Having been in business for 5 years (go me!), I recently sat down to think about what I’ve learned during that period. Cash is king, obviously. Don’t forget about VAT, and have your accountant on speed dial *Hi Darren, Leonherman – important life lessons it seems… But I also realised that a lack of confidence, or perhaps Imposter Syndrome, is something I sometimes see with female solicitor clients when it comes to making the most out of media relations opportunities. I’ve set out my suggestions for anybody trying dealing with it further down the page. NB: My advice is focused upon broadcast opportunities, but is also applicable to print or online. First – a bit of background: I am lucky enough to work with, and have worked with some truly exceptional clients. And I now realise that they all have something in common – big kahunas. At LexRex, we don’t seek ‘big law’, regional leaders or multi-disciplinaries; we like boutiques. Small, agile businesses like ours, run by ambitious, level-headed lawyers who ‘get’ PR and want to be all over it. Even amongst such ballsy practitioners though (and I have some BIG personalities on the books), I have noticed a certain reticence sometimes amongst female clients in particular, to grab an opportunity with BBC Breakfast, or jump all over a breaking news story. These are significant business women, with many years’ experience. They have no fear (as far as I can tell) and will release the equivalent of an atomic bomb to win a case if they need to. So why the lack of confidence when it comes to media relations? These are the reasons most commonly cited: 1. Anxiety around being asked something they don’t know about 2. Concern that they are underqualified to discuss the topic 3. Fear of the unknown 1. Anxiety around being asked something they don’t know about I completely understand this. However, unless you are under the cosh for something your organisation has done or failed to do, and you are answering for it – you don’t need to worry. Media opportunities for solicitors tend to revolve around high profile cases/claims, situations that have arisen which may lead to claims, celebrity or human interest matters, or stories that arise at certain times of the year – ‘divorce day’ in January being an obvious one. Securing an opportunity in the media around any of the above circumstances means that the broadcaster is looking for an opinion and/or legal advice. Basically the same as you would give to any client. They trust that you are an expert in your field, and want to hear your advice or comments. They will be friendly, because you are doing them a favour – they are on your side! Of course, your concerns are valid, but can be quickly dealt with by your PR representative asking the producer exactly what they require in advance. Further, a good PR will brief you in detail, can probably find similar segments from earlier shows to show you the format, will certainly accompany you to the studio and stay with you throughout. You need to ensure you do know what you are talking about of course, so read up on the circumstances and ensure your knowledge is up to date. Simples. Taking the long view, media training is also something to consider if you are seeking to raise your profile using broadcast media. It is worth its weight in gold, in terms of your confidence and also your PR’s in knowing that you are prepared to go in front of a camera or microphone. 2. Concern that they are underqualified to discuss the topic Quite a simple one here – if you are good enough to practise the law, you are certainly good enough to talk about it. Remember that you have paying clients who appreciate your advice and action. Media relations is no different – your advice is valued and your views are valid. As I mentioned above, as long as you are well prepared and understand what is required of you, there is no reason for you not to participate in the opportunity. 3. Fear of the unknown I completely get this. The first time I went into ITV I was terrified – and I was just the PR accompanying the client… It is daunting to go into a TV studio – but if you’re a litigator, for example, in representing clients in court you already do something day in and day out that would frighten the pants off the majority of the population. And if you’re not a litigator, it’s worthwhile remembering none-the-less that you are still the most qualified person in the room to discuss the matter in hand. In any event, you will usually have a bit of time before the broadcast to prepare, and if you are providing comments as a talking head, it’s not uncommon to be plonked onto a stool in the middle of a hectic newsroom, and recorded in situ. It really isn’t glamorous or especially terrifying. I promise. In conclusion, yes imposter syndrome is horrible and can threaten to stop you from reaching your full potential in the media. Please, any time that you are feeling the fear – try to overcome it – TV appearances get easier the more frequently you do them. Good luck! I hope you’ve found this post insightful and if you’ve enjoyed it, check out the rest on the LexRex blog By Victoria Moffatt LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to boutique law firms. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline content. If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
