The Net Impact Roadmap

A Website can Function as a Credible Marketing Tool for Law Firms

 The Internet is overflowing with law firm websites that all present a very similar message. For this reason, it is extremely important that your law firm has a creative, yet professionally designed website that captures the interest of visitors and holds their attention long enough to convince them that you are the firm that can meet their specific needs. Simply building a website for your law firm is not enough. The website has to be built in a fashion that is user-friendly, professionally designed, visually appealing, informative and also search engine optimized. A poor overall appearance combined with confusing navigation and outdated content will leave your potential clients clicking away to your competitors.

From an internal management perspective, too often a legal website is static, meaning even the simplest changes to the website can get bogged down in an IT to-do list or create added expense from outside technical services. An excellent solution to this problem is using a content management system to build your law firm’s website to have a professionally designed site that can be updated at anytime, from any location by the lawyers and other staff themselves. Content management systems are expediting communications on the company web  among law firm personnel.

How will using a CMS benefit my Firm?

-Content management systems are customizable software solutions. Designed specifically in accordance with the discerning needs of the corporate infrastructure, CMS is all about ease, convenience and the utmost productivity.

-It’s secure. The CMS assures that the right departments and people are authorized to review and add content.

-CMSs deliver efficiency. Partners who are out of the office or working from home can receive and respond to time sensitive information.

With a CMS, you are not only  simplifying interdepartmental productivity. In the marketing sphere, content management systems multitask as a viable marketing tool.

3 ways content management systems can function as an effective marketing tool:

Establish a firm’s credibility in a specific area of law.
A website serves as a firm’s online portfolio. It is a place to announce new laws, litigation scores and other unclassified client-case information. Having the  access to keep this information fresh and updated will send the message out to potential clients that your firm is up-to-date, well-organized and a step above a competitor.

Expose a law firm to media visibility.
Content management systems are developed to syndicate news and events to search engines, ultimately disseminating information among media outlets. Whether it’s a high profile case or a law firm’s achievements, a CMS makes it easy to publish and firm updates and legal victories.

It will be easier for potential clients to seek you out on the web.
Most people refer to the Internet to research legal services. Many web content management systems are built specifically for Search Engine Optimization purposes. This will increase that a potential client will come across your website in search of legal services.

Not all new software integrations are a nightmare. The transition to a content management system is non-intrusive. It does not impose any network outages or require daily operations. Content management systems are customized to accommodate a law firm’s unique communication requirements, making the adjustment and simple and worthwhile process. As for the learning curve, CMS training is minimal. Once the functionality and design decisions have been determined, it is easy to start inserting content and images.

In the end,  using a CMS to market your firm’s area of specialty is an economical and user-friendly marketing tool – well worth the return on investment.

A law firm’s website should attract new clients, communicate with existing ones and aid in the sharing of information among the lawyers of the firm. If an attorney website is skillfully constructed and has regularly updated content, it can prove to be an effective tool for marketing your firm and presenting your business in a professional manner. Law firms should view their website as a living, ever-changing and interactive space for their communities, as opposed to a place to simply lump articles, biographies and press releases. A content management solution may just be the simple solution your law firm needs to meet all of it’s online needs.

The Net Impact’s CMS solution of choice  for law firms is Auctori:Law founded upon the Content Management System Auctori. Unified Development, Inc. (Unidev®) designed the CMS in association with several law firms to give attorneys and legal professionals an easy to use, but powerful system to update and maintain their professionally designed website. To see two excellent examples of Auctori:law™ in action, please visit The Stolar Partnership, LLP www.stolarlaw.com and Paul J. Passanante, PC & Associates at www.passanantelaw.com.

The value and significance of the legal industry demands a certain website environment that The Net Impact has been able to perfect. The Net Impact Team fosters an understanding of your profession and the aggressive marketplace that you are competing within. Contact The Net Impact today to learn more about how we can help your law firm enhance their online prescense!

Integrating Your Website With Social Media Exposes Your Brand to the Masses

Just a year ago, it was unheard of to combine microsites with social media to get your message out to current clients and potential customers in a more effective and cost-efficient way. What respectable business had a Facebook site and who in the world tweeted?  But, 2009’s explosion of social media has generated many techniques to create dialogue and receive feedback in  ways never before imagined.  Yes, your firm can Facebook and tweet in a professional and productive manner.

