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

Here is part four of my article on broadcast journalism for lawyers and law firms:

Using the Internet, lawyers and law firms can bypass the traditional mainstream media entirely and self-broadcast their own video and audio – on their own Web sites or on sites that accept user-generated broadcast content.

 

When lawyers appear on television or radio, law firms can post links on their Web sites or blogs or even request the files for posting.  In addition, using inexpensive equipment and applications, they can easily create their own video and audio podcasts for download from law firm Web sites.  It helps to have a good video/audio editor on staff.  In this day and age, no lawyer presentation should go unrecorded.  Law firms can also “broadcast” these reputation-building podcasts to clients and prospects via email alerts.

 

Once created, law-firm-generated video and audio can also be posted on a wealth of online content sites, which provide automatic RSS feeds that attract search engines.  (RSS should also be added to any of your own Web site content.) 

 

The line between print, broadcast and online news has become increasingly blurred.  Print publications host audio and video on the Web sites – some of it generated by professionals and some of it contributed by “citizen journalists.”  Television and radio station Web sites also include text and photographs.

 

A law firm, for example, that cannot get the local TV station to cover the opening of its remodeled lobby can now make its own video and post in on the station’s well-optimized Web site.

 

All modern media sites host blogs by their reporters, which can include links to video and audio.  All of them offer versions for mobile devices.  All of them offer subscriptions via Facebook, Twitter, RSS, email or text.  All of them accept user contributions.

 

Law-firm-produced video and audio can also be easily posted on a wide range of social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Martindale-Hubbell Connected.  It can be added to social content sites like JDSupra, Legal OnRamp and HubStreet.  Legal Talk Network is a “talk radio” vehicle for lawyers and law firms.  Savvy lawyers and law firms are even posting their own videos (and broadcast ads) on YouTube.

 

Finally, use Twitter to send out a short notification and a link every time you appear in the traditional broadcast media or self-broadcast your own video and audio content.

 

Be that lawyer!  By consistently and carefully pitching, catching and self-promoting -- using traditional and online broadcast media -- lawyers and law firms can optimize search engine results and successfully spread the word about their professional expertise.

Here is a link to the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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Here is part three of my article on broadcast journalsim for lawyers and law firms:

 

In the case of a breaking news stories, news directors and reporters often come to you – looking for a comment (if you are directly involved in the story) or background (if you are an expert in a particular subject area).

 

If you are involved in a newsworthy event, understand that “no comment” is a terrible response to a media inquiry – especially if you are captured fleeing on camera with your hand in front of your face.  If the case or matter is truly newsworthy, the story will appear with or without your input.  Strategize with your client and, with the client’s permission, make sure that your client’s point of view is included in a dignified fashion in the report.

 

If you are asked to provide background on breaking news in which you have no direct involvement, it is usually because you have let the stations know ahead of time that you are an expert, are available to comment, and can speak coherently and intelligently in front of a camera or microphone.  Do not be afraid to make this contact.  Broadcast reporters are always interested in deepening their pool of qualified legal experts.

 

It never hurts to be on-site, either.  When terror suspect Najibullah Zazi was inside the Denver Federal Courthouse, hundreds of reporters were waiting outside for hours in the frigid winter weather.  Local lawyer and media commentator Craig Silverman was not sitting behind his desk waiting for the phone to ring.  Instead, he braved the weather to circulate in the crowd of local, national and international reporters.  As a result, his face and voice were all over the evening news.

 

Be aware of a major change in the way modern news directors and reporters “catch” their stories and expert commentators in the Internet age – Google and other search engines.  According to recent reports, 85 percent of all reporters use Google on a daily basis.  If you want the call to comment on a particular legal development, your name must show up in Google results for the keywords used by a researching reporter.

Here is a link to the complete article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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“Pitching” to the traditional broadcast media

Here is part two of my article on broadcast journalism for lawyers and law firms:

When “pitching” news to the traditional broadcast media, remember that it has to be real news – and not self-promotion.  News is information that a station’s viewers or listeners need to know in order to make good decisions about their personal and business lives.  Always emphasize how your story will be of value to viewers or listeners.

 

In other words, news is important to people outside the law firm – not inside the firm. It often contains an additional element of new, first, best or most.

 

News that an associate has made partner, for example, is not likely to generate coverage.  That happens all the time.  News that the new partner is a deaf, orphaned, immigrant associate who worked his or her way through college and law school in the mail room at your firm might generate interest.

 

Make the story as easy as possible for the reporter.  Never mail a press release.  Call or email the right reporter with your story idea.  If the reporter expresses interest, send additional information.  New on the scene is the electronic press release, which includes not only background, but also direct email links to your experts as well as online links to photos, audio, video and other related news stories and Web sites.  Imagine how helpful this material can be to a reporter rushing to complete a story on deadline!

 

Broadcast news directors and reporters like to produce exclusives – stories that none of the competitors can cover.  Offer exclusives – and honor them.

 

Once the station has expressed interest in your pitch, time is of the essence.  Broadcast news directors and reporters face multiple deadlines each and every day (with Internet publishing, the deadline has become “right now”), and are driven to feature their stories in a timely fashion – preferably sooner than anyone else.  Make sure that you are actually available, at work or at home, in person or by phone (in the case of radio) to do the interview on deadline.

 

Think like a broadcast reporter.  Television stations like stories that offer more than “talking heads.”  They can be attracted to a story that includes a good visual setting, physical activity and interesting props.  Radio stations find “value added” in stories with interesting sound effects (like an IP case involving recorded music).

 

Finally, know what you are going to say and who is going to say it – even before “pitching” the broadcast media.  Practice in advance the 30-second “sound bites” you will use.  Videotape and review them.  Work with a media expert if necessary.

