About 2-years ago, when I finished graduate school, I published two of my papers on SSRN, The Social Science Research network.  I was notified last week that

“Jazz Interpolation and Improvisation: George and Ira Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm as Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Dianne Reeves” was listed on the   SSRN Top Ten Download list for Music.

It’s now been downloaded  49 times!

Gee, I’m either getting famous or just picked a great topic for kids to plagiarize.   Either way, you can view the abstract and download the paper here

Classic Jazz, Modern Jazz, Beebop, Swing, R&B, Pop, Classical all of these words lend apt description to the sounds emulating from my office on any given day.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines jazz as:

American music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre.

I equate the way I do business a lot like this…

“Distortions” in public relations has nothing to do with manipulating the truth!

Rather, it’s about shifting the perception of how much what we do really matters, and “raising the bar” on our ability to be of service to our clients and giving back to our communities.

I view the conversations I have here and with people who call me, a lot like the dialogue that happens between jazz musicians and their audiences.  Information is delivered in a familiar format, with some interesting, intriguing and often captivating turns thrown in to keep us all interested and ideally, coming back for more.

Dianne Reeves

Ella Fitzgerald

Top Ten Lists are updated on a daily basis, so if you’re interested download my paper and keep it at the top!

View the Top Ten list for the Journal Music Top Ten

View all the music papers in the Journal

Other Articles you may be interested in:

As the Legal Marketing Industry Shifts – We Can Differentiate By Making A Difference

7 Deadly Business Mistakes Legal Marketers Can Avoid

Legal Marketers Can Step Out of the Box With Video

There Has Never a Better Time for Legal Marketing Brands to Engage in Social Media

Mixing Business With Personal — Legal Marketers, it’s OK to “Cross-Brand”

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Thanks to Guy Kawasaki’s blogpost on Holy Kaw Lady Gaga’s , “Telephone” video was bought to my attention.  It is a masterpiece of cinematography, costuming, and esoteric socially conscious storytelling that is sure to leave you thinking.  It must be for me to want to include on a blog directed toward legal marketers.

Not that I’m condoning breaking any laws, far from it.  Kudos to Ms. GaGa and Ms. Beyonce for taking a lead…  I do have a concern though.  There are a lot of folk whose cognitive skills aren’t “up to par”, and could take these messages too literally…

Sigh —  How and where are the artists supposed to draw the line — or are they?

I don’t usually post on the weekends,  but from now on when I do,  the articles will be a bit off the “beaten track” — even moreso than they usually are…

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketers Can Step Out of the Box With Video

Mixing Business With Personal — Legal Marketers, it’s OK to “Cross-Brand”

Lawyers, Forget About “Quitting Facebook” – Expanding Your Comfort Zone to Communicate is Key

There Has Never a Better Time for Legal Marketing Brands to Engage in Social Media

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Sharon Rowlands, the CEO of Penton Media takes a retrospective look at the last year at Penton on B-to-B online. She makes note of how the media industry overall has shifted and how marketers in general need to differentiate themselves more, and have an even more in-depth comprehension of what their potential clients are looking for, so we can provide solutions that truly matter and make a difference in their lives.

As I restructure my business as a legal marketer and public relations professional, I often share my thoughts and insights here, so I wanted to give you an opportunity to hear what Sharon has to say, as well as hear your feedback.

Read the article on B-to-B

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Social Media Skeptics – Do you know the most important differences between websites & blogs?

Legal Marketers Can Step Out of the Box With Video

There Has Never a Better Time for Legal Marketing Brands to Engage in Social Media

LexisNexis Legal Business Community to Include Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog Content

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Many of the people reading this blog are legal marketers who are running their own firms or other legal service business. Others are in professions completely unrelated to legal, and are finding value here, and still others of you are friends, relatives and wonderful to keep support me by continuing to read the articles here.

Whichever is your case, Janis D. Pettit of Manta Small Business article is a win.  Her article on 7  Deadly Mistakes people in small business can make is extremely pertinent.   I found it fascinating, mostly because I am currently taking or have all taken the actions she suggests as wins, and affirmation during the climb is always reassuring.   I’ve also successfully avoided most of her mistakes, although I have made a few doozies during the last 4-years of Karasma Media.

Read:

The 7 Deadly Small Business Mistakes You Must Avoid

I look forward to your thoughts…

Other articles you may be interested in:

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Does social media end cold calling as a new business tactic for legal marketers?

