Social Media for Lawyers

Copywriting for Lawyers (Part 3): Searchabililty (SEO) and Calls to Action

Mike Mintz — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:29:00 GMT

The first part of this series touched on the idea of knowing whom you are writing for; the second instalment talked about turning your great ideas into content that speaks to your target audience; the final instalment is all about getting your content seen and getting people to do something as a result.

Searchability: SEO So Simple, Even a Lawyer Can DO It

With the advent of Web 2.0 in the early 21^st Century we also saw the rise of the SEO professional.

They called themselves any combination of names from "search guru" to "SEO ninja," but semantics aside, the SEO Specialist claimed to have a "secret sauce" that would readily propel your obscure website to Page 1 of Google fame.

Sadly, the rumours of such a rise are greatly exaggerated.

There is no magic technique that will beat Google's search algorithm and place you a the top of millions of similarly situated sites, many of whom have produced valuable content on the web for years. You can, however, better your chances of being seen by doing a few simple things every time you post in social media.

Understanding Page Rank: Drinking the "Google Juice"

Google is the biggest search engine in the world. As the web becomes semantic and social in its move to Web 3.0, Google will continue to be a main driver behind information categorization and search.

Social Media Tangent: Just look at the Google+ project; not only has Google emerged with a viable social network (unlike their previous attempts Orkut and Wave), they have integrated the +1 button (Google's version of Facebook's Like Button) into EVERY search result. This means that Google is not only indexing what you search for, but it is also indexing what you like in the results.

Google determines who gets the top spot in results by an algorithm called "PageRank." Named after Google co-founder Larry Page, the way this program works is like a big voting system with other websites being the voters. They cast their ballots by linking to your site. The more links to your site, the more votes you get, the higher your PageRank climbs, and your site shows up higher in search results.

Not all links are created equal.

The key is to get links from websites with high page rankings. Ranked from 0 to 10 (with 10 being the best) getting a link from a site with a high page ranking is essential for your posts to show up higher in search results.

Links in Action: as we said before, "not all links are created equal." For example, a link to your law blog from the Martindale Blog, which has a respectable PageRank of 6 would not weigh as heavily in your search favor as a link from Martindale.com, which has a PageRank of 7; a link from LexisNexis.com, which has a PageRank of 8 would trump both of these (think of it like PageRank Poker).

The bottom line is that PageRank is important. You want to know what yours is, and more importantly, how to improve upon it. Getting links to your site is what you call "off page SEO," and it's one of the more powerful tactics. Now you will learn about "on page SEO" tactics, which is more in your domain of control (it's all comes from copywriting).

Off Page SEO Tactic: Guest Blogging

One surefire way to get links to your blog is to write guest blog posts for a site with higher PageRank than yours. The steps that follow will help get you started the right way in the guest blogging game.

PageRank Thermometer - Download a Chrome or Firefox extension that tells you the PageRank of the site you are browsing (if you are not using one of these two browsers ... ask yourself why). I use the Chrome Extension called "PageRank" because it's lightweight, free, and awesome. Click here to visit the install page.

Know Thy PageRank and Go Forth - First go to your own blog with you brand spanking new extension, and make a note of what your own PageRank is. Then find out the players in your practice area by doing a Google search using key words from your practice and filter the results by "blogs" (you can choose this on the left hand navigation of the Google search results page).

Visit the first few pages of results and note what their PageRank is. In many cases top results have higher PageRank (duh), but this isn't always the case. Depending on how simple or complex your search was, even sites with lower overall PageRank may place high in search; this isn't magic; they just used good on page SEO and got links to that post. These are not the droids you're looking for. You want sites with high-ranking front pages and post pages.

Ask to Guest Blog - But first, get to know the blogger. Asking to guest blog out of the box is like walking up to a stranger and asking them to dinner (okay, maybe it works sometimes, but not the greatest of tactics). Get to know the bloggers work and become a familiar face on their blog. After you've read a bunch of their posts, start leaving comments on their latest installments. The comments should be insightful, add to the conversation, and invite a response from other readers as well as the blogger. Then about 1 to 2 months after this, make a pitch to the blogger. See if there is an interesting angle you can offer to write about on a common subject, or even better, find an obscure subject to write about. Worst case scenario they say no; otherwise, you get yourself an opportunity to get exposure on a well read blog while adding valuable content to it.

Bring Your A-Game - The guest blog pieces you submit should be your best stuff. Link back to old posts on the guest blog itself rather than your own blog: peppering a guest post with links to your stuff can come off as selfish even though most people accept that guest bloggers are only doing the guest post to boost their own profile. Think of the 80/20 principle: if you have relevant posts of your own that add to the guest piece, then those links should only account for 20% of the links on the page. Don't forget, you will get to link back to your own site in the About the Author description which 99.9% of the sites you guest post for should have.

On Page SEO: Know Your Keywords and Phrases

By this point you no doubt have an idea of what you want to write in your web copy and whom you are writing for. Given that information it should be no difficult step to consider keywords that your should use within the copy itself to make it more searchable.

Try to think like your readers and potential clients: given the specific issues they tend to have, what terms and phrases are they likely to enter into Google when looking for an answer to their specific problem?

The following steps will show you how to start building upon your customer intelligence to generate key words that work.

Know Your Audience (Even More) - You already read about this in Section 1, but it deserves emphasis here because deeply understanding your audience and potential buyers separates strategic marketing from shotgun marketing.

Shotgun shells are plastic casings filled with little pellets. When you fire a shell the pellets spread out in front of you in a spray of metal hitting everything within the reach of it's trajectory without prejudice. A regular bullet, however, hits the target in a precise spot.

