Tom Foster teaches the basics of web marketing in this video.

Here's How attorney Gerry Oginski Dominates Google in his Market Area

I have found that follow up marketing is a huge component in getting the right clients in the door. At my law firm, we monitor all of our leads, including the length of time between incident date and first contact with our office. We then look into the amount of time that goes by between when they contacted us and when we signed a fee agreement. That's not the only area we examine. We go as far as correlating this information based on severity of injury or size of case.

What we have found through our research is huge. We discovered that when it comes to our largest cases, it often takes several months between the incident date and inquiry and then another two months to a year from the time they contacted our office and signed a fee agreement. How many law firms continue to market to prospects after they first contact them?

Don't miss out on cases because you have a poor follow up system in place, or none at all. There are many software programs out there that will handle everything automatically, so you really don't have an excuse not to get your system up and running.

For more marketing tips, visit GreatLegalMarketing.com.

Here are some crucial things that you will need to be able to accomplish if you want a potential client to stop and listen to what you have to say:

1. You have to find a way to stand out from the crowd.
2. You need to get them interested in you.
3. They need to be encouraged to get the conversation started.
4. You must be able to stop their search for a lawyer, until they have heard from you.

This list is quite overwhelming, but you would be amazed to learn that there is one way you can accomplish all of the above and that is with an irresistible offer. People love free offers. Just think about how restaurants promote "kids eat free" nights or how timeshare companies lure people into presentations by giving gifts.

You can also offer something for free that is going to get your prospects to say to themselves, "I would have to be a fool to do anything before I took advantage of this offer from this attorney." This incredible free offer shouldn't come in the form of a case evaluation. That is not original. Some of the best offers are books, CDs, DVDs or reports. It needs to be something that is interesting and has perceived value.

For more marketing tips, visit GreatLegalMarketing.com.

Headline
When you are working on your marketing pieces, you need to put some thought into your headline. For example, consider what you do when flipping through the magazine or newspaper. Do you stop to read boring headlines or are you attracted to the headlines that are interesting or unique?

The headline is what will draw people in and will encourage them to keep reading. Don't waste your headline on something like, "Injured?" or "We Can Help." Be creative.

Copy
Lawyers make the common mistake of beginning their copy with information about themselves. People just want to know if you have the solution to their problems, they don't really care at this point where you went to law school or how many combined years of experience the lawyers in your firm have. Focus on speaking to the concerns that are on their minds.

Irresistible Offer
You need to have a call to action, other than "call us for a free consultation." Consider offering a free book, report, CD or other useful information. You want the offer to be so compelling that the person reading your ad will think that they shouldn't do anything else before taking you up on it.

For more marketing tips, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com.

1. Need more articles? Ask another business owner to submit an article. Some attorneys charge other businesses a fee for the articles, which helps offset the cost of mailing the newsletter.

2. Include pictures of your family. People need to remember that you are more than just a lawyer. By including pictures in your newsletter, your group of "raving fans" will start to feel like they know you and will like you.

3. Mix it up. You don't have to stick with a newsletter every month. Some months send a large format postcard. If you go on vacation, you can send out a "wish you were here" card that looks like it was purchased from a souvenir store.

Getting your monthly newsletter out doesn't have to be a daunting task. Use my tips, but also think of other ways to make it an easy a process for you.

For more lawyer marketing advice, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com.

The idea of coming up with content for a monthly newsletter may seem overwhelming, but I have learned a few tricks along the way that will help you. Here are five tips to get your monthly newsletter out the door:

1. Keep a folder by your desk where you can store article ideas that you come across throughout the month. You will find that instead of having the problem of coming up with topics, you will have the challenge of choosing which pieces to write about (which is a much easier issue to deal with).

2. Put your personality into the newsletter. You are more than just a lawyer and you need to let people know that you have hobbies and interests too. Write about current events that interest you or show people what is happening with your family.

3. Use your blog as newsletter content. If you have a blog, you can use your posts as a basis for newsletter articles.

4. Write about someone in your community. Feature a successful business owner in your area and when the newsletter is published, give him or her a hundred copies of it. This situation is a win-win for everyone.

5. Hire a ghostwriter. If you don't like writing, there are plenty of good writers out there who would love to help you.

For more tips and advice, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com. Also, be sure to order a copy of my book, The Ultimate Success Secret.

If you are like the majority of lawyers, you have dealt with problem clients. Maybe you are dealing with ones right now. These are people who drive you and your staff crazy. I am sure at one point or another you have asked yourself why you ever agreed to take these cases in the first place.

Here are some of the common reasons why so many attorneys take on problem clients:

• They didn't have a clear vision of the perfect client.
• They didn't clearly communicate their vision to their staff.
• They mistakenly believed that they had to serve everyone.
• They were afraid they would never get another client.

