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The Legal Marketing Association provides guidance on marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  This article summarizes a presentation by Betsi Roach, executive director of the LMA, on important themes that emerged at the 25th annual LMA Conference held last month.  This except covers recebt developments in LMA policy and operations.  It is part six of a six-part article.  For a link to the entire article, see below.

Roach also updated members and guests on recent developments in LMA policy and operations:

Membership:  The initiation fee for new members has been dropped, dues payment has been switched from joining-date to calendar-year date, and group rates will be available for organizations with multiple members.

Online learning:  The popular “QuickStart” program for new legal marketers, offered as a pre-conference program, will now be offered online as well to benefit younger members with limited travel budgets.  In addition, member participation in LMA educational programs can be tracked via a new online learning portal.

Chapter partnership:  To facilitate chapter operations, LMA will offer a centralized clearing-house for speakers.

Lawyer education:  The successful “Just JDs” program, a popular pre-conference attraction at the last two annual conferences, will be offered as an independent, day-long program for lawyers.  The Midwest Chapter will launch.

SIGS:  LMA has formed shared interest groups in the areas of competitive intelligence, service providers, social media and small firm/solo marketer.

For the entire article:  LMA conference and recent updates

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The Legal Marketing Association provides guidance on marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  This article summarizes a presentation by Betsi Roach, executive director of the LMA, on important themes that emerged at the 25th annual LMA Conference held last month, as well as recent LMA developments.  This excerpt covered the fourth of four conference tracks:  Honing your leadership skills.  This ia part five of a six-part article.  For a link to the entire article, see below.

“LMA created this track to focus on the personal leadership skills marketers need to succeed in the legal market,” said Roach.  “The first session discussed how legal marketers can use ongoing client and market research to drive strategy and deliver measurable results.  Research budgets are growing steadily.”

Also strengthening is the predatory character of the legal marketplace.  “Two out of every three law firm CMOs are taking steps to strategically target and actively hunt their competitor’s clients,” said Roach.  “Even high-profile law firms are cold-calling.  Smart firms are using client interviews to determine satisfaction and ‘bullet proof’ their clients.  The key question in this environment is whether your firm will be predator or prey.”

Other sessions discussed professional development paths for mid-level and top-tier marketing professionals, with a strong emphasis on the use of industry research to provide the kind of value that makes a practitioner indispensable.

In addition, a panel of managing and marketing partners pointed out the characteristics they most value in their marketing professionals.  A final session focused on the use of metrics and key performance indicators to demonstrate to firm leadership the return-on-investment of a law firm’s marketing efforts.

“To see how these trends continue to play out,” said Roach, “plan to join us next spring for the 2012 annual conference in Dallas.”

For the full article:  LMA conference, updates

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The Legal Marketing Association provides guidance on marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  This article summarizes a presentation by Betsi Roach, executive director of the LMA, on important themes that emerged at the 25th annual LMA Conference held last month, as well as recent LMA developments.  This excerpt covered the third of four conference tracks:  Improving visibility.  This ia part four of a six-part article.  For a link to the entire article, see below.

“As professional marketers, we devote much of our time to improving the visibility of a lawyer, an industry or practice group, or a law firm within a targeted market,” said Roach

“The first session in this track focused on social media – and how to use these robust yet cost-effective tools to distribute content, raise visibility and build a network of new leads.  Also covered were social media policies and ethical concerns,” said Roach.

Winners of the 2011 LMA Your Honor awards participated in a panel to discuss the strategy and tactics of their cutting-edge campaigns.  Other sessions discussed the processes and value of various legal directories, rankings and “pay to play” opportunities; ways in which law firm professionals can assist the firm’s clients manage negative publicity and maximize positive publicity; and how small and mid-sized law firms can “do more with less” in their marketing budgets.

For the full article:  LMA Conference Synopsis: Improving Visibility

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The Legal Marketing Association provides guidance on marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  This article summarizes a presentation by Betsi Roach, executive director of the LMA, on important themes that emerged at the 25th annual LMA Conference held last month, as well as recent LMA developments.  This excerpt covers the second of four conference tracks:  Maximizing client retention and value.  This is part three of a six-part article.  For a link to the entire article, see below.