When discussing copywriting and social media marketing techniques, you want to target rather than spray when crafting your message and copy. Shotgun techniques may be preferable in the buzz phase of your efforts, but when using keywords and writing copy you should look for precision.

Refer to the questions in Section 1 and ask these as well:

What kinds of questions do they post on discussion forums, either on consumer websites or sites like Lawyers.com?
What kinds of things do they say in their emails to you and how do they describe their problems?

These questions will help you to deepen your knowledge of your customers, and give you an idea of the kinds of terms they would use in searching Google.

Know Your Competition - There is no shortage of lawyers out there, likely doing very similar work to you. The following questions are aimed at seeing where your competition is focusing their keyword efforts:

How does your competition describe their solution for customers? What terms or phrases do they use? Can you differentiate and still capture the same market?
Does your competition have a blog? If so, what are some of the terms and phrases you see repeated in prominent spots on their site (besides the law firm name - why are law firms so enamoured with writing it everywhere?). What kinds of tags do they use in posts?

By looking at the competition's use of keywords and phrases you can be sure not to miss any terms and find ways to tweak terms somewhat to stay competitive without losing ground with customers.

Hone Your Keyword List - Based on your research above, you should already have started a list of keywords and phrases that can be used in SEO. Now it's time to really see how those keywords and phrases measure up.

Google KeyWord Tool - the Google Keyword Tool is still one of the best free tools out there. It allows you to enter either a keyword and phrase to get started or a website. The results will show you how many Global and Local Monthly Searches are done using those keywords, and what the competition is like if you want to bid on the keywords in Google Ads.

Practice Tips: SEOBook is another great site for SEO information with lots of free tools. Where many people might already have a Google account that works with Google's tools, you will need to sign up for an SEOBook account to access their tools. There is also a Premium upgrade option. Click here to access SEOBook.

The list provided can give you a good sense of (a) the volume of searches around your keywords and phrases and (b) the likelihood of your page showing up high in search results. If there is a high volume of search with a low threshold of competition then you've found a winner.

Add Your Keywords to Your Copy - You may have come across a keyword spam site in your Google search results at some point on the web. These are sites that have superficial content packed with keywords just to draw traffic, most likely for advertising dollars.

Don't be that guy.

Just because you've gotten a good sense of keywords now doesn't mean you want to go over to the dark side and start doing spam search pages. The point is to be cognizant of keywords, especially in the editing phase of your copy, to see where you can naturally include them.

Some best practices include:

Including at least 1-keyword or phrase in your headline or title
Finding places for keywords or phrases in your headers (H1 and H2), particularly if you can ask a question, such as "When Is It Time to Call a Bankruptcy Lawyer?" or "What Should I Bring to My Deposition?"
Using keywords in the body copy while paying attention to keyword density.

Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword or phrase appears on a page in relation to other words. Generally a 1% to 3% keyword density is acceptable to search engines before they start to get suspicious that you are spamming keywords.

How to Write a Call to Action

This is a line in your ad (or blog post, article, etc.) that asks the reader to do something. The power of calls to action cannot be overlooked because often they are the whole point of the copy you have created. Regardless, many copywriters, especially lawyers, never really pose the question that is the whole point of what they've written.

For example, you can write an in depth analysis on Securities Law and then add a line at the end saying: "Submit your questions about this new SEC ruling in the comments below, and I'll be happy to answer it." Most blogs require the entry of a valid email address to comment, so your call to action just picked you up a potential lead.

A variation on the above example, and one that may work better among clients who do not want to start commenting on their specific issues publicly can be a simple link to an email form where they can ask a question privately or call you for more information. Your call to action can be tweaked then to say, "The new SEC regulations are confusing: [click here] [link to contact page] for an email form where you can ask me anything about them privately; I'll be happy to answer as best I can."

Feeling better about calls to action already? Good. Follow these three steps to go from good to great calls to action:

Be clear, Be Specific - don't dance around the issue. If you want them to watch a video say, "watch this video." If you want them to click to get 20% off their next purchase or book a seat at a seminar then say so. People will appreciate the honesty and frankly they don't have the attention span to figure out what you want them to do.
Excite the User - clarity doesn't require boredom. You can precede a link with something to the effect of: "Crush Them in Court: Download Our Free Litigation for Clients Kit Today" or "Traffic Tickets Stink: Click Here to Learn How to Get Out of Them." Add a little drama and get people to act.
Start with Key Phrases - while the first two tips are definitely important, don't feel you need reinvent the wheel every time. There are key phrases that resonate with your buyer, a lingo that speaks to them. Start with that, spice it up, and then simplify. Refer to your keyword list.

Calls to action are simple: just ask your readers to do something.

Share your experience with SEO and copywriting in the comments below. Also, be on the lookout for the Copywriting for Lawyers eBook, coming soon, only on martindale.com Connected!

5 Steps to Go From Thoughtful Lawyer to Thought Leader on Social Media Sites (and Other Places)

Angelo Paparelli — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:45:00 GMT

The July 2011 issue of the ABA Journal features a rather bleak cover story, “Law Job Stagnation May Have Started Before the Recession—And It May Be a Sign of Lasting Change.” Offering the prediction that lawyers may become roadkill in the face of rapid change, the article provides little, however, in the way of a prescription for how lawyers may try to thrive in today’s world of rapid technological and global changes and gloves-off competition from legal services vendors and competitor law firms alike.

