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If you're a young lawyer (or your firm employs young lawyers) in the Philadelphia market, here's a progam that you will find beneficial next week.
Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
presents
Crafting and Marketing Your Image:What Every Young Lawyer Needs To Know
Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 12:00 p.m.
Philadelphia Bar Association1101 Market Street, 11th Floor Conference Center
How do you know if your professional image is working for you? Join us for a candid discussion on the do's and don'ts of building your own personal "brand," and learn the secrets of professional persuasion from the experts. Discover how to edit and tailor your own image to "impress for success." From creating your own style, to attire, speech, and developing a realistic, workable marketing plan -- learn the "hot-button" issues and walk away knowing what today's potential clients and business contacts expect. Featuring Panelists: Gina Furia Rubel, Esq. President/CEO, Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. Brian Lipstein Henry A. Davidsen Master Tailors and Image Consultants Jennifer Smuts, Esq. Director of Marketing, Woodcock Washburn Maggie Suender, Esq. Director of Associate Development, Pepper Hamilton LLP Moderated by: Natalie Klyashtorny, Esq. Nochumson, P.C. ********** Detach Here ********** Please print this page and return to: YLD, Crafting Your Image – June 3, 2008 – Luncheon ProgramPhiladelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2911 - Fax (215) 238-1159 or register online at http://www.philadelphiabar.org/. The cost of lunch is $3.00 per person and will only be prepared for those that have made reservations and paid in advance either via check or credit card. Checks should be made payable to the Philadelphia Bar Association. To secure your reservation, please complete the from below, including credit card information, unless a check has been included. All reservations that are not canceled 24 hours prior to the event will be subject to a cancellation fee of $3.00. __Yes, I will attend and buy lunch. __Yes, I will attend but bring my own lunch. Name: Firm/Company: Address: Phone: Fax: Email: Credit Card #: Expiration Date: Signature: ___________________________ Please check one: ___Amex ___Visa ___MasterCard
Here is a recap of the last Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers Weekly Tip:
Writing an authoritative article to garner positive publicity: Writing authoritative articles is one of the easiest and most effective ways to garner valuable publicity—especially if you like to write. When an article is published and you haven’t paid for the space (as opposed to placing an advertisement), you immediately establish credibility with your target audiences. It positions you as an expert without you saying, “Hey, look at me, I’m an expert on this topic.” When you read Chapter 11 on ethics, you will see that calling an attorney an expert can get you into hot water.
And now here are some quick tips for crafting effective article language that is clear and concise:
- Define legal and technical jargon in easy-to-understand language
- Your readers would rather read a short, to-the-point piece than a long, drawn-out piece
- Paragraph length is among the most important, if your paragraphs are too thick, the information looks slow and uninviting
For more important tips to understand when crafting article language, read Chapter 4 in Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers. Excerpt from Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, Copyright 2007. Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. To purchase the book, click here.
Tom Kane's post, Which is Better: Advertising or Public Relations?, on LegalMarketingBlog.com hits the nail on the head.
I couldn't agree with Tom more when he says, "until a firm has done the basics involving strategic marketing planning, [advertising, public relations,] or both could be a total waste of money."
He is so right.
I regularly encourter law firms who still take an ad hoc approach to their marketing efforts. They advertise in the XYZ magazine supplement because they're getting a "discount" or at least a perceived discount. They hire a consultant or service to "issue a press release" and then don't leverage the value of the news or coverage. They purchase a directory listing upgrade because the sales person said they should. And the list goes on.
The bottom line is that law firms need to approach their communications the same way big businesses have for decades. It's about strategic planning. They need to identify what their trying to accomplish, who they're trying to reach, the messages they want to deliver, the time-frame within which they need to act, the best vehicles for success (advertising, marketing, interactive technologies or public relations) and how they will measure the success of their efforts.
On Tuesday, April 22, Gina Rubel will serve as a moderator for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Bar-News Media Committee's “Meet and Greet Your Legal Beat Reporters” Luncheon held at the Philadelphia Bar Association at 1101 Market Street, 11th Floor Conference Center at noon.
The purpose of the “Meet and Greet Your Legal Beat Reporters” event is to provide a quality and diversified educational program that address regional media opportunities and help build relationships between members of the bar and members of the media.
Panelists for the event include:
- Jeff Blumenthal, Legal Reporter for the Philadelphia Business Journal
- Mike Dunn, City Hall Bureau Chief for KYW Newsradio
- Chris Mondics, Legal Reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Gina Passarella, Staff Reporter for The Legal Intelligencer
Lunch tickets are optional and available at $7.50 per person. For more information or to register contact the Philadelphia Bar Association at (215) 238-6300 or register on-line at www.philadelphiabar.org. All reservations that are not cancelled 24 hours prior to the event will be subject to a cancellation fee of $7.50
In a Law.com article titled, Legal Directories: Valuable Resource or Waste of Time?, Michelle Madsen of Legal Week looks the corporate counsel’s view of directories. Do in-house attorneys use directories such as Chambers and Partners, the Legal 500 and Lawdragon or are they “a self-perpetuating marketing arena for law firms, or a useful tool for clients?”
