Grow My Law Firm

Cross-promoting your content: working smarter instead of harder

My clients would probably tell you that I'm a bit of a broken record when it comes to re-purposing content. I'm always saying things like, "Cut some blog posts out of that article," or, "Let me see where else I can get that published for you." To me, re-utilizing content is working smart.

If you've done the work and created a great piece, why not post it everywhere you can and repackage it for cross-promotion? If you've retained the copyright on your work, there is nothing stopping you from having the piece republished within another venue, chopping it up for multiple blog posts, and producing a video about the topic.

But don't stop there. Publish a link to your work on your Facebook Page and personal profile, on your LinkedIn profile, on Twitter, and within appropriate LinkedIn groups. Upload your presentations to SlideShare and LinkedIn, and upload your videos to YouTube and LinkedIn. If you find all of this too cumbersome, utilize a free, multi-platform posting tool, like Shareaholic, TweetDeck or Hootsuite, where you can post to multiple destinations with a single action. But be careful though, as it is not necessarily appropriate to post all content everywhere.

I also caution you to carefully consider using article farm sites, as I'm reading lately that these sites actually work against your search rank because links from them are considered bad.

So, the next time you create a great piece of content, add it to your blog or website, and then make sure you spread it around the web. Over the following few days, carefully review the statistics of where your inbound traffic is coming from. The results just might surprise you.

- Christine Pilch

Photo credit: Mac Users Guide

How to buy TV advertising, and what all those sales promo numbers really mean

If you want the skinny on buying TV advertising, here's a crash course from someone who sold and bought a lot of TV advertising over my career. I sold advertising for the local ABC affiliate for several years back in the 90s, and then I spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars annually while acting in my capacity as marketing director for an employer, as well as overseeing media purchases on behalf of many clients within my own business. I've seen all the tricks and tactics to make you spend your money with a particular station.

Stations seem to have finally realized that an average business owner doesn't understand technical numbers like ratings points. They understand plain English numbers in the thousands, so the marketing pieces I'm seeing lately reflects this. Ratings are more technical. Although they're not hard to grasp, the average business owner isn't expected to understand them. Agencies generally buy on ratings and subsequently use these projections/promises of delivery to make sure they receive what they paid for. If you're interested in the definition please check the glossary below. But for now, let's discuss common TV sales tactics.

Household numbers: One of the most common tricks to make poor ratings numbers look better is to use households numbers instead of popular buying demos, like adults 25-54. Think about your clients. It is unlikely that reaching a large number of households would be helpful to you. Household numbers includes people of all ages, from newborn to elderly, people in all income brackets, people living in apartments, etc. If you've done your positioning work, you know exactly who buys your services. They are the only people you should be targeting with your advertising dollars. If a station is using household numbers in its promotional pieces, your clients are likely not watching its programming.

Packages: TV sales people love to sell packages that include a couple spots in key, effective areas and lots of spots at times where there is very little viewership. They try to fool you into thinking you're getting a great deal because of the frequency with which your ad runs. Again, think of your positioning. Are your key prospects watching TV at 3AM, 10:30AM, or 2:30PM? Are they watching during the daytime on the weekends? Probably not. Your target prospects are probably listening to news as they get ready for work in the morning and make dinner in the evening, however, so a $1,500 package that includes just 2 or 3 news spots and many spots in other areas may be a waste of your money.

Commissions: Sales people are paid on commission, so it's to their advantage to convince you to spend as much of your budget with them as possible. Many media sales people are honest and will try to find a good fit to advertise your service on their station. Some are not. The best insurance you have is your position statement. Don't buy an area that doesn't have a lot of viewers who are likely to buy your services. Ask for cost per thousand numbers of your chosen demos when looking at proposals, so you can evaluate bang for your buck among areas. Don't waste your money.

Glossary:

Ratings point: One ratings point is 1 percent of all TVs in a market whether on or off. 

Share: A share is a percentage of TVs on at the time.

Book: Nielsen puts out ratings books 4 times per year. Some markets are metered, which means that some homes have boxes sitting atop their TVs that record what station the TV is displaying through the day. Most markets are calculated by diary, however. This method relies on people writing down what they watch at any given time. Although this is the most accurate information available about programming popularity, as you can imagine, it is very flawed.

Projection: A projection is a mathematical equation of ratings from a particular book against viewing levels from another book. For example, TV viewership is traditionally up in the winter vs. the summer in New England, so if you're placing an annual buy, you may ask for projections that include numbers based on the latest ratings book adjusted for seasonal viewing levels.

Don't be fooled into buying advertising that won't work. Go back to basics and judge every advertising opportunity against your positioning. Spend your money wisely.

 - Christine Pilch

Photo credit: William Hook

10 ways to use QR Codes in your marketing

2D codes, or QR Codes, as they are becoming more commonly known, are two dimensional barcodes that are easily generated through a variety of web services and can be scanned with a barcode reader on a smartphone to take the user to a web page. 2D is the general category, but there are many kinds. Among them are Microsoft Tag, Datamatrix, EZ Code, QR Code, and others. Calling them all QR Codes is like calling a bandage a Band-Aid or a tissue a Kleenex.

Most people have probably seen them, but many still don't know what they are. Marketers are finding ever-greater ways to incorporate them into marketing by making it easier for a user to reach a particular page online. Let's face it, it's easier to scan a code than type a URL, so let's review some of the practical applications for QR Codes.

1. Add one to your business card. Think about how many cards are handed out at events and tradeshows for example. If yours contains a QR Code, later on, when the user scans it, you might have an advantage over the rest of the business card stack when the contact lands at your LinkedIn profile, and sees your photo and complete skill set.
2. On printed product literature. Think about the added convenience when you make it easy for a potential customer get more information and/or place an order.
3. Make it worthwhile. Entice the user to scan the code for a special message, information, video, or giveaway.
4. Within webinars or presentations. Use them for a little something extra that isn't accessible to non-atendees.
5. On t-shirts. My first experience with QR codes was a couple years ago at PodCamp Western MA. The code on the t-shirt given to all attendees lead us to a webpage where people uploaded all their media following the event, including videos, photos, and blog posts.
6. In ads. This is a great, easy way to get prospects to a particular web page from within a print ad. I've seen them on billboards too, but I wouldn't encourage you to do something that entices drivers to take their attention off their primary responsibility.
7. In a retail store. How great would it be to be able to go to an instant coupon while you're in a store? That's so much easier than clipping coupons and remembering to bring them with you.
8. For events. A QR Code can send potential attendees right to the EventBrite sign up page or a place where they can get more information.
9. For reservations. A hot, new application at 2011 SXSW makes it possible to users to scan a QR code to save their place on a restaurant waiting list.
10. For instructions. Think about how much greener it would be for people to read, for example, instructions for something they purchased by simply scanning a QR code on the product packaging rather than having to print and insert instructions within the packaging.

One very important factor however; if you plan to use a QR Code in your marketing, make sure that the landing page is optimized for mobile use. Little will frustrate your users more than a busy page with lots of unnessary images.

- Christine Pilch

When does, "Can I buy you lunch?" mean, "I want to pick your brain."

Like all consultants, I deal with my share of casual acquaintances and strangers who look for a ways to get free professional advice. The requests often come disguised within their idea being clever, "Can I buy you lunch?" or "Can we meet for a cup of coffee?"

Too many times I have been lured into situations that make me uncomfortable, frustrate me, and are disrespectful of my value as a marketing/social media consultant when I realize that the person across the table is a taker.

Now, don't get me wrong, I give away plenty of free marketing advice. This blog and my Facebook Fan Page are full of tips, tricks, and advice. I speak frequently and contribute to online communities through comments and discussions. I write articles and create how-to videos that demonstrate the process of doing something and why I recommend it. I also guest post on other people's blogs, and I consult on a complimentary basis with favorite non-profits.

I am a giver. That's my core philosophy.

Things are different for those within my personal circle, but there is a line. If I don't have a close, personal relationship with someone, is it appropriate for them to expect special treatment over and above what I freely offer to everybody else?  

I tossed this out through my social channels and received some terrific feedback about how others handle such requests to essentially pick their brain for free:

Peter said that whenever a casual lunch turns, he laughs and comments, "Wow, look at that, you've just turned this into business!" 

Rob said that he politely comments, "Let's not turn this into a working lunch. We can set up an appointment for that."

Ron said, "You really have to frame it that way. Your time is valuable and you charge your hourly rate for lunch meetings."

Tish said, "...networking has to have a purpose for me. Who are the people who want to network? What do they bring to the table? Will the interaction have a benefit for both of us, or is it one-sided?"

John said, "... Everyone is thinking of themselves, 99% of the time. They invite you to lunch because they want something from you, and you accept because you want something from them."

