Professor David B. Wilkins, Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School, gave the opening keynote at the recent Legal Marketing Association, or LMA, International Conference, reminding us there are structural changes going on in law firms and the world that should be causing all of us to sit up and pay attention.

He is part of a group that conducted extensive research into corporate buying decisions when it comes to legal work. Here are a few thoughts he shared that might be worthy of your attention, along with my related takeaways for you to consider.

YOUR CLIENTS DON’T SHOP THE WAY THEY USED TO

He shared his observation that:

“Buyers are getting way more sophisticated in making their buying decisions. Gone are the days when we had to go to the record store to find the music we wanted. If it wasn’t there, we couldn’t get it. We would work very hard to find the ONE song we wanted.”

He went on to show the contrast in buyer behavior between then and now.

“Today, if we buy music AT ALL, we go to iTunes…we rent it from Pandora. We  create play lists. This is the new reality.”

In other words, we have choices, lots of choices. They are everywhere and they are easy to find. The same is true of your clients. They have choices, lots of choices. They are everywhere and they are easy to find.

Professor Wilkins talked more about how your potential clients shop for what you have to offer.

“The nature of competition has changed. When we can’t know the quality output, we look for the input. Where did they go to school? What have I heard about them and the service they provide?”

Read that last quote carefully. I’m a Marketing Strategist, so you must know I will pay attention to statements like that. My job is to look at the big picture to find out what all of the pieces are that fit together to help you grow and retain your business, so these are not words I take lightly.

1st Takeaway:

Commit to leaving enough physical and digital breadcrumbs in the paths of your potential clients so that, when they are in need of your services, they stumble upon your breadcrumbs. You need to make sure people understand what you do, how you do it and for whom you do it.

Your clients are going to conduct a great deal of research behind your back to either reinforce or weaken their assumptions about you, so you have a job to do.

I’m not saying throw yourself around out there in any old way. This is what strategic marketing is all about. You need to think about your clients’ and potential clients’ needs, then distribute knowledge, both yours and others, around in a way that will help build the case for someone to choose you.

It is not your client’s job to find you. It is your job to remind them you are there. Give them the input they seek.

YOUR COMPETITION HAS CHANGED

Professor Wilkins shared what his research showed about the changing nature of competition.

“Lawyers used to think about other lawyers being their competition. They are now competing with all kinds of other service providers. We have have a range of new competitors that we never had before. This is putting increasing pressure on law firms.”

He also talked about how we need to collaborate with people inside and outside of our firms to give our clients what they want or need.

“Products are now a function of many people that cross organizational boundaries to produce the output. The iPhone is what it is because of the apps, which aren’t even made by Apple.”

The crossing organizational boundaries concept isn’t necessarily anything new or revolutionary. We have been talking about client service teams since the 90s when I was in-house at Baker & Daniels, now Faegre Baker Daniels, and probably before. It bears repeating, though, as I continue to see absolutely no reason why your clients should have to seek counsel somewhere else when it exists within your own firm.

I know, I know, your compensation structure isn’t set up right so that you get the appropriate credit for originating the business you give to your colleagues. I’ve heard and read all that a thousand times.  Which leads me to my…

2nd Takeaway:

If you are an owner of your firm, or aspire to be one one day, or are even taking up physical space in your firm, then it’s important to act like it. Bring in the business you know your firm can handle because the second you let your client go somewhere else for legal advice when you know someone else in your firm can handle it is the second you hand them off to another firm, and that is not the mark of a good owner or caretaker of clients or law firms.

3rd Takeaway:

Spend some time thinking about unusual alliances that might help serve your clients. As with Professor Wilkins’ example of the iPhone being what it is because of apps they don’t even make, but which they make money from, what kind of alliances can you build with other service providers that makes good business sense for your clients? How can you make their lives easier by being their go-to provider for services that are complementary to yours?

WE MAKE MONEY THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY. WE RAISE OUR RATES.

Professor Wilkins reminded us that rate increases and leverage are how we used to make money in law firms. He also pointed out that these two things are never going to solely be able to be used to drive revenue in law firms again.

He shared the wisdom of Richard Susskind when it comes to clients’ changing needs:

“Clients are going to reduce their demand for hand-crafted, tailored solutions. That’s what lawyers were always good at doing…beautiful, intelligent, custom work. Clients are saying ‘You know what? Off the rack is good enough in many circumstances…not all…but in many.’ “

Professor Wilkins believes that even though clients are reducing their demand for the complicated work:

“They still need us.  The world is messy.  The world is more complex. Lawyers are good at that. Firms must find ways to provide this help, either internally or by partnering with other providers, while at the same time sourcing business from other markets, both geographic and substantive, in order to achieve revenue growth.”

4th Takeaway:

Continue to be good at the hand-crafted, tailored, messy, complex work that your clients might need, but also be open to creating some “off-the-rack” solutions or packages that your clients might have in mind.

How do you find out what they have in mind?

• Talk to them.
• Probe.
• Find out what your competition offers.
• Find out what’s on their minds.
• Find out what they already know and determine what they need to know.
• Let them know how you work, and what you have available.
• Find out what their expectations are.
• Don’t ask them once.
• Ask them regularly.

What are your takeaways from Professor Wilkins’ comments?

Do you agree?

Disagree?

The long-anticipated 2013 In-House Counsel Use of Social Media Survey conducted by Inside Counsel, Greentarget and Zeughauser Group was released today.

Relative to other forms of media and communication in law firms, Social Media use is still in its infancy, so legal business and marketing strategists, law firms, lawyers and legal marketers study information like this in hopes of finding a compass by which they can direct their social, digital, and integrated marketing strategies.

Although these surveys must be blended with an intelligent dose of customized marketing and social media strategy that is appropriate for each lawyer and firm, these surveys prove to be useful in staying in touch with how one target audience, in-house counsel, use Social Media.

In another blog post today, titled Summarized: The 2013 New Media Engagement Survey, I provided a quick overview of the survey. I recommend that you read the original survey results to glean additional insight, but my summary should help you get started.

Along with the articles and survey that were released, Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia interviewed John Corey, Founding Partner and CEO of PR Firm, Greentarget, about the survey.  I listened to the interview in addition to studying the results so that I can share what is memorable with you.

I have transcribed the interview below for those of you who prefer to read, but here is the actual interview. The transcription can be found below the video.

WHAT IS AN INVISIBLE USER?

Background:

Invisible user is a term that is used in this survey to mean those who listen and aren’t actively engaging in conversation in Social Media.

Lee Pacchia:

“This is the 3rd year for this survey.  Walk us through what invisible user means.”

John Corey:

“We termed ‘invisible user’ back in 2012 when we did our 2nd study. We were measuring how in-house counsel were becoming voracious consumers of content.  Well, we started to see they were going to blogs, often, to read content not to contribute to it, going to LinkedIn to build connections, to receive news and information, but not necessarily to initiate discussions.

It’s really about using the tools to consume information, and what we were finding is that, because of that, you cannot use consumer marketing metrics to this set of tools.  There’s a lot of people in legal marketing that want to try to apply old techniques to how you measure, but it’s not conversation. They’re not looking for dialogue. They’re not looking for discussion. They’re looking for good information.

If firms can produce that on the channels where they’re congregating, such as blogs and LinkedIn, then we’re finding that they’re going to be able to build a good following.

In our view, it’s all about converting online relationships to offline.”

HOW DO LAWYERS & LAW FIRMS ENGAGE?

Lee Pacchia:

“Once you know that the vast majority of in-house counsel aren’t really there to contribute to the conversation, they’re really just there to listen in a sense, how does a law firm, or a solo practitioner that’s trying to pitch them to get work take the knowledge gleaned from your survey to the final endpoint of actually getting a client that’s going to pay them?”

John Corey:

“It gets down to quality; producing good content; understanding where counsel are congregating online. We know that they’re on blogs. We know that LinkedIn comprises the greatest concentration of lawyers anywhere on the social web today.

They’re using it in multiple ways. They’re using it to connect with in-house colleagues.  They’re using it to connect with outside counsel with whom they work.  They’re using it to connect with outside counsel with whom they don’t work. They’re using it to get news and information. They’re connecting with business leaders. They’re using the tool in multiple ways, and it’s the most frequently used platform for professional reasons.”

WIKIPEDIA

Lee Pacchia:

“Wikipedia usage is up. Don’t tell me that in-house lawyers are using Wikipedia to do their work? They’re not looking up terms of art in Wikipedia that they’re supposed to know already, are they?”

John Corey:

“You know it’s interesting. The last couple of years, the Wikipedia issue has raised more questions. People are like ‘Really? Is Wikipedia really being used that frequently?’ We found that it’s among the most frequently used platforms for professional reasons, for personal reasons, and we’ve seen the last couple of years that’s it’s inching up on the credibility scale as well.

The way they’re using it is for research. Over the last couple of years, the majority were using it to research topics of personal interest. In the last year, we’ve seen a pretty significant jump in the percentage of counsel who are using it to conduct business and industry research. 50% were using it for business purposes in 2012, and we’ve seen that jump up to 65% in 2013.  It’s actually one of the biggest percentage leaps that we’ve seen in our 2013 data.”

THE USE OF VIDEO

Lee Pacchia:

“The report was interesting because of what we’re finding in the video sphere.  How are we doing?”

John Corey:

“On the video side, we asked  a very specific question on video., but a few of the lead-up questions were:

How often are you using video, just in general, to get professional content?

About 25% of counsel are going to Youtube and other video channels to get professional content. About 60% of counsel are going to Youtube and other channels to get video of a personal nature.

When it comes to law firms actually publishing video, either on their websites, or on their firm-branded YouTube channels, very few of them are actually getting traction with inside counsel.

Now, we don’t think many firms are doing it today, and many firms aren’t investing the time and the resources in the production types of technologies to be able to do it well.

We think there’s an opportunity.  We didn’t specifically ask ‘If law firms provided higher-quality content through video, would you come?’ but we think we can infer from the data that if firms start to move into this direction, then we think there will be an audience if it’s done well.”

