Full Transcript for Ep. 97 How the Hometown Lawyer Won Small-Town Hearts with Daily Video

when we first started. 00:02:04.201 --> 00:02:07.261 It was thehometownlawyers.com and we both lived here our whole life. 00:02:07.361 --> 00:02:08.841 So we just been running with that ever since. 00:02:09.141 --> 00:02:13.941 And then we started, you know, highlighting small towns all over Ohio kind of as we grew. 00:02:14.421 --> 00:02:18.121 We got 33 people on the team, including me. 00:02:19.221 --> 00:02:24.721 Been going since 2018. Very nice. And is the team all local to you? 00:02:24.821 --> 00:02:28.421 I ask because we had a previous personal injury attorney who had a lot of remote 00:02:28.421 --> 00:02:31.461 staff. So I'm kind of curious, with your organization, you're at a pretty substantial 00:02:31.461 --> 00:02:36.121 scale by most standards of small business. So tell me a little about how that works. 00:02:37.101 --> 00:02:41.441 Yeah, so we have people all over kind of southwestern Ohio in the areas we serve. 00:02:41.541 --> 00:02:45.561 I think we got 24, 23 people in Ohio. 00:02:46.001 --> 00:02:52.261 And then we have a handful of virtual staff as well, helping with marketing 00:02:52.261 --> 00:02:57.081 and different types of processes along the way. Okay. 00:02:57.541 --> 00:03:02.341 And you referenced how we got to the name of Hometown Lawyer. 00:03:03.741 --> 00:03:09.081 Give a little sense for your online presence with that name, 00:03:09.101 --> 00:03:11.141 and then we'll dig in a little tactical on it. 00:03:12.165 --> 00:03:15.485 Yeah. So, I mean, it started off, I didn't want to do videos probably like anyone. 00:03:15.585 --> 00:03:19.785 I'm 42. I didn't grow up doing videos or being on social media and that stuff. 00:03:19.825 --> 00:03:22.445 And I didn't even get on Facebook till I was in law school. 00:03:22.605 --> 00:03:25.625 I went to law school later in life too. So I was like 30 years old when I started 00:03:25.625 --> 00:03:26.545 even getting on there at all. 00:03:27.045 --> 00:03:29.745 It was mostly because I was missing out on the happy hours of law school. 00:03:29.865 --> 00:03:32.885 I was waiting for emails for stuff and they were putting it on a Facebook group. 00:03:32.985 --> 00:03:37.545 So I got on there for that. But, uh, you know, about 2019, 2020, 00:03:37.545 --> 00:03:40.465 I just saw, you know, this is the way things are going. You're going to have 00:03:40.465 --> 00:03:41.645 to get out there and do some videos. 00:03:42.025 --> 00:03:46.145 Uh, so begrudgingly did it at first, you know, I put a suit on every day, 00:03:46.565 --> 00:03:49.965 tried to talk about wall, you know, pretty boring. 00:03:50.285 --> 00:03:52.545 Um, you can only talk about uninsured motorists so many times, 00:03:52.865 --> 00:03:55.585 even though it's, I have a lot of important things to tell people, 00:03:55.685 --> 00:03:58.865 but it's not that fun to listen to if you don't need it at that time. 00:03:59.605 --> 00:04:03.025 And it's not that much fun to talk about over and over. There's only so much you can say. 00:04:04.265 --> 00:04:07.505 So I started just kind of toying around with, let's talk about other things, 00:04:07.625 --> 00:04:10.605 you know, and let's maybe not wear a suit every day and maybe toss my red saddle, 00:04:10.805 --> 00:04:13.225 you know, we're in first place, so shout out to the red lights. 00:04:14.185 --> 00:04:18.105 Things like that, showing on local, you know, I could never compete with the 00:04:18.105 --> 00:04:20.945 giant national firms. They're going to buy more TV spots than me, 00:04:21.025 --> 00:04:23.785 but I could be, you know, I'm the hometown lawyer, Hamilton, 00:04:24.045 --> 00:04:25.385 and I can out Hamilton anybody. 00:04:25.745 --> 00:04:30.425 You know, if someone out Hamilton's me, another lawyer, then I'll tip my hat 00:04:30.425 --> 00:04:31.585 to them because they're going to have to hustle. 00:04:31.885 --> 00:04:36.105 And that's kind of where it came from. And that's kind of what I've done. 00:04:36.285 --> 00:04:40.565 You know, I can be more small town Ohio than anyone. That's my goal. 00:04:41.345 --> 00:04:44.985 And it's try to stand out that way and do a lot of good along the way. I think it's been fun. 00:04:45.745 --> 00:04:48.925 Been good for a lot of the small businesses we highlight. I have a video series. 00:04:49.085 --> 00:04:51.885 We call it Around Town with the Hometown Lawyer. I post one every single day 00:04:51.885 --> 00:04:56.865 on Facebook. And it's a lot of work. I mean, trying to post 365 new, 00:04:57.807 --> 00:05:01.187 small town highlights of business people, nonprofit leaders, 00:05:01.447 --> 00:05:04.667 uh, and I want to stop you. You're posting daily. 00:05:05.467 --> 00:05:07.127 Yeah. That's a lot of content. 