Profiting With Public Relations

Tidbit: Broadcast Interviews

2008-08-01T13:39:39-04:00

When producers/guest bookers/ hosts have agreed to interview you. Make sure you send all your information together in one email, your bio, and any pertinent information regarding the interview.

I would also include adding suggested questions or talking points. Many reporters pride themselves on not using canned questions, but some of them are stretched thin, and do not have the time to do their homework, so whatever you can do to help will go a long way to building and solidifying those relationships. They may or may not use all the suggested questions but it will make their life a lot easier!

Tidbit: Tips For Nuturing Your Relationship With Your Marketing Firm

2008-07-26T15:11:31-04:00

Even when law firms find "marketing/public relations" agency or consultant of their dreams. Like any other client relationship, both parties MUST work together and keep the working relationship healthy, whole, with both quantifiable and non quantifiable deliverables. Below is a checklist to review when working with a consultant/agency:

Set realistic expectations up-front for goals and deliverables.
Meet with ALL the team responsible for your account.
Be open share ideas and thoughts with pr/marketing folks.
Providing ongoing feedback-both positive and negative.
Meet regularly to discuss results and modify strategy.
Celebrate the successes, It builds teamwork.
Should you need to end the business relationship, act quickly but be certain to honour contractual agreements so that the firm's reputation remains solid.

Tidbit: Reporter Deadlines

2008-07-14T09:14:34-04:00

When calling a reporter/producer ALWAYS ask if they are on deadline. Why? This will:

1)Drop their guard
2) Let them know that you are interested in their deadlines. They will tell you when it’s appropriate for you to call back. It’s a good way to lay the foundation to build a solid relationship with them.

However, if the reporter is calling you, well, that is an entirely different matter.

How Complicated Is Your Business Development Plan?

2008-07-07T23:35:17-04:00

Regardless of how limited your marketing dollars or experience may be, you’re more likely to succeed if you have a plan. Best of all, the plan need not be complicated.

Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, published by Free Press in 1989, says to "begin with the end in mind." Simply put, it is like going to London without knowing how you are going to get there, where you are going to stay or what you are going to do and see. In fact, most of us are just not that adventurous and can't imagine taking off to some foreign location without some sort of plan.

Of course, some think that formulating a plan in your head is good enough. Wrong. You don't see the holes, gaps and pitfalls. Getting it out of your head and onto paper is not as overwhelming as you may perceive it to be.

Here’s a checklist:

1. Take inventory: Assess your strengths and weaknesses as far as deciding what marketing you want to implement. For example, if you don’t like writing and don’t have the patience to write but you’re gregarious and enjoy speaking, then giving seminars and presentations might be more appropriate for you. You may want to assign the task of writing articles to someone else in your firm or get external help.

2. Are you clear on your target market? This is one area in which I strongly advise clients—especially those from small firms and with their own practice—to consider taking the time and getting clear on. Knowing your client market WILL save you time, money and frustration. It will also SAVE your limited marketing dollars because you will be clear on how these prospects are likely to to be reached, what events they attend, what their reading habits are, etc., thereby making it easier for you to implement your marketing. Understand that you won't be able to rush through the client profiling process. The information you gather during this process will be the foundation for many significant decisions. Infact the ideal client market is one of the most popular sections of our tele-class "How to Grow Your Law Practice On A Shoestring Budget."

3. Know yourself and your work habits and patterns. Monitor them for a week, and determine how much time you spend with clients, how much time you network, and when you do this. Knowing this will help make your networking and marketing endeavors work better for you. For example, if you are a morning person, then by all means attend breakfast-related networking events; on the other hand, if you prefer the evening, then schedule a couple of events in the evening. This will be different for everybody, but knowing your rhythms will make all your business development activities more effective.

4. If you don’t have a Web site and are in a financial bind, consider getting a blog up. It is relatively easy and inexpensive. Make certain that you include your bio as well as information that clearly demonstrates how your practice can benefit prospects. Case studies and testimonials are effective ways of doing this.

Finally, it’s important to understand that there really is nothing new in marketing. Regardless of which marketing tactics you choose, the key to the success of your marketing is consistency and making adjustments when the need arises. More is not necessarily better; doing a few things right is not only considerably cheaper but far more effective. Looking for the latest marketing gimmick is a sure way to fail and demonstrates a lack of thoughtfulness. It’s about knowing your strengths and weaknesses and asking for help.

Speaking Tips: Stories V Facts

2008-07-02T12:31:00-04:00

Recently I came across a startling fact, more than 90% of the audience forgets what they hear during presentations. This is a huge number, more importantly if you make speeches and give presentations as part of business development an evaluation of your style of delivery and content is a must. If your message is not getting through to your audience, your presentation is taking you away from billable work.

When making presentations to prospects, it is extremely important for attorneys to narrow their focus. It is also one of the reasons why attorneys should include case histories, and anecdotes.

Each person's comprehension skills are different. Some of us are more visual and understand by seeing pictures, others more auditory, where tone and voice of the speaker makes a difference and then there are the kinesthetic types. We need to feel the story, in other words we need to become Hamlet in order to get his pain!

Most of us use a combination of these modalities. The examples, or little vignettes used in presentations must incorporate them to ensure active listening by high numbers of the audience, otherwise the presentation has the potential to be hit or miss.

Earlier this year in SCG Newsletter, I wrote an article on "The Power of Storytelling" which goes into considerable detail why most of us resonate MORE with stories than with facts and legalease.

Other tips for attorneys to consider when giving presentations:

Speak so that your audience understands you, no legalease please.

Speak so that your audience remembers your message. Remember stories appeal to the heart and facts appeal to the head. Most of us make decisions based on what our heart says, and use our brains to justify that decision.

Motivate/inspire your audience to act on your message.

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

2008-06-28T08:26:25-04:00

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?

2008-06-16T15:35:23-04:00

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

2008-06-06T10:53:00-04:00

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

2008-06-05T16:48:00-04:00

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

2008-06-02T13:55:00-04:00

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