On the other hand, others said that they view it as an opportunity to impress someone who may become a potential client or referral source one day.

Valuable advice from people I respect.

So I guess I need to dig deeper when an acquaintance requests such a meeting and determine if the exchange has the potential to be win-win.

How do you handle such requests for free professional advice?

- Christine Pilch

 

Photo credit: Deb Harkness 

 

Friday Favorites: 3.18.11

Here are 5 of my favorite or most helpful things I read on the web this week:

1. How to Draft a Company Social Media Policy - "The purpose of your social media policy is to help employees understand what is and what is not acceptable, where the line is, and how, exactly, they should react when someone they’ve never met, and whom they were only trying to help, turns around to call them a HUGE MORON." This insightful post will provide a few guidelines to help get you started on drafting your own policy.
2. Fortune Global 100 Social-Media Savvy, Getting Savvier - There are strong statistics here to give you a quick snapshot of how these companies are using social media. 
3. Which is Better for Social Media Monitoring: TweetDeck or SproutSocial? Before I read this, SproutSocial wasn't on my radar, but now I think it looks like a valuable tool. 
4. Scan a QR Code & Save Your Place on the Restaurant Wait List - This is a hot new app introduced this week at SXSW with terrific potential! 
5. Interview tip: flushing out objections to your potential employment - This 5 minute audio recording is well worth your time, even if you're not interviwing for jobs now. It's basically about closing a deal.

 Well, that's it for this week!

- Christine Pilch

Are you spamming your prospects without even knowing it?

Unsolicited email is considered to be spam by most people. It doesn't matter how great you think your product is or how helpful you think your information might be, if an individual didn't ask for your email, you're a spammer, plain and simple.

Recipients' potential course of action takes many forms: from annoyed deletion, to email requests for removal, to opting-out when available, to reporting you as a spammer. The last option is potentially the most devastating to you. If you're using an email marketing service, you just might find yourself reprimanded or suspended, because all reputable services have anti-spam policies. But if you're sending such email out of your own personal email program, like Outlook, the results could be much harsher. You could actually be blocked by your email host. That means that you can't send or receive email, and you'll likely be in for a battle with your ISP to get it restored.

So, what's a good marketer to do with that handful of business cards freshly collected at some event? You're certain that these people would benefit from your nuggets of wisdom, so how can you safely add them to your email list?

Best practice is to have a welcome email ready to go that invites them to opt-in to start receiving your eZine. I know that this sounds counter-intuitive because this is also unsolicited email, but it's all about perception. This email is an invitation with a promise that they will never hear from you again if they don't choose to opt-in. People tend to be much more relaxed with such a respectful invitation than the harsh intrusion of an automatic email subscription.

Make sure this invitation email has a compelling incentive. Give something away. Have a contest. Make it fun and attractive. Most of all, make sure that this initial email is so jam-packed with great, topic-specific content that they want more. Create desire. Then work hard at fulfilling that desire with every issue.

It's also good practice to use a reputable email management system, like Constant Contact. This ensures that your ISP won't flag you as a spammer. It also provides great internal tools that make the whole process easy and provides clear a opt-out when someone wants to go. There are many email management options, so be sure to do your research before contracting with the most popular one.

Bottom line, though, be respectful of your contact list. People will only accept email from you when they perceive value. Make sure you deliver even more than they expect every single time and they'll stick with you. But don't disrespect anybody by opting them into something that they didn't sign up for. If they didn't ask for it, it's spam, and you're a spammer.

- Christine Pilch

 

 

Relationship matters: the delicate vendor / client / agency trinity

Recently someone I follow on Twitter remarked that he was having a spat with a new marketing agency brought in by his client. This person is one of the client's vendors. That got me thinking about how dynamics change when an agency enters the mix.

It is sometimes tricky for vendors to navigate the waters when an agency enters the picture, because, make no mistake about it, the agency will get between you and your client. That's their job. And no strong agency will work any other way, because they can't deliver results if they can't control all the pieces. The client hired them because they don't want to handle all that stuff any more, so you have to find a way to work with the agency.

I have been on the agency side of this equation many times, and I have preferred vendors that I like to work with, but that doesn't mean that I remove the existing vendors when I start a new assignment. I review what has been done, what is in the hopper, and any proposed work. Then I make a decision whether or not a particular vendor can deliver up to my expectations. Ultimately it's the client's decision, but clients generally follow the agency's lead.

You were originally hired by your client for a reason. You are likely very good at what you do, so just be your professional, respectful self, and things will usually work out just fine.

One critical thing to keep in mind, however, is that many agencies have tentacles that spread much further than you might expect. I once worked with a company that had repeatedly run a ridiculous ego-gratification radio campaign around the holidays on a particular station before I entered the mix. The sales rep permanently burned his bridge with me when, fearing that I would nix this tradition, he did an end run and got the company's president to sign a contract without sending it to me first, as he had been directed to do. To this day I have never given that sales person another dollar, and I've had him removed from any account that I've been associated with. He proved that he can't be trusted.

Don't make the sales rep's mistake. The new agency in the mix isn't your enemy. Actually they can potentially open up a whole new referral stream for you if you perform well for your current client.

- Christine Pilch

 

Social media friend or foe? The danger of mixing personal & professional

Social media is a communications channel and a means to build relationships. Gone are the days when there was a solid line dividing your personal and professional life. Social media blurred the line, and now it’s fairly common for family, friends, co-workers, subordinates, and superiors to coexist in one’s social media world. But is this smart? 

Revealing too Much 

One of the hardest things about social media is figuring out how much personal information to share. Your social media identity is an extension of your off-line brand, so if you over-share, you run the risk of being perceived as irritating and unappealing. You can also compromise your safety by telling your circle that you’re out of town, and therefore, that your home is empty. You may also be caught in a little white lie if, for example, you called in sick to work, and the next day your boss sees photos from the beach excursion you enjoyed instead. 

No Do-Overs 

Yes, you can delete a status update or post, but with the huge popularity of social media, search engines catalog everything almost instantly. If you post something and want to take it back even 30 seconds later because you’re worried about your professional reputation, it may just come back to haunt you. Think twice before you post. 

Complaining About Your Job 

Even if you’re careful about who you friend on Facebook, or you think you’ve mastered the art of blocking certain status updates from particular friends and lists, it’s just not smart to complain on social media about your job. Twitter is public and Facebook changes privacy setting so often that you risk the information getting to the exact person that you don’t want to see it. 

You Could Get Fired 

Consider what happened to a waitress in North Carolina who complained about a tip she received. Despite the fact that she thought her updates were private, her boss saw the post and fired her. Most people are At Will employees who can be fired at any time for any reason, so don’t provide any ammunition.

- Christine Pilch

 

7 steps to increase your chances of successful charitable support solicitation

This is a bit off-beat from what I normally write about, but since many of you probably serve on charitable and community boards, I hope you find it useful.

I have managed millions of client marketing dollars and seen thousands of requests for sponsorship cross my desk over the years. Of these many requests, I estimate that probably 80% arrive with insufficient data for me to take action without soliciting more information. This costs me valuable time...strike one, and makes you look unprofessional and amateurish....strike two.

So if you want to put me, (and other gatekeepers just like me,) in a position to quickly evaluate, submit and recommend the funding of your request, these are the steps you should take for your best chance to hit a home run.

1. Keep it simple and uncluttered. Save a stamp by sending your request via email in PDF format. Realize however that such requests have to be printed internally, and most professional printing is done on black & white laser printers, so keep graphics at a minimum and no colored backgrounds. Also, this must be formatted to print on a standard 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. No odd sizes.
2. Include all options. Although you may be interested in securing major sponsors first, many organizations will be unable to support your cause at a high level, but would, for example, place a less expensive ad in a program book. Make sure you include complete sponsorship options.
3. List ad dimensions. This is where most support requests fail. Listing full page, half page, quarter page, etc, does not help. Ad designers need to know dimensions, so it's smart practice to include them on solicitations. Also designers expect dimensions to be listed width first, then height, as in 7.5"(wide) x 10.5" (high.) If you list them backwards, you will receive ads that won't fit in your book or a lot of phone calls from people who don't think the dimensions sound right.
4. Include your deadline. When is the support commitment deadline? When are payment and materials due? List this info on your request form.
5. Where should the check be sent? Amazingly, many organizations forget to include this vital piece of information.
6. List an email address. Most marketing representatives prefer to send a quick email confirmation of the support contribution and email the ad when it's designed. Make it easy by providing an email address.
7. Remind advertisers early. Most marketing reps are juggling multiple projects, and sometimes things get overlooked. Don't wait until the day that your program book needs to go to the printer to remind someone that an ad is due. Send out email reminders about a week prior.

