Liz Montgomery, Create the Movement
Terry Brown, Create the Movement
Liz Montgomery, Create the Movement: Welcome to the Create the Movement Podcast. Today I’m here with Terry Brown. And this is Liz Montgomery of Create the Movement. And Terry Brown is our Director of Sales. Say, “Hello,” Terry.
Terry Brown, Create the Movement: Hi. Hello.
LM: Today we’re going to be talking about frequently asked questions. So, there’s questions that we get asked practically every time we’re bring on a new client, and we thought we’d put those into a recorded podcast so folks can have an answer to those – easily accessible to them.
So, our first question is, that we get asked often, is “Do I own my website?” So, when someone does business with us, Terry, do they get to own the website?
TB: Absolutely. And that’s not common across the board for SEO and marketing companies, but with Create the Movement we feel that when you’re creating something for your business you should definitely own it. A lot of things go into the decision of why we do it this way. But the short and simple answer is yes, absolutely, you own your website. You own the content. You own the aesthetics of it.
We know that it’s very important, both in keeping ourselves accountable moving forward in the relationship, but to you making the investment. That when you spend your money you’re actually getting something tangible.
LM: Another question we get asked, we have a large part our clientele is attorneys, and question they often ask is, “Do you have a website that you’ve done for my specific practice area?” So, depending on what practice area an attorney is in, their website and marketing can look different from other attorneys, right?
TB: It absolutely can. It can look different from one practice area to the other. We do have a majority of the practice areas currently covered now in our client base. And have done just about every practice area there is. As well, I find that even outside of practice areas, other businesses want to know have you done a website for our business? And the answer again, is yes. We’ve done website for businesses for almost every industry up to this point.
LM: Pretty broad scope.
TB: Yeah. We’re very versed.
LM: Even a goat-farm raiser. Goat farmers! [Laughter] We’ve had all kinds of really fun actually, to kind of learn the different industries, and customize the online presence for them.
TB: And you touched a moment for the marketing of the different practice areas. It does a make a difference. There’s a different approach for personal injury versus intellectual property. So, it’s very good for us to know those differences and to have experienced that.
So, another question that’s brought up often is, “Where are you located?”
LM: We are located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Is where we are based. We serve clients nationwide, though. We have clients all over the country, and we’re expanding very quickly. I think we’re in 30-something states not. We haven’t quite hit all 50 states. But, yes, we’re based out of Tulsa.
So, which leads to the next question, “Can the client be found, or ranked, in multiple locations, or nationally? Can they do both? Do they have to just one? And what’s that? Maybe a little bit about what that process looks like?
TB: Sure. Ranking nationally, you could assume, is going to be a little more difficult. Multiple locations is going to depend on whether you have a physical presence, or address, to contribute to a Google’s Map listing. Ultimately, the answer is yes, to both. But it is a more aggressive campaign. It’s definitely do-able. And it’s going to depend largely on the competition for your practice area, or specific business. And how much budget you have to put towards that campaign.
LM: Right. Our next one, “If I decide to go with our company, what would the process look like?” So, and for that, our process, we are very strict about timeline. We found in our industry that with folks who build websites, or marketing companies, that if it’s a smaller firm, or maybe a cousin who just got out of college and said, “Hey, yeah. I’ll build a website for your business.” We found a lot of lack in customer service, and consistency with those businesses.
So, when we set up our firm, we intentionally said timeframe is important to us. So, as far as what the process looks like, once you sign on with us you’ll start with a kick-off call from our development team. They’ll get an idea of what it is you’re looking for in your online presence. What your goals are. And then they’ll start custom designing your site – depending on what package you have with us, of course. They’ll start custom designing a marketing strategy and a website for you. They’ll then send over a mockup of the home page of the site. You’ll take a look at it. You’ll make changes that you want to make.
Typically, we a lot for up to three revisions, or three rounds of revisions on that design. We want to find something that suits you perfectly. And we’ll also serve the marketing campaign in the future, once the site is launched.
So, that’s typically our process. You sign on with us. You work with development. We get the website marketing strategy in place. And then, once everything is said and done on the website, the site launches. And from there we begin the marketing strategy that we’ve customized and put in place specifically for you.
So, that tends to be adaptable because we want to do what works. Again, we’re really familiar with all the different practice areas of attorneys. So, we know personal injury we have to this. For probate attorney we have to do this. You know? We know specific strategies for those different practice areas. But also in the different industries that we’ve worked in for the other businesses that we manage.
We’ve learned a lot in terms of what goes into marketing strategy for them. They tend to be more customized to the exact goals of the business owner, or of the company overall.
TB: So, just a follow-up question, with that entire process being customized, and unique to each practice area, or business, what would you say the timeframe is from the day somebody signs on with your relationship specialist, to the day the website launches?
