Health Intuition

Creating a publicity platform does not have to mean hiring a high-priced public relations firm or new in-house staff to help get the word out about your law firm.

But it is an essential part of marketing the value of your firm and its services that involves a step-by-step comprehensive plan to build a platform for publicity that will promote your firm’s services and achievements year after year. Here’s how:

Seven Steps to Create a Publicity Platform for Your Firm

1. Make your Web site the centerpiece. All components of your publicity platform must be designed to steer prospective clients and the larger community to your Web site. The high-priced videos and animation that some firms are outsourcing to specialists can backfire as merely annoying to Web site visitors who would rather not waste time sifting through all the bells and whistles to get to the meaty information. Make your focus the “meaty information:” who you are, services you provide, a section including client testimonials, a “For Your Information” section describing how you solve clients’ problems using your expertise, information about you and other staff members. Visit 10 or 20 top law firm Web sites for ideas on how to best present your law firm’s value and services.

2. Promote your expertise in writing. There are dozens of free article directories and also trade publications that will allow you to submit articles that promote your expertise and unique perspective. Many smaller law firms are using www.craigslist.org to hire the services of professional writers to prepare articles and news releases on a per-project basis. Once your articles get distributed, the media will pick them up and your name gets published in many places simultaneously linking back to your business. Your articles also can become the centerpiece of e-newsletters. Most local chamber of commerce Web sites now post local media directories. Also consider submitting opinion pieces to local newspapers. Integrate these materials into “News Releases,” “Articles,” “Newsletter” and “In the News” sections on your Web site.

3. Promote your expertise out loud. Join local organizations that include your prospective clients as members. Use your areas of expertise and speak about those topics so that they serve your entire community. Contact local radio and television stations and let producers know that you are available for interviews. Immigration, politics, employment, education and real estate are “hot button” topics. With the aging of the Baby Boom generation, so are trust and estate law issues, elder law and other legal matters of interest to this huge demographic. Do a www.Google.com search of news articles on areas of the law in which you specialize, and use them as your springboard for your approach.

4. Make it personal. Personal contacts remain a huge piece of any publicity platform. Vow to make time to attend public functions and association meetings in your community, and bring your business cards with you. Invite people to make appointments to visit your office. Volunteer in community-serving projects like Habitat for Humanity, local homeless services, or other charities. When potential clients see that you are concerned about your community, it will transfer to “you care about them, too.”.

5. Partner up. Becoming a partner with a local charity, school board or business organization is a smart way to share the expense and time in building your publicity platform. Study local newspaper listings of community organizations and hone in on those that represent your ideal client pool. Then offer to become a sponsor or volunteer of an association event. Offer to host a meeting, or co-host an event at a ‘partner’ location.

6. Let clients and prospective clients tell your story. Interview existing clients for testimonials and post those on your Web site. Ask your clients to recommend you to others. Don’t assume clients will take that step unless you ask them. Let prospective clients know about your services, and encourage them to let other prospective clients know you are available. Your word-of-mouth publicity campaign will grow fast.

7. Don’t neglect your platform. Review all of the steps above at some scheduled time of your choice to be sure the platform you are using for publicity is always current. To be comprehensive, don’t focus all your efforts on one piece of your publicity platform, ignoring other vital components. Find ways to put fresh information on your web site at a maximum – monthly; at a minimum – quarterly. Gather up testimonials from your old and new clientele. Keep abreast of news developments in your area of expertise to create new articles and news releases. Make new contacts and attend community functions every month.

The difference between business clients and fans of the hottest, chart-topping band is that the music fans react emotionally when they are awed by their heroes. The same is true for some businesses. Take Apple. The first sentence in a recent article in Forbes Magazine on Apple Computer was this: “It is widely acknowledged that Apple Computer enjoys the kind of lavish devotion among its customers ‘ and fawning adoration from the press ‘ of which other companies don’t even dare to dream.” Here are five ways to win new devotion from customers who become your fans offline and online.

