Economic hardships causing more business for attorneys

Oklahoma is fortunate that its people have not felt the pressure of the economic hardships as drastically as other states. That said it seems that everyone is holding closer to the dollar by watching their spending habits and cutting back just in case harder times hit. Fortunately the legal field is one business that can flourish during economic hardships. As banks are seeing more and more people with charge off accounts or DDA accounts they have a need to do something about it. Most banks rely on a law firm to assist in their collections at one level or another. Companies who are experiencing slow pay accounts or NO pay accounts are having to use their Law Firm to bring Suite against other companies. Individuals who are having a hard time making their monthly payments are being forced into bankruptcy and need legal advice and direction. Because of the stress couples are now looking for family law attorneys to help settle their disputes. As always when times get rough criminals come out of the woodwork and when they are caught they need representation.

It is during these times that it is important as an attorney to really watch where your marketing dollars are being spent. Do not purchase any type of marketing unless the company you are purchasing from can show you results they have produced for other law firms. Why do you need to see the results for law firms? It is important to see how other businesses like yours are performing with that advertising. For instance there is a big difference in how a website for a restaurant will perform in comparison to a law firm. There is also a big difference in how a Business Firm will compare to a Bankruptcy Firm in today's market.

Be smart about agreements you sign and make sure the results you will get can turn into money. As more and more yellow page books are losing business because more and more people have quick and easy access to the Internet, attorneys are having to look toward the Internet for the new client. Gone are the days of pulling over to a pay phone to get a number or digging through a drawer to find the yellow book. Most people have access of one type or another to the Internet either by computer or by phone. Even those that cannot afford computers are making their way to libraries to get access.

Attorneys across the nation are taking their marketing dollars and concentrating those dollars in marketing areas that are bringing in the business. There has been a huge shift in dollars from yellow books to the Internet. I have seen attorneys who use to spend $130,000 on yellow book cut down to $12,000 and put $30,000 into web marketing and get twice the results they were getting when they spent $130,000. In the Marine Corps they use to have a saying "It is smart to be hard but hard to be smart". Too often lawyers will keep doing what they have been doing for years without taking a look at the changes in society and especially the technology changes that are so fast to advance. Stay on the cutting edge of advertising and you will find that you can reach new more clients with fewer marketing dollars.

Video Marketing Online

It seems that every time you turn around now people are talking about marketing law firms on the Internet with video. With the expense of video you have to make sure it will get you the best bang for your buck.

There are tons of production companies that can shoot home movie types of video and those just don't represent a Law Firm well. So first of all make sure you are looking at examples of video that have been produced by those trying to sell you the video. The proof is in the pudding.

I have listed below some frequently asked questions on video along with their replies.

• Why does it help to have video on my website?

FindLaw did a study on video over the last 12 months. Those sites with FindLaw video that were optimized got an increase in traffic of 22%. They also saw a higher conversion rate of 20% meaning more people sent e-mails or made contact with the firm.

• I am not sure that having me on video would help, Why should I be the one on the video?

FindLaw has taken several people who are not photogenic and put together some great video that shows your potential customer what they get when they get you. Remember people only remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see and 50% of what they see and hear.

• How does having video help me in the search engines?

First of all Google is going to a Universal Search which basically means that instead of having to go to Google Videos or Google Photos in order to do a search. Google will rate all subject matter whether it be text, video, pictures etc and show the results on the page of the search. Those that get video first will have the advantage of showing up before those that don't have video.

Also, FindLaw creates Video Visibility by optimizing the text of the video and creating multiple place for the video to be found. The legal directory will also show that there is a video on your site which will draw the eye of the individual to your site because they would rather sit, watch and listen than have to read.

• What makes your production team better than the one down the street or better than your competitor?

FindLaws team has over 10 year of experience in video production alone. On top of that there is an entire team that is very familiar with the legal field and state law. When the video is put together it is fully in compliance with all state and federal law and it is very well put together which makes your firm look to the best of its ability. The search engine marketing team then does its magic to make sure your video is found.

Contact me with any question about video marketing your firm (918.409.5572)

Does Search Engine Marketing mean I can show up first in Google Searches

I have had several attorney's tell me that someone promised them if they would use their Search Engine Marketing Optimization they would put them on the first page and at the top in a Google Search. I can not believe anyone would promise something they have no control over. Google is constantly changing their methods of how websites show up in a search.