Your primary objective in soliciting support for your charitable organization should be making it as easy as possible for people to evaluate your request and comply with it. Incomplete information frustrates marketers and makes you look unprofessional. It may even get your request dropped into the trash without serious consideration.

- Christine Pilch

5 website mistakes you can and should avoid

I look at a lot of websites when I research competitors while doing positioning work for my clients, and I see a lot of websites that need help. Unfortunately many small businesses make the same mistakes. Are you guilty of any of these listed below?

1. Believing that your website should be under the control of your IT department. Your website is a function of marketing. It is one of the most prominent reflections of your brand and must be protected as a precious asset. I have yet to encounter an IT person who understands branding. Actually, web development is also a different skill set from IT, so it is unlikely that your IT department has the competency to build a website that is up to today's standards. You'll need a good web developer and a strong marketer working together if you want your web presence to be as good as it can be. Your website is your company's primary marketing vehicle. It is a 24/7 representation and usually the first destination when people hear about you. Can you afford to not present the best possible face?


2. Displaying content that is poorly written. Good writing is a skill that not everybody possesses, and web content writing is its own unique animal. Not only does your content developer have to be proficient in the rules of grammar and spelling, and respectful of tense and flow, but web content writers are specialists who know how to incorporate keywords for search engine optimization. They also know how to relax the feel while retaining a professional flair. They know how to cut out the fat and get to the point because they understand and appreciate the short attention spans of your visitors.


3. Allowing multiple departments to have control over web content. This can work sometimes, in the event that everyone has sufficient training and adheres to specific guidelines. But almost invariably, somebody learns a little HTML and decides that this would look pretty in pink, and this would stand out more bolded and in a different font. Then before you know it, people hardly recognize your company when they go to your website because everything looks disjointed. Pages are a mishmash of inappropriate creativity. This damages your brand by breaking the cardinal rule of consistency.


4. Launching a site, then forgetting about it. I'm sure you were very proud of what you accomplished when your site went live, but how long has it been since it was updated and refreshed? The evolution of web design is so fluent that old sites look really dated to anybody's eye. We all go to the same internet every day. We all experience new and exciting technology that constantly looks and works better. When we come to a site that is old, there is an instant discomfort, dislike, or dare I say, distrust. The visitor may feel that if you don't care enough about your own website, you might not care too much about his business either.


5. Building a website that is all about me, me, me. Clients don't care about you. They ONLY care about what they get from you. Read your home page and count how many times you use the words we, us, our, I, me, my, and mine. The actual number of times all of these words should be used is zero. Now look at the rest of your pages. Pretty much the only time you should be talking about yourself is on your about us page because that's the whole point of it. When people go there, they expect to read about you. The rest of the time, people want to know what they get when they hire you. They don't care how great your service is, how long you've been in business, or how wonderful you think you are. Tell them how your service will benefit them and how you can do that better than anybody else if you want to earn their business.

Website development is a specialty best left to the pros. You probably have a lawyer handle your legal work. You probably have an accountant handle your taxes. You probably have a doctor diagnose your illness. So does it make sense to trust your company's primary marketing vehicle to someone who isn't qualified to provide the best possible product on your behalf?

by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com
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Earn trust by communicating your passion

A few weeks ago I talked about the importance of listening. That is important because when we listen we learn the issues and concerns of our clients. The key is to listen actively and always.

Speaking (or writing articles like this,) on the other hand is the only way our clients will learn about our expertise in providing solutions to their problems. Even though we may feel comfortable talking directly to clients, getting up in front of a group is not always as easy as it might seem. However, it can be if you learn and practice a few good tips.

There are all levels of speakers – some great – some terrible. If you compare it to teaching, it can be described this way; “A poor teacher describes; a good teacher explains; an excellent teacher demonstrates; a great teacher inspires.”

Regardless of what your presentation may say, what you are really trying to communicate is that this information really matters. It matters enough that you should consider retaining me as your advisor.


Every great presentation motivates

Great presentations are not intellectual; they are spiritual. Yes, spiritual. You’ve got to reach right into peoples’ hearts and souls. Your audience has to feel connected to what you are saying. That’s the secret behind every great teacher, coach, clergy member, politician and leader of every kind. They connect with you on an emotional level and you feel their passion.

Remember, people don’t make decisions or purchases based on intellect, they make their decisions emotionally. They go with what “feels right” to them. You can be the smartest person in your field, but if people don’t connect with you on an emotional level, you won’t have them as clients for very long. When they feel they like you and trust you (emotions,) they really won’t have any reason to go elsewhere for the services you provide. When you understand that every great presentation motivates – you’ll begin looking for new ways to make every presentation great.


The role of eloquence in speaking

Eloquent speakers can be interesting, but don’t necessarily move anyone. This was demonstrated centuries ago by two Greek generals, Aeschines and Demosthenes. As David Ogilvy described in his classic Confessions of an Advertising Man, Aeschines spoke brilliantly - to his detriment. Listeners raved at his eloquence.

In contrast, Demosthenes stumbled over words and even rambled at times. No one marveled at his skill but everyone was moved by his passion.

The listeners admired and applauded Aeschines, but when Demosthenes spoke, they turned to each other and shouted, “We Must March Against Phillip!” When a speaker shows passion we too are moved. Don’t try to impress them; move them.


The leading role is always a speaking part

Speaking is a sign and obligation of leadership. True leaders acquire it and share it. Eventually, your career path will arrive at the intersection of “Speak” and “Don’t Speak.” Speak is not the path of least resistance but it heads towards much greater things than “Don’t Speak.” There is no better way to demonstrate who you are and what you stand for (Your Brand) than to get out and start speaking in front of groups. No matter when you start, you’re going to go through a learning process to find the best ways to communicate an inspiring message. It will take 7 to 10 presentations to really start getting comfortable and find your comfort zone.


When will now be the best time to begin?

One easy way to begin is to check out your local Toastmasters Club. Go here and enter your zip code to find all the clubs in your area and how to contact them. http://www.toastmasters.org/websiteApps/  The comforting part about Toastmasters is that everyone there is there for the same main reason – to become better speakers and leaders. You have the ability to fail as many times as you need because everyone is there to practice, try new things, and get immediate, honest feedback.I belong to Toastmasters, and I continue to learn and grow. One of the best things I’ve learned is how to give an excellent 30 minute speech - speak for twenty-two minutes.


by: Dennis Kunkler
Dennis@GrowMyCo.com

Dennis has been a Toastmaster for about six years and holds the designations of Competent Leader and Advanced Communicator - Silver. He has also held several senior leadership positions within the organization.

Are you flushing money down the drain?

It never ceases to amaze me how much money is wasted on ill-advised business decisions. As an professional, are you not amazed at the vast number of people who make important decisions without the advice and counsel of a knowledgeable practitioner?

Imagine all the wasted money...

As much as I have an aversion to being the bearer of bad news, wasting money is exactly what many service professionals do every time they approve of any advertising or promotional printing without first asking the right questions. Yes, as conservative as you may be, you too could be guilty of flushing money down the tube.

To put an end to this money dump you can begin by asking one simple question, “Why?”

Why am I spending this money - what is it going to do for me - and how do I know that?  Could I spend the same money somewhere else and get better results? Why do I really need a thousand, twenty-nine-cent pens with my name on them? Why am I spending hundreds of dollars placing an ad in the local paper? Why would anyone read it, immediately pick up the phone and call me?

But wait! There are even better questions to ask.

Since there are only 3 ways to grow a business,

1. Get more clients
   
   
2. Charge more per client
   
   
3. Get more repeat business

The real question should be, “Which one of these areas does any of my expenditures address?”

Always remember, if you increase any one of these areas you can grow your business fractionally. And if you increase all three areas you will increase your business exponentially!

Ads can work to get more clients, up-sell current ones or bring them back more often, but they have to be well-planned and have a specific purpose. They also have to attract the right audience with the right message and be in the right place at the right time.

Effective ads have to be credible and portray your firm with a well-thought-out, intentional image. Your prospects have to unconsciously understand the answers to three questions before they continue to have any interest in your advertisement. Does the person writing and designing your ads know this?

The viewer of the medium in which you spent your hard-earned money, determines in milliseconds whether to notice your ad, begin reading it, evaluate whether it is of any value to them and decide what, if any, action to take. Do you have the advice and counsel of a knowledgeable marketing practitioner who knows this?

To add confusion to an already complicated attraction process, some ads simply attract your attention but are of no intrinsic value. They may be interesting or entertaining on some level but don’t make people interested in purchasing what they are pitching. Your brain quickly determines:

• Who is the ad speaking to? - Is this ad of any interest to me?
  
  
• Quick, what do I get? - If I don’t immediately understand how I will benefit, I’m out of here - you lost me.
  
