The first method of marketing which I have decided to try is online marketing.
In this post my goal is to discuss why I have decided to forgo all forms of “paper” marketing, sans business cards, and focus exclusively on internet marketing.
The first appealing thing about online marketing is that it is available, within one click, to the entire world. By posting on facebook, twitter, or by writing a blog post I am able to share my message with people from everywhere in my jurisdiction and many people outside my jurisdiction. Print advertising is usually limited in scope. A local yellow pages listing is unlikely to be read by someone outside of my immediate area.
The second reason why I chose to focus on internet advertising is the cost. I can post on facebook and twitter for no cost. Even if I choose to buy an advertisement on facebook or a similar site the cost is less than that of print advertising. Taking out a decent sized advertisement in the phonebook is much more expensive than purchasing a banner advertisement on a website.
The third reason why I have decided to focus on online marketing is one of demographics. It is my experience that many people choose to search for information via internet search engines rather than through more “traditional” means. I cannot remember the last time I used a phonebook, or a community bulletin board, except to drop a few business cards on it. As the general population ages out and more people come of age from the internet era it is my assumption that print advertising will be less important.
Social media sites have become the new “word of mouth.” This morning I created my facebook page for my business. This page links to my website which gives more information on my available services. I also have links on my website to twitter and facebook. I am attempting to make a web which draws people into my business through many different channels.
The only downside to internet advertising is that the rules of professional conduct may be murky depending on your jurisdiction. In Massachusetts Rule 7.2 and comment 3 apply the standards of print advertising to digital.
Thank you for reading the blog.
Until next time,
Kenneth C. Allison, Esq.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Marketing and Networking
Marketing and networking are important in growing any business. I have some experience in building an online presence from my prior business ventures as a drummer and a booking agent for local rock bands. In this blog post I am going to discuss the differences and similarities between my prior experiences and my current experience in trying to grow my law firm.
One difference between I have encountered is with the expectations of the target audience. When working with bands and music venues my “clients” prefer a casual demeanor. They prefer to talk via a social networking site or they prefer to meet in person at a local establishment and work out the details to the deal. People expect more professionalism from an attorney. Talking with potential clients on Myspace or Facebook is not par for the course, especially for clients who are from the pre-internet era. I have made contacts with some old friends and some potential clients on Facebook and other social networking sites but the majority of these potential clients are decidedly in the “internet generation.” Maybe, as the internet generation advances in age this type of casual contact will become the norm.
I have noticed that my prior experience in networking and marketing as helped in my most recent endeavor. The first thing that I learned in my previous experience is that nothing beats meeting with potential clients in person. People enjoy personal contact because it allows them to evaluate you and your knowledge on the spot and to see if you have the type of personality that they desire. I have found that I am a personable person. Ever since I was a young boy I could walk into a room without knowing anyone and walk out with a few new friends.
I’ve decided that I am going to focus on getting the word out to as many of my friends and collegues as possible that I am in business. I have done this via facebook, linkedin, and in person by handing out my business cards to my friends and family.
I hope that as the weeks and months pass I can come back to this post and discuss how my strategies have worked. I am working on improving my google and other search presence.
Until next time,
Kenneth C. Allison, Esq.
One difference between I have encountered is with the expectations of the target audience. When working with bands and music venues my “clients” prefer a casual demeanor. They prefer to talk via a social networking site or they prefer to meet in person at a local establishment and work out the details to the deal. People expect more professionalism from an attorney. Talking with potential clients on Myspace or Facebook is not par for the course, especially for clients who are from the pre-internet era. I have made contacts with some old friends and some potential clients on Facebook and other social networking sites but the majority of these potential clients are decidedly in the “internet generation.” Maybe, as the internet generation advances in age this type of casual contact will become the norm.
I have noticed that my prior experience in networking and marketing as helped in my most recent endeavor. The first thing that I learned in my previous experience is that nothing beats meeting with potential clients in person. People enjoy personal contact because it allows them to evaluate you and your knowledge on the spot and to see if you have the type of personality that they desire. I have found that I am a personable person. Ever since I was a young boy I could walk into a room without knowing anyone and walk out with a few new friends.
I’ve decided that I am going to focus on getting the word out to as many of my friends and collegues as possible that I am in business. I have done this via facebook, linkedin, and in person by handing out my business cards to my friends and family.
I hope that as the weeks and months pass I can come back to this post and discuss how my strategies have worked. I am working on improving my google and other search presence.
Until next time,
Kenneth C. Allison, Esq.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Establishing the business plan
When I was researching what I needed to do to start my law firm I knew about the basic things, getting a web domain, office location, file with the city, etc, but I was absolutely clueless about establishing a plan for my business. So I did a little looking around for business planning and I stumbled across another blog written by a DUI attorney in Seattle. You can find his blog at http://startingalawfirm.blogspot.com/. I am in no way connected to this attorney I just really enjoy what he has to say about starting your own law firm and in the first stages of this venture I have found his advice very helpful.
When starting the Law Office of Kenneth C. Allison I decided that I would focus on Estate Planning and Social Security Disability Law. These were two areas of practice that I was exposed to prior to becoming an attorney. I feel comfortable describing those areas of law to clients and other attorneys and felt that I had a passion for practicing in these areas of law.
