Profiting With Public Relations

What Is News?

Political talk show host Chris Matthews, of the Chris Matthews Show on NBC has a question he asks his panel every week: “Tell me something that I don’t know”. This in a nutshell, sums up what news is: recent occurrences whether it be political, financial, legal that are unknown and are of interest and impact the public.

I can hear you saying, yes but... there are lots of things that happen which don’t make their way into evening broadcasts and dailies.

Well, that depends on a number of factors. As a basic rule news has to be of interest to its audience. For example, a motor vehicle accident in Yorkshire, England is of no interest to the public in Pennsylvania, unless there were tourists from Pennsylvania involved in the accident.

It is critical to be aware of the audience that the news is intended for. In other words, what constitutes news depends on the makeup of the intended audience, not just where they live but who they are. Different groups of people have different lifestyles and concerns, which make them interested in different types of news. For example, a radio news program targeted at younger listeners might include stories about music trends, or sports stars that would not be featured in a business newspaper aimed at older, high net worth readers.

A weekly magazine that covers medical news would report on the testing of an experimental drug because the doctors who read the publication presumably would be interested. But unless the drug is believed to cure a well-known disease, most general-interest local and national newspapers would ignore the story.

HOWEVER, the exception may be the local community paper, where the research facilities are based and research is being conducted.

News organizations see their work as a public service, so news is made up of information that people need to know in order to go about their daily lives, to be productive citizens in a democracy.

News organizations  are also businesses that have to make a profit to survive, so the news will includes items that will draw an audience, and increase their ratings: stories people may want to know about just because they're interesting. Those two characteristics need not be in conflict. Some of the best stories on any given day, in fact, are both important and interesting. It is  fairly common for news organizations to divide stories into two basic categories: hard news and soft news, also called features.

Journalists use criteria, often referred to as ‘news values’ to judge whether the story is newsworthy to its audience.

TIMELINESS: Did something happen recently, or did we just learn about it? If
So, that could make it newsworthy. The meaning of "recently" varies depending on the medium, of course. For a weekly news magazine, anything that happened since the previous edition the week before may be considered timely. For a 24-hour cable news channel, the timeliest news may be "breaking news," or something that is happening this very minute and can be covered by a reporter live at the scene. Examples of this type of news are fires, power outages, crime etc.

Impact:      Are many people affected or just a few? Contamination in the water system that serves your local community is news. A report that 10 children were killed from drinking polluted water at a summer camp in a distant city has impact too, because the audience is likely to have a strong response to the story. The fact that a local utility employee cut an electrical line is not big news, unless it happens to cause a blackout across the community.

Proximity: 
 did something happen close to home, or did it involve people from here? A plane crash in Vancouver, British Columbia will make headlines in Canada, but it's unlikely to be front-page news in New York unless the plane was carrying passengers from New York.

Controversy: 
 Are people in disagreement about this? It's human nature to be interested in stories that involve conflict, tension, or public debate. This is why we good literature and drama is still read, it involves conflict and drama.   

Prominence:     Is a well-known individual involved? Ordinary activities or mishaps can become news if they involve a prominent person, like a  figure in the public eye, such as a politician, businessperson or movie star. That plane crash in British Columbia I mentioned earlier would make headlines around the world if one of the passengers were a movie star or politician.

Currency:     Are people here talking about this? A government meeting about bridge safety might not draw much attention, unless it happens to be scheduled soon after a horrific breakdown of infrastructure such as the one in  Minnesota.

Oddity:    Is what happened unusual? As the saying goes, "If a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a man bites a dog, it's news!" The extraordinary and the unexpected appeal to our natural human curiosity. (Remember the hoopla over heiress Paris Hilton).

I will be giving a teleseminar on media relations with Allison C. Shields of Legal Ease Consulting on How To Grow Your Law Practice on a Shoestring Budget.

Honing Your Rainmaking Skills

Whether you are a solo practitioner, an associate or a partner, the ability to bring in business is fundamental to the success of your professional life. The more business you bring to your firm, the more economic value you provide and the more control you have over your professional life.

Rainmaking allows you to bring in the clients with whom you wish to work, do the work you enjoy, build your profile, enhance your reputation and increase your value to the firm.

Rainmaking, however, remains an elusive pursuit for many lawyers, even though most of them are already implementing some of the necessary skill sets, such as networking, speaking and writing. But such qualities by themselves are not enough.