In this generation of user-generated content, companies are realizing they cannot only expect consumers to find them through the major search engines. While this is still fundamental and a website functions as a primary means to entice the consumer to “meet” the company, many businesses have also invested time in using social media networks to go directly to where their consumers “meet”. Especially in today’s economy when many companies are looking to cut back on their marketing budgets, the low cost of creating a social media site to establish an online brand presence and generate leads is a quick, inexpensive and effective solution.

So does the growing popularity of social media sites kill the need for a website? ….We don’t think so.

An effective marketing strategy integrates your website with a variety of media approaches, social media networks being an important piece of this puzzle. The benefits of having a company website are endless, and websites are a marketing tool that social media sites simply cannot match. The real time attribute of a social media site occurs when a social media profile is viewed as a tool to enhance a website. Updating your company’s web page and your social media profiles at the same time, can produce links with indefinite visibility, which in return has the potential to increase overall traffic and conversion to your site. Social media sites can also enhance the visual appeal and overall feel of your website by providing a more interactive experience for visitors. By incorporating social media features, such as YouTube videos or blogs, into your website, you can create your own brand focused community that allows for user generated content.

Think of social networks as a friendly gateway to your company website or microsite. Seeding your site with social networks spreads content far and wide through search engines, as well as through contacts who are already a part of your social networking communities – places where rapport has already been established. People tend to share their experiences, good or bad, with their social networking communities – people they have built a connection with. So find out where your audience’s conversations are taking place and establish a strong presence. When social media sites are operated effectively they have the power to steer your audience to your website, resonate with your visitors, humanize your brand and deliver content to the masses in the click of a mouse.

Social media sites function to grab your visitor’s attention and leave them wanting to come to your site to learn more; so, make your messages intriguing, your profile informative and the look of your social media site attractive. Every photo you put up on Facebook, every message mashed into 140 words on Twitter and every story-telling video posted on YouTube reflects your company’s image and message, and may just be the “link” that drives the next big business deal to your website.

• The King and Prince Resort
• Retrowonders
• Artistic Sensations

The Net Impact can help you incorporate social  media into a creative and well-designed marketing campaign which encompasses the planning, listening, understanding, engaging and monitoring of your company’s social media accounts.

We understand that in this economy, many companies are cutting back on their marketing efforts. Contact The Net Impact to learn how we can help you expose your brand without breaking your budget!

The Net Impact Produces Traffic Based Design™ Plan for St. Louis-Based Retailer

DorothyLee, a unique online store that provides quality and customizable apparel and accessories at affordable prices to families, small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations, approached The Net Impact in search of an Internet marketing firm that could provide them with a plan of action to improve their search engine traffic. The customer service-oriented company had worked with several SEO firms to create search engine optimization plans and to implement the determined SEO efforts.  The firm had not yet seen any concrete, positive end-results from these past marketing efforts and the related expenses.

The Net Impact analyzed the online store’s analytics for their primary URL http://www.dorothylee.com/, compared traffic patterns to the site architecture, conducted thorough keyword research, investigated the marketplace and analyzed the competition. Using this information, TNI then developed a Traffic Based Design™ that would greatly improve the site’s visibility for key search terms organically and increase traffic.

This Traffic Based Design™ plan included:
• redefined site architecture to create the required landing pages
• rewritten meta information and content for each landing pages
• optimized links and title tags
• URL rewrite recommendations
• Image alternative text tag recommendation
• Website validation testing
• Website ADA compliance testing
• Competitor Analysis Report
• Keyword Rankings Strategy
• Baseline Keyword Positioning Plan
• Suggestions for calls to action to improve conversion

 “It was a pleasure working with The Net Impact.  We met with the company president, Steve Thomas, before getting started.  He never used any sales tactics and we felt that he was always being straight forward and honest with us.  Upon coming aboard, we found the company to have great customer service and communication skills.  They responded to all emails and calls promptly.  Also, the completion of our project was done in a timely manner,” said Nicole Minor, Owner, DorothyLee.com.

The Net Impact’s partnership with DorothyLee is continuing to grow as we are currently working with the retailer on the next steps for improvement, including the creation of an annual web marketing calendar with defined deliverables, conversion testing using Google Optimizer, a social media strategy to support the main ecommerce site and a regular review of Google analytics that will define monthly recommendations.

“Ultimately, we were very happy with all of the work that was performed; in fact The Net Impact exceeded our expectations on all fronts.  We highly recommend any company in need of SEO work to select The Net Impact as your #1 choice.  We’re sure that you will not be disappointed,” said Minor.