Don't make one of these mistakes. Instead, I would challenge you to consider that you do not need to represent everybody and to remember that there are a lot of good cases out there.

For more tips and advice, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com. Also, be sure to order your copy of my book, The Ultimate Success Secret.

You may have gone to law school for the purpose of helping people, but at the end of the day, you need to be able to make a profit. The truth is that you cannot help people if you are not making money; it's that simple. If you are worried that you won't be able to pay the rent on your office or if you become so consumed with concern over getting a call from the next client, you cannot be the best that you can.

I have discovered that the lawyer who runs a business that includes a marketing machine is a better attorney. This marketing machine should be able to drive potential clients to you, so that you can select the cases that are well suited for your skill set, attitude and interests. You are not going to be able to take on every case, but you should be able to apply your unique gifts and talents to the people you can help.

For more tips and advice, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com. Also, be sure to order your copy of my book, The Ultimate Success Secret.

Don't join this group of "whiners" who refuse to admit that their actions may be playing a role in their circumstances. In fact, run the opposite direction when you hear other lawyers complaining. I know lawyers across the country who are highly successful, despite the slow economy.

You have to think like a smart business owner, which means you have to take responsibility for your own welfare. Look for other savvy entrepreneurs who seem to have figured out how to not only survive in a rough economy, but to actually thrive. When you find these people ask yourself, "What can I learn from them about how to achieve and maintain success?"

When it comes to creating a successful, profitable law practice, it is much more about the choices you make than what others do. Stop blaming everyone around you and focus on what you can do to succeed.

For more tips and advice, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com. Also, be sure to order your copy of my book, The Ultimate Success Secret.

According to Earl Nightingale, if you went into an occupation or a profession with no mentor and you didn't know how to be successful, the best thing to do would be to look around to see what everyone else was doing, then do the opposite. If you don't know who the successful people are, your approach should be to do something different. You don't have to be the same as all of the other lawyers out there.

Don't be afraid to challenge the industry norms. Why do you have to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Do you really have to join all of those committees to get your name out there? These are some of the things we have accepted as the norms, but that doesn't mean you have to follow them.

When it comes to your business and your lawyer marketing efforts think outside the box. It is up to you to make the type of law practice and life that you want.

Savvy entrepreneurs learn by watching other successful people. They look around to see what others are doing and they implement the strategies and ideas into their businesses. They leverage the experiences of others, which is one reason you need to consider who you spend the most time with.

According to motivational speaker Jim Rohm, you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most, which is known as the "power of association." That means you should be surrounding yourself with people who do things bigger and better than you. They obviously know something that you don't and you can probably learn a great deal from them.

In Napolen Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, he says, "a group of brains coordinated (or connected) in a spirit of harmony, will provide more thought energy than a single brain, just as a group of batteries will provide more energy than a single battery." Think about that statement, then think about who you are hanging out with.

I have found that mailed newsletters are a very effective method to get more cases. Most attorneys will hear the word "newsletter" and tune out immediately. They would rather spend their money on something more attractive and exciting as the Internet or television commercials. It's a lot easier to write out a large check to the ad rep who keeps knocking on the door than it is to take the time to produce a newsletter. Yet, I will tell you one thing - mailed newsletters have worked wonders for my law firm.

When you put together the newsletters properly, you are not only telling your community who you are and what you stand for, you are also giving other people the opportunity to repeat your story to their friends and family members.

At this week's Great Legal Marketing SuperConference, I am going to be discussing the challenges we face in an increasingly crowded marketplace, marketing with a purpose, becoming the center of influence and much, much more. If you can't make this great event, be sure to visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com, to ensure that you don't miss out on other valuable events!

Even though you are in a legal field with thousands of other professionals, don't make the mistake of acting like you are a commodity. You don't want to give your potential clients the impression that you are so plain and interchangeable that there really is no difference between hiring you versus hiring the lawyer down the street.

Think about the type of clients you want to attract. Do you want the person who is looking for coffee and will pull into the closest gas station to get it? Or, do you want the person who is looking for an experience and will plan his or her route to Starbucks? You can tell who would be the better customer.

If you make yourself a commodity by not differentiating your firm and if you are always available, 24/7, you are not doing yourself any favors.

It comes down to perception. Think about this example: if you needed non-emergent heart surgery, would you feel more comfortable going to the doctor who can't see you for six weeks or the one who says, "I'm not busy, let's schedule your surgery today." I know which one I would choose and it sure wouldn't be the doctor who has all that free time on his hands.

At this week's Great Legal Marketing SuperConference, I am going to be discussing the challenges we face in an increasingly crowded marketplace. If you can't make this great event, be sure to visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com, to ensure that you don't miss out on other valuable learning opportunities!

