Should I be blogging? What’s the value of LinkedIn? Should I pay for an AVVO listing? What do all the charts and numbers mean in those inscrutable SEO and social media reports we get every now and then? Are we actually getting business from the Web? Should we pay for online Yellowbook or lawyer directory listings? What’s our overall internet marketing strategy? Do we know what’s working and what’s not? Does the content of our site and our social media messages resonate with our readers and motivate them to contact us? What the heck are we paying for anyway – and are we getting our money’s worth for it?
If you’re frustrated, you’re in excellent (and widespread) company. The reality is that the world of law firm internet marketing continues to evolve quickly in both complexity and competitiveness. And since it’s extremely difficult to develop (much less sustain) effective internet marketing yourself, you’re probably dependent on marketing vendors to do the work for you. But then you run into the questions above, including that all-important last one: What are we paying for and is it worth it?
I can help you answer that question because I don’t have skin in that game. Meaning, as a law firm marketing coach, I guide strategy and help you assess the value of your current program and expenditure, but I don’t do the work myself. Instead, I work with a network of independent internet marketing consultants who specialize in law firms, and who, among other services, conduct unbiased audits of what you’re currently doing and make specific recommendations you can bring to your vendors to get better results from what you’re already paying them on a monthly basis.
I’ve overseen audits of internet marketing programs run by small local companies all the way up to Findlaw. Here my Lawyer’s Web Marketing Rip-Off Prevention Guide. And here is the slide deck of my CLE program Effective and Ethical Internet Marketing for Lawyers. Call me at 203.806.1300 if you’d like to discuss whether an audit of your internet marketing effectiveness makes sense. At the very least, you’ll gain enough understanding to have higher-value conversations with your internal colleagues and your external vendors.