If you want average (mediocre) work, ask for it. Be really clear up front that you want something beyond reproach, that’s in the middle of the road, that will cause no controversy and will echo your competition. It’ll save everyone a lot of time.

But, he says, if you want great stuff, you’ll have to accept the fact that it will offend someone or it will make them nervous:

The Vietnam Vets memorial offended a lot of people. The design of Google made plenty of people nervous. Great work from a design time means new work, refreshing and remarkable and bit scary.

Read the whole post here.

The independent survey was conducted by marketing attorney Micah Buchdahl of InternetMarketingAttorney.Com and based on five criteria: design, content, usability, interactivity and intangibles.

Sites were awarded up to 10 points for each measure, for a maximum total score of 50. The high score was 45. Thirty firms rated a 38 or better to receive platinum, gold or silver honors in the U.S. large firm category. For the third time, reviews and awards were expanded to include a small/mid-size law firm category. The international category reviews (for non-U.S. firms) will be released in June.

Mr. Buchdal, the reviewer who compiles this list puts a lot of time into this. In fact:

More than 150 “non-billable” hours and six months went into this project. The small, mid-size and international firm categories received hundreds of nominations. Every one was considered. Objectivity and fairness continues to be my holy grail. Firms that have people I personally adore sometimes got roasted; firms that have some folks I would not share a beer with won some awards. There was no financial interest in this project and no financial considerations were involved. Not working for, or with, any company associated with the selling or building of web sites, or working for or with any company that has “considerations” in regard to these law firms, I did not pull any punches.

This site is an excellent resource for anyone looking for an objective perspective on law firm web design. I encourage anyone interested in design to check it out.

Throughout the article, Ms. Falter argues that:

Blogs are, quite simply, the next wave. So if you’re thinking about setting up a site, stop in your tracks and turn towards blogs instead.

I’ve been seeing a lot of this lately. And I disagree and agree at the same time. Sure, I think blogs are great. I love them. But I don’t think blogs are in opposition to “web sites.” Instead, I see a blog as part of a web site. Sometimes web sites are just blogs, but blogs are never web sites.

Whoa! I’ve really confused myself there. Nice!

My point is this:
Ms. Falter is arguing against static html pages that can’t be updated often, and I agree with her there. I think that dynamic sites with a content management system in the background are the way to go. And a blog can definitely be a part of that site.

This is the way I think of it.

A web site is a house. It contains individual rooms, hallways, the basement, etc.:

This is the blog:

So, the blog is part of the web site.

So I’m getting into semantics here I know. My idea is this: You don’t need to choose between a blog and a web site. You can have it all!

The best solution:
A site that has all its content stored in a CMS, allowing you to change any content you want, whenever you want. That way you have the flexibility of a web site and a blog inside.

edit:After further review, I think Ms. Falter is right……it seems that her work focuses more on the individual than on businesses, so I now understand what she’s talking about.

That’s the title of a book I just finished by author Mark Stevens.

In it, Mr. Stevens puts forth one central theme: if every dollar you spend on marketing does not return more than one dollar in sales, your marketing sucks.

I think a lot of people think of marketing as an expense of doing business. We advertise because all our competitors are advertising. We do it because we have to. The book says it is necessary to scrap that way of thinking.

One thing that I have definitely been guilty of is looking at the competition first before coming up with ideas for a marketing campaign. When a law firm asks me to come up with a web site or ad campaign, I would look at what their competitors are doing. I would say to myself “Okay, if the other firms are creating clever, professional looking ads, I want to create something that one-ups them.”

Wrong way of thinking. Instead of the original goal (create a campaign that gets us new clients), the new goal is: create a campaign that looks better than our rival. It has shifted from something based on a measurable strategy to an ego-driven ideal. Bad.

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about law firm marketing is: Everyone looks the same. And sometimes that’s the goal of a law firm. The firm wants to be seen as an equal, so they set out to look like the competition.

When I think of this, I picture boxes of store brand cereal.

In the cereal aisle, having a box that looks like the name brand makes sense. The store brand has the exact same product, so they try to look similar (even though kids know the difference!).

But should a law firm do that?

The first is from Dennis Kennedy, called “Current Standards in Law Firm Websites - Some Improvements for You to Consider“.

Dennis took the client’s viewpoint when looking at firm sites, and in doing so, took a fresh vantage point that is sometimes ignored by firms. He found that many firm sites are working against the firm rather than for them.