LM: So, when they sign on with us we aim for, depending on how complex their marketing strategy is, and all the services that they’re going to be, that we’re going to be handling for them, we get the website up within 30 days of the initial development call, so that kick-off call. We aim for 30 days.
Sometimes there are things that get in the way. I mean, even the client themselves doesn’t get back to us. Or, they want to change, or we want to do something different. So, that can expand up to 60 days. But our goal is 30 days from that kick-off call. To have the site up and launched and gaining business.
TB: Excellent.
LM: What is, what’s the cost for all of this, Terry Brown Director of Sales?
TB: What an open-ended question. The cost. Just like the subject before, because the marketing strategy from one business to the next, or from one practice to the next, is going to be different, the cost is going to change based on somebody’s needs.
I always like to, just, give a range. The cost for your website bill, depending upon the features, how absolutely awesome we get with it, will range anywhere from $3600 on up to $15,000.
The $15,000 website being the ‘Cadillac’ of websites with tons of video and tons of optimization, just lots and lots of work from the really smart guys that build these things. You know? That one is kind of the top end.
And at $3600 I think is more than reasonable because the websites we produce for our base cost really competes with just about every other website out there. And defeats a lot of the current websites we look at on a daily basis.
LM: And what about monthly?
TB: And so monthly, again, is going to range about how aggressive you want to get with your search engine optimization. How quickly you want climb through the ranks and be that number one spot.
Our packages range, and are adaptable based on needs, anywhere from $500 a month to $5000 a month. So, that just gives you a general idea of the cost. But, again, there are so many different things and needs that any particular individual might have, that it’ll range in between those two areas.
LM: Good.
TB: So, I often hear, “Why do I need a website in the first place?”
LM: Yes! Very good question. And in our industry some folks are surprised that folks ask. That that gets asked of us. But it does get asked. You know, nowadays everybody is looking online. The common phrase is “Google it.” So, even if you, like, we have attorneys that have been in practice for 40 years, and they’re saying, “Why do I need a website? You know? I shake someone’s hand I get their business.” “A friend of mine refers them to me; I get their business. What’s a website – how’s it going to serve me?”
It’s going to do several things. One of the first things – it’s going to establish your credibility. So, if somebody doesn’t know you in your community, and they do get referred to you, the first they’re going to do is pull you up on the internet. They’re going to say, “Who is Paul Smith? And has he really been an attorney for 40 years? And what kind of cases has he closed?”
Or, if they, you know, they’ve heard about this restaurant. This is a wonderful restaurant. You know? I’ve heard their food is incredible, and the service is amazing over there. Well, let me look them up online. Let me see what their menu is. Let me see the different things that they do, and promotions, and the community. Is this a place I want to give my business to?
So, it establishes credibility for you as a viable business. And it also just provides information so folks know where to find you. What’s your phone number? What’s your address? You want to make sure all of that is accurate across your online presence. What are some other elements Terry?
TB: Well, I feel like this is one of those questions you could actually spend an hour talking about because there’s so many different elements to a website that gives it the purpose. So, some of our clients have come to us and said, “You know what? I get leads, but I’m getting the wrong kind of leads from my website.” So, your website can literally educate a person to the point that they say, “You know what? This isn’t the right attorney for me.” So, now I’m saving my client time from wading through these wrong clients – the bad fit. So, that’s another reason to have a website.
On top of that, convenience has been such a part of the culture that the number one thing that is searched is ‘attorney near me.’ Or, ‘restaurant near me.’ Or, you name it, ‘the business near me.’ They want to know what’s directly what’s around them. They found themselves out and about and it just dawned on them they need to do such-and-such. What’s closest to them?
So, the first thing that their phone, or mobile device, or whatever their working on, is going to pick up is a map listing. Now, that maps listing is going to have reviews attached to that. And those reviews will have a link next to it – same website.
So, this person’s on the go and can find out more about you by knowing that you’re nearby at that moment through your website. Versus someone that doesn’t have a website. Okay, there’s a couple of good reviews, but there’s also a couple of good reviews right below this person and they’ve got a website.
So, now back to credibility. You’re already seeing this person make a decision process based on someone having one and someone not having one.
LM: Right. And, again we could talk about this for hours, but I’ll through one more in there that talks about bring leads to your business. Right? Bringing new business, new customers to your website, to you company. But there’s also online, like, e-commerce sites for online shopping. You know? If you have a product that they can come to your website and purchase one of your products. Well, again, if they’re looking, you know, “I need…”
We have a client that does car lifts. Home car lifts. And here they are, fixing up their dad’s muscle car, and they’re like, “I need a car lift that I can safely work under.” So, if they’re going to Google that in their area, and then come up, all the pricing and everything is on there. That’s going to bring online business. As opposed to not having a shopping cart on their site.