00:05:08.587 --> 00:05:11.187 That's a lot of content. My marketing assistant, uh, yeah, she, 00:05:11.347 --> 00:05:14.767 when I first told her that was the goal this year, you know, kind of scared her. 00:05:15.107 --> 00:05:18.467 Um, last year we, we, we've been doing this series for about three and a half 00:05:18.467 --> 00:05:19.907 years. It used to be like one a week. 00:05:20.407 --> 00:05:23.027 And then last year we did a little bit more. I was doing like two a week. 00:05:23.107 --> 00:05:25.347 And this year, my goal was to post one every single day. 00:05:25.807 --> 00:05:28.667 Thus far we've been doing that um you know 00:05:28.667 --> 00:05:31.527 if i miss a day i'll have a rerun i can toss an old one but 00:05:31.527 --> 00:05:34.287 just getting all the content shot we what i do 00:05:34.287 --> 00:05:39.067 she'll plan we'll pick a town no we're going to portsmouth ohio next week that's 00:05:39.067 --> 00:05:43.447 it's a town along the ohio river that i like um going to been out there a bunch 00:05:43.447 --> 00:05:47.467 of times and she'll i don't have a camera gun staff every day i have him kind 00:05:47.467 --> 00:05:51.787 of on retainer so next week i'll take him all the way out with me to

portsmouth 00:05:51.787 --> 00:05:54.027 and she'll have like 15 10 or 15, 00:05:54.727 --> 00:05:57.687 people we're going to do these short interviews with and then we go 00:05:57.687 --> 00:06:00.487 out there and bang them all out one day and then as he edits 00:06:00.487 --> 00:06:03.267 them then i can drip the content out you know i'll have 15 days of content 00:06:03.267 --> 00:06:06.107 when that's done so it's not that i'm running around every day 00:06:06.107 --> 00:06:10.307 like it would look like if you're on my facebook or my tiktok but you know it 00:06:10.307 --> 00:06:14.307 is two or three days a month i'm out there um and it it's not just shooting 00:06:14.307 --> 00:06:17.207 the content i actually get to meet the people in person so it's like layering 00:06:17.207 --> 00:06:22.447 real life networking with social media on top of it and it just makes it i think 00:06:22.447 --> 00:06:24.927 more real and more fun and. 00:06:25.807 --> 00:06:29.047 And I think we get to do a lot of good with it I think it's also fun with you 00:06:29.047 --> 00:06:31.787 know my team knows that we're out there like highlighting a lot of people who 00:06:31.787 --> 00:06:35.027 might not get a spotlight shined on them very often because, 00:06:35.487 --> 00:06:38.947 when you watch the news you know kind of what made me really want to do it is 00:06:38.947 --> 00:06:41.907 like when you watch the news it's usually somebody did something great to get, 00:06:42.458 --> 00:06:45.318 that's maybe unattainable to most of us you know some great athlete or 00:06:45.318 --> 00:06:48.118 some politician or whatever business leader or somebody 00:06:48.118 --> 00:06:51.438 who did something heinous that you don't want to be on there for either it's you 00:06:51.438 --> 00:06:54.418 know the people in the middle really make up most of society 00:06:54.418 --> 00:06:57.518 and you don't really get news for that so i think people want 00:06:57.518 --> 00:07:00.218 to hear stories that way especially in small towns that don't have 00:07:00.218 --> 00:07:03.098 papers or news of their own that's kind of where we 00:07:03.098 --> 00:07:05.858 fit in i think it it helps us because we make a 00:07:05.858 --> 00:07:08.858 lot of friends and a lot of people think lawyers are jerks 00:07:08.858 --> 00:07:11.698 you know it's kind of hard to hate on me too much if I'm out there doing good 00:07:11.698 --> 00:07:14.718 all the time uh so that's kind of where where it's 00:07:14.718 --> 00:07:17.578 as and every year we've kind of ramped it up a little bit more I've hired a 00:07:17.578 --> 00:07:20.438 full-time person who sets up the videos because I can't 00:07:20.438 --> 00:07:25.418 play in that many videos myself 300 plus a year and then the video guy so I've 00:07:25.418 --> 00:07:29.118 got an editor um that helps him as well so it's like a four three and a half 00:07:29.118 --> 00:07:32.658 person team so yeah I was here I was hearing that behind the scenes as you were 00:07:32.658 --> 00:07:36.718 talking that you know we were hiring camera and stuff so I'm kind of I got a 00:07:36.718 --> 00:07:38.078 lot of questions actually but But I'm curious, 00:07:38.238 --> 00:07:42.398 first, when you first started this, was it pick up the iPhone and record something? 00:07:42.698 --> 00:07:47.558 Or what's the, if someone likes what they hear and sees value in it and wants 00:07:47.558 --> 00:07:50.258 to start, you know, what would you suggest? 00:07:50.958 --> 00:07:54.638 Yeah, I just picked up my phone at first and I talked about being a lawyer and I had a suit on. 00:07:54.758 --> 00:07:58.258 I think I was standing in front of a pile of books in the background like every 00:07:58.258 --> 00:08:00.518 other person who's ever tried to be a lawyer on video at first. 00:08:01.198 --> 00:08:04.078 And then over time, I got more relaxed to start being myself more. 00:08:04.278 --> 00:08:07.558 I stopped caring about being perfect. You know, I actually will get updates 00:08:07.558 --> 00:08:09.538 on my phone about, you know, how you get the reminders. 00:08:09.718 --> 00:08:14.498 I just got one the other day from 2019. It was me with a suit on trying to talk 00:08:14.498 --> 00:08:16.398 about uninsured motorist or whatever it was. 00:08:16.478 --> 00:08:19.458 And I kept stopping and redoing it because I'd flub up a word. 00:08:20.214 --> 00:08:24.474 And I just stopped doing that. It's if you're waiting to try to post a perfect 00:08:24.474 --> 00:08:27.534 video, you'll never get it done or you won't get it done enough to be consistent. 