Here is a link to the complete article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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Recently, I posted an article on broadcast journalism in the Internet age.  The article was based on a panel discussion and I felt, after I'd written it, that I wanted to expand the article to include points not made by the panelists.  So I wrote another article on the subject of lawyers, law firms and broadcast journalism.  Here is the introduction (the entire article will appear over the next few days):

“Hey, you’re that lawyer!  The lawyer from the TV news about that case last night!  The lawyer who was interviewed on public radio regarding that issue last week!  The lawyer on the podcast about pending industry regulation that I downloaded and listened to last month!  You’re obviously the expert.  Let’s talk.”

 

Under national and state bar ethics rules, lawyers usually cannot call themselves experts in a given subject area.  But they can use broadcast media to position themselves as experts in the eyes of consumers of legal services.

 

Until recently, it took a lot of work with a public relations expert for a lawyer to appear on television or radio as an expert.  Broadcasters owned and controlled the airwaves, and access was limited.

 

Over the past ten years, with the advent of the Internet, the rules of the game have changed completely.  Today, users own and control the Internet, and access is unlimited.  There are many more opportunities to “broadcast” your expertise than ever before.

Upcoming sections include:

       "Pitching" to the traditional broadcast media

       "Catching" from the traditional broadcast media

       "Self-broadcasting" in the world of social media

For the impatient, here's a link to the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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When it comes to the latest developments in social media usage, Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog is one of the best resources around.  Go to his blog and subcribe to his feed!  Just this weekend, he added two posts that are must-reads for anyone in the legal marketing profession.

And he's not afraid to evolve with the times and trends.  Last year, O'Keefe advised his lawyer/clients to stick with the "big three" of blogging, Twitter and LinkedIn.  On Saturday, based on the latest stats on the meteoric growth of Facebook, he noted that "more people are hanging out on Facebook than any other place on the net" and added Facebook to this list.  "With the world going to Facebook, how can I ignore it and survive as a successul business leader?"

Today, O'Keefe reported on a recently released social media study from the Nielsen Company, which states that the time spent by Americans on social media sites increased 210 percent in 2009 (the increase was 82 percent for global users).  The top U.S. social media sites are Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Classmates and LinkedIn.

O'Keefe concludes his post by questioning the fact that -- in spite of these statistics -- 45 percent of US law firms continue to block the use of social media and social networking sites.

I agree completely.  Law firms need to trust their lawyers to act appropriately in "public."  You don't ask them to stay home from "real world" business networking opportunities on the off chance that they'll say something inappropriate.  Social networking sites are no different.

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In 2008, spending on content marketing comprised 11 percent of marketing budgets; in 2009, this amount tripled to 33 percent.  According to Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42, sixty percent of marketers plan to spend significantly more on their content marketing efforts in 2010.  (Only 7 percent are planning to spend less.)  A copy of this interesting survey of 259 marketing professionals can be downloaded from the Junta42 Web site.

The survey lists results (In decreasing order of use) for social media, e-newsletters, blogs, white papers, article marketing, case studies, online video, custom in--person events, microsites, traditional media, custom virtual events, ebooks, podcasts, print newsletters, digital magazines, custom print magazines and mobile content.  All of which needs to be written.

Interesting stuff!

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Thanks to the Internet, the line between print, radio and television news has become increasingly blurred.

Print publications host audio and video on their Web sites -- some of it generated by professionals and some of it by "citizen journalists."  Radio and television station Web sites include not only audio and video podcasts, but also text and photographs.

All of these sites host blogs by their reporters, which can include links to audio and video.  All of them offer versions for mobile devices.  All of them offer subscriptions via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, RSS, email or text message.  All of them accept user contributions.

Any lawyer, law firm or professional service provider can get into the broadcast game, publishing original audio and video content on their own Web sittes or on a wide variety of user-populated "content" sites like YouTube.  To see the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast journalism in the Internet age

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Over the years, I have ghostwritten more than 15 comprehensive books on a wide range of legal and business subjects.  I recently persuaded a new client to go the ebook (rather than hard copy) route.  She liked the idea -- and now I must "walk the talk" by familiarizing myself with the process, including ebook compiler software.  Based on preliminary research, it looks like folks write in Word, transfer to PDF and then upload to a compiler.  Is this correct?  Any recommendations on process as well as ebook compiler software would be welcome.  Is there any software that lets you compose and publish in the same package?

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Any time I talk to a lawyer who questions the value (or the propriety) of social media marketing, I bring up the story of Tom Goldstein -- who went from solo to head of the Supreme Court practice at Akin Gump using social media like his SCOTUS Blog and SCOTUS Wiki to make a name for himself in this very exclusive area of the law.  He has also made a number of non-self-important videos that he has posted on YouTube.

In today's Wall Street Journal Law blog, Ashby Jones reports on a Variety story  that NBC is developing a TV show based on Goldstein's remarkable success story.  The working title is Tommy Supreme -- "depicting a likeable guy in an unlikeable profession."

Now I have even more ammunition to use when attempting to persuade  lawyers and law firms who think that social media are too undignified for the law or their particular practice!  What is more dignified than a Supreme Court practice?

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Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog posts that social media are being used by nearly all Inc. 500 companies. 

If you're a law firm not using social media,  how are you to engage and network with corporations who are effectively  using blogs, Twitter, Facebook and the like to build relationships?  Aren't you going to be viewed as an outsider looking in?  To leaders of America's fastest-growing companies, isn't your law firm going to look behind the times?

Amen, Kevin.

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The recent economic crisis has had a significant impact on everyone -- including most law firms.  The following article summarizes a presentation made Nov. 10 by Kristin Stark of Hildebrandt International to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.  In this presentation, Stark presents and interprets  third-quarter 2009 Hildebrant Peer Monitor index results.  She also specifically addresses the impact that the economy has had on the marketing function at most law firms.

