I’m very excited to announce Jim Ray Consulting Services and the Louisville Bar Association have reached an agreement to develop and launch a new video-based CLE program for 2018 and beyond.
This program will feature Louisville-area attorneys in an interview format with Bar Association Executive Director, Scott Furkin.
If you’re a Kentucky attorney, keep an eye out for more information in Bar Briefs and other LBA communications.
I’d like to personally thank Scott Furkin and Lisa Anspach, LBA Continuing Legal Education Director, for their help in developing this new program concept to benefit both LBA members and non-members.
We’ll begin recording CLE videos on February 7th. If you’d like to get involved with this new program, contact Lisa Anspach at (502) 583-5314.
Looking forward to another year of engagement with the LBA. I’ll provide additional information about my upcoming CLE seminars and Bar Briefs articles, in an upcoming post.
I posted a brief video to introduce LinkedIn’s native video capability on October 24th. During those comments, I committed to providing a summary of some of the things I learned. I hope you’ll find this information helpful.
Online video has been a growing trend in marketing and branding for years. It continues to build momentum across the country. Small firms are using it to leapfrog larger, more established firms. The large firms are also beginning to embrace it, depending on their perceived needs.
If you’ve worked with me at all over the past years, you’ll know I’ve been a strong proponent of this aspect of an effective marketing campaign. Now, LinkedIn just reinforced that view on both it’s mobile and desktop versions. So, let’s explore what LinkedIn’s native video is all about and what it can do for you. Read more →
If you’ve followed me over the past several years, you know I’m a strong proponent of utilizing video in your marketing efforts. But what if you don’t want to be on camera? You can still take advantage of video and the benefits of video SEO. Video with voiceover is a marketing option you should consider.
In its simplest form, think of a screen cast that shows still images (e.g. your logo, photos, etc.) and features your voice as you narrate the video.
This option allows you take full advantage of the video format. Clients and prospective clients can listen to your advice or perspective. You’ll be leveraging “rich media” which is a benefit for Google search. Quite honestly, one of the reasons video works is that it’s easier to consume than a page of written text.
Video with voiceover provides another asset to complement your existing marketing tools.
You can upload the video to your firm’s YouTube channel.
It can be posted on your blog.
You can also upload it to your various social media channels (e.g. LinkedIn and Facebook).
These steps provide additional targets for Google to find, index and feature in search results.
One of my clients, Greg Blakemore of The Nehemiah Group, was interviewed about his company. He asked me if there was a way we could use this material. He has a very compelling story about how and why he launched his business. It provides some terrific insights into the ethos of his business.
We decided against uploading an hour-long interview. The truth is most people wouldn’t listen to the entire recording. Instead, we segmented his story into multiple parts. Most of them last between 2-4 minutes. There’s much better chance that people will be willing to listen to a short clip. It may compel them to actually listen to a few additional segments.
We’re rolling out the video with voiceover segments over a period of time. Dumping large batches of data typically won’t yield lasting results with the search engines. It’s usually better to trickle out the content. In Greg’s case, we’ve decided to launch this series on YouTube, Facebook and Linkedin.
I’ve done several videos with Greg, but we’re excited to see how the video with voiceover approach performs. Here’s his 1st in an 9-video series about his company:
You should routinely perform a law firm SWOT analysis to help you plan for the upcoming quarter and/or year. The below video is an excerpt from a CLE I presented for the Louisville Bar Association in June, 2015.
Use a SWOT Analysis to Define Opportunities
A law firm SWOT analysis gives you the ability to look at your firm strategically. From there, you can develop tactical plans based on your findings. The acronym SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The first 2 are internal. The second 2 are external.
In this video, I provide an overview of key factors you may consider. A law firm can identify ways to use strengths to defend itself against external threats. More importantly, a SWOT analysis provides insights into how you can leverage your firm’s internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities.
Use SWOT to Develop Individual Performance
Based on a question I received from the audience, I also address how a SWOT analysis relates to managing yourself and your associates.
GE’s Jack Welch had very specific views of how your talent pool should be managed. I began my career at GE and learned some valuable insights in this progressive organization. If you lead a firm or organization, you might find my views helpful.
I share my somewhat controversial view on dealing with the B- and C-level talent, within your own organization. I managed sales teams and organizations a significant part of my career. There’s no silver bullet, but understanding how a personal SWOT analysis can help in the development/performance of your team can provide some direction.
If you’d like to discuss issues related a law firm SWOT analysis to evaluate your firm’s growth and direction, please contact me. My cell is (502) 208-9639. For more information, feel free to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel or Like my business Facebook page.
The elevator speech is a simple, concise tool you can use to start conversations. It’s extremely helpful when networking, especially at social gatherings. Maybe you’ve heard the term “elevator speech” but haven’t actually developed one for yourself. The brief video, below, provides some information about the idea, it’s primary objective, and how you can use it to open the door to new clients.
I gave another CLE at the Louisville Bar Association focused on helping attorneys to grow their practices. The presentation was titled: Selling 101 – Proven Methods to Increase Your Client Base. One of the topics focused on the importance of an elevator speech.