The answer, I believe, is for lawyers to become thought leaders rather than merely competent and thoughtful lawyers. Except perhaps to a former Alaskan governor, Paul Revere’s claim to fame is well known. Less famous, however, are other patriots, Samuel Prescott and William Dawes, who likewise rode in the dark of night and forewarned the colonists of the British soldiers’ imminent arrival. William and Samuel were thoughtful and competent individuals remembered mostly by history buffs, while Paul was a thought leader. The Boston silversmith planned ahead (“one if by land, two if by sea”) and captured public attention and admiration.

Wikipedia defines “thought leader” as “a futurist or person who is recognized for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights.” An advertising agency offers another take on the meaning of the term: “A brand whose outstanding presence in the market can be attributed to its influential ideas; the brand may not [necessarily] lead in market share.” Thought leadership brings advantages to lawyers. Prospective clients reach out and become actual clients. Invitations to speak at prestigious events, calls from reporters, top rankings in peer-ranking publications, and the chance to participate meaningfully in coveted legal or business groups all spill forth, in a virtuous cycle, where additional seemingly serendipitous opportunities arise for new business and greater recognition as a thought leader.

Before the advent of social media, lawyers became visible as thought leaders through traditional means such as public relations, the first-page quote “above the fold” in the legal, business or national press, or the publication of an influential article in a law review article quoted by a prominent court. Social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, have proven to be a great catapult to thought leadership for lawyers willing to devote the requisite time and effort. Here are five steps that any already competent lawyer can follow on the path to thought leadership.

1. Thought Leadership Requires a Provocative and Enduring Topic. Blogging and article writing often serve as the centerpiece of many a thought-leadership strategy. More than a few lawyers who blog or write law-related articles, however, make the mistake of using the medium as merely a way of reporting on key cases and new statutes in order to demonstrate expertise in the subject. Thought leadership demands more. Thought leaders do not merely report new legal developments; they shed light on fundamental problems, offer critical analysis, discuss practical implications in the real world, and suggest solutions. Thought leaders are never boring. They take adverse possession from other lawyers over a particular area of law and own it by developing a voice and overcoming the fear of being too controversial. They select a topic that interests them (so that their passion remains on display), and a subject with legs that will generate eyeballs. One way to do this is by focusing on the actions of the government, federal or state, executive, legislative or judicial. As my blog www.NationOfImmigrators.com, illustrates, government officials are always doing something controversial that upsets someone. A controversial topic is one that readers naturally want to understand. The thought leader’s writings help them, over time, to understand the controversy and make up their own minds. Thought leaders are not afraid of controversy, but they always remember that they need not become the controversy.

2. Thought Leaders Are Remarkable and Grow a Tribe. Seth Godin is a maven of thought leadership. Among many of Seth’s suggestions, two stand out: A) Be remarkable; and B) Build a tribe. Thought leaders generate conversations. They are worthy of discussion among existing and prospective clients, colleagues, government officials and adversaries. They are remarkable. They are never boring or lackluster, and are not afraid of tooting their individual horns tastefully, for unless they do, they know that there might not be any music. Given these characteristics, thought leaders necessarily draw people to them. They form a tribe around their chosen topic, a community of interest, not necessarily all of like mind, that wants to know and learn more. Ask yourself, Attorney: Is your writing dull and soporific? Do you reflect your passion in your posts? Do you offer a point of view? Do you go outside your comfort zone in expressing yourself in visible ways? Are you operating from a Rolodex of disconnected people or have you built a network of thoughtful and interested members who see you as a thought leader? Do you share with your tribe the interesting thoughts of others. Do you connect tribe members with each other?

3. Thought Leaders Understand and Use Leverage. Thought leaders do not write single articles. They mount visibility campaigns around each and every article they author. Thought leaders know (no matter what a publisher says) to keep the copyright on their writings so that they can be repurposed in other publications, perhaps with an updated or tailored introduction to suit the new audience, or perhaps not. They Tweet and post status updates in Facebook and LinkedIn about every one of their articles, speeches, case victories (with client consent) or significant activities, offering link-backs to their analytical writings and their online profiles. They also regularly post links to new government announcements, new cases and statutes and the writings of others, usually also with a link to their own analysis of the latest development and its impact, and suggested strategies. They join and actively participate in Martindale Connected. They post articles on Google Knol and search for article directories to find additional opportunities and venues through which to post.

4. Thought Leaders are Disciplined and Reliable. No flash in the pan, thought leaders understand that consistent messaging, over time, with predictable regularity, is the only way to gain visibility and mindshare. Rain or shine, they write, post, update, Tweet and repeat the cycle, over and over. Too many lawyers think that one article every six months is enough to produce results. It is not. Thought leaders recognize that building a tribe means being responsible to your community. It is less a job than a calling. Nothing is worse for one’s reputation as a thought leader than a blog with a stale posting, months old, or the occasional posting, months apart.

5. Thought Leaders are Ethical and Responsible. Publicity without propriety does not a thought leader make. Thought leaders respect the rules of professional responsibility, refrain from misrepresenting the truth or engaging in personal attacks, label their writings as “attorney advertising” where required by state ethics rules, and do not take public positions that conflict with the interests of their clients. Thought leaders are not empty suits. They provide excellent client service and zealous advocacy, for these attributes are not only inherently important but also create the environment from which new insights and thoughts with which to exhibit leadership sprout.

* * *

This article suggests one path to thought leadership. There are no doubt many more. The only sure path not leading to thought leadership is the one never taken.

_________

Angelo A. Paparelli is a partner in the Immigration Practice Group of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, practicing in New York and Southern California. A Certified Immigration Law Specialist (CA), he is the founder and immediate past President of the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers – www.abil.com – a 38-member worldwide alliance of leading immigration firms. 2010 recipient of the Edith Lowenstein Award for Advancing the Practice of immigration law conferred by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, he blogs on dysfunctional government at www.NationOfImmigrators.com, co-authors the Immigration Column for the NewYork Law Journal and is an expert witness/consultant on immigration to law firms, businesses and individuals.