Five Ways To Turn Your Clients Into Fans

One: Start a Fan Club

Start an online or offline newsletter containing the hottest information on what interests prospects and existing clients of your products or services.

- Ask them to join your club with their subscriptions. Give them something in return a product with your logo, a resource for the best information, and/or “hot links” to other informative, interesting resources.

- Schedule a fun event at least once a year to allow your “fans” to meet each other. Invite a special, fun guest. Have your meeting in a fun place – on a beach or at the hippest, new restaurant instead of in a hotel conference room.

You can also have an Online Party.

- Offer free prizes to your fans – find out what some of their “wants” are in certain demographic groups.

- Offer a free 10 minute “makeover” in your area of expertise; this is great from a financial makeover to a kitchen makeover.

- Offer a free report on the “Five Smartest Strategies to ……” highlighted by splashy colors on one easy-to-read page of paper.

- For great tips on how to put together an online newsletter, visit www.companynewsletters.com. For a free online newsletter template, visit www.neighborhoodassociation.biz/.

Two: Court the Media

That Forbes magazine was writing about “fawning adoration from the press” toward Apple Computer was itself, well, fawning.

- Court the media with what is innovative, user-friendly and important about your product or service.

- Send a well-written news release that summarizes “who, what, when where and how,” and include your cell phone number in addition to your work number.

- Be available when the media returns your phone call. With differing deadlines, that means that you should be ready to take the call early in the morning or late at night.

- Target the media in your field, but also the general media.

- Make yourself available as a source with expertise in your field to talk about general trends. To earn your “expert” label, commit yourself to keeping on top of research and emerging trends in your field.

- Here’s a quick way to learn how businesses similar to yours are courting the media. Go to “Google” and type in “news release” with a description of your product or service.

For example, if you are a technology consultant, type in “news release technology consultant.” Save the news releases that get your attention. Don’t imitate, but extrapolate from the best ideas to incorporate your ideas and tips into your news release.

- Use Education or “Edutainment” (educate through entertainment). It is easier for the media to write about your products and services if they understand what they do and how they are done.

Three: Get Your Name Out There

Even with little or no marketing budget, you can get the name of your company, product or service out there with news releases (See No. 2).

- Become a partner in a civic cause or with another company in a related field with which you can share expenses.

- Coca-Cola brands itself as “the real thing.” Come up with a catch phrase to describe your product or service and make sure that catch phrase or word accompanies the brand name.

Most recently, I read an article on “Obamanomics.”

- Network. Pick up the telephone and ask local clubs and organizations if you can make a presentation, and bring along plenty of business cards and one-page handouts with your brand name and message.

- Remember to network online – the internet is a very important networking source today.

- Again, go to “Google” and type in the name of your city and the words “business meeting schedule.” Ask yourself how your product or service can make a great topic for a future presentation.

Four: Ask Your Clients

Tell your best clients you want them to become fans; then, ask them what it would take to become a fan.

- You’d be surprised at the number of businesses that do not take the time to survey their clients.

- If clients tell you they already are fans, ask them what it is about your product or service that makes them fans instead of ordinary customers.

- Listen, take lots of notes and use what your customers say to develop a strategy to build your fan base.

- At www.polarismr.com, you’ll find a sample survey from Polaris Marketing Research. However, at the end of each section, add the word “Why?” with plenty of space for anecdotal information that will allow you to “go deeper” into why some clients are fans and others are not.

Five: Keep Your Fans

Starting up a new fan club isn’t enough to keep it in business. Set aside at least one hour each week to think about — and only about — what you will do next that is more innovative, creative and important than what you already have accomplished with your product or service.

- Take a cue from Apple, which obviously is doing plenty of homework to be able to regularly announce attention-getting innovations.

- Innovation is exciting, regardless of the field.

- Adopt the “innovative” mindset (along with a promise to do the homework) to keep the fans you have and attract new fans to your club each year.

- Always include your existing fans in all your new releases and special discounts.