Hello, I am Kyle Ean Haggerty, Director of Business Development with Ingage Biz, Digital Marketing and Public Relations, and this is your "Marketing Moment." 

I have two questions for you. 

First, what would people say about you if I said your name? 

Second, what would your customers say about your products, services, and reputation if I mentioned your business? 

You must answer both questions to know your personal and professional business brand. 

Building the right brand is essential in our competitive business world. 

Let's explore this.  

A business brand is built around an identity you create for your business and is independent of your name. A personal brand is built around you; your name and business name will be the same.

Pros: Personal brands are easier to create given all the online tools, like social media, personal websites, and numerous video platforms. They also allow for more flexibility. For instance, if the focus...

Hello, I am Kyle Ean Haggerty, Director of Business Development for INGAGE digital marketing and Public relations, and welcome to your Marketing Moment. 

I am here in Little Rock, Arkansas, having a few strategy meetings with clients. The one thing we discussed was a possible economic downturn in 2023, especially for the legal industry. Here at Ingage, our specialties are Legal, Finance, Government, and Non-Profits; as we have clients in dozens of industries, I would like to review why marketing is crucial during troubled financial times. 

• First, It is your marketing strategy that brings clients through the door. Marketing is the engine that drives revenue. Would you take a road trip without putting gas in your car? Of course not; you won't go far riding on empty. 
• Second, you sole practitioners and small business owners may feel compelled to slash your advertising and marketing budget to save money or make payroll; this is understandable. But what about...

New year, new me, new business goals.

Am I right?

As we step into the new year, our legal marketing team is busy reviewing last year’s results and
setting new goals with clients. We’re also vetting inquiries from new law firms who are seeking
out ways to increase their leads in 2023.

Simultaneously, most of us are making personal goals and most often those include a health
component. Personally, I’m focusing on incorporating 20 minutes of yoga into my morning
routine and an hour workout in the evenings as well as continuing to cut out processed foods.

Over the eleven years of running this marketing firm, I’ve learned to potential red flags when
speaking to prospective clients and there are four words that will stop me dead on my track
every time – “I need results now.”

Here’s the problem, nothing great is built in a day. Working out once will not get you in shape.
Eating a salad for lunch will not help you lose weight. Investing in marketing...

According to state and federal laws, companies must keep different types of records for a specific amount of time in the business world. For example, accounting records should be retained for a period of seven years in case of an audit. In terms of advertising, the state laws differ. Here are how those laws apply to California.

California Law Regarding Retention of Advertising Records

Prior to 2018, the State of California required lawyers and law firms to retain all advertising records for a minimum period of two years. The revision states:

“The requirement that a lawyer retain copies of all advertisements for two years has become increasingly burdensome, and such records are seldom used for disciplinary purposes. Thus, the Commission, with the concurrence of the ABA Commission on Responsibility in Client Development, is recommending the elimination of the requirement that records of advertising be retained for two years.” 

Additionally, the board recognized that a...

I am Kyle Ean Haggerty, Director of Business Development with Ingage Digital Marketing and Public Relations, welcome to your MARKETING MOMENT. 

Recently, I was in Orlando, Florida, teaching a workshop on Marketing and Public Relations and one of the business owners asked me a question that inspired me to make this video. 

She stated and asked: "There are times when barely anyone visits my website, and then there are times when I have many visitors go to my website, but the potential clients are different from what I am looking for. Please tell me what to do. 

Many business owners can relate to this, so I am giving you a quick checklist to consider when trying to raise the number of views on your website and attract more customers and the right clientele. 

First:

If the number of visitors to your website is low, add keywords that describe the nature of your business, products, and services. If you have already done that, then add words that are similar in...

Welcome to 2023! I am Kyle Ean Haggerty, Director of Business Development with INGAGE Biz, Digital Marketing & Public Relations. As we are starting this new year, many of you may be considering your New Year's resolutions for your business. 

That is exciting!

Some people say that you should never look at the past and always look forward to the future. In some ways, this is true; however, you need to look at the success and failures of the past to determine what is best for your business in the future. 

When considering your resolutions and marketing plans for 2023, it is essential to take an overview of 2022. 

What was your return on investment? 

• How much money did you send? 
• And based on the amount, did you get the desired outcome?
• Let me give you a simple formula to consider: How much did you spend overall, how many inquiries did it produce (inquiry calls), of those inquiries calls, how many presentations were given, and from all of that, how many...

Legal advertising in the state of California can be tricky. Attorneys must learn about the laws and follow them explicitly to remain compliant. The State Bar of California sets the regulations and enforces them. A legal professional may be subject to disciplinary action if they violate these rules.

When You Can Pay for Someone to Recommend Your Law Firm

According to the State Bar of California rule 7.2 on advertising, there are specific situations where you can pay for someone to recommend your law firm and others where it is prohibited. Some cases where it is okay for you to pay to have someone recommend your law services include:

Legal Referral - Attorneys can pay standard charges to hire a firm that offers legal recommendations as part of their regular services. The legal referral service must operate within the State Bar of California’s Minimum Standards for a Lawyer Referral Service in California.

Paid Advertising - A lawyer can pay for legitimate advertising or...

Lawyers and firms must be very careful when advertising in print ads, online, or other mediums. Each state has its own take on marketing for law firms, and California has some very interesting rules. One, in particular, applies to any misleading or false information in ads. 

Rule 7 - Misleading or False Information in Ads 

Advertising may apply to any public solicitation or private communication, such as email campaigns. Rule 7 of the California Bar rules on marketing state that any attorney or law firm's website must not contain any information that may be perceived as confusing, deceptive, or misleading. 

Absolute statements like "best," "lowest," "most," "highest," "will," and 

"better" should not be used in advertising or marketing as they imply assurances you cannot guarantee. Additionally, you cannot make false, misleading, or deceptive statements about your fees, services, or results.  

Honesty in Marketing 

The law also points out that the...

Legal advertising is subject to strict rules by The Florida Bar. However, some types of promotion fall in the exception category, and one of those is tombstone ads. 

What is a Tombstone Ad?

A tombstone ad is typically a print ad but could also be found online or in other mediums. It contains only bare-bones information about the subject. They are often used in the financial industry to announce a public offering and list the parties involved. 

Tombstone ads cannot have photographs, artwork, opinions, or sales-type content. They must contain a lot of white space and list only a few pieces of information. The SEC claims that tombstone ads are "not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy" but simply a notification of a transaction. The style closely resembles that of a tombstone, hence the name. 

The Florida Bar and Tombstone Ads

Tombstone ads do not need to be reviewed by The Florida Bar as long as they contain no information except for the following:

• The name of the...

Lawyer advertising can be a slippery slope, and you must be extra careful in the messaging and promotion of your legal services. Marketing for lawyers is subject to strict laws enforced by the Florida Bar. 

The Florida Bar Marketing Review Process

Before using an ad, you must send it into the Florida Bar along with the filing fee, the ad’s duration and usage, 20 days before publishing or using it. 

Once the Florida Bar receives it, they must review it within 15 days. The only exception is if they require additional information or determine that they need to examine the ad further. Either way, they will inform you of the need for more info or that it was rejected or accepted. If you do not receive any communication from the Florida Bar within 15 days of receiving it, you can use the ad and consider it approved. 

You must submit each advertisement separately, and the Florida Bar will open a new file for it and assign it a unique identification number. The Florida...