Hildebrandt interprets impact of economic crisis on legal industry (download)

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Martindale-Hubbell recently launched a social network that includes both public and private groups for marketing professionals.  This week, I am guest-hosting forum conversations on this site on the subject of the use of persuasive content marketing to position lawyers and law firms as experts on the Internet.  So far, I've started threads on ghostblogging and attorney biographies/profiles.  For those of you who are already members of MH Connected, check it out and join the conversation.  If you have not yet joined, give it a try.  You might have to wait a day or two to be approved.

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Although the number of lawyers on LinkedIn is steadily increasing, very few of them are taking full advantage of the site's potential as an inexpensive thought-leadership and business development tool.  This article is a synopsis of a presentation on LinkedIn and other social networks made by John Reed of Jaffe Associates and Laura Hazen of Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pasco.

LinkedIn:  Lawyers and law firms can use social networks to develop new business

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Now more than ever, law firms of all sizes need good leadership in order to thrive.  The characteristics that traditionally make a good practicing lawyer, however, are quite different from the characteristics that make a good leader -- or a good follower.  It's time to change that tradition. 

This article is a synopsis of a presentation made to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association by Mark Beese of Leadership for Lawyers, who discusses the importance of leadership in law firms and how to transform good lawyers into good leaders as well.

Good lawyers.  Good leaders.  Are they mutually exclusive?

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To understand what a news reader is, it helps to know what a news reader was.

Back in the day, a news reader was a person who read a mountain of newspapers, magazines and journals on behalf of a client, clipped out relevant articles, and circulated the articles to those who needed to keep up with developments in a particular subject area.  Sometimes this was done by an in-house person.  (In fact, "news reader" was my first job out of college in support of more than 100 individuals at the League of Women Voters National Headquarters in Washington,D.C.)  Sometimes news reading was done (for a hefty fee) by a PR firm or a clipping service.

By the time the article was written, printed and distributed by the publisher, and then read, clipped and circulated by a human news reader, the news could be many months old.

Times and tools have changed -- for the better.

Today, a news reader (or aggregator) is an Internet or desktop application that continuously searches the Internet (including blogs and other social media) for breaking news about a particular person, law firm, industry or subject area.  It automatically collects all of this information in one place.  It is a free, immediate and customized collection of the news and conversation essential to the success of any firm or professional services provider.

You can use a news reader to subscribe to the RSS feeds of resources like newspapers, blogs or courts.  You can also use a news reader to subscribe to saved searches for certain keywords.

You can save a search, for example, for your law firm's name.  If this name appears in the online version of a newspaper, magazine or journal; in a blog or comments to a blog; in a Twitter post; on a social network; or in RSS-enhanced content posted to any Web site (your own or others), that information will show up immediately in your reader -- where you can use it to support your daily professional and business decisions.  Searches can also be created for individuals, clients, cases, competitors, industries and subject areas.

There are a variety of news readers out there.  In the past, I have used Bloglines.  Currently, I am using Google Reader.  For a good tutorial on how to set up and use news readers, check out a recent Webinar presented by Kevin O'Keefe and the good folks at Lexblog.

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The good news is, lawyers and law firms seem to be increasingly aware of the value of blogs and other social media when it comes to establishing themselves as thought-leaders within a given legal practice area -- and showing up well in search engine results for these keywords.

The bad news is, many lawyers are having a hard time creating and posting the amount of content they need in order to maximize social media.

As a result, I am getting a lot of requests lately to "ghost-blog" -- requests that go nowhere once the lawyers realize the cost of creating a steady stream of good blog posts.  I counsel these would-be clients that it is almost always more time- and cost-effective for them to write and post their own blog posts.  It is also, in the spirit of social media, much more authenic.

I'm not saying I won't do it if the right project comes along.  I am just saying it won't be cheap.

Think of blog posts as poetry.  Fiction writers like to say that writing novels is hard, writing short stories is harder, and writing poetry is hardest of all.  I think that non-ficture writers would agree that writing books is hard, writing articles is harder, and writing good Web content is hardest of all.

To be a good ghost-blogger you have to be a good writer -- and know how to write for social media sites and search engines.

You have to take the time to know the client in order to "channel" his or her voice and values. 

You have to work with the client to develop a list of topics that will resonate with a target audience. 

You have to take the time to understand the subject matter and industry that the client is targeting. 

You have to create an aggregator to follow experts in these subjects and industries online so that you can comment on and link to their posts in your own posts.

You have to create at least one (and preferably more) posts each week, gain approval from the "author," post the content (including Tweets and social network links announcing new content) and monitor the post for any comments.

That's a lot of work for what might end up being relatively few words.  The traditional formula of charging "by the word" for books and articles falls apart when a writer is asked to come up with an estimate for ghost-blogging.  Lawyers and law firms should not be taken aback.

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You've heard of speed dating and speed networking -- but what about speed marketing?

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association recently adapted the format of "speed" networking for social and business purposes to a "speed" exchange of marketing tips among local lawyers, legal marketers and consultants to the legal industry.  For a synopsis of these tips, go to the following link:

Each one, teach one

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To network successfully in the course of a job search, you must first develop a personal brand and then clearly communicate your brand to others.  Your personal brand states who you are and differentiates you from all others seeking the same position.  This article is a synopsis of a presentation made June 9 by Linda Sollars of Creating Purpose to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association, as well as comments by panelists.

Job hunting in the current economy:  It's a "brand" new world for legal professionals (download)

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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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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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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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I didn't post a "fresh" blog entry last week because I am currently devoting one hour a day to tedious -- but extremely important -- blog housekeeping tasks.  I have 115 blogs and Web sites on my aggregator.  Each day, I am methodically adding ten links to those blogs to this relatively new blog of mine -- and then individually contacting the authors to let them known that I subscribe to their blogs and have added a link to them on my own blog.  I am then requesting that they take a look at my blog and, if they find it useful, subscribe and link in return.