Here’s the LexRex view on Legal Directories… Legal Directories: The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners can really add value to the marketing mix, and provide a decent ROI if done properly. Used as part of a strategic communications plan they can be utilised tactically to support identified goals. Case study… A boutique firm wants to undertake more of its most profitable work (why wouldn’t it!), and decides to embark upon a campaign aiming to increase instructions from new clients by 25% within the next 12 months. The objective is to position the firm’s managing partner as a thought-leader and expert in his/her field. Tactics could include media relations, a thought-leadership blog, social media, a targeted newsletter, and a refresh of supporting marketing materials. A directory listing in either The Legal 500 or Chambers and Partners could support these tactics in the following ways: Media relations: if a journalist needs a quote, statistics or spokesperson, they want to know that their source is an expert. Including a directory listing in ‘notes to editors’ at the bottom of all copy and in email footers/Twitter accounts/LinkedIn profiles gives weight to any claims of expertise. Blog, website, social media, newsletter: including a directory logo and/or quote on the blog, website, social media and newsletter may prompt visitors to check out the said directory listing, once again providing affirmation of expertise. Marketing materials: listings can also be used across marketing materials and especially when pitching for new work. Whilst sophisticated buyers are likely to understand directories, and may or may not give weight to them, for some they are a kitemark of expertise. In the worst case, a mention could have a neutral effect. In brief If your firm has managed a number of decent matters over the course of the past year, and you have contacts and clients who may be willing to be contacted to discuss your work, then legal directories may be something worthwhile considering. Don’t forget – the deadlines are coming around quickly. How can we help? Whilst it can be time-consuming to prepare the submissions, it is possible to outsource the process. At LexRex we do this by discussing the matters that can and should be included in the submission, then we prepare it for you. Alternatively you can write the content and we’ll provide a reviewing service. Don’t forget that Victoria Moffatt, who leads on directory submissions, is an ex-solicitor so this isn’t a difficult process for us. We can also can assist with client/contact liaison for the referee element of the submission. And of course, we support the media relations side of things when the directories are published. We hope you enjoyed our thoughts on Legal Directories and how they can help to support your communications efforts. If you enjoyed this post, check out the others on the LexRex blog By Victoria Moffatt LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to boutique law firms. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline content. If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
If you’re a lawyer, and you ‘do’ marketing, chances are you sometimes wonder what you can do to increase the return on your PR budget, squeeze a bit more out of your activities or receive more ‘bang’ for your ‘buck’. If so, this blog is for you. Every so often, a news story breaks, a new piece of legislation is announced, or you win* an interesting case that sets a precedent or covers novel or newsworthy facts. As a fully paid up pro-marketing lawyer; you obviously leap at the opportunity to get your face and name on the telly, in the newspapers and talk, talk, talk about your involvement/showcase your specialism/promote your wares. Don’t you? Hopefully yes, yes, yes… Now a good agency will maximise your opportunities to discuss your newsworthy topic, by pitching to a range of different media – TV, newspapers, journals, trade publications, online sources (relevant, carefully researched outlets only though, of course). Not only will they pitch to a wide range of media, they should also consider pitching vertically (to publications covering a specific industry – for example legal, fleet management, civil engineering) and horizontally (to publications not limited to a specific industry – for example HR, marketing, IT management). Cross-pitching like this not only ensures your message reaches a wider audience, it also enables your agency to pull out and emphasise different elements of the ‘story’. For example, a HR publication will be likely interested in different elements of a case in comparison to a broadsheet. A really good agency will be able to identify the elements of interest for each publication and write comments, or an article, that is drafted to perfectly fit within the readership’s sphere of interest, thus guaranteeing (as far as possible) publication and hopefully, repeat opportunities in the future. Being able to identify different angles, and cover the same facts in multiple different articles and secure opportunities in this way is one of the marks of a great agency. If yours does this – congratulations, you’re on to a winner! If your chosen agency doesn’t do this, or *horror face* they expect you to draft your own articles, it may be time to sit down down over coffee and map out your expectations. So until next time, over and out. Look out for my next blog covering collaborative working… See you then! If you enjoyed this post, check out the others on the LexRex blog *even if you lose – a good PR may well be able to find a positive angle, especially if there’s a chance of it going to appeal, it’s a David and Goliath case (your client can be David or Goliath) or if it involves a human interest story. By Victoria Moffatt LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline content. If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
