One foot in front of the other

Here is an inspirational story of an everyday person who woke up one day, recognized that his life could be better and made immediate steps toward change. The cool part about the story, and the applicable law firm angle, is the step-by-step guide he provides  to tackling his issue on the about page of his blog- from recognizing the issue to making a change.

Social media, attending more networking events, submitting proposals for speaking engagements, signing up for alumni newsletters, taking a colleague to coffee, calling a client, sending holiday card.....it is easy to become overwhelmed by the mountain of things you might do to develop more business. Be careful not to miss the forest for the trees.

What Would Law Firms Do

What would you do if you had to bring in 10 new clients in the next 6 months or else...[enter your own awful scenario here or choose a Hollywood Favorite- the rabbit gets it - the world ends - the Grinch wins]

Woud Law Firms start selling instead of hiding sales behind marketing and business development?
Woud Attorneys pick up the phone to call clients? or would they still be too busy.
Would Sernior Partners go on client interviews?
Would law firms stop reading reports, wondering about and dancing around the edges of social media or would they jump in and try it?

Recommended Reading: Twitter Case Studies.

The best way to learn about new technology is to use it. You can't imagine or understand the possible uses for things, like Twitter, until you have an understanding of what it does and how it does it. HOWEVER, reading case studies is the next best thing. Check out examples from companies including Dell, Best Buy and Levi's. While you read think about the ways that their social media strategy might apply to your practice. Can brief and immediate contact with clients improve your overall communication?

LinkedIn...or Chained Down

I've never been interested in horoscopes. However, as a June baby I have picked up some elementary understanding of the Gemini- twin or two faces. By their nature, legal marketers must adapt personality traits commonly ascribed to Geminis - the ability to move back and forth between the forces of law firm marketing strategy and the business development of individual attorneys.
Last night I had a great conversation about LinkedIn specifically and social media in general. What are the best practices for legal marketers to optimize their individual attorneys' online profiles while meeting the overall strategic goals of the law firm? Should attorneys focus on their expertise and specialities or will this pigeon-hole them and subvert the firm's cross-selling efforts?
I will revisit these issues in future posts. Taking a look at your LinkedIn Profile is a good place to start.