Thursday, September 9, 2021

How to run a successful personal injury law firm in today’s market

Tanner Jones, your host and Vice President of Business Development at Consultwebs, welcomes you to another episode of the LAWsome Podcast by Consultwebs.

 

In today’s episode, Tanner is accompanied by David Vtipil, partner at Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, to discuss what it takes to run a successful personal injury law practice in today’s market. In addition to this, David highlights the permanent impact Covid-19 has had on the legal industry.

 

Key Takeaways:

[0:45] Due to unforeseen events like the pandemic, what are some of the changes David Vtipil’s law firm has implemented? 

[1:15] David discusses how his firm optimized a new communication strategy for his staff and clients.

[2:20] Business lessons learned during the pandemic. 

[3:35] What are occurring changes in personal injury law firms? 

[3:50] How personal injury practices can benefit from new forms of technology.

[4:55] New opportunities for firms to stand out. 

[5:50] David talks about the pandemic and workers compensation from home. 

[6:40] What trends are impacting the firm, Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, when settling cases? 

[7:53] How is David’s firm reassuring prospects that they are a quality option for legal representation?

[8:10] Providing excellent service and showing results are key in marketing. 

[8:33] David states that law firms need digital marketing, regardless of referrals. 

[8:50] Law firms need Google LSAs, local service ads.

[9:26] What are core ideas/ principles that remain rock solid when running a successful law firm? 

[10:05] David talks about strategic steps law firms can take to keep the lines of communication open.

[10:54] What are actionable next-steps after attorneys settle a case?

[12:15] David talks about how law firms can benefit from an internal work-flow system. 

[14:00] Final advice from David: continuous learning.

 

Best way to contact David Vtipil: 

Website: https://www.attorneync.com/

Local number: 919 – 661 – 9000 

Toll-free number: 1-800- 811-9495

 

Discover More About the Podcast and Consultwebs:

Subscribe to the LAWsome Podcast by Consultwebs on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify

 

Visit the LAWsome website

 

Follow Consultwebs on social for legal marketing updates:

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Learn more about Consultwebs at the links below.

Law Firm Marketing Agency Services 

Law Firm SEO

Law Firm Web Design 

Law Firm PPC 

Law Firm Social Media 

Law Firm Email Marketing

Law Firm Digital Marketing 

 

Consultwebs

8601 Six Forks Rd #400, Raleigh, NC 27615

(800) 872-6590

https://www.consultwebs.com 

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13646648339910389351

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The Web Design Elements Your Firm Needs to Improve its Digital Footprint

Is your website doing everything it can?

Law firms face hefty competition. Additionally, the era of digital transformation is dramatically driving prospects towards online channels, particularly websites.

Long gone are the days when websites were just an optional asset for businesses, today it is a must-have. There are many reasons a website is essential today. Examples include giving your firm credibility and boosting your local SEO results. A big part that affects these two aspects lies in how well the technical side of your site is optimized, but the design is a big part that shouldn’t be overlooked. Its most crucial goal is to improve your visitors’ user experience and ultimately draw them in as loyal customers.

And how can your firm successfully achieve this? One of the most important steps you can take is optimizing its design. Today’s websites consist of more than just visual elements put together. A well-thought-out website is tailored with your firm’s vision and mission in mind in this day and age.

However, for your website to outperform the rest, you’ll need to take one step back in order to leapfrog ahead of your competition. In doing so, you can assure your firm is keeping up, surpassing the competition, and meeting clients where they are today: online.

Having said that, researching all the design elements you could add, toggle and optimize on your site can be overwhelming. You could easily spend hours and even days evaluating components like typography, templates, imagery, and more. We have compiled the essential design elements your firm needs to keep on crushing your competition.

Follow the visual hierarchy

The visual hierarchy in design ranks elements in order of importance. You can think of the visual hierarchy as the architectural blueprint behind your website’s design and it makes it easier for both humans and bots to understand the flow of your site.

