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January 10, 2018 In Uncategorized

H&A Hits Lucky 13th in San Diego Business Journal’s 2018 Book of Lists

Once again, Heying & Associates has made San Diego Business Journal’s list of top Public Relations Agencies in the area. Starting the new year off right, H&A has jumped two spots on the list from last year, and there is no end in sight! SDBJ provides you with hundreds of the greatest area companies in their fields by ranking. They do this by compiling deeper, better and more “rigorously researched data than any other national database.”

Be sure to follow us on social media to stay in the loop with what we’re up to!

January 4, 2018 In Uncategorized

5 Ways a Blog Can Improve Your Law Firm’s Website

It is no secret that blogging has erupted with popularity over the past decade due to social media and other platforms for self-expression. To some professionals, blogging can come off as cheesy, unimportant, and time consuming. We think, however, that blogging has more potential and can be an increasingly effective tool in professional circumstances, such as your law firm’s website. This does not mean you need to incorporate a blog in the traditional sense. This can include news, updates on your law firm, awards and more.  Whether or not you agree, take some time to first read these 5 ways a blog can improve your web presence.

  1. Search Engine Recognition–

When it comes to search engines paying attention to your site over thousands of others, it has a lot to do with the quantity and quality of content. If you are only updating your website once a year (or less), there is no way for search engines to detect new key phrases and updated content. By dedicating time every week to update frequently asked questions, news, updates, or link relevant articles, you are creating a more dynamic web presence and making yourself easier to find.

  1. Increased Visibility for New Clients to Find You-

This goes hand-in-hand with search engine recognition. If there is more of a variety of content in association with your website, your website can become an informative tool. It allows potential clients to come across your website in a variety of ways. Whether or not someone is looking to hire a lawyer at that point in time, you have then created name recognition and when they are ready, you will already have an advantage over your competitors.

  1. Illustrates Expertise and Constant Involvement-

Having a blog of some sort will allow you to show more than one area of expertise. You can touch on various areas of law in an organized, non-overwhelming way. This can also give potential clients a sense of what it might be like to work with you. The way you approach certain subjects can spark intrigue and ignite a professional relationship.

  1. Efficiency for Those Seeking Information-

If you are writing content that addresses the questions and concerns of potential clients, it not only is a useful tool for those searching for information online, but it also becomes an easy and organized resource for you to point to when those topics arise with new people. Updating this information weekly or bi-weekly will also allow your website to remain in line with current projects you are working on and acknowledge arising concerns or questions about your law firm.

  1. Self-Promotion-

Lastly, a regularly-updated section of your website can also serve as a place to announce firm awards, cases won, or accomplishments. This is the perfect platform to showcase what you have done and what you are capable of!

January 3, 2018 In Uncategorized

5 Questions to Consider When Writing for An Audience

The first step in conveying an effective message is knowing who you are talking to. The key is adapting your content to align with the anticipated values and concerns of those who will be receiving your message. Whether you have a generalized group of readers or you are writing to a closed group of people, there are five questions you should ask yourself before you begin:

Where do they live? Are you writing content for a localized area or will it be available to people all over? Taking the geographical location of your readers into consideration when writing is one way to pinpoint your audience’s values. Researching local customs and cultural traditions can also help you establish context in their current events.

What is the context? Researching events that have been in the news in that area will give you a sense of context. Remaining sensitive and mindful of current events will help you adjust your content in terms of what is appropriate to discuss and what might be portrayed as offensive.

How big is the audience? While this may seem insignificant, this small detail can help determine what kind of “voice” you use in your writing. For example, if you were to write a newsletter for your colleagues, you could assume that your readers are college educated and have at least a basic knowledge of the company. However, if your audience is a large and more generalized group of people, you will need to tailor your message so it is palatable to more than one demographic.

What demographic would you like to reach? It is no secret that you would not speak to a high school student the same way you would a business woman. Knowing or anticipating the demographic of your readers can help you determine the level of vocabulary to use, the formality of your language, the level of detail, and the types of visual aids, or lack thereof, to use. For example, if your goal is to persuade readers, statistics and facts might work for scholars and professionals but will not be as effective in a younger, less educated demographic.

What do they value? Finally, you must consider what your intended audience values and what they might be looking to gain from reading your content. If you can anticipate what is important to your audience, you can ultimately create something that will resonate with them.

December 21, 2017 In Uncategorized

Create Videos and Make your Law Firm Stand Out

As digital marketing continues to grow, the amount of competition for views, clicks, likes and follows is steeper than ever before. It can be difficult to make your firm stand out when so many attorneys are investing a lot of money on their online marketing. One way to strengthen your social media presence and gain online attention is to create videos for your website or YouTube channel. Videos will give you an extra opportunity to explain your experience, connect with potential clients and generate website traffic.

