Observed

New York Times auto writer Lawrence Ulrich sights a Buddhist monastery and sees a connection to how the new BMW 6 Series handles on the winding ocean-side roads of Northern California. Does this willingness to take chances with storytelling suggest anything for the way we handle marketing content for professional service providers?

So, OK, I’ll admit that a journalist covering the auto industry isn’t exactly analogous to someone writing for business readers.  The keyword here, however, is exactly.

Because Lawrence Ulrich has something to offer those of us who order, create and approve content for law firm Web sites, client brochures and such.  As auto writer/critic for The New York Times, Mr. Ulrich takes a technical subject that’s part of everyday life and makes it come alive.

Decide for yourself.  See, for example, whether the wit and intelligence in this piece about BMW’s new 6 Series doesn’t suggest how your looks-and-sounds-the-same-as-everybody-else’s content might acquire some zing and become more engaging.

I could go on and on.  Of all of the things I like about this article, here’s a passage that made me laugh out loud:

With both of those optional onboard systems, along with chunky 20-inch wheels and tires, the 650i felt unflappable along Route 301 near Carmel — almost an affront to the nearby Chuang Yen Monastery, whose Buddhist monks might take one look at the lavish BMW and advise, “Peace comes from within, do not seek it without.”

Yes?

OK, so he's not Robert Redford. However, if you're a lawyer or law firm marketer hunting for great clients, you want to have lunch with The Coach.

Mike “The Coach” O’Horo isn’t the first sales coach to harness the power of the Webinar.  In the legal services niche, however, he may be the best.

Find out for yourself.  If you’re interested in getting immediate, proven, one-on-one help for whatever sales opportunity you’re facing, then register for Mike’s Lunch with the Coach.  It’s a free, interactive Webinar-based training being launched today via RainmakerVT.

Do it today.  Mike says space is limited.

Ovid got it. The young Narcissus and Echo, the mountain nymph, fell in love with, respectively, his own image and her own voice. As a consequence, both faded away, leaving only the aural effect and the flower we know. The same fate awaits the law firm with Web content that does not adequately create a sense of dialogue with the visitor and their needs.

Start with the simple stuff.  For example, begin Web site content with a phrase or a sentence or a something about the client. It might be as simple as writing “Clients seek our help navigating complex interstate commerce regulations.”

In other words, get the client out front.  Better yet, characterize them strategically.  For example, say “Leading regional manufacturers seek our help navigating complex interstate commerce regulations.”

The key is to make your content more about the client (“them”) and less about the firm (“us”).  Keep this in mind for whatever Web or other business development content you’re creating.

Plus, the more client-facing your Web content, the more readable.  It adds variety when you don’t over-rely on “our,” “the firm,” “we” and their repetitive variations.

In addition to the style of the content, make sure you document the firm’s record addressing the needs of the client…and do not merely enumerate the firm’s credentials.  That’s why it’s essential to incorporate client-facing summaries of representative matters into your bios, practice group descriptions and industry descriptions.

Such an approach is not only more responsive to the visitor’s needs, but it will also set you and your site apart from the vast majority of the law firms which appear to still be enamored with themselves.

I’ll be the main event Sept. 14, 2011, on a blogtalkradio program, Website Content for Law Firms.  The show is a production of MyLegal.com and Lisa DiMonte (who calls herself MyLegal’s Legal Vendor Aggregator).

Here’s a peek at some of what Lisa and I will be covering:

1. Law firms have always known that their sites were there to provide a sense of assurance to others.  The question has been, What’s the best way to do this?
2. People come to law firm Web sites for three reasons when they’re looking to hire or recommend a lawyer.  What do you think these are?
3. It’s essential to incorporate client-facing summaries of representative matters into bios, practice group descriptions and industry descriptions.  What’s the best way to do this?
4. I like to use the first person voice occasionally.  It not only adds a little more variety, but it also lets the reader know that they’re dealing with a real person.  Yes?

There’s more where these came from.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, let me know what you think, OK?

Law firm blogs are like gardens. When Boston established its Public Gardens in 1837, everyone knew that the grass, flowers and trees wouldn't take care of themselves. So, too, with law firm blogs...which, with a little of the right attention, will help build awareness for your brand and further your reputation as a thought leader.