  
• Why should I buy it from you? - Is there some compelling reason that you are the best resource for this product or service?

Do you try to save a few bucks by creating your own marketing plans and advertising materials? Do you look for someone that will do it for the least amount of money? Do you get it for free from the publication?

If you’re still imagining all the money that is wasted on ill-advised business decisions by the vast number of people who make important decisions without the advice and counsel of a knowledgeable practitioner – think about the multiplying effects of any money spent when working with a talented and knowledgeable marketing advisor.

Drop us a line, we happen to personally know of two extremely talented marketing advisors that come “two-for-the-price-of-one.” And we can promise you this - we would never allow you to flush money down the drain again.

by: Dennis Kunkler
Dennis@GrowMyCo.com

Building trust to earn clients

In order to do business with anyone - trust must first exist on some level.

The more someone trusts you, the less resistance they have to purchase from you. Think of it like a scale– when you keep adding to trust in one pan, the beam is going to tip the pan representing buyer resistance.

So, how do you develop this trust thing?

The best way to gain trust is to first listen.

But it isn’t quite that straight forward. Let me explain.

How can anyone begin to trust you if they haven’t heard you? You need to speak to be heard. But, what will you say? You can only begin to have an interested audience when you can speak about meaningful solutions. But wait! What solutions? You cannot have a solution until you fully understand your audiences’ problems.

The answer, therefore, is that to fully understand your client’s problems you must first listen to them.

Simple, right?

Ask your best clients questions about what their pains are. What keeps them up at night? What can your practice possibly do to alleviate any or all of those problems? What have you done in the past that solved or prevented enormous problems or consequences to your clients? Write them down. Start a list and create numerous Problem/Solution scenarios.

By the way, I mentioned your “best clients” for a reason. You do want more clients just like them, right?

After you have created a sizable list, take a few of your best cases and turn them into a story. It’s okay to embellish them to make it more interesting. The purpose here is to develop a story that illustrates a Problem/Solution situation.

The story sets up the problem, and the solution is what the characters should have done or what you did to create a solution for the story’s characters to live their lives “happily ever after.” Make your stories interesting. Illustrate the pain so the listener feels it too. Make it human and add a little humor where you can. Then practice telling your stories.

Whatever you do, don’t try to memorize them. Just remember them like you would any story. Sure, they’ll change a little each time, but that’s OK.

By being able to tell your stories, you’ll be much more comfortable in front of every group. The more you tell them, the better the stories will get and the more comfortable you’ll become telling them.

String three or four of these stories together and you’ll have an entertaining “talk” that you can give to every group in town, which includes your potential best clients.

Write articles and incorporate your stories. Compile more and more until you have a book’s worth.

Here are a few benefits to using speaking engagements as part of your marketing efforts. 

 

• You will stand out from the crowd and all of the marketplace noise by having interesting stories with solutions that you can personally provide

• It’s a much better way to leverage your time, so you can stop wasting your valuable cash on unproductive activities like cold-calls, meaningless brochures, or ads no one will ever see

• Speaking before groups is easy to do, inexpensive, and you develop rapport directly with prospective clients, all while providing an entertaining and educational talk

• When you connect with various audience members, there is always a possibility they may refer you to someone they know who can use your services

• You’ll feel proud to market this way because it’s all about giving of yourself and being available to help with your services rather than try to sell them

 

by: Dennis Kunkler

Dennis@GrowMyCo.com

Newspaper circulation decline forces advertisers to look elsewhere for return on investment

There was an interesting article in the New York Times on Monday, Oct 27 called, “Newspaper Circulation Continues to Decline Rapidly.” The article cites a 5% drop in readership in the spring and summer of 2008 from the same time period in 2007. It also states that most alarming is a sharp drop in Sunday sales, which is the day newspapers traditionally make the most money through sales of circular insertions and increased display advertising.

All of this is hardly a surprise to savvy media buyers who have been steering their clients away from this dying medium over the past several years. Despite the dismal numbers, newspapers continue to increase advertising costs at a rate of about 3% per year. The product is suffering from reduced writing and editorial staff, and readership is shrinking, yet daily newspapers continue to raise rates. So you, the client, get less and less, and pay more and more. This vicious circle seems futile, doesn’t it? If you continue to spin your wheels, paying for unproductive newspaper advertising, maybe it’s time to stop the bleeding and work on other, more effective tactics that have a significantly greater potential payoff.

• Spruce up your website if the content is dated
• Start blogging
• Join LinkedIn.com and develop a rich profile and network of connections
• Dabble in Twitter.com
• Participate in community & charitable activities
• Write an article
• Volunteer
• Join a professional networking group
• Send out prospecting letters; then follow up
• Become active in your local Chamber of Commerce
• Write a press release about something relevant to your business
• Speak at a function or group meeting
• Take a client to lunch, drinks, dinner, or sporting event
• Teach a class at your local college

Many of the above marketing tactics cost no more than your commitment and time, and most of them, if done well, will be much more effective that your tired, old newspaper ad that appears in front of the same dwindling audience week after week.


by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com
On LinkedIn

Is texting killing corporate communications?

There was an interesting article published in the October 27, 2008 issue of Financial Week called, "Why Johnny in accounting can't write—and what to do about it. Email, text messaging have led to a further erosion of workers' writing skills; 'hurts productivity.'"

This really struck a nerve with me, especially since I have been increasingly appalled by the emails I've received from young people over the past several years. Now, I'm not a dinosaur. I email, I IM, I text, I blog. I take advantage of contemporary methods of communicating, and I am all for the colloquialisms relevant to texting. But I'm a professional writer, and that casual, abbreviated style does not permeate my professional communications. Unfortunately, many of America's youth don't seem to understand the difference, and their email and formal communications are just plain bad.

Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are important, central elements to effective communication. When those communications become sloppy because people are so used to abbreviations, that's sheer laziness, but when those communications are sloppy because the writer just doesn't know any better, that's just plain scary. By allowing our kids to communication this way, are we perpetuating a habit that will haunt them in their careers?

I know a few college students right now who complain loudly about their Freshman English requirement. Now I'm starting to wonder if a writing requirement should carry throughout college. If we continue to graduate students who can't effectively convey their thoughts and intentions through the most common form of communication on the planet, email, what will be the cost at the corporate level? How will we remain competitive on a global scale if our professional youth can't clearly communicate?

I don't have the answers. I'm just pondering the question.


by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com
On LinkedIn

Martindale misfires again with new video service.

Martindale did it again. I received a fax this morning advertising a new service that they're adding to their host of increasingly out-of-core-competency services. This time it is for an online video component.

You can refer to my post from October 14th called, Martindale Newswire - way out of their core competency, about the first time I became aware of this ridiculous foray outside of their skill set. This time it's the same poor delivery, by fax, with no other distribution or introduction that I've seen. Again, I don't want my clients' fax machines clogged up by Martindale's promotions.

The jury is still out on the value of using video on a legal website. To me, anything that slows down the user experience is a waste of money and disrespectful of visitors' time. People do not go to a legal website to be entertained; they want information, fast. The most efficent delivery of information is through clear and concise text delivered via an intuitive navigation sytem. Fancy video is likely to fall victim to partners' egos, simply singing firm glories, and not demonstrating what users really want and need - To know what's in it for them? What do they get? Why that firm and no other?(The firm's position in the market.)

The fax from Martindale doesn't include pricing information, but why would any law firm pay Martindale to do something so far out of their core competency, which will probably not do anything except further line Martindale's own pockets?

My advice - don't be lured in by Martindale's Online Video service.


by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com
My LinkedIn Profile

Are you LinkedIn yet?

Are you LinkedIn yet? No? What are you waiting for?

Social media networking is today's online version of working the room. But it's even easier because it can be done from the comfort of your office or home, in a suit or your favorite jeans. It's about tapping into friends and professional acquaintances and forming a network akin to the famous Kevin Bacon Six Degrees of Separation formula.

With LinkedIn, your connections have connections, and those people also have connections, so three rings of people have access to your profile whenever they are looking for someone with your skills. The connectivity makes it easy for someone to check you out before contacting you, so the referral is already warm.

A word of caution though. A strong LinkedIn bio requires commitment and time to develop. Don't simply list your current job title and expect the phone to ring. Like a polished resume, a detailed LinkedIn profile is essential to putting you best foot forward and creating desire in prospects.

If you're a hiring manager or business owner, LinkedIn is a terrific tool to look for candidates and check up on what your competition is doing from a hiring standpoint. Are they adding staff? Laying off? What is the rate of turnover in certain positions? What is their employee structure?

Asking and answering questions also raises awareness of your expertise. I asked an employment law question that impressed a few attorneys across the country enough that it opened a repeat email dialog with them. One became a connection of mine. I would never have met this San Francisco attorney if not for LinkedIn. Now we are both aware of each other's prospective value.