The hierarchy starts with the most important elements and trickles down to the least important ones. To give you one hierarchy example, elements like titles and headlines should go on the top as they immediately grab the user’s attention. You can then follow with quotes or subheadings and end with the body copy.

Every hierarchy is going to look different. However, these are some hierarchy elements you can include:

  • Sizing and scale – Anything you scale larger will attract more attention. Like the example mentioned above, headlines.
  • Balance and symmetry – We are naturally attracted to symmetry. By adding a form of symmetry, you can have a geometrical balance on your website. You can also lack balance on purpose to give it a more flexible flow.
  • Colors – According to research, there is a science behind colors. For lawyers, the color blue gives the signal of professionalism, power, security, and success.

“Less is more.”

Adding too many elements at once can backfire. Because of this, designers may practice the “less is more” philosophy. Adding the necessary design elements might be enough.

In websites, the minimalistic approach is called flat design, which focuses on usability. What this means is that the aesthetic is clean, two-dimensional, and gets rid of unnecessary clutter.

Furthermore, this type of outline focuses on harmony and simplicity, helping users understand information rapidly. Flat design has an added value, and it allows pages to load faster! A quick loading time reduces the bounce rate.

Additional factors under the flat design umbrella include:

  • Minimalism: Simple colors and text.
  • Sans-serifs typography
  • Modern, simple appearance
  • 3-5 signature bold colors (A popular choice of colors in flat design is monotone. These are color schemes based on one color.)

This is an example of a monochromatic blue palette:

Don’t forget about mobile!

The number of clients searching for services online continues to rise. Until recent years, mobile and desktop searches were eye to eye, but mobile searches are surpassing desktop at an increasingly rapid rate.

Your firm’s web design has to be optimized for phones. And it’s not just people that are growing to rely more on mobile than desktop: Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking.

To guarantee that your website follows a mobile-friendly design, you can include elements like:

  • Media like images and videos.
  • Readable text.
  • Calls-to-action buttons with every scroll.
  • Social media links
  • A hamburger menu, which is a collapsed clickable menu.

Check out our website’s mobile hamburger menu icon below:

Go the extra mile with additional efforts

We have covered some basic design elements. Still, if you want to go the extra mile, you can experiment with the following:

  1. Begin Inquiry
  2. Grow Your Business
  3. Do I Qualify?
  • Unique typography – Typography magnifies your personality. In the case of law firms, formality is key. Therefore serif fonts could work best. As a general rule, try not to exceed three types of fonts. (And please avoid comic sans at all costs!)
  • Follow the user’s eye direction – Our eyes naturally focus on certain things first. This is also known as “the flow.” The human eye tracking tends to follow the F or E shape from the left. Thus, make sure important information is placed on the left side.

Make it easier for yourself and your clients.

A quality web design helps drive business to your firm’s door. But building and launching a website is just the start. Maintaining and updating your site is equally as important and your first impression should come off strong.

You can start by following the design elements mentioned above, but you should have a unique blueprint to meet today’s digital expectations and see optimal results.

Ensure your firm is hitting the mark with a website designed with a purpose. Talk to our team of experts.

The post The Web Design Elements Your Firm Needs to Improve its Digital Footprint appeared first on www.consultwebs.com.



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Friday, September 3, 2021

The Web Design Elements Your Firm Needs to Improve its Digital Footprint

Is your website doing everything it can?

Law firms face hefty competition. Additionally, the era of digital transformation is dramatically driving prospects towards online channels, particularly websites.

Long gone are the days when websites were just an optional asset for businesses, today it is a must-have. There are many reasons a website is essential today. Examples include giving your firm credibility and boosting your local SEO results. A big part that affects these two aspects lies in how well the technical side of your site is optimized, but the design is a big part that shouldn’t be overlooked. Its most crucial goal is to improve your visitors’ user experience and ultimately draw them in as loyal customers.

And how can your firm successfully achieve this? One of the most important steps you can take is optimizing its design. Today’s websites consist of more than just visual elements put together. A well-thought-out website is tailored with your firm’s vision and mission in mind in this day and age.