The one thing FindLaw knows it can do in a search is to deliver more clients and better clients. You see there are searches such as "Divorce Attorney Tulsa" or "Child Custody Attorney Tulsa, OK". Most competitors will show these types of searches which are very specific and they write all of their content to relate to these types of searches. However over 80% of searches are considered Long Tail Searches which would look more like "I am thinking about getting a divorce in Tulsa, who do I call" Most people are explaining their problem and not searching for an exact match on their search. FindLaw uses the 10,000 + websites they have built and they gather the long and short tail search data and build the content in a lawyers website. This is just one of the ways FindLaw does so well in searches.


This simple explanation of a long tale search is how FindLaw can develop over 10,000 sites and have all of them show up often enough to get the required traffic to convert them to clients. I will never promise that I can have someone on the first page or at the top. All I can do is to continue to monitor the visits and conversions of those visits into customers for the Lawyers who trust me to put the FindLaw team to work for them.

Be careful when someone promises they can put you at the top of the searches. Is it really important to show up #1 every time or is the true importance the ability to get the right clients and as many as you need?

Are two websites better than one?

I often find law firms who have two websites. Some of them keep them up because of the domain name they chose. Other Attorney's may keep it up because they paid money for it and they hate to see it go, they may even think that 2 sites are better than 1. Unfortunately in the case of websites 2 sites are not always better than 1.

Is it wrong to have 2 sites? No, there is nothing wrong with it as long as both sites are coordinated together. Search Engines can actually black flag both of your websites or give them a lower relevance rating if they have similar content or in some cases exact content. You see a lot of times I see Law Firms that have two sites with the exact same information on them. Both of them have the attorney profiles, both of them have the firm overview etc. When this happens and Search Engine Spiders crawl your sites, they can actually recognized counterfeit data or duplicate data and that keeps the sites from having a high relevance rating.

It is completely ok to have two websites as long as they have different marketing themes to them. For instance you have 1 website that targets a workers compensation legal market while the other one targets family law. I have really never found a great value in having two sites unless a law firm had two locations. Sometimes a second website can actually help if you have multiple offices and the local public you are targeting is comforted by feeling like you are a local Law Firm with their interest and concerns in mind. For instance if a law firm practiced in New York and Dallas they could have a website for each office and of course depending on their practice areas those sites may look, feel and have content particular to the local community. The New York office may target high profile business law while the Dallas office may target the local Texas Business Market. You would have attorney profiles on both sites but an attorney would most likely not be listed on both sites. The wording of the site may be a bit different. The content could be similar but different in aggressiveness.

I always get asked, How does FindLaw do so well with marketing websites? The answer to that is simply a lot of hard work keeping up with the changing search engines, specifically in the legal community. It also takes a broad understanding of all the areas the Internet takes into consideration when rating sites. A professional team is needed more so in the legal community than any other. Lawyers simply do not have the time to worry about writing content or preparing a website.

Jack Givens of Givens and Givens upgrades his marketing

I had the opportunity to meet with Jack Givens and his partner Blake Givens of the firm Givens and Givens in Tulsa, OK. Jack is a true inspiration as he believes in running a practice based on the very heart of integrity. "I believe in doing the right thing all the time". Jack has tried many different things when it comes to marketing his firm. When an attorney has a high standard in work ethic and integrity the word of mouth is of course one of the best ways to get new clients. Unfortunately word of mouth will only reach so many.

Jack sees the changing of times where advertising is moving from the yellow pages to the Internet. By having a website by FindLaw Jack will be reaching individuals who are interested in an attorney who wins by doing the right thing. I like Jack, he is a down to earth individual with a great deal of respect from other attorney's in the Tulsa Law Community.

I will update you on how Jack's business increases once his new site is up and running. I am so excited to see Blake continue to take care of their customers.
Congratulations Jack and Blake on over 50 years of legal service to your community.

Internet Marketing Works for Tulsa Attorney

FindLaw has been working with attorneys as a company for many years. Many people don't know that FindLaw was a part of the Thomson West Law companies which is now Thomson Reuters.

I have the opportunity of working with Thomson West as a consultant helping Law Firms in the Tulsa, Oklahoma/ Little Rock, Arkansas and North West Arkansas areas.