Of course I can, and still will handle contract issues and landlord tenant issues for clients but I have decided that my business should focus on as few areas of the law as possible. By focusing on a limited section of the potential areas of practice I am carving out a niche which, with more experience, will help craft my reputation as being an expert in these fields, allowing me to charge and receive higher rates for my work in these fields (or at least Estate Planning because SSDI rates are capped by law).
I then laid out my expense and rate portion of my business plan to determine what I should charge for my services and what my expenses of running a law office would be.
For the time being I will be operating my law office mostly from the internet and my own home however I did spring for a PO box and I was able to use my contacts to secure a conference room in town for the time being. I hope that I will have a stable office location outside the home within the next year, mostly so I can separate the home/ work environment and focus solely on my work while I am working.
The next steps I need to take are networking and marketing steps. I have some ideas for both and I will implement them over the coming weeks and I will review the results of my efforts here on my blog.
Until then I hope everyone has a happy holiday tomorrow and stuffs themselves with food, enjoys the company of family, and watches plenty of Football.
When starting the Law Office of Kenneth C. Allison I decided that I would focus on Estate Planning and Social Security Disability Law. These were two areas of practice that I was exposed to prior to becoming an attorney. I feel comfortable describing those areas of law to clients and other attorneys and felt that I had a passion for practicing in these areas of law.
Of course I can, and still will handle contract issues and landlord tenant issues for clients but I have decided that my business should focus on as few areas of the law as possible. By focusing on a limited section of the potential areas of practice I am carving out a niche which, with more experience, will help craft my reputation as being an expert in these fields, allowing me to charge and receive higher rates for my work in these fields (or at least Estate Planning because SSDI rates are capped by law).
I then laid out my expense and rate portion of my business plan to determine what I should charge for my services and what my expenses of running a law office would be.
For the time being I will be operating my law office mostly from the internet and my own home however I did spring for a PO box and I was able to use my contacts to secure a conference room in town for the time being. I hope that I will have a stable office location outside the home within the next year, mostly so I can separate the home/ work environment and focus solely on my work while I am working.
The next steps I need to take are networking and marketing steps. I have some ideas for both and I will implement them over the coming weeks and I will review the results of my efforts here on my blog.
Until then I hope everyone has a happy holiday tomorrow and stuffs themselves with food, enjoys the company of family, and watches plenty of Football.
Monday, November 22, 2010
My first post!
Today was an exciting day!
This morning I made my way into Boston with my parents and my girlfriend to attend the swearing in ceremony for the Massachusetts bar, The commute was stressful. Interstate 93 was a parking lot this morning leading to a self imposed detour onto route 28. We made it to Faneuil Hall around 8:55am or so for the 9am ceremony.
The ceremony itself was really nice and my girlfriend was able to present my certificate on stage. Afterwards we went to Kowloon for lunch.
Now reality sets in. I have launched the website, www.allisonlawoffice.com, and I have my business cards. Now I need to go out and get clients. I have some simple things to handle from family and friends which will help me get through the next month or so but I need to get myself out into the community and get some clients who are not related to me.
I hope that through this blog I can present the challenges I face as I attempt to start my own practice right out of law school. I will keep the majority of my blog posts short and simple but since this is my first post I will go into a little more depth.
First, I wanted to discuss what I have already done in preparation of starting my own law office. My first step was to get a domain name from Go daddy. I actually received this as a graduation gift. I then created my own website, designing my own logo and laying out the website myself. When I have more resources I will dedicate some to further improve my web site. I also have an email address, kallison@allisonlawoffice.com, feel free to email me if you would like to comment on this blog or if you are interested in procuring my services.
I look forward to the challenges that lay ahead and I hope that you all out there enjoy reading about my journey.
Kenneth C. Allison, Esq.
This morning I made my way into Boston with my parents and my girlfriend to attend the swearing in ceremony for the Massachusetts bar, The commute was stressful. Interstate 93 was a parking lot this morning leading to a self imposed detour onto route 28. We made it to Faneuil Hall around 8:55am or so for the 9am ceremony.
The ceremony itself was really nice and my girlfriend was able to present my certificate on stage. Afterwards we went to Kowloon for lunch.
Now reality sets in. I have launched the website, www.allisonlawoffice.com, and I have my business cards. Now I need to go out and get clients. I have some simple things to handle from family and friends which will help me get through the next month or so but I need to get myself out into the community and get some clients who are not related to me.
I hope that through this blog I can present the challenges I face as I attempt to start my own practice right out of law school. I will keep the majority of my blog posts short and simple but since this is my first post I will go into a little more depth.
First, I wanted to discuss what I have already done in preparation of starting my own law office. My first step was to get a domain name from Go daddy. I actually received this as a graduation gift. I then created my own website, designing my own logo and laying out the website myself. When I have more resources I will dedicate some to further improve my web site. I also have an email address, kallison@allisonlawoffice.com, feel free to email me if you would like to comment on this blog or if you are interested in procuring my services.
I look forward to the challenges that lay ahead and I hope that you all out there enjoy reading about my journey.
Kenneth C. Allison, Esq.
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