His first complaint is the difficulty in finding contact information. He’s right there. Finding a phone number or email address is such a common reason for using a firm’s web site that it often is either forgotten or not given much attention. Though some firms do not want to list individual phone numbers of attorneys, firms should think of the main reason for having a web site in the first place: to get clients to contact them.

Another problem he found deals with attorney bios. In looking at as many sites as I do, I’ve found his assertion that bios are hard to find and use to be true.

Though some firms do not want to be too flashy and want to remain conservative here, I think that the attorney bio is an underused resource on many firm sites. The attorney bio is, in many cases, the ultimate goal. Your potential (or current) client has made it through your site and they’re interested in contacting someone. That’s great!

They’ve waded through the impersonal monolith that is the firm’s site. Now they are looking for information on the human being that can help them with their problem. But instead of learning more about the person, they are just given cookie-cutter corporate information.

I’d love to see more firm sites give their attorney bios much more personal attention. Aside from the regular email address, education, and practice areas, why not have the attorney actually say something first-person? If you’ve got an attorney that is a golf-fanatic, why not say so? If an attorney is hoping to sail around the world one day, why can’t they say that?

Aside from putting a human touch on the bio, it also gives an opportunity to break the ice. I don’t know about you, but I am much more comfortable starting a conversation with someone I know a little bit about. It’s much easier to say “wow, tough loss for the Bruins last night, eh?” than “I noticed that you’re an established expert with experience in corporate transactional blah, blah….” Sure, I want to know that. But it’s much easier to form a bond with someone with an interest than someone with marketing text.

I’m sure some will disagree with me. Some will say “We don’t want to put anyone off. What if a client is a huge Maple Leafs fan? They may choose to go with another firm because of our attorney’s favorite team.”

Well, that may, or may not be true. But I sincerely believe that trying to be safe all the time is a huge disadvantage.

The other post was from Larry Bodine on “The Compleat Guide to Web Marketing“.

He points to a 22 page white paper from Mark Merenda on “Using the Internet to Market Your Law Practice.”

Mark explains the importance of web marketing for lawyers in one simple sentence:

When it comes to looking for a lawyer, more Americans are turning to the search engines than the Yellow Pages

Well that just says it all, doesn’t it?

Enjoy these great posts. Now it’s time for me to add some personal information to my bio. Best to practice what you preach, right?

On his blog, Bruce Allen discusses:

• What’s in a Font?- Insight into picking the right typeface to convey the right “feel” of a firm.
• Selecting a Color for the Brand of the Firm- Picking a color for your firm’s logo takes more than you’d think.
• Is Printed Collateral Dead?- Should firms bother with printed material?
• Is Humor Part of Your Firm Culture?- Looking at some nontraditional firms and how they use humor.
• Building My Own Photo Library- The process of photographing attorneys- and making them look good!
• Reasons for an Internal Brand Campaign- Looking at law firm marketing from the inside out.

This site is an excellent resource for anyone interested in how and why law firms make their marketing and branding decisions.

There’s an article entitled “What Does Your Web Site Say About You?: A law firm’s online presence should inspire a potential client’s confidence” at SmallFirmBusiness.com, part of Law.com’s network. The article is written by Margot Teleki, president of a commercial writing/marketing company.

When called upon to write for a web site for a law firm, Teleki looked around at law firm web sites and found that attorney sites are written from the firm’s perspective, not from the client’s. Instead of saying how the firm could solve the prospect’s problem, law firms are just talking about how they view themselves.

Perspective is important.

One thing that separates legal services from any other product or service is need. [okay, that's not true....people need medical products and services too. Oh, and food.] A client has a need for legal services; they’re not just browsing around looking for an impulse buy at the mall.

So, what does this have to do with law firm web sites? Well, I’ll let the author say it:

If you look for an attorney the way many of us do today, you’ll first ask your friends for referrals, then look up the recommended firm on the Web site. That Web site must offer information, confidence and comfort to a potential client. A client in trouble — either an individual or a corporation — needs to be assured that the chosen law firm will give him aggressive advocacy and have the right skill set to win a case. He wants to be assured that his attorney will fight for his rights — and win! He wants to feel assured that he is of primary interest to his attorney — not just another case on the block.