However, for your website to outperform the rest, you’ll need to take one step back in order to leapfrog ahead of your competition. In doing so, you can assure your firm is keeping up, surpassing the competition, and meeting clients where they are today: online.

Having said that, researching all the design elements you could add, toggle and optimize on your site can be overwhelming. You could easily spend hours and even days evaluating components like typography, templates, imagery, and more. We have compiled the essential design elements your firm needs to keep on crushing your competition.

Follow the visual hierarchy

The visual hierarchy in design ranks elements in order of importance. You can think of the visual hierarchy as the architectural blueprint behind your website’s design and it makes it easier for both humans and bots to understand the flow of your site.

The hierarchy starts with the most important elements and trickles down to the least important ones. To give you one hierarchy example, elements like titles and headlines should go on the top as they immediately grab the user’s attention. You can then follow with quotes or subheadings and end with the body copy.

Every hierarchy is going to look different. However, these are some hierarchy elements you can include:

  • Sizing and scale – Anything you scale larger will attract more attention. Like the example mentioned above, headlines.
  • Balance and symmetry – We are naturally attracted to symmetry. By adding a form of symmetry, you can have a geometrical balance on your website. You can also lack balance on purpose to give it a more flexible flow.
  • Colors – According to research, there is a science behind colors. For lawyers, the color blue gives the signal of professionalism, power, security, and success.

“Less is more.”

Adding too many elements at once can backfire. Because of this, designers may practice the “less is more” philosophy. Adding the necessary design elements might be enough.

In websites, the minimalistic approach is called flat design, which focuses on usability. What this means is that the aesthetic is clean, two-dimensional, and gets rid of unnecessary clutter.

Furthermore, this type of outline focuses on harmony and simplicity, helping users understand information rapidly. Flat design has an added value, and it allows pages to load faster! A quick loading time reduces the bounce rate.

Additional factors under the flat design umbrella include:

  • Minimalism: Simple colors and text.
  • Sans-serifs typography
  • Modern, simple appearance
  • 3-5 signature bold colors (A popular choice of colors in flat design is monotone. These are color schemes based on one color.)

This is an example of a monochromatic blue palette:

 

Don’t forget about mobile!

The number of clients searching for services online continues to rise. Until recent years, mobile and desktop searches were eye to eye, but mobile searches are surpassing desktop at an increasingly rapid rate.

Your firm’s web design has to be optimized for phones. And it’s not just people that are growing to rely more on mobile than desktop: Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking.

To guarantee that your website follows a mobile-friendly design, you can include elements like:

  • Media like images and videos.
  • Readable text.
  • Calls-to-action buttons with every scroll.
  • Social media links
  • A hamburger menu, which is a collapsed clickable menu.

Check out our website’s mobile hamburger menu icon below:

 

Go the extra mile with additional efforts

We have covered some basic design elements. Still, if you want to go the extra mile, you can experiment with the following:

  1. Begin Inquiry
  2. Grow Your Business
  3. Do I Qualify?
  • Unique typography – Typography magnifies your personality. In the case of law firms, formality is key. Therefore serif fonts could work best. As a general rule, try not to exceed three types of fonts. (And please avoid comic sans at all costs!)
  • Follow the user’s eye direction – Our eyes naturally focus on certain things first. This is also known as “the flow.” The human eye tracking tends to follow the F or E shape from the left. Thus, make sure important information is placed on the left side.

Make it easier for yourself and your clients.

A quality web design helps drive business to your firm’s door. But building and launching a website is just the start. Maintaining and updating your site is equally as important and your first impression should come off strong.

You can start by following the design elements mentioned above, but you should have a unique blueprint to meet today’s digital expectations and see optimal results.

Ensure your firm is hitting the mark with a website designed with a purpose. Talk to our team of experts. 

The post The Web Design Elements Your Firm Needs to Improve its Digital Footprint appeared first on Consultwebs.



from Consultwebs https://www.consultwebs.com/blog/web-design-elements-firms-need
via https://www.consultwebs.com

Monday, August 30, 2021

Law Firm Digital Marketing vs Word of Mouth

Is referral marketing helping you get all the calls and cases in your area?

