Top 5 Ways To Get The Most From Your Expert Witness Directory Listings
By Alex Babitsky, MBA
© 2007 SEAK, Inc.
www.seak.com
1) Track, track, track your referrals.
This can’t be emphasized enough. The only way to
effectively evaluate the performance of your marketing is to have a
reliable way to track where your referrals are coming from. Your staff
should have a formal intake process where they ask each new client how
they found your name. Was it from a directory listing, if so which one?
Maybe the attorney came across an article you wrote, if so which one?
Maybe you spoke at a conference or meeting, if so which one? Was it from
your website? Maybe it was word of mouth? The only way to know for sure
is to ask. You should also have a way to track new cases, so you can go
back every few months and see what is working for you, and what is not.
You may want to increase the marketing channel that is working better
for you. If speaking is generating more referrals for you than writing
articles, than you may want to do more speaking and spend less time
writing. Many expert witnesses do not do this effectively. Until you
do, you really don’t have a clear picture of where your referrals are
coming from.
2) Understand how expert witness directories
work.
This sounds like a basic principle, however each
directory is different. To get the most from your directory listings,
you need to truly understand how they are set up and are used. Are the
attorneys able to search by keyword? If so, what section of your listing
is it searching? Is there an index? If so, how many terms are you
indexed under? What is the circulation of the directory? Is it
national or regional? Do the attorneys have to pay for a copy or is it
available to them for free? Some expert directories are only available
online, some are available as a printed version and some are both
printed directories and online databases. If it’s a printed version, ask
to receive a copy so you can take a look at it. You will get the most
bang-for-your-buck, when you fully understand how it is used. Any
directory worth its salt will have someone answer any questions you may
have about the directory and walk you through the application. Keep in
mind that they also want your listing to be as successful as possible.
If it is successful, then you are more likely to continue listing in
their directory.
3) List in multiple expert witness
directories.
Expert witnesses on average earn approximately $350 per
hour assisting lawyers. With that much money on the table, and directory
listings generally being relatively inexpensive (usually a few
hundred dollars), it makes sense to list in multiple credible
expert directories. Do your homework first and ask some questions.
Directories are a cost effective, efficient way of marketing your
forensic practice. Most directory applications can be completed within
15-20 minutes. I would suggest listing in at least 5 directories and try
them out for a year or two and see what type of response you get. If
after 2-years you don’t at least break-even with the amount you paid to
be listed in the directory, than you may want to discontinue that
listing. However, don’t give up completely on them. Check back in with
them after a few years to see if anything has changed, such as;
increased circulation, increased web presence, partnerships formed,
etc. All of these factors can significantly impact the effectiveness of
a directory, and can change rapidly.
4) Keep your information up to date.
We come across many expert witness directory listings that have
outdated or incorrect contact information. Nothing is worse then when
an attorney contacts us and informs us that they are looking to hire one
of our experts, except the expert’s phone number is disconnected. You
can bet that an attorney is not going to take the time to try and track
down your new number. Instead they will pick up the phone and call one
of your colleagues and give the business to them. When you move or
change your contact information (phone, fax, email, address, etc.,) it’s
important that you notify each expert directory and service that you’re
listed with and update it as soon as you have the new information.
5) If you
have a website make sure that the expert directory you are listed in is linked to it.
This is an easy way to increase the amount of incoming
links to your website. This is part of search engine optimization and
should actually help the positioning of your website in the search
engines. The more popular your site is, the higher you will bring your
website in the searches. Having links that come from expert directories
are very valuable, they are themselves highly ranked and have content
relevant to your own information.
About the author
Alex Babitsky, MBA deals with expert witnesses and the attorneys who
retain them on a daily basis as the Product Manager of SEAK’s
National Directory of Expert Witnesses and SEAK’s National
Directory of Independent Medical Examiners (www.seakexperts.com).
Mr. Babitsky consults regularly with experts of all fields on the
subject of expert witness marketing. His publications include the
2004 National Guide to Expert Witness
Fees and Billing Procedures
and
The A to Z Guide to Expert Witnessing. Alex
can be reached at
Alex@seak.com
Click here for SEAK's Expert Witness Directory