Internet Marketing

Published on: January 21, 2013

WMT: The importance of monitoring your online reputation, and reverse SEO

I address an important internet marketing topic in this month’s Web Marketing Today column on “Monitoring your online reputation in 2013.” We spend a lot of money to “get found” on the web with various search engine optimization techniques. But what about the stuff you don’t want getting found? Or what I refer to as “reverse SEO”?

As the web ages and matures, it becomes more and more important to be vigilant about protecting your good name. And the first step towards staying one step ahead is to effectively monitor what I call an attorney’s online portfolio. It is far more expansive than what your law firm posts or what might show up from LinkedIn or Martindale. And it only takes one bad apple in an orchard full of good ones to feel like your name, reputation and business might be harmed.

In an interesting comment posted on my WMT column page is a website developer frustrated that he has encountered situations where a top result on a Google search is “ancient history.” Something 5+ years old that is “totally irrelevant.” This points out the downside about some online reputation “fixers” where a problem is fixed today but could float back to the top after an algorithm change.

Published on: January 14, 2013

Family Law and Divorce Attorneys Can Find the Digital Marketing Landscape Overwhelming

by Micah Buchdahl

The ABA Section of Family Law has dedicated its entire winter 2013 issue of the Family Advocate to the topic of marketing your practice in the digital age. The feature that the publication asked me to author, Finding the Magical Mix for Your Digital Marketing Plan, presents a wide range of options for the family law practitioner–including websites, blogs, use of video, search engine optimization, mobile sites, social media, directories and ratings. In other words, there are a lot of options and a lot to think about.

Among other features in the issue is an article on Common Ethical Pitfalls of Digital Marketing, authored by my ABA LPM colleagues Sharon Nelson and John Simek. While ethics rules should not discourage or hamper an attorney’s involvement on social media and lawyer referral websites, compliance is critical. As an ethics attorney myself, I’ve worked to get a few attorneys out of digital “jams”, not to mention implementing lots of preventive medicine.

Simply noting that the ABA Family Law Section has dedicated an entire one of its quarterly issues to this subject should be enough to wake up any family lawyer not paying attention to the World Wide Web. The bottom line is that like many consumer-oriented practices, competition is fierce and ever-increasing. Family law is such an interesting animal. Perhaps no other area of practice is likely to impinge on life more than divorce–if not directly on your household, indirectly through a relative or friend. In regard to advertising, you are often targeting a more sophisticated client base than might be the case for a plaintiffs’ practice. Visibility is a necessity. No other area of practice is represented more in many of the lifestyle and regionally-based print publications I peruse from the mailbox. The radio and billboards tout family law practices (not so much on television). Facebook is both a contributing cause and effect of many divorces–meaning that a target audience is right there for the taking. The use of mediation and forms of alternative dispute resolution bring in other competitive marketplace issues. A few years ago, I presented a marketing ethics CLE program at the ABA Annual Meeting for the ADR section, with many of the examples coming from issues relating to family law attorneys competing with huge, non-law firm divorce mediation services.

Published on: December 19, 2012

WMT: Law Firm Sites Move to Mobile

by Micah Buchdahl

In this month’s Web Marketing Today column, I address the importance of having a proper mobile marketing plan to accompany your law firm’s Internet marketing efforts. Regardless of a law firm’s audience, practice groups, size or location–“mobile” is a critical component.

Some law firms are still at stage one–trying to get some sort of compatibility for an iPhone or Android device. Others have moved well past that toward development of applications that serve purposes ranging from “marketing” to uses for partner retreats, recruiting and access to files and billing.

The strategies, however, do differ based on a law firms’ audience and clientele. As is the case with a typical website–what you develop for a Baker McKenzie is going to differ from what you develop for Sokolove Law. Although as of today, a quick look at both of those websites on my Droid were not online presences built for mobile. This column features firms that built a solid online mobile presence. It also addresses related issues tied to SEO and online advertising considerations as well.

Published on: December 4, 2012

WSJ — No-Frill Legal Services Grow; LegalZoom versus Rocket Lawyer lawsuit requires retaining actual lawyers–forms won’t cut it

by Micah Buchdahl

In August, I wrote about the Consumer Reports evaluation of online do-it-yourself legal sites (Legal DIY sites no match for a pro). This week, Wall Street Journal reporter Jennifer Smith writes on “No-Frill Legal Services Grow,” addressing many of the same DIY websites.