Blogs are becoming more and more common with law firms of all sizes and types.  While launching a blog is relatively easy enough, what then???

Here are my Top 5 Law Firm, Sustainable Blogging Do’s and Don’ts:

1. Leverage. Not enough ideas for posts? Remember: Once is not enough.  Turn that client memo into an article. And then turn that article into a speech and a blog post…or, posts.  Three (or more) on a match is OK. (more…)

Toy first? Or, reach for the french fries instead? So, too, with the choices visitors make as they navigate Web sites. Paths tend to vary with the type of site and countless different objectives, whims and other variables. Acceptance of this understanding offers several valuable lessons for how we might write and deploy Web content.

Nutritional analogies aside, Web sites are like Happy Meals. Some people like to start with the french fries. Others go for the toy. And, so on.

Same with Web site user experience. While most of us land on the home page, after that, it varies. On law firm Web sites, studies show that visitors tend to head to the bios. If we’re on a merchant’s site to shop for pewter floor lamps, we’re liable to let the internal search function take us where it will do us the most good.

The lesson here is to realize that the average person is NOT linear when they visit a site. We graze.  Or, as some put it, (more…)

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Many of the nation's leading law firm marketing pros -- including Laura Meherg (not pictured!) -- gathered in Chicago in May 2011 for their annual RainDance conference, produced by the Legal Sales and Service Organization.

Laura Meherg has a pretty good handle on the relationships between lawyers and their clients. After all, she has conducted hundreds of top-level law firm client feedback interviews over the past few years.

This week, Laura and one of her associates at Wicker Park Group, Nat Slavin, offered their insights into what businesses want when they hire a lawyer or a law firm.  When she has asked them, according to Laura, most clients tell her they’re looking for three qualities in their lawyers above all others: (more…)

If you write for a living (or think you might want to try), do yourself a favor.  Watch this movie:

What the 50 screenwriters in Tales from the Script (2009) tell me is important for any writer, especially one with a client.  However you define that.

Here are four of the many lessons they offer:

1. Get used to chaos. No matter how sincere the time line and approval commitments, life has a way of showing up.  Things slide,  and before you know it, you’re part of a train wreck.
2. Develop a thick skin. There’s never any way to predict how your work will be received.  Clients are human, and it’s impossible to know who might have a bad day or when.  Plus, people can disagree.  Your take on something might not be their take on something.  Even if it’s personal, don’t take it personally.
3. Great writing alone isn’t good enough. Writing for hire is a team sport.  If you’re not good with people, find something else to do.
4. Don’t quit. It can be discouraging to go through draft after draft after draft…even when you’re getting paid to do it.  Nothing ever gets created, however, without the risk of failure.  Be brave.

The sooner you accept the legitimacy of these things, the happier and more serene your writing life will seem.

When I build a bio page for an attorney, I remind them that getting picked is an emotional process, at least in part. That’s why it’s important to let visitors to your page know they’re dealing with someone who’s more than a list of impeccable credentials.

Carl Aveni, a litigator based in Columbus, Ohio, agrees. Take a look at this recent clip:

Making your bio like a personal story will also make it more readable and set you apart.

PS:  Thanks to Larry Bodine for sharing this clip with me.  Plus, there’s a related post at http://doug-stern.com/blog/2010/11/19/people-buy-from-people/.

George H.W. Bush understood the importance of superficial impressions. In 1988, he used this picture of a hapless Michael Dukakis to win the presidential election. Bush's fabled campaign ads featuring escaped felon and murderer "Willie Horton" drove the final nail in his opponent's coffin.

We’re hard-wired to judge others.  And situations.  Some of us (e.g., parents of young children) seem to acquire this urge under the right circumstances.

Judging others factors into how much we trust and feel safe.  This is one reason why chemistry and even small, tangible details seem to figure into the hiring choices clients make and whether they remain satisfied with a vendor’s performance.

So, too, it seems when picking presidential candidates.  A recent story in The New York Times vetted several Republican favorites with an eye toward how they present the qualities it takes to win as opposed to govern. (more…)