After a long winter the signs of spring are definitely here! With daffodils and tulips popping up all over the place and the evenings staying lighter for longer, it’s a great time for taking a good old look around you. The same goes for your PR. If things are going ok it can be easy to accept a ‘status quo’ and keep on with the same course of action. But is ‘ok’ really getting you the results you need? In this post we hand over to LexRex account manager Kate, who gives three top tips on ‘spring cleaning’ your PR. Have a ‘spring awakening’. Any good spring clean means a thorough look at things you don’t always get chance to consider. From time to time it is an immensely valuable exercise to reassess what you’re doing and why. After all, you don’t do PR for fun; it’s to achieve an objective. PR mapping is a useful process that looks at each area of a law firm, how each can meet a PR agenda and how these can work together as a whole. If you use an external PR agency, get them to come up with some new ideas. It can also be a worthwhile and revealing exercise to ask a number of PR agencies to come in and showcase what they could bring to the table. Brush up on the basics. Now you’ve looked at the bigger picture, it’s time to get back to basics. Are all of your current systems working the way they should be? Are you making the most out of the activity you’re currently undertaking? If there are areas you feel you could improve on, you shouldn’t deny yourself the opportunity to improve. Training can not only help to improve skills but can also improve efficiencies. There are many tools out there now that can help PR and communications professionals and training can open your eyes to these. Consider something different. The days when PR was just about press releases and well-placed sponsorship are long gone. There are a whole load of things law firms can do now to raise their profile; from blogging to social media, awards to email newsletters. The key is to be consistent in your approach and integrate each activity with the other marketing and communications you’re doing to create a cumulative effect. April is not only the early days of spring, it’s also the start of the new financial year for many law firms. So if you’ve renewed your budgets and have capacity to invest in outsourced PR activity, or else want to invest in training to help improve your PR skills and efficiency, we’d love to chat to you!
Do you love your law firm’s appointed PR representative? Do you share your deepest thoughts and wishes for the future of your firm with the team on a regular basis. No? Why not? You should do really, as you are paying that company or consultant to represent your business – so it follows that they should be as passionate about it as you are. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we share our top tips for ensuring the chemistry with your PR agency is exactly as it should be. And if it’s not – we offer advice on what you can do to remedy this, and how to recognise when it’s time to move on to pastures new… 1. Question: Does your PR consultant/team really ‘get’ your firm and what you are trying to achieve? It goes without saying that the content they produce is legally correct*, but does the tone of the copy reflect how you would describe the business? If you can’t hand-on-heart say that the messages your PR is putting out there reflect exactly how you want your firm to be represented, then it’s time to consider taking one or more of the following steps… 2. Talk: If your representative is labouring under the false belief that everything is hunky-dory, then it’s your responsibility to arrange a review to discuss where improvements can be made. Don’t put this off – as with any relationship, talking helps to disperse resentment and prevent the rot from setting in. Don’t allow niggles to become terminal. 3. Mapping: As part of the above, consider asking your PR to undertake a mapping process. This is should be something they do on an annual (at least) basis anyway. Done well, brand mapping draws out key messages, business objectives and targets and at the very least – should facilitate a discussion about what has and hasn’t worked and what to aim for in the future. 4. Focus: Understand your representative’s strengths and ensure that these continue to align with your firm’s needs. If your focus is on media relations, but you have selected an integrated consultancy that prides itself on excellent social media strategies and delivery – it may be time to rethink where you spend your budget. 5. Review: Just stopping to take the time to think about where improvements can be made to an existing relationship can prove to be both insightful and empowering. Strong observations can be made simply by reviewing what your PR set out to do, against what is being delivered, and these may be very powerful in helping you to decide upon the best course of action when looking to the future. *And if it’s not – time to get the experts in. We’re the experts, obviously. By Victoria Moffatt LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline copywriting.If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
What is Legal PR? In parts 1 and 2 of this series, I covered media relations and social media. This, the third instalment, describes some of the other supporting services we provide to clients on a day to day basis. Awards: many lawyers recognise the value of being ‘an award winning law firm’, when it comes to attracting new clients. Others are cynical about their value, and some feel they are handed out ‘willy-nilly’ to mates and sponsors of the organising body. Now it’s certainly the case that not all awards are born equal. However, that’s not in itself a reason to dismiss them in their entirety. The Law Society Excellence Awards for example are fairly judged, neutral and well respected. Others, are unfortunately less so. If you’re interested in a case study on our awards service – here’s one. My advice when it comes to awards is: don’t dismiss them out of hand, but take professional advice on the ones to enter and those to skip. Of course, it goes without saying that submissions must be well