Co-op Legal and the Brand
There are several major UK brands who have stated that they are interested in offering legal services including The AA, Saga, Which?, Halifax and The Co-operative Group, although Tesco themselves have stated that they have no immediate plans to move into this area. Organisations like these will really shake the industry up and traditional legal firms had better be ready.

Jonathan Gulliford is the Sales & Marketing Director of the Co-operative Legal Services company and at a fairly recent conference called firms in the legal profession “dinosaurs”. He feels that they have not yet come to terms with the new competition they will be facing and will become extinct unless they react positively to the challenge which is coming.

His exact words were “It’s all about the brand.” The Co-op are convinced that the vast majority of people will choose their legal services provider based on a brand which they trust and the Co-op is trusted by millions of people.

They are already the largest funeral directors in the UK and account for a large percentage of the insurance market. So if they add Wills at one end and Probate at the other, with a price structure that pulls all of these services together into a one stop shop and an immensely strong brand, the vast majority of their clients, who use them already for insurance and funeral services, will quite likely make the leap to buying the whole package.

They are therefore ideally positioned to challenge virtually every Probate department in the land. They view their main competition, not as traditional legal firms, but other major brands such as Saga and The AA. Their customers already trust them for their holidays, insurance and car recovery and Wills and Probate, again, would be simple add on services.

New brands coming into the market such as Quality Solicitors will also have an impact, irrespective of the ‘quality of service’, due to extensive advertising, a high street presence and low prices.

How to compete
So how will traditional legal firms compete and thrive. My view is that firms need to be smarter and more service orientated than they have been in the past and adopt practices which were not in the minds of many solicitors when they first joined the profession. This means that marketing and networking skills will become as important as technical knowledge and firms will have to provide the very best service possible.

And make no mistake about it, there are firms who are already doing this by for example going to see their clients at home in the evening when it suits them and are there with flowers and a box of chocolates to celebrate when they move into their new house. This is all about placing clients at the heart of your business, because that is the most effective way of keeping and attracting new clients into your practice.

This will probably entail a change of culture, which may well be very difficult but will have to happen in order to survive. Many firms are considering moving to an LLP structure and this can help to kick start a change of culture, but there are pros and cons to this and it is not the complete answer in itself. Of course the impact of these changes is not going to happen over night, but it will come and it could come so gradually and stealthily that in a few years time you will look back and wonder what on earth has happened to your industry.

Therefore now is the time to focus on where you will be in five years time, how you are going to meet the challenges represented by these brands and how are you going to differentiate yourself from other firms of solicitors who are all competing for the same clients.

Contact Harry on 01225 785520 or email harry.hilliard@monahans.co.uk for help in preparing your business for the future.

The waiting may be painful but by feeding the results into our annual brand audit, we’re able to assess whether the values and expertise that we’re aiming to promote are being received by our clients – which is what branding should all be about.

Measure, measure and measure again
Also feeding into the audit are the results of our various marketing campaigns. The great advantage of living in a digital world is that you can measure and track marketing performance in so much more detail. From assessing the success of each search, email or direct marketing campaign to gaining feedback on customer service and reading comments online, you have information at your fingertips that will drive the evolution of your brand and focus your marketing planning.

Increasingly, we’re helping firms to use online marketing Dashboards to track campaign performance in real-time. What the brand audit adds is the ability to step back, review day-to-day results in the context of feedback from clients and to ensure that you are achieving your brand vision.

Every Comment is an Opportunity
The other area that is now feeding into our brand audit is public statements about realityhouse. In the real word, not every comment made about your business will be 100% positive. The ever increasing obsession with social media and review websites means it is vital to listen, to respond, to apologise when necessary and to treat every comment as an opportunity to win back an existing client as well as showing prospects that you take criticism seriously.

You can’t please everyone. The website “solicitors from hell” (apparently soon to reappear in a new guise) is a classic example of where no amount of reasonable comment can help. But, in our experience, most clients are reasonable and will respond positively if you respond to their expressions – no matter how extreme they may initially appear to be.