For a long time, law firms have depended on networking and referral marketing to get more clients through WOM, word of mouth. A big part of this tactic revolves around investing in personal relationships in order to grow. To date, this has always meant attending conferences, fundraisers, chamber of commerce gatherings, workshops, and more. And while networking is still a valuable part of your overall marketing strategy, it comes at a cost: time. 

Today, especially after recent events that have changed the way we function as a society (yes, we’re mainly talking about the pandemic), this is changing. Client WOM goes beyond in-person meetings and is now shifting over to the digital realm at an increasingly fast pace. 

This is good news! It means the marketing arena is opening up to more ways in which your firm can excel and get the new business you’re looking for. New challenges bring new opportunities, they say. Networking and referral marketing in this day and age require firms to navigate new territories and find up-to-date tools to grow, and there are perhaps even more than you might think! One way you can amp up your referral game is through your digital presence on social media. You could also start by investing more time in your blog or maybe even pick up podcasting! The options are countless, and the more focus you dedicate to how you look and what you offer prospects online, the better your chances of getting noticed and talked about. 

While investing time in personal relationships is still great, your firm’s steady growth requires more than just referrals and networking. Consider them valuable additions that should support your overall marketing strategy, as opposed to your full marketing strategy. 

 

WOM vs Digital Marketing. Should my firm go for one or the other?

Word of mouth has been the catalyst for most law firm’s networking and referral marketing strategies. Seeing consumers that are using or have used your services in the past voluntarily share how happy they are with you as a firm with their network is a beautiful and humbling thing, particularly because it just works to get you more new business.

The main reason this is so powerful is that it positions your clients like your best marketers – and free of cost! When former clients tell their family, friends, and acquaintances about the excellent job that an attorney did, it will typically result in new leads coming your way. Additionally, WOM already brings in clients with an increased level of trust, leading to a more positive attorney-client relationship.

There’s a caveat, though. Relying exclusively on word of mouth basically means you are leaving the control of acquiring cases and calls in your clients’ hands. Let’s keep in mind that no matter how talented of an attorney you are, you just can’t please’em all! Negative comments and opinions on your firm will always exist, and this is what makes depending on WOM to get business through the door so risky. With digital marketing, the power is in your hands. By this, we mean that you can control what content goes where, with what approach and with what intensity your target audience will be served this content. Your competitors are already in line doing just the same, and as the saying goes, where the bait lies, sharks will come. This is not to say your clients are necessarily bait, but the fierce competition in the legal industry has definitely turned attorneys into sharks. It’s all a matter of Darwin’s law, just applied to the digital marketing world. 

According to a recent study, the primary source the majority of searchers (86%) use when researching a lawyer is Google. Let’s stretch out the bait/shark analogy a little further, shall we? If you’re after new business, and online is where the sharks are, you will need to be the strongest one in order to take the biggest share. This means adapting to your surroundings and being where your prospects are.  Don’t be intimidated to embrace new technology as it comes out. Rather, jump on the bandwagon as soon as you can! The more steps ahead you are of your competition, the more likely it is that potential clients will find you and ultimately sign with you.

With that said, WOM and digital marketing are most efficient when they work hand-in-hand. Here’s an overview of some of the benefits:

  • Heightened awareness of your firm.
  • Promotion of your services. 
  • Highlight of your expertise and USP, unique selling points. 
  • Strengthened client-lawyer relationship.
  • Increased brand awareness and trust.

 

Introducing eWOM. 

eWOM refers to any positive or negative statement made by customers about your firm which is available to multiple people and/or institutions and is spread over the internet. It comes in many forms, but the most significant are online reviews.

Online reviews are a must because they increase your rankings, trustworthiness, visibility and generate even more. Therefore, actively seeking them out online is critical for your firm’s growth. 

