Kevin Quinlan, legal marketing expert, offers his view on alternative strategies to traditional PR for legal marketers and law firms to reach consumers and maintain their brand image in the face of decreasing circulation of newspapers.
At a time when we are constantly confronted with the ever-decreasing circulation of newspapers and magazines, and in many cases the bankruptcies of same, attorneys and other marketers across the country are scrambling to find new distribution channels for earned media coverage because of its lower cost and higher credibility with the public.
Many legal marketers have abandoned the traditional PR tactic of pitching reporters, as more and more have left the business in the last two years. Although the majority of consumers still obtain their news through traditional channels, the growth of web-based news and social media offers a strong alternative for attorneys to craft their own content and distribute it directly to the public. The advantage is that there is broader reach on social media and web news sites versus a single medium such as a newspaper that even in the best of times had limited distribution.
One of the tactics currently being employed is the creation and deployment of videos on YouTube. Attorneys can create high production value videos and create their own channel online for topics that are more educational and enduring, for example, how to choose the right attorney or information on the legal process. For commentary on legal issues and lawyer’s point of view on changes in the law or current events, videos that are a little less polished can be created, edited and uploaded. It helps to have a balance so that law firm’s brand image is maintained.
Our firm (Cepac Lawyer Marketing) has developed an exclusive press release distribution platform called Smart News Technology that is designed specifically to provide attorneys with the ability to directly transmit articles, firm announcements and press releases to the Internet through their own customized newsrooms. This technology offers a direct connection to the World Wide Web without the need to utilize costly and bureaucratic press release distribution services, yet still allows law firms to have their news dispersed across a continuously growing array of newswire partners, with the aim of being picked up by Google news and other major wire services on the web.
Whether you want to create an online video channel or transmit articles across the web, it makes sense to partner with legal marketing experts that understand both your goals and your target audience.
To learn more about Smart News Technology for attorneys or how we can develop an online video channel for your law firm, contact Rene Perras.