I am halfway through this process and it seems to be working well!  My site statistics continue to improve each day, as do the Google results for my blog.  The blog itself has finanlly surpassed my LinkedIn profile (although not yet JDSupra).

When it comes to blogging, "The bee that gets the honey doesn't hang around the hive" is a much better slogan than "If you build it, they will come."  They won't come unless they know you are there.

If you want good results for your blog or other social media site, you have to "work" it -- making sure that links to your site appear on other sites and making sure that other prominent bloggers know that you exist and are regularly monitoring (and perhaps commenting on) your posts.  You want to return the favor by mentioning and commenting on their posts as well.

Time for online spring cleaning!

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Once you have created a bio/profile that works as a persuasive marketing piece on your Web site, be sure to add that content to the full range of social networking and media sites.  I am constantly amazed at the results these sites -- with their robust RSS -- generate in search engines.  I write and blog constantly, and post my articles to a wide variety of online content sites, but my social media profiles still show up higher in search engine results than any other catetory of content.

When I Googled my name earlier this week, the top two results were my JDSupra and LinkedIn profiles -- which consistently rank even higher than this well-tended blog.  Making a surprising showing at Number Ten was my Facebook profile -- which has long been a secondary effort.  Even so -- it shows up in the first page of Google results for "Janet Ellen Raasch."

According to an article in Sunday's The New York Times business section, Facebook expects to register its 200 millionth user this week:  "This saggering growth rate -- doubling in size in just eight months -- suggests Facebook is rapidly becoming the Web's dominant social ecosystem and an essential personal and business networking tool in much of the wired world."

Anecdotally, I would have to agree.  I have received more requests to "friend" old acquaintances on Facebook in the past month than in the past two years.  Something is happening here.  I am going to pay much closer attention to "working" that profile.  So should you.

Lawyers should Google their names to see what shows up on the first page of results and make every effort to "own" that first page of results.  Post high-qualify, professional profiles on LinkedIn, JDSupra, LegalOnRamp -- and even Facebook.  If you focus on personal injury, estate or family law, you should probably be on MySpace. 

Look in your search engine results for directories like AVVO that have created pages for all of the lawyers in quite a few states -- entries that often include nothing more than your name and address.  There is a lot of debate over the propriety of AVVO's tactics (especially its ranking feature), but an empty entry looks bad -- plain and simple.  It looks like you are inactive.  Complete AVVO and any other blank directory pages to include the profile that appears on your Web site and other sites.

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Last Saturday, I attended the Metropolitan Opera's live broadcast performance of Madama Butterfly at my local movie theater.  I've seen my share of live productions of Madama Butterly over the years and, at this point, it takes a lot to persuade me to see a new one.  In this case, the production is by film director Anthony Minghella, the costumes by Han Feng and the child Trouble is played by a Bunraku puppet.  Reason enough.

I've written before about how these broadcasts are a magnificant marketing move by the Met.  New York Magazine sums it up nicely:  "The aloof old Met, which once deemed promotion unnecessary, has suddently turned positively manic about reaching out and becoming user-friendly."

My friend John, who is a media executive, was blown away by the concept of the live broadcast:  "It just seems like common sense that everyone would do this."  Common sense, indeed.

Lawyers and law firms are comfortable with the use of traditional "aloof" spoken and print venues for demonstration of their expertise and thought-leadership -- but traditional venues are limited to a single audience and a single readership.  Social media, in comparison, are user-friendly and offer access to an unlimited audience and an unlimited readership. 

Print content can be posted to blogs and user-contributed content sites and linked to social networking sites -- but so can audio and visual content!  If you give a speech, record it, edit it and link it to these sites -- and post it to YouTube.  Post photos of attorneys and law firm activities on Flickr and other photo sites.  All of these contributions will be picked up in a Google search. 

Don't be an "aloof old" law firm.  Use new tools to reach out and become user-friendly.

For opera buffs, there will be a re-broadcast of the Met's Madama Butterfly Wednesday evening, March 18, 2009.  Check your local movie theater!

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This past weekend, my husband and I were in Winter Park, Colorado, for the Wells Fargo Cup -- an annual event that supports the National Sports Center for the Disabled.

We saw some mighty fine skiing -- by both the corporate teams (including Denver law firm Holme Roberts & Owen) and world-class disabled skiers.  After the races on Saturday, we met an outgoing and highly competitive young woman who had broken her back snowboarding seven years ago.  She is competing for the wheelchair Olympic ski team and played on the wheelchair women's basketball team that took the gold in Beijing.  She could beat me down the mountain any day -- despite the disability that put her in a sit-ski.

How did she earn a gold medal in Beijing?  By slicing and dicing the market of all sports into a niche in which she could be Number One.  To succeed at marketing, lawyers, practice/industry groups and law firms must do the same.  They cannot all be Number One at all things for all clients -- and only Number One will consistently get the call for new business.  Law firms need to slice and dice the legal market into a niche in which they can be a dominant player.

It would be very difficult (if not impossible) for a small law firm to be a dominant player in international construction law, for example, but entirely possible for that same firm to dominate the niche of law firms providing construction law defense to commercial designers and builders in the rapidly developing northeast quadrant of Denver surrounding Denver International Airport.

In order to take home the gold, carefully define your sport -- and your market.

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Web site bios should be so much more than lifeless resumes -- they should be persuasive marketing documents.  At a certain point in a lawyer's career, professional competence is assumed.  Potential clients are looking for lawyers (and other professional services providers) who are not only skilled, but also good and interesting people with whom to build a close relationship that will last for many years.

One of the best ways to demonstrate that you are a good and interesting person is by the addition of personal quotes to an online bio.  Journalists know that quotes add life, urgency and authenticity to an article; quotes can add the same qualities to a Web site bio.

