Take a look at our January newsletter!
JAN 2022 (800) 406-7229 SpotlightBranding.com
Your Time Is Valuable — So Don’t Waste It! RESOLVE TO DELEGATE IN 2022
How much do you think your life would change if you had a personal robot? I’m not talking about Siri or Alexa. I mean a little machine that followed you around the office and did everything you asked. It could get you coffee, send client emails, and even create lead magnets for your firm’s website. Imagine how much more free time you’d have! The perfect personal robot may not exist yet, but you can reap the same benefits by doing two simple things in your firm this year: delegating and automating. As a business owner, I know you probably want to stay in control of EVERYTHING at your firm, even the menial tasks like sending client emails and updating your CRM software. This firm is your baby, after all. But the truth is that spending 40, 50, 60, or 70 hours doing your legal work and these repetitive tasks is a waste of your valuable time. Think of it in terms of dollars. You might bill with flat fees at this point, but imagine for a moment you’re still using billable hours. How much would you have made if you spent that hour and a half of data entry doing legal work instead? Congratulations — that’s how much your company is shelling out for you to sit in front of the computer. Of course, delegating and automating don’t just have monetary benefits. You don’t have to use the time you free up to do more case work. Instead, you can spend it brainstorming about the future of your business and setting yourself up for success. Do you want to expand your offerings within your legal niche, maybe by creating a DIY legal kit for startups (if you focus on business law)? How
about a semiannual checkup program for legal documents (if you’re an estate planning lawyer)? You’ll have the hours to do that! You’ll also have the option to simply relax, enjoy outings with your family, or explore your hobbies in the time you free up. This freedom is the perk of owning a business, and you should take advantage of it. You didn’t start your firm so you could work yourself to death.
“If you delegate and automate as much as possible in 2022, you’ll move your business further forward than ever before.”
capabilities, including apps and integrations you might not be aware of. Take some time to research the options you’re already paying for and implement time-savers where you can. Here at Spotlight Branding, we rely on our CRM to automatically record interactions on our website and follow-up with leads and clients through a series of emails depending on what they click. You may have gotten some of those emails yourself without ever realizing our personal robot wrote them. If you delegate and automate as much as possible in 2022, you’ll move your business further forward than ever before.
At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Okay John, so I’ll delegate and automate. How do I start?” Well, it’s easier than you think. First, look over your day-to-day tasks and highlight the ones you’re comfortable passing on (like data entry) and/or those that smart technology can take care of (like sending follow-up emails to clients). Then, match these tasks with either people on your team who are good fits to handle them or tech services. You may already have some of these automation technologies available via your current CRM software. Most of these software programs have dozens of
Happy new year!
–John Hinson EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
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SUCCESS STORY:
What began as a working relationship between new attorney Stephen Hegedus and retiring attorney Jim Stancil has turned into several years of big growth. As Stancil prepared to retire, he offered Hegedus the opportunity to take over his clients and run his firm. Hegedus, who had only been a practicing attorney for three years, jumped at the opportunity. After bringing attorney Hailey Hawkins on board, the two began networking and trying to grow their firm in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area. Two years later, they made a commitment to do more marketing than just having a website and began working with Spotlight Branding. By the end of 2020, despite the legal industry coming to a halt in a global pandemic, Hegedus and Hawkins received a call from the oldest and one of the largest law firms in the county — they wanted to merge. How a Marketing Strategy Helped These Lawyers Merge With One of the Biggest Firms in Their County! STEPHEN HEGEDUS AND HAILEY HAWKINS
Richard Laws, the merging firm’s lead attorney, cited Hegedus’ and Hawkins’ reputation in the legal community. Even more, after seeing the marketing materials Spotlight Branding helped them create, he knew he wanted to work with them. The new firm began operations in 2021, with both Hegedus and Hawkins now managing a team of more than 20 employees in multiple locations. However, it’s proof that hard work pays off. And when paired with a content marketing strategy that reinforces your expertise, you open the door to an endless world of opportunities.
4 WAYS TO RETHINK YOUR RETENTION MARKETING Stop Losing Clients Today!
Retention is crucial to your business. According to Investopedia, acquiring a new client can cost five times as much as retaining an existing one. And if that doesn’t convince you, research from Bain & Company and the Harvard Business School both show that a 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by as much as 95% . If you don’t have appropriate retention strategies in place, 2022 is the perfect time to make a change! Here are four ways to completely rethink your retention marketing so you can save your team time and money. Reallocate your resources. Don’t just talk the retention talk — walk the walk! In order to truly change your company’s ways, you need to invest in retention and reallocate your resources. Provide your team with additional training on customer service. Important points to emphasize for retention (per Forbes
magazine) include frequent and friendly customer communication, transparency, active listening, and the value of relationship-building. Invest in retention tools. Staying in touch with your customers is the best way to keep them happy and remind them you care. You can stay on top of this by doing the hard work of reaching out personally each month, but it’s easier and more efficient to invest in recurring communications like automated weekly emails and regularly printed newsletters. Hire (or create) a retention expert. If you truly want to maximize your retention, you need to make it an integral part of your
team’s marketing approach. Investing in specialized training for your team is one way to do this. But you can also hire a retention expert or shift one of your existing team members’ roles to focus exclusively on managing and retaining clients. Yes, hiring is expensive, but remember — increasing customer retention by just 5% can increase profits by as much as 95%. That new team member will pay for themselves in no time! Retention marketing mindset shifts will be game-changers for your company. You can start with one of these tips or dive into all of them. Whatever feels right for you, if you try these ideas, it won’t be long before you’ll see the difference in your bottom line.
