Technology Beckons Innovation, Even in Highly Traditional Industries

At the Academy, we believe in the power of innovation. We are constantly trying to find ways to keep in touch with our colleagues and help our Members find ways to expand their businesses. As such, we enjoy learning about how people in other industries are leveraging technological innovations to help fill needs within the field.

But, how can that technological innovation translate to a field that tackles more serious issues? A new essay from The Atlantic shows how one startup company is tackling a traditional niche industry with a fresh perspective. Mike Belsito, the CEO of eFuneral.com, started his company after his brother passed away. In planning his brother’s funeral, Belsito discovered that there was very little information about funeral home options on the web, and sites that had any information at all simply listed the phone number and address of local funeral home offerings. Later, after using Yelp.com to find local dinner options, he realized he could get more information about where to have a $40 meal than where to hold a funeral.

Belsito established his business by finding a need and attempting to fill it by offering an online platform where people can find funeral home ratings and reviews, the costs of funerals and any additional offerings. In the future, he hopes people will log on to the site to find ratings and reviews, but also to learn about offers on ancillary services and items like flowers.

So, what does this have to do with legal marketing? Perhaps more than you may think. The legal profession is notoriously traditional, so it requires perhaps even more creativity for lawyers to think outside the box in order to help grow their law firm practices. Even if you don’t have the technology or bandwidth to recreate your entire business model, you can strive to maintain active profiles on websites that cater to the legal profession, and can encourage people who’ve been pleased with your services to post positive testimonials or reviews. Or, you may want to think about starting a blog (have you seen this recent Academy post about the power of blogging?)

Much like the laws affecting funeral homes, there are numerous regulations as to how lawyers can advertise; however, if the funeral home industry can find ways to take advantage of technological innovation, then lawyers may also find creative opportunities for growth within the profession.

Robert Armstrong
President and Co-Founder
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com