Constant Content : Legal Ghostwriting & Content : Janet Raasch : Copy for Lawyers & Attorneys, Law Firm Business Development

A couple we know started buying season subscriptions to repertory productions of the Denver Center Theater Company nearly 30 years ago -- and has resubscribed every season since.  For the past ten years, our "theater group" has grown to include five couples buying season tickets. 

When the entire group did not renew this year, our 30-year member (and group coordinator) got a call asking if we were going to resubscribe.  She said no, and that was it.  There was never a follow-up question or call to find out why -- and what the DCTC could do to change our minds.  We were a good source of revenues.  How could they not, especially in these tough ecomonic times, try to find out why we would change our minds -- after 30 years of loyalty -- and use this information to improve their product and service?

Unbelieveable.

If they'd asked, we'd have provided a good answer.  For the past five years, we have been trying to get the DCTC to work on how they schedule the plays.  Every year, we get tickets for three Saturdays in a row -- and then nothing for two months.  Couldn't they perhaps space them out better?  For five years, the DCTC has said they cannot.  Too bad.  It is just too much work for subscribers to go out to dinner as a group and then to the theater three weekends in a row.

We've come up with a solution that works well for our group -- but not for the DCTC.  Five couples, ten individuals, ten months of the year (with two months off).  Each person is assigned a month to come up with an interesting cultural activity on the third Saturday of the month (so we can plan).

This summer, we are traveling to The Santa Fe Opera to hear Natalie Dessay in her debut as Violetta in La Traviata.  Locally, we will attend the Denver Art Museum's exhibition of The Psychedelic Experience (art from the Sixties) and a Broadway touring production of August: Osage County at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

Our tired old theater group has been reenergized as a "culture club."  Remember, your seemingly loyal clients always have a choice.

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When it comes to blogs and other social media for lawyers and law firms, Kevin O'Keefe and his team at LexBlog are recognized as the industry experts.  Because LexBlog designed and hosts my Constant Content Blog, I am invited to participate in LexBlog's regular online Webinars.

Over the years, we've all been snookered into worthless Webinars -- where presenters drone on endlessly about concepts that are obvious to 95 percent of the audience.  Or simply read their slides.  Not so with the LexBlog series.  I consider myself pretty "cutting edge" when it comes to social media, but I always come away from these sessions with a number of good ideas that I can easily put into action myself.  Each one is an hour well spent.

The June 28 LexBlog Webinar was Creating effective blog posts and engaging in online discussions to enhance your online reputation. 

The month before, the subject was Twitter:  What is it?  Why should I use it?  How do I use it?

And there are many more.  A recording of each Webinar is posted online.  Try them.  You'll like them.

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Paula Black has launched the latest in her "Little Black Book" series on marketing, branding and positioning for lawyers and law firms.  This one is titled A Lawyer's Guide to Creating a Marketing Habit in 21 Days.  It is designed to help lawyers integrate marketing into their daily lives.  Those who purchase the book today will receive a collection of free bonus gifts -- a compilation of advice from experts in the legal marketing arena.  I meant to help Paula publicize this offer on the first day of her two-day promotion, but I spent yesterday stuck in an airport and away from my online "tools."  Sorry Paula!

Also interesting is how Paula created this online campaign and methodically followed-up with prominent bloggers to offer them "buy in" for the publicity campaign for this book.  Muy strategic!  I've seen a lot of posts on ths promotion on the many blogs in my own aggregator.  After just one day, her book ranks #11 in the marketing category and #77 in the business management category at Amazon -- her goal.  I am sure the results will be even better by the end of day two.

This campaign is an excellent example of using online resources to "work" your product.  I would sure give Paula Black a call if I had a new book to promote!

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Yesterday, I attended a job-search presentation sponsored by the Mile High Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.  I am working on a synopsis of the program, which will be posted to this site in a week or so.  In the meantime, I want to comment on "personal brands."

Moderator of the panel was Andrew Hudson.  When I saw his name on the program, I knew that I had to attend and introduce myself.  This is what having a "personal brand" is all about!  "Andrew Hudson" is to PR job search in Denver what Pepsi is to soft drinks and Nike is to sporting goods.  And he used the Internet to get there.