Within 6 weeks of launching my own LinkedIn profile, a new prospect found me through one of my connections, and she is now a client. It works. Give it a try. And let me know if you need help with your profile.


by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com
My LinkedIn Profile

Have you Googled yourself lately?

Do you regularly Google yourself to see what the web reports about you? You should. Your online brand depends upon it.

It's pretty easy. Just go to Google and enter your name within quotation marks. Hopefully there will be plenty of information about you on the first page. If not, you don't exist online, and that's not good for a service professional. How will people find you?

To enhance your Google presence you need to have your name appear on the internet in various places, including your own website, referrals from others' sites, on your blog posts, mentions of others' blogs, on published articles, as a speaker on seminar promotions, on professional networking sites like LinkedIn and perhaps Facebook, etc.

It's also a good idea to check the links that you find about yourself to make sure they're accurate. Sometimes, I find typos in email addresses and other contact information. You can easily request corrections.

It's also a good idea to set up a Google Alert for your name. Just go to Google and set up an account. Then go to My Account / Products / Alerts. That way you will be aware of new online mentions of your name.

Your online brand is critical these days, so it's important for you to manage it carefully. Remember, if you're not on the first page of Google results for your name, you don't exist online, and prospects can't find you.


by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com

When is it time to bring in a legal marketing expert?

Especially here in the Northeast, the good ole Yankee mentality is pervasive. "Why should I pay somebody to do my law firm’s marketing when I can just do myself?" Well, that’s a good question; and only you can decide:

• Can you make more money practicing law than doing marketing?
• Do you enjoy practicing law more than marketing?
• Is your expertise in marketing or law?
• What is the most efficient use of your time?
• What daily activities bring the biggest payoff? Legal work or marketing planning and execution?
• Are you willing to commit a significant amount of time to keeping abreast of contemporary marketing techniques, tactics and their application strategies?

Without the guidance of a legal marketing professional, do-it-yourself marketing is akin to the people that you shake your head about who have undertaken do-it-yourself legal work. They probably researched online, maybe bought some software, and they feel confident that they’re protecting themselves. But you know better.

Such is most do-it-yourself lawyer marketing. A successful marketing strategy starts with determining your niche and the differentiators that make you unique in your market. It then flows into developing graphics that appeal to the prospects targeted in your positioning work, including the differentiators that your prospects find valuable, and their structured and consistent use in all marketing messages. This is highly specialized work that requires the significant knowledge and discipline acquired by someone who has concentrated their career on it.

Successful marketing is an investment in your practice, not a cost, because it comes back to you in new business. If business is down, and you’ve been handling your own marketing, there is a good chance that your legal practice could greatly benefit from the focus provided by the right professional marketing assistance.

by: Christine Pilch

Help, my website doesn’t show up on Google anymore!

If you’ve always done pretty well in web searches, and you’ve suddenly noticed that you’ve vanished from Google, you may have fallen victim to a relatively new Google ranking tactical change.

I am not an SEO expert, but one thing was recently brought to my attention that even a novice like me can understand. If your Google ranking is suddenly tanking, and you’ve got multiple URLs, perhaps they are not properly redirecting, and Google is blacklisting your site.

I learned that it’s no longer sufficient to simply clone your home page over and over on additional domains. When people type in those additional web addresses, they should land on your actual primary domain.

For example, consider the fictional firm of Smith, Jones and Price.

They may register the following domain options:

SmithJonesPrice.com
Smith-Jones-Price.com
SmithJonesAndPrice.com

Let’s say that the primary domain is SmithJonesPrice.com. When someone types into their browser, SmithJonesAndPrice.com, they should go directly to SmithJonesPrice.com, not to a cloned home page hosted at SmithJonesAndPrice.com. This can be accomplished through your web hosting company or whoever manages your domains. If it’s not done properly, you can be headed for trouble with Google.

Search engine optimization is a specialized area of expertise within marketing. It’s so specialized that it’s like expecting a real estate lawyer to draft a complicated Trust, or an accountant who specializes in employee benefits to advise on asset protection.

Some things are best left to those who specialize in them. Such is the case with SEO.

I recommend that if you have multiple web addresses, you talk to whoever manages the domains to make sure they are properly redirecting.

by: Christine Pilch

Your 2009 law firm marketing budget – what to keep and where to cut

Early fall is the typical time when most law firms start working on their budgets for the next year. Your firm likely does so as well. Although it’s not likely that you’re going to increase your marketing budget for next year, have you given any thought yet to whether you’re going to level-fund or reduce it?

Whatever decision you make, it’s best to start with the big number and work backwards. Following is a basic list of areas that are typically funded:

• Professional association fees & dues
• Memberships
• Sponsorships & donations
• Directories
• Sales promotional collateral
• Promotional activities
• Client & referral source entertainment
• Memorial gifts
• Client and referral gifts
• Promotional specialties (logo giveaway items)
• Advertising
• Internet

In my experience, one of the biggest chunks of firm marketing budgets is sponsorships and donations. I’m referring to such expenses as golf tees, ads in the programs for charitable events, charitable capital find contributions, and the like. These aren’t actually advertising, because they really don’t have the potential to bring in business, but they have to be done because of a relationship with a vendor or referral source who asked.

It is likely that the sponsorships and donations column of your marketing budget has become very inflated over recent years when things were better. Now may be a good time to reduce that number. Try slashing it by 1/3, and determine what really needs to be spent and what you can really let slide without a detrimental affect on your practice. It won’t be easy saying no next year to some causes that expect your continued support, but the truth is that these people are also facing cuts in their own budgets. They won’t like it, but they will understand.

Another big chunk is likely directories, which include Martindale. I recommend eliminating everything except Martindale and any top-notch practice area-specific sites that send you business. Don’t waste your time or money on any of the transient sites that pop up regularly. Read the blog post here for more information about that.

I do recommend scaling back your Martindale listing as much as possible to save money, but you really do need to be there if you value your Google ranking. Martindale has a partnership with Google that displays Martindale member listings at the top of location-specific legal searches. There is no more efficient way to stay on top of Google than by buying a Martindale listing. You just can’t compete against that partnership. You can read more about the Martindale/Google partnership here.

Your entertainment budget is also likely to be a significant chunk if your practice depends upon social networking. You can scale this back however by buying a half season of baseball tickets, inviting clients to lunches instead of dinners and resisting the urge to buy the whole bar a round of drinks.

Your advertising column should already be one of the leanest in your budget, as actual physical ads in magazines and the like are one of the least effective legal marketing tactics that you can use. If this is as lean as I expect it is, there won’t be much room to cut here.

Your internet marketing column is likely to be where you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck. This includes your website, blog, any web-based social networking associated costs and search engine keyword buys. If you’re properly utilizing these tactics, the pay-off should be so significant that you wouldn’t dream of reducing spending here. If you’re not seeing a return, we need to talk. CPilch@GrowMyLawFirm.com

Your gifts column may be reduced by scaling back the dollar amounts on each gift. It is possible to find items with high perceived value that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Your memorial contributions may also be scaled back to an amount that is acceptable coming from your firm.

Your promotional items inventory can be scaled back by choosing less expensive give-away items. I’m always amazed how many law firms spend unnecessary money on expensive and redundant items that they received as samples in the mail rather than working with a good promotional specialties representative who knows all the best sources for the items that your clients perceived to have long-term value. You can read more about this here.

And last, but not least, regarding sales promotional materials, I must ask, “Do you really need that brochure of yours?” If you’re mostly giving it to people in the office, that’s a pretty big waste of money. They’re already clients and don’t need to be sold. It’s entirely possible that you can almost eliminate this column in your budget. Copies of your published articles are much more effective in establishing your credibility, and they only cost ink or toner and good quality stock to print them in the office.

I recommend the above cost-cutting strategies even if your law firm is level-finding your 2009 marketing budget. I would then take the saved funds and reinvest them back into your internet budget in a new website or enhancements to your current one. It is likely that your website is 5 or more years old and looks dated. A fresh new look can significantly enhance a potential client’s perception, and enhancements to a user interface can make posting fresh content a breeze for someone who doesn’t want to learn complicated web design software.

I’ve hit upon the basics above, but each firm is different. Only you can make judgments about what is best for your firm. Good luck.

by: Christine Pilch

Important Martindale / LinkedIn legal marketing partnership launched

Martindale recently formed an important partnership that all lawyers should be aware of. Martindale is now closely connected to LinkedIn, which you probably know is the most significant social networking website for professionals these days.

Check it out yourself. Go to your own Martindale listing and look for the small IN logo next to your firm's name in the firm listing and next to your name in your attorney listing. When clicked, the user goes to a login page, where they can go to LinkedIn to see how they are connected to members of that firm. The caveat though is that users must give Martindale access to their LinkedIn account information.

