A Look inside an ALAME Article Gary Weitzel’s Commentary on “Web site Marketing: the Basics.”

Disclaimer:  This article is commentary on an article written in the ALA Management Encyclopedia.  The views expressed are Gary Weitzel’s and any quotes from the article are in italics or within quotes. 

Introduction:

It is hard to believe that day-to-day use of Web sites in law firms is approaching its ten-year anniversary.  Some firms are working on iteration four or five, while others are still tweaking their first site.  Regardless of a firm’s size or practice, its Web site is an important and necessary component to the firm’s business operation. 

The marriage of marketing and technology exists throughout law firms — with the use of CRM (client relationship management software), intranets, proposal centers, market research databases, in-house graphics and publishing capabilities, knowledge management, out-of-office accessibility (BlackBerries, virtual private networks (VPNs)), electronic billing and client access. This article focuses on basic concepts of Web sites and related services, including Web sites themselves, extranets, e-mail, referral services, blogs (Web logs), sponsorships and banner advertising, and search engine optimization (SEO).

The article is not intended to address specific ethical rules concerning lawyer advertising and marketing, but to present the concepts of Web marketing. 

Most Atlanta ALA members are familiar with the ALA publication ALA Management Encyclopedia (ALAME), an online resource found on ALA’s portal at http://thesource.alanet.org.  However, many members have not read the articles in this growing collection of issue-specific articles written by leaders in the legal management profession.  To provide a look inside the quality articles in the ALAME, Gary Weitzel, ALAME’s first editor-in-chief, provides commentary to industry expert Micah Buchdahl’s¹ article “Web site Marketing: the basics” released on October 25, 2005 in the ALA Management Encyclopedia, the online resource.   Weitzel notes that Buchdahl writes a comprehensive, well organized and utilitarian article about the relationship of a modern law firm Web site to both marketing and communication; marketing to prospects and communicating with clients, members of the firm, and the public in general.

Because of the scope of this article, Weitzel will present commentary in three parts on this article. 

Part one provides commentary on the basics of Web site planning, budgeting and the Web site’s relationship with marketing in general.   This commentary may be especially informative to Executive Directors, Office Managers and marketing staff because the Buchdahl speaks directly to electronic marketing core services; Web site development, content development & management, and functional components & Web site and search engine optimization; and what managers and administrators must consider as they plan and budget for Web site development.

Buchdahl advises that:

Every firm regardless of size, practice or industry served needs a Web site, not as a sales strategy, but as a key component to the business operation of the law firm. 

Synopsis:

Web site development and review is a complicated process and can differ significantly from one firm to another depending on firm size and requirements.  Buchdahl’s article gives managers and leaders a blue print to managing the tasks involved in Web site design, both first generation Web site and subsequent iterations, taking in account that “many internet users have high-speed access at home and work, reducing the time it takes to download information.  Wireless networking makes it possible to access the Web everywhere, although viruses and online troublemakers cause continuing headaches.” 

The following advice from Micah Buchdahl guides the “Web site development group” through the many steps of planning and decision-making.

1.                   Identify the Web site’s core and secondary audience

Work with your team to understand what information about the firm is needed by the audience.

·                     Survey entire firm to determine core audience and evaluate results;

·                     Consider impact of core and adjunct audiences on the firm’s business plan today, and in the future; and

·                     Core audience may be:

o        Current clients,

o        Prospects,

o        Lawyer referrals,

o        Lawyer and staff recruiting, and

o        Media/Public Relations information.

·                     Adjunct audiences may include:

o        Consumers,

o        Corporations,

o        Niche/boutique practices,

o        Location,

o        Recent mergers,

o        New practice areas,

o        New firm focus, and

o        Long term firm strategies

2.                   Busy is Good!  This is a personal watchword for any business.  The busier you are the more business you can attract!  Busy is a sign of success! 

Buchdahl advises:

·                     “Small firm managers and administrators may sometimes think that the firm has more business than it can handle, so that Web site development and/or other marketing is not necessary.  However, firms that are successful and busy are in a prime position to market more effectively.”

·                     “Business success means that the firm’s lawyers are working on significant and successful matters that can be leveraged into attracting new business;”  Note: Potential clients want to hear about successful matters that can be leveraged into attracting new business; and

·                     “Potential clients want to hear about successful firms.  Do not wait to develop a Web site until the firm’s business is slow, at which time there is no news for the firm to promote to potential clients.” (Emphasis added) 

3.                   Web site Planning Basics

·                     Plan your Web site development budget for the year and schedule deployment accordingly;

·                     Create a Web site "Plan of Work"² and identify who is responsible for each element of that Plan of work;

·                     "CONTENT IS KING"³ - Budget attorney and staff time to develop and/or update existing and new content.  Identify who will be responsible for content develop and track the results in your monthly reports as part of the Web site Plan of Work; and

·                     Goals should drive tasks — be careful not to chase impulses or glitzy elements and features.  Beware taking on unplanned tasks that are secondary to your Web site Plan of Work.

