JDBlogger | Legal Marketing | Blogging | Podcasting | Social Media for Lawyers and Attorney Entrepreneurs - John Skiba

On today's episode of the JDBlogger Podcast I interview entrepreneur and ABA author Jeff Lantz.  Jeff is the founder and CEO of Esquire Interactive a company dedicated to helping attorneys market their law practice.  Prior to opening Esquire Interactive Jeff practiced law in the state of Arizona. Recently Jeff partnered with the American Bar Association and published his latest book on legal marketing entitled "Internet Branding for Lawyers: Building the Client-Centered Website".  In this interview we will go into debt with Jeff on how lawyers can effectively brand their law firms, build a client base through their websites, use social media, and how you can stand out from the crowded legal market. Tool of the Trade This week's Tool of the Trade is Last Pass.  We have all experienced the frustration of trying to navigate online and remember all of the numerous passwords to the various sites.  Last Pass is a great tool that stores all of your passwords for you and will auto-fill them when you log on to a specific website.  It also can help you increase security by generating passwords for your various sites that are next to impossible for anyone to guess. Click Here to Subscribe to the Podcast and Leave us a Review through iTunes!

In this week's episode of the JDBlogger Podcast I go over why it is vital that you not only create great content but that you have a plan in place and know what it is you hope to accomplish with your blog or podcast.  Often the obstacle many attorneys face in content creation is knowing what they are going to write about.  It today's episode I will give you a few tips on how to be more efficient in your content creation and reach your clients on a deeper level. Finally, I will discus ways you can monitor what people are saying about you and your law firm online.  And, if you happen to end up with a negative review I go over a few different strategies on how to deal with that soit doesn't harm your future online marketing efforts. Tools of the Trade This week's Tool of the Trade is AWeber.  This is a great tool for those of you that collect email addresses on your website through an email opt-in form.  AWeber allows you to send out information, blog posts, etc. to those people who sign up through you website to receive updates.  It also has great analytic tools that allow you to see what articles are getting the most traction, who is opening your emails, and who is actually clicking through to get to your website. Thank you to all of you who have gone over to iTunes and left a 5 Star Review!

Truth be known, I would use Facebook even if I didn't think it was a great tool for legal marketing.  I enjoy the interaction.  I enjoy maintaining relationships with people I don't see very often, even if it is an online relationship. As many lawyers are learning Facebook is also a very powerful marketing tool.  In today's JDBlogger Podcast I discuss a recent ABA study and Pew Research Center poll that provides very interesting data on attorneys and the way we use (or don't use) social media.  The information provided is extremely valuable in helping you determine where you should focus your marketing efforts - and the answers are somewhat surprising. Tools of The Trade This week's tool of the trade is Vook.  Vook is an online self-help publishing service that can help you take your dream of becoming an author and turn it into a reality.  I am currently finishing up an ebook with Vook that I will use as part of my overall law practice marketing strategy.  If you have wanted to write a book but weren't sure of how to get it done head on over to Vook's website and they can walk you through the process. Call for Lawyer Podcasters! I would like to put together a legal directory here at the JDBlogger website of those attorneys who are using podcasts to market their practice.  If you would like to be included please shoot me an email at john@skibalaw.com. Leave Us a Review through iTunes!

If you have been practicing law for any significant length of time you have had those days.  Those days (maybe weeks, months, years...) when you really don't like what you do for a living.  There is no getting around it.  Law practice can be a very stressful way to make a living. Deadlines.  Clients.  Judges.  Opposing attorneys.  All of this adds up to a whole bunch of pressure that keeps many attorneys up at night.  While I don't believe this stress can be eliminated completely, I think a big part of the problem is lawyers practicing in areas or with people they simply don't like. In this episode of the JDBlogger Podcast I explore three ways you can build a law practice through content marketing and social media that you won't despise. Tools of the Trade In this week's episode of the podcast I unveil a new audio branding package that was created by Music Radio Creative.  I have completely revamped the intro and the outro to the podcast.  Mike and Izabela Russel are based in the United Kingdom and offer all kinds of audio products.   They do some of the best work out there and I have been completely thrilled with the audio they created for the JDBlogger Podcast. If you are a podcaster or are thinking of starting your own show I would recommend giving the folks at Music Radio Creative a call and see what they can do to help you take your practice to the next level. Click Here to Leave Us Some Feedback and Rate the Podcast!

