In just a few years, Youtube has grown from a small startup to one of the web's biggest companies.  Today, 25 percent of all bandwidth on the mobile web is consumed by streaming Youtube videos.  The website, with its famous “Youtube: Broadcast Yourself” slogan, serves 52 percent of all videos streamed worldwide.  How can you make Youtube videos work for your law firm?  Keep reading to find out.

The Problem With Videos—And How Youtube Videos Solve It

Study after study shows that videos are a great tool for legal marketing professionals.  Videos increase conversion rates significantly, and it's usually a good idea to have multiple videos on your law firm's website to increase the likelihood of visitors staying and eventually becoming paying clients.

However, videos have a problem: they're big.  A video file takes up much more room than an audio file, and that makes it difficult for many law firms to host videos on their own.  If you decide to host your own videos, you could easily end up on the hook for huge bandwidth charges from whoever is providing your web hosting services.

When you use Youtube to broadcast yourself, though, you'll be able to have video without using your own bandwidth.  Because Youtube is ad supported, the individual uploaders of Youtube videos don't have to pay for their own hosting or the bandwidth used.  In fact, if you're successful enough at using Youtube to broadcast yourself, you can actually make money from advertisements displayed next to your Youtube videos.

The Importance of Professional Production

It seems like practically every device today contains a camera, and many of those cameras are set up to quickly record and share video.  However, when your law firm uses Youtube to broadcast yourself, you shouldn't just use consumer video equipment to record your Youtube videos.

Why not?  Because these consumer devices simply don't give you the kind of video quality that most Youtube viewers are looking for, especially from a law firm.  You may be able to use Youtube to broadcast yourself with a cheap camera if you're just recording personal video blog entries, but professionals should stick to professional equipment.

If you don't have professional video recording equipment, you should consider hiring a professional company to help you produce Youtube videos.  Professionals can help you script your videos and display them on Youtube appropriately.  You'll be much better able to use Youtube to broadcast yourself if people see a professional, great looking video.

What Should My First Youtube Videos Be About?

Given the famous slogan, “Youtube: Broadcast Yourself,” it can be really tempting to make your first video all about you—a Youtube introduction, of sorts.  What you may not know is that when potential clients see Youtube videos where all you talk about is you or your law firm, they tune out—fast.

Attention spans on the internet are short, and most people don't trust or have time for a video that turns out to just be a self-serving advertisement.  Instead of using Youtube to broadcast yourself saying the same things that you might say in a thirty second television spot, consider making your Youtube videos about answers to common legal questions in a legal field you're an expert in.

When you're first starting to use Youtube to broadcast yourself, it's a good idea to keep the vast majority of your videos very short—usually just 2 or 3 minutes long.  Don't try to cram too much into those few minutes in your Youtube videos.  If you need more time for a topic, try to divide the topic into two or three different sub-topics, and make a unique Youtube video for each one.

The Importance of Titles

When you use Youtube to broadcast yourself, your Youtube videos will also be indexed by search engines like Google and Bing.  If you're already used to search engine optimization, videos work very similarly to websites, except that their titles are even more important.

You'll want to make sure that your Youtube videos have titles that are clear, direct, and contain a relevant keyword or keyword phrase that people may search for.  You'll also want to search engine optimize the description that Youtube will place underneath the video.  This description field is also a good place to use Youtube to broadcast yourself by linking to your firm's website.

Channels, Comments, and More

The more of your Youtube videos a visitor clicks on, the more likely they are to eventually become a client.  That's why it's best to create a Youtube channel so you can better use Youtube to broadcast yourself.  With a Youtube channel, you can create custom playlists so that your videos play automatically, one right after another.

You should also familiarize yourself with the comments system for Youtube videos.  Turning comments off on your Youtube content makes it much more difficult for your channel visitors to interact with your or ask questions.  

While it's true that not all comments for Youtube videos are positive, just let the occasional negative comment roll off your back—many of these comments are left by people who wouldn't make a positive comment no matter what.  Consistent negative comments may be cause for concern, and you should look at these comments as good feedback for your future videos.

Getting the Word Out

To make the most of your Youtube videos, you'll need to do more than making them highly search engine optimized.  Consider including your Youtube channel's web address on your business cards so that potential clients can check out your video content and get a feel for how you answer questions.

You should also try to use Youtube to broadcast yourself to a wider audience on social media websites.  Because Youtube videos can so easily be embedded in other content, it's easy to share this content with as many people as you're connected to on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.  You could even try submitting your Youtube content to news aggregator or social bookmarking sites like Reddit or Digg.
 

Video views on Youtube are expected to increase by 50 percent this year alone.  With statistics like that,  it's clear that law firms need to develop a Youtube strategy that takes into account the increasing popularity of videos and video marketing.  But how can you be sure that your strategy will work?  Here are five Youtube marketing tips for law firms that you can begin to implement right away—and some tips on what to do if your strategy fails.

Youtube Strategy #1: Find a Niche

Every minute of every day, about 13 hours of video is added to Youtube.  That number is only increasing, which means that you're going to need to stand out if you want to be noticed in the vast video wilderness.