IS THERE A GENERATIONAL DIVIDE?

Lee Pacchia then asked about the generational gap that is frequently discussed, asking:

“Are we going to be as willing and able to engage in social media as [our] younger peers.  I would think that at some point this begins to even out. I’m starting to see older and older people use Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter. What are you seeing in your study?”

John Corey:

“Going back to 2010, we saw a sharp generational divide. Now, take blogs aside.  Regardless of company size and age group, we saw that counsel were viewing blogs as reliable and credible sources. It was very even. but when we got into specific platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, we saw that counsel in their 30s, the young users, were very active on these platforms. As we got into subsequent age groups, counsel in their 40s, 50s and 60s, we started to see a pretty sharp decline in usage.

Fast-forward to 2012. It started to even out a little bit. Counsel in their 30s, their usage stabilized, but counsel in their 50s and 60s, the older group, started to substantially increase their usage.

…and now, in 2013, we’re starting to see older counsel taper off a little bit in how they’re using the tools.  There could be any number of things that are driving that. They’re in the latter stages of their careers, of course, so they’re not vying for that next promotion or that growth in income progression, for example, as their younger peers.

I think generationaly  it’s not as much a part of their DNA. We saw that there was a big jump last year, and now it’s just tapering off a little.  It’s not as low as it was in 2010, but I think it’s safe to say that younger lawyers are using the tools much more than older lawyers.”

Lee Pacchia:

“For a solo practitioner, or someone who’s at a law firm trying to get more work from in-house counsel, what’s the key takeaway? What’s do you tell them at the end of the day they need to focus on?”

WHAT NEXT…KEY TAKEAWAYS

John Corey:

“I’d have to break it down into a few points. LinkedIn remains the serious social platform. It comprises the greatest concentration of lawyers. 67% have used the platform professionally in the past week; 40% in the last 24 hours. If there were one tool that law firms were going to invest in it would have to be LinkedIn because there are more lawyers there than anywhere else.

Blogs also continue to be valuable owned media assets. They’re growing in influencing credibility, and when done well, and this is a key point, we’ve measured this for three years now, when blogs are well-executed, we have measured that in-house counsel feel that that they do have an influence on hiring decisions. We found this year that 53% of counsel agreed or somewhat agreed with that statement. 55% agreed with it in 2012, and 50% agreed with it in 2010, so it’s been a very steady, even view that there is a connection between high-quality content delivered through blogs and hiring decisions.”

[End interview]

As always, I am here should you need help with your Marketing and Social Media strategy, execution or meeting presentation needs, and can be reached here.

Those of us who care about all forms of marketing, networking and communication for lawyers anticipate surveys that study the use of Social Media, as well as all marketing tools, when it comes to lawyers’ clients.

They can help us wade through the possibilities that lie in front of us in terms of marketing strategy.

Today, the 2013 In-House Counsel new Media Engagement Survey conducted by Greentarget, Inside Counsel and Zeughauser Group was released. This is the third survey released by this partnership. The 1st was in 2010. The 2nd was in 2012.

I recommend studying the entire survey results, but have compiled what I hope is an easy-to-read, quick summary of the findings for you.

I have also posted and transcribed an interview with Greentarget CEO, John Corey, conducted by Bloomberg’s Lee Pacchia about the survey.

To begin, I’m pleased to see the number of in-house counsel taking part in the survey was 379, which was an all-time high. My files show me that number was 334 in 2012 and 164 in 2010.

QUICK QUOTES FROM THE PAST THREE YEARS

In 2013, quotes of interest from the survey are:

“Mark 2013 as the year it became hard to find lawyers not using new media tools.”

“The trend is irreversible.”

“In 2013, the lawyer who has his paralegal print his emails for him, gets all his news from the print edition of The New York Times, and thinks a blog is a smudge on his tie is part of a dying breed.”

In 2012, the survey showed that the move toward new media had advanced considerably.

Quotes of interest:

“The primary utility of social media – at least for this survey’s audience – is as an intelligent filter of useful information.”

“They [inside counsel] are relatively invisible users who increasingly consume content via these channels, but give little public indication that they are doing so.”

Back in 2010, a quote in the survey summary included:

“Change is more extensive than many pundits have appreciated to date.”

KEY FINDINGS

The report goes on to state that key findings were that:

• This year’s report offers ample evidence that social media tools have gone mainstream, providing strong insight to guide the marketing efforts of law firm marketers seeking to reach this important audience.
• Consumption of media “on the go” is increasing as large numbers of in-house counsel prefer to consume information on smartphones, tablets and mobile apps.
• Wikipedia is widely regarded as a legitimate professional tool for research and information.
• Blogs continue to serve as an important information resource with a strong impact on hiring decisions.

In the Executive Summary, titled A Tipping Point, the survey shows that some of the most popular new media are not being fully utilized, and that “pioneering” lawyers and law firms that create high-quality content that grabs attention on those channels have great opportunity in front of them.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. The Luddites Are Disappearing: The percentage of respondents not using new media tools has shrunk to 27% from 43% in 2010.
2. Mobile Consumption Is Rising: In-house counsel are consuming daily business media via smartphone (53%), tablets (39%) and mobile apps (23%).
3. Blogs Are A Preferred & Influential News Source: 55% indicate they read attorney-authored blogs, on par with blogs written by professional journalists at 54%. 53% envision hiring decisions being influenced by a well-executed blog.
4. Wikipedia Use Is Growing: The percentage using Wikipedia to conduct company & industry research is 65%, up from 51% in 2012.
5. The Serious Social Network Is LinkedIn. They are using Facebook for personal reasons [take this to heart], but 66% report using LinkedIn in the past week for professional reasons.
6. The Next Big Thing: Online Video? Although not frequently, 55% access video via law firm website & YouTube channels.
7. Invisible Users Are Growing: Those using social media in listen-only mode is 74%, up from 68% in 2012.
8. Peer-Driven Rankings Yield Little Influence: Referrals from trusted sources and online biographies are more important than rankings.
9. Is A Generational Divide Back Again? A divide that closed a bit in 2012 is back, mostly in the use of LinkedIn and blogs.

ANALYSIS

Regarding in-house counsel Social Media use, the survey summary shows:

• Only 27% said they didn’t use Social Media, meaning 73% do use it.
• They are using Facebook mainly for personal use.
• They are using work hours to research on Wikipedia and firm sites.
• They are using LinkedIn to strengthen professional contacts.
• They are reading industry news on blogs.
• They are quiet or invisible users of Social Media.
• A growing number of in-house counsel are consumers rather than contributors of professional content.
• They read blogs rather than write blogs.
• They read others’ LinkedIn posts more than they broadcast their own thoughts.
• They are finding social media sources, such as Wikipedia, LinkedIn and blogs, more credible & legitimate.
• They are turning to these sources with the same frequency as they turn to more traditional media outlets such as newspapers.
• They may conduct general case-related research on Wikipedia.
• They may keep up on industry news by reading legal or other niche blogs.
• Ages 40 and up are using Social Media more widely, but a generational gap does remain in terms of Social Media use, with younger lawyers using some sites much more frequently than their older colleagues.
• Older colleagues are still using Social Media weekly, and are keeping pace with, & sometimes getting ahead of, the younger generation.

For my visual readers, here is the infographic that showcases the survey’s key findings:

Stay tuned as I will be summarizing more data and interviews.

As always, I am here should you need help with your Social Media strategy, execution or presentation needs, and can be reached here.

Tweets about “#lma13″

I know LinkedIn has been avoiding getting all Facebookified, and didn’t want their mostly business-minded site to get all Twitterized, and certainly not all Google Plussy, but this is looooong overdue.

Beginning today, LinkedIn will begin rolling out the ability to “mention” other users in our updates. Hallelujah!

Some might find this obnoxious, and don’t look forward to their inboxes filling up with notices of people actually having conversations with them, but I find that a desirable feature because I’m actually interested in…well…conversations in these spaces. Conversations put the Social in Social Media.

It’s not active on my account, yet, thus confirming that I’m not one of the chosen few like my pup, Ernie, thinks I am, so I can’t give you my own screen shots.

Here is how it’s going to happen:

On your Home Page, when you type your update, you can begin to type someone’s name. You don’t even need an @ or a + or anything very fancy at all…just type, sort of the way it happens on Facebook….well, other than the times when it doesn’t work on Facebook, but that’s another story.

You will then see a drop-down list of 1st-degree connections whose names begin with those characters.  Just choose the one you want, and poof, there you go, they’re tagged, or mentioned!

After you have “mentioned” them, they will receive notification they have been mentioned on LinkedIn.

You can also tag those who are not 1st-degree connections IF you are in the comments section of another post, and if that potential connection has also commented there.  We see this on Facebook and Google+, too.

Here’s another feature LinkedIn has built in to mentions. If you have your Twitter account connected, it appears you can tag, or mention, one of your Twitter connections and your comment will appear in their Twitter feed. They show a screenshot (see below), but don’t talk about it, so I will have to research the ins and out of this a bit more and get back to you. It is reminiscent of Twitter mentions in blog-commenting plugins, such as Livefyre, which is what I use on this blog. When you tag a Twitter follower in your comment, it tells them so on Twitter.

Just for the record, I’m not a proponent of linking your LinkedIn account to Twitter, but we can discuss that another time if you’d like. Actual time on actual site leads to actual conversation…let’s just leave it at that for now.

This is a good step for LinkedIn as the ability to follow up with people in this manner was sorely missing. This should encourage more conversation and interaction, which is, as I mentioned above, what Social Media networking is all about. It will also enable better real-time conversation, thus reducing the amount of catching someone’s comment directed toward you not being seen until a few days later when you happen to run across it, if you do at all. This all breeds connection, and that’s positive.

For now, this is only active on your Home Page, but LinkedIn tells us to stay tuned as we should begin seeing it in other areas of the site. Let’s hope adding it to Groups is next.