Madsen concludes that “A sensible attitude to the directories would seem to be to regard them as a resource, a tool to be drawn upon and, compared with other sources of information, not as a substitute to personal contact or knowledge. As such, they need to be judged critically but, on balance, it would seem they have earned their place on the shelves of most general counsel.”
In my latest book, Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, I provide a short list of such directories which also includes:
• American Lawyer AMLaw 200
• Best Lawyers in America
• Euromoney Expert Guides
• Global 100
• Leading Lawyers
• Legal Experts
• Martindale-Hubbell
• Multicultural Law Top 100
• National Law Journal 250
• Of Counsel 700
• PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook
• SuperLawyers
• The Vault
• Who’s Who Legal
You can find more comprehensive lists in Leigh Dance’s Global Guide to Law Firm and Lawyer Directories and the companion book compiled by Deborah McMurray, North American Guide to Law Firm and Lawyer Directories.
Chapter 4 - Tip One
Writing an authoritative article to garner positive publicity:
Writing authoritative articles is one of the easiest and most effective ways to garner valuable publicity—especially if you like to write. When an article is published and you haven’t paid for the space (as opposed to placing an advertisement), you immediately establish credibility with your target audiences. It positions you as an expert without you saying, “Hey, look at me, I’m an expert on this topic.”
Keep tuned for more information on how to garner positive publicity along with rules of ethics where you will see that calling an attorney an expert can get you into hot water.
We have posted several articles on the benefits of utilizing on-line networks such as LinkedIn. You may have checked it out, or even signed up for an account, but have you capitalized on any of the opportunities of networking on social media sites?
If not, here is an informational article to jump-start your on-line networking capabilities, Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn. The author, Guy Kawasaki, is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Forbes.com.
In this article, Kawasaki provides the following “how to” tips on on-line networking:
- Improve your connectability
- Increase your visibility
- Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks
- Gauge the health of an industry
For more information, check out this article on-line.
What does “pitching” the media consist of:
“Pitching” a reporter or producer in public relations is akin to throwing a ball to the batter to see if she’s going to hit it and, if so, how far. Even though the commonly known terminology is “pitching,” think of it more as the art of communicating and having a conversation. There is no single way to pitch the media. Understanding some of the nuances of the media will help you become a better communicator in the long run.
An important aspect to consider when reaching out to the media:
Be memorable – Reporters receive hundreds of calls, phone calls, e-mails and faxes every week, so it is important that your story stands out from the rest. Be familiar with articles that the reporter has written in the past and, if you can, tie one of them in with your pitch. Be specific and brief—this will show the reporter that you are not wasting her time.
For more important tips to understand when reaching out to the media, read Chapter 3 in Everyday PR for Lawyers. Excerpt from Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, Copyright 2007. Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. To purchase the book, click here.
I recently met Mark Beese through the Legal Marketing Association and LinkedIn. He is the "marketing guy at Holland & Hart, a law firm in the Rocky Mountain West (www.hollandhart.com)." He maintains a blog focused on helping lawyers become better leaders at http://www.leadershipforlawyers.typepad.com/. He has great content on his blog - I highly suggest reading it!
To recap on why we encourage every firm, no matter how big or small, to have a written media policy, is because law firms and their attorneys can and should control all messages provided to the media. Several reasons include managing your messages, ethics and, in the cases of trial publicity, to protect the clients’ best interests.
The following media policy tips are issues that your firm’s media policy should address:
- How you handle calls about specific firm clients and/or cases
- How you handle calls for third-party commentary on specific cases or legal issues
- Crisis communications procedures
- The ethics of dealing with the media
For more tips and advice from the Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers guide, stay tuned!
I encourage every firm, no matter how big or small, to have a written media policy. Simply put, law firms and their attorneys can and should control all messages provided to the media for reasons of message management, ethics and, in the cases of trial publicity, to protect the clients’ best interests.
Your firm’s media policy should address: part 1
• Who may speak with the media on the firm’s behalf
• The procedures that members of your firm must follow when the media calls
• Record-keeping procedures for media calls and interviews
Thank you, Cole Silver for the wonderful accolades on my book, Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, which by the way, is now available via direct order, PayPal or via Amazon.
Cole says, "Gina Furia Rubel, Esquire, one of the nation's most distinquished PR experts for lawyers and law firms has just written a electrifying book entitled "Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers", which is absolutely wonderful and packed full of great advice and powerful ideas to promote your firm and practice
in a highly effective and cost efficient manner. If you want to build a
brand, create the visibility you deserve, and not spend an arm and a leg on
traditional advertising...you have got to get her book, which can be found
at: http://www.furiarubel.com/
I've also had the opportunity to read Cole's book: How
to Create Wealth and Freedom in your Law Practice, 101 Powerful Client
Development & Retention Strategies for Attorneys. It's a compendium of
information that no attorney should be without.