One of the best ways to make sure that you stand out is to use niche marketing.  Of all the Youtube marketing tips you'll get, this is likely to be one of the most common and also one of the most useful.  Consider the areas your firm does best in, and what your best cases and clients tend to have in common.  This can become your niche area, and you can focus your Youtube strategy on catering to that niche.

The biggest reason that you'll see niche building in most lists of Youtube marketing tips is simple: niches are the best way, bar none, to make sure that you're getting traffic from search engine optimization efforts.  Without building a niche, you'll be competing with firms who have a much bigger web presence, and your Youtube strategy may fail even if your content is creative and unique.

Youtube Strategy #2: Promote Yourself

Don't be shy about showing off your Youtube videos.  It doesn't matter if you follow a hundred Youtube marketing tips—if you don't bother promoting your videos afterward, odds are they'll be seen by only a few people.  Consider using more than one Youtube strategy for promotion.  Maybe you want to link to your videos from your Facebook feed or LinkedIn page, or perhaps you'd like to embed them in your blog with an already-established readership.

You should also promote your videos by search engine optimizing them.  There are lists of specific Youtube marketing tips that can help you with SEO for Youtube videos, but in general, make sure that you have a title and description for each video that contains keyword phrases.  As part of this Youtube strategy, you should also search engine optimize your channel page, using a keyword phrase like “Denver car accident lawyer” or “family lawyer in Dallas” as part of your channel title to help you get more hits.

Youtube Strategy #3: …But Not Too Much

Promoting yourself is great, but before you go overboard with Youtube marketing tips, keep this in mind: no one likes a person who talks about themselves all the time.  Studies have shown that when people perceive that a Youtube video is an advertisement, they usually won't stay tuned in.  This means that your Youtube strategy should be to avoid too many mentions of yourself, your qualifications, or your firm.  You can mention all of these things, in a limited fashion, but going on about your firm's combined years of experience probably won't go over well.

Youtube Strategy #4: Channel Customization

When you begin to use Youtube marketing tips, you may just be uploading individual videos.  However, your Youtube strategy is likely to be significantly more effective if you also make sure that your channel is fully customized.

Channel customization appears in lists of Youtube marketing tips for several reasons.  First, it's a great way to make sure that your Youtube strategy has a similar visual appeal to your homepage and other places where you have a web presence.  Second, you'll do much better using Youtube marketing tips when visitors are becoming your followers, watching more than one of your videos at a time.  Channel customization makes it easier to turn a one-time viewer into a follower.

Youtube Strategy #5: Start a Dialogue

Another great way to turn viewers to followers is to start really conversing with the people who comment on or ask questions about your videos.  Having a video reply to a question is a great Youtube strategy, as is replying to a comment with a helpful comment of your own.

No matter what, you should keep your conversations with any visitors extremely polite and professional.  Even if someone says something rude or incorrect, try to respond gently and with patience.  You may be able to correct a common misconception while showing yourself to be a patient and understanding attorney.

It's sometimes easier to implement these Youtube marketing tips on your Facebook or LinkedIn page.  These websites, because they include contact lists of people you already know, provide you with an audience of the people who are most likely to want to engage in a dialogue with you.

What if My Youtube Strategy Isn't Working?

While Youtube marketing tips can take you a long way on your video marketing journey, every business is different.  Not every law firm will be successful with the same Youtube strategy.  If your Youtube videos aren't attracting the kind of attention you want, there could be several causes.

If you are having a hard time even getting viewers to see your Youtube videos, this may be because the videos aren't about topics that people find interesting.  It's also possible that they're not labeled or search engine optimized well enough for people to find them.

If you're drawing in plenty of viewers but can't drive conversions, perhaps you're putting your videos in front of the wrong viewers.  Try making your keywords more based in your geographic location, so that you get more viewers who are local and could more easily use your firm's services.  You can also work on putting direct ads for your Youtube channel on websites that are relevant to the topics you're covering.

Today, more companies than ever are using behavioral targeting techniques to find the best leads and the page views that are most likely to convert.  Making behavioral target marketing part of your marketing strategy can seem tough to start with, but it's also one of the best ways to get a great return on investment online.  Case studies have shown increases of 20 to nearly 200 percent in clicks and conversions when companies start using behavioral targeting.

How Does Behavioral Target Marketing Work?

Sometimes, the ads that people see when they visit a website are contextual—that is, they're based on the keywords on the page that they're looking at.  Contextual ads, like the ones that you can purchase on a per click basis with Google AdWords, are used by attorneys all over the United States.

However, the sheer number of contextual ads for attorneys online today can make them seem overwhelming.  Another way to target customers is to track their behavior on a lot of websites—to see what they're looking for and how they're shopping.  Ad networks put “cookies” onto people's computers that detect their behavior whenever they're viewing any of thousands of different websites.

Behavioral targeting lets you use that data to decide who sees your advertisements.  Not all potential clients can be reached with contextual or demographic targeting.  Behavioral target marketing lets you get to the exact clients you're looking for.

Is Behavioral Target Marketing Ethical?