Copywriting for Lawyers (Part 2): Knowing What to Write and How to Say it for Social Media

Mike Mintz — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:57:00 GMT

The first part of this series*** touched on the idea of knowing whom you are writing for; this installment will give insights on finding that great topic to write about and saying it in a way that resonates with your particular audience.

Copywriting = Web Content

It cannot be over-emphasized that as a legal professional writing in social media you must know your audience. What you write and how you say it will be much different if your readers are corporate counsel at Fortune 500 companies or housewives contemplating divorce. Regardless of your reader, when it comes down to it, you are stuck with the blank screen. Now the real work begins.

In this post we will discuss three areas of copywriting for lawyers: (a) idea generation, (2) writing routines and (3) finding your own voice, style, and rhythm to copywriting.

A word about copywriting for lawyers before we continue: anyone who writes words on the web is a copywriter. Traditionally we thought of copywriters as the people behind successful ad campaigns and infomercials, and while that may be true, the proliferation of content on the web, particularly written content, as a driver of the way we inform, trust, and purchase means that knowing how to sell through your writing is of primary importance. Remember, you, the lawyer are trying to sell yourself as the trusted authority and in some cases the best choice for the potential client to hire; it is a subtler sell than the infomercial, but a sell nonetheless.

What Should Lawyers Write About: Feeding the Muse

There is a little book by author and screenwriter Stephen Pressfield, which is one of my personal favourites called, The War of Art.

Pressfield holds creation of anything, whether it is words on the page, multi-million dollar deals, or Friday night dinner, as a sacred expression of a persons' inner brilliance inspired by a muse they cannot resist. Creation at its highest and purest level, says Pressfield, happens because the creator has no other choice but to bring the creation into existence.

So your blog post on new tax laws or changes to the damages thresholds for auto accidents may not seem like a creation on par with Pressfield's muse, but I would argue you on this point.

Here's my proof: how many times have you sat down to write something only to find you lacked the energy, focus, time, (insert excuse here) etc. to bring it into being? This phenomenon that everyone experience is what Pressfield calls "The Resistance." It's a soul sucking, cunning, baffling, and powerful enemy that wants nothing more than to see you suffer and die.

And it's keeping you from blogging about the law.

Confronting Resistance to Legal Writing

We are on the verge of discovering where great ideas come from, but before we get there, you need to be clear on why so many great ideas never happen.

When I was still in law school, I learned a very powerful lesson at the boutique entertainment law firm where I interned.

My mentor, a veteran of 30-years in the industry loved to tell this story: a client walks hurriedly into the office with sweat beading down their forehead. They look a mixture of fear, anxiety, and sheer excitement, peering over their shoulder like a member of the witness protection program. The client pulls down the shades, turns the lights low, and makes sure the office door is closed before leaning in close and whispering, "I've got a great idea for a screenplay." My mentor would stop them right there, open the blinds and turn on the lights, go to the door and call in three other associates, and then with an audience, ask the client what the great idea was.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. Resistance knows this and that's why it allows you to have so many great ideas. The real challenge is turning those ideas into something you can share with the world on a consistent basis.

That's where a few techniques come into play.

Technique #1: Brain Dumping, Mind Mapping, and Getting Busy

You already know who your audience is. You should have an idea of what you want them to do with the information that you want to create. Now it's time to get really clear on what you will create.

Brain Dump. The first part of any creative endeavour is to get it all out.

This can be done with pen and paper, MS Word, crayons on a cereal box, take your pick. Write down all the terms relevant to what you will write about. Don't censor. Just write.

At the end of the dump you should have a jumble of words and phrases. These are the topics you can talk about on your blog, group, or whatever other social media asset you will be using.

Mind Map. The next part of bringing your creation into existence is organizing your thoughts. My single favorite tool for organizing thoughts is the mind map.

For those of you unfamiliar with mind mapping, it's a visual way of organizing information into branching structures that show the relationships between them. Mind Node is my tool of choice because of its affordability ($20) and ease-of-use. You can use anything to organize your thoughts (Word, Excel, etc.), but you might want to check out mind mapping for something different.

In creating the mind map think from big to small, general to specific, and make logical connections between branches. At its core mind mapping or organizing your thoughts is also simple. Think outlines during law school or case strategy in practice. Similar to the logic you would use in organizing that information, do the same for the topics you want to write about.

Getting Busy. There is no substitute for writing. Just write no matter what. This is where 99% of the losses to Resistance happen; we overthink the writing, especially in the legal world.

Notice that I am not saying, "publish." There is a big difference between writing and publishing. When you are encountering Resistance to creating content the answer is to just write (Resistance to publishing is a whole different game). At this point you just want to get stuff on the page (you can always edit later).

Create a bunch of post drafts based on what you've done in your mind map. Think of clever headlines, like we showed you in the first instalment of this series, and start getting some information down in the body of the post, even if it's just an outline.

As you start to see drafts pile up something new will happen. The skeleton of your blog becomes clear. Your direction with posts materializes, and you realize the next thing you need is a plan.

Technique #2: Planning and Creating a Posting Routine for Legal Blogging

Let's start simple.

You've got to find some time to blog. Time is not an easy thing for lawyers, especially when you need to spend most of it doing billable work for clients, getting new clients, and the good housekeeping stuff like CLE, pro bono work, email (lots of email), etc., but you've got to do it.

