November 15, 2008
- Marketing for Attorneys with Less Blog Spam
The bane of marketing for attorneys through blogging is blog spam. Before installing Akismet on this blog, I had approximately 573 "spam" comments awaiting moderation. After installing Akismet, I was able to get rid of that spam almost instantaneously. My understanding is that about 99% of my spam problem is now gone due to Akismet. If you have activated the "comments" feature on your blog, I recommend Akismet or some similar service.
November 13, 2008
- With the "Party" Over, Marketing for Attorneys Is Crucial
In an Am law Daily interview posted on November 10, 2008, legal futurist Richard Susskind of the UK makes the bold statement (which has significant ramifications in the world of marketing for attorneys) that the "party is now over" for prospering lawyers. In his new book, The End of Lawyers?, Susskind argues that the legal profession is about to undergo a significant transformation where lawyers become less prominent in our society due to commoditization and technology. (…)
November 10, 2008
- "Social" Marketing for Attorneys through Holiday Gifts
With the Holiday Season fast approaching, law firms should consider the role of Holiday gifts in marketing for attorneys. Okay, so Holiday gifts may not qualify as social media, new media, or social networking - depending upon the nature of the gift. However, the power of giving gifts during the Holiday Season should not be overlooked. (…)
November 7, 2008
- Internet Marketing for Attorneys Begins with Tracking
In Internet marketing for attorneys and lawyers, tracking and testing are key. If you are not tracking and testing your results online, you are not taking full advantage of the power of the Internet. The same is true for social marketing and social networking for attorneys: tracking your efforts is the only way to know if they are having any effect. (…)
November 4, 2008
- Is "Syndication" a Viable Marketing Tool for Attorneys?
How does syndication qualify as a marketing tool for attorneys? When I think of syndication, I usually think of large organizations like the Associated Press or Reuters. According to the most recent podcast episode at Marketing Online Live, however, "syndication" has now become very viable for smaller entities (and, by implication, in internet marketing for attorneys). (…)
November 1, 2008
- Are Teleseminars Part of "New Media" Marketing for Attorneys?
Where do teleseminars or teleconferences fit into the new media marketing for attorneys world of webinars, webcasts, streaming video, blogs, and social networking? Are teleseminars simply an "old" technology that should be jettisoned for more glitzy, high-tech platforms like VoIP? (…)
October 30, 2008
- Is Blogging a Dangerous Form of Marketing for Attorneys?
While an October 28, 2008 post in the Am Law Daily warns that blogging can have dangerous implications for job searches, there is an implication that it could also be dangerous as a form of marketing for attorneys. The post recounts the example of a spouse of a law student who listed in a blog the cities in which the couple was interested in living. The law student had interviewed at the law firm of Bryan Cave, but the spouse's blog failed to include the city where Bryan Cave is located as one of the cities in which the couple was interested. (…)
October 26, 2008
- Is Social Media Incompatible with Billable Hours?
While social media and social networking seem like promising marketing vehicles for the general public, their utility for attorneys in a system of billable hours could seemingly be less obvious. After all, many attorneys live their lives in six-minute increments and constantly have to watch the clock in order to provide value to their clients. Lawyers are uncommonly busy, and within the billable hour system, they often have relatively uninterrupted focus and a "steel trap" mind in churning out legal work. (…)
October 24, 2008
- Should "Retweeting" Be One of Your Marketing Tools?
Attorneys who use Twitter as part of their marketing strategy should consider "retweeting" when it makes sense. In an excellent post from earlier this year (http://bloggingbits.com/the-art-and-science-of-retweeting-for-twitteraholics/), AJ Vaynerchuk describes the mechanics and strategy of retweeting. To "retweet," you re-post to your own followers a tweet (or post) that was broadcast by someone else. This is usually done by taking a tweet, clicking "reply" to that post (which will start a new post that begins with "@" the name of the original poster), typing "Retweet" or "RT" before or after the name of the original poster, copying the original post into the retweet, and providing some commentary on the original tweet. (…)
October 22, 2008
- Is Marketing for Attorneys through Blogging Still Viable?
