Building Your Brand: CEO Mike Edwards Talks to Up and Coming Lawyers at Belmont University about the Importance of Digital Marketing

Whether you’re fresh out of law school or have been practicing for 30 years, the best ways to build your brand happen online. It’s just how it is now. But marketing yourself on the web comes with some challenges, and attorneys can get themselves in some trouble with their State Bars (especially new attorneys) if they’re not careful.

That’s why the CEO of Digital Law Marketing, Inc., Mike Edwards, recently took some time to speak with a group of 3L students at Belmont University about the finer points of marketing themselves and their firms. We understand the importance of choosing the right company to help you build your brand. What better way to help you get going, than to give you a few tips and answer your questions about it?

The down and dirty of digital marketing

There’s a lot of talk about what actually helps you build your brand on the web – but what does it all mean? Sure, the parameters change as Google changes, but the main factors are the same from day to day, week to week and year to year. They are:

1. SEO – Search Engine Optimization
2. SEM – Search Engine Marketing
3. SMM – Social Media Marketing
4. Reputation Management

At DLM, we focus on these four elements of your marketing campaign right from the beginning. The best part? You always have a say in how much or how little you wish to contribute to that effort. Some of the best work that can be done will come from you and your firm directly, but we know that is not always possible. You may be too busy to write or post your content, or to recap your honors and accolades.

Never fear! As Mike told the students at Belmont, the right digital marketing firm is going to take your schedule into account when they plan out your campaign. At our company, for example, we make it a point to get a real feel for who you are and what you need in the weeks before your site launches. You’ll talk to designers, SEO/SEM strategists and a writer before we do anything, all of whom collaborate behind the scenes to provide you with a few options before moving forward. It’ll save you time that might normally be spent on conference calls, while allowing you to retain completely authority over your site, your social media and your brand.

What can passionate young lawyers do to help themselves?

When you’re already part of an established firm, you get the benefit of their reputation. But what about those who want to fly solo right away, or who are afraid they’ll get lost in the shuffle?

The best piece of advice we can give you is this: remember that who you are online reflects who you are offline. Your reputation management starts with you. (We can give you some examples of how that backfires, if you’d like.) You want your name to have positive connotations at all times, so beware of what you post on social media, and start looking for ways to show off your assets and skills in the best possible light. If you start off well, it’s much easier to continue building that brand than it is to backtrack.

The next thing you can do is start looking into low cost options to help you get the word out. Social media is especially helpful here, but there are law directories you can join for minimal cost, too. Not every directory is the same, however, so give us a call if you have questions.

Finally, make sure that the world sees you as a person, too. No matter how successful you become, no one wants a robot for a lawyer. We can show you some great ways to improve your bio online, but we also recommend that you start with your outside passions. Sponsor a Little League team, support your local community’s fundraisers, join a garden club or a soccer team – whatever it is you love, let that shine through. Brand recognition starts at home, and the networking opportunities you’ll have from these types of local events may surprise you. Besides: it’ll do you some good to have a place you can go to get away from work. (Trust us – we know.)

Events like these give Digital Law Marketing, Inc. an opportunity to do exactly what we recommend to you – to give back to the community, and expand our network. It’s why you’ll see us at conferences around the country and possibly at your school. With the right tools in place, you can start building your brand and making a real name for yourself now, and continue to build on that name in the future.

Choose Digital Law Marketing, Inc., to help your business grow

If you’re just starting your own firm, looking to expand or want to be more competitive in your market, Digital Law Marketing, Inc. can help. We invite you to give us a call at 877-916-0644, or to fill out our contact form, to learn more about our services. Discover the difference the right marketing company makes!