Online Marketing

Last year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced nearly 1,300 new Top Level Domains that are being released throughout 2014.  In the world of online marketing, there has been much discussion surrounding these new internet properties and how they will impact websites and SEO.

For seven consecutive years, Virgin America has topped the list for the best domestic airline in the United States. The company is often applauded by leisure and business travelers alike for superior customer service, industry-leading in-flight entertainment and sleek cabin design. Branson’s team can now add another skill to its already impressive resume – killer website design.

Several weeks ago, Virgin America unveiled a completely revamped website designed to help customers book flights faster, regardless of whether the user was doing so from his office desktop or from a mobile device on his way to the airport. While attorneys aren’t in the business of selling airline tickets, there are some key takeaways from the redesign that can be applied to all web design, even that of legal professionals.

We often hear from attorneys who have a significant number of visitors to their websites but fail to get a steady number of contact inquiries through the site each month. If you’re one of these attorneys, you may painstakingly analyze your Analytics data, carefully re-read each page to ensure there are no offensive typos and even contemplate whether your attorney profile photo is scaring them away. One important component that is often overlooked by law firms during this review, however, is the contact forms throughout the website.

If you’re like most attorneys, you have a receptionist answering calls and support staff scheduling appointments for your office during business hours. But what happens after-hours, or over the course of a weekend, when a visitor is perusing your site and wants to schedule an appointment?

Over the past few years, the web has seen an influx in services like ZocDoc that allow for convenient scheduling for healthcare providers. These sites have grown in popularity because they allow web surfers to accomplish their goal– arrange a time to speak with a professional regardless of the time of day. Of course, this idea of self-scheduling is a bit more problematic for attorneys. Before an initial consultation is scheduled, you likely want to have a more in-depth understanding of the legal matter at hand so you can run a conflict check and make sure your office is the right fit. So what’s the best solution?

At Amicus Creative, we offer firms an online consultation request where site visitors can give a bit of background information and indicate the best days/times for an appointment (without actually scheduling one). The submitted information is immediately sent to the firm who can then run a conflict check, consult the most up-to-date calendar, and confirm the request date/time (or propose an alternative). This system is the perfect solution for firms who want to give site visitors the flexibility of scheduling an appointment after hours but retain ultimate control over their calendars.

Contact us today to learn more about this great feature.

If you’ve created a professional website with high-quality content, you want to take every opportunity to showcase it to the world. Unfortunately, far too many attorneys miss valuable opportunities to promote their websites to contacts in everyday communications. Consider the following places to include your URL:

In the words of Winston Churchill, “he who fails to plan is planning to fail”. This is most definitely the case when it comes to online marketing and the implementation of a dynamic content strategy. We see it all the time: a law firm launches a new website and is diligent about adding new content on a regular basis because they know this will help with SEO and make an all around better experience for their site visitors. But then life and the practice of law gets in the way. Suddenly bi-weekly posts turn into bi-monthly posts and as you can imagine, dwindle down to just a handful of new articles per year. Unfortunately, when your content strategy falls to the backburner, your web presence also takes a hit. When it comes to carrying out an effective ongoing content campaign, a bit of planning and brainstorming can make all the difference, allowing you to keep up even during the business times of the year.

To make sure you are able to launch an effective online marketing campaign in the year ahead, you need to ensure that you are familiar with the various marketing tools and online resources in your arsenal, especially if you haven’t used these systems in some time. Over the next few days, take the following steps so you’re well-prepared to kick off a dynamic marketing campaign in 2014:

For the past year, we’ve held educational monthly webinars covering a wide array of online marketing topics. In the year ahead, we’re teaming up with experts across the legal industry to present informative programs on an even more diverse group of topics. These online events are free to attend, and will undoubtedly give you expert insight into strategies and tools you can employ to propel your practice in the year ahead.

More companies are ditching paper mailings for the holidays, opting instead to send their warm wishes via email. Many digital advocates argue that this form of outreach is less expensive, less time-consuming and better for the environment. If you have yet to plan for your holiday mailing, you may want to consider sending an e-blast with your warm holiday wishes to colleagues and friends. If you’re an Amicus Creative client, you can even use our e-newsletter distribution system (built right into your Site Manager account) for your holiday outreach, reaching hundreds, or even thousands, of contacts in just a few minutes. Below you’ll find some helpful tips on creating an effective digital greeting that spreads holiday cheer to recipients.

Search engine optimization is complex. It requires some technical knowledge, a basic understanding of web development and whole lot of common sense. To make matters worse, it is constantly evolving so as soon as you think you’ve mastered it, something else changes. At Amicus Creative, we have a devoted SEO team because we realize that most of the attorneys we work with just don’t have the time to become SEO experts. But there are some that want to learn more about the subject matter so we’ve compiled a list of helpful resources for those lawyers who want to be informed about SEO practices.

In developing and enhancing your law practice’s website, it’s always important to keep your ideal visitor in mind. Depending on your marketing goals, that visitor may be a prospective client, current client or referral source. As you develop your site, make a list of your visitors concerns, needs and questions. Then compile a list of the benefits that your firm offers that helps to address some of these issues. This list should not only be a description of how you’re different from competitors but how you can specifically speak to the emotions of your site visitor.