In a blog post, Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications explains some of the main concepts of content marketing and how it can be a potent tool for solos and small law firms with limited marketing budgets.

“The essence of content marketing is that you’re promoting your subject matter expertise (whether it’s labor law, family law, or any other practice area) by providing consistent, relevant content of interest to your clients and prospective clients,” she explains.

For law firms, content marketing is primarily about two things:

• Building a reputation as a source of genuine value in your practice area; and
• Staying top-of-mind among your clients, prospective clients and referral sources.

Read the article.

Pat Rafferty of Androvett Legal Media & Marketing offers some  tips to maximize your experience and develop business before, during and after a presentation at a conference or other event.

The article is divided into three sections, with the “Before” section discussing such topics as CLE approval, credibility and expertise, checking the guest list and getting the word out.

Other topics under the “During” and “After” headings include expanding your network, interactivity, making a lasting impression, using a personal touch, repurposing the content, and more.

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Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications has some suggestions about how a lawyer or firm can spread the word after they’ve been named to a best lawyers list.

In her blog post, she also discusses the pros and cons about being singled out for recognition.

The post covers some of the best ways to let others know about the honor:

• An email to colleagues, clients, and referral sources, or inclusion in the firm’s newsletter;
• Press release posted on a wire service;
• Blog post;
• Social media;
• Digital ad on a legal website, and
• Congratulations ad in the local newspaper.

Read the article.

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Bruce Vincent of Muse Communications offers some tips on the best practices for writing or updating your online biography to impress potential clients.

In a post on the Muse website, Vincent says the key is making sure that what you say about yourself is well written, organized, and presented in a way that will impress the people who see it.

One of the best places to start when you’re ready to begin writing or updating your bio is to handle the “easy stuff” before working on the narrative, including your:

• Areas of practice;
• Undergraduate and law school and any accompanying honors;
• Professional affiliations, including local and state bar groups;
• Professional accolades;
• Pro bono accomplishments;
• Published articles or presentations.

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Making sure a firm’s website is compliant with State Bar of Texas advertising rules is just one of the many responsibilities for Texas lawyers and law firms who are launching a new site or updating an existing site, writes Bruce Vincent in a blog post for Muse Commuinications.

“Just like television or print advertisements, websites are considered advertising by the State Bar of Texas,” he explains. “That means that your site’s content must be submitted for approval to the State Bar Advertising Review Committee, which has maintained responsibility for approving and monitoring legal advertising, including websites, for more than 20 years.”

He discusses some common ad rules violations, such as misrepresenting specialization and professional honors, making unfair comparison to other firms, improperly listing verdict amounts, and including photos of non-lawyers.

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Law firms may not be the safe repository of client confidences—such as trade secrets and merger plans—that they once were, as hackers recognize firms as prized vaults of proprietary corporate data, warns Bloomberg Law. And clients are starting to view law firm data breaches as serious business considerations.

Daniel R. Stoller talked with Christopher Dore, privacy partner at plaintiff-side firm Edelson PC in Chicago, who told him that “if hackers want to get data from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the best path may be through a law firm rather than directly from the company, because the law practice likely has an almost ‘unlimited variety of data.'”

And Lucian T. Pera, legal ethics partner at Adam and Reese LLP in Memphis, Tenn. and former treasurer of the American Bar Association, told Stoller: “Cybersecurity protections are becoming a serious factor in client decision-making,” at law firms, and large firms stand to lose business if they don’t take care of cybersecurity.

Read the Bloomberg article.

Deborah Grabein, Director of Business Development at Andrews Kurth Kenyon, shared some BigLaw secrets for lawyers at small firms and solo shops in a question-and-answer format with Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications.

“Business development is about cultivating and maintaining relationships, a process, and a plan,” Grabein said in the interview. “And then it’s executing, tracking and measuring results. Plans change based on industry and market changes, and at the end of the day, nothing happens unless you execute and follow up.”

She offers some detailed advice on making relationships work and discusses some approaches to help develop new business.

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Jones Day is the strongest law firm brand in the U.S. for the second consecutive year after surpassing five-year leader Skadden last year, according to the latest Acritas US Law Firm Brand Index.

Even though Skadden strengthened its brand this year, Jones Day has seen a larger gain and increased its lead on the market.

Lizzy Duffy, VP of Acritas US said: “Jones Day is more favored this year for its practical style of delivery, along with its global coverage and breadth of services – all areas we know align with clients’ evolving needs especially now that half of legal departments are assigning responsibility for optimizing legal operations.”

Latham & Watkins holds down the third spot on the list.

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Legal blogs are a relatively low-cost way for lawyers to promote their expertise and demonstrate their knowledge to clients, prospective clients and referral sources, points out Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications.

“Blogging is also an excellent way for solos and small firm lawyers with niche practices to spur business development and raise their profile in a competitive marketplace,” she writes on her firm’s blog.

She warns against posting content that amounts to thinly veiled self-promotion: “Not only will smart readers see through this ruse, most readers will quickly exit such a page. That kind of ‘bouncing’ isn’t good for your search engine optimization.”

In her post, she walks the reader through the nitty-gritty of writing compelling content that ranks high in online search results.

Read the article.

With a new year starting soon, now is a good time to consider the legal marketing opportunities through 2018, advises Bruce Vincent of Muse Communications.

“These upcoming events represent excellent fodder for blog posts, news releases, client alerts, media pitches and other methods to highlight your insights, ability and successful work for clients,” he explains in a post on his agency’s website.

The article outlines marketing opportunities keyed to calendar events throughout the year, starting with January, for “tax lawyers who can spotlight new regulations in their clients’ industries, to sports lawyers who know the compensation issues for college and professional athletes, to family law attorneys whose clients may face new child support rules.”