Making a Brand Audit Count
The real joy of a brand audit is that to enables you to see your successes as well as revealing where you need to try harder. In addition it raises questions that feed not only into your marketing plan but back into the core business plan itself – and that is surely where marketing should add value.

But what happened next?

The short answer is a massive improvement. After the initial problems making contact, my case was managed by a named individual who scheduled a call to take details from myself and my partner on our wills.This time we received the scheduled call at exactly the right time; the brief for my other half’s very simple will was taken in less than five minutes; my will was more complex and we were on the phone for almost an hour but the questions were relevant and showed a real understanding  of what I was aiming to achieve.

As promised, the draft wills arrived within 5 days. We both checked them – and I had some additional questions. This time I was put directly through to my named contact who discussed some small points. I emailed the changes and we received final wills for signature again within 5 days.

The witnessing procedure was well explained and the wills have now been returned for storage – two wills created for less than £140.

So after a dreadful start – the co-operative legal services have delivered very well. But they are not infallible and for those law firms working to compete in this market the main lesson would seem to be to focus on front end customer service (who is answering your phones out of hours etc) as well as the legal process.

Once being called easy would been an insult; nowadays it costs you money not to be easy!What have your bad experiences as a customer, being a member of a gym, the “dumbing down” of society and my recent building works got to do with helping you sell more of your products/ services?

They have certainly made me think about how I can make it easier for my prospects, and more importantly my customers to interact with me.

Have you ever bought something, and not been happy with the product, service or both? In fact, you were really annoyed with them and on reflection said “I am going to write/ email/ phone and complain”? Did you complain on every occasion?

I had a holiday last year where the accommodation was appalling and the attitude of the owner even worse; I never got round to posting the photos onto a website and complaining though (even though that is what I said to my friends I would do). Even with strong emotions and the best intent, life gets in the way.

Imagine three piles of things you are going to do the “B pile” is full of things you really want to do, but are not quite as important as the “A pile”. My complaint sat in the “B pile”. There is a “C pile” for things that are a nice idea but even I accept I won’t get round to. If your proposal is sitting in somebody’s B pile (let alone the C pile) you won’t get the sale.

Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter (good job you’re not thinking of stopping reading this though). We live in an age where interaction can by simply by clicking on “Like”, not even having to write a comment (do click on “like”). We may hark back to when people still thought things through properly and took time over things, but we are all too busy. The easier you make it to get interaction, the more likely you are to get it. Interaction is good; it helps you to progress sales or judge how well you are doing. Inertia kills sales.

Have you ever belonged to a gym, or dance class? I love going to ceroc (a dance class), but got out of the habit. It is so hard to get back to going each week, despite wanting to. It has moved into my “B pile”, if you have ever stopped going to the gym, despite your best intentions, you have experienced this too.

So imagine what it is like for somebody that you are asking to change the way they do things (i.e. buy something from you), you want to hold their attention for long enough to get them to commit to something. Consider what you are asking them to do – from their perspective not yours! Unless you get their attention, in their language, their intention of buying from you get stopped by inertia and sits in the “B pile”.

Honesty time (and apologies to the three suppliers concerned)
Over the last few weeks I have been involved with three purchases; all of which are for things that I genuinely want to buy (in fact am desperate to have the results of). I am embarrassed when I speak to or see the providers of these services, as I do want to spend my money – but I haven’t. Now it heads towards Christmas and money may be (temporarily) diverted elsewhere (inertia and life get in the way); meaning these suppliers/ friends don’t get their sales for another couple of months.

Let me explore “easy” a little more:

The proposal
One job is for some building works to my house; all I want is a hole knocked in a wall and a door fitted. I have had somebody that I trust and want to give the work quote for it. The quote came back in a format that made me think a bit harder about it than I want to (note, think about not spend more). I will need to arrange a surveyor, tell him that he missed a bit of the work off and that he didn’t quote for the larger piece of work I mentioned. Result: it’s sitting in my “B pile”, not my “A pile”. What would have made the difference? A document worded the way I expected would help, but then something as simple as “you need a surveyor to look at this; we will arrange it and have included this in the price”. I see “simply knock hole in wall”, he sees “potential problem with joists”; that is all that has prevented me buying something I am desperate to buy.