An October 20, 2008 article in Wired.com (http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/16-11/st_essay) suggests indirectly that marketing for attorneys should no longer include blogging in its mix. Entitled "Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004," the article suggests that one should no longer write or start a blog. According to the article, the blogosphere is flooded with mediocre content, and blogs supposedly have a tough time gaining followers. Thus, Jason Calacanis, who apparently made millions in blogging, recently decided to stop blogging because the medium had become too impersonal and too large. (…)
October 20, 2008
- Doing "Good Work" Isn't a Form of Marketing for Attorneys
Many lawyers think that simply doing "good work" constitutes marketing for attorneys. In today's marketplace, that philosophy isn't enough. Doing "good work" for clients is simply a baseline that does not generally differentiate an attorney in his or her marketplace. There are lots of lawyers who produce excellent work product. While doing good work can provide referrals and some word-of-mouth business, it is not a form of marketing for law firms. (…)
October 19, 2008
- The Internet Marketing for Attorneys Mindset
Whether it's Internet marketing for attorneys or more traditional marketing for attorneys, there is a mindset that one needs to have. (…)
October 18, 2008
- Recession-Proofed Marketing for Attorneys
As the financial markets continue to struggle and the media continues to talk about a recession, marketing for attorneys based upon location can make sense in certain circumstances. When I talk about marketing for attorneys based upon location, I am talking about marketing based upon efficiency and billing rates. While it is practically taboo to promote one's legal services based solely on price or on lower billing rates, a firm not located on one of the Coasts or in one of the country's areas of pricey legal services can promote itself in terms of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. (…)
October 16, 2008
- Subscription-Based Internet Marketing for Attorneys
One of the keys to an effective internet marketing for attorneys campaign is to leverage the power of subscriptions. For example, with this "Marketing for Attorneys" blog, one can subscribe either through RSS or through e-mail. While almost all lawyers are comfortable and familiar with e-mail, most attorneys have no idea what "RSS" actually means. (…)
October 14, 2008
- Serialized Twitter "Articles" as Attorney Marketing?
While writing articles has always been a mainstay of attorney marketing, there may be a new way to publish one's articles in bite-sized chunks. A recent post (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/13/can-twitter-authors-capture-the-magic-of-lonelygirl15/#comment-2501076) at Techcrunch profiles writer Nikki Katz's use of Twitter to publish a fictional work entitled MyLifeIn140, which is the story of a 16-year-old girl who changes her world by editing photos. Rather than using traditional publishing to disseminate the story, Katz sends out bits and pieces of the story through "tweets" on Twitter, which are limited to 140 characters. Techcrunch notes that such publishing methods have been extremely popular outside of the U.S. (…)
October 11, 2008
- New Media Marketing for Attorneys through Blogging, Part II
New media marketing for attorneys should focus on blogs as a core principle because blogs allow for quick, easy and effective content creation. In new media marketing for attorneys and general internet marketing for attorneys, content creation is key. Unlike with a regular static website, where a creator of content would generally need some knowledge of html or a program that would allow for updating of a website without the use of html, creation of content through a blog is extremely fast. With Wordpress, for example, a blogger simply logs into the blog, clicks "New Post," types in an entry, and presses "Publish." It's that easy. Search engines love sites that are updated with regularity, and blogging is an easy way to consistently update a website. (…)
- New Media Marketing for Attorneys through Blogging
In my previous post about new media marketing for attorneys, I mentioned that the first pillar of such marketing is blogging/mini-blogging. This post will focus on the importance and efficacy of blogging as part of a new media marketing for attorneys strategy. (…)
October 9, 2008
- New Media Marketing for Attorneys
In the marketing for attorneys context, what is the meaning of the term "new media?" Although a hundred marketers might provide a hundred different definitions, new media marketing for attorneys would certainly include the concepts of subscription, interaction and feedback, dialogue, time-shifting, content in small chunks, and the lack of of a "middle person" in terms of producing and distributing content. As my friend and mentor, Paul Colligan, might say, the lawyer or the law firm becomes "the media."
There are many potential vehicles and aspects to a new media marketing for attorneys strategy, including social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, content sharing sites, online articles, etc. Each new media outlet has its pluses and minuses and could be considered by a lawyer or law firm. Depending upon the marketplace that a lawyer is trying to reach, one new media outlet may have greater or lesser value. (…)
October 8, 2008
- Vanderbilt and Marketing for Attorneys, Part III
In the third and final installment of the series, this post examines the example of Vanderbilt University's recruiting efforts as they relate to marketing for attorneys. While attracting new work and new clients is a key element of marketing for attorneys, another important element is attracting talented lawyers to a law firm. The Vanderbilt View article that I reference in my two previous posts notes that the younger generation is especially receptive to new media and comfortable with using it. Thus, the Vanderbilt admissions department is using new media to attract candidates who will be a good fit with the school. For example, admissions officials sometimes respond to questions on the College Confidential website. (…)
October 7, 2008
- Vanderbilt and Marketing for Law Firms, Part II
As mentioned in my last post, those in the marketing for law firms field can learn from the example of Vanderbilt University (whose football team is now ranked # 13 in the AP poll). As profiled in the Vanderbilt View article that I referenced, Vandy has jumped effectively into the world of social media. The recent emphasis has been on using online video. In the past, Vanderbilt would wait for the networks to call about interviews and video content. In today's Web 2.0 world, however, Vandy is producing its own video clips and publishing them through iTunes, the Vanderbilt Web site, and on such sites as YouTube. (…)
