If you have a website for your firm—and if you don’t, stop reading this right now and go get one!—you’ve likely gotten some sales emails from companies claiming your website is too slow and at risk of penalty from Google. That’s BS. Second, these sorts of sales emails tend to work on people because they don’t truly understand what metrics indicate a healthy website. This article is about to fix that problem by highlighting the four metrics you should monitor to gauge the health and effectiveness of your website. 1. Time to First Byte (TTFB) Here’s something a lot of SEO and web design companie ..read more

Conferences and in person networking events are back. Time to polish your skills so you may expand your circle of contacts, whether at an industry event or a bar association meeting. Use these 25 tips to help you build better connections at any event you attend. Advance planning will improve your execution for some tactics, while other tips address being alert to possibilities and the proverbial follow-up. Give these 25 best practices a whirl and see which ones work best for you. BEFORE THE MEETING If you belong to the host organization, peruse the Membership Directory for people with a simil ..read more

Your law firm’s website is a valuable marketing tool. It’s your digital business card, your digital office space, and the first impression your firm makes with the vast majority of people who seek you out. While the main goal of your website should be that it communicates who you are and how you help your community, it should also convert leads for you. Many law firm websites only capture the hottest leads who are ready to book a consultation at that moment. However, tons of people can be captured earlier on in the marketing funnel that you can then nurture and ultimately retain. All you need ..read more

In the coming weeks, you’re going to see a revival of this blog. New contributors. New content. All designed to help the small firm marketer get the results they want. If there’s an aspect of your firm’s marketing you want to learn more about, get in touch with us and let us know! We’re excited for this new chapter in LMB history, so be sure to bookmark us and check back often for the latest content ..read more

Sleep. We all know it’s important. But, there is so much to do and no time to do it. Where do we steal the time? From our sleep, right? We tell ourselves that we can function on 6, 5, or 4 hours of sleep. We’re kidding ourselves—we can’t. Watch Matt Walker’s TedTalk and you may say YIKES as I did! When you prioritize your time, sleep will be moved to the top of the list—see why ..read more

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com. Life can feel totally out of control sometimes. This year has been difficult for many reasons — political turmoil, economic chaos, a global pandemic — and I know that many people are feeling helpless and out of control. I understand this feeling. It’s been a challenging year for me, too. But it’s so important that you remember that even when you don’t have control over the “big things” like our government or the spread of a virus, you do have control over your own decisions and actions. You have the power to thrive, no matter what is happening i ..read more

When it comes to securing leads, the follow-up email is hard to beat. One study found that a 12% response rate from two emails increases to 15%–16% with a third email. If you play your cards right, the success of your email marketing could, in large part, depend on your follow-up emails. So, how do you create ones that maximize positive responses from leads? KNOW YOUR GOALS. You should have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with your email campaign. Which metrics are most important to you? The number of times recipients open your follow-up email? That they click a link in the text? T ..read more

You may have marketing efforts in place for your firm, but is it a cohesive strategy? Do you have ongoing systems in place to ensure a regular stream of business? On Center Stage, Danny Decker talks about the mistakes he’s seen lawyers make with their marketing, why email is so under-utilized, and the downsides of focusing too much on SEO. Why you don’t have to rely solely on your relationships to make it rain. Check it out here ..read more

A few weeks ago at a company meeting, one of our employees shared a story with the team. They told us they had gotten two speeding tickets within the last year. After each ticket, our employee opened their mailbox to find dozens of mailers from different local attorneys. These attorneys were on the ball, and they were pursuing this lead hard. Our team members estimated they received around 30 pieces of physical direct mail in total. But here’s the kicker: None of those attorneys got their business. Instead of picking a mailer out of the stack, my employee turned to their friends and family. “H ..read more

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com. Your thoughts have the power to shape your reality, for better or for worse, whether you realize it or not. Henry Ford is often credited with saying, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.” There’s so much truth and wisdom in that statement. As I like to tell my clients, the stories you tell yourself determine how you show up in the world. If you’re constantly telling yourself, “I can’t” or “This is too hard” or “This is impossible,” you’re creating a self-fulfilling prophecy and you probably are going to struggl ..read more