The job I’ve already paid for

Another is from a business supplier, who I am already paying. But the document didn’t immediately make it clear to me what I need to do next; I can work it out if I sit down and read through it carefully. I really want to progress this issue, but the result? I haven’t done anything with it yet – it’s in my “B pile”, not my “A pile”. A very simple and clear line in the document, stating what I need to do and I would have just said “Yes”.

The “this will make me feel really good purchase”

The third involves me spending about £10,000 and I really want to proceed. It’s on the “B pile”, not the “A pile”. There is one or two simple things that could help me move it. Again some simple wording in the documents, or the way the follow up calls have been phrased.

This has made me look at my services, how can I make it easier for existing customers? How can I make it easier for prospects to say “yes”?

What advances in technology, simple language changes, or other little offers could make a difference? Think about your offer, from their life.

Easier to complain – Good, you get feedback.
Easier to understand – Cool, they think for less time.
Easier to act on – You are more likely to sell.
Easier to pay – Fantastic, you get your money.
Easier to buy – Brilliant, you get the work

What little differences would make it easier for you to buy things from other people? How can you learn from those and adapt your offer?

In our experience there are three main reasons.

1. Tactical Marketing. If you have suffered a personal injury, or your dentist has maltreated you or perhaps your will has been challenged, the very corporate language of a legal website can be both intimidating and off-putting. Hence the success of Claims Direct with its very consumer focused image, message and language. The good news is that a large number of law firms are fighting back with sites such as www.clinicalnegligenceteam.co.uk that we have developed for Withy King and www.itsyourinheritance.co.uk for Gregg Latchams.
2. Brand Development. As firms take advantage of the new ownership regulations the benefits of developing brands created as separate companies focused on key audiences becomes very attractive. In essence these sites are playing the Claims Direct game – but with some work handed to the owning firm and other work passed out to a panel.
3. A Niche Service. The other area where we are currently developing websites is where one niche service within the firm is very specialist and sits outside the usual marketing parameters of the business. The microsite is set up to promote this service in its own right. This means that we can use very focused search and email marketing as well as social media to drive a very specific audience to the site.

The success of microsites is continuing to grow with more and more firms finding a steady flow of enquiries can be generated online – particularly from search engine and increasingly from social media – be that Facebook for private client or Linkedin and Twitter for business.

What’s more we’ve also found that mobile websites work particularly well in driving enquiries – particularly for private client sites.

There’s more on Legal Microsites here.

Some professional practices have cottoned onto the need to send out different communications to different audiences, as one size really doesn’t fit all. For example, Bristol-based recruitment firm RSG Sanderson, has ten different blogs. This approach allows them to segment their messages, and establish their expert status, out to their very different target audiences.

In our opinion, true efficiency is realised in a firm’s marketing communications when it clarifies and focuses it’s message to just one target market, rather than trying to give one message to three or four different sectors. The generic one-size fits all newsletter just doesn’t work any more.

For example, Silverman Sherliker LLP’s content marketing strategy of setting up micro websites, which are SEO optimised, probably makes them unique in the legal services sector. I am sure many professional practices may be dubious about the time and effort which has gone into these websites. The proof is really in the pudding as  Silverman Sherliker LLP, generates a significant proportion, of all their new clients via their websites. Worth a rethink? Take a look at a few of their microsites: Contesting a will, prenuptial agreements, Trademark applications. As you can see, Silverman Sherliker LLP, have taken the bold step to niche each site, and provide significant amounts of free content for a niche market. If you look at a typical professional practice’s website, it wouldn’t be much more than a brochure site, with potentially a underused blog attached.

In fact, simple does work for communications… one audience, one message, one website… Or does it?

So, what’s the difference between 3G and 4G? There are two main differences which will enhance the mobile experience for the user:

1. The speed on the 4G network will be approaching land broadband speeds – i.e. up to 50 Mbytes per second

2. Base stations are becoming smaller, to the extent where they can be placed in private residences – which will allow greater reliability of the 4G mobile signal.