Great public relations can substantially accelerate business development cycles, increase audience awareness and help promote rapid growth. Harnessing this power can be a terrific boost—if you proceed with clear objectives and remain true to your core business goals. You therefore need to ask yourself, “Will public relations help our firm achieve the goals we have set out in our business plan?” This is a good time to review or articulate your firm’s core business goals. Understanding your business or performance goals is the first step in defining measurable objectives for a public relations program. When you measure the value of your public relations program, you need to substantiate that public relations has furthered your aspirations. So go back and ask yourself: What are my / my firm’s core business goals?
For the next step in your public relations planning, check back next Monday for The PR Lawyer’s Tip #3.
_______________
Excerpt from Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, Copyright 2007. Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. To purchase book, click here.
Earlier this week, Kevin O'Keefe notes in a post that Law firm Internet marketing to grow in 2008 : Warning to large law marketing & PR heads. He says:
"In 2008, it'll be up to you employed in large firms and PR agencies advising large law to assess whether you really know what you are doing when marketing via social networking. If not, it's time to get some help rather than dismissing marketing mediums you don't understand. Dismissing innovation only hurts the law firm and is ultimately going to cost you your job."
Kevin makes a good point. It is so important to work with experts who know what they're doing in every area of marketing whether it's direct marketing, social media, public relations or trade advertising. But first, law firms need to assess their communications plans and make sure their plans have solid and measurable goals and objectives. Once they know what they want to accomplish, then, and only then, should they determine which tactics will be best to reach their target audiences effectively and efficiently.
Public relations is the art and science of proactive advocacy on the part of acompany, individual or brand. It requires strategic management of your positionstatement and key messages in order to reach your target audiences, andthrough various tactics, establish good will and a mutual understanding. In short, effective use of public relations tools allows us to shape public opinion, attitudes and beliefs. Utilizing public relations is much like crafting an openingstatement for a jury trial: you will painstakingly strategize about which facts youshould initially reveal to the jury, which heartstrings (if any) you want to tug,the tempo and timing of your delivery, and the information you deliver last inorder to achieve a long-term impact.
In the big scheme of legal communications, “marketing” is the overall umbrella term under which many forms of communications fall. The “marketing” of a law firm often entails:
-Advertising
-Business Development
-Client Services
-Marketing (brochures, Web sites, direct mail, etc.)
-Sponsorships
-Public Relations
The public relations portion of your firm’s marketing must be a strategic part of a carefully considered marketing plan so that it complements the branding,advertising, business development, client services, sponsorships and othercommunication initiatives. The role of public relations is to help build thefirm’s brand equity by delivering key messages to target audiences to elicit aparticular response and thus shape public opinion, attitudes and beliefs. Inother words, PR is the method by which we communicate messages about ourselves, our firms, and our understanding of the law and the cases we handle onan everyday basis.
 The practice of public relations differs from marketing andadvertising. PR promotes and builds awareness and acceptance; the immediategoal is often based in the positioning of the firm; you have less control over themedia placements; and the messages tend to be viewed as more credible.
_______________
Excerpt from Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, Copyright 2007. Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. To purchase book, click here.
Cole Silver, the Legal Marketing Secrets blogger, announced today that they will be launching an expert audio series through http://www.findcareersuccess.com/. He says the audio series will feature
interviews from world renowned experts and advisors that will provide you profitable and incisive information, secrets, and tactics that will help you create the legal career you desire.
The line up includes: • Dan Janel, member of the public relations team that launched America Online. • Harry Beckwith, one of the world's most respected marketers and author of What Clients Love. • Gerry Riskin, world renowned expert in law firm management and rainmaking. • Jim Hassett, founder of LegalBizDev and author of seven books and more than 70 articles on legal marketing. • Margaret Grisdela, the author of "Courting Your Clients: The Essential Guide to Legal Marketing”. • Trey Rider, one of the country’s premier legal marketing experts. • Hindi Greenberg, author of the best selling, The Lawyer's Career Change Handbook. • YOURS TRULY . . . Gina Furia Rubel, Esquire, a communications expert, attorney and publicist, is the owner of Furia Rubel Communications (We'll be talking about the advice in my book, Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, due out mid-December) • Mike Schultz, Principal of the Wellesley Hill Group and Publisher of RainToday.com. I'll keep you posted about my audio interview. Be sure to check out Cole's blog too!
We hope you're enjoying the new look of The PR Lawyer Blog. It is our goal to provide solid information on trends and issues facing lawyers and legal communicators alike. Along with the new look comes some added features.
In the next few weeks, my book, Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, will be available for purchase via the blog.
And for all of you who find your way here but don't have RSS feed, you can now subscribe via e-mail. Just scroll down on the right and enter your e-mail address.
If there are any other features you'd like to see added, just let us know.
There's a great viral campaign online called Make My Logo Bigger. The video is a hoot. All marketers must check it out. It's long but it's great for a laugh!
Here are some tools to help you keep up with the conversation on blogs. These are tools you can use now to track what’s being said about you, your industry, your company and your competitors:
Ice Rocket (www.icerocket.com)
Blog digger (www.blogdigger.com)
Blog Hop (www.bloghop.com)
Plazoo (www.plazoo.com)
Feedster (www.feedster.com)
Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts)
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