Joshua presented this lecture via zoom during the COVID-19 outbreak to the TOJI class of 2020.

1. “The Gang Builds a
Website”

2. Hello

3. My name is
Joshua Weaver.

4. According to my
Twitter, I am an

6. At Baylor Law, I do did
these things...

10. Most relevant to you,

13. I also do these things:

17. Now I’m in-house at
the Brown Trial Firm.

18. Where I manage growth
strategy and operations.

19. Enough about me!

20. Who are you?

21. I want to hear your
best elevator speech.

23. My name is _____.

24. I’m from______.

25. I practice _____ law
because ______.

26. My practice is different
because ______.

27. You’ll remember me
because I love ______.

28. Ready, go!

29. 1. My name is ______.
2. I’m from ______.
3. I practice ______ law
because _____.
4. You’ll remember me
because I love _____.

30. Let’s talk about
websites.

31. Why do you want a
website?

32. Status? Validation?

33. A vague anxiety that you should
have one but you aren’t entirely
100% sure why?

34. Because Anne-Marie is
forcing you to make one?

35. Don’t waste your time
building a website...

36. If you don’t have a clear
purpose in mind for having
one.

37. So why should you
have a website?

38. I submit for your
consideration two reasons:

39. 1. The business card /
public billboard website.

40. Not intended to be an
active sales channel

41. But you have to have
something if someone puts
your name into Google, right?

42. Says to the world:

43. “Hey world, I’m
bona fide!”

44. 2. Your website is a
marketing tool...

45. Which means it’s only
effective if...

46. 💸💰💵

47. It actually brings in
sales.

48. Both are good. What
are your goals?

49. Marketing online takes
effort.

50. And, it’s not always the
most effective way to find
sales.

51. Maybe you should have a
billboard website and get out
more to shake hands IRL?

52. On the other hand...

53. With effort, your website
can become a great
sales channel.

54. Question:

55. What is the foundation
of every great website?

57. Great storytelling.

58. Figure out what you
are trying to say first.

59. Who are you?
• Who are you? Really
• What is your story?
• How did you get here?
• Why do you do what you do?
• Who do you want to work with? Why?
• What makes you/your service different?
• What do you hope your customers would tell their friends
about you

60. Then, be mobile
minded.

61. How to hack web design
with a few magic
keywords:

62. Responsive design is
critically important.

63. Mobile web takeover:
• 89% of consumers start by searching online.
• 56% of web traffic originated from mobile phones in
2015.
• 15 seconds is the average time a user browses a new
website.

65. Let bootstrap and material
design do the heavy
design lifting.

66. Material design is:
• Design principle popularized by Google.
• Material is a metaphor for familiar tactile elements e.g. paper, ink,
light, shadows.
• Bold, graphic, intentional, using typography, grids, space, scale,
color, and imagery.
• Motion has purpose and provides meaning.

68. Always ask yourself:

69. What does my design
choice contribute to
my story?

70. Serifvs Sans-Serif

71. What kind of
attorney are you?

72. What’s your favorite color?

73. Pantone publishes an
influential
“Color of the Year”

74. For 2020, it’s…

75. Classic Blue

77. Need help with colors?

79. https://www.materialpalette.com

80. Google for a web design
color palette generator.

81. Here’s where we are in the
process:

82. Story -> Design Decisions ->
Website Prototyping ->
Testing / Polishing -> Launch

83. How are you feeling? Still
with me?

87. There are many good ways
to build:
• Square Space
• Wordpress
• Wix
• Mobirise / Pindengo

88. Or, pay someone else.

89. (I do websites)

90. (My rates are reasonable)

91. Need more inspiration?

92. It’s okay to cheat, y’all.

95. https://99designs.com/blog/tips/
web-design-basics-guide/

96. https://99designs.com/blog/trends
/web-design-trends-2018/

97. https://www.inboundlawmarketing.com/
best-law-firm-websites/

98. Back to the money--

99. What does this website
want you to do?

104. https://surranoinsurancebadfaith.com

105. Your story flows into a
call to action.

106. Your call to action is
contact me /
pay me money.

107. Here’s another challenge
for you:

108. Attorneys give people
anxiety.

109. People have anxiety about their
problems + about talking to attorneys +
about how much attorneys cost + how
long it will take attorneys to help.

110. These challenges are also
opportunities!

112. Do you need a chat bot?

113. Maybe.

114. If you can afford it,
I say yes.

115. Otherwise, you are the
chat bot, my friend.

116. Which reminds me of one
of my favorite subreddits--

117. (/r/totallynotrobots)

119. You’ll also want to
track your own data.

120. You’ll also want to
track your own data.

121. Copy paste code into
website.

122. Make yourself a simple
CRM spreadsheet.

123. Record all leads that
come in.

124. Capture: who, what,
where, when, why?

125. Start tracking what works
and doesn’t work.

126. Make changes as
necessary.

127. Any questions about
websites?

128. Let’s talk for a moment
about social media and
other online branding.

129. Let’s talk for a moment
about social media and
other online branding.

130. I submit that if….

131. Your target audience
won’t see it,

132. You won’t actively
use it,

133. You have no specific
goals for using it,

134. Or you can’t be trusted
posting after midnight….

135. Maybe you don’t need
social media!

136. Let’s also address
FOMO for a sec….

137. If my friends are to be
believed,

138. They spend all of their
time--

145. (me)

146. Focus on the story you
are trying to tell,

147. Keep your social media
light, informational, and
purpose driven.

148. Question:

149. How do you avoid
getting into trouble?

150. Download the TYLA
Pocket Guide: Social
Media 101

151. It speaks comprehensively to
what you can / can’t do and
it’s and easy to understand.

152. A few highlights:

153. Not all speech is
commercial speech
(regulated)

154. But, Rule 7.07 says

155. Commercial speech needs to be
filed with the State Bar
Advertising Review Committee

156. https://texasbar.com/adreview

157. The Tombstone Exception
Rule 7.07(e) allows you to do
some things without filing.

158. Rule 7.07(e)
• Excepts Tombstone advertisements
• lawyer/law firm listing in web directories
• Contact info
• Dates of admission to the bar
• Areas of practice
• Acceptance of credit cards
• Languages spoken
• Other specified information
• Comment 6 to Rule 7.07
• Non Solicitation Defense
• “Communications need not be filed at all if they were not prepared to secure paid professional
employment

159. Here’s a plug for a fun
tool my friend made:

160. https://scrubber.social

161. Useful for getting a grip
on your social media.

162. It does have some
funny false-positives

163. Spot what’s triggering
it on my Facebook:

165. I aim for interesting but
wholesome.

166. Keep it PG13

167. tbh

168. @justicewillet = #goals

169. Questions about social
media? Anyone want to
discuss Blogging? Etc?

170. Let’s get practical!

171. @MrJPWeaver
/
joshua@weaverinnovations.com
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