Spotlight Branding - October 2021

OCT 2021 (800) 406-7229 SpotlightBranding.com

5 Things to Consider When Designing Your Firm’s Workspace Here at Spotlight Branding, we take the way our office looks seriously. clients with clear minds. We’ll even remind them to clean their desks if needed. When you’re designing your space, think about how you can minimize clutter with smart storage and new company policies. What Does Your Office Say About You?

I’m actually a little bit obsessed with decor and aesthetic! Maybe it sounds shallow, but I think it’s important that we create a place to work that’s as cool, sleek, and sophisticated as the websites we design. This summer, we upgraded our office and I put a

2. What feeling do you want to create for your team and clients? Do you want your office to feel luxurious? Relaxing? Homey? Inspiring? You can use design elements and decor to create those feelings for your team and your clients. If you want people to feel at home, consider cozy couches, lamps, and wooden accents that will make your waiting room and conference area feel like a living room. Or if your clients are high-income, consider an infused water station or latte service to bring in a touch of luxury. It will make a huge difference!

lot of time and effort into the project. I thought about every little detail, from the location of our coffee bar to the dual functionality of our break room/podcast studio. In the process, I discovered five key things every business owner and manager should consider when designing an office space. We took them all into account here at Spotlight Branding HQ, and our remodel was a huge success. If your office is looking a little shabby, cluttered, or disorganized these days, ask yourself these five questions when you start a refresh.

Here at Spotlight Branding I want my team to feel creative and inspired, so I built fun and collaborative elements into our space. Our conference room table doubles as a ping-pong table, and our break room is also a recording studio. We record podcasts for clients there and the team uses it to create their own

1. How can you minimize clutter? We’ve all heard the old saying “tidy room, tidy mind,” and guess what? It’s right on the money! According

Instagram reels and TikTok videos! We also have couches for lounging in groups, a chess set, and a Connect Four game. It’s a clean, modern space with plenty of pizzazz.

to Harvard Business Review, studies show that “when our

space is a mess, so are we.” Clutter creates stress and anxiety and has a negative impact on our focus, eating habits, and even sleep. Plus, the last thing you want to do is pay your team for time spent looking for documents on their messy desks, right? A clean office will do wonders for your firm’s productivity. If someone’s desk is organized, there’s a good chance their task list will be, too. That’s why Spotlight Branding HQ is clean, modern, and uncluttered. Our team works for our

3. Are your tools as functional as they are beautiful? If your office looks amazing but the chairs give your team back problems and the computers run at a snail’s pace, you’ve still failed. It’s important to marry form and function in your furniture and tech. For

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SUCCESS STORY: TYLER Q. DAHL

How Staying Top of Mind Creates Repeat Business!

Tyler Dahl is an estate planning attorney with a special focus on helping business owners incorporate their business assets into their estate plan. Based in Sacramento, California, Tyler started the Law Offices of Tyler Q. Dahl five years ago and initially relied on directories and SEO to drive his business forward. After spending a lot of money on results that usually ended with frustration, Tyler turned to Spotlight Branding. We redesigned his website, began posting on social media, wrote blogs, and started sending an e-newsletter. Not long after the e-newsletter started, Tyler began receiving several requests from clients he had worked with in the past. They asked for additional business law services they needed but had simply put on the backburner until Tyler’s email showed up and reminded them.

Even more, Tyler began receiving inquiries from other contacts asking for assistance in additional areas of business law — something they didn’t know Tyler could do until he started staying top of mind with them. In addition to the business law requests, Tyler has also seen an increase in people asking him to build their estate plans. In all instances, Tyler traces this increase in business directly to his work with us. Tyler is a great example of the power of referrals and staying top of mind. You don’t realize it, but it’s easy for people to forget who you are and all the ways you can help them. If you’re frustrated like Tyler was with the leads being generated by SEO and legal directories, tap into the contacts you’ve generated during your time as an attorney and get the business you’re missing out on simply because people have forgotten all the ways you can help them!

WANT MORE REFERRALS AND BETTER CLIENTS? Visit SpotlightBranding.com/NL to schedule a call!

The 3 Cardinal Rules of Effective Email Communication

DON’T BE ‘THAT GUY’

The average businessperson reads and composes more than 120 emails every day, but there is an overwhelming amount of business emails that seem to be written with no apparent regard for the reader. A massive chunk of people’s workdays is wasted wading through irrelevant, unclear, or incomprehensible messages. To remedy this issue, it’s vital to understand the keys to effective online communication, both to stem the tide of annoying and unnecessary emails and to protect your reputation as a professional. Here are three rules for effective email communication.

1. TIGHTEN IT UP. When your message is sitting in an inbox packed with dozens of others, it’s essential to respect your reader’s time. Make the contents of the message clear from a glance at the subject line. Your subject line is what will draw the attention of the recipient — or lead them to skip over it altogether — so be specific and relevant. In the body of the email, your reason for emailing, as well as all the important points, should be immediately clear. Keep it as concise and as transparent as possible.

2. WRITE LIKE A HUMAN BEING. Many professionals assume that the need for brevity means they can get away with short, robotic missives. Managers are especially guilty of this, sending out single-sentence messages in all lowercase letters with nary an emotion. We get it; you’re busy. But it’s worth taking an extra moment of your time to craft an email that carries the human element as well. It’s important to take a professional tone and to keep communication brief, but you can still write, to some degree, like you talk. This will show recipients that you take communicating with them seriously.

3. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, REPLYTO THE EMAILS YOU RECEIVE. Again, you’re busy and you’ve got to prioritize your work, but consistently ignoring emails is a clear sign of negligence and will make you unpopular among your coworkers. If you don’t have time to think of a clear answer, a simple confirmation that you received the message goes a long way. While you can safely ignore all those companywide filler emails you receive each week, you need to show your coworkers and contacts that you’re willing to put in a little effort and that you’re on top of your responsibilities.

More Referrals. Better Clients . Higher ROI.

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to personalize their offices. They can also bring in family photos or art and have us pick the frames. It’s a win-win. 5. Can the people who need to collaborate reach each other? Are your paralegals constantly walking across the office to chat with the attorneys they assist? Maybe their workspaces should be closer together! Consider how your team collaborates. Who will benefit from being near each other? Should the legal assistants be in the same place, or spread out by practice area? People who are on the phone all the time might benefit from a door, while managers could be better placed in a cubicle where they can easily connect with anyone on their team. Think about all of those things when divvying up office space.

us, that meant investing in Samsung Frame TVs that can display beautiful art or broadcast PowerPoint presentations seamlessly. Similarly, our coffee machine looks great, but it also makes a killer latte, even frothing the milk for you.

4. Does everyone have the individual space they need? Whether your team works in cubicles, offices, or a shared workspace, it’s important that everyone has a measure of privacy and can display their individuality.

The Harvard Business Review found that when employees can personalize their space, they feel more connected to their company, so they work harder and more efficiently. But how do you do this while keeping things clean and on-brand? I solved that problem by stocking a whole closet with cool decor new employees can choose from

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little office tour! Ultimately, the more thought you put into your space, the better results your company will deliver.

RESOURCE OF THE MONTH

FEATURED EPISODE From Our Newest Podcast, Center Stage

Standardize Task Management With CRM! Build on Current Knowledge With These Apps If your firm isn’t utilizing a CRM, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. Even more, all of these apps have a task management platform built in, which makes it easy for you to standardize the way everyone in the office organizes and completes their tasks. Of course, these practice management systems do more than organize your tasks. They can help you organize and track the leads generated by you and your marketing; track the progress you’ve made on their case; and manage billing and intake.

If you’re looking for more great resources to drive your business forward, take a look at this episode from our newest podcast, Center Stage .

028 – “Maximizing Your Technology with Daniel Steinberg”

You have your tech, and you have a practice management system. Now it’s time to get the most out of it. This week, Daniel Steinberg from Clio joins us to talk about the ways you can get the most out of your practice management system and other technologies and get a great ROI from your investment. If you want more referrals, better clients, and higher ROI on all your marketing, call us today at 800-406-7229 to schedule a consultation!

Basically, they do just about anything you need them to do for your firm.

Whether you choose Clio, Rocket Matter, PracticePanther, MyCase, or more, you can’t go wrong with these apps. And for even more tips on how to get the most out of your CRM, check out our featured podcast episode where we talk with Clio’s Daniel Steinberg about how to get the most out of your software!

Listen to this episode and find even more at SpotlightBranding.com/centerstage and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or over a dozen other platforms!

Want more tools for your law firm? Visit SpotlightBranding.com/rotm

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

9624 Bailey Rd., Suite 270 Cornelius, NC 28031

(800) 406-7229 SpotlightBranding.com

THIS ISSUE INSIDE 1

What Does Your Office Say About You? How Staying Top of Mind Creates Repeat Business! The 3 Cardinal Rules of Effective Email Communication Standardize Task Management With CRM! Maximizing Your Technology With Daniel Steinberg 2 Types of Content to Create — 1 to Avoid at All Costs

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YOU’LL NEVER STRUGGLE FOR TOPICS AGAIN! 2 TYPES OF CONTENT TO CREATE — 1 TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Imagine you’re sitting at your desk with the light of your computer screen blazing in front of you. You have to write a blog post, record a podcast episode, or make a social media statement before the end of the hour. So, what do you talk about? If your mental self is stuck staring at a blank screen, don’t worry — you’re not the only one. One of the most common questions clients ask us is, “What should my content be about?” Fortunately, the answer is easier than you think. There are two types of content that people want to read: 1. Content related to what you do 2. Content that helps them get to know you personally

The first type is the most important. Sharing your knowledge in the form of tips, advice, and success stories is the best way to boost your reputation and position yourself as an expert. The more articles and podcasts you publish related to your practice areas, the more knowledgeable and experienced you’ll appear. People want to do business with experts! To generate ideas for that kind of content, try reverse engineering a question you hear every day. For an employment lawyer, a good blog topic might be “Can my boss fire me if I don’t get the COVID-19 vaccine?” You can also pull inspiration from situations your clients have been in, or problems you’ve faced in recent cases. Ultimately, this content should communicate to readers that 1) they can trust you, and 2) you’ll do a good job for them.

The second type of content includes things like recommendations of businesses you like, tips on how to make a great latte if you’re a coffee lover, and social media posts with pictures of your family. Anything that will help readers get to know, like, and trust you falls into this category. We’d suggest centering 20% or less of your blogs, social media posts, and podcasts on personal topics. Keep at least 80% related to business. You may be wondering, “Guys, what about those fun ‘How to Carve a Pumpkin’ articles or chocolate chip cookie recipes?” Here’s our advice: If a topic isn’t related to you or your business, skip it. Don’t spend time on something that won’t produce results!

More Referrals. Better Clients . Higher ROI.

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