In effect, the mobile broadband network will soon be as reliable and quick as land broadband.

This is going to impact the way people like to receive their information – and more importantly, how marketing professionals reach and engage with potential clients. In my opinion, the practices who will benefit from the introduction of 4G already:

• Use video to engage with potential clients
• Have video embedded on their website
• Engage in social media marketing
• Planning to use a mobile phone app to enhance their client experience
• Have a mobile ready website

What have you already heard about 4G?

How do you think it will change our marketing practices?

But why focus on specialist mobile websites and apps – can’t you simply use your main desktop website? The short answer is no… and here’s why: According to the latest research from Google…

• By 2013 more people will use their mobiles phone than PCs to get online
• 60% of users expect a mobile site to load in 3 seconds or less
• 71% of users expect a mobile site to load as fast as a desktop site (but mobile uses 3G not broadband)
• 40% of users have turned to a competitor when a site doesn’t load quickly on a mobile
• 61% of mobile users call a business after a search; 59% visit the location
• Mobile searches have grown 4x since 2012

The opportunity is clear – you can reach busy clients and prospects and offer information that will position you as an expert and a partner. This might be by refining your website so that it is focused on the needs of the mobile user – visit www.pizzaexpress.co.uk or www.barclaycard.co.uk on a desktop and then a mobile to see some really effective (albeit graphically disappointing) mobile websites. Or it might be by developing a relevant app – the success of our own Tax Rates app for Haines Watts on Android and iPhone is a great example of useful information made available in a very simple and low cost app.

Up until now, mobile has been a ‘nice to have’ option. In 2012 mobile will increasingly be at the heart of your marketing mix. We’re looking forward to it.

Happy New Year.

• The Dark Knight Rises – The final instalment of British director Chris Nolan’s Batman trilogy. View trailer »
• The Artist – French romance silent film, already released in the US to qualify for the Oscars – might win best picture. View trailer »
• Django Unchained – next Quentin Tarantino film with a well talked about plot that’s bound to cause a stir.
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Part 1 of a 2-part Lord of the Rings prequel installment.  View trailer »
• Les Miserable – British musical film Directed by Tom Hooper who directed The King’s speech and with Anne Hathaway cast as Fantine. »
• Skyfall - next Bond film likened to the classic Goldfinger.
• Brave - Pixar’s first fairytale but with a Brothers Grimm edge. View trailer »
• Prometheus - A Ridley Scott sci-fi film, which is  sort of an alien prequel! View trailer »
• The Great Gatsby – An adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s best-selling novel, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
• The Flowers of War - with British Oscar winner and Batman star Christian Bale. Chinese Director Zhang Yimou (Hero and House of Flying Daggers). View trailer »

What do you think about our predictions? Or perhaps you have some more you would like to add to our list? Comment below.

It’s that time of the year again when the realityhouse team start to think about our top 10s. A couple of years ago it was our top Christmas songs (‘I believe in Father Christmas’ by Greg Lake is still my personal favourite). This year it’s our top Christmas movies…

• Trading Places—Laura
  Why? Dan Aykroyd as a drunk Santa going loco at his office Xmas party—brilliant!
• Die Hard—Justin
  “Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho.” Why is it my favourite? It has enough explosive action, one-liners and wry humour to balance out the day’s festivities once the children have gone to bed. And it has sleigh bells.
• A Christmas Carol—Tonya
  An old classic and it reminds me of Christmas eve excitement watching it in the mountains of Mallorca wondering how Santa made it all that way—lol!
• The Grinch—Sophie
  Because I hate christmas almost as much as he does! But I won’t steal anything, honest!
• Rare Exports—Cliff
  It revolves around an evil Santa, what could be better? I expected a dark, tense pseudo-horror and whilst it starts off brooding & suspenseful it builds into a fun & oddly charming film.
• Miracle on 34th Street—Mike W
  Because its one of the all term classics and embodies the true spirit of Christmas.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas—Mike F
  Tim Burton animation at it’s brilliant best.
• The Christmas Tree (1969)—Paul
  The story is really quite beautiful. Comment on the progress of science during the cold war era combined with sickly sweet sentimentality and a father/son relationship…all wrapped up in a not-so-festive bow.
• Love Actually—Heather
  Just because I’m a massive Colin Firth fan.
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation—Chrissie
  I can watch it every year and it never fails to make me laugh and it gets me in the Christmas spirit.