If short, quotes can be woven unobtrusively into the narrative.  If longer, they can be broken out and used as a graphic element to make the page more interesting -- indented, in a side bar or in a box.  If lawyers are uncomfortable with quotes on the main bio page (which they should not be, but often are), quotes can be accessed by a "more about Jane Smith" link.

A skilled interviewer can elicit good quotes -- from almost any subject -- by asking good questions and following up.  Over the years as a journalist and a writer, I have interviewed thousands of subjects -- and have found a way to make each and every one interesting in some way.  A journalist is trained to ask who, what, where, when, why and how.  Ask your lawyers:

-- Why did you choose this profession?

-- What was your favorite matter or case ever, and why?

-- If you had to change professions, what would you be, and why?

-- Which emerging legal topic is intriguing you lately, and why?

-- Other than your profession, what is the most interesting thing about you?

The answers to these and other questions will help you draft quotes that add an entirely new dimension to a lawyer's bio -- adding highly persuasive values, depth and character to an otherwise dry list of credentials, and clearly differentiating a lawyer from other lawyers being considered by a potential client.

Do not reproduce the quotes verbatim.  (This is one way in which you can differ from a journalist!)  Combine them to create an interesting narrative.   All draft quotes, of course, should be provided to the lawyer -- to be refined and "claimed" before they are posted, or before they are shown to anyone else at the firm.

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As the economy contracts, law firm clients have laid off more than 600,000 employees -- in January alone.  Law firms are feeling the ripple effect.  In just two days in February -- Black Thursday and Friday the 13th -- 1,100 legal professionals lost their jobs or received buyout offers.  According to industry experts, this is just the start.

As books of business continue to shrink, what is a fearful lawyer to do?  This article is based on a Feb. 10 presentation on this subject to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association, made by relationship development coach Cindy Rold.

Does this economic cloud have a silver lining?  More time for business development!

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When researching and writing articles -- and looking for experts to quote in those articles -- most reporters have come to rely on Internet sources, including social media.  If a lawyer's name does not show up in a reporter's search for particular key words, he or she is missing the opportunity to be quoted in the story as an expert.

I 've always preached this principle, and this morning I got  personal proof of  how this works!

Denver is currently debating the pros and cons of the Blue Mustang -- a controversial piece of public art that is located on the approach to Denver International Airport.  Personally, I love the Blue Mustang!  Short-sighted opponents of the sculpture have launched a Facebook group called www.byebyebluemustang.com.  I recently added a "pro mustang" comment to that site -- a comment that  was picked up by Jim Stingl, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and included in an article yesterday on the subject of controversial public art.  Here's the link.  A shout out to my brother Steve Raasch, an architect in Milwaukee, who sent me the link!

The Blue Mustang must be viewed within the context of regional magical realism.  If it is demonic at all, it is a protective demon -- like a gargoyle.  After all, when a plane went off the runway here in Denver a few months ago, there were no fatalities.  Go Blue Mustang!

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Good biographies and profiles are more than a list of credentials.  They can stand alone as persuasive marketing pieces.  Their narrative sections have news value.  They also use compelling case stories and personal quotes to persuade.

I am a big fan of the use of case studies (which I like to call case stories) in online biographies.  In the courtroom, lawyers are great persuaders.  They know that they need to use evidence to prove their cases.  The same is true on an electronic biography.  You can't just say what you do in generic terms; you need to tell stories that illustrate how you actually do what you say you do.

In addition, a case story is a good way to  ndicate not only your skills, but also your values and contributions to the legal system as a professional services provider.

And when it comes to telling stories, the simple listing of a case citation does not cut it in a persuasive application like this.  I have seen countless lawyer  bios that include a long list of such citations -- which make a reader's eyes glaze over and do not tell a persuasive story.

A good case study should not be long and should tell a compelling story about how the lawyer solved a particular kind of legal problem for a client in a particular industry.  Unless the representation is particularly complex, I try to limit the case study to three or four sentences.

When working with a lawyer to write these stories, I seek the answers to the following questions:

1 -- What was the problem giving rise to the legal action?

2 -- What was the solution provided by the lawyer/firm?

3 -- What was the legal result?

4 -- What was the positive business or personal outcome for the client (financially and to reputation)?

Here's an example:

Do universities have a legal obligation to supervise a student’s personal, off-campus recreational activities? In University of Denver v. Whitlock, the Colorado Supreme Court said “no.” When a student who had been jumping on a trampoline at night in his fraternity house was seriously injured, the lower courts awarded a multi-million dollar judgment to the plaintiff. The Colorado Supreme Court reversed this decision and absolved the University of any liability

Obviously, it is essential that a lawyer or law firm achieve, in writing, permission from any client before using the client's name and representation information in any case study.  This is required by both confidentiality and publicity sections of the ABA and state codes of professional responsibility.  Contrary to popular opinion, this is true even if information about a case is already public on a court database or has been covered in the media.  This can be time-consuming -- but the use of actual cases as evidence is very powerful and well-worth the effort.

Failure to get permission can have dire consequences.  Last week, the law firm Quinn Emmanual published the amount of a confidential settlement in in its business litigation newsletter.  Facebook paid the firm's client, ConnectU, tens of millions to settle lawsuits accusing Facebook 's founder of stealing the idea for the successful social networking site.  Within hours, the law firm's snafu has spread far and wide over the Internet.

If you cannot get permission, it is posible to make the case study more generic -- as long as you do not use enough detail that the unwilling client can be identified.  Also, I have used hypothetical stories to demonstrate how a lawyer would approach a type of case -- but these must be clearly disclaimed as hypotheticals.  Getting permission and using names is the better alternative.

It is a good idea to use just three case studies on the main page of a bio.  I encourage my clients to use cases that are recent, newsworthy, and relevant to clients in the areas where they are actively seeking more business.  Others can be accessed via a link to "More cases."

