08
Jul

The importance of email service providers (ESPs): Why you should never send mass emails with Outlook or Gmail

July 8, 2021
by: in Law , B2B , Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Architecture, Engineering and Construction , Professional services No comments  
The importance of email service providers (ESPs): Why you should never send mass emails with Outlook or Gmail

Email marketing is the most profitable marketing channel, garnering an ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. However, if you try to start a mass marketing email campaign through your Gmail or Outlook account, you’re going to be hampered by send limits and you could even end up having your personal email or your entire organization’s domain blacklisted (more on that in a moment).

So how do firms manage to conduct email marketing campaigns that send hundreds or thousands of emails and still hang on to their online reputation? Email marketing services or email service providers (ESPs) are third-party services that handle mass marketing email sends. ESPs take a number of measures to ensure they remain whitelisted and retain agreements with internet service providers (ISPs) that allow them to send emails in bulk. 

You might be asking yourself, “Why do I need to pay extra to send emails when that’s what I do all day, every day? Why not just send each marketing email individually from my individual email address?”

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01
Feb

How to write better client alerts: 10 of the best tips

February 1, 2021
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

Client alerts are a staple of law firm marketing. These short news bulletins — generally written by attorneys and edited, formatted and distributed by marketers — inform clients of recent developments in the law and provide analysis on how these changes will impact their business.

And while client alerts play a critical role in a firm’s marketing efforts, they are renowned in the industry for their lack of readability, substance and timeliness.

This poor quality isn’t due to a lack of guidance on how to use this marketing tool effectively. Numerous articles by seasoned legal marketing pros provide excellent advice on how to write better client alerts. In this post, I’ve cherry picked the best advice out there and put it all in one place for you. If you’re looking to improve your firm’s client alerts, look no further. 

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27
Oct

Attending virtual conferences: How to get value from a socially distanced event

October 27, 2020
by: in Law , B2B , Marketing strategy , Architecture, Engineering and Construction , Professional services No comments  

While attending a conference used to mean skiving off work for a few days to listen to industry-specific keynotes with boutique coffee in your hand, these days … not so much.

Conferences are now being held entirely online, with participants watching presentations on one screen while checking in with work on another. This is all before we take into account that the farthest most of us can travel these days is to our porch. 

So even if you’re a rare unicorn of a human who can focus entirely on days worth of online presentations, odds are you are sharing your space with a partner, enthusiastic pet or homebound children.

This doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel.

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13
Apr

How much should you spend on marketing during a recession? Here’s what the research says

April 13, 2020
by: in Law , B2B , Marketing strategy , Architecture, Engineering and Construction , Professional services No comments  

Image source: Vaile, Roland S., “The Use of Advertising During Depression,” Harvard Business Review, 5 April, 1927. 

As COVID-19 sweeps the world, our economy is quickly going down the toilet (along with stockpiles of toilet paper). Unfortunately, we are likely already in a recession. For marketers, recessions have historically been scary times. Often, marketing seems like the easiest thing to cut. But is that wise? 

As a marketer, if I wrote a blog post telling you to increase marketing during a recession, I’d look a little self-serving (to say the least). So instead, I decided to look at what the research tells us about marketing during recessions.

What I found is overwhelming evidence that it pays to maintain — and in some cases increase — marketing expenditures during an economic downturn. As Peter Fader of the Wharton School said, “As companies slash advertising in a downturn, they leave empty space in consumers’ minds for aggressive marketers to make strong inroads.”

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07
Jan

Four 2020 legal marketing trends we’re watching

January 7, 2020
by: in Law , Marketing strategy No comments  

Four 2020 legal marketing trends we’re watching

It’s hard to fathom that it’s 2020. Where the heck did a decade go? I guess it’s true — time flies when you’re having rum (maybe that’s just me). 

Four 2020 legal marketing trends we’re watching

And, yes, we know you’re just now recovering from the holiday season, which can be a blur of budget planning and executing holiday marketing ideas. But, as we jump start this new decade, it’s time to get ready for what’s next. 

For 2020 there are four trends that have caught our attention: the growth of niche marketing, an emphasis on consistency, the rebirth of LinkedIn and the continued dominance of email as an essential content channel. 

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20
Nov

Spread the cheer! How to do holiday marketing the right way for B2B and professional services

November 20, 2019
by: in Law , B2B , Content marketing , Public relations , Architecture, Engineering and Construction No comments  

Spread the cheer! How to do holiday marketing the right way for B2B and professional services

Ah, the holidays. A time when we’re surrounded by warm wishes, those we love — and a never-ending sales pitch to get us to spend, spend, spend. The holiday fervor seems to start earlier every year, too (I swear I saw toy Santas alongside the American flags in one store this past July 4th). 

This is the noisiest time of year in consumer marketing, with brands of all kinds clamoring for attention. So why would B2B companies and professional services firms — which have much different sales cycles — choose to enter that fray? Wouldn’t it be best to just lie low and go big in January?

Unfortunately, that would mean disappearing from view for weeks, maybe even a couple of months. In today’s connected environment, that can be a death blow when you’re trying to maintain a consistent brand. 

Done tactfully and in line with the spirit of the season, holiday marketing for B2B companies and professional services firms can help you maintain awareness while leaving a warm feeling behind that clients and prospects will remember all year long. 

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24
Sep

From blah to ah-ha! How to write law firm case studies that win new business

September 24, 2019
by: in Law , Content marketing No comments  

From Blah to Ah-Ha! How to Write Law Firm Case Studies That Win New Business

This post was first published on Law Journal Newsletters.

Visit any law firm’s website and you’ll find bulleted lists of representative matters and deals that look like this:

  • Represented leading international retailer and several of its officers and directors in securities class action and shareholder derivative suits.
  • Represented an investment fund in connection with a $500 million secured credit facility.

This might be the most wasted opportunity in the land of wasted opportunities called Law Firm Marketing. While laundry lists of every single matter an attorney has ever touched may be helpful on a resume, it’s much less effective for law firm marketing goals. 

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02
Jul

13 blogs legal marketers should follow

July 2, 2019
by: in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

13 blogs legal marketers should follow

I love a good Stephen King book — and not just because I’m into spooky stories and horror movies. The man can write. He knows how to develop characters, build suspense and illuminate intricacies of the human condition.

Like a lot of things in life, great writing comes with practice and learning from others.

King’s advice? “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

So, if you want to be a better legal marketer and produce results that get noticed by your supervising attorneys, don’t stop learning. Stay current by following thought leaders and reading blogs that share what’s new and what’s next in legal marketing.

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