K.I.S.S.

Don’t write like a lawyer. Ever. I recently got an email from one of the most successful lawyers in Virginia. The entire message, that was well over 150 words, was ONE SENTENCE! I couldn’t understand it without going back and parsing out the phrases until it made sense. That’s too much work for your potential client. Just because you graduated from law school is not a reason to show off your erudition. (I’ve just given you a real example of what NOT to do.) You are trying to connect to your potential client, not to a law review editor, so write like your client talks. Write like human beings talk. Keep your sentences simple, short and easily understandable. That doesn’t mean to talk “down” to your reader, but it does mean to talk like a real person.

You and Me

It’s about your audience, not about you. Be sure your copy has plenty of “you”, “you”, “you” (translated by your reader as “me”, “me”, “me”). Don’t talk about yourself.

Just You and Me

When you are writing copy, never ever write to a crowd. Write to one person – the person in your mind who is your perfect client. Imagine yourself writing a personal letter to that person. Your potential client must feel like you know and understand her and her problem, not that you are writing to some generic non-person.

Imagination

As you write to your one perfect client, your words must create mental images in her mind. These mental images should touch her emotions. Emotion brings desire. Desire brings suggestibility. When you have suggestibility, you can direct action. Tell stories. Use metaphors and similes. Sprinkle in strong verbs. Use adjectives tastefully. Be specific.

So what?

All of the above is not enough. You must have proof. You need testimonials to prove your case.

Carefully study your state’s ethics opinions about the use of testimonials. Many lawyers have assumed for years that testimonials cannot be used. I have found that most states allow the use of some sort of testimonials, but you must follow the rules.

Offer

Look at how many personal injury lawyer ads say “Free Consultation.” It’s not much of an offer if everyone is doing it. So, don’t do it. Make some other offer that is a WOW offer, one that the reader cannot resist. If you understand who your perfect client is, then you will be able to figure out what that irresistible offer is. The purpose of your marketing is to attract your perfect client, so you want to make an offer that she cannot refuse. You want her to DO something – call your office, for example – so make her an offer that will compel her to take that action.

P.S.

For some reason, people who only read headlines or skim the body of a marketing piece will read

the P.S. at the end – and will read several of them. I don’t know why that is, and I don’t care. I just know it’s true. So, use a P.S. at the end of your ad to stop your reader in her tracks and compel her to do what you want her to do – call your office, order your book, or otherwise raise her hand so you can start a conversation with you.