Some people have been concerned about the potential for abuse of behavioral targeting data.  While it's true that a major security breach of ad network information could be very problematic, as long as you're using the most major providers of behavioral target marketing, security should be very tight.

The other ethics concern that can be problematic is tying your advertisements to the behavior of people when it suggests they're seeking someone else's website.  If your ad network detects that a web visitor is doing research on a competitor's law firm, advertising to them may be in violation of your state's ethics rules.  It's always a good idea to talk to your state bar association about their policies on advertising before you start a new type of campaign, including behavioral targeting.

What Does Behavioral Targeting Look Like?

Behavioral target marketing is something you've probably already seen online, even if you didn't have the words to describe exactly what it was before.  For example, have you ever been shopping at an online store for the first time, then saw advertisements for the same store a day or two later?  That's what behavioral target marketing looks like for many companies.

You can also see behavioral marketing on Amazon.com, which recommends products based on what you've looked at before.  These kinds of behavioral targeting have led retailers to make big gains, because not everyone behaves in the way that their demographic data suggests that they would.  Even, say, a 23 woman who is interested in motorcycle parts or a 58 year old man who loves to bake cupcakes would be served well by behavioral target marketing, but not demographically based marketing.

How Do Law Firms Use Behavioral Target Marketing?

Not all companies that use behavioral targeting are retailers.  Providers of services, like law firms, can often use the same kinds of “remarketing” capabilities that retailers are using.  Let's say someone had already looked at your law firm's website earlier in the day.  By joining an ad network and doing behavioral target marketing, you can get your logo back in front of them the next time they're shopping online or reading their favorite web forums.

You can also use ad networks to do behavioral targeting on people who are shopping for services similar to the ones you're providing.  This can be a great way to identify people who are ready to convert and are already doing research on law firms.

You may also want to use behavioral target marketing on your website.  Behavioral targeting on websites has as its aim giving each visitor a personalized experience based on their previous behavior on your site or on someone else's website.  

Do I Have To Do Behavioral Target Marketing Myself?

Okay, so you're not a behavioral targeting wizard yet, but there's good news: you don't have to try to handle it all by yourself.  In addition to a number of free web resources, like blogs about behavioral target marketing, you can also hire a targeting company to help you use this new type of advertising.  Even a single consultation can help you get your behavioral targeting strategy on track.

You can assign as much or as little responsibility as you want to a behavioral target marketing company.  However, you may want to try to arrange a deal in which you keep access to any data that is collected about your company.  This lets you be sure of your security even if you decide later to stop doing business with the behavioral targeting company you're using, and lets you use the data for later behavioral marketing campaigns.

Behavioral Target Marketing For Mobile

As more of the web goes mobile, it's important to use at least one big form of behavioral targeting.  You want to make sure that the user experience for your mobile users is geared toward their devices, rather than offering them a poorly functioning version of your desktop site.

As you begin to customize your website for mobile users, consider expanding your behavioral target marketing so that you're advertising to these users.  They're uniquely positioned to call your firm quickly after starting to research your site, and you need to attract these customers fast: studies show they're less likely to go to even the second page of search results before finding a lawyer they want to call.

How is Behavioral Target Marketing Changing?

Some of the biggest advances in behavioral targeting right now are being made in the area of analytics.  Being able to understand why some people will click on an ad but others won't can help you to identify even narrower target markets with an excellent value per click.  If you hire a behavioral targeting company to help with your new marketing campaign, they can help you arrange split tests so that you can figure out whether behavioral target marketing is working for your company.

Search Engine Optimization Tips and Techniques

Why use Search Engine Optimization Services?

Google search engine optimization or SEO for any other search engine can easily increase the amount of web traffic to your website.  Attorneys may choose to hire search engine optimization services, or they may decide to handle their website and marketing themselves. 

If you want to handle Google search engine optimization yourself, this article will provide you with valuable search engine optimization tips that can increase clientele and save you from branding your firm with a bad reputation. 

General Search Engine Optimization Tips

While trying to increase your Google search engine optimization, the following tips will prove helpful.  For specific search engine optimization services, visit next section of this article. 

1. Build the Best Website Possible

In order to get the best results from Google search engine optimization, you need to build a website that is not only regularly updated and visually striking but adapted for search engine optimization services as well. 

Many attorneys decide to hire a web designer while building a website and many web designers can offer search engine optimization services as well.  A good website will usually contain blogs, videos, links to social networking, and more.  Some of the best search engine optimization tips for your website include the following:

·         set up a URL that is adapted for SEO, including the name of your firm, the location of your firm, and more

·         use hyphens in your URL instead of an underscore—hyphens are treated as spaces

·         include one or several site maps that can help a search engine navigate your page

·         set up your page titles to include the most important keywords for SEO

·         use keywords as anchor text while you link internally in your website

·         sign up with Google Webmaster Central for help with Google search engine optimization

If you hire outside search engine optimization services, be sure to discuss how the search engine optimization tips listed above can add to your campaign. 