The biggest challenge I find when working with an attorney at any Firm is their lack of time. Many attorneys I talk with will have great ideas and wonderful intentions to execute those ideas but they simply never do only because of a lack of time. Time is where I assist Law Firms in making up ground. Internet Marketing is somewhat more complicated than building a web site and hoping people come. Google changes its algorithms regularly and it takes a dedicated team to keep up with those changes. Thomson recognized this and has a team dedicated to search engine optimization. They have also recognized the challenges attorney's have with writing content due to a lack of time and Thomson developed a department of former attorneys whose sole responsibility is to write content for websites. All content of course is then sent to the attorney for approval.

Last week one of my customers, who started out with a small website marketing budget, was so excited she brought a friend in to our meeting and sold her a website. She said "I am in my third month with FindLaw and My first month generated enough business to pay for the website. The second month exceeded my expectations." Needless to say it was easy for her friend to understand her excitement. Her friend told me she had been working on a website for 9 months and still only had the "Under Construction Page" up. She was looking to put up the perfect website and trying to do a lot of it herself. She had already paid a lot of money to a local website development company and has nothing to show for it. At FindLaw our teams will give a project end date. With a project manage, content writer, web design lead and web optimization expert along with a business consultant like me working on putting it all together.

The most important thing to remember is to get a web page up. Even if it is just contact information. Purchase the domain and get a page up. Google has a probation period which will not allow a site to be recognized as legitimate for up to 9 months. This time period of course can be shortened with the right team working on your optimization but none the less it is better to get established now with some kind of presence. I will always assist in this while our team is developing the site you desire to see representing you.

Most attorneys, at least in Tulsa, Oklahoma / Little Rock, Arkansas and North West Arkansas, have good intentions but never quit seem to get to the point of actually getting a website built or modified. When you think about the importance of marketing even when you are busy, what could be more important? Even busy offices would rather take their pick of 100 potential clients instead of 25 potential each month. The offices that take advantage of Internet marketing have those kinds of opportunities on a monthly basis.

So if you are an attorney looking to market your firm give FindLaw the opportunity to become a partner and watch the team of professionals turn your website into a true marketing tool.

Oklahoma Legal Marketing "No time to advertise"

Many offices I visit have great visions for their practice and little time to make that vision come true. Many of them have experienced pushy advertising salesmen and sales women who talked them into spending a lot of money and end up showing very little return. I love helping offices get their best return on investment for their dollar. In every case given appropriate time I can show how the traffic to their website along with other advertising can generate anywhere from 50 - 500+ website visits a month. Why such a drastic difference between 50 and 500? Internet Marketing is achieved in several ways. You would probably not be surprised how many lawyers simply put up a website and wonder why they are not receiving an increase in calls or e-mails. Internet Marketing is so much more than simply putting up a website.

Many Lawyers could actively embed themselves in doing what it takes to increase their activity. the biggest issue with doing what it takes is the amount of time it takes to make it happen. If an attorney does not care about taking advantage of the Internet now they will sure be sorry they did not do it in a year or so. Advertising space is being eaten up many times by attorneys that were trying to get their practice going or those who have realized how important the future of their growth will depend on the Internet. There is only so much advertising inventory to be taken and once it is taken the prices for that advertising will most likely go up. That is why it is important to be the leader in your community. Once you have locked in your advertising it is yours until you either let the contract expire or close your practice.

Take a look at the newest cell phones that include Internet. The cell phone generations are quickly figuring out they do not need to look in the yellow pages or and more and more of them are busy and not watching the television advertising. Also, yellow page advertising, radio advertising and TV advertising limits your advertising to a geographical area. What if you could spend those dollars smarter and get better results?..(PROVEN). Try calling your local television channel and see what it cost to advertise in Stillwater, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. With the Internet you can easily reach those areas with results you can monitor.

Some attorneys feel like all they have to do is get Google ad words. Internet Marketing is so much more. You have to look at three areas - Content of your site, Design of your site and the optimization of your site. If all three of these areas are not well thought out and put together by a team of professionals your money is simply going down the Internet drain. With FindLaw there is a full team of professionals waiting to assist you in your site customization. I will personally assist all the way to the launching of your site and help you with other ideas that will drive business your way. Don't waste your time or money on a local web designer that has very little experience in the legal industry. Simply allow me to give you a free 45 minute consultation to discuss your needs, vision and what you are doing about it.

Check out some others who have been very successful in other markets.

Thank you for reading.

Kevin McDugle
Business Consultant
kevin.mcdugle@thomsonreuters.com

www.findlaw.com