The Question
I have a branding specialist who is redoing my website. Currently, my website is WordPress and she is using WIX. So, they’re switching over from WordPress to WIX. Any concerns with WIX and SEO?
My Answer
This question got a lot of attention in the Lawyer Marketing Facebook group and there are actually two parts that got attention. The first part is the concept of having a branding specialist and the second part is WIX versus WordPress for SEO.
WIX Versus WordPress
Now, I personally do not like WIX. I like WordPress for SEO and there are a couple of reasons. The first reason is the same reason why I absolutely cannot stand FindLaw. I cannot stress enough: do not use FindLaw to do your internet marketing.
It’s a proprietary platform, so if you ever decide to leave, then you have to start over with a new website. You can’t take your website from WIX to WordPress. You have to build a new one.
So, for that reason alone, I don’t like it. WordPress is probably the most popular type of website. It’s definitely the easiest to use, so that’s an advantage right there.
Do You Need A Branding Specialist?
Now, let’s talk about the branding specialist because everybody asked, “Why do you need a branding specialist? Fire your branding specialist. What do you need a branding specialist for?”
And I have mixed opinions on this because what I do for myself and what I teach lawyers and what I coach lawyers on is essentially branding, but branding can be done in a lot of different ways.
Coca-Cola brands itself every single day by running ads that just say “Coke” and putting billboards up that just say “Coke.”
And every major company in the world does this. Unless you have a budget that is just astronomical for your law firm, that will not be an effective method. So, if it’s just running ads like awareness ads about your law firm, and that’s what the branding specialist wants to do, then I would agree. Fire the branding specialist. It’s a waste of money.
A Branding Strategy That Works
If their branding strategy is providing content, basically taking the same approach that I do where you’re building a brand for yourself by creating value and helping other people solve problems, then that’s a good branding strategy to have. And that’s what I teach lawyers to do.
What I teach lawyers to do is really branding because in my masterclass, where I coach lawyers, we use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, we use all that stuff but none of the strategies is dependent on Facebook. If Facebook went away tomorrow, I would be fine because I don’t use Facebook.
I brand myself to where you see me on YouTube and Facebook and you get my emails. And you also see me on LinkedIn and Instagram, in all these different places, and I’ve got a podcast too.
The Easiest Way To Brand Yourself
The easiest way to brand when you don’t have Coca-Cola money or John Morgan For The People money is by providing value. Do all those things where you’re just solving problems for people and people will start to know you. They’ll start to know your brand and they will absolutely start to trust you, and you’ll start making a name for yourself.
That’s pretty much what I’ve done. And it doesn’t take a long time either, especially if you know your audience, if you know what they want if you know what they’re afraid of and you can provide value by giving them solutions to their problems.
Getting Quick Results
It will happen very quickly, trust me. I am blown away by what’s happened in the last year in terms of how my business has changed. And that’s just because I get on camera and I talk about SEO, social media and how to get reviews for your law firm.
And it’s all a brand, it’s all branding, and it’s all SocialFirestarter. That’s my company, or Andrew Stickel, which is my name. It’s all branding. But that’s the way to do branding. Provide value, associate your brand with providing value, and it’ll work really well. So, hopefully, that’s what the branding specialist is doing. They’re probably not, but hopefully, they are.