2. Be Patient while maximizing your Google search engine optimization

While researching search engine optimization tips and services, know that SEO is an ongoing process and that building up your SEO is not an overnight ordeal.  In order to increase your Google search engine optimization, keep the content your website as updated as possible. 

The best way to keep your website updated is to revise all necessary content, start and devote yourself to a blog, attach videos to your website, provide links to social networking sites, and more.  The more you keep your website updated, the more the public will access your website. 

Popular Search Engine Optimization Services

Attorneys should consider using the following services to access new search engine optimization tips and material to increase their Google search engine optimization.  Some of the best search engine optimization services include the following:

Google AdWords

The best search engine optimization tips and services available to increase your firm’s visibility on Google is the pay per click (PPC) tool called AdWords.  The program offers several search engine optimization services, including bid-based advertising and tools to track traffic data to your website. 

The keyword tool under AdWords is one of the most valuable search engine optimization services.  The tool allows you to search for terms your customers may be searching for, and the program will provide you with a large list of similar terms.  The best search engine optimization tips provided by AdWords include choosing keywords that will allow you to stay out of a large list of similar services and choosing a keyword that is still commonly accessed by the public. 

AdWords also allows users to advertise their services to enhance Google search engine optimization.  The advertisements are usually listed on the right-hand margin or at the top of the page, but if you use the search engine optimization services and find you can still draw in a large amount of clients without the pricy advertising, you may want to end your advertisement campaign. 

AdWords can also provide an attorney with other valuable search engine optimization tips like monthly clicks, reports and much more. 

Google Places

The search engine optimization services offered by this program allow you to enhance your Google search engine optimization locally.  This service allows consumers to view your firm’s listing even if they don’t visit your website.  This tool can automatically adjust search results by referencing your ISP and the search history of other clients. 

There are other search engine optimization services that can provide you with valuable search engine optimization tips and monitoring information.  Consider the services below to enhance your Google search engine optimization:

·         Google Analytics

·         StatCounter

·         AWStats

Quick Search Engine Optimization Tips

The following search engine optimization tips will help you increase your SEO and use search engine optimization services more efficiently:

·         indicate the name of the top city and state your law firm is trying to target

·         indicate the top services your practice is trying to provide to the public

·         combine your geographic location, area of practice, and “attorney” instead of “lawyer” in your target keywords

·         make sure to put your firm’s mailing address and contact information in the footer or navigation area of your website

·         talk about your top areas of practice on the main page of your website

·         make sure the content of your website is adjusted to your audience

·         set you’re your links on your website to add to Google search engine optimization

·         consider posting videos that are currently found on your website on sites like YouTube and Google Videos

·         set up a schedule to edit and update the content on your website every couple of weeks

Unbiased Consumer Report on Web Analytics Services

The Best Web Analytics for your Website

If you’re an attorney and you’re finally deciding to access web analytics services, you need to consider your financial resources and whether you’re willing to hire outside help.  A general rule to consider before choosing the best web analytics software for your firm is the “90/10” rule. 

The Best Web Analytics Services on the Market Today

There are other web analytic services out there, but based upon reviews from various sources across the internet, the best web analytics are listed below:

1. Google Analytics

This is often considered the best web analytics software out there because over 50% of the top 10,000 websites use this software.  Most firms start with these free web analytic services and decide to move on to other services if they choose.  There are number of unique tools offered by this software, and there is a large amount of Google Webmaster tools that can be run alongside Google Analytics.

2. Yahoo Web Analytics

Some of the top legal websites prefer the web analytics services offered by Yahoo because of better access control options a more simple approach if you’re using services for multiple websites.  Many firms consider Yahoo one of the best web analytics services between they offer both raw and real time data analysis along with visitor behavior and reports for demographics. 

3. Crazy Egg

Some consider this service one of the best web analytics programs because if offers heat maps and tracks the visitors movements throughout the website.  The web analytics services offered by Crazy Egg cost anywhere from $9 to $99 per month, but the program does offer a 30-day money back guarantee. 

4. Compete

This service is often considered one of the best web analytics programs because, for one, it publishes the approximate number of visitors from around the world to the top 1,000,000 websites on the web.  The webs analytics services offered by Compete are free for simple traffic data, but the provider charges services for unique tools offered by no other service.  Compete allows you to track keywords that are sending users to your own website and to your competitors as well. 

5. Open Web Analytics

Some consider this one of the best web analytics services out there because of it simple and open source setup.  The web analytics services offered by Open Web Analytics are free and compare closely to the services offered by Google Analytics.  Additionally, Open Web Analytics offers certain programs that Google Analytics cannot offer without a third party like tracking for WordPress and MediaWiki.  If you’re looking for simple and free web analytics services, Open Web Analytics may be the service for you. 

6. GetClicky

If users switch from Google Analytics to another service, a large percentage will choose GetClicky.  This service is often considered one of the best web analytics programs because it offers real time data compared to Google Analytics that offers data from the day before.  If you’re looking for spikes in visitors from outside sources like social media, the web analytics services offered by GetClicky are some of the best out there along with SEOmoz Pro Tools and others.

