Lunch Hour Legal Marketing

The New Year! A look back, a look ahead. Plus, resolutions you can start today that can make you even more prosperous in 2023.-----It’s that time of year again; Conrad and Gyi put away the snow-globes and bring back the crystal ball—what can we say, orbs really tie the room together—and make their predictions for 2023. But, what good are prognostications without accountability? First, the gents look back at what they got right, and what they got wrong in 2022. And with a success rate about as good as Nostradamus, without all the weird murkiness, they give it another go, gazing deep into the future to tell you what you can expect for 2023.And then, let’s talk about the one thing everyone loves committing to: New Year’s Resolutions. The guys share their personal resolutions for 2023, and then, out of the kindness of their hearts, tell you yours too. Be inspired and equipped to make your practice thrive in 2023.The News: Layoffs in legal tech and digital marketing. CallRail’s new2023 outlook for legal marketing is available now. And Gyi’s new article, “My First ABA Techshow,” is online. Mentioned in This Episode:“Top 4 legal technology news stories of 2022,” Nicole Black, ABA Journal“2023 Marketing Outlook for Law Firms,” CallRail“My First ABA Techshow,” by Gyi Tsakalakis“Bankruptcy Statistics,” American Bankruptcy InstituteJennifer Gore-Cuthbert ABA TechshowABA Techshow Startup AlleyRegister for TechshowClio Legal Trends ReportLunch Hour Legal Marketing now on YouTubeLunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok

In a holiday special, Conrad and Gyi share a festive song – about legal marketing. A great recap of 2022’s biggest lessons.-----The holidays: a time when everybody (hopefully) takes a little time off for themselves and their families; a time to turn off the email, to sit and relax and suffer the endless stream of Christmas music. Speaking of which…Lunch Hour Legal Marketing™️ proudly presents: “The 12 Days of Legal Marketing.” The guys use this once in a lifetime opportunity to share their impressive singing skills, along with a fun reminder of some legal marketing tips we’ve shared over the past year. And be sure to stick around for a special fireside retelling of the tale of Zippy the Chicken.From dark social to pay-per-clicks a-clicking, here’s a look at some of the biggest topics Conrad and Gyi covered in 2022. Thank you for joining us at Lunch Hour Legal Marketing! Happy New Year, and may your 2023 be filled with fat stacks.The News: China is banning A.I. generated content without watermarks, or are they? Ken White, at The Popehat Report, bails on Twitter. Techshow registration is open, as are applications for Startup Alley (deadline is Jan. 6, people).

Welcome, A.I. overlords! ChatGTP, the rise of artificial intelligence content creation, and why your law firm needs to make more cat videos.The guys have a new best friend: ChatGPT. Well, maybe not best friend, but it’s pretty damn cool and maybe, fills us with just a wee bit of existential dread. Recent, high profile advances in AI-driven content generation have painted us (literally?) a vision of the future. However, legal content is highly nuanced and localized. Is that even what people want? What is good content anyway and does it matter who—or what—wrote it?Then, are you still just running a law firm, or are you a media company too? If you’re still avoiding content development, social media, video, etc., there may be an expiration date on your practice. You don’t have to hire a TikTok dance choreographer to build brand affinity and start renting space in potential clients’ minds. Get your name out there and make yourself the go-to firm for anyone thinking “law.”The News:  The explosion of ChatGPT and deep fake marketing. Google’s Infinite scroll is getting some buzz. Congratulations, you’re all on the front page now! ABA Techshow’s “Startup Alley” is accepting applications for 2023.