I do understand this will be abused, and some might get sick of it, but you have to take this for a spin because we’re not all out here on LinkedIn because it’s our hobby, after all.

Well-played, LinkedIn. You might actually find a bit more activity on-site as a result of this. But you knew that, didn’t you, you crazy kid!

Now let’s see how long it takes them to add photo-sharing features…countdown….10, 9, 8, 7, 6…….

On behalf of my 4 wonderful Co-Leaders of the LMA, Legal Marketing Association, Social Media SIG, I have gathered a few of our thoughts about using Social Media at the #LMA13 conference, or any conference.

We know our members are very smart, social media-savvy professionals, but we thought we’d send along a few reminders just in case you need to share them with anyone along the way…you know, friends who might need a few reminders.

Here you go!

• Know that someone at your firm could be following you, maybe even your boss. Post accordingly.
• Try not to do something that will get you fired.
• Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see.
• Sometimes it’s okay to “just say no” when you’re tempted to post something controversial….really.
• Before posting anything online, ask yourself “When this gets out, will it cause me trouble?” If the answer is yes, or even “maybe,” don’t post it.
• Use the conference hashtags to make connections: #LMA13 overall & add #SocialSIG to photos
• Be careful what you post on Social Media “after hours,” if you know what we mean.
• Remember that anything you post online will live there forever, even if you delete it.
• Read this post from Peter Shankman.
• If you make mistakes, admit it and apologize immediately.
• Even though it’s tempting to scold presenters via Social Media, make sure it serves a purpose.
• Don’t be lured into an argument via social media. It’s never pretty.
• Be mindful of every piece of content you put out to the world. The moment you’re off your guard, you’re vulnerable. Some people love to pounce.
• Avoid complaining about your job on any public forum, particularly if your account is associated with your company in any way (i.e. you list yourself as working for XYZ firm on Facebook).
• Avoid discussing politics, sex, and religion. These are topics everyone has strong opinions about, and you might not know where you differ with your employer or your clients until it’s too late.
• Know your audience – are you connected to clients? Do you use Twitter as a more professional forum? It’s great to share personal information, but you want to be wary of sharing too much.
• Presenters, don’t share anything about your firms that you would be embarrassed to have your name attached to. The days of demanding people not Tweet in public places are quickly passing.

Because we care…no, really, we do!

Your Social Media SIG Co-Leaders,

Lance Godard, Gail Lamarche, Lindsay Griffiths, Laura Toledo and Nancy Myrland

What would you add?

If you’d like a little more light reading connected to the LMA conference:

#LMA13: It’s Almost Time!

Networking: Would You Rather Have A Root Canal?

LMA13 Attendees –  The Twitter Edition! by Lindsay Griffiths

Don’t Forget To Bring Your Passion To LMA’s Annual Conference by Heather Morse

The #LMA13 Annual Conference Pinterest Board

#LMA13: It’s Vegas Time. Let’s Get Social! by Laura Toledo

#LMA13 Show Us Your Conference Experience! by Laura Toledo

Because I’m getting ready to attend the LMA, Legal Marketing Association, Annual Conference next week, and presenting at the ALA, Association of Legal Administrators, conference the week after, I decided to share a few thoughts for those who would rather have a root canal, or maybe even 10 of them, instead of the pain of networking.

I understand there are people who aren’t wired like I am most days, which is that I look forward to making contact with people I pass in the hallway, in sessions, at networking events, in the exhibition hall, at dinner and just about everywhere else except my room when I’m ready to put my tired head down on the pillow after what is typically a 19-hour day at these events.

There’s nothing wrong with me, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with you if that’s not in your DNA. We are who we are, right?

What I do know is that there are a few simple steps I can suggest to help make you more comfortable. I’ve written about these before, but have brushed off the dust, and have updated them for you here.

YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO DO THIS ONE THING

If you aren’t feeling comfortable at an event where you see me, I want you, I invite you, I IMPLORE you to walk right up to me, and say something like this:

“Hi.  Are you that oddly-wired Nancy Myrland who wrote that blog post?”

After I get over the shock that someone actually read this blog post, I know I will do my best to help you feel comfortable, and will be happy to introduce you to whomever I am talking to at the time.

THEN IT’S TIME TO MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP

Now that we have that 1st encounter taken care of, the followup can be as simple as:

“This is my 1st conference.  I just wanted to say hi.”

Or:

“I just wanted to let you know that you look much older in person,” at which time I meet actually have to smack you!

Or, the simplest of greetings:

“Hi Nancy. I’m Bill. How are you?”

Of course, if your name isn’t Bill, I would suggest using your own name, but that’s just me.

I PROMISE I WILL DO THIS FOR YOU

Perhaps you’re okay with this:

“Hi Nancy.  I recently read your blog post about how to feel comfortable networking at this conference.  Can I really take you up on your offer to help me meet a few other people?”

It’s true. I will be happy to help you meet a few other people, and I know many others who would be happy to do the same thing.

(Ahem, “others,” please read my note to you below.)

Perhaps this is what you really want to say, and I’m okay with it if you do…no, really.

“Hi Nancy.  I think you’re kind of a goof, but I wanted to say hi anyhow.”

Although I’d prefer not to hear that last one, go ahead as maybe I can show you I’m not a goof at all.

MY COMMITMENT TO YOU

Trust me, I know all of the suggestions above are often easier said than done.  I also know that being an introvert, or feeling uncomfortable networking, which are not necessarily the same thing, are very real feelings.

But I also know that:

• I don’t bite.
• I’ve been a first-time attendee at a lot of events and conferences.
• I have my introverted, not-up-to-meeting-the-throngs-of-attendees moments.
• I will welcome you with open arms, which can sometimes even mean a big hug. (I don’t do small hugs.)
• I will do my best to help you meet at least one more person if you’d like.
• I’m a pretty normal person, and exceedingly boring on most days, so I welcome human interaction to brighten my day.

HEADS UP VETERAN CONFERENCE ATTENDEES…I NEED YOU!

I know there are LMA members who will join me in making this offer to anyone who wants to meet you, right?  You know who you are, and so do I! My LMA friends and acquaintances are some of the kindest people I know.  I often say they are angels in my life because of the support, both personal and professional, they have given me over the years.

Veterans, please feel free to comment below to help others meet you here and at the conference.

If you’re new to the conference, let us know below because we like to get to know new people too.

Starting with the first LMA conference I attended as an in-house legal marketer in 1998, these conferences have been a primary source of education, as well as personal and professional fulfillment. I hope they become valuable to you too.

I look forward to seeing, meeting and getting to know as many of you as possible!

I’M READY FOR YOU, OKAY? LET ME HELP. PLEASE TAKE ME UP ON THE OFFERS ABOVE.

In case you missed it, here’s another post dedicated to this year’s conference: #LMA13: It’s Almost Time!

Because I know you’ve been sitting around, waiting for yet another industry term to become familiar with, I thought I’d introduce you to one you might not have heard yet.

Social Echo

PR Newswire coined the term “Social Echo” to describe

“the powerful reverberation around brands that occurs through [the millions of] conversations in the social networks and communities where people gather today.”

In PR Newswire’s view,

“A brand’s Social Echo has enormous power to shape reputation, influence mass opinion and drive growth. Social Echo has equal – and perhaps even greater – power to stop a brand dead in its tracks.”

They go on to say that…

“Marketers and communicators who understand this are actively engaged in listening to their Social Echo and in finding ways to participate in the conversations that comprise their Social Echo. Importantly, they are also gleaning real-time insights to apply back to their brands in every area – customer care, product development, brand positioning and messaging, innovation and more.

Questions To Ask Yourself

Does my brand echo across Social Media?

Am I actively listening to what others in the echo say about us or in our practice areas?

Am I a one-shot wonder when it comes to promoting our people, practices and presence?

Do I understand what it takes to help our messages live on so others will hear and see them?

Am I taking our messages, dissecting them 20 different ways, and finding ways to communicate them effectively in all forms of media and messaging for the next year or two?

Never Before

Never before have we had the tools that are now available to help us take control of the messages we want to send. We no longer have to sit back and wait for reporters to pick up our release, include our firm names and tell our story for us. If they do, that’s now the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

We have the ability to talk about our people, create news, communicate accomplishments, highlight clients, take the lead and to be coordinated and complementary in our marketing and communication plans using our schedule, and that of our clients.

We also have the ability to listen and have conversations with people previously untouchable because they weren’t accessible.

How’s Your Echo?

Does your firm, your brand, really echo, or are you wondering why no one is hearing your messages, causing you to tap your proverbial microphone, asking “is anyone out there?”

They’re out there. Now you need to go about finding them, listening to them, talking with them, and working on a true Social Echo that will find its way to the eyes and ears of your intended audiences.

Gone are the days of only casual use for business. It’s time to get serious with these tools. It’s time to think strategically about their use and how they fit into your Social Echo.

Your thoughts?

(In honor of the official start of baseball season in this household [Cubs, yes, sigh], I had to pay homage to the sport by using this photo. I couldn’t find a Cub without paying for him, and John Myrland reminded me that some people pay too much for some baseball players, so I’ll leave that to them. Plus, I like the focus on this gentleman’s face.)

I Have A Question For You.

Do you ever get interrupted?

I’ll wait while you answer….

Wow, that was a resounding response from all of you!

I know, me too.

Another Question For You.

Do you ever interrupt?

You don’t have to answer that. I’ll fall on the sword for all of us on this one. Yes, even though I try hard not to, I have been known to interrupt.

It seems that in the midst of our overzealousness and excitement to share what we have to say, we don’t always wait for others to finish their thoughts.

I Know How It Happens.

Do any of these sound familiar? I study people….a lot…and have observed the following reasons:

• We have so many good thoughts to share with others that we just have to get them out.
• People just don’t talk as fast as we think, and it’s frustrating.
• We know something that will alter the course of the conversation, so we have to share.
• The other person is saying something incorrect, so we think it’s okay to stop them to correct.
• The other person is having a hard time getting the right words out, so we finish their sentence.
• We are in a hurry.
• We know we will forget what we have to say.