If we’ve missed your favourite, please let us know. If you agree with us—tell us why—we look forward to hearing from you.

Here comes the honest answer – yes. Yes it does. And for professional firms that means it takes fee earning time.

So why on earth would you, a busy professional, waste time tweeting, blogging and using LinkedIn? Honest answer again – because if you do it well you will win large chunks of new business. The challenge comes in keeping that time to a minimum and gaining the greatest returns – here are the realityhouse top tips for achieving this:

1. Be strategic – what do you want to achieve with social media; be clear about this and set goals/targets
2. Integrate social media – Tie social media effort tightly into your marketing plan – this will help you maximise returns
3. Develop a content plan – your social media work will be driven by content; if you know what content is needed and when; it’s much easier to deliver
4. Cover the basics – particularly with regard to social media policy and getting everyone’s LinkedIn profiles up to speed.
5. Train key fee earners – help you social media champions to succeed by training them to network online
6. Use the right tools – there are plenty of time-saving social media tools out there
7. Don’t expect results tomorrow – social media is a tool that builds connections; they need time to become potential conversions
8. Build the internal connections – Gradually extend the number of fee earners using social media – and train them. This will increase your reach.
9. Assess the impact – this is the tricky one – how do you measure success in social media; treat it as a cross between PR, social networking and events
10. Enjoy social media – it can be great fun

Is that all there is to it? Okay the planning it slightly more complex than portrayed above but with the right strategy and training your people will be winning business – which is what social media should be all about.

You may feel inclined to produce a compendious social media policy or, if you are feeling brave, you may even combine this with a strategy paper. But, as much as it pains me to say so, you need to up-skill first (the ‘What’ is more important, at this stage, as the ‘How’), and to paint vivid and meaningful pictures of a world filled with remarkable content that engages your clients. If all you think about is content of old, then social media will not correct your ego based obsession with showing how learned you are!

There is no good saying: “This is how Twitter works”. You need to produce a more nuanced approach by looking at the Good, The Bad and The Ugly (and not just your competitors), and provide your kick-ass strategy to build solid engagement.
For Twitter, I might decide to focus on networking either in person on virtually (Skype is still my preferred option). For LinkedIn, I might combine networking with content syndication and event management. For You Tube, I might decide on my Top Tips for one practice area or another – something that shows how risk can be avoided or, perhaps, tax mitigated. And for Audioboo, I might work on a series of interviews to develop topical issues.

The issue will be time: don’t get people interested if you are not going to allow for and reward engagement.
Aim to work with everyone but manage your expectations to the extent that you may only get 50% of the firm on board. Remember it is not just about having everyone working with the tools, it may be the case that they just provide the content. And, of course, you will need to agree who will have day-to-day responsibility for the management of each platform. Don’t let this default to the person who shouts the loudest.

Appoint a social media Tzar if you must or at least someone who has the strength of character to make things happen. You will want them to be at the hub of what you do. Often, there is too much talk and not enough action. You want an Action Addict and not someone who thinks it can wait until tomorrow.

When it comes to the external picture, start with ‘Why’, then ‘How’ and then ‘What’. Use a Mind Map to work out which platforms you are going to leverage, with the hub of your activity being something that you have control of – your website very likely.

Start off with 3 platforms but growing to no more than 5.

Develop a publishers mindset and start weaving in your campaigns, events and likely market/legal changes with the content most suited to your (social media) demographic. Don’t go and produce a whole slew of material on You Tube if your target audience prefer email. If you don’t know what people might like to receive then ask them.

Have some clear objectives but they should be tied to your business goals. If you want more revenue or better clients then how is social media going to assist in the process?

You need to have a content strategy that works. Blogs are great, but in order to leverage your expertise think about something of value – an eBook or podcasts work well.

