Profiting With Public Relations

How To Get A Reporter's Attention Without Losing Your Shirt!

Too many attorneys fail to understand how public relations work. They think
an advertisement promoting their firm counts or that ONLY high-profile
litigation cases receive media attention. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Every day hundreds of small and medium-sized law firm are quoted in
widely-read publications, raising awareness of their firm and gaining
credibility as experts in the marketplace. Firms that don’t realize this
suffer from missed clients.

The truth of the matter is that public relations is at the heart of every
good marketing plan.

Common reasons cited by attorneys for not incorporating public relations
are: 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.

Couple  with long held stereotypes of the press, such as reporters’ interest
lying with big law firm news or reporter's only wanting the drama and not
the facts, and the cynicism reporters have towards attorneys, it’s no
surprise that media relations is frequently 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 irony of course, is that both groups need each other for their work.
Reporters are continually seeking sources for their stories, and
attorneys need to get more than their qualifications, out in the market place
in other words, they need to get known in their target market. 

Recently I was quoted in an article titled "Blow That Curve"
which had a nice shelf life, as it was reprinted in several ALM publications
including a Texas publication. This led to a call from a financial planner
with Merrill Lynch, in Texas who is interested in having me speak to his clients,
mainly associates. Now, this doesn't happen all the time, but getting the word out
in a consistent manner increases your odds.
 
So, the question arises how do you build those relationships with the fickle press?
To learn more about how to build these relationships sign up for white paper:
"How To Get A Reporter's Attention Without Losing Your Shirt!'

Will Volunteering Help Grow Your Law Practice?

A frequent question asked by attorneys and young associates is whether  non- compensated volunteer work for non-profits and other trade associations will pay off?

Volunteering almost always pays off in the long run. The problem is that most of us expect immediate gratification and become disillusioned when we don't see the results.

When in reality, it should be considered as an investment: after all it takes  several years to obtain professional credentials. If you invest the time, particularly if its a cause you are interested in, you will be amazed at the doors that will open and the opportunities that will arise from such a small investment of your time.

Volunteering can provide a convenient way to develop a new skill or sharpen old ones. One of the first things they taught us at broadcast journalism school was to volunteer at the local cable television station.

Volunteering gives you the opportunity to work with other talented folks, make new friends, broaden your social circles, and enhance your professional network with  valuable colleagues.  In short, volunteering is one of the best investments any attorney can make and should be part of all business development plans.

Action Items:

1. Are you interested in working for non-profits or trade associations
2. Compile a list of these organizations.
3. Assess of how much time time you're willing to spend each month.

The Devil's In The Detail: Follow Up

With the bar results out, I've had several young attorneys contact me regarding jobs. The majority of them,  I've met through various networking functions at the Association City Bar of New York.   
With a tightening economy there's even more pressure for them to make certain all their networking efforts are fruitful, that means paying attention to  details when out in the market-place.

One of the biggest areas why networking fails is follow-up.  Successful networking strategy whether its online or off-line   requires consistent follow-up with out being unobtrusive. For example, whether you are attending a networking event, or giving a presentation, anticipate on planning at least several hours in the following up phase. Albeit this will be spread unevenly throughout your contact with the individual, which  may range from forwarding an email with an fyi, to having a one to one meeting. This is where the final payoff will come. It takes time to cultivate relationships.

Trust has to be built and more importantly MAINTAINED. The old axiom of it takes years to build a reputation and a second to destroy holds true. So, remember those first impressions DO count.

Attorneys Say Networking Most Effective Way To Find Employment

The old adage of the more things change the more they remain the same holds true. In a recent survey by Robert Half Legal, 48% of attorneys interviewed stated that networking is the most effective way to find work in the legal field. "In a tight-knit legal community, knowing the right person is often the most effective way to discover the best opportunities. Attorneys can use professional networking sites, in addition to traditional networking activites, to meet new people and uncover new job leads,"said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal.

The results were broken down as follows:

• Networking/friend or peer referral 48% 
• Staffing or placement firm 16% 
• Internship 13% 
• Law school recruiting programme 8%

The survey was conducted by an independant research firm for Robert Half Legal included responses from 300 attorneys.

Although all professionals intellectually understand the importance of networking, having a plan and implementing it is entirely another matter, particularly with competing demands on time. To ensure success of any networking endeavours, at its very basic means not only being clear on your networking purposes and goals but incorporating some form of online networking. 

Taking Stock in Slower Economic Times

    Slow economic times are blessings in disguise, as these particular periods provide ample opportunity to revisit the law firm business plans and modify them accordingly. Below are a couple of suggestions to get you started:

Action Steps:

• Take stock of what worked and what didn't. Create two lists.
• List action items in order of the easiest to improve to the most difficult.
• Name areas of your practice which you need help with.  Is it systems? Time management or improving a current marketing tactic such as speaking. Let's face it, when you're giving presentations you want to be invited back, rather than re-inventing the wheel. Do you know which strategies to implement?

    My partner in crime Allison C. Shields of Legal Ease Consulting  and I put together a tele-class, "How To Grow Your Law Practice On A Shoe-String Budget".  Consider buying the home study version and working at your own pace. The class provides a foundation for understanding and implementing a marketing plan. Here's what past participants have said:

"I have really enjoyed listening to both of you. I have learned a lot from both of you, and it has caused me to do a lot of thinking about my clients and my practice. Candidly, the class exceeded my expectations about receiving information to "put it all together" to market my practice. Thank you both for putting together and presenting a great class.”
-Mark R. Callender, Esq., Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"The materials were excellent. I would definitely recommend it to other attorneys. I'm already using some of the tactics I learned, particularly: focusing on two or three people at networking events, the two and fifteen minute rules, and the ‘big rock/little rock’ concept. My expectations of the teleseminar were more than met."
-Brian Mittman, Esq., White Plains, New York