If you have spent time at the popular legal blog Lawyerist.com then you will have no doubt read the work of my guest on the JDBlogger Podcast today, Chris Bradley.  Chris is a regular contributor to the Lawyerist blog, a legal marketer, and also practices law in Minnesota. Chris is a big proponent of the use of storytelling telling as a way to connect with clients in both the practice of law and in the marketing of your law practice. In this week's podcast episode Chris will share his ideas on the new paradigm shift in legal marketing and provide tips you can implement today to make your law firm marketing efforts more effective. Chris also expounds on his recent article "Start a Law Firm in Law School."  For all of you law students out there Chris will discuss things you should be considering now before you graduate and tackle the bar. Tools of the Trade This week's Tool of the Trade is ScreenFlow.  ScreenFlow is video editing software that allows you to record your computer desktop.  I recently used this software to record the video "Installing & Using the Apple Podcast App." I also use this software to record instructional videos that can be used by my staff.  For example, in my bankruptcy law practice I use software to prepare the documents.  This software allows me to create an instructional video by recording my computer screen that can be used for employees to learn how to use the various software. While ScreenFlow can only be used on Apple Computers, there is software that does the same thing for Windows called Camtasia. Leave Feedback on the Podcast at iTunes!  

Have you ever wanted to do something big but didn't because you thought it was stupid - or were worried that someone else would think it was stupid?  In his new book The Power of Starting Something Stupid author Richie Norton teaches that it is the "stupid" ideas that have built companies and changed history. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this book and found the message inspiring and something that is badly needed in the legal arena.  If you are looking to venture out and start your own law practice, or even if you are looking to leave the law all together, The Power of Starting Something Stupid will give you the motivation you need to take that last step. Get a Free Copy of The Power of Starting Something Stupid! At the end of the podcast listen for the offer to get your own copy of The Power of Starting Something Stupid absolutely free.  This offer will only last through Friday, March 8th! Tools of the Trade This week's tool of the trade is SEOkeywordranking.com .  We all strive to be #1 in the Google search engine rankings, but how do we know if we are on the right track or if we are going nowhere fast?  SEO Keyword Ranking is a great service that will give you weekly updates on the ranking of up to 50 different keywords and phrases.  You can use the information to tweak your blog posts as you head on up the search engine results. Leave Us Some Feedback at iTunes!

Jeff Richardson is the author of the award winning blog iPhone J.D.  Jeff's blog is annually rated by the ABA Journal as one of its Top 100 Legal Blawgs and was selected as the #1 Technology Blog in 2010 and 2011 (and was barely nosed out of the top spot in 2012!). With over four years of blogging and nearly 1,000 blog posts under his belt, Jeff comes on the podcast to share tips on engaging with your blog audience, creating an effective work flow, and maintaining enthusiasm for your blog even after you have been writing for years.  Jeff also shares with us his Top 5 iPad Apps for lawyers. Tools of the Trade This week's Tool of the Trade is the website Music Bakery.  A common mistake made by new podcasters is to use music or sound effects without permission from the creator and/or without paying royalties to the sound creator. Music Bakery solves this problem by selling royalty-free music clips and sound effects that you can purchase to use in your podcast.  They are immediately down-loadable and come in clips as short as 6 seconds. If you are needing sound for your podcast Music Bakery is an excellent resource. Subscribe to the JDBlogger Podcast through iTunes and Leave Us a 5 Star Rating!

You can climb all the way to the top of Google's search rankings, but if you don't have compelling, engaging content for people to read when they get there you won't increase the number of clients coming into your law firm. In this week's episode of the JDBlogger Podcast I will discuss the 3 keys to creating truly engaging content that will help establish you as the authority in your area of the law, engage your readers, and build the necessary relationships of trust that will result in more clients. Tools of the Trade This weeks Tool of the Trade is Phrase Express.  This text-expander tool allows you to write entire letters or emails by typing a few letters.  I use this tool to write form emails that my office uses on a regular basis.  It is a huge time saver. Subscribe to JDBlogger Podcast Through iTunes!