“During the economic downturn, corporate counsel were under unprecedented pressure to control the cost of legal services and provide budgetary certainty,” said Roach, “and they passed that pressure along to law firms.  These demands will persist into any recovery.”

The first session in the client-retention track discussed alternative fee arrangements.  “Although most clients still prefer the billable hour, they want firms to offer and to discuss potential AFAs,” said Roach.  “Because the movement towards AFAs is so new, finding a profitable model can be challenging – although some law firms have figured it out.  Profitability will improve with experience.”

Client feedback programs are a tested way to maximize value and client retention, and are currently being used by half of law firms surveyed by BTI Consulting.  Key elements of a successful program include planning and logistics, conducting the interviews, following-up on the results and managing the time commitment.

“Panelists at this session also suggested creation of a ‘co-development expectation brief’ at the start of each matter,” said Roach, “to determine the client’s wants and needs regarding communication, delivery, reports and check points throughout the project.”

Other sessions in this track covered the use of CRM and ERM systems to gather intelligence and put this knowledge to work; the use of “client lifetime value” as a marketing metric; and the role of the marketing department in the development and implementation of professional development programs for attorneys.

For the full article:  LMA Conference and updates

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The Legal Marketing Association provides guidance on marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  This article summarizes a presentation by Betsi Roach, executive director of the LMA, on important themes that emerged at the 25th annual LMA Conference held last month, as well as recent LMA developments.  This excerpt covers the first of four conference tracks:  Driving growth and profitability.  This is part two of a six-part article.  For a link to the entire article, see below.

“One major theme of the conference was the continuing evolution of law firms from a purely marketing culture to a sales culture,” said Roach.  “This involves a reallocation of personnel and resources, an emphasis on niche marketing, the creation of industry and client-focused teams, the development of sophisticated and customized proposals, and the gathering and use of competitive market intelligence.”

As part of this process, successful firms are providing business development training and coaching to help select lawyers grow their books of business.  “After all, lawyers are not only the ‘product,’ but also the ones who have to close the actual ‘sale,’” said Roach.

Another session covered the strategy and tactics behind successful written and face-to-face client pitches, including pitch team composition and leadership, elements of the process (strategy, staffing, pricing, submissions and presentations), debriefing, and using what was learned to improve future effectiveness.

A session on law firm economics devoted considerable attention to the delivery of legal services less expensively in a highly competitive environment – especially through better pricing and better processes. “Increasingly, law firms across the country understand the need to operate like businesses,” said Roach.   Finally, technology was discussed as a robust way to deliver premium content to high-value targets throughout the sales cycle.

For the full article:  LMA Conference Synopsis and Update

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The Legal Marketing Association provides guidance on marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  This article summarizes a presentation by Betsi Roach, executive director of the LMA, on important themes that emerged at the 25th annual LMA Conference held last month, as well as recent LMA developments.  This is part one of a six-part article.  A link to the full article follows.

The Legal Marketing Association serves the women and men involved in marketing, business development and communications within the legal profession.  LMA membership currently stands at 2,500 members working at law firms within the United States and 12 foreign countries.

The organization’s highly successful 25^th annual conference was held last April at Disney Yacht & Beach Club Resort in Orlando, Fla.  More than 1,000 people attended.

The conference was keynoted by Jeff Williford of The Disney Institute, who set the tone with a spirited presentation on the Disney Approach to Business Excellence – including creativity, leadership excellence, people management, quality service and brand loyalty.

“Together, these elements forge a strong bond among inspired leaders, motivated employees and satisfied clients – driving solid financial results and loyal repeat business,” said Betsi Roach.

LMA Executive Director Roach presented a recap of the conference and an update of LMA developments at the monthly educational program of the Rocky Mountain Chapter.  The event was held May 10 at the Marriott City Center in downtown Denver.

In her presentation, Roach summarized notable points from sessions in each of the conference’s four tracks – driving growth and profitability, maximizing client retention and value, improving visibility and honing leadership skills.

For the full article:  LMA annual conference synopsis and update

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This time of year, many of us resolve to buff up our physical appearance – but what about our personal and professional appearance online?

