ethical marketing practices for the

Ethical Marketing Practices for the Immigration Lawyer

Your reputation is still your biggest marketing asset.

Reputation ManagementMonitor the places you market.

● AVVO… (have been bought/sold)

● Google Maps

● Yelp

● Anywhere else reviews appear.

● Bing?

● SOCIAL MEDIA

○ USE TOOLS LIKE:

○ Hootsuite, ZAPIER and monitor feeds

and mentions.

Reputation ManagementRespond Ethically and Tastefully

● Acknowledge

● Empathize

● Ask that they contact you offline to discuss in depth.

● Repeat the mission, the goal of your firm.

○ To help everyone with their legal issues in a prompt and professional manner.

● In your state, if a client calls you out (in public - not court) and reveals some

details of your case, can you respond in defense?

● Either way, it is best not to do so.

Reputation ManagementHave a process to get client feedback.

● Care and respond because everyone talks.

● When the consult is leaving, the receptionist should ask how it went… were they

able to get some answers?

● Follow-Up Email

● Follow-up call

● If not satisfied, maybe something was lost in communication.

● If the client was satisfied, request a review.

Reputation ManagementRequest Reviews from Happy Clients

● Nominal incentive adds to their willingness to review you positively

● Explain how it helps others in the community

Ethical Concerns on

building your online

reputation.

Buying “Likes”

Buying “Reviews”

Buying positive SEO

5 Sources of Clients(Focus on Modern Sources)

Notarios who F**k up a case.● Charge Double

○ More time… not as simple if you have

to explain to the gov. How they filed

false information etc...

● File complaint with bar (no result)

● File private civil action

(contingency fee)

● File state consumer protection

claim

○ Discovery

○ Class Action?

Ethical Limits of

Dealing With Notarios

Referrals From Clients / CommunityFamily of Former / Current Clients - Email List? - whatsapp group? Social Media?

Word of Mouth

Organizations - Email List?

Churches - Email List?

Counselors - Referral Relationship?

Domestic Violence Shelters - Donate? - Email List?

Ethical Limits of Getting

Community Referrals

Google / Google Maps● Claim your Google My Business profile. It’s your real homepage.

● Fill in ALL the details

○ Categories

○ Photos & Videos

○ Menu of Services

○ Hours, Address, Phone, Amenities (Parking), Description, etc.

● This helps clients find directions to your office.

● Allows people to place reviews.

● Get found.

● Appear in search results

● Set yourself up to advertise with Google Ads

Google Ads-Where Domination Begins

To know about Google Ads● Google can help you get setup.

○ Schedule a time to configure your account.

○ Have an idea of what you want your ads to say.

○ Have logos ready

● Essential to use their training

○ Know how (and what) to target, like: Locations, Keywords, Devices, Bids

○ Know how to set (and control) your budget

● There is a time to outsource

○ Agencies have the resources & training to manage more effectively

○ Spend your time being a lawyer, not learning how to master Google Ads

To know about Google Ads● Track everything so you know what works (and what doesn’t)

○ Connect to your Google Analytics

○ Use call tracking

○ Set up conversions

● Multiple campaign types

○ Search (Brand name, case types)

○ Display (Content, audiences)

○ Video

● You can track (give a cookie) to everyone who goes to your website and then

Google can use that cookie as an indicator of someone who went to your website

and you can “RE-TARGET them”

● Get your ads in Google Maps

“Rule of 7”From the 1930s

Someone has to see an ad 7 times before

they go to see the movie.

Today…. May be more.

Example - Monday.comHow many times have I seen it on youtube.com

A lot.

Then I subscribed.

So there’s proof.

To them it might feel like this…

For you it will feel like this…

Is it ethical to target the

competition and buy their

search terms?

Facebook - Social MediaYou can participate in the social feeds for free (to an extent).

Create a profile for your firm.

You can “Boost” a particularly engaging post.

Should NOT be your only strategy for ads on FB.

FB limits the reach of your post if it is commercial. Will not necessarily show on all

your friends feeds.