More Referrals. Better Clients . Higher ROI.
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7 Foolproof Ways to Create Engaging Content
Part 2: The ‘One Thing’ Strategy
We’re back with Part 2 of our series “7 Foolproof Ways to Create Engaging Content.” Last month we shared the “Top 3” method, which is the secret sauce to many of our blog posts and podcast scripts. To make it work, you identify a category in your legal niche and come up with three things in that category (e.g., three provisions you must have in your estate plan). This month’s tip is even easier! We call it the “One Thing” Strategy. To create a piece of “One Thing” content, start by asking yourself these two questions about your future readers/listeners: 1. What goals do they have related to the services you offer? 2. What fears about their problem/case keep them up at night? From there, pick one of your answers to one of those questions, and come up with one
thing readers can do today, either to achieve their goal or avoid their fear. Then, write your blog or podcast script focused on that thing! Once you start looking for them, you’ll see “One Thing” content pieces everywhere. A few title examples might be … • “1 Thing You Can Do Today to Avoid an IRS Audit” • “Do This Now for a Faster Divorce” • “The Secret to a Successful Custody Battle” • “1 Step You Must Take After a Car Crash” The best part about this method is its brainstorming power. When you ask yourself the two questions above, you’ll probably come up with at least a half-dozen answers! If you choose one answer per post or podcast, it’s easy to create a content series (just like we’re doing right now).
Stay tuned to this newsletter for tip No. 3 next month!
RESOURCE OF THE MONTH
FEATURED EPISODE From Our Newest Podcast, Center Stage
Grab Our New Book! GET THE ULTIMATE CONTENT MARKETING PLAYBOOK FOR YOUR FIRM!
If you’re looking for more great resources to drive your business forward, take a look at this episode from our newest podcast, Center Stage .
041 – “Hiring Virtual Assistants With Attorney Brett Trembly”
For smaller firms, having enough revenue to justify a full- or part-time position in house can be difficult. Not only can virtual assistants bridge that gap, but they can also become valuable assets to your business by allowing you to delegate a lot of work that takes up precious billable hours. In this episode, Marc sits down with Attorney Brett Trembly, founder of Get Staffed Up, to talk about the ins and outs of hiring a virtual assistant for your firm. If you want more referrals, better clients, and higher return on investment (ROI) on all your marketing, call us today at (800) 406-7229 to schedule a consultation!
Spotlight Branding is excited to announce the release of its second book: “The Ultimate Content Marketing Playbook for Professional Firms.” This book takes a deep dive into why content marketing is a better marketing strategy for you and your firm. Inside, you’ll learn: • Why content marketing makes a huge impact on referrals • How content marketing elevates and enhances your expertise • How to build a content marketing strategy from scratch • And more!
We’re giving copies of this great book away for FREE! Head over to SpotlightBranding.com/Playbook to request your copy.
Listen to this episode and find even more at SpotlightBranding.com/centerstage and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, or over a dozen other platforms!
Want more tools for your law firm? Visit SpotlightBranding.com/rotm.
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THIS ISSUE INSIDE
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Why 2022 Should Be the Year of Delegation Success Story: Stephen Hegedus and Hailey Hawkins 4 Retention Strategies That Actually Work Foolproof Strategies for Creating Content: Part 2 Get Our New Book! The Latest From Center Stage New Year, NewWebsite
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Is Your Website Begging for a Refresh? 3 SIGNS YOU NEED A REDESIGN FOR 2022
Red Flag No. 1: Your website doesn’t match your brand persona: If you want to come across as professional and reserved to your clients, then you don’t want a website full of bright colors and legal puns! Similarly, if you want to appear laid-back and approachable, you don’t want a buttoned-up website full of legal jargon. clear what kind of a person I am and how I can help people?” Maybe your website matches up with who you used to be but not who you are today. If you’ve changed your marketing message or pivoted to a different niche, for example, your website needs a redesign. To find out if your website raises this red flag, visit your page and ask yourself, “Is it Red Flag No. 2: Your design is boring and outdated. Websites are like cars — they start to go out of style the second you drive them
off the lot. If your website is more than 2 years old, then the layout, design features, and user experience probably feel outdated to visitors. Invest in a refresh to bring your site up to industry standards and cash in on the latest trends, like hyper-modern elements and asymmetrical design. Red Flag No. 3: Your website doesn’t reflect your marketing goals. If you believe in the power of content marketing and speaking directly to the clients who will pay your bills, but your website is stuffed full of SEO keywords and back links, you have a problem! Your website needs to align with your overall marketing strategy. Here at Spotlight Branding, we believe in marketing to people, not SEO robots. If you’re stuck with a marketing goal mismatch and want to fix it, reach out to us about a redesign at SpotlightBranding.com/NL .
You’ve heard “new year, new you,” but how about “new year, newwebsite”? January is the perfect time to come up with your 2022 digital marketing battle plan — and your website is the shaft of that spear! If it’s not strong, your campaigns will crumble the second leads arrive on your home page. Here are three signs you’re in desperate need of a redesign.
More Referrals. Better Clients . Higher ROI.
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