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

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Throughout the year I try to find Black Pearls, informative resources, that I can pass on to my readers. As I mentioned on Tuesday, here are a few I thought were not only incredibly important to creating and maintaining initiatives, but interesting as well. Enjoy!

Blogs—“Start a blog to grow your practice,” Kevin O’Keefe

Twitter—“Twitter Power,” by Joel Comm

LinkedIn and Facebook—“LinkedIn Group versus Facebook Group,” via Search Engine Journal

Article Posting—“Be A Celebrity in Your Own World,” by Paula Black

Client Service—“Flip the Funnel,” by Joseph Jaffe

Referrals—“Missed Opportunities: Not Asking Clients for Referrals,” by Donna Erickson

And more:

Find A Niche— "Discover, and Market, Your Niche Law Practice" by Ann Macaulay

Looking Outside the Law— "What Bruce Springsteen Can Teach Lawyers about Law Firm Marketing" by Elizabeth Ferris

Your Brand— "Make the Logo Bigger: 10 Rebranding Disasters" by Bianca Male

Video— "The Lawyer's Video Studio"

Attitude— "If you need to, got to or have to- You won't" by Cordell Parvin

Email and Newsletter— "5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter" by Sean D'Souza

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If you’ve been following this blog for the past year and a half, you probably know that I am constantly handing out ideas for simple (but impactful) initiatives. In an effort to help you get a jump start on 2011’s planning, I’ve decided to take this week to revisit some important initiatives and re-link to some of the best Black Pearls from 2010. So go over the list below and see what you’ve implemented and what you need to get moving on. On Thursday I’ll post links to some of my favorite resources for each one…

• Blogs—a fantastic way to increase visibility and credibility
• Twitter—build relationships with industry insiders, colleagues and media
• LinkedIn and Facebook—see who you’re connected to…and who they’re connected to!
• Article Posting—great for building a strong internet presence (and a great marketing tool for potential clients)
• Client Service—an important, and often forgotten, piece of business development
• Referrals—other attorneys, your friends and family…they’re all strong sources of business

What have you implemented this year and what will you focus on in 2011? It’s time to start thinking.

Black Pearl: When it comes to Marketing and Business Development I can't say it enough...Do Something Every Single Day. "Create A Marketing Habit"...that is the foundation of success.
 

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Now that you’ve started to see who you want to be in 2011, it’s time to put it to action. I’m sure, as loyal readers, you’ve all been working hard on your elevator speeches. Let’s revisit that. Think about who you want to be, what you want your practice to be and what kind of client you wish to attract. Now tailor your elevator speech to those ideas. See the difference? Market to what you WANT, not what you HAVE.

On the same note: Start mentally rolling through your contact list to think about who can help bring you the clients you want in 2011. Make a list. Send them a personal New Year’s—not Christmas!—card (or gift) and start the conversation. There are only a few degrees of separation between you and your dream client. Connect the dots and see who can help you make it happen in 2011.

Black Pearl: One of the easiest ways to connect with old friends, colleagues and clients is via LinkedIn. It’s also a great way to see how you’re connected to the clients you need to get in front of. But how? www.imonlinkedinnowwhat.com by Jason Alba is a great blog (and book) that can give you tips and tricks to making the most of the site. Take a look and start connecting!
 

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By now most of us are at least minimal participants in both of these social networking behemoths—but are we making the most of our presence?

This week we asked: Have you ever brought in business from a social networking site?

1) Yes, from friends on Facebook. - 15%

2) Yes, from colleagues on LinkedIn. - 42%

3) No, never from either one. - 43%

My Thoughts: Not surprising most of you who have received business online did so as a result of LinkedIn (about 42%) but a good 15% of you said you received at least one referral from Facebook. What does this mean? I think it’s fairly clear that LinkedIn is a winner when it comes to professional needs. It’s a great place to discuss business-oriented issues, to see where past colleagues are working now, and it’s easier to navigate when it comes to joining groups and protecting privacy. I recently came across as great article that I’ve posted in the Black Pearl section below called “LinkedIn Group versus Facebook Group,” (thanks Kevin O’Keefe). I encourage you to read it and better understand just how important keeping up your LinkedIn presence can be.