It’s easy to do, so I’m not suggesting anyone is a horrible person if they’ve ever interrupted. Remember, I admitted to doing it, too, and I don’t think I’m a particularly horrible person…at least I hope not.

This Is How It Comes Across To Others.

To put this in the proper perspective, I will suggest the following are ways you and I are causing others to think and feel when we interrupt.

• You aren’t listening.
• You have decided your agenda is more important than what I have to say.
• You are condescending.
• You are more important.
• I am not very smart.
• You really don’t intend for me to contribute to this thought process, do you?
• I am just a placeholder in this conversation for you.

Really? I’m making other people feel that way about themselves?

Let’s Try This.

This is important because effective communication is a large part of marketing, and of our lives.

• Let others finish their sentences, and their thoughts.
• If you have a thought to share, don’t let it consume your brain. Pay attention to what they are saying.
• React to their words before you share your next thought. Ask them a follow-up when it’s appropriate.
• Make eye contact the whole time they are talking.
• Be empathetic and sympathetic to what is being discussed.
• Wait for their last word to come out, especially when you can see they are thinking through their thoughts as they speak.
• Validate the other person by showing them their comments matter in your conversation.

What Else?

This isn’t confession time, so I’m not asking you to spill your guts about whether you interrupt or not. I would like to know how it makes you feel when others interrupt you, or why you have interrupted in the past. We all have a great deal to learn from one another as we go about polishing our communication skills, so let’s discuss.

I’m listening!

Oh ya…..Go Cubs!

It’s almost time.

There’s excitement, anticipation, nervousness and optimism in the air. You know what I’m talking about.

Friends old and new are about to gather in Las Vegas for the 2013 LMA International Annual Conference. Our Board of Directors, which I’m proud to be a part of, will be meeting for 2 days while 5 pre-conference sessions get underway.

As the conference begins, members get to see over 1000 colleagues for 2 days, which is never enough as we have 4 educational tracks, 22 sessions, over 102 speakers, 17 sponsors, a record 38 exhibitors, and a few networking events to choose from in a 61-story, 4000-room structure. All of this is planned by a dedicated 15-member Conference Advisory Committee, talented LMA staff and countless volunteers who are involved for the simple reason that they love their association. That makes me very proud.

Every day, our firms entrust their marketers, administrators and service providers with the important tasks of creating strategy, building business, developing and protecting their brand, being fiscal soldiers with firm assets, guiding the overall marketing and communications plan, helping lawyers create strategy, price their services, gather knowledge and intelligence, open new offices, guide firm mergers, protect and service clients, and being visionary.

It is fitting that firms have invested resources in sending these marketing strategists to a conference that reinforces these skills, led by an association that is the leading authority for legal marketing around the world, and which seeks to help its members and their firms excel at every turn.

Marketers, be very proud of yourselves for the jobs you do, and the skills and friendships you seek to develop via this conference. Your passion and intelligence continue to cause me to raise my bar every day.

Firms, be very proud of your decision to send your marketers and administrators to this conference. In order for these marketing professionals to help your and their legal professionals excel in your firms, they must continue to be exposed to increasing levels of education and dialect, which continues to be a large part of this annual meeting, and of all of LMA’s efforts.

I look forward to seeing each one of you there in a few days.

If you’d like to connect and say hello in advance, I always welcome comments below.

Here are a few more posts dedicated to this year’s conference, #LMA13:

Networking: Would You Rather Have A Root Canal? #LMA13

Keep In Mind: What Goes On In Social Media Ends Up In Social Media! #LMA13

A version of this post was originally published in the Legal Marketing Association’s (LMA) Midwest Chapter publication, In The Loop.

We’re nearing the end of Q1, and about this time we are all beginning to think one of three things:

1. We wrote our marketing and business development plans, but we’ve been too busy to concentrate on them. {{sigh}}
2. Yet another year has slipped by without creating the marketing and business development plans we intended to {{heavy sigh}}.
3. Yyyyes! We wrote our marketing and business development plans, and we are accomplishing every component of them, and that feels great!

Being a realist, I understand that your answers might fall anywhere in between all 3 of those, or that different attorneys, practice groups, industry or management teams might have different answers within the same firm.

If every attorney and business unit in your firm had marketing and business development plans, this would mean the most well-oiled, productive, focused, efficient, cooperative, supportive firm on the planet. Of course this would be wonderful, and we’d all like to practice law or work in such wonderful places. By the way, if this describes your firm, please let me know as I’d like to feature you on my show, video or in a blog post soon. Better yet, I think erecting a monument on your behalf would be in order!

Given that life, business and time often get in the way, we sometimes have to acknowledge that our planning process is not the way we’d like it to be. If that describes your situation, I’m here to tell you to hang in there, and keep the following in mind:

• Take What You Can Get. If you’re a legal marketer, this means that sometimes you have to accept the low-hanging fruit, which are those lawyers and teams that seem to accept the planning process gracefully and with a bit of passion. Work with these people, and help them shine. Your job is to make your internal and external clients look as good as you possibly can, so accept that premise, and focus on helping them build their practices through planning. If you are an attorney, this means you have to start where you are, not where you wish you were six months ago when the thought of a Business Development Plan first entered your mind.

• Forget The Calendar Year. The perfect initial planning process commences in the 3^rd quarter, and is completed by November, or early December at the latest, in order for your firms and attorneys to have everything in place, including the necessary budgets, to accomplish all that is set out in their plans. In today’s digital age, change is swift, so plans are revisited several times a year. If this is not happening at your firms, don’t worry about it! Try hard to get this time frame accepted in your firms, but if that’s not working, then work with the calendar that you have. I would much rather see a Marketing Plan created in March for the duration of the year than I would no Marketing Plan at all. {{hint, hint}}

• Pitch The Hierarchy. Back in my days in corporate America, the planning process would resemble this: the Corporate Business Plan fed our Division Plan, which then fed individual profit center plans. In law firms, this means that, ideally, our firms would first create overall Strategic Business Plans, then teams, whether those be practice, industry, client service or other, would create their plans, taking into account the goals the firm has set. After this, individuals, including all professionals (not just lawyers) and staff, would create their plans based on what the firm and teams have written, taking into account how their activity can help the firm and teams accomplish their goals. Do you see how it all feeds into the next, thus supporting the goals up and down, left and right, top to bottom, bottom to top? {{Ahhhh…now there’s that well-oiled machine I was talking about!}}

As wonderful as this would be, it doesn’t always happen. Again, you should strive for this polished process but, if you can’t get that to happen this or next year, forget about the hierarchy, and start wherever you find the least resistance. Incremental progress is still progress.

Everything Counts

Whether Marketing and Business Development Plans, or even Firm Strategic Plans, are one-page or twenty (heaven forbid), the most important aspect of implementation is forward motion. It is our tendency to become overwhelmed with the rest of our work, and to let plans sit on the shelf, whether they are digital or on paper.

Make It Simple

If you create plans that go into tactical detail, with dates and responsible parties, and identify items, tasks and movement necessary to accomplish each strategy, then you will have a plan that is much more manageable. It then becomes a simple, easy-to-follow To-Do list for all involved, including you or those you have chosen to help coach you and your attorneys through the execution and completion of your plans.

It Adds Up

Making contact with a current or potential client once a month for 12 months times 10 potential clients takes very little time, but creates a groundswell of contact that results in 120 touches a year. Multiply that by the number of attorneys in your firm, and you and your firm have just become a communications force to be reckoned with! Before you know it, you have put you and your firm squarely on the radar of those with whom you would like to do business.

Don’t Worry

If this year seems to be getting away from you, get back in there and advocate for the strategic, logical process we discussed above. If you are an attorney, ask for the help you need to get it done. If you are a legal marketer, go find those you know to be willing to work with you, today, and begin creating that change you know is important. At the end of this year, how do you think you will be valued if you have helped your attorneys create real Marketing Plans aimed at retention and growth?

Lasting Impact

Always remember that the creation of Marketing and Business Development Plans is not just a cumbersome activity to be marked off of your list of goals, but is a means to real, targeted growth that will have impact on your firms for many years to come. That’s meaningful business activity.

Remember. Everything counts.

Yesterday, one of my legal marketing colleagues, Kevin O’Keefe, owner of LexBlog, wrote about Sree Sreenivasan, pronounced ”sree sree-knee-VAH-sun,” a Professor at Columbia University, who is also the school’s first Chief Digital Officer.

Sree conducted a three-hour live (yes, live, I know…gasp!) advanced workshop for journalists, bloggers and media professionals in Seattle last week. Kevin and several of his LexBlog team members attended.

Kevin wrote that he learned a great deal about the attributes necessary for effective Social Networking from Professor Sree.

Professor Sree suggested the following characteristics:

• Helpful
• Useful
• Timely
• Informative
• Relevant
• Practical
• Actionable
• Generous
• Credible
• Brief
• Entertaining
• Fun
• Occasionally funny

As Kevin said:

“I see no reason these attributes cannot be included in your contributions as a lawyer.”

My comment on Kevin’s post was:

“Amen!  Around here, when we see someone who is self-absorbed, or does something that appears to be all about him/her, we teasingly draw an imaginary ring above our head (picture a halo), and we mouth ‘It’s all about me.’”

I continued:

“That’s exactly what Social Networking and Social Marketing are not. They are a little bit about you, and A LOT about everyone else, and how you can help them by displaying the attributes mentioned above.”

As I like to share with my clients:

“Absolutely anyone, anywhere at any time can be a talking head on Social Media. That takes no skill or talent. But to be able to truly engage another person…now that is what will make you stand out among the rest.”

I see these attributes as gifts you can give others. When others embody these characteristics, they have given us the gift of themselves. We like that. We like them, and we want more of them.

What about you?

Do you stand out?

Do you practice Professor Sree’s characteristics?

Do you know others who you think embody these attributes?

I’d like to know what you think.

