Spotlight Branding - November 2020

Spotlight Branding - November 2020

NOV 2020 (800) 406-7229 SpotlightBranding.com

HOW TO TAP THE GOLDMINE OF YOUR CONTACT LIST EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU HAVE ONE

“THE REALITY IS, YOUR CONTACT LIST IS ONE OF

YOUR FIRM’S BIGGEST ASSETS. BURIED IN IT ARE ALL KINDS OF HIDDEN GEMS, LIKE REPEAT BUSINESS, REFERRALS, STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS, AND FUTURE INTRODUCTIONS TO IMPORTANT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS.”

A few weeks ago, one of our clients came to me with a dilemma. He wanted to send out an email newsletter to all of his firm’s existing contacts, but he wasn’t sure whether or not he should give them the opportunity to opt into the emails before he sent them. He was leaning toward asking for the opt-in, but I discouraged it. This is how I explained my thought process: Your contact list is full of connections you’ve already made. By giving you their email addresses and/or phone numbers, these people have agreed to a blanket opt-in. You can reach out to them without asking first because they’ve in effect already given you permission. When I was sharing all of this with the client, it got me thinking more about contact lists and how underutilized they are. The reality is, your contact list is one of your firm’s biggest assets. Buried in it are all kinds of hidden gems, like repeat business, referrals, strategic relationships, and future introductions to important clients and partners. By tapping into the

goldmine of your contact list you can make your firm a lot of money, but all too often, law firm owners let this opportunity pass them by. One of the main things I hear from our clients when they first come on board is that they aren’t leveraging their list because they don’t have one. This just isn’t true! If you have an email address, a CRM system, or even a drawer full of business cards, you have a contact list. Heck, if you have friends and family, then you have a contact list! Just start where you’re at. Most CRMs and email platforms like Outlook and Gmail have the option to export your contact list, and often they can even sync with email marketing services like Mailchimp. With just a few clicks, BAM — you have a contact list ready for mass emails! If you collect all of these names and addresses but never reach out to them (or only do it after asking first and crossing your fingers for the okay), you might as well be throwing the business cards from your networking events directly into the

One of the best ways to stay in touch with your list is by sending a weekly or monthly email newsletter. You can pack this email with firm updates; links to new blog posts, podcasts, and video content; and other reminders of what you do. This will keep your firm top of mind, and ensure that when the time comes where your skills would be handy, your contacts will think of you first. Trust me — that thought will become a phone call, which will become a paycheck, all because you leveraged your contact list. If you’re not already sending out a monthly email newsletter, right now is the perfect time to start. The holidays are just around the corner, so reach out to your contacts to check in and wish them well. From there, you can build a monthly ritual and watch your income climb. As always, if you’re not sure how to get the ball rolling on this marketing strategy or don’t have the time, my team and I can help. You can find us day or night at SpotlightBranding.com/NL. –Marc Cerniglia

trash can. Believe me, your contact list is a bigger asset than you realize. That doesn’t mean you should treat your friends, family, clients, and referral partners as dollar signs, but you should definitely keep them in the loop and take advantage of their interest and support.

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MASTERING THE VIDEO SALES CALL WITH FILMMAKER EXPERTISE

As we continue to adapt to a half-digital, half-physical world, one thing is certain: This is our new normal. And in the business world, you adapt or you die. While in-person sales meetings and lunches will never be a thing of the past, mastering the video sales call to present yourself, your company, and your product is vital. After all, you want the most memorable part of your call to be the product you’re pitching — not your cluttered background or the tinny sound. To appear like a pro, try these three tips from filmmakers to make your video calls the envy of your competition. TIP NO. 1: USE WHATYOU HAVE. While moviemakers, vloggers, and podcasters have advanced equipment to make them look and sound great, you can provide a professional video call without blowing your budget. Start with lighting. Shine a lamp toward the wall facing you, and turn on a light behind you to softly illuminate your face

while creating background light for depth. Good sound quality can be just as simple to achieve. Rather than rely on your computer or laptop’s microphone system, plug in your AirPods or headphones. These items have built-in microphones that better capture your voice due to their proximity to your face. TIP NO. 2: GETTHE CAMERAANGLE RIGHT. Aesthetically speaking, one of the worst angles for a camera is pointed upward at the subject being filmed. However, you’re often looking down at your laptop or monitor’s

camera. Instead, stack your laptop on books or risers for meetings, or purchase a separate camera to mount at eye level or just above you. This is a much more flattering and commanding angle. TIP NO. 3: LOOK AGAIN. In the moments leading up to a video call, remember to do two things. For starters, quickly scan the background behind you. Will your prospective clients see anything unflattering or unduly distracting? A simple background, like a plain wall or a bookshelf, is great for bringing attention to you and not what’s happening in the background. And before you join that meeting, rehearse looking into the camera as you speak, not at the screen itself. That will create eye contact for those in the meeting. You don’t have to be an Oscar-winning filmmaker to master these techniques. All it takes is a little practice to upgrade your video sales call.

CLIENT SUCCESS STORY

THE GREY LEGAL GROUP: FAMILY LAW

When The Grey Legal Group launched their website, social media, blog, and e-newsletter services, they were positioning themselves as a firm focused on their clients’ happiness and worked to cultivate a relaxing environment where everyone involved could achieve more. Since then, they have upgraded to our video service to further that message. However, Allison knows her message is continuing to evolve: “As we have grown and matured as entrepreneurs,” she said, “our ability to see our vision and objectives when it comes to our ideal clients, our ideal message, and our ideal brand has also matured ... We are excited to continue to work with Spotlight Branding to further cultivate our vision and brand!”

