What Are They Selling You NOW?

I recently got an urgent call from a client late in the afternoon who said he had to talk to me as soon as possible!  Concerned, I excused myself from the meeting I was in and called him immediately. Here’s what he said: “I have this FindLaw rep who’s been hounding me for a couple of years, but now he has something brand-new he says I have to jump on immediately or I will lose the opportunity!”

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR???

This has been FindLaw’s mantra for as long as I’ve been in the legal internet marketing industry – over 20 years. They have really good salespeople (whose quotas go up every month). They put urgency and fear into their potential clients so that they sign on the bottom line before actually reading what they are signing. Any lawyer in America who actually reads FindLaw’s Master Services Agreement, which is part of every product you purchase from them, would never sign on the bottom line.

Their newest product that is “selling out fast” is a completely useless listing they developed to generate more income for them (approximately $750.00 a month), not to help the lawyer who actually purchases it. These newest “hot” ads are located on their “Learn About the Law” section. This is a total waste of marketing dollars. These are not pages where consumers are looking to hire a lawyer. The ads are basically invisible to the user, even IF they happen to end up on these pages.

If you have marketing dollars to spend on directory listings, spend them wisely. There are a number of directories that can actually help your SEO. Even FindLaw has some local listings that are worth the price. Their regular local listings that have a minimal cost (usually under $50 a month) are relevant, strong links. These listings carry the same weight as their premium listings that cost thousands of dollars every month.

There are many places to use your marketing dollars online that will help your SEO, which will ultimately generate new potential clients. At SLS, we use directories to generate relevant links, but have found most aren’t worth the price of advertising. Many directories will give you a free listing that includes a link back to your site.

If you would like a copy of our suggested link list, email me: [email protected]. If you have additional questions, give me a call: (626) 660-5174.