00:08:28.094 --> 00:08:31.814 You know, you got to start posting content and get over trying to be perfect. 00:08:32.114 --> 00:08:35.114 Most people don't care what you're posting. Most people are not going to be 00:08:35.114 --> 00:08:36.454 as critical as you are of yourself. 00:08:37.274 --> 00:08:40.434 And I think lawyers, a lot of times people think we're unapproachable and they 00:08:40.434 --> 00:08:41.534 don't want to reach out to us. 00:08:41.534 --> 00:08:45.954 So I think maybe being a little less than perfect sometimes and not dressing 00:08:45.954 --> 00:08:50.514 fancy all time and not trying to sound so smart makes me a guy they're not scared 00:08:50.514 --> 00:08:52.894 to reach out to because I sound more like a normal person. 00:08:53.254 --> 00:08:56.674 And, you know, I think most people assume lawyers are smart. 00:08:56.854 --> 00:09:02.354 I think too many lawyers are online trying to sound smart, which kind of feeds 00:09:02.354 --> 00:09:07.074 into the negative, you know, kind of vibes people have toward lawyers in society. 00:09:07.074 --> 00:09:09.994 I kind of want to go against it because I think I know most lawyers are pretty 00:09:09.994 --> 00:09:12.274 cool, really, if they loosen up a little bit. 00:09:13.014 --> 00:09:16.754 That's kind of been my goal. I'm sure you get the Reds fans coming up to you, 00:09:16.834 -->

00:09:19.514 right? So you wear the hat like, Kevin, how are those cubbies doing? 00:09:20.014 --> 00:09:23.554 I mean, we're not doing as well as the Reds. I hear the Reds are doing pretty 00:09:23.554 --> 00:09:26.474 well. Reds are doing better than the Cubs. Let's put it that way. 00:09:27.094 --> 00:09:29.654 It's funny you bring that up. I mean, I just don't want to fix my hair, 00:09:29.694 --> 00:09:32.394 but if I'm not going to court, I'm not wearing a suit. I just like toss my hat 00:09:32.394 --> 00:09:33.714 on if I'm sitting in the office. 00:09:34.234 --> 00:09:37.194 And then I also did think I got people. I know I'm local. that'll be good in 00:09:37.194 --> 00:09:40.874 videos. But the funniest thing is where I never would have expected. 00:09:41.654 --> 00:09:45.714 I've gotten referrals from attorneys in other states that I've never met before 00:09:46.094 --> 00:09:49.054 because they saw my videos and they remembered and they actually told me when 00:09:49.054 --> 00:09:51.534 they referred it, we just remember you had a red set on and we knew you had 00:09:51.534 --> 00:09:52.994 to be close to Cincinnati most likely. 00:09:53.054 --> 00:09:56.494 And I was like, man, I never even thought that far ahead. But, you know, not too bad. 00:09:57.114 --> 00:09:59.934 They just they just think we're close to dinosaurs here. Yeah, 00:10:00.394 --> 00:10:02.974 that's the problem. I'm kind of curious how this resonates with you. 00:10:03.134 --> 00:10:04.934 So you're in small town media. Yep. 00:10:05.274 --> 00:10:09.734 Traditional media. Yeah. I, I just listening to him talk, I'm, because... 00:10:10.581 --> 00:10:13.881 You start with the iPhone, you work up to a production person. 00:10:14.201 --> 00:10:17.501 Now you've got someone writing. It's become its own thing. 00:10:20.321 --> 00:10:25.361 And as far as all of your different methods of advertising, where do you place it now? 00:10:25.481 --> 00:10:28.581 Do you find people talk about a billboard or about this or that? 00:10:28.641 --> 00:10:32.181 Or they're like, I saw that video you at the ice cream shop in whatever town. 00:10:33.121 --> 00:10:36.981 Yeah, I think it's probably definitely the most viewed thing I do and the most 00:10:36.981 --> 00:10:41.181 different. Um, but I really try to tie it all together best I can. 00:10:41.261 --> 00:10:42.581 And I'll give you an example of that. 00:10:42.721 --> 00:10:45.861 Yeah, I did billboard. I never really wanted to be a billboard lawyer, whatever that means. 00:10:46.061 --> 00:10:48.341 Uh, no offense to those who wanted to be one, I guess. 00:10:48.781 --> 00:10:53.621 Um, but I, I also didn't want to look at billboards of the big city lawyers 00:10:53.621 --> 00:10:55.861 all throughout my town all the time, right next to my office. 00:10:56.261 --> 00:10:59.921 And they were getting closer and closer. And at some point I just bit the bullet 00:10:59.921 --> 00:11:04.761 and started buying the small billboard, you know, renting the small billboards in my town, 00:11:04.981 --> 00:11:08.681 not on the expressway, but the ones in the neighborhood the small ones and uh 00:11:08.681 --> 00:11:12.561 mostly as defensive at first and for a couple years i i i. 00:11:13.471 --> 00:11:16.171 They were fine people saw all but i wanted to tie it 00:11:16.171 --> 00:11:18.951 in more to like my brand like it didn't feel like it felt like it was off 00:11:18.951 --> 00:11:21.631 on its own i wanted you know i knew i was doing good stuff with social media 00:11:21.631 --> 00:11:25.191 and the community marketing and i finally kind of