3 mistakes attorneys make with their online marketing

T 3 Mi k MOST ATop 3 Mistakes MOST Attorneys
Make with Their Online Marketing
www.WeDoWebContent.com – 888-521-3880

About Who is Yvette Valencia:
 Author of Stop Paying Per Click – Get Free Leads – Author of Stop Paying Per Click Get Free Leads
download today at www.WeDoWebContent.com
 Web content professional since 2008 Web content professional since 2008
 Co-Founder & COO of We Do Web Content, a
national digital marketing firm based in Plantation,national digital marketing firm based in Plantation,
Florida. We specialize in writing search engine-
AND human-friendly web content.
 Sis-Sigma Green Belt
www.WeDoWebContent.com - 888-521-3880

What we will cover::
 The top 3 things hindering you from being successful The top 3 things hindering you from being successful
online:
 Not Developing a Nichep g
 Not engaging in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
 Not Building an Email List and/or Marketing to Itg / g

Mistake #1:
Not Developing a Niche
“The most important thing in business is a persona.
People want to know immediately what they're
dealing with And when they think about youdealing with. And when they think about you,
you've got to stand out in their minds--like one of
those characters in a novel.”
–Candace Bushnel, Lipstick Jungle

Why Develop a Niche?y p
 Carving out a niche does not mean you’ll limit your Carving out a niche does not mean you ll limit your
potential clients. Quite the opposite – you open the
doors to:
 more effective marketing – when you position yourself as
the expert, your marketing becomes clear and laser-focused
 more referrals – when you know exactly who your audience
is, it opens the minds of your networking partners
eliminating the guess work for themg g
 new tradeshows and conferences specific to your niche
(excellent for networking!)

Selecting Your Nicheg
 Start by asking yourself these questions: Start by asking yourself these questions:
 What cases do I care most deeply about?
 Which clients do I most closely Which clients do I most closely
identify/understand/sympathize with?
 Who will benefit most from my services?
 Which area of law do I already know most about?
 If I were in a room of 500 people and could represent
only one of them, who would I choose?
 Who are the clients that give me the most positive
f db k i ?feedback on my services?

Validating Your Nicheg
 A good niche market satisfies at least three criteria: A good niche market satisfies at least three criteria:
 It has sufficient search traffic to indicate demand.
 There are proven internet buyers. There are proven internet buyers.
 It is reasonably accessible in terms of competition.
 You can explore your niche (and possibly find new You can explore your niche (and possibly find new
ones) with Google’s AdWords Tool

Study Your Ideal Customery
 Don’t overlook the exercise of segmenting your Don t overlook the exercise of segmenting your
market (When asked what you do, do you answer: “I
represent ‘anyone’ whose been seriously injured in an
accident.” This is just too illusive.)
 Understand that there are groups within your
k h f h h ll h d ff blmarket, each of which will have different problems
or desires (different content needs)
S k h d f h h h Speak to the needs of each group through your
website’s content and other marketing
materials/activitiesmaterials/activities

Who Needs Your Services?
 Take a page from the auto industry’s book and how Take a page from the auto industry s book and how
it markets its products to the various segments of its
audience. They employ several different ads fory p y
singles (sports cars and off roaders) than they do
for families (SUVs and minivans).
 Think about the people who need your services.
Then, narrowly target each of these groups with the
information they are looking for online.

Mistake #2:
Thinking You Can Do Without SEO
Masterfully infusing your keywords into
everything you do online will convey one
cohesive message form a theme and getcohesive message, form a theme and get
you leads!

Your Website
 You should have full control and ownership of yourp y
domain (URL) and website. If you don't, buy a new
one!
 Your website should contain your target keywords
both on and off-page
I hi b d h i Its architecture must be user- and search engine-
friendly:
 loads quickly loads quickly
 easy-to-navigate
 updated with new content frequentlyp q y
 back-end coding (information Google reads)

Keyword Researchy
 What is it? The process of using tools like your site’s What is it? The process of using tools like your site s
analytics or Google’s keyword tool to identify the
terms your prospects are using to find your servicesy p p g y
or products.
 Why do it? More and more people use searchy p p
engines to find businesses on the web. Search
engines use text to categorize (“index”) web pages.
And, research reveals the terms searchers actually
use.

