My research paper, A Semiotic Analysis of the African American Character Ben in the Film Night of the Living Dead, in relation to Literary Media Theory is on Social Science Research Network’s (SSRN) Top 10 Download List for the 2^nd Year running!  The categories:   African American Subject matter and African-American Studies Research Network.

While I was a graduate student at The New School in New York, during my Media Theory class I combined three of my passions: African-American history, film history for a research paper.  I embarked upon an exploration into the literary reviews of the contemporary psycho-thriller/horror genre and a semiotic analysis of the African-American lead, ‘Ben’, in the film Night of the Living Dead, the film credited with being the Godfather of the splatter film genre.

While researching, I found numerous articles on the horror and psychological thriller genres.  However, with the exception of discussions of Blaxploitation films, dialogue pertaining to this genre in relation to the psychology and culture of the modern-day African American community was virtually non-existent.  As a result, the research took me months to complete, which is why I’m so thrilled people are finding my work useful.

DOWNLOAD THE PAPER

Duane Jones as Ben in "Night of the Living Dead" 1968

I published this paper for two reasons.  First, I wanted to ease the strain of research gathering for other African American students wishing to gather information relevant to their own history and experiences.  Secondly, desired to play an active role in how African Americans are perceived, and this paper provides a perspective I am proud of.

This film is the THE horror film that started decades of tales of the flesh eating undead.  So, If you haven’t seen this original classic, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!

CLICK HERE to watch this wonderfully creepy flick for free on Hulu…

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size business 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 917-856-541089**************

I talk with dozens of small to mid-sized law firm members and small business owners every week.  Many of them are almost paralyzed by the daunting task of making the next move for marketing their business.  Whether the challenge is choosing the best tool that’s cost effective or just getting started, I can certainly relate to the anxiety.

Providing educational information sources to your existing clients, prospects and referral sources is one of the best ways to initiate and cultivate relationships.  However, calling 500 contacts on the phone every month just isn’t going to happen.

My suggestion is to start small, develop a plan of action, and build as their business develops, assuring that their return on investment is going to stay strong.  Newsletters are a terrific initial move toward a strong R.O.I. in the web 3.0 world of marketing.

The newsletters I’ve written for Karasma Media helped keep my audience interested through a relocation from New York to Phoenix, so needless to say, I’m a big proponent.  (Thank you for sticking with me if you’re an old friend, and Welcome if you’re a new one!)

Like Us on Facebook and receive 10% off  Newsletter Customization

Whether you outsource the writing and distribution of your newsletter, or take it on yourself, the value of a newsletter’s outreach is immense. Particularly if your primary focus is business-to-business.

1.  Illustrate Value. Your readers won’t want to stay connected to you if you don’t provide them with something new and intriguing that entices them to stay “tuned in”.  Ideally, you want them to feel that as if they’re going to miss out on something important if they don’t read what you have to offer.

2.  K.I.S. — Keep it simple!  A newsletter that garners attention isn’t a dissertation.  You want to keep it focused on one focused area of interest that’s easy for your readers to understand

3.  Make it Compelling. The last thing you want to do is bore your reader and have them delete your news.  The good news is, there is an abundance of boring, dry newsletters out in the world, all trying to sound intellectually important.  Simple concepts like real, down-to-earth information and interesting graphics go a long way.  Business relationships not withstanding, your personality, sense of humor and “keep-it-real” perspectives, will entice people to interact with you.

4.  Authenticity is King. You newsletter is an outreach of your company’s spirit and vitality.  I’ve worked with attorneys from a variety of practice areas and businesses from a wide variety of industries.  Each has it’s own cadence, mannerisms and sense of humor.  Your newsletter is a great way to encapsulate who you are and what you can do for your clients.

Karasma Media can produce a newsletter for you!
Take a look-see at our services and call  888-840-2033 for a FREE consultation

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size businesses 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 & retain the clients they really want.

The New York Times’ John Biggs has poseed an important question…

How much is a Tweet worth and how much does a Twtitter follower cost?

Noah Kravitz, a writer, worked for PhoneDog, a cell phone marketing company.  While there, he wrote for the company’s blog and acquired more than 17,000 Twitter followers. He left his job after 4-years and was intially told that he could keep his Twitter account and was requested to “tweet on their behalf from time to time and I said sure, as we were parting on good terms.”

twitter.com/phonedog_noah and the site Noah's last post directs you to have been "disconnected" for now...