figured out a way to do that 00:11:25.191 --> 00:11:30.771 so what i've done is uh every month i'll get like a non-profit or some or this 00:11:30.771 --> 00:11:35.011 month it was there was an event for uh kids uh they're raising money for childhood 00:11:35.011 --> 00:11:38.671 cancer uh society a local one and uh so i'll put. 00:11:38.751 --> 00:11:41.491 Them on a billboard i'll give them one of my billboards for a 00:11:41.491 --> 00:11:44.251 month and i'll yeah it'll say in the corner 00:11:44.251 --> 00:11:47.011 like sponsored by the hometown lawyer but the billboard is them and 00:11:47.011 --> 00:11:49.691 they can't maybe afford one and i already got a bunch so i'll 00:11:49.691 --> 00:11:52.631 give it i'll give those away and then we'll do social media about that 00:11:52.631 --> 00:11:55.831 so then it kind of tied into the on online i'm 00:11:55.831 --> 00:11:58.831 always shouting out small town business now on my billboards i 00:11:58.831 --> 00:12:02.531 am so it kind of like converged the two and i've 00:12:02.531 --> 00:12:05.571 put on you know i've had some uh local uh like content 00:12:05.571 --> 00:12:08.311 creator influencers like really local ones i've put them on 00:12:08.311 --> 00:12:11.171 billboards before just because it's fun and uh 00:12:11.171 --> 00:12:14.431 I don't know just try to be different and always be thinking about 00:12:14.431 --> 00:12:17.451 how I can be local and how I can get back and I 00:12:17.451 --> 00:12:20.431 think it it builds a good culture the other 00:12:20.431 --> 00:12:23.231 thing that I never thought most people get online they want to get cases I 00:12:23.231 --> 00:12:25.991 mean you're you're marketing to get cases at the end of the day and I am 00:12:25.991 --> 00:12:29.731 too everyone is if they're being honest one great I 00:12:29.731 --> 00:12:32.431 guess side effect of the the online and the 00:12:32.431 --> 00:12:35.851 positive highlighting and all the things we do on social media is 00:12:35.851 --> 00:12:39.631 i don't have as much uh problems recruiting people 00:12:39.631 --> 00:12:42.391 to work for me now and that was something i wouldn't even 00:12:42.391 --> 00:12:47.131 have thought of but one of my newer employees she when she started she said 00:12:47.131 --> 00:12:49.771 when she told her grandma she got a job here she's like i think that's that

00:12:49.771 --> 00:12:53.751 guy that gives the billboards away that's really nice like that's pretty good 00:12:53.751 --> 00:12:57.931 and about five years ago i'll tell you a story i put out a job for a receptionist 00:12:57.931 --> 00:13:01.571 and i got three applicants i did a phone interview with all of them, 00:13:01.731 --> 00:13:04.891 told them all to come in for a real interview in person. Only one showed up. 00:13:05.151 --> 00:13:08.051 I hired her. Thank God she's been good. She's still here five years later. 00:13:08.251 --> 00:13:09.471 She's my intake manager now. 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:13.379 But three people is not very good to pick from the same 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:17.079 job last year i had like 170 in 00:13:17.079 --> 00:13:20.119 like a day and a half i had to turn it off because it was like holy crap 00:13:20.119 --> 00:13:23.339 like i could continue to go through all these and the only thing that changed was 00:13:23.339 --> 00:13:26.719 i had a bigger brand now and i think it's viewed positively 00:13:26.719 --> 00:13:30.679 in the neighborhood compared to most entry lawyers which were not always you 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:36.239 know everyone's favorite business no i mean there is a stigma right but you 00:13:36.239 --> 00:13:39.379 found a great way to combat I think one of the key points that's between the 00:13:39.379 --> 00:13:44.239 lines here that you haven't blatantly stated is you actually care about the 00:13:44.239 --> 00:13:44.979 people you're interviewing. 00:13:45.199 --> 00:13:47.599 Like you're enjoying this. It's authentic to you because I'm trying, 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:49.839 I'm trying to think how someone can screw this up. 00:13:49.939 --> 00:13:54.159 And I think they can try and copy what you're doing and not actually care and 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:57.499 are looking for the end result of it. And it will wreck the whole thing. 00:13:58.168 --> 00:14:03.188 Yeah, I did. You really do have to care. Um, and, um, I really do care about 00:14:03.188 --> 00:14:04.868 my town. I've lived here my entire life. 00:14:05.208 --> 00:14:08.468 Um, it wasn't always the fanciest place to live. I lived on the, 00:14:08.508 --> 00:14:11.128 the poor, you know, there's a river goes through our town. 00:14:11.228 --> 00:14:13.868 I was on the side that was probably traditionally poorer than the other one. 00:14:13.968 --> 00:14:18.268 And neither side was rich, you know, um, it's a, it's a blue collar factory town. 00:14:18.568 --> 00:14:19.988 And everyone in my, every man 00:14:19.988 --> 00:14:22.828 in my family worked in a factory or construction or something like that. 00:14:23.808 --> 00:14:26.608 And I did, too, when I was in my 20s. I didn't become an attorney until I was 00:14:26.608 --> 00:14:30.408 32. So I worked in, you know, blue-collar jobs when I was young. 00:14:31.388 --> 00:14:35.028 And there's a lot of towns in Ohio and Indiana and Illinois like that, 00:14:35.148 --> 00:14:37.488 you