Step 1: Kill Your Time Suckers. We've all got these (even hotshot, uber-busy lawyers). You may be addicted to your iPhone/Pad, Android, or Blackberry (does anyone still use this device?). Perhaps you are anal about email to a fault or a web browser masquerading as a researcher? Wherever you find yourself doing things in your workday that could be eliminated get Terminator on them.

Step 2: Stomp Out Distractions. Do you have audio notifications that pop up for Outlook, Tweetdeck, IM, and other applications? These are meant to derail you. Turn the sound off for the half hour that you've committed to blogging. Tell the secretary to hold your calls. Even turn off the cell phone, if you dare. The key is to create a distraction free environment for at least 33-minutes (read this inspiring post to find out why 33-minutes can change your writing).

Step 3: Make Nice With Your Calendar. Based on the brain dump and mind map you created above, start creating lists of potential posts and then schedule them in your calendar. Realistically, you should be able to crank out decent posts in anywhere from 45-minutes to an hour and a half (add time for longer, more in depth posts). Start out slow with the scheduling, and as you build up momentum in the blog and in how fast you write, schedule them more closely together. Within a few months you should have no lack of editorial content to write about.

Technique #3: Find Your Voice, Style & Rhythm; Then Get Writing

The big difference between legal writing and social media copywriting is personality.

Your blogs, tweets, posts, and other content should show your unique perspective and personality. There are plenty of lawyers out there doing this right.

My friend Ron Coleman of the Likelihood of Confusion blog is one. Carolyn Elefant at MyShingle.com is another. Both of these lawyers have found their voice and they make it work.

How did they do it?

Write Like You Speak; Then Edit. A lot of great writing gets clobbered before it ever hits the page. Your internal censor tells you, "don't put that on the page!"

This is the Resistance you met above.

Try this instead: take a serious and dry topic like Chinese Drywall (are we done talking about this yet?) or Dodd Frank, and then talk about it on the page like you would explain it at a barbeque to friend over beers and sodas, only make the way you talk about it sound juicier and spicier than Uncle Sheldon's baby back ribs.

For example, you can do a post about why Chinese Drywall should not make the list of best poisons to have in your home. While adding colourful commentary about the other household killers that are much more effective, you can discuss the law and ramifications around the whole Chinese Drywall issue. This kind of post would intrigue users, because it appeals to their fascination trigger of Alarm.

After you've added the special sauce, i.e. your own special twist on the content, you job is to strip out the overly stuffy formality in your writing. Lawyers are experts when it comes to making things sound official, so when it comes to your social media copywriting, lighten up! Here's your chance to show off your brilliance in a laid back way.

Pretty cool.

Style & Rhythm. This refers to the way you format and construct your sentences.

Yes, it matters.

See what I did there, and have done throughout this series? I use short sentences, break up long paragraphs with carriage returns, and create a sense of readability with lots of headings.

It works.

Break up long analysis with plenty of headings. Use the headings to categorize your content and create a flow of information that is easy for your reader to follow and digest. That's what a great lawyer does anyway: takes complex information and presents it in a way that is persuasive, understandable, and engaging.

Get Writing. This is the most important point of all.

Regardless of anything else said on these pages, just writing is the most important part to developing the copywriting skills we have been discussing.

So what are you waiting for?

***Adapted from original content from the authors upcoming ebook on social media techniques, "Set Yourself on Fire: Attention Getting Tactics to Ignite Your Social Media Marketing."

Google+ (Google Plus) - Great Tool, Scary Terms of Service

Rory Webber — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:35:00 GMT

I've had a Google+ invite resting in my inbox for a short while now. A much more connected friend invited me to join, thinking I'd jump at the chance to join the next wave. Knowing that ever since 'Tomorrow's World' I've been a devoted lover of tech, her hypothesis was sound. This time however, she was wrong. I did nothing for a while, preferring to wait for the hysteria to die down. You can't blame me, Google's reputation with social products is not great - Google Buzz, Orkut and Google Wave being just 3 of their distinctly underwhelming previous offering.

But eventually I succumbed. So here I am, going through the registration process, and up pop the 'Terms of Service'. Now in the past I admit to being slightly bored by having to 'Agree' to TOS, as I'm going to use the service anyway. But given Google's past record with data privacy, I quelled my usual impulse to search desperately for the 'I Agree' button while muttering, 'Let me in, let me in!', and decided to read them. I'm glad I did.

Here's an extract:

"By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.

You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions."

I’m not a lawyer, but those are scary TOS to me. As I understand it, Google can take my content and do… pretty much whatever it wishes with it. Not 'evil', but not good.

That’s why you won’t be adding me to any ‘Circle’, ‘Huddle’ or find me in a ‘Hang Out’ there. Sorry Google, you can’t have my IP. Not without payment anyway.

Will you be joining Google+ soon?

Copywriting for Lawyers (Part 1): Headlines That Ought to Be Illegal

Mike Mintz — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:03:00 GMT

Welcome to a series of posts in support of our upcoming Law Firm Marketing Month in martindale.com Connected.***

What's a "Marketing Month," you ask? Well, think of a bunch of related theme weeks all on different aspects of law firm marketing. The Copywriting for Lawyers series will be part of the Social Media Marketing week, which will prominently feature this group. If anyone wants to get involved, leave a comment below and we'll sign you up!

Why Headlines Should be The First Thing You Write

Everyone has ADHD these days, it seems, especially when it comes to web browsing. The average time on a webpage is 10 seconds before your visitor clicks somewhere else.

10-seconds. It's not a lot of time to capture someone's attention, get them to read, and have them take some kind of action or make some sort of decision about you and your law firm. Without a strong headline, your readers, whether they are lawyers or not, will never get past the first few lines (if you are lucky). That's why you should start with the headline before writing anything else.