Combine your on-line with your off-line material wherever possible but only if the latter has real value. If it is filled with gobbledygook or is too verbose then putting it on-line won’t save its mediocrity.

Change your printed material to reflect your new found love for social media. Make sure your website shows everyone’s LinkedIn profile.

Make sure that when people attend a networking event they have some lines rehearsed about your social media programme, but most importantly make sure that they don’t miss an opportunity to connect and introduce others – always the hallmark of a great networker (see the book Endless Referrals by Bob Burg).

The point is if you really want to leverage for gain you need to understand that social media is an active medium. It is not, and never will be, something you can put out ‘there’ and expect to sit back and see things happen. That is not to say that might not get lucky with the odd blog post or You Tube video but think of your efforts as a marathon and not a sprint. I was always taught by my mentor in recruitment, Douglas Knipe, that the reason why the Japanese had been so successful in there dominance of the electrical market was because they took the long view – “the “softly, softly” approach won every time”, he would say.
Now I am an incredibly impatient guy but I recognise the wisdom of thinking long term and modelling your behaviour on a picture of how your business could be different with social media. Call it a vision, primary aim or strategic objective, it matters not. What matters is the ability to scale and grow.

If I could make one final point – and I know I have said this ad nauseum – it is that you need to create the very best content you can. Call it remarkable if that helps but better still create content people will want to engage with. Remember a call to action as well, and don’t be afraid of at least considering how you can make money from your social media efforts.

And finally, have FUN.

Julian Summerhayes
www.juliansummerhayes.com

• LinkedIn profiles are very likely to rank above your own website when someone searches for a contact name on Google
• Anyone connected to a contact in your firm will be shown related profiles whenever they log in to LinkedIn
• And LinkedIn is growing massively with 6+ million* UK users, doubled traffic since 2010 (45.8m September 2010 to 94.3m in September 2011**) plus the average visitor views 24 pages/month and updates their profile 3 times/month**.

If you’re still unsure about the importance of LinkedIn here’s a quick exercise – search for your organisation on LinkedIn and see what you get. There will probably be some great profiles; but you are also likely to find a mixed bag of half-finished (or barely started) profiles with dodgy photos, non-existent career histories and listings that do your firm no favours.

So what should you do? First step is to get all your LinkedIn profiles up to speed (and realityhouse –LinkedIn for Lawyers online training can help here). This gives you a baseline to work from. Next start looking at your connections (clients, suppliers, colleagues) – who do you know; and who do your contacts know that they can put you in touch with?

The next step is to work through these connections to win more business… but that’s for another blog…

*Source: LinkedIn
** Source: Quantcast

Firstly ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why is the website being created?

Before you jump straight into your website project, think about why you are creating it. Typically a recruiter’s website should offer an accessible, action driven space that caters to the two different audiences you are looking to attract. The homepage should reflect this.The goal of the homepage and in turn its copy is to give a good first impression, provide an at-a-glance overview of what you do and then allow people to follow the path through the site that best suits them.

2. Who is our audience?

The most important thing to remember when writing copy is who you are writing it for. You are not talking to another recruiter and users may only have a rough idea of what you could offer them. Some users may never have never dealt with a recruiter before and might be daunted by the prospect. Therefore it needs to be accessible to anyone and the key to accessibility is to keep your copy  clear, concise and jargon-free.

3. Am I a Niche recruiter?

If you are a niche recruiter who only targets specific job levels or sectors try to think about the types of candidates & clients you want to attract and what type of content they are going to respond best to. Typically it is easier to write copy when you have a very specific niche audience in mind  as you can concentrate on what they really want to know.

Conversely if your services are targeted at a much larger range of industries and job levels then you need to be less specific in your copy without appearing too generic. The key is to reassure the people in the various sectors you recruit for that you are experienced and will deliver the level of service they expect.

4. What are my ideal outcomes?

Ultimately your recruitment website needs to help you generate leads from potential new clients and encourage candidates to sign-up or apply for jobs. When it comes to writing for clients, make sure that you give them enough information to be interested but not so much that they don’t feel the need to call you or fill in a form.

5. How should I structure the page?

Now that you have thought about your audience & your goals you should consider  the structure of the page and the word count.