The concept is simple. Assume you and another person are on an elevator. As the doors close, the person asks, “So, what do you do?” You know there’s only a brief moment to explain it, but you have to do it in a way that engages the person. Your elevator speech should be a concise description. Most importantly, however, it should elicit a follow up question such as, “That’s interesting, how to you do that?” or “Hmmm, what kind of clients to you have?”
Remember, you don’t have a lot of time, so finding a way to stand out – or to become “memorable” – opens the door to a potential new client. A quick exchanging of business cards, maybe a request to grab coffee, or some other way to begin a conversation is full of potential.
An elevator speech can be extremely effective a social events. You don’t want to aggressively “work the room,” but a few extended conversations may lead to important business relationships down the road. Always keep in mind that your next lead may be someone this person knows (e.g. a colleague, family member, etc.).
I usually recommend that you practice your elevator speech until it’s clear and consistent. Once you have it down, try it out on some friends to see if it makes sense. If your description is so vague that it confused the person, you can refine it. Better to have some “test runs” before you actually use it with someone you don’t know.
The below video is an excerpt from my recent CLE presentation. I hope you’ll find it helpful as you continue to grow your client base. An elevator speech is just the beginning. For more information on business development for your law firm or small business, feel free to read the other posts on my blog. If you have specific questions, please contact me on my cell phone at (502) 208-9639. I’d be happy to arrange on opportunity to meet with you.
My wife felt the need to share a video with me this weekend. If you’re an overachiever, a goal setter, an alpha performer at work or even the person just trying to get your practice to the next level, you might want to take a minute to listen to this Harvard professor. He’s about to impact your world.
Shawn Achor delivered a funny, but enlightening presentation at a Ted Talk in Bloomington, IN. This video’s been out there for a few years, but it was the first time I’d seen it. His presentation is called “The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance.”
My blog and my business deal with helping attorneys and other small business professionals to become more efficient and more profitable. I usually focus on the strategies and mechanics of growing market share. To be sure, I’m very results-oriented. But I’ve got to admit, this video struck a cord somewhere inside me. That’s why I’m sharing it with you.
Many of my clients are Kentucky attorneys. They deal with high-pressure situations both in court and in their respective businesses. Many run so hard that they risk getting stressed out, burned out, or even much worse. It’s a terribly demanding profession.
What drives these professionals so hard? They’re intensely competitive – if not with others, definitely with themselves. For that very reason, if you are an attorney, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch this video at the end of this post. Read more →
Adding a LinkedIn Post can help your Google Ranking. I’ve blogged about the advantages social media can have on your overall campaign. This weekend, I saw a strong example. Google pays attention to LinkedIn posts. This article will provide a couple of tips and examples to help you increase your online visibility.
I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel a month ago. The next day, I uploaded a LinkedIn post to my profile. The video made it to Google’s 1st page in 2 days. A month later, I now see both the video AND my LinkedIn post on the 1st page. This proves what I’ve been saying all along. There are definite advantages to implementing social media into your overall marketing campaign.
LinkedIn Post Appearing on Google’s 1st Page
Creating effective, insightful content takes effort. It can be disheartening to see all of that work yield poor results. One way to avoid that is to systematically re-publish your content on other online channels. Blog posts are a great way to drive visibility for your website. However, if your competition is high, you may find it tough to break through. When you publish your content across multiple channels (e.g. a LinkedIn post, a YouTube video, etc.) you increase the likelihood that it’ll be seen by a broader audience.
Nielsen confirmed it. Video marketing has a significant increase on the impact of your overall strategy. It works even if the viewer only watches for 3 seconds. Let me repeat that: …even if the viewer only watches for 3 seconds.
A recent Marketing Land article summarized the Facebook-Nielsen report:
“Study shows significant lift in ad recall, brand awareness and purchase intent even among people who view the video for zero to three seconds.”
“That means even people who never watched the video, but did see the impression, were still impacted by the ad. And, as expected, lift increased the longer people watched the ad.”
“Every part of a video view – from the initial impression to a complete video view and everything in between – drives value.”
So what does that mean for law firm marketing? Video marketing is something you need to consider for 2015 and beyond.
Have you noticed the generic content on many law firm websites? It occurred to me part of the problem is a lack of effective target marketing. The first step in any marketing initiative involves defining your target audience.
I recently gave a presentation to the Evansville Bar Association. I specifically addressed this issue, among other topics. Please watch the below video excerpt from that presentation. You’ll also be able to click a link to my video taped segment on the topic of using video for business development. I provide some insights into the importance of defining your target market. More importantly, you’ll learn some simple tips to help you do so.
Did you know YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world? According to Search Metrics, “65% of Google’s keyword searches return videos in the results.” More and more small businesses are figuring this out. In fact, law firms are realizing video provides a competitive advantage in marketing. Using online video for business development leads to increased visibility and improved conversion.
I gave a presentation to the Evansville Bar Association in February. One of my segments focused on trends in online video. If you’re on the fence about incorporating online video for business development, you should spend time watching the below excerpt from my presentation.
The video clip at the bottom of this post is the just the segment summary. However, you’ll see prompts to click to the full segment. Those prompts are called “annotations.”
Video annotations enable you to link from one video to others, similar to a hyperlink on a text-based content page.
I inserted these annotations to let interested people click to view the longer video. It also illustrates a simple tactic you could employ in your own online videos. Read more →