 The marketplace is, always has been and always will be, heavily influenced by what people say. Seeing as the digital landscape is expanding at a formidable rate each day, and there are more and more users online that search for both services and products on the web, the traditional market has shifted into a digital one. People trust others on the Internet, even if they don’t personally know them on the grounds of them having left behind a review without much, or anything to gain.  According to a recent survey, 93% of consumers say that online reviews influenced their purchase decisions. Online testimony of your services can legitimize your work, and just like referrals and traditional WOM, it comes from the clients themselves. 

Reviews can help for a number of reasons, including: 

  • Improvement of your visibility. 
  • Higher rankings on SERPs, (search engine results pages.) 
  • Heightened trust. 
  • Increased calls to your firm from interested prospects.

Fun fact: 98% of potential clients research the online reviews of an attorney before hiring them. Because of this, your firm should learn how to seek positive online reviews actively

 

Boosting your firm’s online presence. 

Networking, referral, and digital marketing equally depend on providing the best customer experience. To do so, you’ll need to constantly evolve, meet the clients where they are, and tap into their pains and desires. On top of that, the need for more calls and cases is pushing many attorneys to find new ways to advertise, which means establishing an online presence is no longer a nice-to-have, but a necessity.

However, we understand learning the ropes of digital marketing requires time. Time you likely don’t have enough of as it is! Because of this, we’ve created a checklist with some best practices you can start with: 

  • Add your NAP+W (name, address, phone number) and website in directories in listings like Avvo, Lawyers.com, and Justia. 
  • Claim your business on GMB, Google My Business.
  • Build a social media content strategy. This is the perfect avenue to lend a helping hand to users by providing answers to some of their basic legal problems. For example, you can create a blog explaining what a contingency fee arrangement is. 
  • Incorporate an SEO strategy to boost your organic rankings on search engines like Google. 
  • Network with other professionals on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
  • Attend online webinars and conferences. 

Venture uncharted territories and find more clients.

Your clients can be your best marketers offline and online. There are many ways to stay ahead of the game in the current virtual landscape, and one of the most powerful is allowing your clients to speak for you. Having said this, remember that it is very risky to rely solely on this type of strategy and we highly recommend incorporating your positive reviews in a fully stacked digital marketing strategy. Not only will you be able to balance out any negative reviews you may have received, but your efforts will be more targeted and efficient in getting your firm the calls it needs. 

As you find new ways to grow your firm online, you may find yourself struggling to keep up with the intricacies of digital marketing and your legal responsibilities simultaneously. We know that time is precious and therefore, stretch out a helping hand. We have a team of seasoned digital marketing experts that are ready to set your firm up for success. While you focus on closing cases, we can help your firm navigate the digital realm

 

 

 

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Monday, August 23, 2021

Clutch Lists Consultwebs as a Top SEO Company in North Carolina for 2021

Nowadays, digital marketing plays a vital role in your business’s success. Having a website is not enough. Thus, your presence must be boosted online to reach your target customers. This is where SEO comes into play. With over two decades of expertise, we are here to help you.

Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Consultwebs offers a full range of services and brings unique value to our clients and their marketing campaigns. Our team is expert with the following services:

 

  • PPC Campaigns
  • SEO Optimization
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Web Design and Development
  • Marketing
  • Public Relations
  • Online Strategies, and;
  • Programming

 

We are a dedicated team that works closely with clients to craft and execute custom campaigns based on their brands, markets, and goals. We strive to help our clients grow and celebrate success.

Today, we are thrilled and delighted to share a huge success with all of you! According to Clutch’s research on top providers, Consultwebs was announced as one of the top SEO companies in North Carolina for 2021!

To know more about Clutch, it is hugely respected within the B2B space for connecting small, mid-market, and enterprise businesses with service providers that fit their needs. They evaluate technology service and solutions companies based on the quality of work, thought leadership, and client reviews. 

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the whole team at Clutch for recognizing our dedication. Most importantly, our amazing clients who took the time to leave reviews on our Clutch profile. Without you, this milestone wouldn’t have been possible.

 

Here are what  some of our clients had to say about working with us:

“I was impressed with the professionalism of the team.”