It sounds a bit backwards, I know. How are you possibly going to come up with a good headline without knowing what your article or blog post is about. And here's the trick: the tone of what you write and the thrust of the content is going to be dictated by your headline. Taking five or ten minutes to come up with something that's compelling, sexy, informative, and SEO optimized (yes, you can do all four at once) is worth the personality and attitude it can inject into your content.

Most of the time you will come to the table with a general idea of what you want to write, and I'm not saying you can't write anything without doing the headline first (this isn't ritual so much as practical). What I'm saying is to fill in the following quick bullets about your article, and then set aside your brilliant exposition to write that headline.

Quick Bullets to Aid The Headline Writing Process:

Who will benefit most from reading this (ex/ parents drafting a will, in-house counsel doing a merger, etc.)?
What benefit can the reader take away (ex/ they will know what to do when a parent dies, they will have an exit plan if the merger falls apart, etc.)?
What nightmare scenario are you helping them avoid or understand?

Each of these points speaks to your obligation to write for the reader. So much of law firm blogging or blawging reads like case briefs, reports, or standard articles; they are often a complex weaving of legal ideas that most clients would never understand. The headlines for such content read something like this: "Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Changes Impact Summary Judgement and Timing of Pleadings, but Not Class Actions." This is why it is vital to know who you are writing for, tailor content for that audience, and write headlines that convey information while enticing readers to stay.

How to Avoid Legal-Ease in Headline Writing

You often find law fim blogs take the easy route, writing predictable articles with bland headlines. When they cater to consumer clients use the following formula:

Write a generic headline that may rank higher in search
Write one to three paragraphs of straight information on that headline topic
Plug the law firm prominently in subsequent paragraphs making it very clear that you want them to call you to handle any similar issue they are having right now

This formula works for article writing and it worked on the old web where people were grateful to find ANY content on their issue. Today, chances are the law firm down the street has written and published something similar online. Clients respect personality, originality, and expertise; showing all three in what you publish online will help differentiate your firm from the competition.

Taking the easy route is what I call, "legal-ease," and just like it's jargony cousin legalese, it rarely produces the results it intends to and can backfire if abused.

If you want to make headline writing somewhat easier, you can resort to templates such as the ones here on Copyblogger. Be aware, however, that just like a legal form can be a starting point for a legal document, relying on forms alone makes for substandard work. Put some blood, sweat, and bow ties into crafting the headline that really grabs readers and says what you want it to say.

Knowing Your Audience, One-Sentence Persuasion, and Fascination Triggers

Now that you've committed to leading with your headline and are no longer boring, let's kick it up a notch. The next three techniques for great headline writing are not the typical thing a lawyer would think about when crafting a post about a DUI judgement, new law, or controversial ruling that affects their client base, but coloring the straight, legal-ease headline with the stuff I'm about to show you is like putting an eyeball magnet on your readers computer screen.

Know Your Audience

Before even writing your first headline, you must know who you are writing for. Too often people assume that buyers or clients want to read about something without ever considering what their audience really wants or who they really are. Going through the analysis below and creating a mini-profile of your reader, will help you to better tailor your headlines and content to your target audience.

Whenever you write a headline you need to consider the following about your target buyer or client:

What are their fears, frustations, and pain points?
What are their secret hopes, dreams, and wishes?
What or who holds the most power over them?
What do they see as their limitations or failures?
How do they see the world and themselves in it?
What's the biggest threat to how they see themselves and what keeps them up at night?
Is there a system of conventional wisdom or other prejudice leading them astray?

These questions will help you gain insights on your audience and guide you in creating that resonate with them. The key is to take the answers to these questions, and then translate that into something you can play into in the headline.

For example, if you key into their fears, frustrations, and pain points, your headline should be something that raises that and offers a solution to it. So if the fear you identify is "looking bad to their clients or partners," then your headline should address things like "always be on the ball with ____" or "How to Impress Friends and Colleagues When ___."

It's not so much what the headline says, as how it makes the reader say, "yes I've had that happen to me," or "yes, I've felt that way," or best of all "yes, this can work for me."

One-Sentence Persuasion

When it comes to writing great headlines, this one sentence (a mere 27-words) from marketer Blair Warren is a beacon of light:

"People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, confirm their suspicions, allay their firms, and give them rocks to throw at their enemies."

Infusing your headlines with Warren's persuasion techniques will transform your writing. Let's take a look at how each of the persuasion factors can be applied to lawyer headlines.

Encourage ther dreams - everybody's got a dream, and with this technique you want to identify what dream you present to your clients. Is it justice, compensation, peace of mind, a new phase in life, or protection? Headlines like: "5-Easy Steps to Creating and Protecting Your Great Invention" or "Everybody Deserves a Roof Over Their Heads: The Basics of Purchasing Your First Home," etc.

Justify their failures - it's human nature to avoid taking responsibility for something that didn't work out. Interestingly enough, marketing guru Seth Godin says it is not fear of failure that motivates people so much as it is fear of criticism. By justifying failures with your headlines, you show the audience that you understanding them. Examples: "Getting Sued: Why It's Not As Bad As You Think" or "When Accidents Are Not Your Fault: A Guide for Defendants."

Confirm their suspicions - there is a reason shows like CSI and Law & Order do so well on TV. People love a mystery; just Google "conspiracy theory" and you will find over 13-million results. If your headline can make someone in your target audience say "I KNEW IT!" you are one step away from a loyal reader and possibly a lead. Examples: "What the Cops Don't Want You to Know About Speed Traps" or "Class Action Plaintiffs: The Real Truth for Corporate Attorneys."

