We invite you to read our weekly Public Reputation tips which integrate various marketing disciplines including media relations, marketing strategy, creative focus and web/technology/2.0. Please send us your comments or questions and join our conversation.
Public Reputation Tip of the Week
Become a digital broadcasting network with strategic Legal Brand Journalism
Last week’s tip introduced you to, or made you aware of, the idea of Legal Brand JournalismTM. Is creating your own content a new concept? Certainly not.
But the thought that everyone – anyone, really – can be a news producer may be a bit daunting to a lawyer who has his/her heart set on being interviewed on camera by ABC News or quoted in the Wall Street Journal. How can a law firm be its own news producer, in the traditional sense, providing credible and authoritative content? That, right there, is the crux of this technique. Firms rely too much on the idea that they need others to tell their news for them, when, in fact, it's perfectly acceptable and becoming the norm to tell your own story.
Even Yahoo! News is now evolving into a producer of news, moving away from being a news aggregator to developing its own content, as seen by the recent hire of a White House correspondent to beef up its political news division coverage. And couldn’t Facebook’s Timeline also be considered a way for a law firm/company/individual to produce news?
Legal Brand JournalismTM offers us a way to simply recognize what we already know and, in some sense, already are doing, by just turning it on its side and being strategic about it.
What are some ways that law firms can take ownership of their news and promote their brands?
- Create a position for an executive news producer, or editor-in-chief, who can manage, develop and package the firm’s news across multiple channels. Social media managers are on the rise, and business development managers are common; a news development manager is just on the horizon …
- Just about everyone has a smartphone with video capabilities these days. Gone are the days of hiring expensive video production crews for hours of shooting. It’s easier than ever to become a self-broadcaster of video and audio – just think of “Internet” instead of “television,” and “podcast” instead of “radio.”
- Lessen your dependence on others to tell your law firm’s news and shape public perception. Posting releases to your website and adding Twitter feeds are baby steps – today, law firms have the ability to control how their news reaches their target audiences. It’s just a matter of recognizing it and owning it.
For more information on how to recognize, develop and redirect your Legal Brand JournalismTM strategy, contact Vivian Hood, vhood@jaffepr.com or 904-220-1915.
February 14, 2012
Brand journalism. Never heard of it? Well, remember where you heard it first!
Brand journalism is a relatively new concept that has evolved with the rise of digital media, particularly social media. With the intent of directly reaching your target market, brand journalism involves creating engaging, thoughtful and honest content; publishing and repurposing that content; then distributing it across multiple channels, with a heavy emphasis on social media. It gives you the ability to connect directly with your audience, so your options are no longer limited to traditional outlets such as newspapers, trade journals and television.
To get you started, here are some important first steps to follow when developing a brand journalism strategy for your law firm:
- Determine how brand journalism fits into your firm’s overall marketing and communications strategy. Think blogging.
- Decide who at your firm will be responsible for creating brand content or whether you need to hire outside professionals or freelance/ghost writers.
- Set a schedule. Commitment is crucial! Visitors are more likely to follow your brand if you provide regular content that is valuable and insightful.
- Create a distribution strategy that includes a mix of social media networking and outbound communication. Determine which social media platforms are suitable for your firm and focus on those.
- Set goals for your brand journalism campaign that tie directly back to your marketing and communications strategy. Then, measure your success or shortfalls and adjust accordingly. If your goal was to drive traffic back to your website, measure the difference in traffic landing on your website and analyze the value of that traffic.
For more information on how brand journalism can transform your law firm’s marketing and PR strategy, contact Melanie Trudeau at 970-306-5686 or mtrudeau@jaffepr.com. Check out our recent white paper that explores brand journalism in more detail.
February 7, 2012
LinkedIn business pages: Why doesn’t your law firm have one?
Some law firms are not taking control of their associated LinkedIn business pages, which undermines individual reputation management as well as law firm business development efforts and credibility. These issues are compounded when a law firm has no social media policy to guide individuals’ content. The resulting spellings/misspellings of the firm name, along with inconsistent and inaccurate job titles, leave visitors uneasily wondering who’s minding the shop.
How can you combat this? Take control of your firm’s LinkedIn company page and the impression being delivered to referral sources, in-house counsel and other potential clients with a few simple steps:
- Assign someone to administer and update your business page on a regular basis (posting alerts and firm news and events, at the least).
- Populate the page with current, accurate and informative descriptions of your services.
- Connect with your website, RSS feeds, blogs and video resources.
- Develop and adopt a basic social media policy that clearly outlines your firm’s defined style and expectations for online behavior.
- Revise outdated titles and inconsistent firm names.