 — President, Advocates of Positive Change

 

“They come up with creative projects to extend our branding goals and to maximize our advertising dollars.” 

— Vice-President, Younce, Vtipil & Baznik P.A.

 

Are you looking for a result-driven partner? Contact us today, and let’s get started.

 

The post Clutch Lists Consultwebs as a Top SEO Company in North Carolina for 2021 appeared first on Consultwebs.



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Friday, August 20, 2021

How law firms can use video marketing to win more clients

Videos: The most popular content type 

We learn and retain new information in countless ways, but perhaps the most powerful way is through visuals. Most of us prefer to process information through videos that simplify topics enough for us to digest with ease.  

One caveat to take into consideration here, however, is that as much as we appreciate video content, we have also learned how to “declutter” from a phenomenon we face today called, ‘digital information overload.’ Thanks to all of the devices we have access to in this digital era, such as phones, tablets, and computers, we have immediate and endless sources of information, videos, images, etc., at our fingertips. Examples of this phenomenon include consuming too much information, receiving too much information, and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge we are bombarded with. What happens when we feel this way? We shut off

What does this mean for your law firm? 

To acquire and retain prospects and clients, your firm’s digital content needs optimization, and this includes your video content. Just to put it into perspective, here are some of the benefits video can bring your firm:

  • Boost conversions.
  • Increase in retained clients on your firm’s page. 
  • Improved trust.
  • Reduction of unqualified leads!

 

In order to make sure your video strategy is successful, you will need to think about aspects like budget and time, as well as:  

  • What kind of video content should your firm place focus on? 
  • Where should the videos be published? 
  • How can you assure your video’s top quality? 

 

Stay tuned as we uncover some of the best practices your firm can start applying. 

 

“Don’t overthink it. Keep it Simple.”

This is one of the many tips and tricks Kara Prior gives. Kara, president of James Publishing, recently sat down with us to discuss how law firms can use video marketing to win more clients. 

Videos enhance your firm’s personalization strategies, which are critical to getting past the much-dreaded disease that is digital information overload. It is also a competitive advantage you can have over other law firms because not many have yet jumped aboard this movement. 

Specifically for firms, there are numerous topics you can cover with a content video strategy, and one relevant tactic Kara mentions is telling stories about cases you have handled in the past. 

Story-telling in general is a great way to keep viewers engaged, and story-telling specifically about previous cases you have successfully taken on signals prospects that you have the expertise to handle their issues as well. It really is a win/win situation if you think about it: you get your message across and you position yourself as an industry leader, and your prospects feel reassured that if they choose to sign with you, they will be in good hands.  Technical aspects you should keep in mind with these types of videos are: 

  • Covering one case study per video 
  • Unfold the story in chronological order in 2 to 3 minutes. 

 

The Power of FAQs. 

FAQs, frequently asked questions, are also a great source to find out what video content you should put out next.  FAQs are a must for several reasons, time-saving reasons being the ones that stand out the most. Fun fact: Around half of all businesses rely on videos to reduce support queries

In the legal industry, prospects looking for law firms need extra reassurance. They want to make sure they make the right decisions in critical times. Because of this, they might also search your website to see if you provide any answers. This is where a FAQs section is handy.

Users searching for FAQs are also known as ‘pre-legal intent searchers.’ These types of users are in the exploration and evaluation process of the sales funnel. They are looking for answers to specific questions. 

Often, many clients looking for law firms do not understand the whole process in the legal industry. Your firm can filter out quality leads versus leads in the evaluation process by providing answers to questions that are frequently asked. Additionally, FAQs can create a ‘snowball effect. Initially, it will save your firm time since you won’t have to answer the same questions verbally. It then creates a snowball effect with your client because 

  • Prospects know what lies ahead for them. 
  • Prospects come to your firm more educated. 

 

And the snowball effect continues.

Some legal FAQs examples are:

  • What cases does your firm generally handle? 
  • What are the fees and costs? And, how are they billed? 
  • How do I know if I have a possible case? 
  • How will I be informed of my case’s process? 