Allay their fears - fear is one of the most powerful human emotions next to love. If your headlines can make people feel more comfortable about a worrisome situation you are then seen as a trusted source of serenity, and they will pay attention to you. Examples: "Worried About Bankruptcy? A New Law May Keep You From Going Under" or "The Paper Boogeyman: Why the New Corporate Tax is Not As Scary As Your Think."

Give them rocks to throw at their enemies - empower someone to fight their battles and they will be loyal to you to their dying die. In translating this to headlines, try to think of problems your clients are having that make them feel helpless, and then show them how they can fight back. Examples: "The Anti-Audit: How to Legally Stick it to the IRS" or "Five Ways to Beat the Fear of Doing a Deposition."

Fascination Triggers

Why are the Seven Deadly Sins so ... deadly? Because human beings are drawn to them like moths to a flame despite their being horribly bad for them. It's as if we are hard wired to seek out the things that aren't good for us. Great marketers know this, and they exploit it when writing headlines.

"Fascination triggers" are the copywriters version of the Seven Deadly Sins, which stimulates your readers' curiosity and keeps them reading your content. They were articulated in this form by Sally Hogshead in her book Fascinate, and taught to me on a Copyblogger webinar called Magnetic Headlines. When you can weave them into a headline or post, they wil color the entire piece of content with an addictive allure that's sure to hit people between the eyes.

Here are the seven fascination triggers and ways to use them:

Lust - I know what you're thinking. "Great. Now he wants me to weave sex into my post about tax fraud!" Yes and no. The lust trigger deals with anything that appeals to the senses. So while you can write the headline "Why You Are Less Likely to Cheat on Your Taxes Than Your Significant Other," anything that uses sensory adjectives like "delicious," "thunderous," or "stench" appeal to the trigger of lust.
Vice - here's the stuff you shouldn't talk about (especially if you're a boring old lawyer). It's the off-limits, hush-hush topic, which you are willing to broach that no one else will. It creates controversy and stimulates argument, but it makes for great headlines. Example: "Selling Your Soul for a Law Firm Partnership: Why Your Boss May Just Be Satan."
Alarm - these headlines are meant to scare the s*** out of your reader. They spell trouble and you are playing to fear. Example: "New That Laws Will Land You In Jail."
Power - who doesn't love to be in a position of power? This is all about control, being the one in charge, and leadership (or dictatorship). They make the reader think that by reading your content they will achieve that position of power and come out on top. Example: "The Lawyers Guide to Winning Every Argument."
Prestige - it's why people are obsessed with celebrities; being in the limelight, part of an exclusive club, Elite member programs, and first class. These appeal to the sense of prestige. Weave this into a headline by showing that what you are about to tell your reader is something only a privileged few know about.
Mystique -this is insider information, mystery, and intrigue. Any time you can raise curiosity you create mystique. Example: "The Secret Lives of Judges (and how to get on their good side)"
Trust - any visible show of heroism, loyalty, ethics, and reliability will inspire this trigger. You want to intrigue your reader with a headline that makes them believe they can believe in you. Example: "Why I Gave Up a Six-Figure Salary to Do the Right Thing"

Again, these triggers and the other techniques listed in this post are not formulas. No one is asking you to pack them all in to every headline you do, but getting away from boring headline writing by coloring your words with these triggers will boost readership.

What are some examples of headlines you've seen that work well, and captured your attention?

*** Adapted from original content from the authors upcoming ebook on social media techniques, "Set Yourself on Fire: Attention Getting Tactics to Ignite Your Social Media Marketing."

Cops Charge Woman for Trying to Hire a Hitman Through Her Facebook Wall

Mike Mintz — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:21:00 GMT

A look at this headline can lead to one of the following conclusions:

People are stupid, and the faster evolution starts weeding them out the better
This was obviously a misunderstanding: people say silly things and respond with silly things all the time on Facebook
Great police work

On May 23, 2011, 20-year old Eley London of Philadelphia posted the following on her Facebook Wall:

"I will pay somebody a stack to kill my baby father."

While this post alone might be construed as London venting her frustration after an argument with her "baby father," the situation escalated to a level of alarm when 18-year-old Tim Bynum replied that he would do it as long as London paid him up front.

According to Newser.com, this was Bynum's reply on Facebook:

"Say no more ... what he look like? ... Where he be at?" asked the would-be assassin, who posted a photograph of himself holding a gun, say cops.

Allegedly, London then agreed to pay Bynum $1,000 to do the deed.

Police arrested London on June 10, after receiving tips of the exchange, and charged her with conspiracy to commit murder. She is currently held on $250,000 bail. They also arrested Bynum, charging him with attempted murder and a weapons charge. He is currently being held on $350,000 bail.

So what do we learn from all this?

Don't try to hire hit men on social media sites - there is a record created of every exchange, and more often than not your friends will see it
If you are going to be a hitman, try raising your rates a bit - $1,000 seems awfully low to kill someone, even in Philadelphia
As a lawyer who may have clients this stupid, ALWAYS be sure to check their Facebook accounts and other social media sites they have registrations for to make sure incriminating statements like these are known to you and accounted for

There is another side to this story, however, which as lawyers we must consider. Of the articles I've read online about this story, none of them give details beyond the activity on the Facebook Wall that indicate a substantial step was taken toward carry out the conspiracy (unless the police consider the reply on Facebook to be this). Even Bynum posting a photo of himself with the .22 caliber handgun with serial numbers shaved off and his statements above, could be construed as a simply bragging or social media banter.

