Boo! Things That Scare Attorneys (But Should Not)

By Jamie K. Mulholland

This article was originally published on Law.com.

It is that time of year: football flourishes, the flavor of pumpkin permeates, leaves fall, and a slate of scary fare arises for Halloween. From daunting decorations to community trails of terror and haunted houses, some people fully embrace this holiday. However, not everyone likes to be scared. And you know what should not be scary, ever? Marketing. Yet, in all my years of working with attorneys, I am still surprised at what can panic such professionals. Sometimes, all it takes is a well worded unsolicited communication to shake the most stoic of solicitors. So, for you, my friends, here are a few things to look out for when you receive communications like that, when you should take action, and when you can discard them with delight. 

YOUR WEBSITE IS WANTING!

“URGENT Notice: Your website is not being registered by Google!” read the subject line of the forwarded email. “Jamie,” wrote the attorney. “Please address this ASAP.” 

Never mind that the address from whence it came was something like “attrnymkt@aol” or something along those lines, but if I had a nickel for every time one of my clients got an email saying their website was deficient in the search engine optimization department, I would have…well, a whole lot of nickels. As the character played by Kevin Bacon in Animal House once pleaded: “Remain calm! All is well.”

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of your website in search engine results pages to attract organic traffic. Organic, meaning not advertising or pay-per-click campaigns. (That is an article for another day.)

There are many ways to improve SEO on your website. You can pay people to do it, or you can do it yourself. But basically, the core of SEO is:

• Maintaining dynamic, engaging content on your website that speaks to your target audience and includes relevant keywords
• Ensuring your website performs strong technically – a clean site structure with pages that load quickly and a design that works as well on tablets and mobile phones as it does on desktops
• Including both intra-site and outbound links to improve site authority and credibility

If you are doing these three things and not simply maintaining an online brochure that never changes, you are doing great. 

It is important for you to know that a majority of these contacts come from bots – automated computer programs that search for and fill out as many forms as they can. Some are legit, serving to make a connection and generate leads for a company. Some are scams. But most marketing initiatives should come from inspiration, not panic. So, when you get an email like that, consider it as you would consider that D.I.Y. Ziploc of homemade candy in your kid’s Halloween bag: it’s random and you don’t know who sent it. Toss it. 

NEVER NEGLECT A NOMINATION! 

Let’s face it. There are a lot of law firm and attorney award givers and ranking entities out there. Some of them sound strangely similar. How do you know which ones to accept and acknowledge, and which ones are hooey? 

For starters, if it’s a “pay to play” situation, it’s immediately questionable. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course, but you likely already know who the worthwhile ones are based on being aware of what both you and your competitors are doing. However, if the honor comes in the form of a nomination, and you must pay for the actual recognition, membership or award, it’s probably not worth it. 

Interestingly enough, you may hear from companies that sound like they are giving you an award but are merely trying to sell you a product commemorating one you have already received. Some are not even affiliated with the entity that recognized you! They just send emails congratulating attorneys and offering to produce a plaque for around $250. If you look closely, you’ll notice that some products don’t even mention the true name of the award, just a close variation. Why? Because they can’t. it’s not their award. 

Now, to clarify about some of the paid opportunities: with the more well-known entities, you do have the option to make an investment, usually:

1. An enhanced listing, photo or feature in their annual print publication (meaning, instead of just your name, it’s your name in bold, larger, or perhaps with a photo and accompanying feature story)
2. An enhanced listing, photo or feature on their website (instead of just listing your name with a grey silhouette in a circle where your picture would be, you get a photo and full biography included)
3. A graphic featuring their logo and the honor customized with your name for placing on your own website

One important note: regardless of whatever enhancements you opt to pay any entity for, please know that, with most of these recognitions, you can promote them for free on your own. An announcement posted on your website and social media channels will cost you only the time it takes to create and upload it. 

Often, the answer to “Is this for real?” is right in the email address. The message might be proffering a commemoration of your “Top Results of the Year” award, but the ‘from’ address is @ some other company name. 

If you Google “Spammy Awards & Network List,” you should find your way to an online spreadsheet maintained by a private company that seeks to help lawyers know which outlets are reputable and which are questionable. Fun fact: on this list, you will see the company who recently notified me that I was nominated for this year’s “Lawyers of Distinction” list. (I have no law degree.) 

MARKET IN A MAJOR MAGAZINE!

Sometimes, attorneys receive opportunities to be included in well-known national publications or newspapers with broad regional reach. It’s often a limited time offer and for just one day in print. Also, it’s a lot of money. But the name of the publication has grabbed your attention, and you don’t want to miss such an opportunity. 

Don’t worry. You can pass. 

A communication like this is often not about an award, and it’s certainly not the major national publication honoring you. What is happening is an entity has contracted for space in that publication, is going to create an insert posing as a directory or award announcement and will then make money from everyone who has paid to appear in the insert. 

Even if it were legit, know that an opportunity like this is the absolute antithesis of effective advertising. Advertising is largely about frequency and placement (content, too, of course), and one single ad or appearance in that publication is very unlikely to create lasting brand awareness or reach the people you want to reach. 

If you truly think advertising can play a role in your marketing goals, there are so many better ways to spend that money effectively. 

INTERNET IMPOSTER INVOICES

I loathe these notifications. While some of the opportunities mentioned previously in this article are dubious, at least the people behind some of them still provide something, even if it’s just a laser-engraved paperweight. This notification, however, masquerades as an invoice for the renewal and “enhancements” or “maintenance” of your domain (meaning www.[WhateverYourWebAddressIs].com). 

This is a 100% predatory piece of garbage. They do nothing for you or your website. Even worse, some of these notifications can actually trick you into transferring ownership of your domain to someone else. It’s the slimiest of scams. So how do you know if the notice you received was bona fide or bogus? 

• Read everything, and especially the fine print. You will not see the word “invoice” on it anywhere, but it will have words like “listing offer,” “marketing services” or “solicitation.” 
• The amount seems high. Most domain name renewals are maybe $20 or $30 per year at most. Not $289.
• The notice comes via regular mail. Almost all domain renewals are sent via email. 
• Look up the company name on the Better Business Bureau website. 

There are so many wonderful opportunities out there to market your practice. Don’t fall for the ones that make you jump, gasp or panic. Save those scares for All Hallows Eve. And, while you’re at it, save me a jumbo chocolate peanut butter cup, too. 

Jamie Mulholland has coached attorneys and assisted law firms of all sizes with marketing and business development for twenty-five years. Contact her here.