Deadly Marketing Mistake #5: The Curse of the Expert

If you have been a Personal Injury Attorney for any length of time, you most likely have fallen victim to what I call “The Curse of The Expert.”

Symptoms include:

  • Using jargon/lingo
  • Thinking the public cares about most of your credentials
  • Thinking your peers know what they are doing in their marketing
  • Losing money trying to rank for 1 to 15 specific terms in Google
  • Constantly turning off potential clients by identifying your features
  • Missing out on huge opportunities to listen to clients
  • Missing out on huge opportunities to connect with more prospects
  • Following the herd
  • Lengthy writing
  • Ineffectual writing (also known as WhyDoesNoOneReadMyBlogitis)
  • Battling with noisy high priced campaigns
  • Staying up worrying about Google updates
  • Being really bad at social media marketing

If you are exhibiting any or all of these traits, you have the “The Curse of The Expert.”

Being a personal injury attorney, you think as an expert. You can’t see the forest through the trees.  You can’t forget what you know about personal injury.  You think you are the best at marketing your firm, but because you are so close to the subject, you are not.  As you learn more, the curse becomes worse, because you become enthralled with your value on the margin.

Ever get a new piece of software that improves your efficiency? A new tool that makes your work significantly better? Did you learn a new technique or just gain a lot of experience?  Did you win a “tough case” that shows your skills?  While this all helps a potential client, they don’t care.  If they don’t care, it’s bad marketing.

In general, you know being board certified signifies you are a better attorney.  Does an accident victim care?  They probably don’t understand board certification.

Do you answer your phones?  Doesn’t everyone?

I know, prospective clients seem excited about this when they hire you.  They are just being nice.

I am not saying you are not a highly valuable personal injury attorney. I am saying you don’t understand where your perceived value lies with a prospect. You can’t forget what you know, and very often the most basic point to you is the real selling point. Sometimes the real selling point is something you barely mention.

From a scientific point of view, your expertise actually does rearrange your brain.  Because of neuroplasticity, your brain cells are actually rearranged to make shorthand for your profession.   As an expert you absorb relevant information in a different way, so your marketing literally looks different to you.

You can not simply cure it, you have to work to change your mindset.

“The Curse of the Expert is One of the Causes of Firehose Websites”

Remember Mistake #2, the firehose technique.  How many of those terms would the general public understand?  How many of those badges makes sense?  Are they just clutter?  Because of “The Curse of the Expert,” everything on your site makes sense to you; it doesn’t seem cluttered. Your website content makes sense because this is basic stuff.

To get over the curse of the expert, you need to first admit you have the curse then try and put yourself in the mind of your ideal client.  You also need to listen to them, not only in real life, but using analytics, social media and the like.

Find a partner not in your field or hire a consultant that can help you find your true value to prospects and the values that matter to them. AuthenticWEB can help you with that too, if you are so inclined.  We know all about “The Curse.”

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