Thanks to Kevin and Professor Sree for inspiring today’s post.

Who among us wouldn’t love to find a marketing tool that would cause our phone to ring with…

• Lots of clients
• The right clients in the areas we serve
• Those who know how to pay their bills
• Those who LOVE us, I mean REALLY love us
• Media who want to write about all the wonderful things we do
• People who want to refer profitable business to us
• Conference organizers who want to pay us huge sums of money to speak
• Colleagues who want to cross-sell our services to their clients

Well, sure, I’d love it! Wouldn’t you?

I’d love for my only problems to be…

• Finding enough time to answer the phone
• Meeting with people
• Performing the work they need to the best of my abilities

Wouldn’t life be grand?

When it comes to Social Media, many have the expectations I outlined above. They want them to produce results pronto, and for life to be much easier as a result of  just signing on in these spaces.

I used to inhabit the direct-response marketing and promotional world at Time Warner. We used lots of  direct response “quick fixes” for every promotion. I can tell you that, for the most part, Social Media aren’t that.

I was being facetious when I titled this “If You’re Looking For A Quick Fix, Move Along.”  I don’t really want you to move along. I want you to readjust your expectations when it comes to the fine skill of relationship marketing.

I want you to…

• Have an idea what you want to do in these spaces
• Know who you want to do it with
• Take the time to go through the stages of social media networking
• Understand how these Social Media, these tools, integrate with your existing practice
• and last but not least, I want you to remember that this takes time

Yes, I know most of us were born in an era of instant gratification, of disposable everything (including relationships), of little patience when it comes to staying the course until we get what we want, and of being so plugged in 24 hours a day that we find it difficult to find time to eat a healthy meal much less build relationships. I get that.

I’m sorry. There are no two ways around it. If you want to build a network of people who know, like and trust you, which is important in the legal profession, and who might want to do business with you one of these days, then you’re just going to have to put in the time to make it happen.

Do you agree?

As always, I can be contacted at nancy@myrlandmarketing.com.

The Florida Bar Association continues to encroach on lawyers’ digital real estate.

The Florida Supreme Court just released new advertising rules for Florida lawyers, as well as those who practice law in the State of Florida.

The advertising rules were revisited in an attempt to make them easier to understand, and to clarify what some of them mean.

There are many changes, and many who have written about them, but I want to discuss 1 of them with you today because it is an odd, and not necessarily clear, change.

1) Regarding The Use of Social Media: Rule 4-7.11, Application of Rules, we are told that, regarding Type of Media:

“Unless otherwise indicated, this subchapter applies to all forms of communication in any print or electronic forum, including but not limited to newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers, television, radio, direct mail, electronic mail, and Internet, including banners, pop-ups, websites, social networking, and video sharing media.”

If we then look to Rule 4-7.12 Required Content, we find out what must be included in all updates on Social Media:

(a) Name and Office Location. All advertisements for legal employment must include:

1. the name of at least 1 lawyer, the law firm, the lawyer referral service if the advertisement is for the lawyer referral service, or the lawyer directory if the advertisement is for the lawyer directory, responsible for the content of the advertisement; and
2. the city, town, or county of 1 or more bona fide office locations of the lawyer who will perform the services advertised.

What?

This made me wonder what in heaven’s name are lawyers and law firms supposed to do when it comes to Twitter? As you all know, we only have 140 characters with which to communicate, so our real estate there is extremely valuable.

Pretending I’m a lawyer, which I’m not (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night), would all of my Tweets have to include the following, thus eating up 44 characters, not to mention a (shortened) URL I might add if I was referring to a post?

• Nancy Myrland
• Myrland Marketing
• Indianapolis

I decided to call the Florida Bar’s helpful hotline to clarify. I was forwarded to Jeff Hazen, a Staff Attorney for the Florida Bar Association.

Jeff confirmed that we are to include the name of the lawyer OR the law firm, as well as the geographic location.  I told him I thought this was taking the Rules backward, and were more restrictive than before. He politely listened as I told him this rule almost defeats the purpose of Tweeting, and perhaps that was their intent.

As I see it, we take care of the attorney name by making sure we use our name as our Twitter handle, right? Jeff said that yes, this made sense. Thus, @NancyMyrland would already be in my Tweet.

There…we’ve taken care of that one, right?

Next, I told him it sounds like I would be in compliance if I Tweeted:

“Holding a webinar on (the sanity of) the Florida Bar advertising rules just released, bit.ly/pretendURL, Indianapolis”

…and asked him if that would suffice.

He told me that no, that wouldn’t work because it was not clearly understood what “Indianapolis” meant, and that it would have to have an identifier such as :

“Office: Indianapolis”

Well, that sure makes it much clearer to you, the reader, if you see that hanging off the end of my Tweet, right?

You don’t have to answer that.

These rules go into effect May 1, 2013, so we have between now and then to begin modifying our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, Vine, FourSquare, Tout, blog posts or any other Social Networking updates in order to comply with the now-clear-as-can-be Florida Advertising Rules.

There is good news about client testimonials, but I’ll deal with that next time, okay?

Your thoughts?

Do you practice law in Florida?

How do you plan on changing your current Social Networking and Content Marketing practices?

I’d love to know what you think of this.

My online friend, Bill Dorman, published a post today asking what we would change if we could turn back the clock to start in this world of Social Media today.

He writes often about the big kids of Social Media, those who are perceived to be important, the ones who are always tapped to speak at national and international conferences on the subject of Social Media, and those who some observers feel the need to be connected to in order to somehow feel worthy.

I wouldn’t change much at all about how I’ve used these tools. I have loved my journey, and needed every inch of it to become more informed about how my clients can integrate these tools into their existing marketing and business development strategies.

I think some became frustrated, or maybe disillusioned, because they came to “the dance” by themselves, not knowing what they wanted to do once they got here.

They didn’t necessarily view Social Media as more tools to plug into “the plan,” even if one of the goals in that plan was pure networking in their field. They just knew they liked to dance.

I get that.

I like “the dance,” too.

It’s fun spending time on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, this Myrland Marketing Minutes blog, Tout, Instagram, Pinterest, SoundCloud and FourSquare, just to name a few.

I have made many friends that I know I will call friends for a long time.

What becomes important is to figure out how this activity fits into your business life. If you sell widgets to wombats, then, by golly, connect with all the widgety wombats and related parties you can in order to get to know, learn from and help them.

Along the way, you’ll meet lots of non-wombats who will be an absolute joy to meet, or at least pique your curiosity, and you will find that you like to spend time interacting with them, too. There’s nothing wrong with adding them to the mix as long as you continue to work on your widget connections, too, and don’t get so distracted that you neglect the business case for being in Social.

The bonus is finding out we can learn a great deal by listening to these non-wombatty people, too…you know…getting outside of our comfortable surroundings long enough to see how others do things.

My dear friend, Heather Morse, writes about that here in a post titled I Broke Out Of Legal Marketing and It Feels GREAT! It’s amazing to discover that people outside of our profession have been doing what we’ve doing for a very long time, and might actually have some valuable insight that we can apply to our own marketing efforts…{wink, wink}.

In Bill’s comments section, I shared that this is all still pretty new in the grand scheme of life and marketing, so people are still figuring out how they want to use these tools. If playing in the sandboxes of “the big kids” of Social Media is a goal that supports your business, then go for it. It’s when we make that a goal because we feel we aren’t worthy unless we are “in their league” (whatever that means) that we become hamsters on a wheel that never stops spinning, and that doesn’t feel very productive to me.

If you have a minute, I’d love to know how you would turn back the clock on your use of Social Media. Let me know how you think your “dance” is going down there in the comments section….thanks!

THE NUMBERS ARE TELLING

Regardless of which Marketing and Social Networking sites we use, we can learn something from the following numbers.

• Instagram has 90 million monthly active users
• 40 million photos are uploaded per day
• 8500 likes per second
• 1000 comments per second

Instagram launched in October, 2010, and had 14 million users one year later.  They now have 90 million 1.25 years later.

Human beings like photos, don’t they?

WHY?

• Photos help show other sides of us.
• Photos help build those “know, like and trust” factors we all talk about everyday.
• Photos bring words to life by evoking thoughts, emotion or relativity
• Photos help some find words to say when conversation doesn’t come easy.

10 WAYS YOU CAN BEGIN SHARING PHOTOS

• Pro bono and other community activity
• Conferences your partners and administrators attend
• Your clients speaking
• Your new associates
• Your employees working on a project
• Your primary receptionists so people know who the person is on the other end of the call
• Powerpoint slides of individual client service guidelines and promises
• Your valued alumni group members
• News conferences others hold that have to do with your primary practice and industry groups
• Take your child to work days (see photo above…they photograph you!)

10 PLACES YOU CAN SHARE PHOTOS

• Every blog post ( and I do mean every)
• Twitter
• Facebook Pages
• Facebook Profiles
• Google+
• Website
• Flickr
  
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn
• Reception Area
  

This isn’t an exhaustive list. What would you add?

How often do your firms share photos of your people and activity?

What could your firms share to make you more visual to your clients and target audiences?

Where could you share it?

Thanks to Social Fresh for the Instagram numbers.

A Little History

We are all aware of the term “fiscal cliff” these days because of the tax and spend cuts and increases that have loomed large over Washington, DC, and the rest of the United States the past several months.

I won’t bore you by rehashing all of the details because you can find 717 million results if you Google the term…seriously…I’m not kidding. Now don’t go checking that number until you’re finished reading this!

Suffice to say that Congress had a portion of our fiscal lives in their hands by making decisions that would either avert or jump over the fiscal cliff on our behalf. The use of the word cliff implied danger if we crossed the line.

Events and decisions had to happen by specific dates or there could be problems. Keep that in mind as we’ll revisit it in a minute.

Was that a vague-enough explanation of the fiscal cliff for you? Good, because I don’t do politics on this blog other than when I wrote I Like The Noise of Democracy.

Now, back to our regularly-scheduled cliff

A moment ago, it struck me how similar this is to the planning process we all know we need to go through in our firms.