I am among a fast growing number of marketing professionals who are building our reputations as online journalists via their blog and social media platforms.  In doing so, we are building our influence among our audience, and any employer interested in doing so for their company, will bring on professionals who are demonstrating their skills.

The “proof’s in the pudding” so to speak, and transparent actions speak much louder than words.  So, of course any savvy hiring manager will want to be on the lookout for the skill-set.

This being said, John’s statement below truly hit home…

… in a world where social media’s influence can mean the difference between a lucrative sale and another fruitless cold call, social media accounts at companies have taken on added significance.

The outcome of this case is going to set a precidence. Particularly, because more and more marketing and sales professionals are being hired because of their savvyness using Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, and the number of followers they have acquired.

As employers, you’ll want to stay concious of what you’re paying your employees to do.  After all, if they’re being paid to sit in a seat and make calls, then their interactions on social media (and the followers they generate) — are personal.  They are not connected to the business you pay them to perform.

Transparency in business practices has never been more important.  So, specicifity in job descriptions and fair compensation from the outset will alleviate a multitude of problems later — not to mention the negative public relations impact a lawsuit against an ex-employee in good standing has on your company.

Similarly, if you are an employee of a firm and requested to blog and use social media as an addendum to the duties you were originally signed on to do, make sure the stipulations for doing so are in writing!! Expressing your professional opinion, ie: publicising your expertise on the company’s behalf, your writing skill, and the audience you attain, and the time it takes to create are all valuable skills that you should be compensated for.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketing and Small Business on Facebook

Social Media and MeetUps Keep Legal Marketers Connected

FourSquare – A Fun and Innovative Tool For Legal Marketers

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size business 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

Facebook topped Google to become the most visited U.S. Web site, indicating a shift in how Americans are searching for content I talk to literally dozens of attorneys a week and they’re in one of two places when it comes to social media.  If you’re a lawyer or small business owner reading this, you’ll most likely find yourself in one of 3-places regarding your online platform:

1. You have a website and may even blog… when you have the time.  You already have Facebook and Linked In profile that you look at sporadically.
2. You have a website that either looks great or needs revamping, either way it is not enhancing your client intake or bottom line, and you’re “skeptically curious” about using social, so you haven’t set up any profiles.
3. You haven’t started developing an online presence yet.   But since the efforts and money that used to work when marketing your firm that used to work aren’t producing the return you’re looking for you’re curious and want to get started and aren’t sure how…

Here’s some “breaking news”, the entire world is using social media — so it’s very probable that Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are viable resources for reaching viable consumers of your goods and services!

Infographic design by Nick Sigler

“Facebook is squarely at the center of this new universe, and much of what people do online these days starts there. But Facebook’s masterstroke has been to spread itself across the web and allow others to tap your network of friends. As a result, thousands of websites and apps have essentially become satellites that orbit around Facebook.”

Ready to jump in the pool, here are the steps to getting started:

Create Your Profile:
The first step to build your law firm or business presence on Facebook, is to create a personal profile.  Sign up for Facebook, upload a picture and add contact info in your profile. Once that’s done,  upload your existing contact database to see which of your contacts are already on Facebook and ask whichever ones you want to become your Friend.  This will get you up and running quickly rather than completely starting from scratch!

Create Your Company Page:
Once your  personal profile is set up, you can create a Company page for your law firm or business .   the best topics to fill your page with are, news, upcoming events, photos, etc., (Bear in mind that the most effective way to manage your social media platforms is with your blog as the master mind control panel!)
There are also applications that increase the functionality of the page.

If you already have a business website, having a business profile page on Facebook is still estremly important.  Your website is your storefront, your blog and social media are the doors and windows that enable people to find you, contact you and become clients and customers.   After all, you want to have a presence where your existing and prospective clients are spending their time online.

If you already know there’s tremendous potential of Return on your investment by using social to promote your business or legal practice and are looking for content management, relief and strategical maximization, call me at 917-856-5410.