 

Where should you post your videos? 

Since we have covered the ‘what’ of video marketing for firms, the next step would be to decide the ‘where’. Where should you post your videos? 

The businesses that have taken the wise decision to embark on a video-content-creating journey of their own many times forget to share their productions on all their channels. Your website, YouTube, social media platforms like Facebook, and emails are a good place to start sharing them with your contacts and the world! 

For videos on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, you can include a thumbnail, a compressed preview image. Think of thumbnails as the equivalent of the cover art for books. (Remember, people do judge books by their covers!)

As for emails, your firm can add media links to your firm’s signature or embed the video in the email at the beginning or the middle of the body. No matter where you place the video, sharing videos is part of the game. Around 84% of people say they are convinced to purchase a service by watching the videos they are sent.   

 

How can you make sure your video is top-quality?

Your firm can follow a handful of best practices to ensure the videos are top-quality. To mention a few:

  • Make sure to focus on the story, not selling. As previously mentioned, most prospects looking at videos are not yet ready to use your firm’s services. 
  • Grab the user’s attention in the first seconds. This attention grabber is known as a “hook.” Since the human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds since the beginning of the digital era, you need to make sure the first 5-8 seconds start strong. 
  • Use subtitles. Most videos today are, ironically, played without sound. Your firm might want to make sure the videos work without sound by adding images and subtitles. 
  • Include calls to action. Your videos should redirect the prospects to an action you want them to take. Not all actions are meant to sell. Other actions you can push for are: subscribe, follow, like, etc. 

 

Bonus Tip! 

If your firm doesn’t have enough case studies or cannot disclose relevant information, you can also try implementing explainer videos. Explainer videos rely on text/presentation rather than having a person in front of the camera. They educate your prospects on complex subjects in the legal industry. 

The process in explainer videos is very flexible and doesn’t require any live production or filming. Therefore, you can accommodate a presentation, graphics, infographics, and other visuals to explain just about anything you deem necessary.

 

Maximize your firm’s image. 

Finding out where to start with your firm’s video strategy is the first step. The second step is the actual production. 

Videos, like all other content, require an ongoing process and constant updates. But when executed correctly, videos can work in your firm’s favor for a plethora of reasons. 

If you want your firm to maximize its image, clientele list and stay ahead of the competition, you can have it all in the palm of your hand. 

Learn how to craft a video marketing strategy that maximizes your firm’s ROI. Talk to the experts.

 

 

The post How law firms can use video marketing to win more clients appeared first on Consultwebs.



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Thursday, August 12, 2021

How to Create an SEO-driven Blogging Strategy

Think of blogs as your firm’s digital backbone and an extension of your firm’s online personality. 

Blogging has evolved from a personal pastime to an increasingly professional strategy. Although blogs originally started with individuals sharing insights into their lives, they have become a key part of a business’ growth strategy. 

Here are just some of the benefits keeping a legal blog on your site can bring you: 

  • Drive traffic (and converting traffic into quality leads).
  • Strengthen your social media strategy. 
  • Impact long-term success.
  • Link you and other platforms.
  • Give you a space to voice opinions/ideas/news. 

 

Our favorite benefit is that strategically planned out blog posts and topics can also help your site rank higher on the SERP. How? 

Think about it, if you’re maintaining your blog updated, your firm’s site is constantly receiving additional content. This informs search engines like Google that your firm’s website is active and that it has valuable and relevant information that answers users’ questions. 

Your blog has to cater first to readers and then to the search engines in order for it to rank. Because of this, the first step is making sure the content is relevant to your audience. The second step is optimizing your content with some SEO best practices. Stay with us as we unfold SEO practices you can incorporate in your firm’s blog section.

 

Write for humans first

One of the biggest challenges in SEO for blogs is making sure the content ranks with search engines and appeals to the users. If you find yourself at a crossroads, the best practice here is to write for humans first. 

With that said, your firm’s blog strategy should have the following purposes in mind: 

  1. Inform the reader of your firm’s services and solve a problem. 
  2. Offer appealing information for the reader (answer questions, give them new relevant information, current legal matters they should know about, etc.)
  3. Drive new traffic.