Successful rainmakers must possess four critical attributes that, when applied in a cohesive and consistent manner, will generate business. Those attributes are: having the right mind-set; taking leadership roles; caring for, protecting and guiding clients; and exhibiting time management skills. To read the rest of the article please visit: The Sun Communication Group

Networking: Keeping Your Circles Alive

"Seek first to understand and then be understood," states Steven Covey author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective people. In essence that is precisely what good networkers do: they make themselves indispensable by becoming resources that you can't do without.

Think of concierges at hotels, they know everything that guests might want to need during their stay at hotels. Good networkers are lobbyists, yes, those damned pesky public relations professionals, fundraisers and restaurateurs. Bottom-line, they know people.

When distilled to essentials networking is all about building relationships with your target markets. Think how long it took you to make friends, court and get married. Networking is similar. Once there is trust and confidence, networking can reap dividends.

For lawyers, solo practitioners, associates and managing partners this is an indispensable part of their business, even though they think it ranks at the bottom of their priority list. Building your book of business requires grass roots networking, regardless of whether you think marketing is overrated hype and fluff. Regardless of gender, geography and ethnicity, people do business with people who they know and trust. Yet, with all the demands on our time not only is it tempting to designate networking at the bottom of the priority list but it is also so easy to ignore. Like personal relationships networking takes time, effort and solid commitment from you.

Where do you start? Have a clear focus, think strategically and long term. Make a good first impression by becoming a good listener, Become a trusted resource. David Maister's book "Trusted Advisor" is indispensable to anyone in the professional services. To read the rest of the article please visit: The Sun Communication Group.

Tidbit: Common Legal Marketing Mistakes

There are a couple of conversations taking place on different listservs, all discussing the same issue: common marketing mistakes in the legal industry. Of course, there is nothing new here, but it is surprising the disconnect that exists between knowing what one should be doing in one's legal practice and actually doing it.

Here are a few of the common mistakes I've come across when talking to attorneys: 

    * Failing to plan.
    * Failure to execute the plan. Who is responsible for implementing, what sort of benchmarks are in place to monitor progress. Whose in charge of measuring progress?
    * Failure to get professional help the firm, whether it be in marketing, public relations, sales training or an organizer to get those files and systems in order.
    * Not enough face time with clients.
    * Focusing in the business rather than on the business.
    * Failing to understand that lawyers are in the business of people NOT law.

Action Item: Do any of these mistakes sound familiar? If so, what what action steps will you take? What is your deadline for taking the step? What will you do after taking that step?

Finally, remember Rome was not created in a day, but the culmination of lots planning, organizing and implementation. So don't get overwhelmed, start with something small.

Are You Ready to Get into The Game?

The definition of insanity, is doing the same things over and over again, but, expecting different results. This led me to think of some of my conversations I've had with attorneys, associates, office managers who wear multiple hats over the last few years. Their responses to a well thought out marketing plan, with all key players on board and ready to stop haphazard approaches to marketing range from:"we've always done things this way", "so and so firm is doing it," "we need to do something, but we don't have the budget for it" or my personal favourite, slightly paraphrased "been there, done that" and "didn't get any new business". The excuses are endless.

Since we are all creatures of habit, it is easy for us to  become stuck, accept the status quo and forget that change requires courage and help. Often, that help comes from various sources: education, professional associations, colleagues who are in similar predicaments,  or some of us choose to work with a good coach or consultant.

There are thousands of coaches out in the marketplace, on about every conceivable subject, but how do you pick a coach that is right for you? Tom Kane, in his blog post on What Coaching is All About"? discusses important considerations to take into account before working with a coach. Some of these issues are further explored in an article I wrote back in 2006, for ALM's  now defunct, Small Law Firm Inc., Hiring a Business Coach:

Letters to the Editor, an Overlooked PR Tool

We've all experienced it at some time  or another, particularly when you are debating whether to incorporate public relations  part of your firm's business development efforts.

Does this sound familiar?

How many times have you read a newspaper article about a topic  that is your area of interest and legal expertise —and felt disheartened and disappointed that you were not the person who was being quoted?
How could you be quoted, the reporter doesn't know who you are and what you do.
(See earlier blogs on Why Lawyers Should Work With The Press and The Art of Changing Perceptions Public Relations)
Well, the good news is that even though your firm may not incorporate a public relations plan, there is still a way to get your message and your name published in that newspaper.

