According to the 2019 Report on the State of the Legal Market, changing market realities are pushing law firms to take a more strategic view of their market positions as clients have more choices than ever for meeting their legal needs. In this new era of competition, it is important for law firms to enhance their public image and increase their exposure by developing a comprehensive public relations strategy.
While there are guidelines and proven techniques, public relations deals with people’s perceptions and relationships, which can never be accurately predicted. The following are a few tips to help law firms better understand and navigate the world of public relations.
Set Your Goals
There are many reasons why law firms should consider pursuing a planned and comprehensive public relations strategy. Before you embark on a public relations campaign, decide what goals are important to you. Some worthy goals to consider include:
- Enhancing your reputation
- Building stronger relationships with your community
- Generating positive publicity
- Educating the public about issues relevant to your practice
- Increasing client engagement
- Extending your reach
At the end of the day, your public relations efforts should result in producing a larger target audience that recognizes you as a trusted authority in your legal practice areas. This may also include generating referrals and repeat business by strengthening existing client relationships.
Build Up Your Toolset
Tools of the public relations trade include the following:
- Press releases
- Press conferences
- Media training
- Speeches
- Sponsoring events, including charitable events, community involvement, professional networking events, and student mentorship
- Crisis management
- Content writing and placement
- Social media outreach
- Litigation communications and case publicity
- Online reputation management
- Newsjacking
A public relations professional is adept at finding positive messages about your firm that will attract attention. At the same time, public relations experts know how to mitigate the damage when bad things happen. This includes formulating responses as soon as something negative happens in case a journalist calls you.
Understanding the Difference Between Public Relations and Advertising
With advertising, the upside is that you control the message. However, you always pay a premium for the space, whether it is a billboard, newspaper or magazine ad, radio spot, television ad, or digital real estate, such as a pay-per-click listing on Google.
The space you are seeking with a public relations outreach may also reside on the same media, but instead of an ad, it is a quote in an article or comments you provide to a news story on the television or radio. You do not directly pay for that space, but you earn it by cultivating contacts with your clients, your community, and journalists who cover topics relevant to your practice areas.
A successful public relations strategy requires consistent effort over time, but the stories you convey via public relations will have much more credibility than paid ads. In the long run, credibility builds trust, trust produces referrals, and referrals attract clients.
Premier Legal Marketing is an Online Marketing Company that Provides Positive Publicity for Your Law Firm
Generating positive publicity is one way to enhance the reputation of your firm and attract clients. Premier Legal Marketing is an online marketing company experienced in creating effective public relations campaigns. If your goal is to stand out from the crowd and enhance your success, contact us online today or call 856-320-2016 to learn how we can help you reach your marketing goals.