You regularly hear people like me, marketing and business strategists, hammer home the need to have marketing and business plans, which some call Action Plans to make them less intimidating to you.

Your reaction when I talk about the need to plan might include one or more of these thoughts:

1. “Yes, we already do that!”
2. “Doggonit, NO, I don’t create a plan, so leave me alone!”
3. “Hmm…I’d kind of like to have a plan, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”
4. “Yes, a plan is good business, but we can’t afford to create one.”
5. “We’re too small. We don’t need a plan.”
6. “Well, it’s too late to create a plan now. I’m going to wait until next year. We’ll do it right next year, I promise!”

If you relate to #1, congratulations! You need to let me know who you are so we can do a little work on #2′s attitude, okay?

If you resemble 3 through 6, let’s talk for a minute, shall we?

You are about ready to fall off the Marketing Cliff if you aren’t very careful.

What Is The Marketing Cliff?

In a Facebook discussion the other day, a colleague of  mine replied to one of my updates…

“Shouldn’t Marketing Plans have been written by November at the latest?”

My response to her was…

“Well, absolutely, but I think we all know that doesn’t always happen, if it happens at all.  I say it’s never too late when I can convince someone to develop a plan.”

Here’s where the marketing cliff comes in. If you haven’t written this year’s Marketing Plan yet, you are likely on the verge of thinking that…

• You’ve missed the opportunity
• It’s almost too late
• You’re now too busy and distracted to sit down long enough to think about a plan
• You’ll start early, and prepare next year’s plan starting in the 3rd quarter

It becomes easier in your mind to avoid the focus, strategy and investment of time needed to prepare yourself for the rest of the year by letting it slide now. The year has already started, so you don’t have to worry about making mistakes, looking silly, not knowing how to prepare a plan, the potential of failing if you don’t achieve what you commit to in the plan, and any of a number of other excuses you might be telling yourself.

Stop doing that to yourself. Don’t give yourself any more excuses to step off that cliff, which then gives you the excuse to go unprepared again this year. Your business is too important, and so is your time.

So what if you haven’t done it yet? Forget about that. Stop beating yourself up.

Get focused!

You want to talk about making a decision that will have an impact on your fiscal life?

This one’s in your hands this time.

Step away from the cliff.

Thanks to ZenPixel for the dramatic cliff photo.

Times of tragedy seem to bring about the best, the worst and the oddest behavior.

The past few years have brought us some of the most powerful communication tools of our times. We thought we had mass communication down pat until Social Media came on the scene. We were humming along, very carefully plotting out messages that we would then place in…

• Print
• Radio
• TV
• Outdoor
• On telelemarketers’ scripts
• In salespeoples’ heads
• …and a myriad of other places.

We knew exactly when these messages would run, what people were likely doing, watching or listening to when our message was presented, and all was good.

ENTER SOCIAL MEDIA

The world, thankfully, has never been the same. I grew up in sales and marketing learning about the media mentioned above, but I find the addition of Social Media to our marketing mix exhilarating, interesting, life-changing, freeing and effective…..when used correctly, that is. I study it constantly, and I see it used in many different ways.

Regardless of all the different ways Social Media are used today, this is nothing compared to what we will see in the future as our minds adapt and bend even more to innovate and advance communication.

Recent national tragedies have made me think about this “art” of thinking and communicating effectively in times of crisis, and how we, as marketers, business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, executives, leaders of education and all communicators must be vigilant when it comes to crises…..even others’ crises.

Even though it isn’t your tragedy, event, mishap or crisis that has suddenly taken the spotlight, it doesn’t mean it isn’t your responsibility to be prepared. We can no longer take a pass on being aware of how we should operate in others’ situations as well as our own. Whether we plan for it to, or not, all of our actions have the potential to become intertwined.

WHAT TO DO?

Among other things…

• We need to have conversations with ourselves, with everyone in our organization and with those who represent us regarding how we will, or will not, react in times of heightened emotion and awareness.
• With every situation that is attracting a great deal of attention or emotion, both internally and externally, we must sit down immediately, either in-person or virtually, with all parties responsible for communicating, and ask ourselves if there are implications for our business.
• We must then decide what our tone, our conversations and our messages will look and sound like.
• What is acceptable?
• What language do we stay away from?
• Who do we need to communicate with immediately?
• How often do we need to communicate with each party?
• Does our product or service have anything to do with this situation?
• Should we refrain from connecting our company, product or service to this situation?
• What are all the possible ways we could find ourselves connected to this situaion in the next few days, weeks and months?

THREE VERY DIFFERENT EXAMPLES

1) Saturday, as I was running errands, I heard a commercial for a radio station that used a tongue-in-cheek reference to making sure you tune in for all of the up-to-the-minute, end-of-the-world news you need as we approach the Mayan End of the World. The words annihilation of the human race were also used in this brief 60-second commercial.

At any other time, I might have listened with amusement, then dismissed the message. Saturday was different. It struck me that those words might be a bit raw to some listeners only two days after a national tragedy that took the lives of many human beings, most of them children. Knowing the owner of the station, and knowing these messages are prepared and scheduled well in advance of the day, I sent him a quick email, letting him know I had just heard this message, and giving him the heads up there might be people out there who might find that message a bit inappropriate for the time. I didn’t want it to come back to haunt him when they meant no harm. As is his style, he kindly replied before the end of the day, thanking me for my email, then passed it along to his station managers to discuss.

2) The other day, the well-known shoe manufacturer, Dansko Footwear, decided to place a rather odd message, connecting their footwear to the shooting tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut. There were people who thought it was inappropriate for them to use this tragedy to advance their brand, and the Interweb erupted with discussion. More about that on Techolu.

3) In 2011, during the Egyptian uprising, while scores of Egyptians were being murdered in their streets, the iconic brand, Kenneth Cole, decided to connect itself to that tragedy by promoting its upcoming line of Spring clothing.  Kenneth Cole himself Tweeted this controversial message. I wrote more about that in this post about Kenneth Cole.

BOTTOM LINE

Think!

Think before tragedies and incidents occur.

Anticipate all the what-ifs.

Ask yourself what all the potential implications of your message are, and decide if it’s worth it.

Get the right people in the right positions who know how to think critically and strategically, not just opportunistically.

If you’d like to read more about this topic, I wrote another post for your review:

Social Media: Are You Prepared For Negative Publicity?

As always, if you need my help with Social Media and Marketing training, coaching and strategy, I can be contacted at nancy@myrlandmarketing.com, or any of these places.

I’m in the midst of researching and gathering posts that deal with predictions for 2013 in all areas of marketing and communication. As you might guess, the ones that are written about the most have to do with digital and social media.

I’ll curate and publish this ever-growing list of predictions for you in the days to come, but today we will talk about the need for exploration, and how you might want to think about it as it pertains to your job.

Changes in digital communication are rapid and abundant, so it makes sense that those of us who write about impending changes in marketing focus on digital media, and the social networking that takes place within these media.

As Olof Schybergson, Co-Founder and CEO of Fjord, a global service design consultancy that works with top clients including BBC, Citibank, ESPN, Flickr, Foursquare, Nokia, and Qualcomm wrote in his article on Fast Company today…

“The constant presence of “new” in our work feeds our curiosity, and makes exploration a necessity.”

Indeed, Olof!

Because there are numerous daily changes in these spaces, to sit back for very long means we miss discovering amazing advancements, progress, warnings, nuances, challenges, new approaches and connections that help us do our jobs better. They help us do our jobs better because we stay informed, connected and in touch with how we might better serve our clients.

This isn’t to say that every one of you has the time to take a deep dive into Social every day of your life. That’s not realistic. You have your own practice areas of expertise that you have to stay on top of, to explore and to strive to perfect so you can best take care of your clients.

Exploration is a necessity.

I take the time, which is NEVER enough for what I want to explore, because it is my responsibility to help my clients stay in touch with marketing, strategy and implementation, and because I love doing so. Exploring these spaces comes easy to me because I have a natural desire to learn, to serve and to connect, which is easier these days because of Social Media.

Exploration is a necessity.

That is no different than what you have chosen to do for a living. Hopefully, you have a hunger to constantly explore your area of expertise because you love it, and because you know you can better serve your clients if you do so. They look to you to become their experts, their guides, their counselors and, sometimes, their conscience when it comes to making wise decisions.

Exploration is a necessity.

To break the cycle of exploration, or your desire to learn as much as you are able, whether in Social and Digital, or in any other space, is doing a disservice to your clients. It is also shortchanging you because you aren’t growing, and that typically doesn’t make people feel good for very long.

If you don’t have time to explore, ask for help. That is still exploring. When I have an area I need to learn, or perhaps isn’t at the core of what I do, I often go about tapping into other resources to get up to speed. That’s still exploring.

So, yes, to take Olof’s quote even further, the world around us doesn’t stop.

Our clients’ needs don’t stop.

…and he’s right:

“The constant presence of “new” in our work feeds our curiosity, and makes exploration a necessity.”

Don’t ever stop exploring, okay?

Don’t become complacent, or overwhelmed to the point of advancement-paralysis.

I don’t plan to, and I hope you don’t, either.

Myrland Marketing Moments are short, direct, to-the-point Marketing words of advice that only take a “Moment” to read.

For more on LinkedIn Skills’ Endorsements, you might find these two posts informative:

LinkedIn Skills’ Endorsements: What’s Going On? and

LinkedIn Skills’ Endorsements – Part 2: Take Control of Your Skills

The hearts, souls, ears, constitution and minds of many must be tired this election season.

The campaigns and rhetoric have been many things, including:

• Long
• Arduous
• Combative
• Informative
• Offensive
• Defensive
• Ugly
• Attractive
• Admirable
• Intellectual
• Mind-numbing
• Embarrassing
• Enlightening
• …and so much more, often depending on which side of the aisle one sits, if not directly on the uncomfortable spires of the fence in the middle

James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States of America, (1791-1868), is quoted as saying:

“I like the noise of democracy.”