Once they are written, there are many additional uses for these case studies or case stories.  They can appear in a lawyer's bio, but also in the practice area and community services sections of a Web site.  There can be a "case study" section on the site, where all cases are aggregated and searchable.  They can pulled for use in proposals and other marketing materials. They can be posted on outside egal content sites.

Research shows that a compelling story is much more persuasive and memorable to a client, potential client or reporter than any list of credentials.  Be sure to tell stories in your bios.

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I encourage my clients to create online bios that are more than simple lists of credentials -- bios and profiles that can stand alone as marketing documents.  These generally include three categories:  a narrative, case studies and personal quotes.  This post talks about the narrative section.

Each narrative should begin with the law firm marketing statement.  It continues by placing an individual lawyer withing the context of that statement.  In other words, how does this particular lawyer fit into the big picture and contribute to the "whole" that is the firm?  It is important to include this information on each page of a Web site so that, once a bio or other item is printed out from the Web site, it can function as a free-standing marketing document for the firm.

In the next sentence, state the lawyer's practice area and unique focus within that area.  Then, proceed like a news story.  A news story always starts with a news peg -- what is currently most interesting about this lawyer and his or her practice?  The news peg is what gets a readers's attention and makes the reader want to learn more.

Think like a potential client who has printed out three bios of lawyers for a potential representation -- and is looking at these bios spread out on his or her desk.  How can you make yours stand out from the others -- and get the call?  Is your bio a routine list of credentials -- or is it recent and compelling.  Does it place you at the cutting edge of your selected practice area?

Most Web site bios today pull certain categories of routine information from a database -- items like "education," "publications" and "admitted to practice."  Because of this, there is rarely a need to repeat this information (which makes most readers' eyes glaze over) within the narrative -- unless it is particularly recent, unusual and newsworthy.  Don't distract readers from your message with these mind-numbing credentials that mean little to the average reader.

The only time I might duplicate database info in the narrative, for example, is if a lawyer not only graduated from law school, but graduated first in his or her class.  That means something.  (I will sometimes discuss law school info and awards in the narrative section of the bio of a young associate -- who has not practiced long enough to accumulate newsworthy professional accomplishments.)  I  might include a publication in the narrative if a lawyer who focuses on employment law recently spoke or published on the new amendments to the ADA, which took effect in January 2009 (with a link to the full text).  it has to amplify, not dilute the message.

Keep the narrative section focused on relatively recent accomplishments.  A narrative that is packed with old accomplishments (unless these remain truly newsworthy) leaves the reader with the impression that the lawyer has become complacent and is not at the cutting edge of his or her area of practice.  Clients want a lawyer whose skills are up-to-date.  This is valuable online real estate.  Once you have made partner, it is assumed you have many more interesting things to talk about than where and when you went to law school and the fact that you once wrote an article on environmental law (when you now practice professional liability).  That's old news.

Finally, use graphic cues to make the narrative section of your online biography easy to read.  All too often, Web site bios are one big chunk of text.  Online readers (and print readers, too, for that matter) want to skim -- not read.  If you don't make it easy, they will not read.  I can hardly plow through some of these bios -- and I am being paid to do it!  What will a client do?  The client will pick up and read the bio that doesn't look like hard work.

Use short paragraphs (no more than three sentences) with generous white space in between.  Use column widths that are not too narrow and not too wide -- but just right.  Use keywords to attract search engines to your narrative.  Keep the narrative section of your bio to 300 words or less (use internal links to other parts of your site when you want to amplify something).  Ideally, this first section will fit on one screen of text.  Never, never, never -- no matter what a graphic designer tells you -- put your bio text reversed in white on a dark background.  It is very hard to read.  Remember -- many senior executives in a position to hire you are older and may have bad eyesight!

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In my work as a writer and ghostwriter for lawyers, law firms and other professional services providers, I spend a lot of time doing research on the Internet.  I see a lot of service provider Web sites and online bios.  I see a lot "inside" Web pages -- including bios -- that do not include language that identifies the firm and what it does.  This is a mistake.

Not so long ago, most people would enter your Web site through its home page -- where they would discover what the firm does -- and click through to subsequent pages.  This is no longer the case.  Now that all pages of a Web site are optimized for search engines (as they should be), visitors can enter anywhere -- often skipping the home page entirely.  If they skip your home page, do they miss your marketing message?

Your firm's marketing message needs to appear on each page of its Web site -- preferably in the text itself, where it can be read by search engine spiders.  If your message is in "art" that automatically appears at the top of each page, the spiders are less likely to read it.

Your bios are the most-often-visited page on your Web site.  Each bio should begin with language that succintly describes the firm's (or practice area's) overall marketing statement.  It should continue with a statement of how the featured individual contributes to that overall effort -- and then the rest of the bio content.

In addition, since a potential client will often print a hard copy of an interesting bio for future reference (without its surrounding Web site pages), each bio must be capable of functioning as a stand-alone marketing document for the firm -- as well as the individual lawyer.

The same holds true when a law firm is posting lawyer profiles on social network or content sites.  If the firm is doing this on behalf of its lawyers (rather than the individual lawyers posting their profiles or content on their own time),  the firm will benefit from inclusion of the firm's simple marketing statement on each profile or item of content.

When it comes to getting your firm's marketing message across, and impressing search engine spiders, simple repetition is an important part of the game.  Make sure that your marketing message appears on each page of online content -- especially the popular individual bio pages.

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The blogosphere is currently abuzz with an object lesson in how NOT to use Twitter (or any other social medium, for that matter) for business development purposes.

An account executive from a large PR firm in Atlanta flew to Memphis to make a presentation to his big client -- FedEx.  Upon landing at the Memphis airport, he made the following Tweet:  "True confession but I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say, 'I would die if I had to live here.'"

The Tweet was instantly picked up and circulated by a senior executive at FedEx, who was also using Twitter.  Turns out, the people at FedEx are quite fond of their home town.  The consultant's Tweet was immediately and publicly denounced as "inappropriate" by the FedEx corporate communications team -- before he had even arrived at the front door of this very important client.  Just try to imagine the reception!  And it is now all over the Internet.  Apologies have been issued.