How setting boundaries when working from home can make you happier, plus knowing the difference between building brand recognition and building brand affinity.-----Like it or not, the pandemic opened Pandora's box of WFH, but does it feel like you’re working from home or living at work? The lines have certainly blurred. However, that doesn’t mean you have to be on call 24/7 waiting by the phone to meet a client’s every beck and call. Gyi and Conrad are here to help you find the right balance of flexibility, technology, and boundaries to meet your client’s needs and still keep your sanity. You’ll just need to find some other time to listen to podcasts since you fired your commute. *wink*There are three parts to branding: Know, Like, and Trust. Sure, you can put up a billboard easily enough, but how do you get people to actually LIKE you? That, dear friends, is the difference between brand awareness and brand affinity. The guys tell you why you’ve woefully bungled your Veteran’s Day messaging, spank you on the bottom, and implore you to get out there and do better. Maybe the best segment Conrad and Gyi have ever done? You be the judge. The News:     Battle of the industry reports. Does it seem like every legal directory is putting out a “State of the Industry” report? Maybe it’s because they are.  Lawmatics announces new integration with MyCase. Is there a hint of a decline in the prevalence of Google local search results?  References mentioned: Lunch Hour Legal Marketing now on YouTube Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok LawSites, “Small Firm Lawyers Are Awash With Optimism About Their Practices, Thomson Reuters Survey Finds,” Martindale-Avvo, “Understanding the Legal Consumer 2022” Lawmatics Integrates With MyCase A Glitch in the Google Local System? Morris Lilienthal YouTubeLevinson & Stefani YouTubeDerrick Law Office on YouTubeChris Walker, Refine Labs Clio Legal Trends Report

Gyi and Conrad talk about gorgeous data dashboards and the gorgeous-er data behind them. Then, the guys dig into how your clients really feel about fees and billing. Plus, book club!-----Straight from the YouTubes: Gyi and Conrad answer a listener question regarding metrics dashboards. Plot twist, it’s less about the tools you use to display your data, and more about the integrity of the data you put into it. Get your data, keep it clean, and make it actionable for your law firm. Throwing money at a pretty dashboard may make you feel more on top of things, but getting down and dirty with the raw numbers will put you more in touch with your business.Next, you’ve heard this a million times: your clients want alternative billing methods. And yet, according to the Clio Legal Trends Report, only 37% of law firms offer flat fee pricing. We know change is hard, but seriously, why aren’t you listening to what clients say about fees and billing?And then, back to the business bookshelf for David C. Baker’s “The Business of Expertise.” Selling expertise is exactly what attorneys do, even if you aren’t allowed to say you're an expert. “Five Stars” - Gyi Tsakalakis.The News: Google is changing Similar Audiences, the algorithm for finding ad targets. Plus, some Google spam updates. Be in the know. And a mystery CRM product coming in January, we know nothing … nothing! Finally, some talk about SEO, rankings, and reviews. This never gets old.

Conrad and Gyi take an early look at Clio’s foray into website design and the connection between lawyers and ramen noodles. Plus, some quick takeaways from the brand new 2022 Clio Legal Trends Report.-----Continuing its effort to be your law firm’s one-stop shop, Clio is now entering the website design and hosting arena. Is Clio’s new offering, which specializes in sites for lawyers and seamlessly integrates with the Clio universe, going to be the answer to getting your firm out there on the web? Will all its bells and whistles get you noticed, get you to the top of SEO rankings, and bring in clients? The guys share their appreciations and hesitations on Clio’s new service, and how it compares to website builders in general.And then, it’s time to get Econ nerdy. We all see what’s going on with the markets these days, and all feel the rising costs. Maybe you haven’t quite yet started swapping out your nice flank steak for a can of Spam and your linguine alle vongole for a bowl of ramen, but you’re feeling that grocery bill just a bit more. The guys get into how lawyers should be thinking about their pricing as buying power goes down and the demand for legal services, counterintuitively, goes up.Plus, important insights from the new, 2022, Clio Legal Trends Report. What are the most important things to a potential client? Survey says: you’ll have to listen to find out!The News: Updates from Clio Cloud Conference 2022 Gonzalez v. Google, the struggle over Section 230 and liability on the Internet. The Supremes may be poised to engage. Google business profiles are still getting penalized. Conference season is upon us, Crisp and Great Legal Marketing events are coming soon. AAJ Winter Convention 2023 is in February, and the ABA Techshow is in March. Justice For Me legal financing startup raises $10 million in funding.

