I've been reading The Big Short by Michael Lewis (great book by the way). At the very beginning of the book, before the story even starts, Mr. Lewis has a quote from Leo Tolstoy that encompasses many of the themes you are about to encounter.
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.
What struck me about the quote was the relevancy it has for lawyers and the various attitudes towards online marketing.
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already
The attorney that has an open mind about the possibilities and strategies available tends to see the best results. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing a firm online. There are strategies that work well for a particular firm, individual, and practice area but not so much for another.
Those lawyers that are open to new ideas, new tools, new communities, and new platforms will thrive. Online marketing should be an extension of your offline reputation and persona. In the end, the best online marketing is about relationship building and growing out your network and connections. In our own consulting business, the lawyers that come to us wanting to try new ideas and are open to learning different approaches to generating clients online are the ones who have the most success.
but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.
The biggest roadblock to success are attorneys with a minimal understanding of online marketing but complete confidence about what they need to do for success.
I speak with attorneys that assure me they don't need to blog. Others that tell me they don't need to add content to their website. They don't need to cultivate relationships and put the time into developing their online reputation. What they need is for me to get them ranked #1 for a random keyword phrase they pulled out of their hat.
As the quote above so eloquently points out, it's difficult to convince someone with a closed mind of the possibilities that lay before them.
Here's a recent Google SERP for "๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ." Ads? โLSAs? โLocal Pack? โLinks? โ ๐ท AI Overview? โ 6 firms listed. Only one tiny ๐. Click the ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ button? ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐: Here's a more detailed look at some of these firms: THE PEARCE LAW FIRM, P.C.Edith Pearce, […]
On April 22, 2025, Google sent an email updating Local Services Ads Additional Terms for Providers: Subject: Action required: important updates to Local Service Ads Additional Terms Many people are arguing that lawyers cannot participate in Local Services Ads, as this would constitute a per se violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct related to […]
Conrad and I recently joined Zack at Lawyerist to record a conversation about AI and marketing. You might think that we spend the whole time on how lawyers can use AI to publish content. You'd be wrong. While AI can certainly support publishing, there are many more interesting ways to use it in legal marketing. […]
As more legal services consumers turn to ChatGPT for local law firm recommendations, a fascinating intersection between AI, search, and maps unfolds. While Google remains the undisputed leader in local business data, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming an entry point for searchers seeking legal representation. But hereโs the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: โข PPC Ads โข SEO Rankings โข Lead Generation Very few want to talk: โข Brand โข Trust & Recognition โข Emotional Connection Admittedly, much of this concerns that AttorneySync is known for lead generation across those common digital channels. But even when we start […]
According to an October 2024 study by SE Ranking: "The legal niche triggers the highest percentage of AIOs (77.67%). The average number of links matched between the AI Overview resources and the top 20 search results was 6.49 for legal topics. AI Overviews for legal topics most frequently link to NYCourts.gov (114 links), YouTube.com (48 […]
I'm grateful for my friend, Charley Mann of Law firm Alchemy. If you're a lawyer, subscribe to his Free Email List. In a recent email, Charley calls out bad guru advice on hiring: "Trying to execute a major SEO improvement? You need to find people who will help you, instead of trying to DIY it […]
If youโve spent any time on LinkedIn, youโve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an โup and to the rightโ trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And itโs not just the agencies celebratingโ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ […]
Meh, links! All things being equal, links still tend to move the dial more than any other factor in legal SERPs. Maybe links are having a diminishing impact internet-wide. But in my experience, quality links, especially relevant links (both topically and geographically), tend to improve law firm visibility in search more than most everything else. […]
I agree with this article. In more than 8 years of working in the legal field (paralegal), it is amazing how rampant the "we are doing it this way because we've always done it this way" attitude is, even with young, up and coming attorneys. And they miss out on so much opportunity because of it.
In fact, one firm I worked for that does television marketing really doesn't get it. Their advertising speaks to a completely different market than the one they serve. Yet, they continue to pour money into the spots. Maybe they need to get out of their bubbles a little and see what other professions are doing that works.
Great post. Learning to learn from and trust others is a big step. I often describe it in business as knowing the difference between an investment and an expense, and how you know and explain it tells a lot.