What is the lesson here for lawyers and other professional services providers?  Social media are great tools -- but never, never, never post anything on a social network or other social media site that you would not want a client, a potential client or a reporter to read.  Social media are instantaneous and, because of the viral nature of the Internet, can rarely be completely recalled.  Think twice before you Tweet.

For more details about this incident, see David Henderson's blog.

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I can't tell you how many e-mails I receive each day from lawyers and consultants that are signed with nothing more than the sender's name.  That's OK if I can respond by hitting "reply," but it is a real pain when I need to respond with a phone call or some mailed materials, or when the person is setting up a face-to-face meeting.  I have to take the additional step of looking up the phone number (direct line, please!) or the address.

Don't do this to your clients!  Sending an e-mail to a client without a comprehensive, useful signature block does not make it very easy to do business with you.  It is very easy to create a very simple signature block in Outlook that it is automatically appended to each e-mail.

In addition, each e-mail you send can reinforce your brand and your position in the marketplace -- for free!  It can also provide a link to much more information about you -- your Web site or blog, your social network profiles, or your Twitter address.  Give it a try.  Here's what I use:

Janet Ellen Raasch

jeraasch@msn.com

www.constantcontentblog.com

Strategic Writing and Ghostwriting

774 Saint Paul Street

Denver, Colorado 80206

(303) 399-5041

(303) 919-4465 (cell)

http://www.linkedin.com/in/janetellenraasch

http://www.jdsupra.com/profile/janetellenraasch

http://twitter.com/jeraasch

Janet Ellen Raasch works with lawyers and other professional services providers

to help them achieve name recognition and new business

through creation of keyword-rich content for the Internet

as well as articles and books for print.

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Mid-day last Saturday, my husband and I headed downtown to a local movie theater to watch/hear a wonderful performance of Puccini's "La Rondine" -- broadcast live by the Metropolitan Opera.  As usual, two of the venue's theaters were packed to capacity with enthusiastic local fans.  Since I am such a total marketing nerd, I was soon putting this experience into the context of marketing.

With these videocasts, the Metropolitan Opera has engaged on a brilliant marketing campaign.  The Met has taken an "elite" product like opera and made it more accessible to everyone -- through product, placement and price.  The Metropolitan Opera is far away (for most of us) in New York City.  Attending an actual performance is expensive -- and a fairly formal experience.

In Colorado (my home state) alone, the Met broadcasts one Saturday matinee performance (approximately once every two weeks) of each opera in its season live in high definition and surround-sound to 15 movie theaters (and multiple screens in some of these theaters).

You also could argue that the product itself is even better in broadcast format.  Instead of sitting in the nosebleed section and squinting through your opera glasses, you can see the performers -- up close and in high def.  You know you're getting the best performance possible, because each singer knows the broadcast is going out to millions of viewers/listeners around the world.  Between acts, the broadcast takes you behind the curtain for scene changes and interviews.  You can afford a ticket ($22), attend mid-day (while you are wide-awake), wear jeans and sneakers -- and even eat popcorn!  What a model!

And you can bet that -- next time we are in NYC -- we are more likely to attend the Met in person.

If the "elite" Metropolitan Opera can break out of its traditional mold for marketing purposes, so can "elite" professional services providers -- like lawyers, law firms and others.  It is time to seriously consider alternative methods of marketing.  Social media can be for professional services providers what these broadcasts in movie theaters are to the Met.

Interesting side note:  As we were waiting for the performance to begin, a woman sat next to us.  She did not stare straight ahead and wait.  She turned to us with a friendly smile, extended her hand, introduced herself and started a pleasant conversation about opera.  During intermission, we learned that she was a lawyer who specializes in estate planning.  We asked for her card.

When I mentioned that I help lawyers and others market their practices, she said, "In my 38 years of practice, I've never had to do any formal marketing -- and I've always had plenty of work."  I replied, "If you always introduce yourself to complete strangers in movie theaters -- and everywhere you go (and she said that she did) -- you've found the marketing approach that works best for you (especially as an estate planner)!  Keep it up!"

There are as many unique approaches to marketing as there are unique lawyers.

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Lawyer biographies are the most underutilized real estate on any law firm's Web site.  According to Web site analytics studies, bio pages are the "most visited" pages on any site - and yet they are often thrown together as an afterthought, rarely updated and rarely enhanced with an RSS feed to atttract the attention of search engines.  This is a serious mistake!  Most lawyer bios will rank far below the same lawyer's profile on sites like LinkedIn, JDSupra or LegalOnRamp.

There is no better way to differentiate you and your firm from your competitors than a persuasive  Web site bio.  The best new bios will function almost like mini-Web-sites for the lawyer involved -- offering a wealth of links to text, audio and visual samples of that lawyer's actual work product.

This is the first in a series of posts on Web site bios for professional services providers.  In this post, I would like to discuss the bio as a persuasive document.  According to Aristotle (and all modern advertisers), effective persuasion relies on three factors:  logos (logic), ethos (values) and pathos (feelings).

Most lawyer bios consist of a long, dry list of qualifications.   In other words, these bios are using only "logos" to persuade -- and not very well -- completely ignoring  the persuasive value of client values and client feelings.  In the courtroom, any trial lawyer knows how to use values and feelings as well as logic in order to persuade a judge or jury.  Why do they forget this lesson when it comes to persuading clients via their bios?

A good bio is interesting -- putting the compelling "news" about a particular lawyer up top rather than a dull list of areas of practice.  A good bio includes brief, interesting case studies that engage the reader and demontrate how a lawyer solves problems for clients.  A good bio lets you know what kind of person the lawyer is -- by including outside interests and first-person quotes.