Other opportunities to publicize a lawyer’s expertise could include weather events in the spring, completion of the Supreme Court’s term, summer activities that result in litigation, the start of school in August, new sports seasons, legislative activities, and more.

Read the article.

Bruce Vincent of Muse Communications offers some advice for law firms that want to stand out in the upcoming new compilations of  best-lawyer lists.

The advice is particularly relevant for lawyers and firms in Texas.

First on the list is Best Lawyers in America, which Vincent calls the dean of top attorney lists, having been published for more than 30 years.

He also discusses the process for being included in the Texas Super Lawyers list, the Texas Rising Stars list, and D Magazine‘s Best Lawyers in Dallas.

The article also offers some advice for spreading the word after being honored, and how to stay in compliance with State Bar advertising rules.

Read the article.

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For those lawyers who are intimidated by the prospect of marketing themselves, Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications offers some advice: Have a plan, and start small.

“Formulating a plan will ensure that you’re not just throwing money and time into the wind, and starting small can help prevent overwhelm,” she writes on the Muse website.

In the “Creating a Plan” section, she writes that you should start by answering three questions: 1. Who are your prospective clients? 2. How can you get in front of them? 3. Why should they hire you?

The article also covers the topics of demonstrating knowledge, automation and accountability, combining business development with civil and social action, and outsourcing.

Read the article.

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There are many approaches to making a law firm win stand out among the crowd, whether it’s successfully representing a client at trial, completing a significant deal, landing a high-profile lateral hire, or any of the other notable accomplishments that happen inside or outside a courtroom, points out Bruce Vincent of Muse Communications.

It’s important to have in place an effective strategy and well-executed plan aimed at prolonging your win and making sure the right people know about it, he advises.

His article covers the importance of getting the client on board with the promotional efforts, the basics of promoting law firm wins, and making law firm wins stand out.

Read the article.

Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications offers some advice on the best practices for publishing law firm newsletters, addressing some of the practical, creative and Bar compliance issues that should be considered.

Some of the questions she covers include: How will we send it out? How often should we send? What do we include? Who do we send it to?

She also discusses designing the newsletter, growing the subscriber list, tracking results, and maintaining contact.

Read the article.

While the usual marketing tools of websites, press releases, advertising, etc. can help bring clients to a lawyer’s door if managed effectively, many attorneys continue to miss out on one of the most effective means of attracting new business: personal networking.

Bruce Vincent, writing on the website of Muse Communications, says the “problem” with personal networking for a lot of people, attorneys included, can be traced to a perceived lack of time or, in some instances, a simple, but common, fear of social situations or public speaking. Fortunately, those obstacles can be overcome with a little planning, and the results are well worth it.

In his article, Vincent discusses how to find the time for personal networking, gaining social media dominance without spending excessive time on the project, face-to-face interactions, and how to use a low-maintenance way to keep your name in the minds of potential referral sources.

Read the article.

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Texas lawyers are bound by the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, which covers advertising, which includes social media, which includes LinkedIn. Compliance, or non-compliance, with those rules is monitored by The State Bar of Texas’ Advertising Review Committee, points out Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications.

She discusses ethical rules as they pertain to ad review issues.

The two most important rules, she explains, are: 1. Never publish anything false or misleading, and 2. Make sure your goal is to educate your audience, not to market yourself.

She goes on to discuss the best practices for staying out of trouble.

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LinkedIn is the least popular of all the big social media channels, but it’s still considered a must for companies looking for business and individuals looking for jobs, writes Amy Boardman Hunt of Muse Communications.

“In trying to unpack that contradiction, I discovered that there are valid, in fact glaringly obvious, reasons that LinkedIn lags in popularity. In fact, according to this report, more than three-quarters of LinkedIn users log in to the site less than once a month,” she explains.

She offers some helpful tips for maximizing your LinkedIn presence in a low-maintenance way.

Read the article.

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Although there’s no guaranteed recipe for creating viral online content, when a blog post, meme or hashtag captures a certain zeitgeist, there are proven ways for marketing professionals and business developers to capitalize on it, writes Christina DePinto of Muse Communications.

To illustrate her point, she examines the #appellatetwitter hashtag, which Houston attorney Raffi Melkonian of Wright & Close LLP coined in June 2016. Although the hashtag was created as something of an inside joke between Melkonian and other appellate lawyers in his circle, it has become an excellent case study for legal marketing done right.

The qualities this hashtag exhibit include encompassing a niche, establishing a community, it’s organic and it has staying power.

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Advertising and public relations are great ways to get your name out, but not every law firm has that kind of budget, writes Amy Boardman Hunt on the website of Muse Communications. And with newsrooms shrinking, it’s become increasingly hard for lawyers – especially those with niche, non-media-friendly practice areas – to successfully pitch their expertise to the media.

That dynamic has helped create the rise of the legal blog.

She writes about blog post subjects, imposing deadlines and accountability, writing your legal blog, formatting and search engine optimization, and playing the long game.

Read the article.

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Law firms are moving away from traditional “head shot” photos for websites and promotional materials, reports Verdell Christophersen for Androvett Legal Media and Marketing.

“Instead, they’re relying on a series of ‘environmental’ photo backgrounds, full body–length images, candid poses and other techniques that can add distinction and a degree of personality,” according to the article. “With some careful planning, you can still come away from a single photo shoot with both a traditional pose and a selection of photos that reflect a little more style.”

The article discusses clothing to avoid, clothing to favor, the proper amount of jewelry to wear, bringing alternate clothing and accessories, makeup and hairstyling.

Read the article.