This was, obviously, a man made for the office, passionate for the “noise” that comes along with the duties of fighting for one’s position to lead the people, and prepared for the sounds from those people in return.

Even though one is made for this, thrives on it and finds it his/her duty and passion to lead in this beautiful democracy of ours, I can only imagine that it must be a tiring proposition to find a way to stand out, to sell oneself in a unique manner, and to keep up the facade of being energetic, unstoppable and unflappable.

As citizens, we have the right to vote. It is an honor and a privilege to have a voice that, collectively, helps decide the direction our nation, and its people, will travel for generations to come.

With that right comes an obligation, or a duty. If we are to embrace this process, and to have an impact, then we owe it to ourselves, and to our fellow citizens, to go in to the process with our eyes open and our minds informed.

If we are going to vote having done no research about our options, and listened and observed for no more than two minutes prior to entering the voting booth, then we are insulting the process, and doing our country a great disservice.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32^nd President of the United States, (1882 – 1945), said:

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”

Is this any different than races outside of politics?  I think not.

If our expectation is that our clients make informed decisions about their choices, and use the various forms of knowledge, observation and rhetoric that we  make available to them today, why, then, should our process of discovery be any less informed?

It is our duty to be informed, and to take advantage of one of the most precious freedoms we have been given.

It is inevitable that, as with any contest, whether election, client presentation or otherwise, some will win and some will not.  As President Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States, (1874-1964), said:

“You will expect me to discuss the late election. Well, as nearly as I can learn, we did not have enough votes on our side.”

Although obvious, and a bit in jest, this is the truth that we live.

Some will win, and some will lose. What remains important is that we have run a good race, full of honor and integrity, and one that allows us to sleep at night without questioning our morals.

So, yes, let us find a way to appreciate the noise of democracy, and to make the most productive use of it by accepting that gift which has been bestowed upon us by generations of noble and honest men and women, and that is to vote, to express our choices, and to safeguard our democracy in the process.

The photo of our our beautiful American flag is courtesy of the talented photographer, Tony Lafferty. Thanks Tony…I enjoyed our brief conversation today!

It looks like our favorite…

…Twitter, might be in the midst of making a little change to your Favorite button.

I wrote about a few other changes Twitter recently made that really irritated some people, but this latest one is pretty minor in my book.

As you know, when you want to archive a Tweet for any reason, you can click Favorite, and it will be saved in, you guessed it, your Favorites list so you can go back at any time and see it. Others can view your Favorites also, a feature I wish would be made optional by user.

A bit of Social Media feature convergence appears to be happening as Twitter is testing the replacement of the Favorite button with a star and the word “Like” as you can see here.

There are only a few people that have it today as it appears they are just testing it. If they decide they “like” it, I would imagine we will see it rolled out to everyone soon.

Questions for you:

1. How do you use your Favorite button?
2. Will this make any difference to you?
3. Will you Like it better this way?

THERE’S SOME CONCERN OUT THERE

After writing my 1st post about LinkedIn’s New Skills’ Endorsements, a frustrated connection in one of my LinkedIn groups asked why skills that have nothing to do with her skills are being added and endorsed by her connections.

She felt these skills were at odds with her expertise, and wanted to know why it’s happening.

First, LinkedIn offers others suggested skills to endorse based on those skills you have already added to your Profile, and also those they are extrapolating based on the remaining content of your profile.  They’re trying to be relevant, but they’re not hitting the mark in some cases.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR SKILLS

My recommendation to her and you is to take control of your skills.  If we want LinkedIn to make reasonable and logical recommendations to others to endorse skills we actually have, then go in and add them to your Profile so LinkedIn has these skills from which to choose.

Log on to your LinkedIn Profile.

Go to your Skills and Expertise section, and click on the “+ Add a skill” link over to the right.

You can now begin adding the skills you have, or that you want others to know you offer. As you can see below, you can now begin adding your skills or expertise.

As you begin to type, LinkedIn will offer you variations on the terms you use for skills when you start typing one. If one or more make sense, go ahead and use their suggestions. If they don’t make sense, keep typing your own, then add them.

You are allowed to add up to 50, so spend a little time thinking about what you do. Keep it focused to your practice, the skills and benefits you offer, and what might resonate with your target audiences based on the terminology they commonly use.

I KNOW THIS IS TOUGH FOR SOME

I know identifying your own skills makes some of you uncomfortable. Many of us were trained at an early age to be humble, and not to brag. This, however, is not the time to make people guess what it is you do for a living, or where your expertise lies.

You are in practice, or business, to help others in some way and, as a result, to make a living. You need to try to get past the feeling you are bragging when you describe your skills to others. Doing it in written form is the least assertive way to do this, so take advantage of the tools and spaces that allow others to understand what you might be able to do for them.

THESE TOOLS AREN’T GOING AWAY

Even if you don’t care for this feature, I don’t believe it is going away any time soon, so it is best to maximize its potential.

BOTTOM LINE

These tools are there to help you and others, and to encourage traffic and activity on LinkedIn.

They aren’t perfect, but they are now a part of the Profile.

Use them, but take control of them as much as possible, okay?

Take a few minutes right now, and go add your skills to your profile.

If others suggest skills that you don’t care for, don’t approve them.

Help LinkedIn show others the skills you want to be showcased.

Let me know how it goes, okay?

LINKEDIN HAS BEEN VERY BUSY THIS WEEK

They just rolled out a new feature called Skills Endorsements that allows your 1st degree connections to “endorse” your skills and expertise with one click. It is an interesting feature as it allows the credibility that can come from others speaking up on your behalf.

Some might say it is a bit Klout-like in allowing others to say they think you’re good at one or more of your skills. These are skills that you have previously added to your Profile (more about that later in this post). This allows others to say they, too, think you have these skills.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK

Someone decides to endorse my skills in a particular area I have listed. Again, these are skills I have already chosen to add to my LinkedIn profile. If you haven’t done so, you should as they are all searchable by people who might be interested in those skills, not to mention it’s okay to help people know what you do for a living.

YOU’RE SUDDENLY GETTING ENDORSEMENT EMAILS FROM LINKEDIN

When someone endorses my skills, LinkedIn then sends me an email to let me know someone, or some people, have endorsed my skills.

Here’s an example of that email:

I then click Continue in my email to see what’s going on. I am taken to my Profile on LinkedIn, where I might see a blue box above my Profile that suggests others I can endorse, four at a time. I can choose to follow LinkedIn’s suggestions to endorse any or all of these four connections, and/or ask to see more as you can see in the bottom right corner of the blue box.

When your connections choose to endorse your skills, it then adds their very small avatar next to those skills in the Skills and Expertise section of your profile.

This is what that that looks like:

HOW DO I ENDORSE SOMEONE?

If you would like to endorse someone, but don’t see the aforementioned blue box at the top of your profile, you can scroll down to the Skills & Expertise section of your 1st degree connections, where you will be able to click on that skill, or click the + symbol next to the skill.

When you endorse others’ skills, your name and picture will then appear next to the skill on that person’s profile, and an update regarding the endorsement will appear in your network update stream, as well as the update stream of the connection you have endorsed.

As we discussed at the top of this post, an email will also be sent to the person you’ve endorsed.

One’s most endorsed skills will move to the top of their Skills & Expertise section.

Another way to endorse a connection’s skills is to go to their profile, where you may see a box above their photo that asks you if this person is skilled in particular areas. The skills listed in this box allow you to suggest and endorse multiple skills your connection hasn’t necessarily added to their profile. Suggested skills that you choose won’t appear on your connection’s profile until they approve them.

Here is what that section on your connection’s profile looks like:

TO HIDE OR REMOVE AN ENDORSEMENT

If you don’t want someone’s endorsement of your skills to show, you can hide it. Be careful when hiding someone’s endorsement of your skills because LinkedIn has not yet enabled us to unhide someone’s endorsement of us. When looking at your Skills & Expertise section, you will notice a small gray arrow below the avatars of a particular skill:

When you click on the gray arrow, a box pops up that allows you to then hide specific endorsements. Click on Hide Endorsement, then close the box.

YOU’VE CHANGED YOUR MIND

If you change your mind, and you want to remove your endorsement of someone’s skills, you can do so by going to their profile, finding the skill in the Skills & Expertise section where your avatar shows next to that skill you endorsed. When you hover over that skill, it will then give you the option to Undo your endorsement. The Undo doesn’t show below as it only works when hovering.

What do you think about the new Skills Endorsement feature?

Like?

Dislike?

Worried about ethical implications?

Follow-up: I’ve written Part 2 titled LinkedIn Skills’ Endorsements: Take Control Of Your Skills to address additional questions.

In firms everywhere, there are Tums being consumed in mass quantities because attorneys, business development personnel and marketers are nervously preparing for client sales pitches. There are thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars at stake.

We hope we’ll be successful…

• If only we say just the right thing
• If only we give them the best brochure we have
• If only we re-write our bio to demonstrate the quality of our most recent work
• If only we assemble the right team of high-profile professionals to make an impression
• If only we wow them in the presentation by talking about our experience
• If only we craft the best sales pitch in the world

I have good news for you. You can now stop buying Tums in mass quantities. You don’t need them any more.

Here’s what you do need:

• You need to learn as much as you can about your potential client’s business.
• You need to take off your armor, and go in with a sense of vulnerability.
• You need to stop loading up brochures with 100 pages of your experience.
• You need to stop focusing only on what you are going to say when you get there.
• You need to listen.

How does that work?

• It works if we remember that clients don’t want to hear a “pitch” when you first meet with them.
• It works if you remember they just want you to listen to them.
• It works if  you focus on understanding them and their issues before you offer the first solution or credential.

Back when I was in sales with L. M. Berry, now The Berry Company, I was trained on the “two-call concept.” I would visit my potential clients and clients the first time for a pure relationship-building and fact-finding experience.