I like to call this the "bumper sticker effect."  When you are caught in traffic behind another vehicle, you can tell a lot about the person in front of you by the vehicle's bumper stickers.  You can pretty much tell if you could have a civil conversation -- much less a relationship -- with that person.

Law is a relationship-based profession.  Your bio is your vehicle.  What do your bumper stickers tell a potential client about what it would be like to work with you?

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Social media are based on user-contributed content.  A social site provides an online framework and then opens it up to anyone (like you!) who would like to contribute content -- usually for free at an entry level and for an additional fee for additonal enhancements or privileges.  But always at a far less expensive cost than print alternatives like advertising.

What does this mean for you as you market your legal practice?  It means that you can post your own profile and work product on the Internet for everyone -- clients, potential clients, the media -- to see when they search for information about you or a particular legal subject area or issue.  You can add your profile and content to existing social networks like LinkedIn or Facebook -- and participate in legal groups on these sites.  You can add content to legal-specific sites like JDSupra or LegalOnRamp.  You can create your own site to host your content (a blog, for example) and post comments on the blogs of others.

Posting original samples of your work product is a great and inexpensive way to establish your reputation as a thought leader on the Internet -- and to improve your results in the seach engines.

In 2009, resolve to post at least one new item of content each month on the Internet.

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The subject of law firm dress codes is guaranteed to get an animated response from any legal administrator.  If you demonstrate to your staff and lawyers how their personal business style is closely linked with their ongoing career success, they will start to pay attention.  In this October 2007 article, wardrobe consultant Doug Paris of Paris Wardrobe & Design discusses the subject of law firm dress codes.

Law firm dress code:  External restriction or internal guide?

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Constant content for the Internet

In the Internet age, clients and potential clients (or reporters or program organizers) will put your name or practice area into a search engine as part of their hiring or decision-making process. The first page of search-engine results equals your professional reputation online -- and determines whether or not you get the call.

Janet Ellen Raasch works closely with professional service providers – especially lawyers, law firms, legal organizations and consultants to the legal industry -- to enhance your online reputation by creating informative, keyword-rich content that appears on the Internet under your own name. She writes in a style carefully crafted to appeal to the Internet reader and attract search engines.

This content can be posted on your own Web site and/or electronic newsletter – and syndicated over the Internet via RSS feed. It can be contributed to the social media Web sites where your clients congregate – blogs, content sites, social networks and wikis. 

Constant copy for print 

A well-written, published article with your name at the top is perceived by clients and potential clients (or reporters or program organizers) as a reputable third-party endorsement of your expertise in a particular subject area.

Janet Ellen Raasch works closely with professional service providers – especially lawyers, law firms, legal organizations and consultants to the legal industry -- to successfully bridge the communications gap that often exists between the jargon and writing style of a professional practice area and the language and style preferred by business and consumer publications and their readers.

Raasch uses her journalism education and experience to help you create interesting, informative articles and white papers that will resonate with publishers and readers. In addition, she writes press releases, client letters, newsletters and the full range of print marketing collateral. Most print copy will also be posted as Internet content – so there is value in working with a writer who works in both media.

Constant marketing context

The writing and publication of content for the Internet and copy for print should take place within a comprehensive marketing and business development agenda. Professional service firms “sell” the expertise of their practitioners -- and good published content and copy provide an example as well as a third-party endorsement of this expertise.

Janet Ellen Raasch is an active member of the Legal Marketing Association – and has participated in this organization as both a consultant and as an in-house marketing director. She is widely published (see "Writing Samples") on subjects at the core of legal marketing. Many of these articles are based on presentations by experts to the LMA Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Because of her dual strengths as an experienced journalist and a professional services marketer, Janet Ellen Raasch can help you create the articles, white papers and marketing collateral that enhance your reputation within an overall marketing context.

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Public speaking is a great way for lawyers and other professionals to establish themselves as experts within a chosen field of expertise.  Although most lawyers can speak in public, not all lawyers can do it well.  In this July 2006 article, speaker and trainer Brigid O'Connor dicusses how lawyers and executives can learn to speak in public with efficiency and purpose.

When engaged in public speaking, eliminate "noise" to improve communication

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Very few attorneys really understand what their hourly rates mean to a client.  Few clients select their lawyers based on fees.  Rather, the decision is usually driven by emotion.  In this January 2006 article, business development consultant Peter Darling discussed the subject of how lawyers can discuss their fees -- with both new and ongoing clients.

Money changes everything:  How lawyers can discuss fees with their clients

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Law firms often ask their lawyers to engage in activiites that will create relationships and generate new business -- activities like community service or public speaking.  A few lawyers find it easy and natural to comply with this request.  Many more lawyers do not.  In this October 2005 article, attorney K.C. Veio discusses how he has used community involvement to build his practice.

Serve. Speak. Succeed. How to build your book of business

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Law firm marketers can set the stage for new business development -- but it is always the job of the individual lawyer to "close the sale" with a new client.  How can a lawyer get new business without falling victim to the "unpaid consulting" trap -- where you lose control of the relationship and the potential client wastes your time and talent with a wide range of requests prior to a commitment to buy?  In this June 2005 article, Gary Harvey of Achievement Dynamics discusses how lawyers can avoid the unpaid consulting trap.

When to fish, when to cut bait:  When seeking new clients, don't waste your time and talent

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If marketers want to succeed as business development coaches to professional services providers, they need to concentrate on the "f-words" -- focus, feedback and follow-up.    In this October 2004 article, consultant Mark Maraia discusses how to implement a successful lawyer-coaching program.

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The role of a business development coach is to bring focus, skills and energy to the business development efforts of attorneys and their law firms -- just like a sports coach brings focus, skills and energy to an athlete.  In this April 2004 article, consultant Michael Colacchio discusses business development coaching programs for lawyers and law firms.

Business development coaches help partners and law firms dominate their "game"

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