First things first: it’s about time you got your annual plan together for next year. Then, Gyi and Conrad help you build your metrics dashboard into a pro-level thing of beauty. And, book review—what you need to add to your Business Bookshelf.-----It’s that time of year again, time to grab your pumpkin spice lattes and start your firm’s marketing planning for the upcoming year. You do have a plan, don’t you? Well, it’s not too late to get started (but it’s getting there). Gyi and Conrad share their insights into setting business goals, tracking them, and nailing your execution.Last episode, Gyi and Conrad warned you about the metrics to avoid. This time, the guys focus on what you NEED to pay attention to. They rank the five most important metrics you need on your marketing dashboard. Don’t waste your time with unnecessary noise. Learn how to track your business like a boss.And, to wrap things up, as promised, Conrad shares his selection for this episode’s new segment, Business Bookshelf.The News: BREAKING: Don’t touch your Google Business Profiles (GBP). Businesses are getting suspended for really weird, silly reasons. Marketing in an economic downturn: what to do and how to win. Google Search On: take-aways for law firms

How fast are you moving potential clients from contact to contract? And businesses, which law practices most definitely are, need metrics, but the guys help you avoid the metrics that are really just noise. And, for a little something extra, we get into what’s been going on with Patagonia and a rant a little bit about the upcoming legal conference season.-----Do you even like making money? Gyi and Conrad walk you through how you’re probably too slow to respond to inquiries and too slow to sign your clients — and it’s costing you. Learn exactly how to track your sales velocity and how fast you NEED to move getting that client through the funnel if you want to grow your client base and grow your revenue.And then, metrics? We don’t need no stinking metrics. The guys share a couple of their interactions with lawyers in the wild and the lingering sentiment of “we’re professionals, not a business.” Guess what, your law firm is a business, and what gets measured gets managed. But, not all metrics are useful, and further, some can be false flags of success. Gyi and Conrad each share their worst metrics to hang your hat on.  

First Gyi and Conrad dig through the giant heap of legal marketing news that somebody left here since the last episode. Then, the guys help you avoid over-investing in every “cool new thing” right before they encourage you to invest in Google’s “cool new thing”.-----Second Life! Pokemon Go! Clubhouse! (gasp) Whatever other nonsense you think might work to market your firm. Yes, there’s always cool new tech to play with, and maybe you feel like you can be early to this new thing, but sometimes it’s important to step back and make sure you’re not overinvesting in the next nothingburger. DO: keep up with the latest trends and tech. DON’T: be a sucker for the next shiny thing.And, we’ve all seen it in the movies; a “delightful” future of humanity where everywhere you walk there is a personalized hologram trying to sell you the latest, hottest new thing or turkey dinner in a cup. Well, good news! Google is taking the first steps to that utopia with their new offerings with Out of Home ads. The gents share their takes on our bright future, brought to you by Google, and how (and why) you’d use Out of Home to promote your law firm.A Giant Pile of News: Is Google’s new Helpful Client Algorithm a big yawner? MyCase accounting and document automation platform is making some interesting leaps. A one-stop shop, maybe It’s possible. It's Conference season! Clio Con, Hubspot, etc. Did Gyi kill Amazon Medicine? Twitter tweet editing may finally be here. TikTok and Instagram are shaping the way search and Google operates. Wave of the future or waste of time?

You need to be on LinkedIn. Yes, it can be kind of painful, but it’s still the de facto social media platform of the business world. So if you HAVE to be on it, don’t f#¢% it up. Tune is as the guys share the best ways to make LinkedIn work for you.-----Odds are, your LinkedIn profile is not working for you the way you’d like it to. Gyi and Conrad spell out the worst mistakes lawyers make on LinkedIn. They break down the common mistakes you should avoid; like ‘engagement pods,’ sabotaging your own SEO, and more. Learn the key things you CAN NOT DO if you want to avoid being just another junky LinkedIn profile.Next, learn how to best leverage LinkedIn to maximize its potential for your business. Just like every other social media platform, LinkedIn is an algorithm, so the guys teach you the tricks to maximize its effectiveness. Now, set up your profile the right way, and put yourself out there, your authentic self. Learn how to be truly “LinkedIn”, not left out.The News: Coming soon, “Lawyers By Amazon?” Why not? The American Bar Association takes a stand against new competition in the legal industry. And Lead Docket ventures deeper into automation. Examples of good LinkedIn profiles:  Ruky Tijani Ben Glass Joshua Baron Olga Mack