising. This also allows the law firms primary website to be free of the content clutter that is necessary to get a solid stream of traffic. Another strategy is to use multiple blogs to attract site visitors.
Sales to Business and Corporate clients
The methods used to attract businesses involve the same methods as those used to attract individuals. However, to appeal to a potential business customer the attorney must often provide service and convenience superiority. A common way to achieve this is through information management.
Information Management
The internet offers a place for attorneys to collect and disseminate their case information. With permissions and user groups attorneys can allow clients and assistants to upload documents and view the latest updates while closely controlling viewing permissions of those documents. This allows for a robust and customizable access management system in even the most complex case and office situations.
Limitations of Internet Marketing
Slow internet connections and servers can create business problems. If the company builds an overly large website it may create a problem - This is why blogs are often used to drive visitors. Also, the internet will never replace the warmth and personal touch derived from a face to face visit. Even with video phone and voice over IP, there is little that can replace the face to face meeting. However, internet marketing can be a great place for lawyers to get contacts to make those meetings a reality.
Robert Melillo, President, GM Sales & Marketing, White Hat Marketing, LLC (http://www.whitehatfirm.com) focuses on maximizing the return on investment in advertising, marketing, Internet marketing and search engine optimization.