Other articles you may be interested in:

A Great Legal Marketing Firm Tool to Optimize Twitter

Legal Marketers: Responding to social media inquiries is more important than you think

A Very Simple Twitter Formula for Generating Legal Marketing Business

Kara works with legal marketers and small to mid-size business 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

You may already realize that I relocated from New York City to Phoenix, Arizona and I am very proud to announce my new position as a Rainmaker Advisor with a remarkable legal marketing company, Stephen Fairley’s Rainmaker Institute.

Over the last 3 years, I’ve talked with literally hundreds of solo practitioners and partners in small law firms who were faced with the need to manage their firms as successful business enterprise.  Unfortunately, my do-it-yourself seminars were not products in high demand from lawyers who already worked 60-80 hour work-weeks.

One, cold Saturday evening in mid-January, after returning from an annual visit with my mother in Arizona, I was writing a press release in my apartment office. That was the moment I decided it was time for a dramatic change in my life.

So, I bought myself and my cat a plane ticket, started taking pictures of my belongings for Craig’s List and posted an announcement of my impending departure.

Shortly after I published my relocation announcement, I received this Direct Message from Stephen Fairley on Twitter.

In April of 2009, I wrote this article for Stephen’s magazine, The Rainmaker Advisor, “7 Essential Tools You Need to Manage Your Law Firm’s Online Reputation & Position Yourself as an Expert”, so I was acutely aware of The Rainmaker Institute’s dedication to excellence and integrity.

I am excited to say that going forward, all of the legal marketing business I conduct will be through The Rainmaker Institute in my position as a Rainmaker Advisor.

For the last 12 years, the programs Stephen developed have helped more than 7,000 attorneys create successful and sustainable law practices, with over 22 of the largest state and local bar associations having sponsored his live law firm marketing seminars & Rainmaker Retreats to their members.

This white paper on How to Market Your Articles is specifically for lawyers. It is a sample of the exemplary free information we make available on a regular basis, so be sure to connect!

Keep me posted on your accomplishments and let me know if I can help.

Kara works with  small to mid-size business and  legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy.  This new design provides 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

After 22 wonderful years in New York City, Kara Smith, the principal and founder of Karasma Media is relocating to Phoenix, Arizona.   As of Sunday, January 30th,  I will be operating out of Phoenix and support New York clients and travel to NY City and other locations from there.

In addition to operating Karasma Media, I’m actively searching for a position as a marketing/communications/social media manager and adjunct college teacher and will be getting my certification to tutor elementary & secondary English once I arrive in Arizona.

My mother is 82-years old and very active and I want to enjoy this very special time of our lives together.   We’d been talking about my moving there fore several years, and during my last Christmas visit, I saw that now was the time to migrate West…   I also met a very special man whose family is close to ours, so this move is the beginning of new adventures for me on multiple levels!

If you have friends & colleagues in the area who may be able to assist in my “life-recreation, please do to connect us!

Kara works with  small to mid-size business and  legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy.  This new design provides 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 received word today that three graduate research I published on The Social Science Research Network (SSRN ), made their 2010 Top Ten Lists.

*UPDATE: I received an e-mail from Gregg Gordon, the President of SSRN early the morning of January 4th, containing the following text:

We apologize for sending you one or more incorrect email messages last week. While testing some new functionality, our servers sent “Top Ten” emails to the top one hundred downloaded papers in certain ejournals instead of the top ten.

Oh well… I made the top-20 in two categories, and the top 50 in others…

My papers:

“A Semiotic Analysis of the African American Character Ben in the Film Night of the Living Dead, in Relation to Literary Media Theory“

• Listed on SSRN’s Top Ten download list for AFAM Subject Matter eJournals, Film eJournal – Forthcoming, HRN African-American Studies Research Network, HRN Performing, Visual, & Fine Arts Research Network, Literary Theory & Criticism eJournal and PVFA Subject Matter eJournals. Downloaded 126 times

“Jazz Interpolation and Improvisation: George and Ira Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm as Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Dianne Reeves”

• Listed on SSRN’s Top Ten Download List for Music eJournal – Forthcoming.   Downloaded 64 times

“African-American Media Images of Death and Mourning”

• Listed on SSRN’s Top Ten download list for AFAM Subject Matter eJournals and HRN African-American Studies Research Network. Downloaded 76 times

I’ve begun a job search for a college level teaching position in communications based in Arizona, where my mother lives; specifically at Arizona University West Campus
and The University of Phoenix.