They could have a website that establishes credibility, but then they have to call them. Maybe there’s not enough information there to have it sent to them. But if they set up an online store they can make a purchase right there and boom, that company has their business.
TB: Convenience once again.
LB: Convenience. Yup. Back to convenience.
Okay, and finally, one of our top questions that we get asked, “Why do I need monthly SEO? And what is SEO?”
TB: Search engine optimization. I was talking to somebody about this just the other day. There was a day in my time that I searched something and it never once dawned on me how they came up with the results. And, now that I’m in the industry and know how much is necessary to be on that first page I recognize, and respect, that it is a big job for Google, or any other search engine, to determine what is the best result to this specific keyword that somebody has just punched in. And that search engine optimization, that effort that we put forward on a monthly basis for our clients, is what is going to get you to that first page.
LM: Right.
TB: So that you’re the most prominent thing. You’re found quickly and you’re getting more business. You’re building your income because of our efforts. So, search engine optimization is the reason people are listed for any specific keyword term on that first page. Or, the lack of search engine optimization is the reason you’re on the tenth page.
LM: Right.
TB: And nobody finds you through that avenue.
LM: And what are a couple of things that we do? Because sometimes, you know, we set up all of our sites optimized from the jump. So, when they launch the content on there is optimized. The coding of the site, and the structured data of the site, all of those optimized towards what they want to show up for. So, why would they need it on a monthly basis? Maybe talk about some of the services that we provide in order to have a successful SEO campaign.
TB: Sure. So, first and foremost, we do everything that the major search engines are looking for. We stay away from what is called ‘black-hat SEO’, or the attempt to manipulate the system that they’ve set up. Because when they find out you’re manipulating it, your website will disappear.
LM: Yeah, you get penalized.
BP: Probably for eternity. You’ve got to start a new website, url, and begin all over again. But what we do on a monthly basis goes into link-building. Which I liken to a huge popularity contest where you meet this great new person and you exchange numbers with them. “You know what? I like this guy. I’m going to exchange numbers with him.”
What another website does, they say, “Oh, this is a great website. It’s pertinent to my industry. I’m going to add a link between our websites.” Ultimately, showing Google, with the more links that you are popular and trusted by other businesses that are popular and trusted.
So, it’s building a credibility for your website. From time to time, and, you know, from state to state, cultures will change to a point that words are no longer used, or new words are used. So, when it comes to keyword searches, one state on the West Coast may not use the same word as a state on the East Coast. For example, ‘attorney vs. lawyer.’
So, keyword optimization, that research has to be done on a monthly basis for your website. One, to make sure we’re targeting the right keywords. But, two, to make sure that when those keywords change, we change your keywords.
So, within your website all of the content and coding – the meta-links, meta-description, alt-tags, all the technical details, we are going make sure that we are up to date on the culture in your state and what people are searching for.
As well, it goes into a bit of content creation on an ongoing basis Google wants to see, other search engines want to see that you’re adding new content. So, whether you’re creating that content, or we’re creating that content for you, we’re going to make sure to target the keywords, again, that your industry is being searched for and put that in the content.
If you’ve created the content we’re going to change out some of those keywords. Still, it’s going to sound good. It’s going be written well. But we’re going to change out those keywords to target what your local area is searching for.
So, we’ve got link building. We’ve got keyword. We’ve got content creation. And then we get a little broader into social-media marketing. And these aren’t all the subjects that we do on a monthly basis, but these are kind of the main things. And social media is something that’s kind of misunderstood for attorney, and you know, industries that are of technical description because they say, “You know what? I don’t need to be on social media. It’s just a party and I’m a business person.” Well, Google sees it as a party, and a community. So, that community they want to see you interacting with. They want to see that your law firm is involved in that community.
LM: Right.
TB: And again, ultimately for them it goes back to credibility. If people know, like, and trust you, and display that trust on your social media platforms it lets them know to know, like, and trust you. And all of these things, all of this interaction on a monthly basis, because of the efforts we put forth, are what get, you know, what we’re shooting for – you to be ranked better and you to get more clients, you to get more business.,
LM: Excellent! I think that covers all of our FAQs.
TB: Excellent.
LM: Hopefully, we’ve informed you on a few things in terms of if you we’re to do business with us. Or, if you’re already doing business with us we’ve probably answered these questions for you.
TB: And we’ve probably made new questions for you.
LM: And we’ve probably created new questions. Don’t hesitate to give us a call, or come our website, shoot us an email. We’re always available to, we love to educate and inform
TB: Informed people make great decisions.
LM: Yes. Yes, they do. This has been another podcast from Create the Movement and we will talk with you again next time.
