Content and legal marketing, marketing & public relations agency

Oct

The Best Lawyers in America: Law firm submissions 101

October 29, 2021

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The Best Lawyers in America: Law firm submissions 101

We love legal rankings.

Well. Let me rephrase.

We love legal rankings that are worth your time, and also carry credibility when awarded.

Recently, we did a deep dive into why we are fans of Chambers..

Another legal ranking we recommend? Best Lawyers^®.

On our Spill the Ink podcast, Michelle chatted with Elizabeth Petit, Director of Research and Development, and Managing Editor at Best Lawyers. I listened to their conversation a few times (because I’m a big fan of the podcast and it was chock-full of incredible information), and have boiled down the highlights for you here!

*pop popcorn, reheat coffee, let’s go*

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Sep

11 ways attorneys can improve their chances of securing speaking engagements

September 13, 2021

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Lead generation , Public relations

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11 ways attorneys can improve their chances of securing speaking engagements

Several years ago, I set out to become an industry speaker to promote Reputation Ink’s law firm public relations services to prospective clients. I’ve now spoken to many professional organizations at the local, regional and national levels and can attribute those speaking engagements to winning several new accounts.

Securing speaking engagements may be one of the most effective ways for attorneys to showcase their knowledge and get in front of prospective clients. However, the higher-profile speaking engagements are competitive and are often monopolized by just a few of the top professionals in any given industry. That’s why you must work hard to stand out.

Here are the lessons I’ve learned in my own process of securing speaking opportunities that any lawyer can use to book their own gigs.

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Aug

Why you should focus your marketing on one (or a few) industries

August 2, 2021

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy , Lead generation

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Why you should focus your marketing on one (or a few) industries

This article originally appeared in DRI’s The Voice.

We’ve all heard the age-old adage: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” There’s a lot of truth behind this quote: it can be difficult to know where you should invest your marketing dollars. Should you invest in media relations? Social media? SEO? Videos? Email newsletters? Webinars? Speaking at events? There’s a lot you can do, but what’s going to make the most impact?

When working with clients facing this question, I often advise them to pick an industry (or two or three, depending on the firm’s size and budget) and focus their marketing efforts there. Here’s why:

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May

Why podcasting is an introverted lawyer’s dream networking tool

May 30, 2021

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing , Lead generation

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Why Podcasting Is an Introverted Lawyer’s Dream Networking Tool

The last time I went to a networking event (over a year ago thanks to COVID-19), I remember sitting in my car and giving myself a pep talk. “This is a party. Go inside and enjoy it. This is a party. Go inside and enjoy it,” I repeated over and over again to myself.

While I’m the life of a party when I’m with my friends, I loathe networking events and dread small talk. Instead, I enjoy substantive conversations and don’t know how to achieve meaty, engaging discussions with people I don’t know very well. Thus, the topics stay in the weather and cute-things-my-dog-did-today categories. I inevitably go home exhausted and dreading the next time I have to discuss the weather with strangers while snacking on a charcuterie board.

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Feb

How to write better client alerts: 10 of the best tips

February 1, 2021

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy , Content marketing

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Client alerts are a staple of law firm marketing. These short news bulletins — generally written by attorneys and edited, formatted and distributed by marketers — inform clients of recent developments in the law and provide analysis on how these changes will impact their business.

And while client alerts play a critical role in a firm’s marketing efforts, they are renowned in the industry for their lack of readability, substance and timeliness.

This poor quality isn’t due to a lack of guidance on how to use this marketing tool effectively. Numerous articles by seasoned legal marketing pros provide excellent advice on how to write better client alerts. In this post, I’ve cherry picked the best advice out there and put it all in one place for you. If you’re looking to improve your firm’s client alerts, look no further.

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May

6 ways lawyers can use downtime to build for the future

May 21, 2020

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy , Lead generation

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While much has been written about how to network and build business during the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of the advice has focused on short-term activities and gains. And while the recommendations are solid (as marketing and biz dev are critical during a downturn), a basic principle of marketing cannot be ignored: Marketing and business development are long-term endeavors. In professional services like the law, those who succeed are consistent over the long term with their marketing and business development.

However, marketing is time-intensive and requires the involvement of the attorneys themselves. This becomes a Catch-22 — marketers and publicists need access to lawyers’ knowledge and expertise (I call our role in the process “knowledge extraction”), while lawyers’ time is stretched thin as they meet aggressive billable targets.

That’s why, as COVID-19 disrupts every aspect of our society, I see an opportunity. While some lawyers are busier than ever in areas such as bankruptcy, healthcare, insurance, employment and cybersecurity, others aren’t faring so well, as M&A deals and court proceedings are put on hold. For those attorneys, now is the time to focus on the labor-intensive marketing activities that form the foundation of any successful practice.

Here are six ways lawyers with coronavirus-induced free time can build for the future:

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May

Publish, Like, Share, Repeat: Best practices for legal social media accounts

May 20, 2020

by: Shelby Gambrell in Law , Content marketing

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Reputation Ink works with a lot of clients on their social media posts. From drafting to advising, we are always happy to get social.

In our experience, a lot of law firms are weary of spending potentially billable hours on managing social accounts. How important is social media really when it comes to your law firm’s business?

Well, short story: Very.

Whether we like it or not, social media is a huge driver of communication. And new business.

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Mar

Meet the Legal Media: Angel Coker, The Birmingham Business Journal

March 4, 2020

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy , Public relations

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Name any major metropolitan area in the United States and it more than likely has a local edition of the American City Business Journals. Birmingham, Alabama is no exception. The Birmingham Business Journal keeps local entrepreneurs and professionals up to date on the trends and issues that affect their bottom line.

While not every Business Journal has a dedicated legal reporter, most have someone covering law firms as part of their beat. For the Birmingham Business Journal, that’s Angel Coker. She joined the publication two years ago. Before that, she was an editor at a small paper in Mississippi, and also worked at the Tuscaloosa News for three years.

We asked Angel about her beat, how she finds sources and story ideas and what she’s looking for when working with law firm marketing and PR folks.

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Feb

Meet the Legal Media: Rebekah Mintzer, Bloomberg Law

February 20, 2020

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy , Public relations

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Bloomberg Law is known for its coverage of the business of law, particularly Big Law. It has become a go-to source for information on the legal industry as a whole, as well as specific practices with newsletters published under the Bloomberg Industry Group banner.

Rebekah Mintzer is a Deputy Team Leader with Bloomberg Law. For our Meet the Legal Media series, we asked about how she finds sources and story ideas, her preferences for working with law firm PR professionals and what tips she might share for getting coverage.

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Jan

How law firm marketers can use client testimonials ethically

January 29, 2020

by: Michelle Calcote King in Law , Marketing strategy

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Referrals and relationships are the lifeblood of law firm marketing and business development. Thus, it makes sense that law firms request and promote client testimonials, endorsements and reviews. Instead of saying how great you are, let a client say it for you. What’s more powerful than that?