7. Optimizely

This is a fairly new service but already one of the best web analytics services out there.  The one downside to the services is that they can cost anywhere from $19 to $399 per month.  The web analytics services allow a firm to create experiments with the site’s visual interface and conduct testing for different formats.  You need no coding or programming background to use these web analytics services. 

8. KissMetrics

This service is considered one of the best web analytics programs because of its simplicity and ability to receive feedback from actual clients.  Additionally, a firm can manage the entire list of questions they’re asking customers on a single dashboard, and the customer feedback comes in through short comments. 

9. Piwik

This service is also a free open source tool and compares closely to Open Web Analytics and Google Analytics as well.  In order to install these services, you need to download and install the PHP MySQL software on your own webserver.  The installation process will take about 5 minutes and you’ll be given a JavaScript code.  You can then plug the tag on the websites you wish to track and receive real time feedback. 

10. ClickTale

This is one of the best web analytics programs for seeing how clients are using your website.  The web analytics services offered by ClickTale allow you to see exactly what clients are doing on your website and provides a heat map for the interaction from consumers. 

More Web Analytics Software

If your firm wants to focus primarily on search engine optimization, it should consider the services listed below:

·         Raven

·         SEOmoz Pro

·         BuzzStreams

·         AnalyticsSEO

·         WebCEO Online

·         DIYSEO

·         Advanced Web Ranking

Conclusion to the Best Web Analytics Programs

Although there are other web analytics services out there, those listed above seem to have made the most impact on the internet thus far.  Nobody can tell you which services are best for your website, but you should consider reading customer reviews and other information before committing to a service. 

If you believe you can obtain better results from other web analytics services, you should consider switching.  Many of the services that require you to pay charge per month, but many of the services are free.  If you’re hiring outside help, ask them for recommendations as well. 

Determining the Perfect Web Analytics Solution for your Website

Deciding What Web Site Analytics Service to Use for your Firm

There are usually four things to consider before reaching your web analytics solution: your needs, the complexity of the web site analytics software, the support provided by the company, and the overall reputation of the services. 

Because most legal websites are content driven and lead-generating, your objectives from web site analytics might include the following:

·         increasing readers and interest by measuring the time spent on the site, the number of page views, the number of subscribers, and the number of cancellations

·         increasing readers and interest by measuring downloads, rejections on contact pages, and your leads-to-close ratio

Determining your Needs from the Web Site Analytics Software

When determining the best web analytics solution for your website, you’ll want to make the following considerations:

1. Do you need a software package or an Application Service Provider?

If you’re considering a software package for your web site analytics, you’ll want to consider the amount of information you need to assess, the cost of the software, and the ability of your firm to handle the technical part of the software. 

If you’re considering an application service provider (ASP) for your web analytics solution, you’ll want to consider factors such as how many sites can be tagged, whether or not the cookies are from a third party, and whether or not you’ll have problems loading certain pages. 

2. What kind of reports do you need for you web analytics solution?

Firstly, you’ll have to decide how often you need updated reports and if you need real-time reports.  You’ll also want to decide the complexity of the reports offered by the web site analytics software.  For example, can you start off with simple reports and progress to more complex reports as your website grows?

3. What is your current budget?

You’ll need to decide how much you can spend per month for the web site analytics software.  If you’re hiring outside help, you’ll need to determine what services you can afford on top of paying for the outside help.  Additionally, the best web analytics solution involves determining your needs in the future and the related costs if you choose to improve the web site analytics software. 

Determining the Capabilities of the Web Site Analytics Software

The best web analytics solution will take the following considerations into mind:

1. What general workload can the software handle?

You’ll have to decide if the software can handle increasing amounts of data at certain amount of time.  Can you customize the results you obtain from the web site analytics software?  Additionally, does the software offer customer relationship management (CRM)?  You’ll need software that can help you understand client interaction with your website apart from simply measuring page views and related tools. 

2. Further Considerations about Reports for your Web Analytics Solution

Again, you need to consider how fast you can receive reports.  Does the software offer reports for different timeframes if needed?  Additionally, do you have attorneys in your firm speaking several different languages?  If so, you’ll have to decide if the web site analytics software allows you see reports in numerous languages. 

3. How does the interface work?

Don’t rely simply on the look of the interface while determining the best web analytics solution.  Sometimes the best looking interfaces only offer limited services, and sometimes it’s the other way around.  Decide you needs from the software and how user-friendly the software is for you and other members in the firm. 

Determining the Amount of Support Offered by the Web Site Analytics Software

It’s likely that you’re going to experience trouble in handling the web site analytics software during the beginning and while you start using new features.  Part of your web analytics solution should consist of investigating the technical support offered by the service.  Consider the following factors:

·         Does the web site analytics software have documents or educational tools for training online or offline?

·         Does the software have information posted about technical support on their website?

·         Is technical support offered 24 hours a day or not?

·         Does the software offer support forums for certain issues like installation and maintenance?

·         Are there instructions for installing the web site analytics software on the company’s main website?