I'm not sure that I'm happy about allowing Martindale the ability to poke around inside my LinkedIn account, but I understand the concept. They need to know who you're connected to to display how you may be connected to members of that particular firm.

I found a significant bug though. Several of my clients with LinkedIn accounts don't have LinkedIn reflected in their Martindale profiles. I asked my contact at Martindale, and he said that the product is very new and they need to work through such things. I'll be patient because I believe this is an important affiliation.

Time will tell though if the association goes both ways. Will links to Martindale profiles eventually be seen in LinkedIn bios? It would be terrific for attorneys to be linked to their AV, BV or CV rated Martindale bios from LinkedIn.  

 

By: Christine Pilch

How marketing is a lot like fishing

August is a great time to get away for awhile and go down to the “‘ole fishin’ hole.” And as we all know, fishermen can certainly come home with some very interesting stories.

Have you heard the one about the motorist who, traveling within a group of fast moving traffic on the highway, was pulled over by a police officer? When notified that he was speeding, he asked the officer, why he was singled out of at least a dozen other vehicles all traveling at the same speed. The officer asked, “Ever go fishing?” The motorist responded “Yes”. The officer then asked, “Ever catch them all?” - Doh!

That’s an eye-opening lesson for all of us who are sometimes lulled into thinking there is safety in numbers. That officer could spend his entire day using that technique and rack up quite a few in his net because he knows exactly how to catch what he’s looking for.

Recently, while relaxing on my boat I was watching bass fishermen participating in a fishing tournament. These guys are real pros. They are armed to the teeth with the latest and greatest tools of their trade – hi-tech boats, rods & reels, lures, bait, fish-finder scanners, anti-glare sunglasses, GPS maps and location markers.

While watching them and appreciating the things they were doing, it became very clear to me that these guys can teach us a lot about marketing. After all, like any marketer, before they can catch any fish - they have to first attract them.

Fishermen (and fisherwomen) realize their job is to know their customers’ every want and desire so they can offer it right back to them. With fish as their customers, they have to understand where to find them and what they like to eat. They must know where they like to hang out at different times of the day – under fallen trees in the shade, in the shallows under the lily-pads or deep, next to a steep drop off. And, they have to know their food preferences - what they like, when they like it and how they prefer to be served.

Lastly, to win, these tournament fishermen have to develop their individual techniques to a degree where they know not only where to find the fish and what attracts them, but how to catch and reel them in and how to land them in the boat better than all of their competitors that day.

Marketing is exactly that. You’ve got to understand the kind of client you want to attract and do your research to understand who they are and what they want - where they hang out - what publications or media they frequent - what you’re going to offer that will attract them, and what is the best way to reel them in while building their confidence so that they like and trust you.

Therefore, the next time you’re thinking about going fishin’ for more clients, remember this, you can’t just stick any ‘ole ad in the newspaper and expect to pull in a whopper. Otherwise, all your stories will be about the big ones that got away.

By: Dennis Kunkler

The importance of submitting well-written articles for publishing

I recently had lunch with an old friend who happens to be the editor of a business publication. He wasn’t in a very good mood because he had spent his morning editing rewriting articles that were submitted by guest authors.

He didn’t try to hide his frustration. The submitted work was full of punctuation and grammatical errors. He fixed tense and voice shifts within paragraphs and even sentences. He dealt with off-topic ramblings and poorly constructed arguments.

I asked, “Why would anybody submit something that was substandard?” He responded that it is common for him to have to do this for many people’s work. They mustn’t know that they are poor writers.

I have ghost written and edited hundreds of articles for clients, and my friend is right, much of what is submitted to me from lawyers as a final draft isn’t anywhere near acceptable. But when it goes to a publication, it is nearly perfect as a result of my polish.

Are you a strong writer? If your work appears in print radically different than you submitted it, chances are you should be working with your own editor prior to submission. Actually, you just damage your relationship with an editor if you force him to go through a time consuming process of rewriting your work. As a result, your work won’t be readily welcomed in the future because you're disrespecting the editor's time.

Being published is a very cost-effective method of niche legal marketing. It is a means of positioning yourself as an expert, and anything coming from an expert should be as flawless as possible. That means that you might have to pay somebody a few hundred dollars to edit your work, but this investment should pay off in prestige, enhanced reputation and in successfully positioning yourself as the go-to authority in your area of practice.

Christine Pilch

Important notice to Connecticut attorneys regarding quarterly filing of URLs - notice of changes to Rule 7.4

One of my clients who practices in CT emailed the following notice to me yesterday. I’m not an attorney, but what she and I perceive of this is that CT attorneys must submit a list of all their URLs quarterly with the Statewide Grievance Committee, and your list was due July 1st.

The email text follows:

Attorneys are reminded that pursuant to Practice Book §2-28A(a)(3), a list of website domain names used by the attorney must be filed with the Statewide Grievance Committee quarterly on the first business day of January, April, July and October.

The filing must be done electronically through Judicial Branch E-Services . The Committee does not accept other types of electronic filings (e.g. email, fax, etc.). The submitting attorney must use his or her personal juris number and not a firm juris number or other type when logging into E-Services and completing the electronic filing form. There is an online tutorial at the Committee’s website to assist you with these filings. If you have not filed your list of website domain names as of July 1, 2008, please do so immediately. You are also reminded to file any non-exempt print or multi-media advertisements prior to or concurrently with their first dissemination. See Practice Book §2-28A(a) and (b).

Please bear in mind the following:

1. This rule does not apply to government or corporate attorneys whose employer maintains a website.
2. Only active website domain names need to be filed. If you have purchased a domain name but the website is “under construction” or you use the domain name only as part of an email address, you do not have to file the name with the Committee.
3. You do not need to fill out the form or file a statement to indicate that you do not use a website domain name.
4. Only one filing is necessary per firm, but each responsible attorney for the website must have his/her personal juris number listed on the electronic form. You can list multiple website addresses on one form.
5. You must file the list of website domain names each quarter regardless of whether you have made any changes to the website since the last filing.
6. If you have already filed your list of website domain names for July, you can ignore this email.

Any questions may be addressed to the Statewide Grievance Committee in reply to this email.

***Notice of Major Change to Rule 7.4. of the Rules of Professional Conduct***

**Communication of Fields of Practice**

Effective January 1, 2009: A lawyer may indicate that his/her practice “concentrates in”, “focuses on”, or is “limited to” particular fields of law as long as the statement complies with Rule 7.1. A lawyer may not use the terms “specialist”, “certified”, “board-certified”, “expert” or any similar variation, unless he/she has been certified in accordance with Rule 7.4A.

See the new Rule 7.4 here

It appears that it is okay for a firm to submit a single notice of all URLs that also includes all attorneys’ personal juris numbers. Please act promptly to be in compliance with the rule.

by: Christine Pilch

Your web bio – how much should you include?

I’ve seen some attorney web bios that scroll down 3 or 4 screens through a seemingly endless list of engagements and accomplishments. At what point do you draw the line when listing your activities on your biography?

Lawyers have different marketing styles and comfort levels with marketing activities. Retail attorneys frequently have luck gaining new clients through speaking engagements and published works, so they have a lot of bulk to add to their bios. Corporate attorneys are often well served through networking - lunches, drinks, golf, etc, so many have a less impressive list of activities on their biographies than their retail counterparts.

There’s no established standard when it comes to your web bio, so it’s a good idea to balance the bulk against the timeliness of the information. An estate planning attorney, who has multiple monthly speaking engagements will probably want to purge those that are more than a couple years old, while a municipal attorney who served on a planning board 10 years ago may not have anything else to replace that with.

One rule of thumb though is to never purge published works. That information helps to establish your credibility in your field of expertise. And if the full body text of the work is included on your website, that becomes searchable content, thus potentially driving traffic to your website.

by: Christine Pilch

Producing great client publications

Don't waste your money

I’m a big fan of blogging, but many of you are still sending out newsletters and eZines as well, so let’s talk about how to create a client publication that gets their attention and doesn’t waste your resources.

It’s usually best to keep your publication topic specific because corporate clients might be a little uneasy reading about bankruptcy information, and estate planning clients aren’t necessarily interested in municipal law news. You might argue this and say that it’s important to let clients know the other areas of the law that your firm practices, but that can be handled in a simple list with links to your other area specific blogs and online newsletters and eZines.

The most successful client publications turn around the information from news about us and what we do and have to what you are interested in and what you want and need.

Clients only read information about things that interest them. It’s tempting to add attorney bios to your publications and announce a large settlement that your firm was just awarded, but for the most part, clients don’t care about that. They want to read about themselves, their industries and competitors. They want solutions to their problems and relief of their pain. When you deliver that kind of news, you have a successful newsletter, eZine or blog. When you devote your space to talking about yourself, or bragging, as it is perceived by your readers, you just waste your time.

