Welcome to ESQ LawTech Weekly
Welcome to The ESQlawtech Weekly, a weblog dedicated to law office technology tips, tools, and tricks for lawyers. Come here regularly and learn how law office technology resources can help you manage and expand your practice. We concentrate on providing you with the most current information on law office technology, law firm management, and law office management, and you will benefit by being a regular part of our community.
If you have not fully explored law office technology, and considered how addressing law office management through technology could enhance your practice, you are in for a treat. Virtually all of our tools are free to lawyers, and we never stop working to make sure you have the best of the best at all times.
Be sure to become a registered user to gain access to all features on our site. Also, click on the “Subscribe Now” link on the menu bar above to join our opt-in mailing list, and to receive an email reminder every Friday to check this site for posts.
Whose Business Are You Promoting?
Branding your law firm begins with your domain name because it affects your website and your email adddress. If you are using an email address that terminates in a domain other than your own firm name, or your name personally, you are missing an inexpensive way to brand yourself.
I see a lot of attorneys who use email accounts from Yahoo, AOL, Gmail, and Hotmail, and when you do, you are marketing those companies and not your law firm. Having a domain from someone else like that also sends the wrong signal to your clients about how serious you are about your practice.
I own the domain glenngarnes.com, and my email address is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Now, if anyone I interact with can’t remember my email address, then I’ve either done a very poor job of marketing myself, or they’ve got serious problems.
Unique 411 Service Offers Advertising Advantage!
Here’s a unique spin on beating your competitors to the punch. How would you like potential clients to be told about your services whenever they call directory assistance to get the number of an attorney? Well, that’s exactly what you can do using a service offered by Free411.com.
The incentive for callers to use this unique service is that their directory information call is free. That can save them between $1.25 and $2.90 per call. They can also search the online directory provided by Free411.com.
Content is King in the Search Engine Game.
One of the most powerful ways for you to get quality links back to your website these days is by writing articles and submitting them to be featured on other high traffic sites. Granted, this can be more time consuming than other strategies, especially since it typically involves your involvement, as opposed to that of your web developer. But, there are some good reasons why you might want to do it, and some ways to do it where it doesn’t overwhelm your schedule.
Web Conference and Collaborate Online for $199 One Time.
Over the past five years, I have been used a number of collaboration software programs that allow you to hold a web conferences for a group of attendees. These programs, typically hosted services, allow you to conduct online conferences where the attendees can view anything you have happening on your computer screen.
Traditionally, there have been significant drawbacks to these services including cost, ease of use, and the need for conference attendees to download software onto their computers in order to participate in the conference. In recent years, some providers have eliminated the software download need through advances in technology, but cost was still a concern.
How Web Savvy Are You?
I read this article in the Small Firm Business Journal this month, and I was able to find a link to it online. It makes good reading for those of us who are paying attention to how attorneys are marketing in the new Millenium.
While blogging and podcasting were initially difficult concepts to grasp, the ability to add them to your marketing approach has been significantly simplied with the availability of less expensive, and less labor intensive equipment and solutions.
If you have questions about integrating a weblog or podcast into your marketing strategy please contact us, and we’ll help you explore the options you have available.
Educational E-Newsletters Work!
As many of you know, I offer a complimentary marketing consultation to lawyers all over the country. I recently had the pleasure of working with one of our community members to formulate a marketing plan for him, and initially he was a little concerned as to whether there would be enough interest in an email newsletter, but here’s what he found:
Hold On To Your BlackBerry! RIM’s Not Done Yet.
It appears that Research In Motion (“RIM”), the maker of the famous and now infamous Blackberry, is having better luck in the Patent Office than they have had in the courts.
The Patent and Trademark Office has overturned another of NTP, Inc.‘s patents, bringing the total up to 7 out of 8. If they go for the sweep and are succesful it seems there may be more basis to leave the stay of the previously issued injunction in place, pending the outcome of the patent review appeals process.
What this may mean for us Blackberry users is a little longer reprieve while it all gets sorted out in the courts. The patent review appeals process could take years, just as this original litigation has.
Happy New Year!
I want to wish The ESQlawtech community Happy New Year! I’m glad to be back, and I’m glad you’re back too! Please be careful out here, but be sure to enjoy this time with family and friends!
Thanks for being part of The ESQlawtech Weekly Community!
Healthy Clients Stabilize Your Practice.
If your clients are prospering you are almost guaranteed to be a beneficiary of that, especially if you played a role in making it happen. So, one marketing strategy that will cost you little to nothing to implement is to host a teleseminar where you feature a marketing expert who can assist your clients to assess their marketing activities and put them into a position to focus some attention on what they are doing to attract and retain customers.
There are people on the web with marketing expertise and you’d be surprised at how many would be your guest on a telephone conference for just their hourly rate or even free if they get to plug their services a little bit. Your clients benefit by getting the information, and you benefit by having your clients know you made it possible. You also get a new relationship with another potential referral source.
Are You A Perfect Networker?
Networking is a major part of what we do as lawyers and business people, and it’s become a recurring theme here at The ESQlawtech Weekly. Indeed, it has attracted enough attention that I have created a web site devoted to the topic. This is an effort to avoid having this site become overwhelmed with information just on relationship building, and also an effort to share the information beyond the legal community.
Be sure to check out the new site at http://www.perfectnetworker.com. There will be a great deal of information and resources available on ways to develop and improve your networking skills. Be sure to take advantage of it, and let your clients know about it as well. That would be a good networking move on your part. Your clients will appreciate it and so will we!