Legal Internet Marketing Blog
Depending on which state you practice law in; you may have a set of stringent State Bar guidelines that you need to follow to advertise your services on the Internet. In certain states, the restrictions can be extensive and extremely restrictive, with even things like testimonials or case results being against ethics rules. In other states, the restrictions are a bit more lax, allowing attorneys a little more leeway in the way they market their firm and law practice.
It is the responsibility of each attorney to insure that all advertising literature, including websites, adhere to state bar ethics rules governing lawyer advertising. Your trusted legal Internet marketing partner will have resources to make sure that you are within the guidelines for your state. The American Bar Association has a webpage devoted to information on responsible client development. You can view that page here: http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/clientdevelopment/adrules/.
A major challenge for attorneys who advertise online is establishing useful, persuasive content on their websites while tiptoeing around the rules and regulations regarding attorney advertising for their particular state. Use of terms like ‘expert’ or ‘specialist’ are forbidden in most states, unless the attorney is specifically credited as such through a state bar sponsored program. It can be argued of course that one of the main goals of any attorney website is to portray that attorney as an expert in the area of law which they practice.
One of the benefits of partnering with a legal Internet marketing firm is that you are consulting with a company that has already had to address this problem countless times. At SLS Consulting, we have real-world experience creating persuasive content for our clients that not only adheres to state bar restrictions on attorney advertising, but takes advantage of them.
By marrying clear, structured site architecture, a wealth of the proper legal information, background on an attorneys’ experience and mission in their practice of law, we can offer advice on how best to craft your websites message to help insure the highest rate of conversion, enhancing your client development efforts.
For more information on how to craft persuasive content for your website while adhering to your state bar’s restrictions, contact SLS Consulting today for a consultation of your current online marketing strategy.