Where do you get keywords?y g y
 Your customers! Conduct interviews, surveys and Your customers! Conduct interviews, surveys and
focus groups
 Google Analytics (will not provide referrer Google Analytics (will not provide referrer
information if organic user is logged in)
 Internal site search Internal site search
 Keyword suggestion tools
 Competitors’ sites Competitors sites
 Online and traditional print magazines

Keyword Suggestion Toolsy gg
 Free: Free:
 Google Keyword Tool
 Google Webmaster Tools Google Webmaster Tools
 Google Insights
 Google Trendsg
 Google Instant
 Fee based (my faves):( y )
 SEMRush - Free 1-month trial, then $49/mo
 Wordtracker - Free trial, then $69/mo, $ /

Benefits of Using KW Toolsg
 Saves you money and time Saves you money and time
 Moves you beyond keyword assumptions
 Offers you search volume (popularity) and Offers you search volume (popularity) and
competition level of each term
 Reveals keyword opportunities you might be missing Reveals keyword opportunities you might be missing
out on (“the riches are in the niches!”)
 Allows you to compare phrases Allows you to compare phrases

Evaluate Your Keywordsy
 Always test your keywords! Always test your keywords!
 Sometimes certain keywords seem like their on the
mark, but upon testing, deliver less than desirablemark, but upon testing, deliver less than desirable
results. Traffic alone isn’t the goal.
 Ask yourself: Ask yourself:
 Is this keyword relevant to my website? (Offer)
 How popular is it? (Traffic/conversion potential)ow popu a s ? ( a c/co ve s o po e a )
 Am I being realistic in trying to rank for this keyword?
(Competition)

Now that you have your KWs…y y
 Organize them and create a plan: Organize them and create a plan:
 Use MS Excel to develop a keyword matrix
 Create separate worksheets to group related keywordsp g p y
 Keep a record of the keywords you have targeted with
each of your website’s main pages, their popularity and
competitioncompetition
 Also, keep a list of the pages (articles, blogs, FAQs) you
have created/will create to support your site’s main pages’
keyword focus with specific “anchor text”

Understanding & Satisfying the
Wh i i k d
U de s a d g & Sa s y g e
Searcher’s Intent
Why are your prospects using certain keywords
and what content should you create?

What is the searcher’s intent?
 Based on the keywords you have chosen to target, analyzey y g , y
where they fit into your buying cycle
 When you understand the “why” behind the search term,
you can better support the needs of your prospects - what
are their goals when their search is:
 Navigational Navigational
 I just want to go to your website
 Informational
 I want to learn and research my options
 Transactional
 I d t b b ib d l d I am ready to buy, subscribe, download

Test Your Navigational Queriesg
 Does your website appear in first position on pagey pp p p g
one when someone searches with your:
 Website URL
 Your name (business owner)
 Your firm’s name
Wh d i f ? What can you do to improve your performance?
 Get your firm listed in and REVIEWED on as many
business directories as possible (Google Places, Googlebusiness directories as possible (Google Places, Google
+, Avvo, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Yelp, Merchant
Circle, BBB, etc.)

What kind of content is this
searcher looking for?searcher looking for?
 This searcher is vetting law firms and they want to This searcher is vetting law firms and they want to
learn more about your firm! So make sure you:
 Have a solid “About Us” pagep g
 Delve into your accomplishments and expertise
 Inform them of the qualities that set you apart from your
competitors (i.e., Board Certified)
 Brag—not really—about the press your services have
garneredgarnered
 Have glowing reviews from your current and past customers

Informational = Learn/Research/
 This searcher is exploring and looking to learn morep g g
before making a decision. So you should create:
 An FAQ page
 “How to” articles or videos
 Free downloadable reference guides or eBooks
B i ti d h kli t Beginner tips and checklists
 Fact sheets