Determining the Overall Reputation for your Web Analytics Solution

Apart from investigating the technical support offered by the software, you should also consider other factors to get an understanding of the company’s reputation while deciding on your web analytics solution.  A company’s reputation can be understood by considering the following factors:

·         How long has the web site analytics software been available to the public?

·         Are the services offered for free or do you have to pay a fee every month?

·         If the services are provided with a fee, does the service offer a trial period?

·         How often are new versions of the software offered to the public?

·         Is the web site analytics software the main service provided by the company?

·         Are there positive customer reviews on the website and throughout the internet?

·         Does it seem like the company is committed to research?

·         Does the company offer a blog?

·         Does the company offer services that can add dynamics to the software?

Conclusion for your Web Analytics Solution

Every law firm is different, and the points within this article are only recommendations for your web analytics solution.  Although most firms access only one type of analytical software, you may decide you use several different resources to measure your results across different mediums.

For example, there is software out there that simply analyzes social media performance, and many of these services provide tools that normal software cannot provide.  By deciding your needs, the complexity of the web site analytics software, the support provided by the company, and the overall reputation of the services, you’ll be on your way to the best web analytics solution. 

What is CPM: A Complete Guide

What is a CPM?

A common CPM definition falls below:

CPM is a commonly used measurement within online advertising as well as radio, television, and print media meaning “cost per mille” or “cost per thousand.” 

In other words, the CPM definition is how much money a publisher makes off of posting 1000 advertisements for a certain amount of viewers. 

What is a CPM Calculation?

A common calculation for CPM includes the following:

1.       Total Cost of Running the Advertisement: $10,000

2.       The estimated amount of viewers: 1,500,000

What is CPM total: ($10,000 / 1,500,000) X 1000= $6.67 per thousand views

What is CPM Standard Formatting?

The Interactive Advertising Bureau is mainly responsible for establishing the CPM definition for advertisement formats and more.  The IAB is made up of more than 500 media and technology companies that sell about 86% of all online advertising in the United States.  The IAB recommends standards and practices for interactive advertising, and the Bureau is headquartered in New York City and has an office in Washington, D.C.

What is CPM Advertising and how does it compare to CPC (Cost per Click) Advertising?

Another CPM definition includes a pricing model that charges advertiser for impressions (the number of time people view the advertisement).  The main problem with the CPM definition is that advertisers are charged even if the target audience fails to click on the advertisement.

CPC advertising is sometimes preferred by advertisers because the advertiser is only charged with the consumer clicks on the advertisement.  The only problem with CPC advertising is that keywords used in such advertising have become extremely expensive to bid on—especially in the legal field. You’ve likely seen legal advertisements on a search engine after searching for a legal term or service.  The CPC ads that appear on the first results page are extremely expensive and can make up a large percentage of the firm’s advertising budget.

What is a CPM Targeted Campaign?

A targeted CPM is somewhat of a new CPM definition.  More and more websites have turned to what is a CPM target campaign instead of a simple banner advertisement.  A targeted CPM model includes the following:

·         gives the advertiser the option to include a small graphic or logo in the text

·         unlike PPC ads, a targeted CPM format allows for only a few ads on a page to increase visibility

·         the CPM advertising model still works on keywords

·         impressions, clickthroughs and even conversions are tracked with CPM

·         a CPM advertisement can often be changed

What is CPM Pricing History?

According to a CPM definition for pricing from MediaLife Magazine in 1998 to 1999, the rates dropped from $45 to $39.  In just two years, MediaPost provided a CPM definition for the price of banner ads, which had dropped as far as $5. Although the prices for what is a CPM advertisement have dropped significantly in just over 10 years, some CPMs remain fairly high for highly targeted websites. 

What is CPM Preferable Formatting?

According to the IAD, the total amount of revenue from ad formatting in 2011 totaled $31.7 billion.  The most common types of ad formats include the following, and the most common is listed at the top:

·         search 47%

·         display/banner 22%

·         classifieds 8%

·         digital video 6%

·         lead generation 5%

·         mobile 5%

·         rich media 4%

·         sponsorship 4%

·         email 1%

What is CPM Advertising?

Several different types of advertisements and the CPM definition are provided below:

What is a CPM Display?

This CPM definition includes  an advertiser that pays a legal website for a space to display a static, hyperlinked, or logo ad on one or more of the pages.

What is CPM Sponsorship?

This CPM definition includes custom content for the advertiser which may or may not include different elements of advertising.  Spotlight sponsorship may include a custom built page; advergaming may include buying slots around a game; content & section may include a particular section of the website or email; sweepstakes & contests may include a branded contest with submissions and more.

What is CPM Emailing?

The email CPM definition may include banner ads, links, email marketing campaigns, or other types of email communications.

What is a CPM Search Ad?

A CPM definition for a Search ad includes several different types of lists or links that the advertiser pays firms to link their ad to certain domain names or specific search words.  The different types are explained below:

1.       paid listings- test appears at the top or side of search results

2.       contextual search- text appears in the article based on the content of the article

3.       paid inclusion- listing is determined by search algorithms

4.       site optimization- modifies a site to allow search engine to automatically index the site

What is CPM Rich Media?