know, and Pennsylvania all through the Midwest. 00:14:37.508 --> 00:14:40.688 There's a lot of towns that have a lot of history, things to be proud of, 00:14:40.748 --> 00:14:44.688 but they weren't, you know, on the rise when I was a kid in the 90s. 00:14:44.748 --> 00:14:46.648 They were on the way down, and then they were kind of depressing. 00:14:48.048 --> 00:14:50.868 So a lot of them now in Ohio are kind of turning around and getting better. 00:14:50.868 --> 00:14:54.048 So I kind of like being here now that things are turning around. 00:14:54.188 --> 00:14:58.348 I've been here the whole time, and a lot of people have. And I like highlighting 00:14:58.348 --> 00:15:00.448 positive things that are happening in towns. 00:15:00.628 --> 00:15:03.588 And the more I started getting – I started in Hamilton, where I'm from, 00:15:03.648 --> 00:15:07.128 but I started getting cases in Middletown down the road or Wilmington an hour away. 00:15:07.308 --> 00:15:11.728 And I'd drive to those towns with kind of different viewpoint than when I was 00:15:11.728 --> 00:15:15.048 maybe being a teenager and only looked at the bad things. 00:15:15.128 --> 00:15:17.708 And I wanted to go to wherever else, you know, somewhere tropical or whatever. 00:15:17.708 --> 00:15:19.908 When you're a kid, you have big dreams of leaving your hometown. 00:15:20.508 --> 00:15:23.988 But I started seeing a lot of beauty in these small towns and a lot of the cool 00:15:23.988 --> 00:15:26.428 people that are there doing good things. And I just, you know, 00:15:26.568 --> 00:15:27.748 wanted to start giving a shout out. 00:15:28.828 --> 00:15:33.088 And honestly, I think you're asking, can you screw it up? The way I look at 00:15:33.088 --> 00:15:34.488 it, I think it helps my business. 00:15:34.768 --> 00:15:36.888 I can't actually draft that it does. 00:15:37.607 --> 00:15:40.327 Um there's no way to track roi on something like this 00:15:40.327 --> 00:15:43.307 attorneys will ask me that so i think if you're going to screw it up you go 00:15:43.307 --> 00:15:46.087 into it thinking you're going to get an roi immediately or 00:15:46.087 --> 00:15:48.907 be able to track it i'm good and i've told this 00:15:48.907 --> 00:15:51.707 i've spoken events before i can't prove it works 00:15:51.707 --> 00:15:54.887 i think it does but if when i'm on my deathbed i'm 00:15:54.887 --> 00:15:57.807 not going to be thinking back man i regret that 00:15:57.807 --> 00:16:00.627 because i didn't get an roi if someone proved to me i didn't i still would be 00:16:00.627 --> 00:16:04.867 glad i did it because it's fun like my my video my videographer he had a full-time 00:16:04.867 --> 00:16:08.627 job at costco So before I hired him to do this gig and he's got a couple other 00:16:08.627 --> 00:16:12.447 clients and that he's quit that job and driven all over Ohio and saw more of 00:16:12.447 --> 00:16:15.907 Ohio than most people did here their whole life. He's from Colorado. 00:16:16.067

--> 00:16:19.027 He's only been here for a few years. So I've had him in little bitty towns in 00:16:19.027 --> 00:16:21.967 the middle of nowhere shooting videos. So it's kind of, it's kind of been fun. 00:16:22.267 --> 00:16:25.687 It's a break from the office. You know, I'm a lawyer. I'm looking at other stuff all the time. 00:16:26.207 --> 00:16:30.087 Um, so there's a lot of positives really. So yeah, you really have to love it. 00:16:30.147 --> 00:16:31.727 I liked it. I like people. 00:16:32.007 --> 00:16:34.327 Yeah. I was going to say at the end of the day, I think, you know, 00:16:34.387 --> 00:16:39.827 you live in a trust-based business where the results are, they're there, 00:16:39.987 --> 00:16:41.027 but they're not immediate, right? 00:16:41.147 --> 00:16:46.247 Like I can't, you know, retain you and then immediately it's done and everyone's 00:16:46.247 --> 00:16:48.087 different, right? Like every case is different. 00:16:48.567 --> 00:16:52.387 So yeah, they have nothing to go on other than reputation and trust. 00:16:52.387 --> 00:16:54.967 And you found a way to instill that. 00:16:56.295 --> 00:16:59.335 But it makes it humanizes you i guess you and 00:16:59.335 --> 00:17:02.155 you're interesting versus i need a lawyer now so 00:17:02.155 --> 00:17:05.075 who am i gonna who who have i seen a tv commercial for a thousand times 00:17:05.075 --> 00:17:07.895 or a billboard they're like wait a minute i i just 00:17:07.895 --> 00:17:11.875 think you're building a brand that again isn't 00:17:11.875 --> 00:17:15.455 tied to immediate roi but you're getting it even 00:17:15.455 --> 00:17:18.215 though you may not be able to measure it when people talk to you 00:17:18.215 --> 00:17:21.255 and they want to be on your video they're like i've seen the other ones that's where 00:17:21.255 --> 00:17:24.295 your roi was people want to be involved yeah look it ties really nicely 00:17:24.295 --> 00:17:28.115 to like the newsletter marketing we do like months 00:17:28.115 --> 00:17:31.055 one two and three it's really hard for me to prove an roi to 00:17:31.055 --> 00:17:34.215 you on that but if you get to months six eight 00:17:34.215 --> 00:17:37.335 ten you'll do it for the rest of your career because 00:17:37.335 --> 00:17:39.955 you'll start having communications i imagine people come up to you 00:17:39.955 --> 00:17:42.875 and they mention something they saw for sure yeah i 00:17:42.875 --> 00:17:45.675 mean people at this point i've been i've pretty much posted a 00:17:45.675 --> 00:17:48.595 video virtually every single day for 00:17:48.595 --> 00:17:51.915 like five going on six years um a 00:17:51.915 --> 00:17:54.915 long time so i did and i i posted the video every 00:17:54.915 --> 00:17:58.095 day for a year before anyone ever 00:17:58.095 --> 00:18:02.435 called me and hired me and said they didn't saw a video i mean so a year 365 00:18:02.435 --> 00:18:05.855 videos and and the people in my office back then only had two employees they 00:18:05.855 --> 00:18:10.275 want my my oldest paralegal who's now retired uh known her most of my life she'd 00:18:10.275 --> 00:18:12.815 make fun of me like you're too old to be doing those tiktoks or whatever you're 00:18:12.815 --> 00:18:15.655 doing and they'd all kind of you know rip me about a little bit. 00:18:16.015 --> 00:18:18.835 And I remember, I still remember where I was standing in a rolled office. 00:18:18.995 --> 00:18:22.735 She was on the phone and she said it out loud. It's like, you're calling us 00:18:22.735 --> 00:18:23.755 because you saw him where? 00:18:23.875 --> 00:18:26.095 And she looked down and I was like rolling her eyes. And I was like. 00:18:26.475 --> 00:18:30.555 And she was like, you saw him eating tacos at this house taco shop down the road. 00:18:30.615 --> 00:18:33.635 And I was like, I looked at the sky, like it worked, you know, 00:18:33.655 --> 00:18:34.415 I couldn't believe it either. 00:18:34.575 --> 00:18:39.615 And, uh, and there's been kind of going ever since, um, it has built now that 00:18:39.615 --> 00:18:42.135 I'll be in a random town and people will be like, you're the hometown lawyer. 00:18:42.135 --> 00:18:45.675 And I'm like, well, it's weird like how they even know me, but if you do a video 00:18:45.675 --> 00:18:47.235 every day, the thing is when you, 00:18:47.834 --> 00:18:51.374 If you highlight, if I was doing videos in Los Angeles, maybe people would see 00:18:51.374 --> 00:18:54.354 it, but a lot of people are talking about that big of a city all the time. 00:18:54.674 --> 00:18:57.394 If you shout out, like, what state are you guys in? Illinois. 00:18:57.634 --> 00:18:58.514 We're on the border of Illinois, Iowa. 00:18:59.254 --> 00:19:04.234 So if you go to a state or a city in Illinois that has 2,500 people and do a 00:19:04.234 --> 00:19:06.974 video, yeah, people in the big city might not care. 00:19:07.054 --> 00:19:10.934 But those 2,500 people will see it, and every single one of them will care a 00:19:10.934 --> 00:19:15.354 lot more because they are not used to seeing their city on YouTube or anywhere, 00:19:15.354 --> 00:19:17.574 unless it's something bad, typically. 00:19:17.834 --> 00:19:21.494 You know, like, so it means more in a small town. 00:19:21.734 --> 00:19:24.374 I think we're seeing the rise, maybe like you're an originator, 00:19:24.434 --> 00:19:26.934 but I think we're seeing the rise of the local influencer. 00:19:27.114 --> 00:19:31.314 Like I know, yes, I scroll social media more than I probably should. 00:19:31.814 --> 00:19:36.454 And yes, we're not in major market. We're what, like 400,000 metro, 00:19:36.674 --> 00:19:38.754 but that's over a large geographic area. 00:19:39.334 --> 00:19:43.074 And yeah, I see local influencers pop up all the time. I'm like, what? 00:19:43.714 --> 00:19:47.174 Why is someone bothering to film this? Sure. What also reminds me a little bit 00:19:47.174 --> 00:19:48.554 of like a real estate

person. 00:19:48.714 --> 00:19:51.974 There are some real estate professionals who have gotten into the brand. 00:19:52.134 --> 00:19:55.874 They're not, they're not, it's posting videos about whatever, 00:19:56.254 --> 00:19:57.654 not about the house I have for sale. 00:19:57.774 --> 00:20:01.414 There is, there is something to it that people want to, you want to cheer for 00:20:01.414 --> 00:20:03.914 the local guy who you feel like he's not an ass. 00:20:04.074 --> 00:20:07.154 You know, you just want to, you want to be like, oh, I like this guy or this 00:20:07.154 --> 00:20:10.794 girl. Oh yeah. And you either have a need or you don't, right? Yeah, I think so. 00:20:10.954 --> 00:20:14.254 And the other thing is people need to remember people, if they go out there 00:20:14.254 --> 00:20:16.354 and do that and they do a good job and they stick with it for a year or two, 00:20:16.474 --> 00:20:21.374 you're going to start getting a lot of calls that are not about whatever you do. 00:20:21.594 --> 00:20:24.934 I get a lot of calls for divorce and bankruptcy and everything else because 00:20:24.934 --> 00:20:28.334 I'm a local influence or whatever in the legal community. 