Being in SSRN’s top-10, three times is very exciting news, as I build this new leg of my career, and it is exhilarating to receive affirmation that my work is being read.

However, in today’s world of on-line research availability, I can’t help wondering how many people are plagiarizing, and how many professors aren’t catching the students doing so — for a multitude of reasons.

I would very much like to hear other published professionals and educators about this issue and safe guards/software you utilize to offset it.

I’ll be keeping a leg of Karasma Media here in New York to continue to service clients here, and traveling as needed. We’re launching a new platform in February, so stay tuned!

Kara works small to mid-size business and  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

On Saturday, July 17th,  Troy Johnson of AALBC.com (The African American Literature Book Club) has invited me  to co-host Publishing YOU-niversity, includes four, 1-hour, standalone workshops on social media marketing for authors and small to mid-size organizations.

Attendees will be provided with a foundation for using a website, Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote themselves and their businesses.

Every web interaction has the power to influence a potential client’s decision to purchase your book, product or service.   So, if your website does not provide an informative and satisfying experience and you don’t engage your visitors through social media, then they will find an author who is interested enough to have a dialog with their audience and a business who’s interested in what they have to say.

We’ll be discussing how social media can help convert your online visitors to viable business prospects and customers after interacting with your website.

Register today for:

1. Using a Website to Generate Business
2. How to Use Facebook to Build Your Personal and Professional Brand
3. What is Twitter All About?
4. Social Media Beyond Facebook and Twitter

Location:

Thurgood Marshall Academy (Classroom 211)
214 West 135th Street
New York, NY 10030

Participants who enroll in ALL FOUR workshops will receive a complementary “Jumpstart Your Social Media” Booklet

Troy is a technology expert and industry leader in marketing books on the World Wide Web. Mr. Johnson is the founder and webmaster of AALBC.com LLC.   AALBC.com was launched in 1998, and is now the largest and most frequently visited web site dedicated to books by and about black people.

He has been recognized in articles that have appeared in Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, The New York Times, The Amsterdam News, Black Issues Book Review and Black Enterprise.  Troy has also appeared on numerous radio and television programs including C-Span2’s Book TV and The Black Family Channel’s Literary Living; and in 2005 was named one of the 50 Most Powerful African Americans in Publishing by Black Issues Book Review magazine.

At this point, any public relations person stating that they possess a level of expertise using tools of social media, should have the level of this skillset illustrated in their online presence.  Personally, I’ve garnered numerous speaking engagements and broadcast coverage for both myself and my clients, using a combination of social media outreach and traditional PR.

You can see some of the coverage here:

Fox 5 News, Newsweek’s Online Magazine, 10/10 Wins, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NY 1, Harlem Torch Magazine, and Black Enterprise Online.

More About The Harlem Book Fair

The Book Fair was founded in 1999 by QBR/The Black Book Review as a community event and forum for African American readers to discover and celebrate their history and culture through books.

It is now a week long event and the country’s largest community gathering of African American readers and book lovers. It has evolved into a national brand that is expanding into new markets each year. The Harlem Book Fair now draws over 50,000 attendees, and 15 million viewers via C-SPAN’s Book TV. Last year, the Book Fair was broadcast live in Europe and Asia for the first time.

The 2010 Harlem Book Fair spans two avenue-long blocks on West 135th Street with tents, pavilions of books, food, and cultural concessions. Fair space has more than doubled since its inception.

View the Press Release

Other articles you may be interested in:

Should European in-house lawyers be allowed to be members of the bar – Legal pros using social connect internationally

Update to Legal Marketers – Tweets are Embeddable as of May 4th 2010

Alain L. Locke Elementary School – P.S. 208 Featured in Brazilian Newspaper

A Real-Time Social Web Clock Watcher for Curious Legal Marketers

Legal Marketers: Responding to social media inquiries is more important than you think

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

Thinking about being a leader in legal marketing community, in New York City, in my my life  — is daunting at times to say the least.