Pack as much topic-specific information as you can into your publication in every issue or post. The more you inform, the more credibility you earn in the eyes of your clients. In our book, “The Definitive Insider’s Guide to Growing Your Practice Through Innovative Brand Strategies,” we talk about how you have to give, give give. The more you give, the more that comes back to you.

Giving tidbits of legal information doesn’t solve problems or discourage people from contacting you, just the opposite. You have demonstrated that you know the law and can handle their legal matters competently. You have also shown them that they can’t handle such legal work without guidance, so when they call someone for help, it will likely be you.

Make sure that your publication is well written. Spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors are unacceptable in anything coming from a lawyer. And make sure that your publications are professionally designed. You can have a newsletter template designed in Microsoft Publisher, then drop in content. You can also have an eZine template designed. For your blog, if you use Typepad, they have over 100 templates that you can use, and it’s easy to incorporate a custom banner to any of the templates that will make your blog look unique.

Finally, client publications shouldn’t be something that is regarded as less important than anything else you do in your law practice. They should be released on a regular schedule and be the best caliber that you can possibly produce. They actually become part of your brand because they represent your law firm. Your reputation is at stake if you don’t do them well because they won’t live up to the professional brand that you have built and your clients expect in all your actions.

by: Christine Pilch

eZine vs. Blog. Which is better?

Some lawyers maintain a blog and some believe that an eZine is the way to go. They both fulfill the same goal but go about it differently. eZines push information at readers and blogs pull them voluntarily to that information.

eZines came first, and many lawyers have successfully utilized them for years. An eZine is simply a newsletter that is emailed rather than printed and snail mailed. The best ones offer relevant and contemporary features of interest to their intended audience and are welcomed when received. They are generally written in second or third person voice, like traditional articles.

A blog is what you’re reading right now. It’s a regularly updated website packed full of original and relevant content. The tone of posts are conversational and less formal that traditional article writing. In fact, a blog is an appropriate place to write in first person. That encourages a more personal connection with readers.

Both eZines and blogs are great, thrifty marketing tactics with several advantages:

• They create trust in your readers


• They help establish you as an expert in your area of practice


• They build credibility for you in your field


• They make you seem even more professional


• They allow discourse with a specific targeted market that wants what you have to offer


• They are generally welcomed


• They “inform” rather than “sell”

There are, however, many challenges associated with maintaining eZine and blogs:

• Coming up with topics may be tedious
• Writing content is time consuming
• You must be committed to a regular publishing schedule
• You have to stay on top of reader comments
• They take you away from actual billable work
• You have to have basic photo editing skills
• You have to be a good writer with strong grammar and composition talents

eZines are still a good way to stay in touch with your clients on a regular basis, but I think their popularity is fading. It is possible for email servers and clients to recognize eZines as spam and catch it in spam filters. So how much good is your eZine if it isn’t delivered to your clients? Also, building and managing a subscriber list can be quite a chore in and of itself. And the last thing you need is one more item added to your to-do list.

Blogs, on the other hand are faster, more immediate and less work that their eZine counterparts. Since the formatting is predesigned, you don’t have to worry about mastering graphic design with every post. And blogs are active vs. eZines being passive. Readers can add comments to your blog posts and engage you in discussion. You just don’t get that interaction with eZines.

Most every firm that I know that sends out an eZine is in a constant state of “production.” As soon as an issue is emailed, they are planning the next one. It’s a lot of work. Blogs are less like work and more like fun. They are basically perceived by their authors as a means to engage clients and prospects in a non-confrontational and simply conversational way.

One of the best advantages of a blog is that it can easily become charmed media fodder. Since blogs contain fresher content, the media regularly search blogs when researching their stories. How likely is it that your eZine can be utilized as such a tool?

Basically, the decision to blog or eZine is yours. If your intention is to inform readers about your area of practice, then an eZine may work just fine for you. But if you want to engage your readers by offering advice and recommendations, and you welcome their feedback, a blog is probably the preferred tactic.

There is a happy medium that I’ve recently discovered. We host Grow My Law Firm on TypePad. And when I was checking out the Widget gallery, I discovered one that turns blog posts into email feeds. It is subscription based, just like traditional eZines. So, for now, that’s the road we’re taking, to cover all our bases.

By: Christine Pilch

Martindale listing – the key to a law firm’s Google success?

I had an interesting and insightful meeting with a territory manager from Martindale Hubbell yesterday. A client of mine was considering dropping their Martindale listing and saving the $10,000+ they spend annually. But the Martindale guy said something that made me stop dead in my tracks.

He claims that Martindale provides the information that many sites use to display their legal search results. These sites include Google, Superpages, Citisearch, CNN.com legal, Wall Street Journal, Business.com, Switchboard.com, among others.

I am working to independently validate this claim, but if it’s true, it would certainly be irresponsible of me to encourage my clients to drop their Martindale listings. If potential clients can’t find my clients' law firms online, that could be extremely damaging.

by: Christine Pilch

Beware joining everything and offering nothing of value to the organization

I once knew an attorney who prided herself on being involved in just about every organization in Town. She headed up a committee for the Chamber of Commerce, served on the boards of a couple charities, and belonged to a local professional women’s group and a couple additional networking groups. She was out every night and running herself into the ground.

I advised her to scale back her involvement by picking one charity and one organization that was close to her heart, and focus her energies there, but she just couldn’t bring herself to choose from among her various groups, so she continued at a frenetic pace for many more months.

Eventually, I started hearing grumblings from among other members of the groups and organizations that this attorney was involved with. She had started skipping meetings, missing deadlines and not following through on commitments that she made. She had burnt herself out and everything was suffering as a consequence.

This attorney eventually did scale back her involvement as I had suggested about a year previously, Unfortunately, her reputation had suffered in the meantime.

The lesson here is that you need some breathing room. You need a healthy balance between work, other professional commitments and life. Although it is tempting, especially for a young up and coming attorney, to get involved in everything, it is usually best to choose your activities carefully and save some time for yourself as well to recharge your batteries.

It is usually better to do a couple things really well than do a lot of things just mediocre. If you spread yourself too thin, you only hurt yourself in the long run health-wise, relationship-wise and reputation-wise.

By: Christine Pilch

Online legal directories – how to evaluate their value when you get an email solicitation

Once or twice a week I receive one of those bothersome email solicitations from yet another entrepreneur who decided that the legal industry was a quick and easy way to strike it rich by creating a web-based legal directory and charging my clients for a listing. You know the ones I mean?

Since I feel obligated to check out everything that comes across my desk, I always click the link and go to the site’s home page. The really bad sites are easy to spot right away…poorly designed, little or mediocre graphics, and almost no text explaining any visitor benefit, you know, that old “what’s in it for me?” necessity that keeps a potential client from instantly clicking away.

These directory sites consist basically of a link to “find an attorney” by state. Then most subsequently drive the choice by practice area. This results in a list of attorneys that have paid for the privilege of appearing in this particular web-based database. All directories offer basic contact information, and some offer expanded listings for an increased fee. Some will even prioritize your listing for an even higher fee.

It takes a bit more sleuthing though to determine the credibility and value of some legal directories. To dig deeper, try this… Open another browser window and perform a basic search relevant to your practice. I.E. - bankruptcy northern Connecticut. Then see how far into the results this site appears. If it’s not on the first page or at least the second, there is little hope that this site is receiving any traffic that could benefit you.

Another key factor is your own organic search listing relative to this directory’s. I’m referring to the sites that come up in the body of the search results, not the paid listings at the top or on the side. If your own site lists higher than this directory, why would you pay for a listing on their site?

Most of these solicitors fade away after a single attempt at enticing you to purchase a listing in their directory. But some are persistent, regularly emailing and even calling you. You can either ignore and delete or reply with a simple message requesting the past 6 months of traffic statistics for the page that your listing will appear on, and also a copy of their marketing plan to drive traffic to this site. I have sent this message countless times, and to date, never received a response.

Sometimes it is tempting to write a check and believe that business will just find you, but most online legal directories are transient and will only drain your wallet.

by: Christine Pilch

Marketing with a book – thrifty and very smart

I just read an outstanding book by a Family Lawyer who “gets it”. “Wear Clean Underwear,” by Alexis Martin Neely, is a wonderfully written book that sets up different story vignettes and puts the reader in situations that are emotionally engaging in order to “feel the pain” and understand why they need to address certain family legal matters.

This book is far from some of the boring legal stuff that’s out there, and it certainly is not a Me, Me, Me, I, I, I book. This is not a book about Alexis, her practice or how wonderful she is. It is just the opposite. It’s all about YOU the reader – the very first principle I think you need to understand, before undertaking any marketing or self promotion.

