Social Marketing by any name is still Marketing

Ok, so someone out there did a great job of giving the writers a new industry by renaming it Social Marketing. Oh, and I LOVE IT!!

You are a lawyer or other professional and you have relied on word-of-mouth to get you business. Maybe you write an article or two and get it published in the local business journal? Maybe you place a 1/4 page ad in a newsletter or paper? Dare you make a radio spot or TV ad?

If not, you better shake alot of hands at local functions or you will simply not be known!

A well defined marketing effort could and should include well written blogs, tweets, and Linked-In updates. Add an email newsletter and you have a Social Marketing "wedge" to lift your law firm into the "market" of clients looking for representation. (I say wedge because my third grader taught me about simple machines and how a wedge can make your work easier).

Social Marketing for Law Firms is about educating your client right into the door. Becareful to limit your interaction to general information or you may find yourself a client without having them signed a retainer agreement! Worse, the client relationship could be a conflict or made with someone in another state!

The best examples are attorneys that write to specific topics such as Real Estate, Immigration, Estates and Trust, or even Landlord-Tenant. Invite other professionals to join your "newsletter" or "blog" and write about the issues most important to them.

When they encounter that "issue" and need a lawyer, why not go to the expert -- you??

How do you use Social Marketing ??