Author: Sue Bramall
Sue Bramall is Managing Director of Berners Marketing, providing marketing and business development support exclusively to the legal profession. Email sue.bramall@bernersmarketing.com. Twitter @Berners4Law.
How not to commission a website
Recently, I met a barrister who was handling a case where a website project had gone badly wrong, losing significant sales for the customer who had commissioned it. After comparing war stories, we concluded that a lot more websites go awry than one might realise and that it might be worth sharing some of the […]
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Outsourcing your marketing activities
Outsourcing generally makes the media headlines when a multi-million pound government contract hits the buffers, and we all moan when having to deal with an overseas customer contact centre where the quality of the phone line and the quaint accent of the operator combine to leave us frustrated rather than delighted. In the legal sector, […]
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How much do you value your contacts?
Occasionally we help new law firms to set up from scratch and a partner once asked me if I found the branding the most enjoyable part of the project. He was surprised when I said that the really satisfying aspect was getting the client data management right. With a new firm, every contact and piece […]
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Responsive web design
(with Chloe Dennis) How many types of device might you view a website on during the course of your week? We are becoming used to accessing the internet anytime and anywhere on whatever device we have to hand. Our choice of device at any time depends on personal preferences, availability and the ability to use […]
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News v blogs – which is best?
Keeping the content on your website up to date is essential if you wish to be ranked well by Google. Not only does material need to be fresh, but it needs to be original. Whether you do this via a news section or a blog depends on your communications strategy, internal resources and the commitment […]
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Comparing website proposals
Comparing website proposals can be rather like comparing apples with pears. What questions should you ask and how do you know whether the quotes you receive are directly comparable? Designing a website requires the project management of six distinct phases: Planning the structure of the website Designing the look and feel Programming the site and […]
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Do law firms need a CRM solution?
Customer (or client) relationship management (CRM) is defined by BusinessDictionary.com as “Information-technology enabled strategy aimed at identifying, targeting, acquiring, and retaining the best mix of customers. CRM helps in profiling prospects, understanding their needs, and in building relationships with them by providing the most-suitable products and a very high level of customer service. It integrates […]
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Digital photograph rights
Typically solicitors need photographs in the following circumstances: Individual portraits for use with profiles in pitches and on web sites Team shots – for web sites, brochures or PR purposes Environment/concept shots for marketing collateral. In the years before digital photography, I can recall the tedium of inspecting (sometimes) hundreds of small proofs on a […]
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Client satisfaction surveys – off-line v online
Although the legal profession provides a service, we are a long way from taking service measurement seriously compared to other business sectors. Given the marketing maxim “under-promise and over-deliver”, it was a brave move for the new national network Quality Solicitors to brand themselves as such. I shall be intrigued to see how they address […]
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Planning an email campaign
In the last issue we looked at how to go about building up a database of email addresses, how to capture suitable contact details from existing clients and contacts, and what external email lists can be purchased. We also covered the basic rules for who you can and cannot email. In this article, we look […]
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How to build an effective email list
Many firms are already convinced of the benefits of email marketing but they struggle to get the programme off the ground due to lack of email data. The aim should be to build a database of clients, contacts and prospects that genuinely welcome hearing from us. With anyone else we are wasting time and money, […]
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