How to Get Your Marketing Message Seen and Heard - by Everyone!

So let's say you've just launched a dynamite new ad campaign. You have huge hopes for it. You're thinking any minute new clients will be beating down a path to your office. The phones will be ringing off the hook!

You launch the campaign - and then wait. And wait. And wait.

Sound familiar?

Also read: What We Can Learn from Apple's Simple Marketing Philosophy

Everyone dreams of their message reaching the masses. It's called "going viral" - and the good news is - it's not a pipe dream. Whether it's a video, an article, or some other piece of content that is intended to promote your firm's brand - you CAN make it catch on like wildfire.

And here's how.

First, create a WOW! concept - an image, a video, or text that really touches people at their cores. Facebook expert Mari Smith, explains, "When we see a video that moves us, we feel compelled to share."

Second, your message must make people want to take ACTION. If you're promoting your law firm, you don't necessarily have to wax poetic and be inspirational. Instead, create a active message that engages in a very profound and personal way. You want to make people who need your service to pick up the phone and call you immediately.

Third, get your message out on the social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest - use all Internet marketing mediums to promote chatter about your brand.

Also read: Top Social Networks for Legal and Law Firm Marketing

Remember that your audience needs an emotional connection to the services you are selling. To achieve that connection it's critical that you are passionate about your vision. These are the keys to going viral. These are the keys to potentially creating a movement.

Build Trust and Your Brand by Interacting on a Personal Level

When it comes to marketing and advertising your services, authenticity is critical.

Stale or robotic-like pitches will be ignored. People just aren't receptive to them. Instead, keep humanity in mind.

Think about it. When people talk to each other through social networks, they do so rather candidly. They are themselves. Their interactions are human - with real emotions and experiences.

Now, apply this level of communication to the marketing medium. Your firm must keep your prospects' expectations in mind when that sales pitch is made... when that marketing newsletter goes out... when that ad is designed... when that presentation is produced.

Be human in your interactions on every level. Anything less and your prospect might consider your attempt at conversation nothing more than a cheap ploy, or just plain bland.

Consider what your firm is really like. How can you convert your mission statement into actual conversations? You need to let the world know about your firm's personality while showing that you truly care about your clients and are willing to put the time in to making a connection with them.

Here are some action items to help you get started:

1. Write down five things you could say that would seem inauthentic or that sound like marketing speak to a client. Then write five examples of how you could say the same message in a more meaningful way.

2. Create a plan for how to represent yourself authentically. Consider how you can make communication more authentic across all channels.

3. Get on the social networks and join conversations! This is perhaps the best way to show prospects that you are human.

Remember: Authenticity breeds trust.

E-mail Newsletters Can Help You Build Client Relationships

As marketing tools go, email is still a powerful way to get the word out about your firm and connect with clients. Think about it - how many times a day do you look at your inbox? Sure you may not open every email, but you probably see every subject line.

And if you're still not convinced, consider companies like Groupon that have made huge profits on the strength of their email newsletter campaigns.

So, how can you be successful at email marketing? Here are a few unofficial rules to propel your next email newsletter.

1. Make the subject line grab their attention.

Subscribers will not open your email unless it is attention-grabbing and valuable. Choose a specific phrase that highlights the most important information in the newsletter. Steer clear of subject lines that read "March Newsletter." Boring!

2. Don't send too often.

This is tricky. Send too many emails and you could get labeled a spammer. Send too few emails, and your campaign will be a big waste of time.

For most law firms, sending newsletters once or twice a month is best.

3. Design is important.

Your email newsletter should be easy on the eyes. Be sure to include enough white space so each element of your newsletter is easy to find. Another design tip: If you include images in your newsletter, bear in mind that many people read email with graphics turned off. If your email consists of large graphics, readers will see blank space. Make sure there's a mix of text and images.

4. Deliver value.

Though the ultimate goal of an email newsletter is to boost business, be careful not to bombard your subscribers with a series of pitches. The best newsletters provide valuable information that benefits readers.

5. Don't forget your blog and social networks!

A newsletter is a great way to drive traffic to your blog and your social media content. Publish excerpts of your blog posts, with links to the full content. Some email marketing services, including Constant Contact, offer tools that let subscribers share the newsletter with their Facebook and Twitter followers.

Once you hit send, don't forget to follow up with your marketing service about metrics. Open rates and clicks are the primary metrics used to determine a newsletter's effectiveness. The open rate, the percentage of recipients who view the body of an e-mail, primarily gauges the quality of the subject line. The links clicked within the body of the e-mail are a direct indicator of what content subscribers find most compelling. Target numbers vary, but as a general rule of thumb a 12-to-15% open rate is about average.

Determining our strengths is easy. Leveraging them is another story.

Think for a moment about your talents. Ask yourself what are you really good at.

Next, think about how you can use your skills to increase business.

Here are a few examples.

Let's say you're a powerful public speaker.  When you speak - people listen!

Here are some ways you can leverage your public speaking skills:

• Maximize visibility within your firm by offering to speak at company retreats, practice groups, or in-house seminars.
• Document or record your speeches and distribute them to clients and prospects.
• Spread the word about your presentations.  Invite the trade press to events where you'll be speaking, including conferences.
• Encourage colleagues to cross-sell your practice by speaking to them during a practice group meeting.