- Ensure that former employees no longer list your firm as their employer.
Lawyers’ roles are increasingly focused on business development. Firms should do their part to bolster those efforts and present a “buttoned-up” view for potential clients and referral sources. The good news is, the fix is simple and it’s free.
January 31, 2012
How your law firm should (and shouldn’t!) handle blog comments
We’ve all seen it – negative, spammy or ignored comments littering an otherwise great blog post. And how the writer handles these comments can make a lasting impression on readers. Not allowing comments on your law firm’s blog is one way to go, but, if you want to interact with readers (and you should, as they are prospective clients!), read on for some tips that will help you handle these unwelcome visitors.
- Monitor your posts. Make sure your law firm’s blogging policy calls for the writer to check on his/her posts and respond to comments. Set your preferences to receive notifications from your site when a comment has been posted to your blog. There’s nothing worse than having a potential client read your blog and comment, only to be ignored.
- Do not delete negative comments. These are the true test of your law firm’s social media savvy. If a reader has a strong, yet valid, reaction to a post, acknowledge the viewpoint, thank them for contributing to the discussion and move on.
- Do not tolerate spam. If comments on your law firm’s blog are relentless, nonsensical or riddled with arbitrary links, do your readers a favor – delete them and then ban the user.
And remember, although the ABA has not formally applied the same state ethics rules on advertising to law firm blog posts, your firm would do well to comply regardless – better safe than sorry! We’ll have a future tip exploring this topic further.
For more information on blogging or other social media insight for your firm, please contact Mary Long at mlong@jaffepr.com or 925-822-4680.
January 24, 2012
Communication via content marketing
Have you thought about how to stay top-of-mind with your clients and prospects and build your public reputation without coming across as “too aggressive”? Consider content marketing as a way to communicate with your target audience.
What is content marketing? It’s the development, publication and distribution of original content such as news alerts, blog posts, case studies, white papers, videos and photos for the purpose of showcasing your expertise and knowledge to your target audience. All you need to do is provide relevant and valuable (not to mention free) information to educate your readers.
Here are a few tips on how to bolster your content marketing strategy:
- Post original and timely content to your website on a consistent basis.
- Republish your PR initiatives and bylined article placements on your website.
- Distribute useful and informative content via email newsletters, client alerts, social media sites, and content syndication sites such as JD Supra and Scribd.
- Segment your audience and understand what content to deliver to which audience.
- Develop a mix of both written and visual content.
- Link to other useful sites that provide relevant information on topics of interest to your clients.
- Monitor your Web analytics to measure the success of your content marketing program and adjust accordingly.
What is the result? Committing to a strong content marketing campaign will position your firm and its attorneys as thought leaders and go-to resources, resulting in brand recognition, loyalty and, ultimately, real leads and new business.
January 17, 2012
Neglecting to update your law firm’s website = lost opportunities
Your website content is out-of-date and you’re painfully aware of it – so why haven’t you updated it? You know how important first impressions are. If you’re making a poor one every time a new prospect visits your law firm’s website, what do you think happens? They move on to your competitor – an opportunity lost. But it’s even worse than you think. A poor first impression on your website not only causes you to lose business, it damages your law firm’s public reputation.
We explore the true cost of waiting to revise your website’s content in this white paper, but here are some key points to consider:
- Your firm may have won every case during the past two years, but if your website was updated five years ago, how will anyone know this?
- Your firm’s experience in a niche area of law is extensive and sought after – too bad no one knows this without digging through bios (which readers won’t do).
- Lateral recruits are checking you out via your website and the tech-savvy ones are not impressed. Worse, they fear that, if you can barely manage a website, there’s little chance that you’ll promote their practice as rigorously as they’d expect. Say goodbye to that high-potential lateral!
These are all vital reasons to rethink your legal marketing priorities this year and put updating your firm’s website at the top of the list. You really can’t afford not to. When it comes to law firm reputation management, keeping your website current is a no-brainer.
January 10, 2012
Writing Winning Submissions
This is the time of year when legal and business journals tout their various “Best of” lists for the coming year.
Who hasn’t experienced that sense of dread when contemplating the latest “Top 20 Under 40” list, or the ever-popular “Top Woman Litigator” list? It’s enough to strike fear in the heart of most senior legal marketing professionals and attorneys.
Here’s how to make the submission process a little easier.
1. Nominate only one attorney to each list. Most law firms are like Garrison Keillor’s fictional Lake Webegon, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above-average.” By submitting more than one nominee, you diminish their chances, like two Oscar nominees competing from the same film.
2. Treat the submission like a news story. Before you start writing, interview the attorney and his or her practice group leaders and clients. What makes your attorney stand out this particular year? Include quotes from your interviews in the submission.