A good CPM definition for this type of advertisement includes advertisements that allow for animation and/or interactivity.  This advertisement can also occur on a banner, button, or an interstitial.

What is a CPM Digital Commercial?

The CPM definition for this type of advertisement includes a TV-like advertisement that appears as an in-page video commercial before, during, or after a certain amount of content is obtained by the viewer.  The direct form as to what is a CPM digital is abstract and may include live, archived or downloadable content.

What is CPM Mobile Advertising?

The CPM definition for mobile advertising is when the content is adjusted and delivered through a mobile device such as a smart phone or a tablet.  A CPM advertisement over a mobile device will usually take the form of a mobile website, mobile app, or text message. 

What is CPM: Conclusion

The  question to what is a CPM advertisement is complicated, and prices for different kinds of a CPM definition can greatly vary.  Most of the major providers for online advertising like Google and Yahoo operate under PPC advertising (pay per click), but CPM is still a popular option for certain kinds of advertising. 

From a website designed to connect a few thousand college students with each other, Facebook has grown into a multinational behemoth with nearly 1 billion users worldwide.  This popularity may make you wonder if your law firm should put ads on Facebook.  You may be asking: “How do Facebook ads work?”  Wonder no longer—this guide will lead you through the basic types of ads on Facebook and how to get the most from your budget for Facebook ads.

Types of Ads on Facebook: The Sidebar Ad

One of the easiest ways to start using Facebook ads is to run advertisements on the sidebar.  You can go from not knowing how do Facebook ads work to using them consistently in your advertising strategy within days by mastering these tools.

When you post sidebar ads on Facebook, it's a little bit like paying for clicks using a service like Google AdWords.  In fact, you'll pay for clicks in much the same way, but you won't pay for exactly the same kind of targeting.  Instead of paying for particular search keywords, because Facebook is based on people, not searches, you choose what kind of people you want to advertise to.

This demographic based search can help you to divide your ads on Facebook.  You can get a good feel for how do Facebook ads work for targeting on the website itself.  You'll see a lot of ways to target your Facebook ads, and can start to think about who's likely to want what kind of message.

The greatest thing about learning how do Facebook ads work is that you'll be able to post so many different ad campaigns to so many different types of people.  This kind of segmentation is key to creating great ads on Facebook—don't try to make Facebook ads that appeal to everyone.  Make them appeal to one key demographic, and then use them accordingly.

How Do Facebook Ads Work: The Sponsored Story

The answer to “how do Facebook ads work?” has actually changed significantly in recent years.  A few years ago, sidebar ads were just about the only kind of ads on Facebook.  Today, though, a new kind of advertising, the sponsored story, has begun.

If you're now wondering how do Facebook ads work for this kind of story, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.  Your Facebook ads can now appear directly in someone's news feed as a story.  This makes conversions much more likely.

How do Facebook ads work for targeting, when they're sponsored stories?  About the same way.  This means you can also target your ads on Facebook to show up on the news feeds of your friends, fans, and their friends.  This kind of connections-based marketing is a great way to make sure your Facebook ads are seen by as many people as possible.

How Do Facebook Ads Work: Poll Ads

Another kind of interesting Facebook ad is the poll ad.  Sponsored polls are a great way to attract attention and clicks with your ads on Facebook—by opening up a question for responses, you're doing what social media does best.

Poll ads are one of the best examples of how do Facebook ads work differently from other social media advertising.  Very few other advertising platforms give you the kind of versatility that Facebook offers, and very few give so much opportunity for potential clients to interact with your advertisement.

How Do Facebook Ads Work: Video Advertising

If figuring out “how do Facebook ads work?” is seeming overwhelming, perhaps Youtube's more your style.  If you can make a video recording, you can easily post it on Youtube.  While Youtube videos aren't technically ads on Facebook, you can use them in much the same way, posting them to your news feed.

You may also want to try recording video responses to questions that you have seen asked in Facebook comments.  These video responses are a great way to engage with potential customers without even paying for ads on Facebook.  Research has shown over and over again that ads and websites with videos are much more likely to convert new clients than those without video recordings.

Trends in Ads on Facebook

Right now, more and more Facebook ads are going mobile.  Mobile optimized ads on Facebook are a great way to appeal to a broad young demographic that increasingly uses mobile phones for multiple hours a day.  If you want to learn how do Facebook ads work on the mobile app, try downloading it onto your own smartphone or tablet PC and looking at where the different types of ads appear.

Sponsored story mobile app Facebook ads can have a click rate that's up to to ten times higher than the click rate on the desktop version of Facebook's website.  This means that if you have a client base that is at all likely to use smartphones, you need to be taking advantage of mobile ads on Facebook.

One of the other biggest trends in Facebook advertising is hyperlocal advertising.  When you're doing ads on Facebook, you will be able to actually target your advertisements on a particular location, or even a certain zip code.  When combined with mobile targeting, this becomes even better: you can target people who are driving or walking near your office right now.

