Great Legal Marketing

“A Parade of Moving Interest” was a phrase that Ben Glass explained to a packed room full of lawyers from around the country looking to stand out from the crowd. Unless you were a Dan Kennedy devotee, you most likely needed Ben’s explanation to understand the concept that a consumer or potential client isn’t looking for you or your legal services when they wake up in the morning.

How then do you market to a group of people who don’t need you now? That was the challenge that Ben attacked so well. On Friday night and Saturday morning, we were treated to Dan Kennedy talking about that exact issue. “How do you market to a group of people who inherently mistrust what you are and what you have to say?”

The answer was insightful. It took Ben and Dan hours to get to the bottom line and was well worth it.

Here’s my take-away from the conference:

You must build relationships. You must get people to like you and trust you. How do you do that? I’m glad you asked, because Ben, Tom Foster and Rem Jackson explained just that over the course of two days in Reston, Virginia.

The obvious way to build a relationship is with personal interaction. Absent that, the next best way is using video. There is no other media available that allows a prospective client to get to know you, like you and trust you, before they ever meet you. Lawyers can leverage video to maximize their time by creating one educational message that can be watched 10 times, 1000 times or 1 million times, all for the same exact cost of zero.

There was a new topic at GLM this year: Lawyers competing for prizes based upon worst marketing to best marketing. The competition was fierce.

Neil Goldstein, a PI attorney from Long Island gave a heart-rendering overview of how Ben helped him transform the way he practiced law and changed his life. Brian Mittman a disability attorney in Westchester, NY described a similar transformation, and created a humorous video about blog-talk-radio. An unusual competitor was Larry Weinstein, a CPA from Texas who showed us step-by-step what an incredible marketer he has become using the strategies and techniques used by Ben Glass, Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer. Jason Epstein also explain his transformation. The last attorneys competing for a MacBook Pro or and iPad2 were Andy Garcia and Collin Phillips, PI attorneys from Massachusets. They created a video that spoofed the movie Social Network and was really funny. The winner of a new MacBook Pro? Phillips & Garcia!

I also need to mention four really smart lawyers who are clients of the Lawyers Video Studio who also attended GLM: Jack Carney-DeBord, a PI/Divorce attorney from Ohio; Brent Adams, a PI attorney from North Carolina; John Burns, a PI attorney from California and Joe Hanyon, a PI attorney from Pennsylvania.

For those of you who have never attended a GLM conference and simply buy the DVD’s to watch at home, let me tell you that you’re missing out big-time. The reason to go to a legal marketing conference like this is to hang out with smart lawyers. You begin to build relationships with like-minded lawyers who are looking to improve their marketing. At the seminar you’ll find many lawyers who love to share their ideas just by asking them. Talking to super smart legal marketers like Dave Frees, a Trusts and Estates attorney in Pennsylvania; Bob Battle, a DUI attorney from Northern Virginia, Jim Brown, a Bankruptcy lawyer and Charlie Hoffheimer, a divorce lawyer are worth everything. You can’t get that simply by listening to a DVD.

FYI- this was my third legal marketing seminar within a two month period. Become a marketing student, implement what you learn and watch what happens to your law practice. It works.

Great Neck

I’m sitting in the park on Labor Day weekend by my pool club and it is a magnificent 75° today. I have a large blanket on the grass and I’m using my Mac speech dictate program to transcribe my thoughts as I’m lying here observing a magnificent day.

What type of lifestyle do you want as an attorney? Do you enjoy working till midnight because you’ve got a motion that must be submitted the next day? Do you have trouble attracting new business and new clients in this economy? Are you looking for ways to make your phone ring? Do you have the charisma to generate new business through attorney referrals? Do you have a marketing funnel already in place that is proven to work?

If you are new to marketing, you would do well to hitch your star to any one of the legal marketing experts I discuss below. The following three marketing experts are, in my opinion, the best in the business.

This list is in no particular order.

Dave Lorenzo

I start with legal marketing expert Dave Lorenzo, a remarkable marketing guy with tremendous insight. I read his blog on a regular basis and I strongly recommend you do the same. His knowledge and wisdom is unsurpassed. He offers tons of free information that gets your mind racing about different ways that you can market yourself. I am amazed at the amount of useful information he puts online almost daily. You should watch his video tips and then glance at the number of views his videos receive. You’ll be astounded. He  represents attorneys throughout the United States.