Legal Marketers and Bloggers: The FTC’s New Regulations for Endorsements and Testimonials are Effective December 1, 2009 – FTC Toolkit Keeps You Informed

“Brandjacking” Can be Avoided by Legal Marketers Using Social Media

Ethics Checklists for Legal Marketers

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Ezine provides some great ideas for articles in 2-minutes.   While the subject matter here is not directed specifically toward legal marketers, there’s some terrific information provided that you’ll find extremely valuable!

Also, you’ll want to note, there’s a reason it’s so easy for “Marc the Communications Director” to come up with the ideas, rehearsed or not.

This is importan…

All of the information he’s providing was originally part of his  blog content

He actually comes up with 72 articles in 2-minutes -  That’s the take away message for you.

Your blog content is not only a one-stop shop for your expertise to reach potential clients, it’s also an ever-growing platform for you to reference when generating your own content for articles, video, ect.

See and Read:  Article Writing & Marketing Insights

Other articles you may be interested in:

LexisNexis Legal Business Community to Include Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog Content

Keeping Creativity Flowing on Your Legal Marketing Blog

Legal Marketers, be aware of the new F.T.C. Rules regulating endorsements and testimonials Effective December 1st

My Typical Morning Routine – Using Social Media Tools For New Business

20 Tips for Legal Marketers Looking to Make Some Meaningful Changes In Their Business

7 Sites that will keep Legal Marketers on their toes and up to speed with social media marketing rules

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I frequently talk about the value of letting your clients and potential clients know what is truly important to you.  Whether you share via cross branding on Facebook with a personal page and a Fan Page for your business, or communicate the pro-bono work you’re doing with your favorite school, charity or other type of organization — the key is in the sharing.

There is nothing more rewarding to me than to see Alain L. Locke Elementary School-P.S. 208, the public school in Harlem I am in partnership with, being all the greatness that they are!

I am incredibly proud of the work they are doing not only by providing and exemplary education for the children in attendance, but by keeping the community informed of their activities and accomplishments.

I worked with them to establish and maintain their social media platform, alainllocke.org, in order to support their commitment to our community.  Their efforts were recently profiled in the New York Times and I wanted to share the article with you.

Yes, I am the “marketing company” referred to…

Pressed by Charters, Public Schools Try Marketing

Hugs & Kudos to Principal Green and the wonderful Alain L. Locke teachers and staff!

Other articles you may be interested in:

Social Media PR affords legal firms the opportunity to be moved “Beyond Words”

50 ways Legal Marketers can incorporate “Social Good” into their “Social Media Strategy”

Karasma Media & Alain L. Locke – P.S. 208 Receive PENCIL’S 2008-2009 Emerging Partnership Award

Karasma Media and Alain L. Locke-P.S. 208 Launch PENCIL’s Principal For A Day on 10/10 WINS

Kara Smith of Karasma Media on Fox 5 NY – As PENCIL’s Principal for A Day” at Alain L. Locke Elementary School-P.S. 208

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

While I was at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) Business meeting in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to meet with large-firm general counsel, communications directors and small firm members from across the country.

I really enjoy talking to lawyers in person about  social media, mostly because it gives me an opportunity to discuss the importance of on-line networking tools and how they can directly impact their business, face-to-face.

One attorney I spoke with said, “One of the reasons lawyers aren’t really going for social media like Facebook, is because it started with young people using it, kids really kind of playing with it.”  Unfortunately, she’s right.   Many legal professionals have antiquated ideas about how to generate business and technology has always been a challenge.

So,  they’re really suffering when it comes to understanding and developing new online tools for business development.  That makes the fast moving development of online communication all the more challenging for many in the industry.

During the NAMWOLF business meeting, the importance of staying in communication was an ongoing theme for the panelists.  We all know that for generations, lawyers have built their business through personal relationships.

It’s time to expand your “Comfort Zone” and learn new communications tools!

Facebook is the perfect tool to help lawyers have deeper conversations and relationships with acquaintances so they can become friends, and potential business contacts.

Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, JD Supra, Martindale.com and Avvo are fast becoming primary tools for generating new business for legal marketers going forward.

An article in the Lawyerist elaborates on the usage of Facebook and it’s intense growth among users between 35 and 55 years old.  The precise demographic legal marketers are targeting…

As of August 4, 2009, there were about 78 million users on Facebook, 40% of them over the age of 35. Facebook’s users in every demographic are increasing, not decreasing, with certain demographics like those over the age of 55 increasing by 514% from January through July 2009.

