Clients hire lawyers and not law firms. Therefore, the human face of the law firm makes a difference in attracting new business and retaining existing clients. Increasingly, law firms understand that effective media relations are an indispensable part of marketing and public relations. Getting client and firm messages in the news in an ethical and appropriate manner can enhance your image and add to the effectiveness of your other marketing efforts.
Engaging a PR professional is a wise move when divulging external news as it gives the firm a chance to tell their side of the story as well as providing an opportunity to spin the story to make the firm look more favorable. A PR professional can serve as the conduit between the reporter and the attorney.
A PR professional should know the appropriate person at the media outlet to contact, fully develop the pitch before contacting the reporter or editor, be clear and detailed with a pitch, be prepared to pitch more than one angle of a story and always follow up with the reporter making sure he or she has all the information needed.
When implementing a law firm marketing plan, the first step is to define your business. What type of firm are you? What type of work do you do? What are your “key” practice areas? Which practice area do you want to expand?
The second step is to define your target audience. Who are your potential clients? How do you reach them? Where are they located? What do they read? What trade associations do they belong to? And most importantly, why do they need you? It is important to truly understand why your target audience needs your firm’s services.
Next, determine a budget. How much of your budget will be dedicated to advertising? Once you determine a budget, you can start tracking to determine which practice areas provide the largest amount of gross revenue and best profit margin. Increased marketing affects the profit margin.
Some ways to measure your return on investment include having the receptionist track new phone calls, referrals appear on a new client information sheet, document responses from articles or having a guest book sign-in on your web site.
Mrs. Crystal Brown-Tatum is the CEO and President of Crystal Clear Communications- a Houston based advertising agency and public relations firm with whose portfolio boasts work for Fortune 500 companies including Intel, Wal-mart, Comp USA, Best Buy and Audi. She was profiled on http://www.Techmag.com in a Women & Technology special section for her significant contributions to Intel Corporation. The firm was ranked as a 2006 and 2007 “Top 20 Public Relations Firm and named the 4th Fastest Growing Woman Owned Businesses in Houston in 2007 by the Houston Business Journal.
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