The Professional Marketing Forum launched the first edition of its magazine targeted professional service marketers. In it, there was an interesting article about how one law firm created a brochure that was client focused, rather than firm focused. The objectives of the brochure were to:

• To communicate an updated image for the firm
• To highlight the successes their clients had experienced in the past year
• To illustrate our cross-disciplinary client team culture

The article describes the process the firm’s marketing team in creating such a brochure and getting buy in internally. » Read Article: The Making of a Brochure that Clients Actually Read

Categories: Marketing |

An article, Using Your Web Site To Enhance Client Service in Findlaw’s Modern Practice highlights important ways to make your website do more for your firm. Some points include:

• Optimize the site for search engines
• Writing good content
• Use personalization techniques to provide customized information

» Read Article

(Keep reading →)

Categories: Websites |

A new article on Findlaw, Before Starting to Write: Maximizing the Potential of Bylined Articles, details helpful tips on writing articles as a business development tactic. Some tips

• Define the article
• Find an appropriate publication to suggest the article to
• Review the publication’s guidelines
• Do background research
• Meet the editor’s deadline

» Read Article

Categories: Article Marketing |

There was a great discussion on the MarketingProfs.com website about how to market an estate planning firm.

(Keep reading →)

Categories: Marketing |

The American Bar Association published a study in April 2002 on how the public views lawyers. You can download it in its entirely (free of charge) at the ABA’s website. The study is worth downloading as it clearly demonstrates that the public has a negative view of attorneys, even though many are satisfied with their lawyer’s services. Some interesting findings include:

(Keep reading →)

Categories: Market Research |

Advertising Laws as stated by the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (provided by the Legal Information Institute)

(Keep reading →)

Categories: Ethics, Advertising, Regulations |

Mark Beese of Holland & Hart LLP points out a number of trends in law firm marketing including:

• Focus has moved away from branding and more towards business development - cross marketing, building client relationships, and specializing in an industry
• Marketing is becoming more strategic, including business development and change management in addition to operational tactics
• Convergence is a major challenge - Fortune 1000 companies want to reduce number of law firms they currently use
• New sales models - using non-lawyers and business development professionals to do some of lawyer’s non-billable tasks. Lawyers still must be participants, but business development professionals can do a lot of the market research to identify prospects and research their businesses and industries. They can also develop a business development plan, and keep track of efforts.
• The web is important in demonstrating a firm’s expertise in a particular industry and business area. It can also demonstrate how savvy the firm is with technology.
• Blogs are popular to communicate with clients in a more informal way

» A Few Questions With Today’s Legal Marketing Minds

Categories: Marketing |

Using a call to action is the foundation of any direct response promotion, but what makes for a good offer that will motivate prospects to take action? Often, people don’t want to call you if they don’t have to. They may fear a sales pitch or just don’t know enough about their problem to feel comfortable moving forward. They may fear you will reject their business or that you charge too much. He may have heard bad things about lawyers who are only after his money or know someone who had a bad experience with an attorney.

(Keep reading →)

Categories: Rainmaking |

You’ve heard it before, right? A salesman calls you up and wants to sell you advertising in their newspaper, on the internet, in the yellow pages, or some other publication. They tell you how other customers have gotten a great response and they’re sure yours will too. So, you say what the heck and try it - only to get no response. What happened? Should you leave the ad in longer? Buy a bigger ad? Try a different publication? Or give up altogether? Here are some ways to increase your advertising response.

(Keep reading →)

Categories: Advertising |

The level of dissatisfaction with lawyers is at an all time high. A recent study of 600 Corporate Counsel from BTI Consulting Group found that there is a big gap in what clients expect and what law firms deliver. They then asked clients what ‘client focused’ meant to them. (Keep reading →)

Categories: Client Service |