For the last few days, I’ve been in the midst of being overwhelmed by “the thinking about”  of the responsibilities I’ve taken on in my community, my family  and myself…  There were days when I can hardly breath, let alone write!

It’s all occurring to me like — There’s no time to feel like this.  This is Horrible!

But what if that’s not “The Truth”.  What if occasionally I just need a “pick-me-up”?  What if all that I’m going through is simply a human phenomena, rather than there being something wrong.  Ahhhh — I just exhaled…

For the next year, I’m in Landmark’s Wisdom Course, and incorporating fun into my life.

This is a photo of my “Community Circle” as a work in progress, illustrating the groups of people or “Communities” I interact with on a daily basis.

With all of the pressure I constantly put on myself, no wonder I’m so exhausted some days that I don’t want to get up and moving, let alone write…

There are times when the thoughts I have about hearing a “No”, or not getting a response, or getting negative feedback — keep me from being very enthusiastic about taking any more actions at all that could actually be positive or result in an affirmative.

You know the craziest thing… I always feel awful when I get “bogged down” . Inevitably,  inactivity for self  business generation will show up in my Google Analytics and the results I produce at the end of the week.  See, I’m a terrible person!  And Oh!  Let’s not forget — People are watching!

No wonder I’m so tired all the time!!!

All this being said, I think it’s time to shift my daily writing and morning routine from a “Have To” to a  reward I give myself?  I’m also shifting what I call my daily exercise from “Working out” to “Going Out to Play.”

No wonder life was so much fun as a kid!  Look what us adults end-up calling  the things we need to do!

Writing for me is extremely therapeutic, as is the completion of  most things I frequently avoid responsibility for.  So I have some catch-up to do,  but only because I made up that there’s somewhere else I’m supposed to be.

The goals we set for ourselves are great inspirational / motivational tools, but when they start to take the joy out of living — It’s definitely time for some reinvention!

I’ll keep you posted about the results of my Self Generation of Business is Fun — and playing more.

Other articles you may be interested in…

Creativity and Play Intertwined in Legal Marketing and in Life

Chris Brogan on Legal Marketing: An Interview With Karasma Media

The Space Between Center Rejuvenates the Creative Spirit of Legal Marketers

Lawyers Preparing to Launch Your Own Boutique – Here’s a video you’ll want to see

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

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is an incredibly straight forward guide for anyone communicating regularly with a large group of people on the internet who give what we say enough credence to follow, friend or quote what we have to say with some regularity.

The book is chock full of useful information and mirrored so many of the experiences I had been going through as a public relations legal marketer over the last two years, that I ended up taking some very copious notes as I read. By the time I finished, my copy was surrounded by a rainbow of sticky notes, and I  was compelled to send my top ten questions to Chris.

Chris was gracious enough to respond.

1.  You reference Douglas Rushkoff’s idea that kids have 3 methods they use when they relate to games:  playing , chating and programming. In the spirit of Arianna Hufifngton, can you provide a scenario of this ideology that directly relates to attorneys, and other legal marketing professionals?

C:  Attorneys learn how they get new business. They play within these confines (maybe this is paper ads, etc). Then, they realize that if they do X to the ads, they get more response. They’re still in system, but they are doing something to get better response. Finally, they realize that they can use completely unique channels to reach people (like a blog, for instance) and switch the funnel from outbound push marketing to inbound marketing. That’s one way.

2.  Hacking isn’t cheating. It is changing the rules of how the game is played, using a system in a different way than it was designed.  Can you elaborate on what that scenario might look like for on the legal marketing playing field?

C:  It might mean that instead of using typical legal marketing channels, like ads in local papers or radio spots, that legal marketers use ads to drive attention to a special “advice planner” application, or to a series of blog posts on what the potential client might need. It might be as simple as using Twitter to search for people expressing legal concerns that you could solve and then offering them a consultation.

3.  You mentioned that as trust agents become more well-known, those around them become more protective, and it becomes extremely difficult to reach the best people.  You also cautioned that as someone becomes this person, they should make sure to find ways to facilitate important meetings with new unknowns and maintain the development of new contacts. Can you lend some advice to legal marketers in this regard?

C:  It’s important to grow your network. Having only one trust agent at an organization opens you up to the risk that the one person with access to your prospects and clients in the social web might just up and leave. Deepen the bench.

