There can be a tendency for lawyers and firms to think narrowly about the apps and platforms they use internally. Many focus on apps and software that has been designed for legal and that's fine but in our experience the most innovative and forward thinking firms are bring in outside technology to use across a number of core business area.

We have ourselves had extensive experience using various CRMs, project management, communication, cloud, scheduling and on-boarding apps and finding the right tools can make all the difference. This process will require trial and error and of course lots of testing which is why so many firms shy away from changing the outdated tool they use now. In this episode we cover off some of the essentials you should be using in your firm. 

Creating engaging content is key and if people are not commenting or liking the content you are pouting out there, then the reality is they probably don't like or are neutral about what they see and it might actually be doing your brand more harm than good.

This means that the whole objective of building an engaged and following will be all the more difficult if not impossible. It's pretty simple and if this is the situation you or your business finds itself in then you need to pay close attention and nurture a different approach.

In one respect the overall bottom line returns for organic content can be hard to measure but the daily stats are very clear and if your content is not getting the engagement you need to step back and reassess your approach. Is it the content itself or how it's delivered? Who was our target audience and what were the click rates? If there was commentary of feedback was it positive or negative?

In this episode we break down the way you can improve the engagement of your content. 

On today's show we spent 10 minutes with founder of Wildbloom, host of her own podcast "Socialette", and Beyond Billables alumnus the phenomenon Steph Taylor. Steph is a corporate square peg turned wellness entrepreneur, marketing nerd and digital nomad. Steph's company "Wildbloom" is a wellness marketing consultancy and she has grown it to empower honest brands. Not content with that Steph also has her own branded library of info products for business owners. In the episode we dove into her journey, her bigggest challenges and what she has learned along the way. Steph shared on freedom, creativity and the challenge of pivoting.

"If you're not pivoting you're not keeping up so you're going to be left behind" Steph Taylor

Steph was an integral part of our team and someone we admire greatly for taking on new challenges and knocking them right out of the park.

Find out more about Steph and her work at https://stephtaylor.co/

Thanks for being on Steph!

You can't put one blog post out a month or one Instagram post a week and think you are going to get enough traction to grow an audience. This episode focusses on the importance of keeping a consistent content marketing plan. We discuss:

* When we were running an inconsistent marketing plan; * What we found once we finally implemented a consistent marketing plan; * What consistency means to us; and * Why you can't be half pregnant (1 post per month is not enough)

Want freebies? Check out our e-book on our top 7 marketing mistakes. Follow how we help small businesses build their brand. Want us to help your small business? Head to beyondbillables.com.

As a small business, standing out can be difficult. Some companies spend millions trying to stand out, however, we think it's a little more simple than that. In this episode we are running you through some practical ways of grabbing your clients attention. If you want to improve your content marketing and attract more business:

• Produce better client updates
• Create content that reflects your business brand
• Create content that clients can consume ie. podcasts

Love the details? 

• Client updates that don't suck
• • Make things that clients want to read or listen to... so many boring legal updates written by lawyers for clients but acting like the client is a lawyer... or.. dumbing it down too much... the point is in improving the delivery and packaging
• Give insight into your process and story
• • At the moment, you're just another law firm. Get your clients attention by standing out from the pack. Tell us mistakes you have made. Give us insights into things that have worked for you. Be a little more personal and less professional and you will be surprised by the attention and engagement you will receive.
  • Clients also love brands which reflect who they are, feel like they are designed just for them and that are consistent. You must genuinely share your ideas, experiences, and give your readers an insight into your personal and/or business journey.
  • Tell your prospective clients and audience about how your process works and how easy it is to deal with your firm compared to others.
• Make stuff they can actually consume
• • People would much rather watch a video or listen to a podcast if it is easier to do! Especially if the information is relevant to their problem.
  • Looking at a computer screen can become exhausting - and with a video or podcasts, rather than using your eyes, you use your ears; there are silences, pauses, and genuine human voices rather than words and images on a screen
  • This makes for a more memorable experience

Want us to help your small business? Head to beyondbillables.com and book in your free one on one consult with either of us.

The biggest obstacle most small business owners have is an inability to understand the ROI of investing in their brand and marketing. This episode, we will walk you through how each of your marketing efforts lead to increased ROI and how to think about ROI in the right context. What do you want to achieve, what do you expect to achieve, and what is the right way to go about that? ROI is not just cash, it might be brand, it might be credibility, it might be pride in your business. Thinking about what you want first, and then using the right tools to go after it is critical.

If you want to improve your content marketing and attract more business, you need to focus on:

• Short term ROI - advertising;
• Medium term ROI - content such as podcasts, blogs and webinars; and
• Long term ROI - networking and relationship building.

If you want to learn more about this, head on over to our blog where we have written about the ROI of legal marketing. If you run a firm and want to meet for a coffee just drop us a message at [email protected] we'd love to hear from you.

Many small business owners make one fundamental mistake with their social media marketing; they sell, sell, sell, all the time, and wonder why nobody buys. This episode is all about giving value first to create trust in your clients. If you want to improve your content marketing and attract more business:

• Stay true to your core brand value
• Give away you secret sauce.
• Ask. Don't sell or demand.
• Consider:
• • Your on-boarding;
  • Brand building;
  • Referrals
  • Client follow-up;
  • Everywhere you can stand out.

Want freebies? Check out our e-book on our top 7 marketing mistakes (and how to fix them!) https://www.beyondbillables.com/marketingmistakes

This show is all about the things we've done right, and how you can replicate them! It took some work coming up with 5 (it was far easier doing the first list!) but after all these years running businesses we have done plenty right as well. We wanted to share these as they are not all what you might expect! In no particular order:

1. Started a podcast. Lesson - Helped us grow a national brand, make great connections and learn as we went!
2. Always cash flow focused. Lesson - Being a cash based business and conscious of cash flow can eleviate a lot of the business stress in small business.
3. We hired the best people. Lesson - Hiring great people brings skills you don't have. Don't just hire when you need it, always be on the lookout. Then, give them things to do that they love and are good at.
4. We empower our people. Lesson - Our people give us the best ideas so why not embrace that? Getting your team confident in their ability to speak up and contribute takes work but is worth it. Putting your ego aside is critical to a good business.
5. We always have ridiculously high standards. Lesson - We've attracted the best clients by always putting quality first. Expediency is the enemy of quality. Don't ever do something for a client you wouldn't be proud to have your name on.

Want freebies? Check out our e-book on our top 7 marketing mistakes at www.beyondbillables.com. 

We've done lot's wrong! It was hard to narrow it down, but we wanted to share our mistakes as great lessons for everyone when on their business journey. 

• Our recruitment business was too narrow and niche
• • We didn't innovate by broadening our client base when we had the opporunity.
  • Lesson - Take advantage of opportunity when it is there and don't get too comfortable.
• We didn't embrace content or new models quickly enough
• • we were half pregnant with content and social media for 4 years. We did blogs, we had a newsletter, guides.
  • Lesson - consistency and commitment is key to great results
• We didn't identify our key client early enough in Beyond Billables
• • We tried to be too many things for too many people
  • Lesson - you can't be all things for all people
• We didn't communicate well enough internally
• • Communication is key to good teams and delivery for clients. We have to be constantly working on this.
  • lesson - assumption is the mother of all ....
• We took it all too personally
• • In business, half the battle is that we take our wins and losses very personally. When things don't work out, it can be crushing.
  • Lesson - Taking things too personally is very stressful so you need to be conscious that it isn't about you.

To download a heap of our free guides and check out our blog go to  www.beyondbillables.com