Allison Tilton and Michael Bender started The Grey Legal Group, APC in Murrieta, California, in June 2016, focusing solely on family law. Initially, they worked with a web designer who focused on SEO to drive traffic. However, Allison and Michael were unhappy and felt as though they were paying a ton of money and getting nothing in return. They turned to Spotlight Branding in 2017. Although they weren’t exactly sure what their brand was at the time, they knew what kind of firm they wanted to be. We worked closely with them to figure out their target market and refine the message they wanted to communicate.

In the two-plus years they have worked with us, The Grey Legal Group has added four more employees (with plans to hire more before the year ends) and increased their revenue by nearly 700%!

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

More Referrals. Better Clients. Higher ROI.

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THE TRICK TO ALWAYS HIRING THE RIGHT PERSON HOW TO CREATE CORE VALUES THAT MATTER

Here at Spotlight Branding, we use the phrase “right person, right seat” when we’re talking about hiring. That means getting the perfect person in the correct role at the company, whether it’s sales, billing, or HR. Whenever we hire, we ask ourselves, “Does this person have the right skill set? Are they a good fit for our company? Do they mesh well with our culture?” That last question is the toughest to answer for most law firms, but it’s arguably the most important. The issue is that many entrepreneurs don’t take the time to define their company culture. Maybe you’re one of them. You have a vague idea of what you want your culture to look like, and you know what’s important to you , but nothing is set in stone or written down. This makes hiring harder because you’re going into the process without a measuring stick. Once you know your culture inside and out, you can check potential hires against it and avoid costly hiring mistakes — which is where core values come in.

Core values are phrases that capture what your company is all about and usually describe traits you’d like every employee to have or actions you’d like them to take. Our company philosophy is that core values shouldn’t be obvious. As a law firm, if you claim that one of your core values is “Honesty” — well, it had better be! You’re not going to impress anyone or weed out any candidates with such a basic claim. Instead, drill deeper to find a phrase that’s more specific and unique to your firm. Ask yourself, “How exactly do we embody honesty well?” With this method, one of our clients turned the word “compassion” into the value “Walk a Day in Their Shoes.” Most great core values combine a verb and an adjective, describing both a behavior and an attitude. For example, one of our company’s core values is “Win Together,” and another is “Communicate With Intention.” To put your core values to the test, use these two questions.

Q: What do we do? A: [core value verb] Q: How do we do it? A: [core value adjective]

Then, combine your verb and your adjective to create your core values! Aim for four or five. Wordsmith your phrases, have fun with them, and make them sound powerful. When you’re finished, these phrases will guide you through the hiring process.

FEATURED EPISODE THE VERY BEST EPISODES OF ‘THE LAW FIRM MARKETING MINUTE’ PODCAST

RESOURCE OF THE MONTH

If you’re looking for more great resources to drive your business forward, take a look at this episode from our industry-leading podcast “The Law Firm Marketing Minute.” “YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR DIGITAL OFFICE!” – LFMM 330 These days, your website is the first impression your law firm makes on people. With that in mind, treat it as if it were a digital version of your physical office space and invest in it on the same level! 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!

ENHANCE YOUR BLOG PAGE! ADD AUDIO TO YOUR BLOGS Whether you’re looking for some ADA enhancements to your firm’s website or you want to add a little “bell and whistle” to your blog, Play.ht is a great tool. This app provides realistic voice to your blogs by converting the text to audio and giving you a media player to put in your posts. We recently added this feature to our blogs, so you can head over to our website to check them out! Admittedly, some of the voices to choose from can sound a little robotic, but there are a few options that sound really good!

Listen to this episode and find even more at LawFirmMarketingMinute.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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THIS ISSUE INSIDE 1

How to Tap the Goldmine of Your Contact List

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Filmmakers’ 3 Tips for Video Calls That Don’t Suck

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Client Success Story

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How to Always Hire the Right Person

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Spotlight Branding’s Industry-Leading Podcast

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Should Your Law Firm Join TikTok?

SHOULD YOUR LAW FIRM JOIN TIKTOK?

The Chinese social media platform TikTok has been all over the news for the last few months, and the buzz has officially made it into the Spotlight Branding office. Now that the controversial app has reached 800 million users, law firm owners are starting to wonder, “Should I try it out?” When clients ask, our answer is this: “What do you have to lose?” Sure, new downloads of TikTok might be banned by the government any day (the situation seems

to change hourly), but in the meantime, it’s a thriving platform that’s low risk to join with the possibility of a high reward. TikTok isn’t just for 12-year-old kids and VSCO girls any more. Plenty of businesses and professionals are jumping on the bandwagon — it’s cheap, it’s easy, and it could even bring you a younger clientele. Of course, you don’t have to be on TikTok to check the social media marketing box. It’s not on the level of high-credibility platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, which are the three places your firm absolutely needs to have a presence in order to be taken seriously. Our social media package here at Spotlight Branding includes creating content for those platforms (and not TikTok or Instagram) for a reason. Still, right now TikTok is having a moment. It’s possible to amass a following there in a fraction of the time it takes on other

platforms. This became clear on September 25, when the KPop group BTS joined TikTok and attracted 1 million followers in a record-breaking 3 hours and 31 minutes. Frankly, it’s a goldrush. People love TikTok, and not a lot of businesses are out there taking advantage of it. But you could. It’s as simple as downloading the app, opening it up, scrolling for trends (because videos imitating the same catchy lip syncs and dances are the ones that go viral), and filming your own version of the trend with your team. Throw your company name on screen, or change up the lyrics to be related to law. The possibilities are endless! The bottom line is that you don’t have to join TikTok, but it won’t hurt. If you do it, just don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun! Do a dance with your team or find a meme that fits your practice area and run with it. The reward might be bigger than you think.

More Referrals. Better Clients. Higher ROI.

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