Now picture this: a client has just hired your firm to take his case. Now he’s going to the web site.

Does your site reassure him? Does it say “You’ve made the right choice?”

1. Goal: Tell the visitor what the site is all about.

• Tell the new visitor what the site will offer them
• Tell the new visitor who you are

Design Solutions:

• Use a short phrase to describe who you are and what you do
• Put that short phrase on the top of the page
• Link to a more wordy page that better describes you

When a new visitor comes to a site, they ask “What is this?” You need to tell them who you are and what you do immediately. Users make a decision whether to stay or go in the blink of an eye:

“In just a brief one-twentieth of a second — less than half the time it takes to blink — people make aesthetic judgments that influence the rest of their experience with an Internet site.

The study was published in the latest issue of the Behaviour and Information Technology journal.”

2. Goal: Don’t Make Obstacles for Repeat Visitors

• Make it easy for repeat visitors to find the info they’re looking for
• Don’t treat every visitor like a stranger

Design Solutions:

• Make navigation clear and easy
• Allow one-click access to popular pages
• If possible, put targeted repeat visitor content on the home page

Repeat visitors already know who you are and what you do. Your home page should allow them to easily get the information they’re looking for without having to scroll through “getting-to-know-you” content.

Think of this in terms of interpersonal communications. The first time you meet someone, you introduce yourself, maybe shake hands, and have small talk. Every subsequent meeting is different. You already know the person’s name and who they are, so there’s no need to introduce yourself again.

Imagine if every time you wanted to talk to a co-worker, you had to introduce yourself again and shake hands before talking. That would get annoying pretty quickly.

Now put yourself in your current clients’ shoes. What information are you looking for? Some examples:

• Attorney Profiles and email addresses
• New articles and bulletins
• Directions
• A phone number

3. Goal: Look Alive

• Show that your firm is active
• Show off your expertise

Design Solutions:

• Place firm news items prominently on the home page
• Link to events and activities
• Link to recent publications and articles

Your attorneys don’t just sit behind a desk all day, they’re out there doing things. They write articles, they speak at seminars, they win awards, and they do interviews. Don’t be modest: let your visitors know what you’re doing!

4. Goal: Show Your Area of Expertise

• Tell visitors what areas of law your firm covers
• Show the industries you’ve covered

Design Solutions:

• List Representative Client Industries
• List Practice Areas

When a prospective client visits your site, they want to know if your firm can do the work. Answer that question right away.

5. Goal: Make Navigation Clear and Easy

• Get visitors to their information
• Meet navigation expectations

Design Solutions:

• Use “big buckets” for categorizations
• Categorize pages under appropriate headings
• Add a search function

The key for any visitor (new or repeat) is to make navigation simple. Get them to their information.

On “What About Clients”, Dan Hull writes “Law Firm Logos are Goofy, Useless, and a Waste of Time and Money.” In the article, Hull goes on to say that “quality service and not logos should be the main event” and “if you don’t have a logo, don’t bother to develop one.”

If your firm is the only one in a market, then maybe I agree. Let’s say you have a firm that specializes in Chimney Sweeping Law. That’s all your firm handles, and there isn’t another firm on earth that does. Then, I’d say you shouldn’t even bother with a logo. Since you’re the only one around, you really don’t have to worry about recognition. In fact, if you don’t have a web site, don’t bother developing a pretty one. Instead, on a white background, just have this:

“This is the site of Soot & Sweep, LLP. Call us at 1-800-CHIMNEY”

Then you’re done.

But if you’re in any other industry, chances are you have lots of competition. And when you have a lot of competition, you need to set your firm apart.

I’m not saying logos are the answer. I doubt there has ever been a time when a client looking for legal services and selects a firm by looking at logos alone.

Instead, logos are just another way to be recognized. Only after a prospect has learned about your firm (and others) would a logo help. It is something that sticks in the back of their mind, associating something visual with a level of service.

Though we might not want to admit it, design is important in our purchasing decisions. While we don’t buy a product or service because we really love a logo, we may surely decide not to buy if we perceive a company to be unprofessional.

Think of a prospect looking for legal services that does not already have a lead. They do some research and Google searches, and get a list of firms that can do the work. They go to one site and see a professionally designed site that projects a feeling of expertise. They go to the next and see this:

My feeling is that if you have great service, you should have great presentation as well. You don’t have to spend a lot of time and money to get that.