Here’s what you do:

Write a letter to the editor referencing the article and the date it was published. 
In the body of the letter, you have several options you can:

(1) Present a different view point.

(2) Agree with original letter writer's viewpoint and expand on the issue (no longer than a few paragraphs).

(3) Showcase your expertise by introducing  a little-known fact or issue related to the subject of interest to the public.

It is important to note that letters to the editor are  published in the editorial section – a respected section of the newspaper. Simply put, by being included in the Op Ed pages, your letter—are accorded a great measure of credibility and credability.

Finally, don't forget it is critical to write these letters, concisely and succinctly. You have only a couple of short paragraphs to convey your opinions and thoughts.

Do You Know Who Your Ideal Client Market Is?

In The PR Lawyer Lawyer Leah Rice discusses a very important facet of marketing, identifying your target market. Knowing and being clear on precisely who you are  marketing  to will make all of your firm's business development efforts easier.  Leah outlines, some key  questions to ask during this process such as, where are my target audiences? what publications do they read?

When undertaking this process most of the information gathered falls into two categories: demographics and psychographics. Demographics identify external characteristics, such as location, income jobs etc. Psychographics on the other, hand help you identify the inner workings of your ideal client market, for example what  they value etc. Last year, I wrote an article on this very subject for the New Jersey Law Journal.

Twice a year, my partner in crime Allison C. Shields, of Legal Ease Consulting, give an 8 week long teleseminar entitled "How To Build Your Law Practice On A Shoestring Budget" in which Allison covers this critical topic in depth.   

Why do you need to be clear on knowing your ideal client?

Knowing your ideal client, saves an enormous amount of time and money.
Helps make all your marketing  clear and effective.
Avoids frustration.
Helps law firms distinguish themselves from competition.
Makes it easy to implement marketing plans.

Final parting thought:

Understand that you won't be able to  rush through the customer profiling process.  The information you gather, during this process  will be the foundation for many significant decisions.

Why Attorneys Should Be Working WithThe Press, Instead of Against them.

Solo practitioners and attorneys from small law firms often resist public relations. They cite not having enough time, a lack of understanding of its role, or the dearth of resources to make public relations part of their business development plans. Coupled with stereotypes of the press, such as reporters only going to the big law firms or only wanting the drama and not the facts, it’s no surprise that media relations is relegated to the bottom of business development activities, particularly if the firm has already achieved some “visibility” that did not result in new clients.

The reality is that public relations is an indispensable part of business development strategy for every firm, regardless of size. Getting quoted in news stories, both in targeted industry publications and mainstream media, is one of the most cost-effective ways of securing exposure.

A good public relations plan serves several purposes: it builds reputation and visibility, allows firms, practice areas and solo practitioners to become known, liked and trusted in their target market, and finally—and most importantly— helps to bring more businessFor more on article entitled "Why Attorneys Should Be Working With The Press" .

Tidbit: Tips For Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Most of us at some point, in our professional lives  are sought out to speak in a formal capacity, whether it be giving CLE's or speaking for business development purposes.  Depending on the length of our speeches, most of us benefit from incorporating PowerPoint.  I've seen many attorneys use PowerPoint ineffectively.  Here are some simple tips to improve your presentations.

a) Keep your hands free to move and express your thoughts.
b) Have one idea per slide.
c) The slide is there to expand an  idea. Too many speakers read the slide and move to the next slide.
d) Weave a story into the facts. Stories appeal to heart and bring out the drama and grab the attention of the audience.
e) Look at your audience NOT your slides. You are communicating with the audience not the slides.
f) Practice, practice practice.
g) Avoid too much complexity. Keep things simple.
h) Remember you are the star not the slides.

Public Relations Advice For Attorneys

Susan Cartier Liebel's  recent blog posting: Blawg Review #142, Letter to a New Lawyer,  raises many  interesting personal and professional questions for attorneys to consider when embarking a legal career.   To read full letter, please visit Build A Solo Practice.

As far as public relations goes here's my advice:

Law firms regardless of their size,  spend a significant chunk of their marketing budgets,  marketing their services.  For solos, small and mid-sized law firms it is critical for them  to target their marketing dollars wisely to get as much bang as possible for every buck.

That means, sitting down with all the key players and coming up with a couple of different ways of generating new business.  Some of these tactics: such as giving CLE presentations, involvement in local non-profit groups, becoming a source for the press, and writing for local and trade publications, serve a multitude of purposes. I've written several articles on the above topics, please visit The Sun Communication Group.