Mark Merenda

Next up is Mark Merenda, a good friend of mine. He has clearly established himself as a leader in the field of legal marketing. Mark is thoughtful, provocative and has a crystal-clear understanding of how lawyers should best market themselves utilizing every available tool and media to do so. I’ve had the opportunity to interview Mark on video and met with him multiple times in Naples, Florida. I’ve seen him use seminars, offline marketing, websites, video, promotions and many other ways to market an attorney. One way Mark differentiates himself from other legal marketing experts is that he and his team of marketing experts actually create a total, comprehensive solution rather than just telling the lawyer what they should do. I have learned much from Mark in the years I’ve known him and he can often be found in various law practice listserves helping attorneys answer their marketing questions.

Ben Glass, Esq.

Lastly, you need to know about a fellow personal injury attorney who practices in Virginia. This guy is a leader in the field of lawyer marketing. Not only is he an experienced trial attorney but he created a powerhouse of marketing program for lawyers that is unsurpassed anywhere. His name is Ben Glass and his attorney marketing program is appropriately called Great Legal Marketing. I had the pleasure of meeting Ben many years ago when he was beginning to market himself in ways that lawyers had never heard of. By going outside of the traditional forms of attorney advertising and learning what other companies did to market themselves, Ben leapfrogged all other lawyers in the marketing arena and became a pioneer for new ways to get consumers to raise their hands for more information. Most unusual was Ben’s ability to help fellow attorneys like me who began to follow his ethical marketing efforts.

I am also pleased to say that I have attended a number of Ben’s seminars where a select group of really smart attorneys get together to discuss the best ways to market and distinguish themselves. I also had the privilege of speaking to hundreds of lawyers this past June in Virginia at Ben’s Great Legal Marketing Superconference where I spoke about the importance of attorneys creating video to market themselves online.

By the way, Dave, Mark and Ben had no idea I’d be writing this article; no one asked me to write it and I’m not being compensated in any way to write this. It takes a lot for me to give whole-hearted recommendations to anyone online, but these three experts certainly deserve it. If you speak to any of them, just let them know I said “Hi.”

For more information from any of these experts, click below:

Dave Lorenzo; Rainmakerlawyer.com

Mark Merenda; Smartmarketingnow.com

Ben Glass; Greatlegalmarketing.com

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

Mischelle Davis

Ever hear of Mischelle Davis?

She’s the marketing powerhouse for her husband, Seattle personal injury attorney Chris Davis.

I had the pleasure of finally meeting them both at Ben Glass’ Great Legal Marketing seminar June 11 and June 12, 2010 held in Fairfax, Virginia. They are both down-to-earth and lovely people to talk to. I had the pleasure of speaking with them the night before the conference started and was blown away by all the different marketing this super duo make happen.

It was clear during our talk that the number one reason why attorneys succeed at what they do is because they implement their decision to take action. It is those attorneys who fail to implement that always wonder why their marketing is not working.

I first heard Mischelle Davis speak to Ben’s group in January 2009. At that time I thought I was a savvy legal marketer. After listening to her talk about everything she and her husband Chris implemented and continued to implement, I was totally blown away. I walked out of her lecture with tons of notes and a promise to myself to implement every one of those items. Since that time, I have followed their successes online and continue to be amazed at how much they implement and get done to market Chris’ law practice.

Chris & Mischelle Davis

I knew I was in for a treat when Mischelle gave me a head’s up preview during our talk the night before she was scheduled to speak. She did not disappoint. Starting promptly at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, the first words out of her mouth were “You have to implement.”

“We’re doing it. Why aren’t you?”

The theme of her talk was: This is what we did before coming to Great Legal Marketing, this is what we did after joining; this is what we did each year and here are the trackable results we achieved for each year. Her talk was energizing and it is obvious they have literally taken the bull by the horns to effectively implement their marketing ideas in such a short time.

I am glad I had the pleasure of meeting these two legal marketing superstars in person and sharing ideas with people who truly get it.

Great Legal Marketing, Fairfax Virginia

I am thrilled to be back from a lecture I presented to over 250 attorneys in Fairfax, Virginia about the benefits of creating educational video to market their law practices. Before leaving New York, I had visions in my mind of the crowd going wild; jamming to the music; raising their hands and singing along; demanding more and then of course chanting my name for an encore. Then I woke up and realized it was a daydream of sorts.