drafted and compliant with the T&C’s of entry… Copywriting: we also draft outstanding content – standalone commissions such as updates to clients’ websites, ongoing and regular content for technical client blogs, as well as newsletters, white papers, reports and of course the media relations content described in part 1 of this series. Events: everybody loves a good party, and we are certainly no exception to that rule! We provide consultancy and detailed party planning for our clients. Our past events have included conferences, birthday parties, launch events, breakfast seminars and hosted events for our clients’ clients. Directories: their mention typically prompts multiple eye-rolls across all departments, nevertheless the Legal 500 and Chambers directories continue to have a hold over the legal profession. For the haters out there – as well as for those who recognise the value in a ranking, but find it difficult to find the time or vocabulary to draft their submissions – we jump right in and do the hard word. So that completes the series on Legal PR. I hope you found it interesting and if you learnt something new – let us know by leaving a comment! By Victoria Moffatt LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and copywriting. If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
What is Legal PR? No doubt that even just 10 years ago, the answer to that question would have been quite different. Media relations, which we covered in our last post, is still fundamental and is now supported by a whole host of other elements. One of those is social media, and we’ll cover the others in later posts. We most commonly help law firms to get their message across using Twitter and LinkedIn, but that’s not to say that Facebook doesn’t have its place. So what do we actually DO? Well, initially, we map out a client’s brand on a strategic basis – to understand what they stand for, who they want to reach and where the business is going over the course of the next 6 – 12 months. Once we understand all of this, we create and start to implement a supporting social media strategy. Twitter is a great place to start with social media, as it’s a bit like entering a giant networking event. You really never know who you’re going to meet there! We help our clients to build a following of dedicated fans – but we don’t believe it’s purely about the numbers. In our experience* it’s far better to have a smaller, focussed following made up of target individuals who are interested in what you have to say, who may actually buy from you in the future. On that note – people do buy on Twitter, and don’t let anybody tell you that they don’t. With regards to LinkedIn, our role is to enable clients to present the best version of themselves to the world. Who wants to read a stuffy CV-based profile? I want to know the person behind the photograph (you do have a professional headshot on there don’t you?), and if you have a personalised profile that actually tells me something about you, I’m more likely to warm to you, and correspondingly, instruct or at least meet with you. We also train clients on how best to use LinkedIn, particularly to build business. On a firm-wide basis, we create and manage company pages – these are often criminally under-utilised, and create and share content to drive web traffic and new enquiries. Facebook isn’t for every firm… but for those that can harness its power strategically, it’s a no-brainer. As with Twitter, we help our clients to build an army of loyal followers, people who will like and share content, provide comments and engage publicly. If your mates like something, well it’s got to be worth checking out, right? So that was our whirlwind tour of social media… If you enjoyed it, please do leave a comment and if you found it useful, why not check out the others on our blog. *As one of the first practising lawyers on Twitter, Vic knows a thing or two about Twitter By Victoria Moffatt LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and copywriting. If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
What is Legal PR? So it’s been a little while since I last blogged, and with good reason. In May 2014 I produced a little person, and since then, I’ve enjoyed taking some time off. But now I’m back. A little bit like the Terminator, but hopefully slightly less sinister. Anyway, because it’s been a while I thought I would ease myself back into writing with a series of back-to-basics posts on what it is we do at LexRex Towers. It’s easy for us to say ‘we specialise in Legal PR’, but what does that actually mean? So first up, it’s the daddy, the dark art, our bread and butter… It’s Media Relations. Media relations is basically anything to do with the media. Duh – sounds obvious right? Well, yes and no. We do draft and issue press releases on the usual subjects: financials, new appointments/promotions, ground-breaking/interesting claims, mergers, directory listings etc etc. We also prepare what we call ‘forward feature’ calendars mapping out which of our clients’ target media are writing about their specialisms and when. We use these to help to plan their PR year and to ensure we make the most of any planned opportunities. We build relationships between journalists and clients through meetings, interview opportunities, introductions at conferences, Q&A’s and roundtables. We know the journalists our clients need to know, and if it’s appropriate we’ll connect them. We also pitch in and write bylined articles. These are the pieces written by lawyers that are typically seen in trade publications. These are not ‘paid for’ pieces or advertorials, but they are usually advisory in nature. Because we are all newshounds here, we know exactly what is topping the news agenda at any particular time, and we approach journalists with ideas for columns or articles on our clients’ behalf. As well as print and online media, we also create and exploit opportunities on the TV and radio. So, media relations. Hopefully it’s all just become a little clearer… By Victoria Moffatt If you found this post useful, why not check out the others on our blog. LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and copywriting. If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com or call us on 0161 850 5556. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