Ten years ago, while he was employed in marketing and communications in a corporate setting, Andrew founded Andrew Hudson's Jobs List.  Today, this list has grown into the premier job-search Web site in the Rocky Mountain Region for professionals in the marketing, communications, sales, HR and nonprofit sectors.  Since 2005, more than 15, 000 individuals have subscribed to receive weekly updates.

(Incidentally, the site was originally called PR Jobs List.  Recently, Andrew changed the name to include his own name and expand beyond PR -- another way to expand his personal brand and the scope of his services.)

I am a longtime subscriber to this list, which I find very informative (even though I am not looking for a job).  I admire Andrew's ability to "monetize" over time what started out as a friendly service to fellow-professionals.  But that is not the only reason I wanted to meet him.

Andrew worked in the Denver Mayor's office.  I worked in the Milwaukee Mayor's office.  Andrew worked for Frontier Airlines.  My son is employed by Frontier Airlines.  Andrew worked for a U.S. Senator.  My husband ran for U.S. Congress.  Andrew supports the National Sports Center for the Disabled at Winter Park, Colorado.  The NSCD taught my son to ski, and my husband works for Wells Fargo, which sponsors the NSCD Wells Fargo Cup.  Andrew is a professional jazz bassist who plays at Dazzle.  I enjoy jazz and have heard him play at Dazzle.

How do I know all this about Andrew Hudson?  Because he has steadily and consistently promoted his personal brand in a wide variety of formats -- where I have learned enough to want to attend his presentation and start a conversation.  It takes numerous touchpoints to make a sale.

How strong is YOUR personal brand?

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When lawyers and other professional services providers are asked  to develop more business, they often respond with a list of obstacles.

I'm in the wrong place.  I don't have enough time.  My firm is too small to compete.  I'm too young/old to be taken seriously.

Social media tools help you demolish these obstacles and move ahead.

In social media, place is no longer an obstacle.  The Internet operates around the world -- so your content can end up anywhere.  Let's say you are a lawyer in Denver.  Not so long ago, your article might appear in one print issue of The Denver Business Journal or your speech take place one time before a local business group.  Today, using social media, your article or a podcast of your speech can be accessed by interested parties anywhere around the world -- spreading your reputation far beyong the boundaries of your geographic location.  Plus, you can contribute and search content as easily from your home office or on the road as you can from the 45th floor.

In social media, time is no longer an obstacle.  The Internet operates 24/7, so you can contribute or search for useful content around the clock, in any time zone, any day of the week.   When you leave the office at the end of the day, on weekends or for a vacation, your online reputation is still on the job -- working hard to win new clients.  With an investment of little time you can use the Internet to achieve expansive results.  It takes much less time to write a blog post or a Twitter update, after all,  than it takes to research and write a legal article.

In social media, size is no longer an obstacle.  On the Internet, no one can tell how big you are.  A savvy solo or a small firm can easily build an "online reputation" that rivals the reputations of much larger competitors -- at very little cost.  Tom Goldstein -- as a solo -- created SCOTUSblog and used it to build his reputation as an appellate attorney.  A decade later, he is head of the Supreme Court practice at Akin Gump.  One lawyer I interviewed went from anonymous third-year associate to national expert the field of Canadian timber law -- in just one year of blogging.

Finally, in social media, age is no longer an obstacle.  Not so long ago, young professionals were expected to stay in the office and leave business development to the partners.  Today, now that place is no longer an obstacle, a young professional can jumpstart his or her career by using social media (from the office or from home) to build an online reputation.  On the flip side of that equation, an older professional who understands how to use social media for business development can easily appear "ageless" and intellectually vigorous on the Internet.

Use social media to overcome the business development obstacles of place, time, size and age.

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Thanks to Mister Thorne of the Set in Style blog, who posted a nice interview regarding my practice.  Questions and answers include:

What does a ghostwriter do?

What are the ethics of ghostwriting for lawyers?

How do you "bridge the gap" between lawyers and readers?

How can attorneys get articles published?

What is it like to work with lawyers and law firms?

How does your journalism and teaching background affect your work?