The context of a conversation on the Facebook Wall can be lost, as people often post inflaming content and have exchanges that if taken seriously could be construed as dangerous or illegal. While all of us know that you need to be careful about what you say online, (who, if not lawyers are the MOST careful here?), are we entering an age where users are less likely to censor themselves on social media sites and police more likely to take serious anything posted there?

Ultimately, it will be up to the lawyers to clean up or prosecute this mess. The story that we have so far seems it can really go either way: (a) these two join the ranks of Dumbest Criminals in the World and should be prosecuted, or (b) these are young people who were venting frustrations and although stupid, should be spared criminal liability.

Which way do you think it will go, and what arguments would you make in support of either direction?

How Google Deals Will Kill Groupon and Start a Wave of Class Action Lawsuits

Mike Mintz — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:49:00 GMT

As one of the fastest growing start ups in Internet history, among SEC filings and promises of going public, with copycat clones springing up almost daily, Groupon is poised for BIG THINGS. But what kind of big things?

A recent blog post (attached) from TechCrunch talks about Why Groupon is Poised for Collapse. Author Rocky Agrawal talks about the raw deal that small businesses are getting from Groupon, which functions more like a loan than a savvy marketing tool to drive new business. He writes:

Groupon is not an Internet marketing business so much as it is the equivalent of a loan sharking business. The $21,000 that the business in this example gets for running a Groupon is essentially a very, very expensive loan. They get the cash up front, but pay for it with deep discounts over time. (This post applies to Groupon operations in the United States and Canada; it's different in other parts of the world.)

In many cases, running a Groupon can be a terrible financial decision for merchants. Groupon's financials also raise questions about its ongoing viability. Buying Groupon stock could be as bad a deal for investors as running a Groupon offer is for merchants. This is my opinion, but I have some facts to back it up.

Agrawal goes on to quote parts of Groupon's one-sided Merchant Agreement, that promises merchants three payouts from the Groupon sales, with the first one at 33% after five-days, the balance of which will be paid to the merchant by 60-days. In essence, Groupon is using cash from future deals to pay back merchants on past deals, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, and running a business model that will run out of gas eventually, especially with the introduction of Google Offers which has more favorable terms for merchants (80% of the cash from coupon sales after four-days).

A collapse by Groupon would mean very bad things for the merchants who are on the hook for these deals and waiting for their money. Agrawal writes:

Now here's the crazy part. Not only is Groupon effectively giving loans to merchants, but it also works the other way around. The merchant is on the hook for the entire value of those deals until Groupon pays the merchant back its portion. Unlike other loan providers, the merchant is making a short-term loan to Groupon. (Not technically, but effectively.) They buy inventory in advance of the Groupon run. They also serve the initial rush of customers. The business is in a hole before they get their 30- and 60-day Groupon payouts.

While the chances might be small, Groupon merchants should know that they're taking on the risk of Groupon's collapse. If Groupon collapses, a lot of small merchants could be left holding the bag.

What does Groupon's legal outlook look like? The company has been sued a number of times by consumers, who argue that what Groupon in fact sells are discounted gift certificates, rather than coupons, since users have to pay a sum up front to Groupon and the merchants. Many states have laws against expiration dates on gift certificates; all Groupons have expirations dates. In fact, this is one of the competitive advantages for both Groupon and the merchants in offering these deals: there are a percentage of them that both parties know will never be redeemed, allowing some of the discount margin to be covered by non-use.

Here are some of the cases we've seen to date, all by consumers against Groupon:

Jan 2011: CA class action lawsuit against Groupon for the same issue as the MN case - dismissed and settled out of court (click here)
March 2011: MN lawsuit against Groupon for selling gift certificates with expiration dates in violation of MN State law (click here)
March 2011: IL class action lawsuit against Groupon (click here for the complaint)

How long will it be until a group of merchants sues Groupon?

From Solo to Collaborative: Changes at Law Practice Strategy

Donna Seyle — Fri, 27 May 2011 20:56:43 GMT

Where am I going? I am excited beyond words to let everyone know that I’ve been given the opportunity to work with Aviva Cuyler and Adrian Lurssen at JD Supra, as they seek to continuously increase their quality and range of services. As Content...(read more)

Morgan Stanley Moves to Social Media: Brilliant or SEC Violation in the Making?

Mike Mintz — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:56:00 GMT

In a bold move that is a first on Wall Street, brokerage house Morgan Stanley told brokers they could use social media to communicate with clients. According to RegisteredRep.com, an internal memo on Wednesday sent to 18,000 Morgan Stanley brokers said "that they would soon be able to post pre-approved "static" updates on LinkedIn and Twitter." It will all start with a pilot group of 600 advisors sending pre-approved tweets and status updates on popular social media sites. The social media move will also allow brokers to "send LinkedIn InMail messages, request introductions, send invitations and participate on the site. However, reps will not be allowed to "recommend" other financial advisors, nor be recommended by others because of the regulatory rules around the use of testimonials."

There's a lot to be said for this inevitable move by the financial sector to using social tools. This video I did with Jim Carey (the law professor, not the actor) in 2010 touches upon a lot of the issues. Click here or click the image to open the video (opens in a new window):

So what do people think about this move by Morgan Stanley? Is it brilliant or are they setting themselves up for a major SEC violation? What about the authenticity of pre-approved tweets? Can anyone really function effectively in social media this way?

Ethical Guidelines for Legal Process Outsourcing

Donna Seyle — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:14:45 GMT

Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) and virtual lawyering have one primary thing in common: they both involve giving up control over some aspect of your law practice. On one hand, you could be outsourcing projects and tasks; on the other, document storage...(read more)