 

You can then go in-depth into what the purpose of the blog will be:

  • Will the purpose be to educate? Inform? 
  • Why do your clients need this blog section?
  • What are you trying to enhance with your blog posts?
  • What actions do you expect the reader to take? 
  • How will the readers benefit from the information you post?

 

These are questions you should ask yourself beforehand. They will give your firm’s blog section a direction when coming up with topic ideas. 

Additionally, it is imperative to think of the user intent

  1. Navigational intent The user is looking for a specific page. 
  2. Informational intent The user is looking for information. 
  3. Transactional intent User wants to purchase your service. 

 

This background information can help you speak directly to your prospects by addressing their needs and capturing their attention in their search journey.

 

Research the keywords

Keywords can give you a jumpstart with your content writing. 

You can plan content around keywords that are relevant in the legal industry. An example of a tool you can use to find out what keywords are trending is Google’s keyword planner. No matter which platform you pick, keyword research is a must.

After finding the right keywords, you can get additional information such as word difficulty, ranking, cost-per-click, bidding price, and overall volume. Your firm can also find the “SEO difficulty,” also known as keyword competition. It will help discover how your keyword(s) rank on Google’s organic search results page. 

Your firm can also implement long-tail keywords. These are long specific keywords. They are easier to rank and highly targeted.

Once you find a set of keywords to use, you can add keywords in the following blog sections

  • Blog post headline. 
  • Blog post headings. 
  • Introduction and body of the post. 
  • Conclusion of the blog post (helps re-emphasize).

 

Create a structure that works

There are many best practices when it comes to the structure of your blog post. But, the following are the basic foundations to improve rankings:

  1. Headline – Headline tips your firm can follow include mixing the keywords and writing several headline options to test out. The title should be in H1 tag and a character length between 20-70
  2. Paragraphs – Keep the paragraphs short and simple. You can cut them out into smaller sections or add lists, bullet points. Furthermore, add bold, Italic, and/or underline to emphasize specific points. 
  3. Link building – Linking to high-authority sites gives search engines like Google the signal that you’ve done the research and provide quality and new information. 
  4. ContentLength – According to research, “For SEO, the ideal blog post length should be 2,100-2,400. But there isn’t a “best” approach to this. Google does not consider word count in its ranking factors.
  5. Meta Title – The meta title needs to describe your page using 56-62 characters. It is important to keep keywords you want to rank for at the beginning of the title.
  6. Meta description – This description should be 150 – 156 characters and usually appears like the following image in Google: 

Everybody loves quality (Even Google)

One of Google’s top-ranking factors is content quality

You can also learn how to compile a “power page” to grow your firm. Your firm’s content production should be top-notch. To ensure this, you need to offer relevant, new insights and solutions. 

There are several reasons you need to keep your content up-to-date, but an indispensable reason is to increase your firm’s number of pages in Google’s index. This improves your firm’s website and strengthens your firm’s domain. 

Besides quality, your blog should also remain consistent. Search engines feed off fresh content. By pushing quality content, you are signaling Google’s search engine that your content is helping the user. 

As for how often you should post, there is no correct formula for this. But, as a rule of thumb, you should “maintain quantity without sacrificing quality.” Therefore, experiment posting, i.e., once a week or once a month, and see what works specifically for your firm. 

 

Blogs can be your firm’s digital backbone

Blogs allow you to build and also control your firm’s voice online. They give you the personal space to share information, updates, and just about any information you want to share with your audience. 

Aside from all other digital marketing efforts, having a blog section helps you build authority online. But, a successful blog isn’t static. It requires constant updates, content creation, and SEO optimization to rank and stay relevant. 

While we know blogging isn’t part of your job description, it can be your weapon to laser target your market online. 

If you are curious to know how blogs can help establish your firm as an authority online, our team of experts is on call and ready to help you. 

 

The post How to Create an SEO-driven Blogging Strategy appeared first on Consultwebs.



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