Podcasting for lawyers.  If you are like most business owners you may wonder why in the world you would want to start a podcast and even if you are one of those brave souls who does want to jump in you may not be sure what you need to get started. In this episode of the JDBlogger Podcast I go over the two big questions of podcasting: Why and How?  Here are a few links to resources and equipment that are mentioned in the show: Podcasting  Microphones: Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone I used the Snowball microphone with my Consumer Warrior Podcast for the first 6 or 7 episodes.  You can check it out here and listen to the sound and decide for yourself.  Great little microphone but doesn't give quite the sound quality of the Heil PR40. Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone The Heil PR-40 is a great microphone for podcasting.  I started using this microphone exclusively when I launched the JDBlogger Podcast.  Delivers great sounds and makes you sound better on your podcast than you do in real life!  Definitely worth the investment. Podcasting Recording Software/Hardware I use Audacity to edit my podcasts however I used to record directly into my laptop using the Audacity software.  This is an open source produce and costs you nothing to download. Roland R-05 Studio WAVE/MP3 Recorder I now record my podcasts into my Roland R-05 recorder.  This is a great option for when you want to record outside of your office or studio and also helps you to avoid lost podcast episodes in the event that your hard drive crashes. Podcast Hosting The leader in the industry is Liberated Syndication (Libysn).  They are very reasonably priced and provide you with great analytics to monitor how you are doing. Podcast Training The King of Podcasting is Cliff Ravenscraft at the Podcast Answerman Podcast.  Cliff has two podcasting courses: the first one is free and will teach you the basics of getting your first episode up and on the airwaves. Learn How to Podcast Great free course to bring you up to speed on the fundamentals of podcasting. Podcasting A to Z  If you ready to take your podcast to the next level the A to Z Course is going to get you there.  This is a paid course but worth every penny.  If you put my last name "Skiba" in the check out box you will get $100 off the price of the course! Tool of the Trade This weeks Tool of the Trade is Buffer.  Buffer allows you to schedule out your posts and communications on your various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes and Leave us Your Feedback and Rating! * Some of the links to the above products are affiliate links - meaning I will receive a commission if you purchase those items.  This does not increase the cost to you.  But please know that I have used all of the above products and would recommend them regardless!

In this week's podcast episode I had the opportunity to interview attorney Jay Fleischman.  I consider Jay a mentor when it comes to marketing a law practice.  I first learned of his Legal Practice Pro website back in 2009.  It was there that I was introduced to content marketing and ways that I could build my law practice without breaking the bank. We  also discuss Jay's recent experiment with Google+.  For 30 days Jay abandoned his blog and posted all of his content directly on Google+.  Jay will tell you the results of this experiment and how it can impact you law firm marketing. Finally, Jay tells you what it means to be an 'untethered' lawyer - how he practices law from his home and keeps everything in the cloud.  If you are getting ready to launch your own practice this episode of the JDBlogger Podcast is a must listen. Tools of the Trade This week's Tool of the Trade is the recently released book by Amy Jo Martin, Renegades Write the Rules: How the Digital Royalty Use Social Media to Innovate.  Amy is the CEO of Digital Royalty, a company that helps companies and celebrities with their use of social media and online branding.  This book will help alter the way you look social media and how it can help you build your law practice. You can get Amy's book by clicking here : Renegades Write the Rules: How the Digital Royalty Use Social Media to Innovate Thanks again for all of you that have gone over to iTunes and left a 5 Star Rating for the Podcast.  You can head over to iTunes and leave us some feedback by clicking below: Leave a Review of the JDBlogger Podcast by Clicking Here!

Nothing says "law firm website" like a gavel or good ol' Lady Justice and her scales of justice!  In today's podcast episode we explore the topic of website design and how it can have a direct impact on your bottom line. My guest is Cynthia LaLuna, the Creative Director at Rowboat Media, a website design company that has a strong focus on building legal websites. We specifically discuss what factors you should consider when building a new website, what elements should be included in every legal website, and why you should strongly consider a mobile responsive website. Your law firm website is your platform from which you can spread your message and inform clients and potential clients alike.  Not only that, but your website is likely the first thing potential clients will see when they look into hiring you. Often, this is where the first impression is made - and you aren't even there.  Having a good website is a must in today's world. In this episode of the JDBlogger Podcast Cynthia walks us through the steps you can take to make sure your website portrays the image and message you want and converts visitors into clients! Tools of the Trade Today's Tool of the Trade is Pretty Link.  Pretty Link is a link cloaking and redirection service.  It allows you to take any link and turn it into a clickable custom link.  This is a great tool for podcasters and those who want to include links on written marketing materials to particular pages on their website . Pretty Link is a Wordpress plugin and there is a free version.  You an also upgrade to their pro version for $37. A big thanks to all those who have 'liked" my Facebook Fan Page and those have left a big 5 star rating through iTunes! Click Here to Subscribe to the JDBlogger Podcast and Leave a 5 Star Review!

Many attorneys want to get online and market their practice but aren't sure exactly where to start.  In this episode of the JDBlogger podcast I go over the fundamentals of content marketing and what you need to know to build your online platform. Specifically I address what content marketing is - and maybe more importantly what it is not. Next we will discuss why you should build your law firm brand on line, what your motivations need to be to be successful, and some tips on what it takes to build relationships of trust with potential clients. Finally, I will go over some of the "how" when it comes to building your brand.  What platforms are ideal for blogging, podcasting, and video, and what the most effective methods are for spreading the word about your great legal content! Tools of the Trade This week's Tool of the Trade is Istockphoto.com.  A key component of any blog and website is the visual.  A quality picture can draw people in to read your article when they otherwise might pass right on by.  In the podcast I discuss why I stopped using Flickr for my photos even though they are free and Istockphoto is not. Subscribe to JDBlogger through iTunes! Click to Tweet!!  