00:20:29.235 --> 00:20:32.175 And I think some people will be like, oh, I'm getting a bunch of calls that 00:20:32.175 --> 00:20:35.075 I can't help with. That is good if you're getting that. 00:20:35.675 --> 00:20:38.895 They're handing you, that means you're winning. They're trusting you. 00:20:39.415 --> 00:20:42.655 Yeah, okay, I don't do divorce, but I still want to help this person. 00:20:42.695 --> 00:20:45.815 They trusted me. I'll find them someone. The lawyer I send it to is going to 00:20:45.815 --> 00:20:47.175 be happy. I'm making friends there. 00:20:48.155 --> 00:20:51.075 It's just a good thing if you're getting a lot of calls. Don't get down if you are. 00:20:52.515 --> 00:20:54.635 And just keep at it. It's like going to the gym or something. 00:20:54.735 --> 00:20:57.795 You're not going to get Arnold Schwarzenegger in three months. 00:20:57.795 --> 00:21:00.975 Like if you do a video every day for 10 years, I guarantee you, 00:21:00.975 --> 00:21:01.855 you'll be busier though. 00:21:02.015 --> 00:21:05.835 Like it's, and it doesn't, and don't overdo what, you know, if you're in real 00:21:05.835 --> 00:21:08.615 estate or law or whatever it is, it doesn't have to be that all the time. 00:21:08.755 --> 00:21:11.955 Do a little bit of it enough. You know, my name on there is the hometown lawyer. 00:21:12.275 --> 00:21:14.255 They know I'm a lawyer just by reading that. 00:21:15.015 --> 00:21:18.695 I do videos when I come home and talk to my wife and she, she's cooking and 00:21:18.695 --> 00:21:21.875 I just show her hands and me and her have a banter and she'll give me crap or 00:21:21.875 --> 00:21:23.695 I'll give her crap. This makes me look like a normal person. 00:21:24.335 --> 00:21:26.895 And I think that's kind of where the magic is. It's just like, 00:21:27.295 --> 00:21:30.755 you know, the people that I like, you're going to find you. You're not going to be for everyone. 00:21:30.915 --> 00:21:35.375 I know that probably some people watch my video and I'm not all suited up acting 00:21:35.375 --> 00:21:36.935 super serious all the time. 00:21:37.375 --> 00:21:40.495 I'm never acting silly, but I'm not just stiff all the time or looking intimidating. 00:21:40.815 --> 00:21:44.255 Sometimes people might want a scary lawyer for their case. That's fine. They might not pick me. 00:21:44.415 --> 00:21:48.175 I'm not going to be for everyone, but I'm going to be for the people that I 00:21:48.175 --> 00:21:51.495 need to be for, you know, and that's, I think that's where marketing is at. 00:21:51.775 --> 00:21:53.995 Yeah. I mean, you're talking to a guy wearing a dinosaur shirt. 00:21:55.675 --> 00:21:58.495 I need to get one of those oh oh maybe we can 00:21:58.495 --> 00:22:01.315 arrange that now that you said that the algorithms are 00:22:01.315 --> 00:22:05.275 going to find you and you'll be sure all right we got some lightning round questions 00:22:05.275 --> 00:22:10.255 as we wrap up here so you want to do lightning round all right number one best 00:22:10.255 --> 00:22:16.555 business book or what's on your current reading pile that's business book i 00:22:16.555 --> 00:22:19.255 mean that's a good one man uh. 00:22:21.448 --> 00:22:24.628 I read, I kind of bounce around. I read a lot of non, nonfiction, 00:22:24.808 --> 00:22:26.548 like the business books, but I won't read them all the way through. 00:22:26.648 --> 00:22:29.768 I'll read a chapter or two here. That's why I like, it sounds like an entrepreneur. 00:22:30.468 --> 00:22:33.888 Yeah. I'll have one, like in the third one in my car, one at the office. 00:22:34.508 --> 00:22:38.348 Um, yeah, let me think. I mean, think and grow rich is a great one, 00:22:38.388 --> 00:22:41.188 but then a lot of people think that God is just like completely full of it. 00:22:41.248 --> 00:22:44.168 But I mean, I don't know if it matters, if it helps you when you read it, I think it's still good. 00:22:44.268 --> 00:22:47.908 Maybe I always liked that one. You know, I do think a lot of people, 00:22:48.308 --> 00:22:51.308 anything that makes you stop doubting yourself, but that's the good book for you. 00:22:51.448 --> 00:22:55.348 You know, and I think when I was a kid, I used to think my sights were down 00:22:55.348 --> 00:22:56.948 here and guess what? That's about where I went. 00:22:57.088 --> 00:23:00.468 And when I threw that off, you know, sky's the limit when you start believing 00:23:00.468 --> 00:23:02.008 in yourself a little bit. All right. 00:23:02.908 --> 00:23:05.588 Tool, software, or technology you can't live without? 00:23:07.909 --> 00:23:10.729 I mean pretty much just the cell phone it's the easy one i do pretty much run 00:23:10.729 --> 00:23:13.629 the firm from that but i like uh for legal 00:23:13.629 -->