3. Read profiles of the “Best of” class from the previous year. What kind of cases drew the attention of the judges? What impact did the past honorees have on their communities and on the legal profession as a whole? Look for similar characteristics in your firm’s nominees.
4. As you write, tell stories about the nominee. Start with a strong lead that will grab the judges’ attention. The submission should read just like the news article that you hope to see if your attorney is selected.
5. Keep anonymous client mentions to a minimum. Be as specific as you can about clients and details of their cases. Off-the-record discussions seldom advance.
Winning submissions enhance your law firm’s public reputation. If you win, share the honor through social networking and the firm’s website, and in business development. It will be a “win” all around.
January 3, 2012
New Year’s resolution: Slowing down to be more efficient
Recharging yourself and re-envisioning where technology fits into your overall communications in 2012 will help you become a smarter and more efficient law firm professional. Consider how you can become more productive in your daily tasks. Here are some tips to help you start the year off right:
- Set aside time in your day for “professional meditation.” Mentally organize your tasks and priorities.
- Remove all technological distractions when focusing on a task or problem—try turning off your email, devices and gadgets. You’ll be surprised to feel your creative juices flowing again, enabling you to solve problems more effectively.
- Reduce multitasking! This may be the biggest challenge of all, but, according to recent studies by management experts, we become less efficient when simultaneously working on more than one task.
- Foster a positive mindset. How often do we dismiss ideas – whether our own, our colleagues’ or our clients’ – because we think it won’t work, tried it before and failed, or just don’t want to bother? Try turning “I can’t” and “They won’t” into “I could” and “Let’s consider.”
Taking the time to slow down will increase your efficiency and will undoubtedly relieve stress levels as an added bonus – something we can all benefit from in these chaotic times. Happy New Year!
December 13, 2011
So, how did we do? A look back at 2011 ranking results determines future efforts
As we close the books on 2011, now is a great time to take a look back at your firm’s marketing efforts, especially as they pertain to legal rankings – arguably the most time-consuming and frustrating function of the marketing department.
- Who were the winners and losers? Before you can set a plan for 2012 or spend valuable hours tracking deadlines and publication dates, take a cold, hard look at your results. If your key practice areas are not ranking where they should, compare your outcome to your competitors’ rankings.
- Even though you tell a compelling story by summarizing your important victories, that story may not be complete. Next year, include a bit of market intelligence in your submissions that clearly shows how you stack up against the competition. That will give researchers a clearer picture of your level of experience.
- For the vast majority of legal rankings that matter, client references are a key component of the research. Now is the time to sort the list – add new contacts and delete those who have moved on. Plan to update your contacts throughout the year so you are using a rotating list of strong references in the various submissions that come up. This also will ensure that one reference is not tapped over and over again by similar ranking publications all asking the same thing. By the fourth call to the same person, remarks may not be as glowing.
A good look back can help you move forward in 2012!
For more information on how to make strategic decisions when it comes to the firm’s ranking efforts, feel free to contact Kathy O’Brien at kobrien@jaffepr.com.
December 6, 2011
Wining and dining your way through legal marketing in the holiday season
Thanksgiving is over, the malls are more crowded than usual and the holiday party invitations have started coming. Holiday season is officially in full swing! Whether you feel this is “the most wonderful time of the year” or the holidays make you want to hide in bed until January is another discussion, but the month of December does afford some good legal marketing opportunities … if you take advantage of them. Here are some to keep in mind this month.
Holiday party networking opportunities:
- Holiday parties are a great way to reconnect with established contacts, clients and referral sources, and also a good way to meet new people and widen your network. Make sure to listen carefully to those casual conversations to learn something new about your contact and show your interest. Did a new case come in that will require strategic or delicate marketing assistance? Is your client desperately looking for a new email marketing program and in need of recommendations? Listen – and offer to help, if you can. It will only strengthen those relationships.
- Make it a point to meet at least three or four new people at each party or gathering you attend. But how do you go about meeting new people at a party when it seems like everyone else knows each other? Find established contacts who are talking to new people, and introduce yourself (or get introduced) to them through your contact. With your established contact right there, you already something in common.
Media meet-and-greets:
- If your schedule allows, try to research and pitch one or two reporters for an informal coffee or lunch meeting. In your email, explain why you enjoy his or her coverage of particular issues, what your practice area focus is, and whether the reporter would be interested in an informal introductory lunch or coffee meeting. Reporters are often looking for background explanation of complicated topics, as well as reliable, eager, helpful sources when a story deadline is approaching. Plus, in-person introductory meetings make it easier to stay in touch afterward when things get busy.
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