Attorney biographies are the most-frequently visited pages on law firm websites and can make a strong first impression -- or no impression at all.  Referrals are important but, in the Internet age, potential clients, reporters and conference planners will almost always use online attorney bios to validate a referral before actually making contact.

In spite of their popularity with users, most attorney bio pages are “flabby” and make a non-descript first impression.

Here are some easy steps you can take to get your attorney bios in shape.

Think like a reporter.  Make the first sentence of each bio not a generic statement – but a news lead.  What makes this lawyer unique among his or her peers?  What kinds of problems are clients facing – newsworthy problems that this lawyer can solve?  Don’t start with the kind of law practiced, but with the kinds of business or personal problems solved.  There is no place for generic material like licensure, schools or practice areas in your narrative; generic material should be pulled from a database and run alongside.

Tell stories.  Research shows that people remember and repeat stories much more often than abstract qualities.  Instead of simply citing a category of work or a representative case or matter, tell a “case story.”  This is also a great place to indicate some of your values as a practitioner and demonstrate your level of client service.

Case stories can be told in four simple sentences (with a link to a more detailed case study, if necessary).  Define the client (with permission) and industry.  State the problem faced by the client.  State the smart and cost-effective solution you provided.  State the positive business or personal outcome for the client.  Once written, good case stores can also be used in practice/industry areas and pulled from the database to use in proposals.

Demonstrate values.  At a certain level, legal skill is a given and clients decide which lawyer (or law firm) to hire on the basis of values – all things being equal, they retain lawyers they know, trust and like.  A good way to demonstrate values is to include short quotes from the lawyer – usually as break-out quotes rather than within the narrative.  What does the lawyer love about his area of practice or industry?  What was the lawyer’s favorite case, and why?  What was the best piece of advice the lawyer received from a mentor?  What does the lawyer do outside the office – in the community or with family?

Multiply your media.  Most traditional lawyer biographies limit their “multi-media” capacity to a photo and perhaps a few links to the full text of articles and other written content.  The best modern bios are like personal home pages -- with links to audio, video and the lawyer’s social media sites.  Robert Algeri of Great Jakes gives the cutting-edge advice to think of each lawyer bio as an independent, free-standing, multiple-paged professional micro-site.

Lawyer bios are the most-valuable and least-leveraged real estate on any law firm’s website.  In 2011, resolve to buff up your firm’s flabby bios.

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As my regular readers know, I believe that most attorney biographies are a waste of valuable online real estate that only hit on one persuasive cylinder -- and not very well at that.

Marketing tools (and I include bios in this category) work best when they demonstrate three qualities (first outlined by Aristotle in his Rhetoric)  -- intelligence, good character (shared values) and friendliness (concern for the client).

Most attorney bios attempt to demonstrate intelligence through a boring list of credentials, and totally ignore shared values and client-centricity.  Intelligence can be further enhanced and client-centricity demonstrated by the use of good "case stories" (more than simple case citations) that show how you solve problems for clients.  Shared values can be demonstrated by personal quotes that demonstrate your personal and professional character.

Lawyer and consultant Larry Bodine elaborates on this subject in an excellent recent article, "Turning your bio into a magnet for business."

Smart lawyers turns their bios into a marketing magnet that generates leads, as opposed to a mere resume or a CV, which recites only your education and epxerience.  The trick is to turn a feature of yourself into a benefit to the client.

Bodine continues:

You may have a great resume, but it will just list all the place that you worked.  But when you go into practice, your bio should answer these questions:  What have you done for people?  What have you accomplished?  How have you helped people?  Can you give me some examples?  Writing a bio is completely different from a resume.  it really requires a mental shift.

I agree completely.  Invest in the re-writing of your attorney bio as a persuasive marketing document -- and then post this "profile" not only on your firm Web site, but also on the full range of relevant social networking and content sites.  By doing this, you can easily and inexpensively "own" the first page of search results for your name.

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A just came across Tom Goldstein's latest video on YouTube -- "The Public Apology of Tom Goldstein" -- which riffs on some very highly publicized recent apologies.  It is hysterical!  The link is to his entire opus on YouTube.  The new video is the fourth one down (but don't pass up on the others if you haven't seen them).

Goldstein puts the lie to what you "can" and "cannot" do to market a legal practice.