Here’s what really happened, and you should read further, because you’ll get that ‘Aha!’ moment shortly.
When I arrived Thursday night at the hotel where the conference was being held, I went to the conference area to scope out the area where I’d be speaking the next day. The crew was setting up for the big event. Now here’s what blew me away. As I walked in the door, about 6 different people shouted to me “Hey Gerry, how are you? Glad you’re here.”

What’s the big deal about that greeting, you ask?
Well, I had never met these people in person before. Ever. But they knew me. They knew who I was the moment I walked in the door. They instantly recognized me and eagerly welcomed me.

What does this have to do with attorney video?
EVERYTHING.
Want to know how they knew me?
From watching my videos. Not one video; not five videos but many of my videos.

“Well, what does being recognized at a legal marketing seminar have to do with marketing my law practice?”

I’m glad you asked. The answer is: EVERYTHING.
Video allows you to create a bond with your viewer.
Video allows you to get a viewer to trust you and become familiar with you.
Video allows you to enter the conversation going on in the mind of your online viewer.

The key to converting online viewers into callers is to know what information they want and need to know, and guess what? It has nothing to do with your credentials.

Want to learn more about what content will compel a viewer to pick up the phone and call? Come join me in my video coaching group; the only video coaching group for lawyers anywhere in the Country. No other video production company teaches lawyers the mindset they need to understand what their online viewer wants and needs. My coaching group is perfect for lawyers who do-it-yourself as well as lawyers who use a video production company to create their videos.

Here are comments made by really smart attorneys after listening to what I had to say:

I was speaking to over 250 attorneys on June 11, 2010 at the Hyatt in Fairfax, Virginia. The room was packed. Ben Glass had just finished talking about ethics in attorney advertising. 5:00 pm arrived and I had my wireless microphone all set; my laptop was ready to go and my wireless pointer was plugged in. I walked up on stage and the first question I asked the crowd after introducing myself was “How is it that a solo practitioner like myself is able to compete with the biggest law firms in Manhattan with the biggest marketing budgets?”

The answer explored five keywords and the number of websites that compete for those very competitive search terms. The search terms were “New York medical malpractice lawyer.” Google shows that 5 million websites vie for those search terms. “Do know which website consistently comes up in the #1 organic search results?” My New York Medical Malpractice Trial attorney website does.

The crowd got very quiet and their eyes opened wide, eager for more.

Later, I asked “What if you could own the first page of YouTube?”

Technically, you can’t ‘own’ the first page of YouTube, but in a practical sense you can. “How?” you ask? By having all twenty of your videos show up on the first page results of your search terms on YouTube. That’s how you can ‘own’ the real estate on the first page of YouTube. I then showed the group how I “own” the first page of YouTube for specific search terms.

Then I asked, “What if you could also own the second page of YouTube as well?” I then told them that for those specific search terms I own the second page too. Now, I really had everyone’s attention.

The important question I asked was “What do you think an online viewer would think if they did a search for their particular legal problem and they came upon a YouTube page where every single video on the page (except for the paid videos at the top) was yours?” Who do you think a viewer is going to call after seeing all of your videos; you or your competitor who only has a static website?

I had a blast talking to this group of smart, energetic and eager attorneys willing to learn how to market themselves in ethical, out-of-the box ways. I was glad I had a chance to talk with many brilliant attorneys who are blowing away their competition using so many different marketing methods. It was nice to actually meet a lot of attorneys I communicate with on Facebook and Twitter but had never actually met in person.

The feedback I received from the attorneys were amazing.

• Want to learn what I teach attorneys to create compelling video?
• Want to learn how I create my videos?
• Want to learn what will compel a viewer to pick up the phone and call you instead of your competitor?
• Want to learn the mindset of a viewer and figure out what content will get them to click on your headline and watch your video?

If you do, I encourage you to come join me in the Lawyers Video Studio coaching group. To learn more about the only video coaching group for lawyers in the country, click here: Lawyers Video Studio coaching group.

P.S.  By the way, if you need a speaker to talk to your group of attorneys about how video can help convert online viewers into callers and why attorneys need to create video now, pick up the phone and call me 516-487-8207 or send me an email to Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. I welcome your call.

I had an “Aha” moment about two years ago. I was creating a series of videos for my legal practice to help viewers understand how medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits work in New York. A friend of mine asked me whether I was a marketer, and up until that time, the answer was “No.”

“I’m a medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer,” I said. “I’m not a marketer.” A marketer is sleazy. A marketer is a businessman looking to make a sale. A marketer is someone who wants you to part with your hard earned money. At least that’s what I thought up until that point. Then I realized that what I was trying to do was educate a viewer with my videos. It was at that moment that I recognized for the very first time that what I was doing was in fact MARKETING!