Transactional = Ready to Buyy y
 This searcher is ready to buy! So, make sure you This searcher is ready to buy! So, make sure you
clearly convey the value of your services to him or
her by:y
 Demonstrating industry insight
 Offering breakthrough research
 Exhibiting thought leadership
 Write content that will engage the influencers and amplifiers
f ld d l lin your field and locale
 Write content that will be cited on news sites and shared on
the social networks

Set Goals for Your Content
 Increased page views and time on site for Increased page views and time on site for
informational related content
 Increased opt-ins (growing your email list) and Increased opt ins (growing your email list) and
referrals from downloadable assets like eBooks,
whitepapers, case studiesp p
 Track what’s important and tweak when necessary

C O i i i
Th f i k d
Content Optimization
The art of weaving your keywords
into your web content

Web Content – what is it?
First, let’s define web content because it is
EVERYTHING you find online:
 Websites
 Landing pages
 Images
 Press Releases
 Articles
 Blog posts
 Paid Ads
 Social Media
 Videos
 Podcasts
 Facebook updates
 Tweets

SEO Content is About Balance
 You have to write your content in an engaging You have to write your content in an engaging
manner and in the proper voice for your reader
 You also have to write for the search engines You also have to write for the search engines
masterfully weaving in keywords so they understand
the relevancy of the contenty
 This is not always easy to do, but it is the only way
you will be able to separate your content from the
keyword-stuffed chaff

Stick to These SEO Guidelines
 Never keyword stuff Never keyword stuff
 Only place keywords into your content when it
makes sense and sounds naturalmakes sense and sounds natural
 Section headers are a great way to work in keywords
 Always read your content aloud – if it sounds too Always read your content aloud if it sounds too
clunky, rework until it sounds natural

Stick to These Writing Rulesg
 Make each page you create about your customer, Make each page you create about your customer,
not you!
 Don’t go on and on about how great your services org g y
products are.
 Instead, tell them about the benefits of your services or
products.
 And, tell them why they should care
 Recognize and speak to his or her emotions at that
particular moment in their search.

Mistake #3:
Not Building an Email List
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give
careful attention to your herds.
--Proverbs 27:23

Staying Top of Mind is Keyy g p y
 Business has always been about networking and Business has always been about networking and
building relationships. An online business can only
thrive if you follow this same principle.y p p
 It can take a considerable amount of time to build a It can take a considerable amount of time to build a
decent size herd. The sooner you get started, the
better.

Getting Out Thereg
 We work with attorneys all over the country, who work iny y,
various disciplines of the law. Our most successful clients are
those who are involved in their communities.
B l l l b i ! Become a local celebrity!
 Donate your time, money or both to a local cause
 Sponsor a local athletic or academic teamp
 Book speaking engagements and hold seminars to promote
your niche.
 Make news and make friends with local journalists (write press
releases and send them to your contacts)

Gaining That Expert Statusg p
 Write an eBook or two (or three) about your niche.( ) y
 Send your list a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly newsletter (email, print
or both) announcing new articles, upcoming events, important news
and more!and more!
 Offer these things for FREE on your website.
 Require the visitor to leave their name and email address in
exchange for the free offer.
 Do so by including a SIMPLE opt-in form at the top right-hand
corner of your websitecorner of your website.
 *Remember to immediately ask folks to confirm their subscription options via a confirmation email. This
is know as a “double opt-in.”

Marketing to Your Listg
 Follow up on your leads... doggedly! This is Follow up on your leads... doggedly! This is
CRITICAL aspect of marketing that is sorely
overlooked by many attorneys. You can avoidy y y
making this costly mistake.
 Market to your list with value and sell down they
road. Informational/educational marketing is
indeed the new black.

In Summary…y
 Stand apart from the crowd with a niche Stand apart from the crowd with a niche
 Know your client as well as you know yourself
 Always be building your email list that is! Always be building… your email list that is!
 Become the expert
D i b i h i i Design a website that is easy to navigate
 Use SEO to create to drive traffic to your website
d i land increase sales
 Never stop researching, testing and refining

Thank you! Muchas Gracias!y
Yvette Valencia
www WeDoWebContent comwww.WeDoWebContent.com
info@WeDoWebContent.com
Follow me:
@wedowebcontent
@wdwclegal@ d c ega

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