It was my mission to:

• Really get to know them
• Find out what they were like
• What kind of personality they had
• What kind of business they like to run
• What their issues were
• What they were proud of in their business
• What they wanted people to know about
• …and many other pieces of information that make up a lasting client relationship.

Only after I spent this time with them, and had taken copious notes, a process that I still carry with me today, was I qualified to offer solutions. There is no way I would have been able to prepare materials and people, not to mention a sales presentation, had I not first invested the time in them that they deserved.

Was I successful all the time? Of course not, but that will happen. There will be times when your potential clients decide you aren’t the right fit for them. There could be numerous reasons for this, but don’t ever let it be that you created a “Sales Pitch” that was premature and uninformed.

Take the time to get to to know them, and remember that the key to selling is to stop selling.

The best client sales pitch in the world is not a pitch after all, but the intersection of what you have first discovered about your clients with an in-depth, face-to-face conversation, and what you know to be your solutions to what they have told you. It then continues with another conversation that helps your clients understand that you know them better than anyone else they’ve spoken with, and that you have solutions that will help protect them, and solve their issues.

It’s a much more natural approach, and a lot less stressful for you and them.

Thoughts while driving:

I started thinking about the frequent conversation that revolves around the need to create viral videos, and what I think of that mindset.

Here’s a short podcast. Let me know your thoughts, okay?

Your Choice: Business or Hobby?

It’s Not Easy Out There, Is It?

There are many demands on your time.

• There are days when you are expected to do the work of 5 people.
• You have an inbox that is intimidating at best.
• You have research that was due yesterday.
• You have a new client whose hand you want and need to hold.
• You have a laptop that keeps crashing.
• You have bills that need to be marked up and sent out.
• You have documents that need to be prepared before you and your client can rest.

What time does all of this leave for Marketing your practice? The answer is that some days you don’t have enough time for the client work that needs to be executed, much less think about Marketing.

Here’s The Reality.

You don’t have any choice. You have to find a little bit of time on a regular basis, preferably every day, to help market your practice.

When you don’t do something every day to advance the goals you’ve established in your plan, and aren’t moving the needle by doing something that moves closer to generating revenue, then you need to realign your activities.

Start Here.

Start with your inbox. Before you get lost in an hour’s worth of email communication every morning, do something first that advances your business. I know how hard this is, believe me. There are only a few things I like doing more than checking emails every morning to see if anyone needs me, to see if a potential client is ready to get started or to see if someone replied to me in Social Media. I fight this all the time.

This is why you hear me regularly talk about the need to prepare a sound Marketing Plan.  It doesn’t have to be the length of a New York Times bestseller. It doesn’t even have to be 10 pages long, and probably not even 5. It just depends on the nature of your business. The most important point is that it doesn’t have to be painful to put together.

A good marketing plan just needs to be based on sound strategy.  I know my readers. You’re professionals. You can handle this, I promise. Stop selling yourselves short.

A Hobby?

The point is that if you don’t have a Plan of Action that identifies what you want to accomplish in your business, or your practice, then you are treating your work like a hobby, aren’t you? You aren’t strategically focusing on generating revenue, but hammering away at it like it’s your favorite non-revenue producing hobby.

Don’t get me wrong.

Hobbies are great. They exist to:

• Round out our lives
• To feed our souls
• To help others
• To blow off steam, and
• Sometimes to make money

….but they are not the model for how to run your practice.

If you’re not doing something every single day to market your business, then you are doing yourself a disservice.

You Decide.

What do you think?

Are you running a business or a hobby?

Thanks to Kathleen Gage for inspiring this post by sharing her unfailing wisdom about hobbies vs. businesses.

(Photo credit: BohemianCoast)

Project Deep Dive

We spend a lot of time talking about how close you need to stay to your clients. Our message is pretty consistent….

“You can’t let too much grass grow beneath your feet when it comes to talking to your clients.”

• Letting them know how much you appreciate their business
• Discussing what their goals are this year
• Discussing the status of a project
• Finding out what they do in their business so you can see if they need any additional services from your firm
• Finding out if they are happy with your service

…and a host of other reasons.

WHERE DO YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME?

Let’s think about how you interact with your clients’ companies.

• Do you spend most of your time with your primary client contact, the one you send bills to?
• Is this the person you take to lunch to discuss the information I listed above?
• Are they the ones who get the holiday cards from you?
• Are they the ones who get your alerts, enewsletters and bulletins?

TAKE A DEEPER DIVE

I want you to think about diving deeper in to your clients’ organizations.

What does this mean?

This means that it’s very important for you get to know those who haven’t been on your radar, but who might be in the next 2, 5 or even 10 years. That might sounds like a lot of work, but it’s important, so it’s worth your time.

It’s important because:

• These people could soon be the ones you’d like to send bills to because they are responsible for hiring you.
• Something could happen to the client contact you’ve known for years, causing a snowball effect of promotions.
• This up-and-comer might leave one day, landing at a company with whom you’d love to do business.
• This person could become a great source for referrals when friends ask for recommendations.

HOW?

A few ways you can dive deeper, and get to know them, are:

• Invite them to events
• Include them in conversations
• Connect with them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+
• Offer to hold briefings on important topics for them
• Send them holiday cards
• Nominate them for boards and committees
• Introduce them to people who could help with their careers

Remember that it’s not always easy climbing the ladder in their companies or organizations. Being included, and invited to be a part of important discussions when they’re young, or early in their career, means a great deal to people.

BE DELIBERATE

As you’re thinking about the next quarter, or next year’s Marketing Plan, make sure you take a much deeper dive, okay?

Take the time to write steps in to your Marketing Plan that include the up-and-comers.

One word of caution: If you don’t have a prepared Marketing Plan, I don’t want you to become overwhelmed and not do this because you don’t have the perfect structure in place. That’s inconvenient, yes, but it’s never an excuse for not building your business.

HERE’S WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO

Open up a new Word document, or take out a piece of paper, it doesn’t matter, and create a one-page plan for how you’re going to include these up-and-comers as we’ve discussed above. Call it Project Deep Dive, or whatever you’d like. Have some fun with it.

You’ll find when you commit it to paper (or document), the chances of it being accomplished will be much greater.

Actually, the chances of it being accomplished increase to 100% when you decide you’re just going to do it, right?!

Then what are you waiting for? Get outta here, and go do it!

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As always, if you need me, just let me know: nancy@myrlandmarketing.com

As we pause to recognize Labor Day in America, I started to think about our labor, our work, and what we should expect to get from it.

I always find it interesting when people ask how my business is, and if I’m as busy as I want to be.  If the conversation warranted it, I would share:

“Absolutely. I have no desire to be busier. My goals are to be more productive, to help clients who are really serious about improving their firms and their practices, and, as a result, to achieve my financial goals.”

None of us need to be busier, unless, of course, all we care about is billable hours. This is where billing by the hour becomes a vicious cycle.  If all we care about is increasing the number of hours we work, what are we really accomplishing?

• Are we serving our clients by spending as much time as possible completing projects?
• Are we serving our clients by making sure we focus on those other clients we know need more hours from us than they do?
• Are we serving our clients by making sure we bill every nano-second?
• Are we serving ourselves by trying to bill every available hour on our calendar to client work, thus forgoing business development, community boards, volunteer work on firm committees and management, and pro-bono work?

I suspect we all know the answers to these questions.

Busy does not equate to successful.

The productive pursuit of our clients’, our firms’ and our personal goals stand a much better chance of being successful.

• Sometimes that equates to more hours because that is the nature of the matter.
• Sometimes it equates to calling it a “project” for our clients, and billing them one flat fee so they know what to expect from us while we are attempting to help them accomplish their goals.
• Sometimes it means a high-stakes project will only take a few hours, but the value they receive from that project far outweighs 2 hours of billing, so the project fee should be priced accordingly.
• Sometimes it means being on-call for our clients on a monthly basis at a fee, a retainer, that has nothing to do with being busy, or billing hours.

If we are to achieve the fruits of our labor, then we need to stop and think about how we are doing business at our firms. Who cares if you are busy? What I want to know is…..

Are you productive?

Have you spent time thinking about what Social Media really are?

Here’s my definition:

“In their purest form, Social Media are those media, or methods of communication, that are virtual, and that offer the ability to interact and establish relationships by being ‘social’ with our intended audiences.”

Social Networking occurs within Social Media.

Let’s take a look at what Merriam-Webster has to say about the word Social:

Webster has a host of definitions, a few you can see here. Hmmm…let’s see if any of these apply to what we all know about Social Networking.

1. Involving allies:

When we engage in Social Networking, we definitely find likely allies in our line of work, or our interests, forming relationships with them, often going the extra mile to do what we can to protect them, and sharing the best of them with the rest of the world.

2. Pleasant companionship with friends or associates:

When we engage in Social Networking, we often show a side of ourselves that helps others understand what we are like to do business with. This helps complete the know, like and trust factors that all of us who market our services strive for because our clients need one or more of those components to decide if they want to do business with us.

3. The interaction of the individual and the group; welfare of human beings:

Yes, yes, interaction is key to what we are doing here. If we are here just to broadcast without the connection to other human beings, we aren’t using these tools to the best of our ability.

4.  Cooperative and interdependent relationships with others:

Well, thank you Mr. Webster! You had no idea this would be so closely tied to Social Media when you added it to your dictionary, did you? When we spend time using Social Media, this is what it is all about. These aren’t media to be used in a self-centered manner, only worried about our interests.

If we approach Social Networking, and what we are doing in these spaces, as completely dependent on others, always searching for ways to interact, to help, to serve, to educate, to mentor and to bring others along, then we are beginning to see its true potential.

I’d have to say Social Networking has everything to do with the definition of Social. Therefore, lets make it our passion to use these tools in the way they are intended, thinking about the social aspect of them, and constantly finding ways to interact with, and help, others.

Isn’t that marketing that is more fulfilling than what we had in the past?

Social Media takes more than one person to work.

YOU have to put the Social in Social Media.

Social Media means nothing without you, so let’s be Social out there, okay?