4.                  Marketing Strategy

Leverage your print and electronic media marketing brochures and flyers and use logo, images and conceptual elements throughout your marketing campaign. 

·                    Develop a UNIFIED marketing strategy (print, visual, voice, electronic, live media) and reuse images and elements;

·                    Publish your marketing campaign materials on your Web site to “drive” prospects and clients to your Web site where further information, on-line forms, directions and critical information can be found;

·                    Carefully craft your requirements for marketing campaigns so your vendor understands that the firm wants to reuse ALL ELEMENTS of the campaign electronically, including logos, slogans, images and conceptual elements;

·                    Carefully review any licensing that the vendor has in their contract and BE SURE it is harmonized with your requirements and priced within YOUR BUDGET; and

·                    Review your state and local Bar Association guidance on electronic and Web site advertising and submit for opinion if desired.

5.                  Web site Usage Reports and Tips

·                    Review Web site traffic reports to visualize how a user enters and moves through the Web site during a visit;

·                    Talk to your clients, ask them what they like about the Web site and why they do or don’t use the firm’s Web site;

·                    Consider personalization elements for your Web site.  Micah Buchdahl thinks usage increases on Web sites that can be personalized;

·                    Place current and critical content ABOVE THE FOLD and ON THE SCREEN.  Optimize your Web site to the typical user screen size; and

·                    Highlight the simple, but most important contents — Don’t Forget the Basics!!

6.                  First Generation Web sites

It's been a banner year for the Web, which expanded more in 2005 than any other year to date, according to a new report from monitoring firm Netcraft. With 17 million Web sites added since January, Netcraft estimates there are now 74.4 million Web addresses - quite an increase from the approximately 19,000 addresses recorded only 10 years ago. Netcraft analyst Rich Miller says this year's surge signals an uptick in the number of small enterprises, fueled by the availability of new tools and services that make it easy and cheap to launch a Web business. "A Web site is now seen as indispensable for small businesses," said Miller. "Domains have become the base for anything else folks want to do on the Web. That's your brand." Growth has also come as a result of the blogging phenomenon, and from registrars making better use of unused domains by asking them to exploit the advertising systems operated by Google and Yahoo. (BBC News 10 Oct 2005: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4325918.stm, as reported in ALA Currents on November 3, 2005). 

·                    Register an intuitive and easy-to-remember domain name;

·                    Keep your domain name simple, such as the first two names in a multipartner firm or the commonly used name for the firm within the legal community.  For example, Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy was “Powell Goldstein or PoGo” to the Atlanta legal community and firm leaders eventually changed the firm name accordingly;

·                    Choose a domain name that ends with “.com” rather than .net, .org or .pro;

·                    Register multiple domain names and link those ancillary domain names to your principal domain;

·                    Publish your firm’s URL on all firm correspondence, marketing materials and email; and

·                    Use the protocol of “firstnameDOTlastname@your firm’s URL” for all attorneys and staff.  It is easy for clients to remember and shows sophistication

7.                  Budget — there is NO REASON why every law firm can not have a Web presence!!  Here are Buchdahl’s estimated budgets for various sized firms:

Firm Size	Recommended Budget
Solo Firms	$3,000 to $5,000
Small Firms	$10,000
Midsized Firms	$25,000
Large Firms	$50,000 to $200,000

Caveat:

As I do research and contact law firms, it is stunning how many law firms have not updated their Web sites and hold to the “look and feel” conventions of the late 20^th and very early 21^st century.  This is reflected both in their URLs and their SMTP email addresses.  There is no better time to create your law firm’s Web presence with a first generation Web site, or to update your existing Web site with a new “look and feel,” with strong functional elements as opposed to flash and other irrelevant features. 

Copyright 2006, Gary W. Weitzel, MSLA.  All rights reserved worldwide. Reprinted by AALA with permission of author.

Footnotes

Editor: Brian Gedeon (BHGedeon@duanemorris.com) (This publication is the property of the Atlanta Association of Legal Administrators. Reproduction or reprint without prior permission is strictly prohibited. Click here to request reprint permission.)

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