00:23:16.969 software i like hona it helps me communicate with my clients uh 00:23:16.969 --> 00:23:20.309 a lot better you know i can send updated videos uh 00:23:20.309 --> 00:23:23.569 that are pre-recorded to a i can 00:23:23.569 --> 00:23:26.489 reuse them for updates on cases some cases 00:23:26.489 --> 00:23:29.569 have the same thing happen to them in every one at certain phase so 00:23:29.569 --> 00:23:32.229 i shoot one video and then when that happens in 00:23:32.229 --> 00:23:34.969 their case they get an automatic video letting them know and they don't 00:23:34.969 --> 00:23:38.109 know that i shot it two years ago they don't care i actually will get google 00:23:38.109 --> 00:23:41.769 reviews sometimes that'll mention that they got updated videos and they really 00:23:41.769 --> 00:23:46.469 liked it so i mean uh it's easy stuff to save time and keep people updated hone 00:23:46.469 --> 00:23:50.569 is a good one i'm sure there's other ones but uh h-o-n-a and i really like using 00:23:50.569 --> 00:23:54.589 them nice uh favorite quote motto or saying, 00:23:57.129 --> 00:24:01.049 hmm well these are tough yeah yeah i have a bunch of them i mean uh, 00:24:02.709 --> 00:24:05.489 i think uh i think it's winston churchill it's like if 00:24:05.489 --> 00:24:09.769 you don't uh take the future by the hand it will take you by the throat something 00:24:09.769 --> 00:24:13.949 like that it's pretty good one yeah so especially with ai and all the changes 00:24:13.949 --> 00:24:18.349 going on you know take it take the future by the hand or it will likely take 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:21.689 you by the throat very good this one should be easier this is our wrap-up one 00:24:21.689 --> 00:24:25.189 something people would be surprised to learn about you. 00:24:27.246 --> 00:24:31.286 I mean, I didn't graduate undergrad until I was 29. It took me 10 years. 00:24:31.526 --> 00:24:33.066 Longer than Tommy Boy in that movie. 00:24:36.166 --> 00:24:40.786 And, yeah, I mean, I think I had a 2.2 in high school. And then I got a job 00:24:40.786 --> 00:24:42.466 in a factory when I graduated high school. 00:24:42.886 --> 00:24:46.546 And I just started taking one class or two a semester. When you do that, 00:24:46.726 --> 00:24:49.086 it takes a long time to get done. I just kept chipping away at it. 00:24:49.226 --> 00:24:52.366 And by the time I got done, I was 29. I was a different, you know, 00:24:52.366 --> 00:24:54.666 I was a full-grad human at that point. And I was a pretty good student. 00:24:54.846 --> 00:24:58.006 And so, and I kept on going to law school after that. So you don't have to figure 00:24:58.006 --> 00:25:01.426 it all out on your own. You know, sometimes it's better if you wait, honestly. 00:25:01.906 --> 00:25:05.326 I don't claim to be a full grown human yet. So I'm never getting there. 00:25:05.926 --> 00:25:10.166 All right. If anyone wants to reach out to you, has questions or heck is in 00:25:10.166 --> 00:25:13.666 your service area and in need of legal services, what's the best way to reach out? 00:25:14.406 --> 00:25:17.266 Yeah, for sure. I mean, on all the social media platforms, TikTok, 00:25:17.486 --> 00:25:19.726 Instagram, Facebook, I'm the hometown lawyer. 00:25:20.166 --> 00:25:24.006 I'm on LinkedIn. I'm just Joshua Hodges or Josh Hodges. one of those. 00:25:24.126 --> 00:25:26.466 The Hometown Lawyers with an S.com is our website. 00:25:27.246 --> 00:25:29.226 We take cases in Ohio and Kentucky. 00:25:30.926 --> 00:25:34.446 I like helping people out if anyone has questions on how they can get videos 00:25:34.446 --> 00:25:36.486 started. I've helped some other people, kind of giving them ideas, 00:25:36.586 --> 00:25:38.246 and they're doing some videos in their community now. 00:25:38.506 --> 00:25:41.686 It kind of makes me proud if it could spread, because it's doing good in your 00:25:41.686 --> 00:25:44.146 community. If someone else does it in another state, I think that'd be great. 00:25:45.446 --> 00:25:49.786 And if you've got some pointers for me, I'm always trying to learn. 00:25:50.026 --> 00:25:52.966 So I like reaching lawyers, law students, anything like that. 00:25:53.086 --> 00:25:56.006 You're never going to bother me. Reach out to me. I'd love to talk to you. 00:25:56.546 --> 00:25:59.746 Excellent. Thanks, Josh, for being a guest today. Hey, coming up next week, 00:25:59.766 --> 00:26:05.186 we're taking a turn to the direct response back to mail, but it's not me teaching it this time. 00:26:05.366 --> 00:26:09.606 Oh, somebody else. And we have a known guest that a lot of you in the marketing circles will know. 00:26:09.906 --> 00:26:11.926 All I'm going to say is initials DD. 00:26:14.295 --> 00:26:16.655 Oh. That's it. That's it. All right. I think I know who it is, 00:26:16.695 --> 00:26:21.255 but I won't spill the beans. Oh, no. No. No, no. So make sure you like, subscribe, share. 00:26:22.515 --> 00:26:25.335 We're not hometown people here. You 00:26:25.335 --> 00:26:28.215 can listen to this. You can apply this anywhere. It's true. Absolutely. 00:26:28.615 --> 00:26:31.595 We probably should niche that down a little better. But Josh, 00:26:31.715 --> 00:26:35.235 thanks again. And everyone tune in next week. More guests coming. Thank you. 00:26:37.195 --> 00:26:42.135 Thanks for listening to the Triceratalks podcast. Be sure to subscribe and leave 00:26:42.135 --> 00:26:46.535 your comments. For more information on how Jurassic Marketing Direct Mail can 00:26:46.535 --> 00:26:51.095 help grow your business, visit JurassicMarketing.com.