The structure should typically be;

1. A headline
2. A short intro
3. Then a couple of paragraphs of main copy.

When getting across stats or a series of points its best to use a list. Not only will this be easier to read, but easier to write.

By following this structure you should naturally keep the page to a reasonable length. However should the page become quite long consider either splitting the page into two pages or breaking the information up with headers at regular intervals.

Ultimately the key to good copy is to provide what your audience wants to see and to make it as readable and findable as possible.

I phoned the co-op over the weekend to ask about creating a will – which I suspect is when most ordinary punters will want to speak to someone. I gave my details and was told the Wills team only works Monday to Friday but that they would schedule someone from the team to call me at 7pm on Monday.

So far so good. The call was well handled so I cleared my diary and sat down at 7pm on Monday to wait for the call. By 7.20, I felt I’d waited long enough, so called Co-op legal to see what was happening – went through the automated call system (press 1 for etc) and was on hold for 7 minutes before being cut off without warning and without speaking to anyone. I called them straight back. Same again (press 1 for etc) and this time was cut off again with no warning after 2 minutes. Tried again (press 1 for etc) – and finally got through to talk to someone at 7.30 to be told there was no record of my call over the weekend.

While I was talking to the call centre – my mobile rang; it was a person from the co-op legal team following up the original 7pm scheduled call – at 7.35. My first comment was that I was extremely dissatisfied with the customer service. What I expected was an apology – what I got was the comment that they were busy with other calls that needed to be answered too…

This is one example of one call. And to be fair when I spoke to the ‘Team Leader’ I got the apology and have a second call scheduled – I’ll let you know how it goes.

————————

I was working with a client today, and he asked me… I’m not sure really what to do with my LinkedIn account now I have it set up.

Good question – and one which many of us are probably secretly wondering how to gain business via LinkedIn.

The first thing you need to do on LinkedIn – after getting a great profile written about you – is to start increasing your number of connections. I’m a great believer in quality connections rather than connections for connections sake. However, you need a certain number of connections on LinkedIn to extend your reach to find the people who matter to you.

My client was using a great marketing person to help him find good potential connections. She knew his practice strategy and had already found and linkedin up with some cracking connections for him. However, that’s where it had stopped. If your LinkedIn connections are just sitting there, and you are not doing anything with them, then you are missing a massive trick.

So, what should you be doing? Firstly allocate some time every month to look through your LinkedIn connections. Tag any potential A-listers as you review your list of connections. Who haven’t you spoken to in a while? Who is due an e-mail? Who do you need to move from a level 1/2 relationship connection to a level 3 relationship connection?

When I talk about a level 3 relationship connection, what I mean is someone who is no longer just a name, but someone who you trust and who you have had a real time conversation with on a one-to-one basis.

The challenge you now face is how to ‘tempt’ your LinkedIn connection to do more than just swap e-mails with you but actually pick up the phone and start having a dialogue. For example, my client found a LinkedIn connection who would have had a fantastic network into the people he needed introductions to. He could also reciprocate with his network of clients and suppliers. It was what I call a ‘slam dunk’ moment. So, he was duely despatched to put together a compelling e-mail to the LinkedIn connection in question, suggesting why it would be very beneficial for them both to talk.

So what do you need to do with your LinkedIn connections to start to get the value from them?

It’s a good question. What makes content engaging? What’s going to persuade anyone to read your blogs. And realistically do you have anything to add to the debate?

As an ex-copywriter, I’d love to say that a good blog is down to style, a finely honed phrase and the delightful use of language. Unfortunately, the reality is somewhat more mundane; it’s down to planning. Creating a content plan (in other words a diary of content) that you will be posting over a three or six month period. You identify the subjects you would like your audiences to hear about, look at any key dates such as Halloween, a new product launch date or the date for the introduction of new regulations and map out a plan of what you’re going to say and when. Then write as much as possible in advance so you don’t have to post at the last minute.

And that’s the first step into blogging.