Facebook DifferencesFacebook …. Facebook

● Profiles

● Groups

● Pages

● Likes

● Feeds

● Algorithms

Lots a bitching and liking.

Facebook Ads

● You Pay

● You target audiences

● People who recently moved from overseas

● Target certain areas/regions

● Target by interests

● SUPER inexpensive

They… get your ad in their

feed and in their face.

Is Poor Taste

Unethical?

YouTube● If you do videos,

○ Make nice videos and provide

value.

○ Consider help with it

● Don’t wear multiple watches.

● Think about production quality.

● Do you have an Iphone?

● Film School Nearby?

Your WebsiteWordpress if you’re fancy

Squarespace if you just need something.

PUT SOMETHING ON IT

Information / Free Guide to … / Videos

Think of it like an electronic billboard.

You can blog there…

WHATEVER YOU DO IT HAS TO BE MOBILE FRIENDLY

Ethical Limits of your

website?

Your Website

What about my SEO?

Your WebsiteCheck the Lawyerist’s competition for best law websites.

https://lawyerist.com/marketing/best-law-firm-websites/

Make sure it is mobile friendly.

Squarespace, Strikingly, Wix etc… usually

handle this automatically.

BONUS - ADDITIONAL PLACES FOR FINDING CLIENTS● Pinterest

● LinkedIn

● Instagram

● Craigslist

● Waze (the gps maps/social platform)

● Make a FB Group for your area

● Make Slack Groups

● Make Groups for WhatsApp

● Make Groups for Telegram

● Bing Ads, Bing Maps

● Blog on public places

● Avvo

BONUS - ADDITIONAL PLACES FOR FINDING CLIENTS● Visit with community groups

● Churches

● Non-Profits

● Start a podcast…. But be interesting

● Chatbox on your website (tawk.to = free)

● Anywhere people are putting their attention is where you want to be.

● Write a book and give it away.

● Have an email list (careful, use mailchimp and no CC’ing)

● Local Newspaper?

● YouTube

● Google - Most Popular websites

Other Ideas-Non-Rhetorical Open Ended Question-

9 Arbitrary Core Principles of Legal Marketing

9 Arbitrary Core Principles1. Be Ethical - follow the rules in your state, and any state you advertize or practice in.

2. Be Genuine

3. Provide Something of Value

4. Be Online (Search Engine, Social Media)

5. Automate as Much as Possible

6. Maximize Your Reach

7. Follow-Up

8. Follow-Through

9. Get Help - (Google Gives it for Free)

Be EthicalFollow the rules in your state.

If you are unclear, call and ask.

Much better than HHM.

Be GenuineOthers’ Perception

Your Image

How you talk to and treat potential

clients.

Careful of how you appear in videos,

comments you make online etc.

Be Cool.

Provide Something of ValuePermission to Clickbait.

VIDEO or Print Material or Webpage

5 Things you need to know about your waiver petition.

3 Things every DACA holder should know.

10 Ways to Run From ICE

Be OnlineSo many places.

Your website, Google My Business, Bing Maps, Legal Directories, Generic Directories,

Yahoo, Lycos, AOL, Compuserve, ICQ, Angelfire, MySpace…. So many places to be online.

Consider:

WhatsApp Groups for Potential Clients, Community Leaders, etc.

Slack Groups / FB Groups / Community Building

Use these and other platforms for: Blogging, Activism, Advice, Podcast - GAIN

ATTENTION

AutomateLearn. Zapier. This is the future.

It is not hard.

It is easy.

It is for you.

Automation with Zapier and MarketingExample:

● When a new lead is received in FB Ads…

○ Notify Me in Slack

○ Add them to my email list

○ Create a task to follow up with them

○ Add them to my google sheet, and

○ Automate a text message to them saying thank you and

sending my website

○ Add to a 3 week long text message campaign

Maximize Your Reach● Don’t waste money if there’s no proven return on your ad investment.

○ Spend MORE money if you’re getting a great ROI

● Social Media is very good at proving actual numbers for the impact of your ads.