The Conservative Party’s post-Budget 2014 BINGO! poster illustrates the importance of understanding and getting under the skin of your key audiences more clearly than anything I could ever have put in words. I don’t intend to examine where, how or why the party got it so wrong, or open up a political debate – but I think we can all agree it was a mistake. So – how can lawyers avoid an #epicfail like this in their own marketing and PR activities? Work out who you want to speak to It’s important to be very clear in this respect – no sweeping statements allowed – i.e. we want to speak to business people. Not good enough I’m afraid – you must be specific. Try something like: “Owner managers, finance directors and general counsel of SMEs in Manchester” or “People with a net worth of £250k and above, who haven’t written a will/updated their will in the last 3 years, and live within 10 miles of Chester”. The more tightly you can define who you want to communicate with the better, and the easier it will be to construct a strong PR and marketing strategy. Get to know them Find out what your key audiences read, what they like, where they hang out and what they do in their spare time. Heck – you might even be one of them, in which case, you’ll know a lot of this stuff. I heard somebody say recently that you can sell anything to your friends, and I think it’s a great quote – because it’s true! Presume nothing For me, the biggest mistake of the above poster was that it presumed a lot – making sweeping statements about a mysterious ‘they’ and that offended people. So, when it comes to reaching your identified key audiences, put aside your preconceptions and be willing to get into their shoes. And if you can’t do that – it could be time to rethink your target market. By Victoria Moffatt LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms and businesses that support law firms, including strategic brand and PR mapping, media relations, social media training and consultancy, awards entries, legal directory submissions and a number of PR and writing courses. If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via the above email address or tweet us @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
At the start of many a new business conversation or during a strategic legal PR mapping session with law firm clients, the question of national media coverage inevitably arises. Many lawyers want to know when they can expect to see themselves in The Times or on the BBC. Now, for some lawyers, achieving national exposure delivers fantastic results. Slater and Gordon, for example, are doing a lot of work on this front and seem to be set to loosen Marilyn Stowe’s 10 year+ grip on ITV shows such as This Morning and Lorraine. Certainly, the media profile that Marilyn has been able to grow via national broadcast and print PR is fantastic, and (I believe) drives a lot of new enquiries, and I can understand why a national consumer brand like S&G is intent on this course of action. ‘Mr Loophole’ himself, Nick Freeman, is another lawyer who (a few years ago now) was able to generate strong national coverage and a reputation as the ‘go to’ driving offences lawyer for the rich, famous and ridiculously good at football. But for many lawyers, especially those with a limited PR budget, going for national coverage at the expense of local or trade media may be a mistake. Why? National coverage can be expensive and time consuming to achieve and is extremely unpredictable. It can take many months of pitching ideas before an opportunity arises, and often you will be required to drop everything to fit the needs of the show or publication – something that many busy lawyers find impossible to do. Media coverage is never guaranteed. Broadcast and print pieces are frequently ‘bumped’ at the last moment and may never see the light of day – regardless of a 5 a.m. start, £150 ticket to London and 6 hours out of the office. Further, it’s important to remember that although national coverage will put you in front of a huge audience, it may not be an audience you actually want to engage. If you get this wrong, you could end up generating a wide range of new enquiries in an area of law that is actually unprofitable for you, fielding a high volume of calls with no prospect of a valuable instruction, at the expense of higher quality leads from existing clients. This isn’t to say that national coverage doesn’t have its place and certainly, if you can secure an opportunity that helps to further your strategic PR goals, then its power and reach are not to be underestimated. But before you demand that your agency or in-house team get you on the 6.00 o’clock news – remember that your time and money may be better spent elsewhere. Next time I’ll write about the benefits of local media coverage, and why it could be worthwhile focusing your efforts on often over-looked publications and opportunities. By Victoria Moffatt LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms and businesses that support law firms, including strategic brand and legal PR mapping, media relations, social media training and consultancy, awards entries, legal directory submissions and a range of PR and writing courses. If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.