Now, what if you hate public speaking... but love to network?

As a networker, YOU can have a business advantage if you:

• Ask contacts to introduce you to potential clients - including ones you've targeted.
• Keep in touch by regularly pinging members of your network either by phone, e-mail, or in-person.
• Ask members of the network for advice, especially marketing advice.
• Practice social arbitrage, or knowledge brokering, by introducing members of your network to each other. They will profit from these meetings - both personally and professionally - and the introductions will reflect well on you.

Make an effort to translate your personal strengths into specific actions that will help build business.

Drawing on these strengths will not only make you more efficient - you'll become an even better rainmaker!

Visibility, or lack thereof, is a common problem for lawyers who work in mid-to-large sized law firms.

Attorneys have a tendency to believe that colleagues will be eager to cross-sell their services.

They're wrong.

It happens often than you might think.

Why?

They fear the competition. Or,  they just don't know what you do.

Whatever it is that is preventing other lawyers from touting your services - now is the time to take a good look at yourself and your visibility within the firm.

Before people will refer work to you, they need to be clear about what you do.

Sara Holtz, author of Bringin' in the Rain, offers very sage advice on how to maximize your visibility.

Holtz writes that lawyers need to embark on an "internal PR campaign" by following these simple 8 steps:

1. Set clear objectives.

Ask yourself why you want to increase visibility. Do you want to build your book of business? More referrals?

2. Highlight what you want to be known for.

Try to develop a clear message highlighting the desired reputation you want among your colleagues.

3. Get to know your target audience.

Who will your message reach?

Once you answered that question, summarize your strategy into one sentence.

For example: I want to educate the partners in my practice group about my recent success negotiating a complicated lease for a biotech company so they will refer their technology clients with real estate needs to me.

4. Cultivate relationships within your target audience.

Ask questions about their practice, really get to know them.

Take the opportunity to share your strengths and emphasize why you're a good choice for a referral.

5. Share what you've learned.

Don't be shy about sharing what you've learned in a recent success case with others who might be interested.

6. Present to other practice groups.

Be sure to focus on issues that are useful to them and their clients.

7. Spread the word.

Talk up your achievements to other lawyers using in-house newsletters, ect.

8. Speak at all-firm or all-practice group events.

Again, make sure comments should be relevant to the group.

Raising your profile won't happen overnight. It takes time and diligence. But once word of your talent spreads across the firm - watch out!

Your book of business may burst at the seams!

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Why Won't my Phone Ring?

Sales is a tough nut to crack.

To do it right, a person must convey charisma, sincerity, trust, and above all, a clear picture of the services or product he or she is trying to sell.

Sounds easy enough, right?

No way!

Sales of any kind can be extremely difficult for some people. There are many reasons why people falter, but there are solutions to help you dig yourself (or your firm) out of sale rut.

Here are some common reasons why firms struggle with cross-selling and up-selling.

1. Lawyers are over-protective of their clients.

Too often lawyers treat their clients as their personal or practice group's private property. They're over-protective of them and are more concerned about their department's needs and revenues than of the larger firm.

Solution: Firms could consider changing their compensation strategy so lawyers are rewarded for cross-selling. Improve trust across the board by making lawyers work on common projects.

2. Lawyers and staff don't know enough about other departments.

Lawyers and staff may not know anything about the capabilities of other parts of the firm. Because of this, lawyers are less inclined to talk about, let alone recommend, areas of discipline they know nothing about.

Solution: Firms could double or triple the information flow and training time they spend updating lawyers and staff on what is happening across the firm.

3. Lawyers over-extend their reach.

Sometimes lawyers try to sell services that have little to do with the service they currently provide. However, cross-selling works best when the services sold are a natural extension to the service they currently provide.

Solution: Firms could identify areas that create most of the opportunities for cross-selling and train staff extensively in those areas.

To review: To effectively cross-sell you have to be able to prove to a client that you have an understanding of the service you're trying to sell, AND that you understand the value of using the larger firm to offer an integrated range of services.

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How to Become a Specialist who is Called Upon to Write, Speak, and Lend Expertise.

When budgets are tight, lawyers have to get creative about legal marketing. Typical advertising mediums, like television and even some PPC Internet campaigns, can be very costly. Lawyers need to start marketing themselves; show people that they're experts in their fields.

Ideally, you want to become a recognized specialist - in this case a legal expert - with trustworthy credentials, who is called upon by media and other outlets to speak, write, and lend your expertise.

Sounds easy enough, right?

It is, if you follow these ideas:

1. Get current on industry news and trends.

Get your hands on several legal trade magazines. In fact, get back copies. Read them cover to cover, particularly noting the editorials as their topics are what’s currently on the minds of the industry leaders. You should understand and adopt the opinion of the lead editorials. The editors and writers know what is best for their industry. You should be adept on the subject and have an opinion or two of your own, of course, as you are an industry expert.

2. Start writing.

Set aside some time to write an article and submit it for publication in one of the industry magazines. Once done, you are a published writer in the industry. People will see your name and read your material.