Goldstein is co-chair of the Supreme Court practice at Akin Gump.  He is also founder of SCOTUSblog and SCOTUSwiki.  He is a master of the use of social media tools to propel a highly sophisticated legal career (from solo to prominent in a little more than a decade).  I blogged earlier about a report that NBC is considering a TV show based on his career.

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Do you use LinkedIn Groups for legal marketing purposes?  There's been a heated discussion of the pro's and con's of this tactic in Larry Bodine's listserv (membership required).  Here's what I added today:

Funny that this conversation should be top-of-list today.  Yesterday I joined about ten additional LinkedIn groups -- mostly for the "branding" value of having their logos on my profile.  (I already belonged to six of them.)  I think that these logos can provide some sense of the field in which you are playing and willing to make a contribution.  For the most part, I only joined groups that showed up high in a search for relelvant legal marketing and socia media terms -- that also featured a significant number of members.

How do I use LinkedIn groups?  Mostly like I use my aggregator -- to quickly skim for breaking news and concepts.  Yes, there are a lot of annoying and blatant sales folks there.  Ignore them.  I comment now and then when I think that I can add value to a good conversation (most recently on the repurposing of lawyer bios as profiles for online marketing).  I have received numerous inquiries and some new writing work from LinkedIn groups.  I noticed that LMA (I am assuming) is adding chapter groups to foster intra-chapter communications and linking.  As a result of my day playing around on LinkedIn groups, I became just the second member to join the Rocky Mountain Chapter group!  Come on gang, let's get cracking!

 

I really think that it is too soon to tell.  Better (especially for lawyers) to find a few narrowly focused groups (or create one) and participate by adding high-value content to the discussion.  I have joined more than that because I am using these groups primarily for industry research -- not for promoting my own practice as a writer and ghostwriter for lawyers and law firms.

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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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Social networking sites like LinkedIn bring the kind of interaction that lawyers and other professionals enjoy in "live" business, industry, professional, civic, religious, charitable and personal interest groups onto the Internet -- and supercharge it.  In this September 2007 article, commissioned by the Canadian Bar Association, Janet Ellen Raasch interviews lawyers, law firms and legal consultants about the legal marketing uses of online social networks.

Linked in or left out:  Software and the Internet supercharge social networking

Sidebar:  For the truly adventurous:  Law practice in Second Life

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When it comes right down to it, client service is the quality many clients use to distinguish one law firm from another.  To keep their clients happy and to differentiate themselves from the competition, an increasing number of market-savvy law firms are creating, implementing and marketing formal client service standards.  In this December 2006 article, commissioned by the Canadian Bar Association, Janet Ellen Raasch discusses ways in which progressive Canadian law firms are creating and using client service standards.

Canadian law firms using client service sgtandards to set themselves apart

Sidebar:  Basic client service standards

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Podcasting is a means of publishing and distributing digital audio (and increasingly video) files over the Internet.  They are becoming increasingly popular with lawyers and law firms -- as a tool to showcase expertise in an established and credible format.  In this January 2006 article, which was commissioned by the Canadian Bar Association, Janet Ellen Raasch discusses the successful use of podcasts by law firms in Canada.

Write about it?  Blog about it?  Broadcast it!

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The term "RSS" draws a blank stare from most lawyers and many of the administrators who work with them.    RSS is the technology that has fueled the amazing success of blogs on the Internet.  In fact, RSS feeds can propel much more than blogs.  In this January 2006 article, which was commissioned by the Canadian Bar Association, Janet Ellen Raasch discuses the marketing applications of RSS feeds and aggregators.

On beyond blogs:  RSS supercharges legal communciations for Web 2.0

Sidebar:  Different flavors of syndication

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One way to satisfy your precedent-hungry lawyers is to provide them with a copy of Marketing Success Stories:  Conversations with Leading Lawyers -- written by Hollis Hatfield Weishar and Joyce K. Smiley.  This 2005 book review appreared on Larry Bodine's Web site.

Marketing Success Stories:  Conversations with Leading Lawyers

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A successful law career is built upon personal relationships with many people -- clients, potential clients, referrral sources and colleagues.  Although these relationships are often created by necessity, they are nurtured into productive maturity and maintained by casual conversations -- small talk.  In this February 2008 article, networking expert and author Debra Fine discusses how lawyers can use small talk to build relationships and further their careers.