4.  What are some of the things you’ve put into place to manage the multiple demands for your time, and keep your etiquette standards in place?

C:  I’ve done my best to manage my contacts with help from my assistants. I limit my synchronous time (things like phone calls) because I can do more at odd hours than I can trying to line up my time to others. I sometimes falter at this, but for the most part, I try to stay responsive. It’s required a lot of effort, the priority management part of things.

5.  You stressed the importance of blog comments and how invaluable they are for two-way participation.  Lawyers are extremely cautious about putting too much personal information out into the web world, as well as the danger of providing legal advice publicly.  With this in mind, do you have some guidelines to provide for them?

C:  I think you can always offer the common sense parts of advice, and that you can properly disclose the “this isn’t meant to be construed as legal advice, nor do any interactions between us in this format count as lawyer-client privilege,” etc. There are many legal blogs out there already who make for an easy template for managing disclosure. Beyond that, comments mean someone’s taken the first step in your prospecting funnel. It becomes up to you to qualify and/or determine how you want to answer next.

6.    One way to build up a reputation that you can leverage is by being one of the boldest or best in what you, ie:  Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion Yet, there’s a danger painting yourself as a self-proclaimed “specialist”.  Can you make some suggestions of how a legal marketer might build a niche that leverages Internet power?

C:  Legal marketers maybe don’t have to bang their chests and declare themselves specialists. Instead, you can outshine the competition simply by being the most responsive, the most helpful, the gentlest hand at converting a contact into a client. Being yourself helps. There are many parts of marketing that are about revealing the humanity of the organization.

7.  Since “human is the new black  in social media”.   In the wake of negative comments and/or naysayers, did you ever feel uncomfortable revealing  yourself on the web?  And, if so — what did you do to keep being self-expressed?

C:  There are days when people really take swings at me. Oddly, whenever I mention business, that’s when the Kumbaya crowd gets a bit fussy. Some days, it’s personal, but then, that kind of criticism often discloses more about the writer than it does about me. I’ve learned to accept that if I’m going to feast on my praise, I have to suffer through my critics. The trick, if you read what successful people do, is to take both lightly instead. I’m learning to do that.

8.  Can you make some key suggestions of how legal marketers to feel more comfortable expressing themselves on the Web?

C:  Legal marketers can feel more comfortable when they strive to connect with others. If I disclose a detail about my life, it’s so that I can connect with others and find a benefit to our sharing that news. For instance, I wrote in my newsletter that I never really fit in while at school, and not so much professionally, either. From that, I went into talking about what I learned and what others could do with that kind of situation. I think that’s the benefit. Don’t just share who you are: share who you are to connect.

9.  Making online experiences more effective:  Listen, Ask, Reciprocate, Comment and Comment Back — After that comes “contributing”:  In that attorneys need to be careful not to provide legal advise, how do you suggest they interact with their audience?

C:  I think that contributing might be as simple as pointing out information that doesn’t count as legal advice. It might even be pointing out information that’s related to but not directly connected to one’s legal specialty. For instance, if you’re working with immigration cases, you might be able to point out the other things immigrants might benefit from knowing (the best books for learning English as a Second Language), etc. Make sense?

10.  Potential clients often call me saying that they want to be on national television, “garnering media attention”  Can you elaborate a bit on making the shift from webstream to mainstream and the role you expect traditional PR to play in 2010.

C:  National television isn’t what it used to be. I was on Dr. Phil a few months back, and I’ve gotta say, it was wonderful meeting him, but even with my book rotating around on screen in front of millions of viewers, we had no significant uptick in sales. When someone blogs about my book, I get obvious and fast sales. The web is faster, more direct, more nuanced, and more personable. Especially in the legal profession, unless you’re trying to bag Fortune 100s, the web will work better for you in the long run.

Most of my clients for my marketing business are Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies. They all found me via my blog or via Twitter. No TV required.

Many thanks to Chris for taking time out to practice what you preach!!

Other articles you may be interested in:

Keeping Creativity Flowing on Your Legal Marketing Blog

The Space Between Center Rejuvenates the Creative Spirit of Legal Marketers

10 Essential Rules for Legal Marketing Brands in Social Media to Follow

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