These 7 free online marketing tools will help solo lawyers get clients more efficiently, without eating into their budget.
Solo lawyers are constantly battling the three-headed monster of small firm practice: servicing client matters, dealing with firm admin and finding time for marketing. And with smaller budgets than bigger firms, solos also need to be careful about where they allocate funds.
Getting access to online tools that can make your marketing more efficient (that also don’t cost you a penny) is a big win for frugal solos.
Here are seven free marketing tools that you’ll love:
1. Hemingway Editor
We all strive to write clearly, concisely and efficiently. Hemingway Editor is an online editing tool. Simply copy and paste written copy into the app, and the site will highlight and color code text that needs editing.
Hemingway Editor will warn you about sentence complexity, phrases written in passive voice and unnecessary adverbs. All these tips will help your marketing copy, blog articles and social posts sound more powerful and persuading.
Website: hemingwayapp.com
2. IMPACT Blog Title Generator
According to advertising magnate David Ogilvy, people are five times as likely to read a headline as compared to the body copy. An article’s headline is the most important copy your audience will read. If it is unappealing or confusing no one will read it.
IMPACT Blog Title Generator is an online tool that automatically generates compelling headlines.
You pick the general type of article you are writing, for example, growth, improvement, productivity or opinion. It then gives dozens of headline suggestions, you just plug in the keywords.
In addition to delivering compelling headline suggestions, IMPACT Blog Title Generator is great for coming up with new article ideas, perfect for those bouts of writer’s block.
Website: impactbnd.com/blog-title-generator/blogabout
3. Canva
You put a lot of effort into writing stellar content but unless people find it, you’re wasting your time. In the crowded world of social media, well-designed images make content stand out.
Canva is an online design tool that doesn’t require specialized designed skills to create professional images (we created the feature of image of this post with Canva).
In Canva you can design print quality and web-friendly images that look like they were built by a professional graphic artist. The best part, Canva includes a library of stock images that only cost one dollar. Canva doesn’t require any photo credits like free creative commons services such as PhotoPin, making it the least expensive source for high quality stock images.
Website: canva.com
4. SumoMe
Getting others to share your content on social media is a great way to get free exposure to people outside your personal connections. SumoMe helps start that process. SumoMe is a WordPress plugin that adds social share buttons on your blog. The buttons are mobile friendly and easy to customize.
SumoMe also provides free heat maps of your web pages, showing you where visitors are clicking. This allows you to see what links on your webpages are popular, and where to add call-to-action links. For example, if many visitors are clicking on an image about consultations, you can link the image to a consultation signup form.
Additionally, SumoMe has a free pop-up utility that can be programmed to display at different times. The pop-up can be used to promote an eBook or webinar, or encourage visitors to sign up for your blog or ask questions.
Website: sumome.com
5. Buffer
Regularly posting to social media channels is useful for staying top of mind with leads, clients and referral sources. But posting social content can be time consuming.
Buffer is a free social media scheduling service that allows you to schedule posts. Buffer supports all social media channels and can schedule up to 10 posts per account at a time. This helps you to constantly keep your content in front of your audiences.
Website: buffer.com/
6. Asana
Asana is a simple-to-use digital tool that helps professionals organize and track tasks, including those delegated to others. Users can visualize the steps needed to complete a project or task.
For example, if you publish a weekly blog article and have several people working on it, Asana will keep everyone on the same page. It allows users to post comments on tasks, encouraging them collaborate and have open discussions directly on the site, reducing email clutter and saving a record of the conversation with the task. (Note from the author: We use Asana every day!).
Website: asana.com
7. Peek by User Testing
The overall experience visitors have while on your site will affect whether or not they become a client.
Peek is a free UX testing tool. Think of it like having your very own focus group — but for free. Peek helps determine if your site is attracting visitors, or sending them away.
Just give Peek your URL and an actual person will review the overall user experience of your site. Within hours they will send you a video link where a visitor walks you through their experience of your website. Use this feedback to work on giving visitors a better experience.
Website: peek.usertesting.com/
Hopefully, these tools will help you save time and money. Giving you more time to fight the good battle against the three-headed monster of solo practice.
What tools do you use to streamline your firm’s marketing? Let us know in the comments below.
