Practice Management

I like Duct Tape Marketing And John Jantsch, and he has reminded me about a concern I have about the web presence of most attorneys and law firms.

Almost every lawyer I run into these days has a website either for themselves or their law firm, and they think that represents an online law practice.  But, does it?

Of the dozens of attorney websites I see everyday, some are quite beautiful in design.  Some are rather average.  Regardless, most of these websites are simply static.  They are written in a tone that can only been viewed as, well, manufactured.  Come on, who writes most of this stuff.  It is not generally that informative, and it is terribly generic or merely customary.  There is a page about how the firm is better than everyone else for no apparent reason stated.  There is a review of the lawyer, and why he or she is unique like everyone else.  There is the contact page, which provides them an address and phone number.  That is good.  Then there is usually a practice area page that explains that if you have a little money the attorney will practice in any practice area you request.  Then throw in the clip art of a building in which the attorney does not office and a bogus picture of smiling staff that does not really represent the staff that work at the firm.  And, ... Well, you get my point.

It is not that this information is not marginally important.  After all, with the decline in phone books, potential clients and existing clients need to be able to fine the attorney, but it cannot be said that the law practice is online.

John Jantsch states it accurately and states it this way -

"Even though you may think you have one of the world?s coolest websites, if you aren?t constantly adding educational content, finding new ways to connect with your markets online, building community around your ideas, and ultimately using your website as a tool to convert know, like and trust into try, buy, repeat, and refer ? then you stand little chance of competing in your chosen industry these days.

I know you?ve heard plenty of late about social media, but this is really a bigger idea still. What I?m talking about is the total integration of your online and offline activity through the use of a primary web hub".

This "hub" idea I have advocated for a long time.  Your website needs to be the place where you bring all of your content together.  All attorneys have it.  They just do not expose it to the world.

I am still not sure about all of the new social media, but no attorney needs to be falling behind this curve.  Social media feeds can be added to a site.  There needs to be a blog as part of a site.  If the site has a blog, someone needs to be actually blogging.  What about a video channel?  This needs to be embedded in the website.  What about e-books or white papers?  Those need to be there.  Do you have forms that need to be filled out?  Put them here.  Have a speaking engagement?  Put it there.  The bottom line is that clients and potential clients that might be interested  want to get both a feel for the attorney, firm and the law represented.  So, give it to them.

And, if you want a chance to learn a little more, John Jantsch has a FREE webinar sponsored by Verizon on September 23 at 2:00 pm eastern time, entitled "How to Get More from Your Small Business Website."  JUST CLICK HERE TO ENROLL.