You can also offer to write a monthly column on interesting aspects of the industry for a national trade organization’s newsletter or magazine.

3. Create a Website and blog.

Communicate with your market, discussing industry issues and creating an open forum with you as an expert. Highlight your involvement, as well as your diverse commitment to the industry. You can further establish your credentials and publish your materials, including press releases, and articles.

4. Become a corporate speaker.

If your subject matter has commercial application, you may be able to get a local business to let you speak after hours, during lunch, or at a business meeting. Being a public speaker at leading businesses and corporations adds to your credentials.

5. Participate at conventions.

Give a seminar at your industry's national trade show. Or have a booth, or get on the board or any committee for the organization. All these options give you enormous credibility and visibility. Speak at the trade show; sponsor an event; be a presence.

Visibility is critical to your marketing success. Get out there - get yourself seen, read, and heard!

Adapted from article 12 Ways to Become a Recognized Expert by Donald Todrin at Entrepreneur.com.

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Three-Point Call to Action Serves as an Example for Lawyers and other Businesses.

The recent passing of Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs has led a lot of professionals to reflect on the entrepreneurial legacy he left behind. There's no doubt that Jobs created an empire. But it's how he created that empire - and the people who helped him - that should make people stand up and take note.

By 1977, as Jobs and and his business partner, Steve Wozniak, were busy taking orders for the very first Apple I and looking for venture capital as they developed the Apple II, the men brought on investor Mike Markkula into the business. Markkula injected $250,000 into the company, became a third partner, and sat down to write, "The Apple Marketing Philosophy." It's a three-point call to action that has served Apple for decades, and can also be a prime example for your business practices.

Point No. 1: Empathy
Apple should strive for an "intimate" connection with customers' feelings. "We will truly understand their needs better than any other company," Markkula wrote.

Point No. 2: Focus
To be successful, Apple should center its efforts on accomplishing its main goals, and eliminate all the "unimportant opportunities."

Point No. 3: Impute
Apple should be constantly aware that companies and their products will be judged by the signals they convey. "People DO judge a book by its cover," Markkula wrote. "We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities."

It's important to note that with this marketing philosophy in place, Steve Jobs was able to take Apple to the next level. Jobs pioneered Apple's customer first marketing plan. And, instead of creating products they wanted to make, Jobs aimed to produce products that addressed consumers' needs, feelings and motivations.

Are you doing the same for you clients? Perhaps it's time.

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Effective Word-of-Mouth is Earned by Offering Great, Quality Service

Word-of-mouth advertising continues to be one of the most effective and long-lasting ways for firms to drum up new business. It's available to every company - large and small - and involves minimal cash outlays.

If you're good at what you do, word-of-mouth can be earned quickly. Descriptive words spread fast, and if people are happy with you, well, news about your firm will spread like wildfire.

Start getting new business for your practice TODAY. Here are 4 ways to create a successful word-of-mouth campaign.

1. Keep a high standard of service.

All employees must be aware of the importance of maintaining quality, and systems must be put in place to monitor it. Furthermore, clients' problems must be addressed and solves with a minimum effort on the client's part - and in a timely fashion.

2. Communicate effectively.

All contact with clients and their inquiries must be courteous and knowledgeable. This starts with the telephone. Have a person answer your phones, not a computer like most large firm do. This simple move will start you on the path to good word-of-mouth with your clients.

3. Build trust.

You want all your clients to trust you. This trust must be earned continuously. It takes time to develop, but can be lost in an instant. Client complaints must be addressed and solved quickly. Problems cannot be ducked, delayed, or shifted. Mistakes should be admitted and corrected.

4. Provide value.

The value of the services you deliver to your clients is paramount if you want them to return and spread the good word about you. The value of the service you provide must meet or exceed their expectations. Under promise, over deliver.

Your clients' opinions matter. So make sure that when they voice their opinions about you and your firm, they're doing it with praise. This will jump start word-of-mouth, and take your business to the next level.

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5 Ways to Keep Yours Listeners Engaged

Conversations - real, meaningful conversations - are perhaps the best ways to build valuable connections with people. Of course, holding a conversation with someone whom you've just met isn't always easy.

But, it can be.

Anyone can be a great conversationalist. Anyone!

The key is to keep the spotlight on the person you are speaking with - and off yourself. Simply listen to what the person has to say, ask him or her questions, and be interested in their responses.

Sounds easy enough, right?

Here are some more great tricks for becoming a brilliant conversationalist.

• Take a greater interest in what the person you are speaking to has to say than what you have to say. In other words, don't eagerly anticipate telling someone about your legal services. Instead, eagerly anticipate what he or she will tell you about their own services.
• Keep an open mind. Enter into a conversation knowing what you would like to say and learn, but do not have any preconceived ideas or judgments about the other person.
• Don't interrupt. Keep quiet when the other person is talking.
• Never argue. Even if you disagree with what someone is saying, keep your cool and diplomatically state your opinion. 
• Don't offer an opinion unless you are asked to do so. 

Finally, try to address the other person by their first name throughout the conversation. There's no sweeter sound to a person's ears than the sound of their own name being spoken.

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