How Will Video Marketing Benefit your Law Firm?

Considering the fact that an average internet user spends over 2 hours per day using social media and messaging services, effective videos can offer many advantages.

Increased traffic to your site. In addition to Google search results, potential clients also take to YouTube, Google Videos, Vimeo and other video-specific sites to find answers to their legal questions. Your video could lead them to your site and begin an attorney-client relationship.

You can explain complicated topics more simply. When discussing law, many attorneys speak “legalese” and sound too technical. In order to gain attention, videos used in law marketing are usually short so they force attorneys to explain concepts in the easiest way possible. This simplicity lets potential clients know you are knowledgeable but easy to communicate with as well.

Link your videos to your social media accounts. It is possible to connect across multiple mediums with one post, increasing the chances that an Internet browser will find their way to your firm.

Getting Started with Legal Marketing

Think of videos as an extension of your communication with clients, where you will be answering to their questions in a concise and understanding way. Here are a few tips to get your video marketing project started:

Keep your videos short. If it lasts longer than a few minutes, viewers will likely lose interest and be turned off by your site. Whether it is a frequently asked question, an attorney introduction or an explanation of a practice area, it is best to keep your videos short. Aim for an average of 2 minutes per video depending on the topic

Share everywhere.  It is a great opportunity to generate a chain reaction, up traffic to your pages and promote the accounts that are linked to your video. When you share a video with someone, they can also share it with people, and it will keep people interested in what your firm is doing. \

Publish regularly. Having videos will be useless if you make only a few or if the information on your site quickly becomes outdated. Be consistent and post videos regularly to keep information current and increase your following online.

December 19, 2017 In Uncategorized

5 Common Content Creation Mistakes You Want to Avoid

Content marketing is a massively effective strategy as its conversion rates are way higher than traditional marketing. Although creating content is not optional for your brand anymore, it needs to be valuable high-quality content in order to effectively attract your audience. The question is: how?

Not all content is created equal but there’s a few content crimes that are really common in the PR world. Take a look at this list and find out what you can do to fix your mistakes and get back on track to content marketing success.

1.There are typos. Your content may be beautifully written, but if you have glaring typos, you’ll instantly turn your audience off. Typos make your brand appear sloppy and unorganized. You want your content to leave as good of an impression as possible, and ensuring your copy is free of errors is the first step. Implement a proofreading procedure in your content creation process, and don’t leave both the proofreading and writing to one person. If you write a copy, send it to someone else to proof. And always give the piece a final proof before publishing.

2.It’s too generic. Content is a great tool for establishing your brand’s expertise and showcasing thought leadership. But if your content reads like everyone else’s, it won’t set your brand apart from the competition. Think about a topic you can speak to, and research what else has been said about it before you write. How can you take the idea in a new direction? Giving the topic a fresh angle will make the piece more interesting to your audience.

3.It’s not what your audience wants. If your content isn’t relevant to your audience, they won’t read it. So how do you know what types of content your audience is interested in? Use your social listening tools and pay attention to their online habits. What topics do they interact with most? Before you begin writing, ask yourself: how will this piece of content benefit my audience? What will they gain from it? Focus on helping your audience and build your content around solving their problems.

4.You don’t have a call to action. Getting people to read your content is just the beginning. After they’ve read your content, what do you want them to do? Perhaps, you want them to subscribe to your blog or email list, read another page or buy a service. Without a call to action, your readers will not take the next step. Including a call to action will drive leads and convert customers. Use tracking links to easily demonstrate the value of your content and prove its impact.

5.You’re pushing the hard sell. Content that is too promotional isn’t appealing. Your audience doesn’t want to read a sales pitch; they want to know how you can help them. It’s okay to mention or highlight your brand within your content but it should never be your main focus.

Are you guilty of committing one of these content crimes? Avoiding them will make your marketing content more efficient.

December 12, 2017 In Uncategorized

Join Our Team As A Public Relations Account Coordinator!

Heying & Associates, one of San Diego’s most dynamic “boutique” PR/marketing agencies is seeking a talented Public Relations Account Coordinator.  We offer a people-oriented, team environment and mission driven accounts. Solid writing skills are a must as is an interest in legal/education/corporate/non-profit and professional services industries. We are looking for a team member who has excellent time management skills and enjoys a fast paced, professional yet fun working environment.

 

The Account Coordinator reports directly to the President and Account Executive of the agency.  The position is currently open as part time – 25-35 hours per week and may quickly turn into a full time position for the right candidate.

Click here to read the job description, requirements and instructions for the application process!