Small talk makes a big impression:  How to use causal conversation to built your career

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Any time the name of a lawyer or a law firm shows up in the media, it is usually the consequence of either advertising or public /media relations.  The two are very different -- in cost and in impact.  In this April 2008 article, Cheryl Bame of Bame Public Relations (LosAngeles) discusses media relations opportunities for lawyers and law firms. 

Good news, bad news:  How lawyers and law firms can maximzie media relations

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The skills a law student needs to succeed at law school and the skills a lawyer needs to succeed in the "real worl" are distinctly different.  Academic intelligence is a given.  Relationship intelligence is what helps you develop and maintain new business -- and sets you apart.  In this May 2008 article, based on a presentation he made to the graduating class of Harvard Law School, lawyer and consultant Arnie Herz (New York) discusses the value of relationship intelligence.

Relationship intelligence:  To succeed as a lawyer, you must supplement your IQ with RQ

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Just 100 years ago, law firms were composed mostly of men of a single generation.  Today's law firms can include members of as many as four different generations -- Traditionalists in their 60s and older, Boomers in their latae 40s and 50s, Gen Xs in their 30s and early 40s, and, in the most recent associate classes, Generation NEXT.  In this January 2008 article, diversity coach Mary Crane discusses the key events shaping the attitudes, values and outlook of eachof these generations.

Have you been "duded" yet?  Bridging the generation gaps in today's law firms

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In this September 2008 article, legal consultant Merrilyn Tarlton moderates a panel of Denver-based law firm marketing veterans who discuss how they "beat the odds" to achieve a sustainable career in this volatile field -- each by a different path.  Panelists include Sara Kraeski, Connie Proulx and Lorri Salyards.

Legal marketing "survivors" share their best practices

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Legal marketers cannot just demand a "seat at the table" in law firm management and expect to get one.  They have to earn it -- through careful collaboration with colleagues across the firm and through creation and implementation of successful initiatives.  They will be invited to the table only when they bring value.  In this October 2007 article, a panel of managing partners and senior marketing professionals discusses what it takes to earn a seat at the table.

Law firm marketers:  Is there a seat for you at the table?

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Many law firms are creating multidisciplinary teams to craft and implement strategic plans within targeted segments of the marketplace.  These can be industry teams that focus on raising the firm's profile and market share within an attractive industry segment.  These can be client teams that focus on satisfying -- and getting more work from -- existing clients.  In this April 2007 article, consultant Linda Hazelton discusses client and industry teams.

Divide to conquer:  Law firms use strategic teams to master the marketplace

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Few important legal decisions take place in a vacuum.  Decision-makers are influenced not only by the information they hear in the courtroom or in the boardroom, but also by what they hear, read and observe in the surrounding environment -- the court of public opinion.  In this November 2006 article, a panel of specialists discusses how lawyers and law firms can influence outcomes via issue-oriented research and communications.

When resolving your clients' legal issues, don't forget the court of public opinion

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Today's audiences are active and interactive consumers of business information.  Increasingly, they expect their lawyers and law firms to communicate with them interactively, using the next generation of electronic communications tools.  In this September 2005 article, a panel of public relations specialists discusses new-media tools like RSS feeds, blogs and podcasts.

RSS feeds, blogs and podcasts -- oh my!  New media marketing tools

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Law firms have long operated on an opportunistic and reactive basis -- being in the right place at the right time with the right legal skills.  This "fire, ready, aim" approach worked fairly well in the past, when the marketplace for legal services was highly fragmented (local) and when snail mail set the pace for most communications.  In this February 2005 article, Diane Hamlin and Roberta Montafia discuss how serious strategic planning builds and sustains a competitive advantage.

Fire, ready, aim:  Most law firms have it backwards

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To improve the quality and strategic value of existing relationships, many law firms are purchasing and installing software packages called client relationship management (CRM) systems.  CRM systems help law firms use technology to understand "who knows whom" and "who knows what."  In this November 2004 article, consultant Nancy Manzo discusses how law firms should select, install and roll-out a new CRM system.

Share what you know:  CRM systems help lawyers maximize client relationships

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