News Flash! The Internet is Not Shrinking in 2012 – Access and Usage of It for Many Different Applications Continue to Expand. Okay, tell me some REAL news Barb, well, that’s it. Honestly, get your websites started and revving – it’s never been easier.
This next bit of posts will be in five parts, to complement Matt Willson’s screencasts showing the conversion of my static website (that needs to be updated, yes . . . I’m doing that after we migrate it to WordPress): (1) the home page, welcome or splash page as Matt refers to it. That sounds so much more exciting than home page, so I’ll stick with “splash” for now; (2) attorney bio page; (3) practice areas; (4) fees; and (5) the contact page.
Let’s talk about the splash page. Remember this is your online viewer’s landing page, and you know the old saying about first impressions, right? So it’s best to take a few minutes to figure out what to say here and how you want it to look to make the best first impression.
No matter how a prospective client (PC) finds you on the Web, many folks are looking for “proof” that you can meet their legal needs (even if they haven’t identified them yet). Naturally, this is where you want to act like you’re from Missouri – the Show Me State!
You can show them by what you post on this page, which can include – because it’s a unique feature of WordPress – social media integration and SEO (through the use of plugins). If you have been thinking about venturing into the world of integrated multimedia content, like videos, podcasts, and my current fave – SlideShare (okay, it’s just barely multimedia), this is the website for you. And, speaking of content – you will need content. Check out Stephen Fairley’s article about content marketing, available here.
Another cool feature to incorporate is linking to content from outside sources, whether it’s your content or from someone else. These can be blog posts, tweets, your fancy law firm marketing brochure in electronic format, or other illustrations of your expertise that can provide a multi-layered perspective to the visitor.
Another important part of your splash page is how easily someone navigates from the splash page to your other pages. Make sure this is built in so someone visiting doesn’t get hung up.
The splash page should be about the soft sell of who you are. Keep in mind that most PCs want to hire an attorney that they actually like, and with whom they have had some kind of personal interaction. Make that opportunity easy and inviting.
Remember you are selling your legal services, not a legal product. Yes, this is how we distinguish ourselves from Legal Zoom and its spinoffs. Conveniently, that brings me to branding. . . yes, I had to mention it, but no, I can’t really say what it is either. It has to do with some kind of free association . . . . and that leads to another aspect of psychotherapy . . . whether your logo contains the symbolism meaningful enough to communicate with many people on an intuitive level. Ooooh. . . Let me know how that works out for you. I am still working on the logo thing, trying to help people “get” what mine is. I have work to do, but I’m still at it. Just remember that brand and logo can work in tandem in this regard, if you can figure them out in a way that works for who you and how you roll.
Lastly, I had to include this tidbit about alternative means of client communication. It’s from the December 2011 issue of Law Practice Today: Expand Your Solo or Small Firm Using Client Portals.
I found especially helpful her discussion of client communication and document sharing available through places like Dropbox. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Dropbox was mentioned in this Solo Tip Tuesday post! ( BTW I get most of these links through JD Supra from LinkedIn, and it’s easy to sign up for.)
Below, Matt has two new screencasts. The first provides an overview of the WordPress dashboard; the second explains the general settings and how to create pages.
Follow the WordPress Website Project and see other posts here.
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