Alexis knows her clients; husbands and wives who love their families, and she speaks directly and emotionally to them (and their hearts) about things that are important to them; their entire family’s condition with respect to whether they are healthy, safe, happy, or prosperous.

The books’ success is accomplished through the telling of stories. She tells a story and makes a point, tells another story and makes a point. These are not your typical marketing-type cold, “case studies.” These are stories that grab your heartstrings. While engaging the reader with matters that are important to them, her story scenarios illustrate the “why” in why you should have your family legal matters planned out early in your family’s growth.

This book says to her clients and potential clients, ‘I sincerely, understand you and I feel your pain.’ There is no question that Alexis knows her clients’ wishes, concerns, dreams and desires because she communicates them so well.

For the lawyers reading this, this book is an “ultimate business card.” Who would not want this woman representing their family? Hiring her has nothing to do with the firm she works at, who her associates are, where she went to school or what organizations she belongs to. Alexis Martin Neely has created a “category of one.” If she were in your marketplace competing in the “Family Law” arena, all she would need to do is promote her book or somehow get it into her prospective clients’ hands.

Wouldn’t it be just perfect to hand each new prospective client a copy of your book, or send every past client a copy and a note of gratitude for their previous business? Even if it cost you $10.00 per copy, wouldn’t you spend that to get a new client? What are you currently spending on marketing per client retained? Ten bucks may seem like an expensive business card, but a book is more likely to close more deals. Besides, think of the Law of Reciprocity: people generally try to repay in kind what another person has provided to them. If someone gives you something you want, then you will wish to reciprocate because you now feel obligated.

If you consider using a book to promote your business, think in terms of the business card value, not the fame or cost of the book. If you publish through a publisher with delusions of getting on the New York Times Bestseller List – that $19.95 price tag will net you about $.72 per book – and they don’t do any of the marketing. So, write well and plan on selling millions!

You could however, purchase your own quantities of your book at the time of printing at 50% of the retail price. These copies will serve you best by giving signed copies away as your “ultimate business card” or selling them at the back of the room at speaking engagements.

Kudos to Alexis Martin Neely. She is either a brilliant marketer or she has talented people coaching and advising her.

Please sign up for our new e-book on this blog to learn the other things you need to know to become a “category of one”. Once you learn these fundamental concepts, you’ll easily recognize people like Alexis Martin Neely and why they stand out from the crowds who “don’t get it.”

By: Dennis Kunkler

Websites vs. Legal Blogs – Which is the way to go these days?

I recently read a post on a legal marketing blog that legal websites were passé and legal blogs are now the way to go. While I agree with the tremendous value of a well done legal blog, I am not ready to advise my clients to pull the plug on their websites.

Before you decide to abandon your website in favor or a blog, you might want to consider these points:

• The topic - the best blogs are topic specific while websites can encompass many areas of practice.
• The voice - websites tend to be formal and blogs tend to be informal. Sometimes you need to make a formal impression.
• Cross pollination - websites can answer clients’ questions about various practice areas.
• Client expectations – people generally expect to get an overall feel for your entire firm from your website, and they expect to get to know you through your blog.
• General vs specific – people expect to find more general information on your website and specifics about a particular area of practice on your blog.
• Published works – people generally expect to find more lengthy published works on your website and shorter clips of info on your blog.

by: Christine Pilch

Smarter marketing than your competitors – are you a hunter or a fisherman?

When it comes to marketing your services - what’s your style - are you a Hunter or a Fisherman?

Some attorneys approach their marketing and sales like a hunter would. After all, it seems perfectly natural and the most direct way to go out and scout for new business. In fact, these hunters will probably see a lot of their peers in the same places where they go to “hunt down” a few prospects. But let me ask you this, when a hunter hunts for something what is the natural response of the prey being hunted? Right, it wants to run away. It’s an adversarial strategy.

Let me introduce you to a kinder, gentler, non-adversarial approach to marketing and sales that I compare to fishing. Fishermen learn how to attract fish. They use bait and lures that are appealing to the particular fish they want to catch. They learn everything they can about the fish, their habitat, eating habits, the best season, best time of day, best water temperature and yes, what they’re biting at right now.

When you know the kind of fish you want, precisely what they are attracted to - and you have a technique better than anyone else – the prize catch is yours.

When you think of yourself as a fisherman instead of a hunter, your entire new client acquisition perspective will change. You’ll understand how to present the right “bait” your particular client wants – in the right places and times they gather – in a way that is appealing to them. You’ll be attracting them – for their own reasons - not yours. You’ll begin thinking of all the things you could do for them that they would see as value.

Now, just when you thought you might be starting to catch on to this stuff, here’s another little twist. When selling services, especially intangibles like advising on matters of law, understanding how people sort their environment and choices can make a big difference.

Although there are many different kinds of fish, there are two major tactics to understand and to incorporate in the way you present your bait, or benefits, to your potential clients.

There are sharks and minnows. And, like people, their motivations are very different. Sharks are motivated to move toward their goal. Minnows are motivated to swim as fast as they can away from what they don’t want. Just as a runner can be running to get a gold medal, the context changes when you notice a Doberman Pinscher right behind them.

For some areas of the law the benefit is quite obvious, like when a client is trying to move away from going to jail. But this tactic also applies to all the other areas that aren’t so obvious. So, for each benefit you offer, try restating it with both perspectives, in what your client could lose and what they could gain if they receive the benefit of your service.

Soon you’ll have a strong practice and only you will know the real truth behind the sign you’ll leave on the door that says ”Gone Fishin.”

by: Dennis Kunkler

Projecting a professional image - looking like the lawyer you aspire to be

I was in a coffee shop recently across the street from a courthouse, and I saw an alarmingly unprofessional looking lawyer. The buttons of his short sleeve shirt were pulling across a belly that had outgrown it. His pants were high waters. His shoes were severely scuffed with worn heels, and the jacket slung over the back of his chair looked like he had slept in it. Now think what your impression of him would be if you were meeting him for the first time or if he showed up to represent your interests as your attorney?

No matter how good you are, when someone looks at you and sees an unkempt appearance, they will naturally feel mistrustful of your skill. Everything you do markets yourself, from your advertising and PR, to your website, from the way you speak, to your appearance. You wouldn’t submit an article for publishing without polishing the draft. You wouldn’t invite a colleague to lunch and not pick up the check. You wouldn’t allow a publication to print an ad for your firm without reviewing it first.

So make sure that your physical image matches the professional attorney that you are. Even if you’re just starting out, it is important to project an image of the attorney that you aspire to be. Clients want to be represented by someone they believe is successful, so be sure that is what they see when they look at you.

by: Christine Pilch

Blogging – a BIG commitment

How many times do you see a link to a blog that you are curious about, and click it only to find that it was abandoned after just a few erratic posts? Blogging is a really big commitment, so it’s wise to consider the full impact before you launch it.

Sure, you’ll be full of enthusiasm when you begin, but then client commitments inevitably get in the way, and it’s hard to find the time to draft those posts. Usually, coming up with ideas is the biggest roadblock, and if you can’t decide what to write about, this task will become a dreaded chore about as popular as washing your kitchen floor on your hands and knees.

Some legal blogs contain daily posts, but once a week is often enough, and it’s a manageable commitment. If you’re considering starting a blog, it’s best to test the waters by drafting 3 months worth of posts before you launch. That’s 12 posts ready to go and pre-scheduled before the blog even goes live. This tests your commitment to the project and gives you a buffer for when things really are crazy and you just don’t have the time in a particular week for write a blog post. If you are dedicated enough to maintain your one post per week commitment, you’ll always be about 3 months ahead, and the pressure will be off permanently.

If you can’t get 12 posts in the hopper before launch, we can almost guarantee that you won’t maintain this blog. And no blog at all is better than a neglected one, which makes you look unprofessional and uncommitted.

by: Christine Pilch

Green marketing – giving your clients what they want

Enough of the paper pushing already. Mailing newsletters and brochures is so 1990’s. Clients generate enough trash and receive enough junk mail daily. They don’t need one more piece of paper to throw away.

In addition to the sheer physical inconvenience consider also the emotional impact your material has when it arrives in the mailbox of someone socially conscious of the Green movement. Do you have so many clients that you can afford to sacrifice one who might find your disrespect of the environment and waste of paper distasteful?

These days, it is critical to take full advantage of web-based materials. Everything you do should be driving potential clients to your paper-free website, eZine and blog. It is important, however, to have certain materials available in a downloadable and printable PDF format, so those people who prefer to save something that they consider valuable may do so. That’s the key though. Let your clients make their own decisions about what they consider valuable enough to print.

by: Christine Pilch