The impetus for the article is the lawsuit filed last month by LegalZoom.com against up-and-coming rival Rocket Lawyer. It is ironic that these entities are now fighting over what is and is not “free” in terms of form filing and other stuff where you apparently either don’t need a lawyer, or perhaps just need one that works for them at really cheap rates. Interesting side note: Both LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer have real lawyers doing the fighting–I don’t think they are using their own self service offerings.

The debate often revolves around the potential “unauthorized practice of law.” Regardless of the semantics involved, the consumer is thinking this is a cost-effective way to resolve a legal issue. It is not like this business is new. Strip malls stores (Divorce! Bankruptcy! Wills!) have provided similar services for decades. Storefronts such as “We the People” have largely evaporated (thanks in part to the Internet and in part to State Bar issues with unauthorized practice). In recent years, the online offerings have changed the language in describing offerings to something akin to providing documents and/or providing a lawyer somewhere that can answer questions.

Published on: November 14, 2012

WMT: Blogging for Lawyers – Lessons Learned

by Micah Buchdahl

This month’s Web Marketing Today column discusses the good, bad and ugly in the world of law firm blogging. As the bumper sticker says, “If you can read this, you must be on my blog.” Anyway, that in itself highlights one valuable element of blogging–in cross-promoting other marketing and publishing efforts.

I’ve selected successful blogs in the small, medium and large law firm categories to highlight approaches and styles–from Silverberg Zalantis, Young Conaway and Reed Smith. In the world of blogs, they are all operating on an even playing field.

One of the ways I know that blogging is still “where it’s at” in cyberspace is simply following the steps of my long-time web collaborator Pavel Ushakov. Between Pavel and Justia’s Tim Stanley, much of the direction and advice I give myself (and others) comes from following their paths. Tim practically shamed me into getting back on the blog bandwagon. Pavel played a pivotal role in my original transformation from “marketing attorney” to an “internet marketing attorney.” We worked together on original website projects for law firms like Morgan Lewis and Simpson Thacher back in the 90s. Remember the 90s man? He was then instrumental in creating the Internet Marketing Attorney website, IMA reviews and Nifty Fifty awards for me. And in developing my original business website and blog. Of course, as one of the true web pioneers, he has bigger fish to fry than helping me–but always responds quickly whenever I shout out for help. But his focus now is on blog development and consulting with Blogconsulting.com–with “little” clients like Adobe, Time Magazine and the Harvard Business School. But he is one of the go-to guys for blogging, and knowing what will come next.

Published on: October 24, 2012

WMT: Law Firm Websites – Ethics and Compliance Issues

by Micah Buchdahl

In my monthly column on internet marketing for lawyers in Web Marketing Today, I tackle the sticky issue of ethics and compliance for law firm websites. If you had told me when I started teaching ethics CLEs on this subject in 1997 that I’d be this well-versed on the subject–and it would become a niche area of expertise for my practice, I’d have laughed. But lo and behold, the Rules of Professional Conduct have become my Ten Commandments. There are plenty of golden calves and false idols–but I won’t name names. Let’s just say that websites are now the tip of the iceberg in a land of Groupons and “ask the lawyer” sites, getting the disclaimer language right should be child’s play.

Published on: October 16, 2012

The Value of a Website Video – or how not to do one

by Micah Buchdahl

In an upcoming column for Web Marketing Today, I am going to discuss the value of videos in law firm marketing, focused on internet marketing efforts. I’ve had the opportunity to work with people that know how to do them, such as my friends at TheLaw.TV. Last year, as chair of the American Bar Association’s Law Firm Marketing Strategies Conference, we held the first Golden Gavel Awards, recognizing the best law firm and legal industry videos. Nick Gaffney of Infinite PR organized the video awards and panel, with the end result being some phenomenal videos used by law firms on web sites.

This brings me to my own recent work on redevelopment of the HTMLawyers website. I wanted an effective welcome message, but ended up with something that looks like a bad local business ad on cable television. You won’t see this on the business site, but I did marvel at how my eight year old daughter Lily watched me sweat, flub lines and deliver a mediocre performance–only to have her show me how it is done. I’m not sure if she is showing me the way or mocking me, but I enjoyed her performance far better than mine. Lily first appeared on this blog–in the fourth post–when she was born in May 2004, so this is her triumphant return.

