I’m proud to be returning to speak at the 29th Annual Las Vegas CLE Seminar.  This year, my presentation topic is “The Non-Linear Relationship of Value-Based Marketing.”  I’ll provide perspectives on value-based marketing.  During the presentation, I’ll illustrate a technique I developed to increase exposure on multiple social media and traditional media resources without significantly increasing the time required to do so.

In today’s environment, it’s important to utilize social media differently than what we may have done in the past.  It’s your message that matters most.  Where it shows up is a close second.  You’ll learn practical steps to increase your brand exposure, while maintaining brand positioning.

Are you looking for a way to step up your small business marketing?   You might consider HOW you convey information.  Let’s talk about it; literally.

Welcome to Episode 2 of The Business Case for Podcasting.  Today, we’ll focus on integrating a podcast into your social media marketing plan.

Rather than being disruptive, a podcast will augment your current social media activities.  The audio content from your episodes can function as stand-alone posts for Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media marketing channels.

You also have the option of extracting audio snippets to be used as posts or teasers, linking to other content assets.  Most of my clients are releasing 2 episodes per month.  That cadence blends well with existing posts, videos and other forms of messaging.

Integrating a podcast into your social media marketing campaign enables you to change the format of HOW you communicate.  As marketers, we understand different people respond to different cues.  Text-based, video-based and audio-based messaging provide a broader mix for your channels and the impact of those content-marketing efforts.  It may actually boost the engagement with and following of your brand.

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Marketing Lessons I Learned While Fishing

Growing up, I spent summers with my dad in southern Alabama.  He lived near a swamp formed by the backwaters of the Pea River, outside of New Brockton.  A few times a week, I would dig for worms and head off to catch a few bluegills or bass with a cane pole and Zebco 404.  My typical approach was to bait the hook, adjust the bobber, toss it in and wait, and wait some more.

A few years ago, I went on a fishing trip with my friend, Captain Brad.  We jumped in his boat, found the right spot and spent a few minutes chumming the water with baitfish.  Before you knew it, we were pulling in some large redfish off the Florida flats.

Both of the above techniques worked.  One simply had much better results and produced them more quickly.  This lesson applies to marketing your law practice.  At the risk of overdoing the metaphors, let’s consider a few tips you can use to grow your client base in 2016.

“Why Do Fisherman Chum?” is the title of my article published in the LBA’s Bar Briefs (Feb, page 20) and in the Fayette County Bar Association’ s Bar News.  The article uses fishing examples to help firms consider aspects related to marketing.

Testing the Water

If you’re new to marketing, fishing is a good example.  Most successful outings begin with testing the water.  You need to figure out where the fish are.  A typical fisherman will put multiple lines in the water so he/she can use different lures positioned at various depths.  Once the fish begin biting a certain lure, the fisherman will be able to adjust the other lines.

Law firms should put together plans to test the waters.  Blog posts, videos, articles, social media all provide valuable information in different formats to a target audience.  Certain clients will prefer specific formats or types of information.  You may find clients gather and consume information in a variety of ways.

If you only have one facet to your approach, you may not be presenting your “bait” in the most effective way.  I spent hours sweating on the banks of the swamp with my hook and bobber.

By implementing multiple marketing tools (e.g. website, blog, YouTube channel, social media campaign, etc.), you’ll be able to figure out what works best for your firm and client base.  Chumming the water will produce effective results as long as you’re using quality bait. Read more →