While most law firms struggle with creating lawyer ads that are interesting enough to catch the attention of prospects, it seems as though firms of five attorneys or less have it the hardest. There are a lot of competing firms out there that are willing to spend thousands of dollars on attorney advertisements.

You don't have to fall into the advertising trap that many marketing vultures set, which is buy a bigger ad! Or, use color! These aren't effective techniques that will make people decide to call you.

Change your way of thinking when it comes to advertising. Your goal should be to convert prospects into contacts, meaning you just want them to raise their hands to say they are interested in what you have to say. You don't have to try to create ads that are going to get people to hire you then and there, because in reality, that just doesn't happen often.

Your goal should be to create your ads around something that would be of value to your potential clients, such as a book, report or CD. It should be offered for free, which allows you to start the conversation. You can add these prospects to your marketing system, so that when the time is right, you'll convert them into clients.

To learn more about my approach to attorney marketing, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com.

Lawyer marketing is tough, especially when consumers can't tell the difference between a good lawyer and a bad one. This problem isn't unique to the legal industry though. Think about when you are looking for a new doctor. You really don't have anyway of knowing if the doctor is good or not until you have become a patient.

The public does not have a simple way to judge the quality of professional services. As an attorney, you know what qualifications people should be looking for when hiring someone to represent them. This information is something that you can share, which will ultimately lead prospects right back to you.

I created a book entitled, The Truth About Lawyer Advertising, which I market on my website and elsewhere. It provides insight into deciphering lawyer ads and how to find the "right" lawyer.

By educating your prospects about how to hire a lawyer, you will be setting yourself up as the "wise man or woman on the top of the mountain."

To learn more about my approach to attorney marketing, visit my website, GreatLegalMarketing.com.

Online local listing services, including Google Places and Yelp, aren't necessarily new, but they are gaining in popularity as the use of smartphones has increased. Many of these devices have applications tied to Google Places and Yelp.

Google Places, Yelp, Bing Local and other similar sites give you the opportunity to create a listing that contains your address, telephone number, website and even customer reviews. You can use your local listing to also promote your books or other publications, which will help differentiate yourself from competitors.

People aren't using the Yellow Pages as much as they used to in order to find local businesses, including attorneys. You need to adjust your lawyer marketing efforts to accommodate this change, so that you can get in front of your target audience.

You can read more about this topic in the article, Attorney Internet Marketing Tip #3: Get Local.

Here is what I would challenge you to do - keep track of your time in 15-minute increments. Maintain this record for two weeks and I bet you will be shocked at how little you are actually doing. The reality for most of us is that we could stand to eliminate the things that aren't directly related to our personal and business goals.

You could probably leave the office each day at 2:30 PM and things would continue to run. The world won't stop and your practice will still go on.

The key is to outsource as much as you can and vigorously protect your time from others who want to steal it. You have to take action to manage your time and focus on what is important, otherwise you are never going to be as effective as you need or want to be.

For more time saving tips, check out my program, Militant Time Management for Lawyers.

As a lawyer, social media is more about business than it is being "social." You have to approach this form of Internet marketing with the right perspective. According to Shahar Boyayan, the founder of BuzzBooster, the three key points to social media is increasing trust, presenting a clear message and creating desire.

During the April 2010 coaching call, I interviewed Shahar and she provided a lot of insight into social media and its impact on lawyer marketing.

When your potential clients are searching online, they are looking for answers. They want to know if you have the solution to their problem. What is tricky about social media and the Internet is that you only have seconds to show your prospects that you do have the answers they are looking for. That is one reason why Web video is so effective - it quickly informs them that you know what you're talking about.

According to Shahar, you should focus 98 percent of your social media on educating your prospects and only 2 percent on a call-to-action. By educating your potential clients, you are basically portraying that you "are the wise man or woman on top of the mountain."

To learn more about social media tips for attorneys, check out the following articles:

Attorney Internet Marketing Tip #1: Social Media is No Longer an Option
Attorney Internet Marketing Tip #2: How to Automate Social Media
Attorney Internet Marketing Tip #3: Get Local
Attorney Internet Marketing Tip #4: Use Social Media to Build Trust

According to Shahar, social media is no longer an option. Search engines, including Google, are placing a lot of emphasis on your involvement in social media, also known as your social graph. Since search engines are still the largest source of online traffic, you have to make sure that you are taking the appropriate steps to get found by your potential clients. That is where your social media presence comes into play. Search engines want to know who is talking about you and how often you are interacting with "real people," which will help show your credibility and status as an expert.

Shahar explained the significance of social media and lawyer marketing by saying, "if you do not use any social media in your company, you will see bad results in the next two years."

You can read more about the attorney marketing tips provided by Shahar in my article, Attorney Internet Marketing Tip #1: Social Media is No Longer an Option. I also have a free report you can download, Attorney Web Marketing-Free Report Reveals the Biggest Errors, for more lawyer marketing tips.