In today's episode I interview entertainment lawyer Gordon Firemark.  Gordon is a true pioneer in the area of lawyer podcasting with podcasts starting back in 2005.  He currently produces and hosts the Entertainment Law Update, a podcast for artists and professionals in the entertainment industries.  He is also the author of The Podcast, Blog and New Media Producer's Legal Survival Guide. In this episode Gordon shares his tips and secrets to creating a good workflow in preparing for and producing a podcast.  You will also learn tips on how to attract advertisers to your legal podcast and other monetization tips.  Whether you are preparing to start a podcast or have been producing one for years Gordon provides several ideas that will help you be successful. Tools of the Trade The Tools of the Trade for this week are promoted posts in Facebook and Facebook Ads.  Many people are unaware that the status updates they enter on Facebook are typically only seen by about 16% of their Facebook friends.  For a business owner trying to get the word out on a product or service this simply isn't a large enough number.  By 'promoting' your post you can get your post viewed by a significantly higher number of your friends or fans.  But it comes at a cost - $7 to be exact. I have used promoted posts with a lot of success and when I need a lot of eyeballs on a particular post it is well worth the $7. Another tool I use is Facebook Ads.  You can use them for various purposes, however I have used them to build my audience on my Facebook fan page for JDBlogger.  For many the problem isn't that they aren't producing great content; the problem is that it is not being exposed to enough people.  Through the use of Facebook ads you can build the number of 'Likes' on your fan page and increase the number of people who receive your content. Subscribe to JDBlogger through iTunes You can subscribe to the JDBlogger Podcast and even leave a review of the podcast by clicking HERE.

You made it through 2012.  Billed the hours.  Got your bonus.  Time to put the final touches on your plan to make the jump and start your own law practice. I have been in your shoes - twice!  On two separate occasions I started my own solo law practice.  In this week's podcast episode I go over some of the useful tips I have gained through often doing things the hard way. Here are a couple of the resources I mention in the podcast: Dropbox : is a file hosting service  that operates in the cloud.  It is great for storing files and viewing them on almost any device. Rocket Matter:  is an online practice management software that is also stored in the cloud and allows you to have a top of the line software without having to pay the big up front price. Call Ruby: is a virtual receptionist.  They will answer your calls, forward them to any phone you wish and will even email you the voice mails that are left by your clients. Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 Deluxe Bundle Sheet-Fed Scanner : premium scanner that can do high volume without taking up a lot of space. Elance: Great place for finding virtual assistants. Rowboat Media:  They have designed several websites for me.  They do a great job. JD Supra: I use them to distribute my blog articles.  This is a paid service but they do a great job. Tools of the Trade This weeks tool of the trade is Wordpress Editorial Calendar.  It will help you in planning your blog posts and scheduling them out over time.  Must have tool if you draft your blog articles in batches. Leo Laporte Keynote on Podcasting at New Media Expo 2013 Subscribe to the JDBlogger Podcast through iTunes!    

What do lung cancer and testicular torsion have to do with video marketing?  Medical Malpractice attorney Gerry Orginski tells us in this informative  interview. Gerry is the founder of the Lawyer's Video Studio, and  is a practicing attorney in the State of New York focusing on medical malpractice and personal injury law. Gerry has produced over 700 videos in marketing his law practice that have been viewed on YouTube nearly 500,000 times and recently released the book "Secrets of Lawyer Video Marketing in the Age of YouTube." In this interview Gerry discusses the powerful impact the use of video can  have on your legal marketing, the most effective techniques in creating and using video, and things you should definitely avoid.  If you have been thinking of implementing video into your overall marketing strategy this is a must listen to interview. Below is an example of the videos Gerry produces for his law practice: http://youtu.be/DUTrsTzbm2Q You can see more of Gerry's videos by visiting his YouTube channel and his law firm website. Tools of the Trade If you have been thinking of starting a podcast for your law practice there is no better time to jump on board.  2013 is going to be the year of the podcast and there is no better way to reach out to potential clients and make that connection that will result in more and better clients. A lot of lawyers hesitate when it comes to starting a podcast because they don't know where to start and are intimidated by the thought of producing their own podcast.  You can overcome these fears by learning directly from the master of podcasting Cliff Ravenscraft. Cliff is the "Podcast Answer Man".  Cliff offers a Podcasting A to Z course that will teach you everything you need from the ground up to start your very own podcast and sound like a pro. The next Podcasting A to Z course starts on January 14th, 2013.  You can click HERE to register and if you use the discount code "Skiba" in the shopping cart when you order you will receive an immediate $100 off the price of the course.  As an attorney, you are a professional.  You need to sound like a professional.  Check out the course.  You won't regret it! http://youtu.be/iv55nfajYr0