● Optimize your ad campaigns.

○ Target the whole funnel

Follow-Up and Follow-ThroughAll potential leads are contacted by the next business day by a real person.

All consults either sign up, or you know why they didn’t.

Assign tasks to follow up and follow through.

Get HelpGoogle will assign a consultant to walk you through the ad platform.

You can hire a company to manage this for you as well, but… BE CAREFUL

Charlatans Galore in this Industry

Find a reputable company, assign it in-house or DIY, but make sure you can measure

results.

12 Top Traditional and Leading-Edge Marking Activities

12 Leading Edge Ideas

1. Google Ads

2. Google Maps

3. Facebook Ads

4. Bing Ads

5. Twitter / Instagram

6. Website / Blogging

7. YouTube/FB Videos

8. Community Newspaper?

9. Community Radio?

10. Community Outreach?

11. Newspaper / Media outreach

12. Lead a Protest

Marketing Activities that Trigger the

Ethical “Advertising” Rule

ABA MODEL RULE 7.2Rule 7.2: Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services: Specific RulesShare this: Information About Legal Services

(a) A lawyer may communicate information regarding the lawyer’s services through any media.

(b) A lawyer shall not compensate, give or promise anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s

services except that a lawyer may:

(1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule;

(2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service;

(3) pay for a law practice in accordance with Rule 1.17;

(4) refer clients to another lawyer or a nonlawyer professional pursuant to an agreement not otherwise prohibited

under these Rules that provides for the other person to refer clients or customers to the lawyer, if:

(i) the reciprocal referral agreement is not exclusive; and

(ii) the client is informed of the existence and nature of the agreement; and

(5) give nominal gifts as an expression of appreciation that are neither intended nor reasonably expected to be a

form of compensation for recommending a lawyer’s services.

(c) A lawyer shall not state or imply that a lawyer is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless:

(1) the lawyer has been certified as a specialist by an organization that has been approved by an appropriate

authority of the state or the District of Columbia or a U.S. Territory or that has been accredited by the American

Bar Association; and

(2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly identified in the communication.

(d) Any communication made under this Rule must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or

law firm responsible for its content.

Model RuleInformation About Legal Services

(a) A lawyer may communicate information regarding the

lawyer’s services through any media.

Model Rule(b) A lawyer shall not compensate, give or promise anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer’s services

except that a lawyer may:

(1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule;

(2) pay the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit or qualified lawyer referral service;

(3) pay for a law practice in accordance with Rule 1.17;

(4) refer clients to another lawyer or a nonlawyer professional pursuant to an agreement not otherwise prohibited

under these Rules that provides for the other person to refer clients or customers to the lawyer, if:

(i) the reciprocal referral agreement is not exclusive; and

(ii) the client is informed of the existence and nature of the agreement; and

(5) give nominal gifts as an expression of appreciation that are neither intended nor reasonably expected to be a form

of compensation for recommending a lawyer’s services.

Model Rule(c) A lawyer shall not state or imply that a lawyer is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless:

(1) the lawyer has been certified as a specialist by an organization that has been approved by an appropriate authority

of the state or the District of Columbia or a U.S. Territory or that has been accredited by the American Bar

Association; and

(2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly identified in the communication.

(d) Any communication made under this Rule must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law

firm responsible for its content.

When do slogans, unsubstantiated claims, credentials, and specialties cross the ethical

‘line’?

Crossing the lineDISCUSSION

Scenarios 1Get your residency with the best immigration attorney this side of the Mississippi.

Much better than Attorney Kessler.

Your immigration problems resolved...Guaranteed.

We can get you results that others cannot.

Scenarios 2Because the immigration judge is a heartless, rude, a-hole.

We fight USCIS so they HAVE to give you a Green Card.

We can make all your wildest dreams come true.

We can get a waiver for anything.

Discussion PointsIs it ethical to target the competition and buy their search terms?

Can you reach out to individuals on social media if they could clearly use your help?

Did you listen to 21 Savage?