Miami Legal Business Development | Branding | Law Firm Coaching | Paula Black

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Whatever your interests outside of the law office, there are marketing and business development lessons to be learned everywhere. So keep your eyes and ears open…as well as your mind.

This week we asked: Have you ever taken and adapted marketing advice from another industry?

1) Yes. - 45%

2) No. - 55%

My Thoughts: Only 45% of you have taken and adapted marketing advice from other industries. Time to think outside your world! As I mentioned on Tuesday, The Gap logo debacle really got me thinking about how marketing and business development rules are truly immune to industry. The Gap’s plight was covered by media outlets and bloggers from the worlds of fashion, news, business, advertising, branding, and more. Then, on the heels of that news I came across a fabulous post relating marketing lessons to a rock-and-roll legend (see the Black Pearl below) and it truly hit home.

So what’s the lesson here? The lesson is that marketing and business development doesn’t have to be a chore. It can incorporate issues and ideas that you find interesting in your everyday life. You just have to keep an open mind.

Something a little different this week… I would love to hear your thoughts on finding marketing inspiration in unusual places. See something great and put it to use? Post your comments below!

Black Pearl: Here’s a great piece entitled “What Bruce Springsteen Can Teach Lawyers about Law Firm Marketing” (click here) via Elizabeth Ferris (read about her here). It has some great advice on how to stay relevant to your clients!
 

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Building on last week’s focus on The Gap and their new (and now scrapped) logo, I started thinking about how many marketing and business development lessons we can learn from companies that exist outside of our own industry. Because my focus is squarely on marketing on a daily basis, I have the advantage of pulling ideas and inspiration from everywhere…but not everyone has that mindset, and it’s a shame. In fact, sometimes looking at success stories from those outside the law arena can spark creative inspiration for your own firm…not to mention that people and industries that exist outside our work life but within our hobbies and interests (Sports? Music? Film?) can sometimes be even more relatable than other law firms.

Question of the Week: What other industries can you look to for marketing and business development inspiration?

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I’ve never been a big advocate of the newsletter when it comes to law firms (digital or paper). Why? Because in reality, most firms don’t have the time to truly focus on making it a useful marketing and business development tool. Instead, they simply throw together some content and send it out to their mailing list. The key to making your newsletter work is time and effort, and, when executed correctly, it can be a huge help in connecting with clients, encouraging referrals and sharing your knowledge and expertise. But before we go on…

Question of the week: Do you send out a newsletter?

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When it comes to law firm marketing and business development your best efforts are only as strong as your brand. Your brand is what the world recognizes (or will come to recognize) when they think of your firm: its visual identity, its message, its voice. From website to letterhead your brand is the first thing outsiders see and perhaps one of the most important aspects of marketing for firms to focus on, in order to build a foundation for the future.

One of the key strategies in creating a brand is repetition... repetition... repetition! Did I say repetition?

Once you start diluting that identity you risk confusing clients and hindering business development efforts. You may be tired of the same old thing...but that's only because you see it every day. Your market doesn't.

Question of the week: Are you protecting your brand?