Jim Grandone News
Marketing in good times versus bad times
According to government statistics, the economy is humming along at a good pace. Unemployment is near record lows and companies are experiencing market highs. Everything is good. So, why would a law firm want to start a marketing effort now?
Is your firm selling a commodity?
What differentiates your services from another firm? If a prospective client wants you to do a basic legal transaction, are you really different from the other firms in town? Or, if that person is looking to, let’s say, incorporate a business, is he or she going to choose you because your firm has a higher profile than the next? But are your services fundamentally different from the next guy’s, really? Probably not much.
What percentage of business should come from referrals
Much of a law practice’s marketing is targeting prospective clients and designed to inform them about your firm and its services, and to get them to call you when they need help. Thank you Mr. Obvious! What if you could get business to come to you without the cost of advertising, public relations, memberships and other marketing expenses we all pay to get new business?
Will artificial intelligence replace you in 2045?
Artificial intelligence (AI) in law practice is both controversial and inevitable. Will it make routine work easier or more complicated?
Get noticed by getting your news out
The days of spending time writing a press release, getting it approved, mailing it to the newspaper and television and waiting a couple of days, hoping for the best are long gone. News now is instantaneous. It is a 24/7 beast that must be fed. If it happened last month, it isn’t news any longer. It’s history.
Business development: Planning for competition in the new year
What is your business plan for 2017? How do you plan to attract or push new clients to your firm? If you are like many firms, you have no formal plan. You rely on referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations because, after all, you’re good at what you do. Right?
Landmark study: Addiction, mental health among attorneys
A landmark study of 15,000 attorneys in 19 U.S. states found that one in three practitioners are problem drinkers. The study found that attorneys with less than 10 years in practice exhibit the highest incidence of problem drinking, depression and anxiety. It is the first nationwide effort to gather data about the legal profession.
Social media becomes critical for law firms’ business growth
Clearly social media and the internet have changed the way many people communicate and get information. Technology, such as social media, continues to specialize as it is adopted by more practitioners, and will soon become integral to our lives.
Law firms need business development help
The practice of law in the service of the people is an honorable profession that comes with a great deal of responsibility.
Networking for Lawyers: No Fear
Grandone
So you want to be considered an expert in your field of practice?
Grandone Do you have years of law experience? Do you have an in-depth knowledge of the law you practice? Have you had many trials to hone your skills? Did you graduate with honors? What about your clients? Are they satisfied enough to recommend you?
The Marketing Mix for Lawyers
Grandone In the interest of transparency, I am a public relations professional who has practiced for more than 20 years and have a bias toward PR as a superior marketing tool. Having said that, I want to opine about the confusion about the most effective marketing tools for lawyers and the reasons I think some work and others may not be the best choice.
Pro Bono or Pro Community? Why not both?
Grandone One of the most rewarding experiences I've had was when I was president of my professional association, the International Association of Business Communicators – St. Louis Chapter.
Interviews are opportunities: What you can say to a reporter about a case
Grandone A lawyer I worked with summed up the love/hate relationship between lawyers and the news media as follows, "We spend 50 percent of the time trying to get publicity about our firm and the other 50 percent worrying about what they press is going to write about us."