But here’s another quick thought. Facebook has merits all its own. The people you connect with are usually friends (new ones and old ones) and family or acquaintances from around your non-work life (your church or temple, schools, community organizations)…in other words people who have a PERSONAL connection to you. And that small tie to you builds instant trust. And trust spurs referrals. As my friend Mr. O’Keefe so eloquently put it:

“There's no question I'm going to continue to play with Facebook. Making friends and nurturing relationships is the stuff that life is made of. From 30 years in business, I know that friendship drives business development.”

Where was your last online-generated referral from? Let us know in the comments section!

Black Pearl: Here’s Kevin O’Keefe’s take on the situation (LinkedIn Groups Versus Facebook Groups) as well as a direct link to the original article from Search Engine Journal (click here).

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By now I would guess over half of you have seen “The Social Network,” a movie (for those not aware of it) about the creation and subsequent evolution of the phenomenon known as Facebook. I would also guess that more than half of you have personal Facebook pages, mostly used for keeping in touch with old friends and classmates, and perhaps family that live far away. But how does Facebook impact your business? And if it doesn’t, should it? It seems its closest competitor when it comes to networking would be LinkedIn, a site dedicated more to your professional life than to vacation pictures and idle chatter. But should we discount Facebook as a serious referral source? Come back Thursday and we’ll discuss.

Question of the Week: Can Facebook compete with LinkedIn when it comes to bringing in business? 

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Whether you have an in-house marketing professional to help and guide you or not, it’s never a bad idea to look around at what others are doing and suggesting. Finding a marketing mentor is easier than ever these days—social media outlets such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter give us a direct method of communication with almost anyone. And it doesn’t even have to be that far-reaching. The senior partner/rainmaker down the hall can often take that role...you just have to ask.

Question of the week: Do you have a marketing mentor?  

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Whether it’s a blog or Twitter page, make sure your presence online is a true extension of the personal brand that you’re working to build.

The question this week was: My social media is a [fill in the blank] representation of my personal brand:

Great - 20%
Good - 40%
So-so - 0%
Weak - 0%
Nonexistent - 40%

My Thoughts: Kudos to those of you who have already recognized the importance of seeing your personal brand reflected in your social media. For the 40% of you, today is the day to rethink what goes out into the world.

As I’ve mentioned before (many, many times!) everything that you do should bear the stamp of your personal branding. Think about the market you have decided to focus on and tailor your online presence to attract them. What does your LinkedIn say about you? Does your firm have a LinkedIn page? If you tweet, what does your Twitter page look like? Does your picture reflect your visual brand? Is your logo clear and recognizeable? Are your tweets geared at drawing in the clients you want? Create a filter in your mind for everything you write and make sure your topics and tweets fit that criteria before you post them.

Now let’s talk about blogs. Look around at mine. It’s very clearly branded with my signature black. Even the title reflects my brand—both in the “black and white” and the meaning behind it. I give simple, straightforward advice; black is my signature color. That’s a personal brand. Content is the same idea… stick to what your target audience wants to know and don’t get off track.

As my colleague Glenn Callison of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr says:

"Keeping everybody on message is what our culture is all about.  It's very easy to throw marketing dollars at a variety of events and social functions.  However, trying to pull it together so there is a consistent message to build brand identity... that's the real challenge."

Black Pearl: Twitter power by Joel Comm is a great book about the power of social media.  It's a great way for those new to Twitter (and even those already using it!) to truly understand how to make the most of their time online. 
 

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Social media has become a major talking point in the realm of marketing and business development. Today, almost every professional has a LinkedIn profile, if not a blog, twitter account and yes, even Facebook page. Whether or not you choose to participate in any of the above, you should know that everything that’s put out into the world needs to reflect your personal brand.

Question of the week: Does your social media reflect your personal brand?