What is an attorney's "on-line reputation"?

How important is design?

What are the elements of persuasive writing?

How can young attorneys use writing to enhance their careers?  Partners?

Who is your ideal client?  What is your ideal project?

What is the best part of your job?

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Research indicates that an individual's emotional intelligence (EQ) accounts for 60-80 percent of success in the workplace and in life, while cognitive intelligence (IQ) accounts for just 20-40 percent.  In an environment like law, where everyone is cognitively smart, EQ is a significant differentiator.  In this article, Dr. Laura Belsten discusses how lawyers and law firms can master emotional intelligence -- and put it to good use.

Emotional intelligence:  The ability to assess and manage emotions is key to professional success

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Twitter is one of the latest social networking tools.  A user can use Twitter to create a free account, follow others, develop a list of followers and send 140 character messages -- called Tweets -- to the desktops or phones of others.  I opened up a Twitter account (@jeraasch) about six months ago, which so far I use primarily to send out links to new articles that I've published on this blog.  Apparently, there are many more ways to take advantage of this useful new tool!

Yesterday, I learned some new ways to use Twitter for business development in a Webinar presented by Lexblog.  To view the Webinar, click here.

I learned how to use a program called TweetDeck to impose order on what can be a daunting number of incoming Tweets.  You can use Tweetdeck to create up to ten sorting categories.  Some of these can be groups of people you especially want to follow, like individuals invited to an upcoming event (you can also Tweet with them during and after the event).  Others can be "saved searches" on useful terms -- like your name or the name of your law firm.

Twitter can be used actively to enhance your reputation as a thought leader.  Kevin O'Keefe at Lexblog recommends Tweeting links to useful content that you've found elsewhere.  (Sometimes, you will need to shorten the URL to fit into the 140-character limit.)  Also, Twitterers can "retweet" a message on their own account to all of their followers.  Retweeting is like an endorsement of someone else's Tweet.  It is a good way to enhance your relationship with the original Twitterer.

Twitter can also be used for search.  As I mentioned above, you can search for your name or firm name to monitor what people are saying about you on Twitter.  You can search by keywords to find out what people are saying about a current issue -- and respond with your own comments.  You can search by your area of practice and city to find the Tweets of potential clients who are asking for advice on legal services.  If you are attending an event, you can search by the event name, find other Twitterers who will be attending, and make plans to meet them in person at the event. 

In fact, many reporters are using Twitter this way to find good sources to quote in their articles.  O'Keefe mentioned that when a bomb went off in Gaza, he was able to Tweet in real time with a person on the ground at the bomb site.  He mentioned that he was able to use a link to listen to the flight recorder from the Buffalo commuter plane crash before the recording appeared in the maintsteam media -- via Twitter.

O'Keefe also recommended that your Twitter "opus" should be 90 percent "business" and 10 percent "personal."  Relationships are often based on shared personal interests -- a point that I've often made in my posts regarding online biographies and profiles.

Like so many other social media, Twitter is just a tool.  If you create an account but just let it sit "on a shelf" and never use it, Twitter will be a waste of your time.  If you use to position yourself as a thought leader and meet new people, it can be a good use of your time.

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Each year, The Minority Law Journal publishes a "Diversity Scorecard" -- a ranking of how large law firms are doing in their efforts to diversity the legal profession.  In the past, rankings have been based on the percentage of minority lawyers at a firm.  This year, in results that were published today, a new formula gives additional weight to minority lawyers who have actually reached partnership rank.

"This number is a truer gauge, we believe, of what kind of progress a firm is making in hiring lawyers of color at every level, with an emphasis on those at the most senior levels."  Diversity Scorecard 2009.

The law firm that ranked first in 2008 dropped to No. 20 in 2009, and five firms lost their top 20 status altogether -- including one that dropped from No. 6 to No. 57.  On the other hand, seven new firms ascended to the top 20 -- including one that rose from No. 47 to No. 4.  Quite a shake-up.

This excellent article also mentions that the relative numbers of African American, Asian American and Hispanic lawyers remained essentially flat -- and discusses some of the reasons why.  The Minority Law Journal is published by Incisive Media.

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