Checking the Performance of Your Facebook Ads

It's never a good idea to just trust that your ads on Facebook are working exactly as expected.  Instead, you should routinely use some sort of analytics program to help you understand what's working and what needs improvement.  Your goal with analytics should be to continuously improve your Facebook ads.

Testing a wide range of audiences for your ads on Facebook can help you identify new target audiences.  It's also great for noticing new trends that may have to do with the time of day, the day of the week, or even the changing seasons.  A wide variety of free tools can help you interpret the data you get about your Facebook ads.

If you're working with a limited budget to advertise your firm, Youtube advertising costs will limit where your ad can appear on Youtube and other websites.  Because Youtube advertising revenue is so high, advertising on the front page for just a day costs about $400,000!  You'll be relieved to know that your Youtube advertising costs can be much more reasonable.  Here are seven tips to minimize your Youtube advertising costs and strengthen your Youtube advertising revenue.

Tip #1: Making Conversion-Ready Videos

Not all videos are created equally when it comes to generating conversions.  You can keep your Youtube advertising costs per conversion down with a high-conversion video.  What can you do to keep your conversions up?  Several things, and it starts with having the right equipment.

If you turn on a Youtube video and it's grainy or out of focus, odds are, you're going to press the “back” button right away.  So will your viewers, so it's absolutely imperative that you have a great looking video before you upload it.  Don't try to get away with home equipment unless it's absolutely necessary—to really bring in Youtube advertising revenue, you really need professional gear.

Some companies actually specialize in helping law firms create video to generate Youtube advertising revenue.  These specialty firms know what works and what doesn't, and can help you plan your video marketing strategy.  While this may increase your Youtube advertising costs in the short term, professionally produced videos will continue to draw in viewers for a long time.

Tip #2: Minimizing Youtube Advertising Costs With Targeting

Another way to solidify your Youtube advertising revenue is to make sure that you're targeting the right markets.  If your videos are being seen by huge numbers of people, but you're not getting conversions, you've got one of two problems: bad content or bad targeting.

First of all, make sure that when you're targeting your Youtube videos, you're using location as one of your primary targeting methods.  If you're not using location keywords, your Youtube advertising costs are already significantly higher than they need to be.

Tip #3: Using Bid Management Software

Bids don't always cost the same amount, and your Youtube advertising costs can vary from hour to hour or day to day.  In order to maximize your Youtube advertising revenue, consider using a bid management program that can place your bids and track them to identify when you have the best opportunity to get traffic most cheaply.

Recent surveys have shown that less than 20 percent of law firms are actually using any bid management software other than what is provided by Google AdWords.  Remember, AdWords is trying to make money for itself—it may not always give you the best advice about what to bid and when.  Bid management software is one of the simplest ways to lower your Youtube advertising costs, so it's surprising more companies aren't including it in their Youtube advertising revenue toolkit.

Tip #4: Sharing Your Youtube Videos

Once you've got a video up that you know is a winner, it's time to tell everyone—and that means everyone.  Fortunately, today's social media websites make it easy to talk to many of the people you know with the click of a mouse.  Your Youtube advertising costs will go down when your organic search results go up—that means getting viewers and getting linked from other places on the web.

Sharing Youtube videos can go beyond LinkedIn and Facebook.  Consider submitting video responses to other videos that you've found interesting—or ones you've found misleading about the law.  This extends your reach and will lead to your videos being seen by more viewers who are already interested in the topics you're discussing.

Tip #5: Paid Advertising For Your Youtube Videos

If your Youtube videos are so great that you want to tell the world in order to maximize your Youtube advertising revenue, consider using direct ads on other websites.  You may want to focus your direct advertising on other websites that are video-intensive, to make sure that video viewers are attracted to your Youtube channel.

Make sure that you're monitoring results constantly and that you don't advertise the same video for too long.  Most of your Youtube advertising revenue will usually come from the first few days of advertising.  While it can make Youtube advertising costs higher to make new content often enough, it's the best way to ensure that your content is being seen.

Tip #6: Making Your Custom Channel

It will be much easier to bring in Youtube advertising revenue if you can get viewers to see several videos in your channel, not just the video that brought them there.  Custom channels, which change the look of Youtube to reflect your brand, can help you to present a similar image on your Youtube channel to the image you present on your website.

While law firms may only want to use custom channel settings if their Youtube advertising revenue are already high, this can be a great tool for integrating the look your clients already know into your video channel.

Make sure that your custom channel is easy to use, as well as looking good.  All the branding in the world won't help if videos are poorly organized or hard to find in your custom channel.  Keep new content flowing so that viewers don't get board, and you'll be well on your way to sharp increases in Youtube advertising revenue.

Tip #7: Responding and Participating

If someone makes a negative comment on Youtube, you should be prepared to analyze it honestly.  In some cases, they may have just given you advice that you can use to increase your Youtube advertising revenue.  In others, they may just be trolling—deliberately making an abusive, threatening, or unserious comment to derail the conversation.

Trolls can be flagged and deleted from your Youtube comments, but don't just delete anything critical.  Be willing to respond to criticism in a polite and fair manner.  By participating with the viewers you have, you'll increase conversions and your Youtube advertising revenue.