I’ve attended several networking events since moving to Phoenix at the end of January.  Recently, I connected to the meet-up group Java & Justice
through my membership with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

Alex & Gaxiola, Serious Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys based in Phoenix, have a terrific marketing & internet services manager, Rhonda Robbins , who I’ve become great friends with.  Rhonda is an SEO queen, and is also creating some stimulating, “out-in-the-world events for her firm.

In speaking with Rhonda, she said that one of Andrew Alex’ primary concerns is his client’s quality of life.  He is also strongly committed to educating them in a way that that will protect them if or when the time comes.

The video linked below to the firm’s YouTube Channel is a terrific example of how an accident with a truck can change your entire life…

One of the primary business growth challenges for a accident attorneys is that their clients don’t need their services until something catastrophic happens.  Since chasing ambulances is unscrupulous at best, having relationships with potential clients, long before they require services is all the more important..

They’re doing a MeetUp Series called JAVA & JUSTICE.

These semi-weekly gatherings allow the firm’s attorneys to interact with their community hands on, providing them with a venue designed for face-to-face communication.

Do connect to  Alex & Gaxiola on Facebook and Twitter …

If you’re in the Phoenix Arizona area, stop by a MeetUp.  Either way, I encourage you to connect with the group so you can stay in the loop!

Join the Java & Justice Meet-Up in Phoenix

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

You’re  Informed -  It’s time to engage your audience
As a professional marketing legal services, there is a need for you to distinguish your services.  Obviously, all information is not created equal, and it is more important now than ever for you to reach out to your audience as a viable information source in your area of specialty.  You need to provide a venue for them to be able to interact with you easily, and these interactions will translate into the quality clients you want to attract.

News and information sources today have never been more accessible and anyone with an internet connection can contribute to the broadcast of information.  A  new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and the Project for Excellence in Journalism makes clear, we have become a nation of news grazers whose “relationship to news is becoming portable, personalized and participatory.

But as the concept of “journalism” expands to include citizens with cellphone cameras, Twitter Facebook, and LinkedIn, the survey’s responders reflected something we all feel, with 70% of them feeling overwhelmed by the amount of news and information from different sources, and 72% think most sources of news are biased.

All of us consumers want to be connected to the people and products we can  trust.   There’s no better way for professionals marketing legal services to distinguish their credible information from misinformation and propaganda than by being in control of their online presence.  Journalists will seek you out as an expert and when you approach one of them, being able to reference articles your online articles written by firm members and associates will be invaluable.

Your Results Will Reflect Your Efforts
I published an interview I conducted with Social  Media expert Chris Brogan last week, reviewing his perspective of social media’s impact on legal marketing services.  The next day, I featured the article in my e-mail newsletter and posted it on the Karasma Media Platforms on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

It’s important to note that  fresh information is kept flowing on these platforms on a daily basis.    Since the article’s initial publication (8-days ago at the time I’m writing this):

The Alexa rating of the Karasma Media Marketing Blog has gone up more than 15%, which translates into an increase of almost 40 readers per day, three calls from prospects and two requests for in-person interviews.

Once legal marketers put their infrastructure of information into place infrastructure is in place and the information is flowing, your potential clients and legitimate journalists are going to use it.  Today, legal marketers need to think like journalists because they are  increasingly serving as informational gatekeepers, both by creating and publishing original content online and by passing on (and thereby endorsing) news and information created elsewhere.

The Federal Government’s Providing Educational Support
The Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan, which was released last month, offers an important opportunity to increase news-literacy education to millions of students. The plan, authorized in the $787 billion stimulus package last year, is a long-overdue effort to shore up our digital infrastructure by extending high-speed Internet access to the entire country.

The online infrastructure’s in place, and the government is backing it.  Now is the time to put your legal information structure into place and bring your online platform up to full speed.

USA Today article referenced:  As Journalism Changes, So Must You

Other articles you may be interested in:

Social Media as PR in Legal Marketing is Underused and Under Funded

Legal Marketers and Our Responsibility

Why technology and social media need to be integrated into your branded legal marketing strategy

Ease, Steadiness and Awareness Work for Legal Marketing 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

One of the initial activities I do in the  Jump-start Your Social Media Workshop is work with a firm on how to choose the  keywords they’ll be using to connect with their potential clients.

Using social media provides you with insight into the minds of your ideal clients and customers.  Tasha Coleman of Upward Action provides some incredibly powerful information throughout her site, but particularly in this post on Keyword Usage.

Her top three points:

1. Invest time conducting keyword research (or hire an agency like UpwardAction®) to get clear about exactly what your target market is searching for online as related to your industry and practice areas.
2. Utilize this information to develop a list of about 15 power keywords.
3. Use your power keywords to create GoogleAlerts and TweepBeeps to monitor online conversations that include your top 15 keywords.

Read Tasha’s full article and watch her video on Social Media, Keywords, Success

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketing Pros – Avvo’s Growing Fast and Listening

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

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

Legal Marketers, Interested in 13 Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Blog?

Why technology and social media need to be integrated into your branded legal marketing strategy

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

Are you a lawyer who’s skeptical about the attributes and longevity of social media?

Or, perhaps you’re a legal marketer who’s just completed a rebuild of your firm’s website, feels that you know the differences between a website and a blog, and still haven’t bought into this whole “Blogging Phenomenon”.

1. Blogs are dynamic, websites are not
2. Blogs encourage conversation, websites do not
3. Blogs offer RSS, websites do not
4. Blogs publish current news, websites do not
5. Blogs create the blogosphere while websites are in a way standalone islands

Photo by Jon Lovitz

You’re writing the content of your firm’s blog. The content you create should be written with one focus – conversion. But to get there, your writing needs to focused and follow industry-standard, Search Engine Optimized copywriting techniques. It really isn’t difficult. But you know your business, and I know social media PR and blogging. So, let me help you…

Headlines

Put Keywords in Your Subheading

The key is to write headlines that entice readers to read more, not get them annoyed or disinterested. You want your blog to drive readers to your website and ultimately to you. So, your firm’s blog strategy should incorporate learning and good writing habits, which will inevitably create better conversations and generate a better ROI for you.