It took me a few months to come to grips that I AM a marketer of my legal services. I may be a lawyer who helps injured victims obtain compensation, but in order for the world around me to know that I am here and available, I must be able to TELL THE WORLD what I do and how I’m different from all the other people who market themselves. That’s marketing.

Dan Kennedy, the well-known information marketer likes to say that we are all marketers of information, regardless of what business we’re in. As an attorney who uses video to market myself, I really had a tough time accepting that I am a marketer. Yet with each new video I created, I began to see how I was educating my viewers and marketing my services at the same time.

Now, I consider myself a marketing maven. I love to read about marketing and learn from smarter people who have “Been there and done it” marketers. If you’re an attorney, you can’t get any better than learning from fellow trial lawyer Ben Glass of Fairfax Virginia. Ben has transformed the way attorneys market themselves to the general public and empowered them to be different, be ethical, and live life big while carving out a family life for themselves. His marketing system, Great Legal Marketing is a genius breakthrough. If you haven’t been to one of his seminars, you shouldn’t walk there, you should run there.

I am proud to say that I’m a marketer of legal services. My videos are watched around the country and in many different parts of the world. I am proud that I receive calls from viewers thanking me for providing useful information that nobody else gives. I know video works. It helps show I’m different. It lets viewers get to know me and begin to trust me before I ever meet them in person.

The sooner you realize that you are a marketer, the sooner you can transform your good video into great video.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

______________________

Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 21 years. He has produced and created over 200 educational and informative videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. If you want to see how Gerry has used video to promote his own practice click here.

Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help lawyers get onto video. To get started with creating video to market your legal services, Gerry offers a simple and cost-effective turn-key video creation system where he does everything for you except appear on camera, click here to learn more.

You can reach Gerry personally at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.

Attention All Lawyers:

Ever hear of “Great Legal Marketing?” If you haven’t, you should. Ben Glass is a Fairfax, Virginia personal injury and medical malpractice trial lawyer who is the genius behind Great Legal Marketing. Ben has changed the way lawyers market themselves and does so in an ethical, outside-the-box way that helps distinguish you from all of your competitors.

I have been following Ben’s marketing methods for years now and felt that now was the time to create this video testimonial; to let other lawyers in on Ben’s marketing secrets. Nobody asked me to create this video or this blog post and I’m not being paid to do it either. Rather, it’s time that lawyers open their eyes and realize that most attorneys don’t have any clue about how to market themselves and their law practices effectively.

If you want to learn how to improve your marketing and your mindset, I encourage you to sign up for one of Ben’s information-packed two day seminars that he holds in Northern Virginia; one in January and one in June. I went in January 2009 and can tell you it was very impressive. I didn’t stop taking notes the entire weekend. Up to that point, I thought that I was pretty savvy in marketing my law practice. Wow, did I have a lot to learn. The people presenting had so much content and useful information that I have been continuously implementing every one of their tips for the last 10 months and there’s still so much more!

Anyway, I hope this information has been helpful and hopefully I’ll see you at one of Ben’s seminars.

Attention All Lawyers:

Ever hear of “Great Legal Marketing?” If you haven’t, you should. Ben Glass is a Fairfax, Virginia personal injury and medical malpractice trial lawyer who is the genius behind Great Legal Marketing. Ben has changed the way lawyers market themselves and does so in an ethical, outside-the-box way that helps distinguish you from all of your competitors.

I have been following Ben’s marketing methods for years now and felt that now was the time to create this video testimonial; to let other lawyers in on Ben’s marketing secrets. Nobody asked me to create this video or this blog post and I’m not being paid to do it either. Rather, it’s time that lawyers open their eyes and realize that most attorneys don’t have any clue about how to market themselves and their law practices effectively.

If you want to learn how to improve your marketing and your mindset, I encourage you to sign up for one of Ben’s information-packed two day seminars that he holds in Northern Virginia; one in January and one in June. I went in January 2009 and can tell you it was very impressive. I didn’t stop taking notes the entire weekend. Up to that point, I thought that I was pretty savvy in marketing my law practice. Wow, did I have a lot to learn. The people presenting had so much content and useful information that I have been continuously implementing every one of their tips for the last 10 months and there’s still so much more!

Anyway, I hope this information has been helpful and hopefully I’ll see you at one of Ben’s seminars.