At the top of the food chain, the magic circle and other large commercial firms continue to use their brand presence, reputations and skill at relationship building to develop business. We’re not convinced that any of the major firms has really cracked the digital arena yet but that really is a matter of time and investment. And although the financial climate means the 6th October has not quite been quite the “big bang” it could have been, I’m sure that investment will not be an issue.

For the mid-range and specialist law firms where realityhouse legal is most heavily involved, ABS has been a real wake up call. We’re seeing a genuine focus on niche practice areas, the launch of legal microsites and mobile apps serving key audiences and investment in digital technology to attract and more effectively service clients. This vertical segmentation will be increasingly important (and we’re here to help!).

On the High Street, we’ve been impressed by the marketing impact of  Quality Solicitors. It is impossible to deny the profile raising the company has achieved – although we’re sure that the devil will be in the detail of what firms have signed up for; but solicitors should be good at the detail. The Law Society advertising campaign can’t have done any harm either – their “Choose Quality Advice” payoff and dark posters almost match the Quality Solicitors brand.

So the 6th October has arrived. Originally I was going to say nobody died – but RIP Steve Jobs. Meanwhile the work – and the marketing challenges for law firms continue and, at realityhouse legal, we’re looking forward to it.

1. Give yourself a good professional headline. The standard is “Job title at company”. The ideal is a line that tells visitors why they should talk to you. “Bob is a performance improvement specialist for professional services, widely published writer and social media expert.”
2. Why not including your phone number and web address in your headline? Great idea but… Unfortunately it’s against Linkedin’s terms and conditions – and if one of their automated ‘bots’ find those details in your headline they’ll simply blacklist you.
3. Find a decent business picture – a business-like head shot in black and white is a good bet. Not one of you at a wedding and definitely not one from a night out.
4. Keep your summary short, sharp and to the point. Start with a sentence the summarises what you do “Emily Blunt is a senior IP lawyer specialising in high-tech clients”. Then add a paragraph that justifies that statement. Next add some information about your firm. And finally you might want to mention some client names, deals or good PR you’ve received.
5. Finally your specialities. These are really aimed at the search engines rather than readers so list all the areas and phrases used to describe your talents.

That should get you started. For an in-depth version of this advice take a look at realityhouse legal online Linkedin training. Or get in contact.

1. Why this website is being created?

Before you start, think about why this new site is being created. Typically a site should offer an accessible, friendly, welcoming space that people will find when searching for help online. Regardless of whether they have ever worked with lawyers before, anyone must feel comfortable to pick up the phone or make an enquiry.

The website should focus on the client’s view point(e.g. what can I do) not about the legal detail.  The site’s design and layout should then encourage people to click through to individual sections that should be reached easily from the home page. The copy needs to support this.

2. Think about your audience

When you begin to write, think about who you are talking to. You are not talking to another lawyer, and you may not be talking to a professional or even well educated reader.

Your writing needs to be accessible to anyone. They may have never had any dealings with a law firm before, and may be daunted by the prospect. Your copy should be warm, reassuring, informative, concise and without legal jargon but with an overriding sense of professionalism.  Your expertise – and your ability to make it accessible to anyone – must shine through.

3. Tone of voice

Here are some keywords which may help achieve the tone of voice required:

Accessible
Approachable
Authoritative
Professional
Ordinary (not too “legal”)
Relaxed
Open
Calming
Confident
Reassuring
Comforting
Caring
Personal
Engaging
Friendly
Concise
Relevant (to audience)
Not condescending
Not too technical /cold

Always remember the audience –remember who you are talking to.

4. Think about what outcomes you want

Remember as you write copy that the main objective of the website is to generate enquiries, and to motivate people who wouldn’t normally approach your firm.  So – don’t tell the audience everything. Tell them enough to reassure them that you know your stuff. Enough to make them feel confident to pick up the phone or make an enquiry. But not so much that they don’t feel they need to ask any questions.

5. Structure and word count

The website layout should be designed to make the information on each page easily accessible and digestible. The typically means a headline, a short intro and then a few paragraphs of main body copy. You should use bullet points wherever possible to communicate key bits of information – it is easier to view and digest than large chunks of information-heavy copy. It will also save you time.

Hope that’s been helpful.