Published on: September 10, 2012

Too Soon! Too Soon! Impact of ABA Model Rule Changes Will Take Some Time

by Micah Buchdahl

If you are like me– seemingly spending half your life reviewing state bar rules, regulations and ethics opinions for my clients that seek to ensure compliance in the states in which they practice–I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully, like most attorneys, you are more of a casual observer. In August, the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association approved a series of changes to the Rules of Professional Conduct. Many in my realm of marketing and business development circles ask how it will impact them and what, if anything, they should be doing about it.

For starters, I remind you that these are “model rules” as opposed to “rules.” As someone long involved in various aspects of ethics and professionalism in the ABA, I can assure you that the time it will take many states to implement all or some of the rules will be “not tomorrow.” I’m pretty sure some states are still mulling over pieces of the ABA’s Ethics 2000 initiative. But it is only 2012 now, and you really just want to update your rules before the year 3000 hits or risk being seen as behind the times. And these changes come from Ethics 20/20, which is 20 years longer than 2000, divisible by 20.

Of course, the impetus for the ABA changes is simple–technology has far outpaced the long arm of the professional conduct law. The Ten Commandments would be delivered today via cloud computing, as opposed to having a long hike and getting stone tablets. Oy veh!

Published on: August 27, 2012

Consumer Reports Says To Get a Real Lawyer, Not a Dot-Com

by Micah Buchdahl

In thumbing through the September 2012 issue of Consumer Reports, my “thumbing” came to a halt, somewhere between best values on cars (my Toyota Highlander ranked high, as did my wife’s Camry) and televisions (I could have done better), when the monthly money column headline “Legal DIY sites no match for a pro” stopped me in my tracks.

Would CR tell its readership that the do-it-yourself web sites for legal information (not “advice”, because we know they can’t do that) would suffice when it comes to the “simple”–a will, a trademark, forming an LLC, getting a divorce, a real estate lease. Of course, if you are an IP attorney, a real estate lawyer, a family law attorney–you would (and should) take offense at the idea that your practice can be replaced by a cyber-lawyer (and I don’t mean a lawyer doing cyberlaw, I mean an automated machine). And thankfully for most of us, CR agrees. You probably need a lawyer to review and/or draft anything that goes beyond the extremely mundane.

The article leads by saying that for a fraction of what you’d pay a lawyer, websites such as LegalZoom, Nolo and Rocket Lawyer can help you create your own will, power of attorney, etc. ..and those sites are full of pleased customers that have avoided dreaded attorney fees from the comfort of a desktop.

Published on: August 14, 2012

Lawyers Are Big Players in the SEO Game

by Micah Buchdahl

This month’s Web Marketing Today column focuses on the impact, cost and level of sophistication that search engine optimization (SEO) has had on law firms–primarily in regard to the plaintiffs’ bar. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there when it comes to finding your next client online…or really the opposite, the next client finding you. And if you are in a “high rent” space – geographically or practice-wise–the cost of competing can be ridiculous.

The impetus for this column topic came from re-reading “The Plaintiffs’ Bar Goes Digital: An Analysis of the Digital Marketing Efforts of Plaintiffs’ Attorneys & Litigation Firms,” prepared by the Institute for Legal Reform, a politically-motivated think tank, which begins its nearly forty page report by stating that the U.S. tort system costs $265 billion in 2010. Personally, I was fascinated by the report–not in regard to whether the system is right or wrong–but more as to the various digital media techniques that have changed the marketing landscape for many of these law firms.

I was impressed by the sophistication of some law firms. I was appalled by the questionable ethics issues by others. And I found the three top spenders to be interesting as well. While I would have expected Sokolove Law to be number one, they were number two in spending (at $6 million-plus) to Danizer & De Llano, who blows away every other law firm in spending north of $16 million annually in online spending (according to the report). I had never heard of them. Third in spending was The Lanier Law Firm at nearly $5 million. In this case, I certainly know who Mark Lanier is, and was surprised to see him spending at this level. Of course, I always remind other law firms of two things. First, they have the money to spend; and second, if these efforts were not paying off, they would not likely be investing this heavily in these initiatives. When you get some big hits, there is no reason not to reinvest additional dollars in channels that might deliver the next huge award and fee.