If you are not actively using social media in your marketing efforts, your firm’s business is missing out on some incredible opportunities.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketers – Now is NOT the time to give up on Twitter

Legal Professionals Who Are Not Social Media Savvy Can Jeopardize Their Cases

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

My assistant, Lori, sent me a very funny link to a law firm’s commercial on YouTube. (You’ve got to love when you find people to work with whose personalities and quirky sense of humor is in-synch with your own! )

One aspect of marketing I work with my lawyers on when developing their brands, is to step outside the mold of traditional legal marketing and be truly representational of their personalities.

NY based Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman took a chance with their agency, The Levinson Tractenberg Group , and created a big viral win.

This spot’s been viewed more than 96,000 times!

Other articles you may be interested in:

Draconian Ideology Is No Fix For Legal Marketers

7 Sites That Will Keep Legal Marketers On Their Toes With Social Media Marketing Rules

Legal Marketers, For Social Media PR to be Truly Effective It’s Important To Remember That Good Things Take Time

For Small and Midsize Law Firms: The Launch of Your On-Line Platform Is News and Information For Your Current And Prospective Clients

Social Media PR For Lawyers is More About “Staying Conscious” Than “Being Cautious”

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

It is important for legal marketers and PR firms to stay on top of the changing communications technologies and tools that impact our industry. One PR consultant’s experiment forced him to discover some “news tools” available beyond the printed newspaper.

PR consultant, Adam Vincenzini’s a new years resolution for 2010 and thought it would be of interest. Adam had averaged over 60 minutes per day consuming a variety of newspapers.

To explore the online resources available, he made a New Years resolution that he would not to buy or read a printed newspaper for an entire year. Within the first two months of his experiment he has already compiled this list of 50 ways he can receive the news without reading it in print.

Adam’s 10 Mobile-Based ways to get your news are very helpful:

1. Snaptu for mobile (news and apps combined)
2. Reuters Mobile
3. Forbes.com Mobile Reader
4. NYT Media Decoder (for mobile)
5. IngBoo — “Clutter Freedom” (web and mobile)
6. iPhone News Apps (top free and paid services directory)
7. Google News  Mobile
8. Viigo (the world’s biggest newsroom in your pocket)
9. Bloomberg Mobile
10. AP Mobile

Read Adam’s entire list: 50 Alternate Ways To Consume News in 2010 (No Papers Experiment, Day 50)

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

There has never been a better time for legal marketers to engage in social media activity and develop a presence in online communities.
A recent report from Nielsen indicates that social media websites have become the most popular globally over the course of 2009.

These figures also serve to prove that social media is indeed a marketing power to be reckoned with, and that if there has ever been a more opportune time for lawyers, law firms, and other legal marketers to incorporate social media into their marketing strategy.

Two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visit social networking or blogging sites, accounting for almost 10% of all internet time, according to a new Nielsen report “Global Faces and Networked Places.”

If data captured from December 2007 through December 2008 is any indication, that percentage is likely to grow as time spent on social network and blogging sites is growing more than three times the rate of overall Internet growth.

Consumer (aka “potential client”) engagement has rapidly become one of the most effective forms of marketing, facilitated in no small part by the advent and growth in popularity of social networks. Having mastery with the tools used to create brand-focused social network, is more important than ever and  online communities have turned into the central hub of online brand marketing activity.

Social Media is appealing and available to all kinds of individuals across the board of society, and as such, it is time for legal marketers to recognize that social networks as a key way of identifying and engaging with their target audience and attracting the kinds of clients they truly want.

A presence on generic social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are highly beneficial in terms of crowd sourcing, the use of a brand-focused social network developed around  the needs of a legal organization’s brand ,will provide a refined engagement experience for both the consumer and the legal marketer.

I offer a one day work-shop, specifically developed for small to mid-size legal organizations to kick-start their social media efforts.

See the Services for more information

Please feel free to call me at 917-856-5410 for a free initial conversation.

Other articles you may be interested in:

LexisNexis Legal Business Community to include Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog Content

4 JD Supra Applications For Your Law Firm’s Facebook Page and Accentuating Your Personal Brand

“How to Create a Personal Brand as an Environmental Lawyer” Webinar presented by Kara Smith of Karasma Media

Legal Marketers – Here’s a Great Example Of What Not To Do With Twitter

Legal Marketers Who Are Not Social Media Savvy Can Jeopardize Their Cases

To legal marketers – The secret of winning at social media is to stick to it…

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410