Larry Bodine's Law Marketing Blog

Amy Campbell's Web Log

• Important Basics for Your Content Marketing Strategy
  I just read a great blog post by Hinge Marketing’s Professional Marketing Blog, Rethinking Thought Leadership: 7 Tips for Gaining New Clients. It nicely describes how professionals should approach writing for their website, blog, etc. I’ve been t…
  - 5 days ago, 18 Feb 12, 5:09pm -
• Three Steps to More Fame and Fortune in 2012
  Whether you are a sole professional, marketing director or managing partner, find a way to require yourself or your law firm to meet these three basic requirements to get more from your professional network in 2012. 1. Create More Content Write more…
  - 51 days ago, 2 Jan 12, 10:13pm -
• What If Paul Revere Was on Twitter?
  If you’ve read the popular book The Tipping Point, you know that the key to the success of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride was not so much the speed or distance that he rode, or the volume of his cries, but his unique trait as a “connecto…
  - 93 days ago, 22 Nov 11, 6:32pm -

The Legal Watercooler

• newEverything is bigger in Texas, including LMA!
  What do the Ewings, Top Chef and the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) all have in common?? DALLAS!!! Woo hoo. I just booked my flights for the LMA Annual Conference to be held in Dallas (ok, Grapevine), Texas, March 15-16, 2012. I’m looking forwar…
  - 13 hours ago, 22 Feb 12, 5:57pm -
• Don’t let a touch point pass you by
  Legal marketers will throw the phrase “touch point” around and while we understand what it means and why they are important. I wonder about the lawyers out there? Touch points are those little or big interactions you have with clients, potential…
  - 6 days ago, 16 Feb 12, 11:46pm -
• Just because … It’s so true!
  Just because it is so true … ht to Rachael Loper for passing this one along on Facebook
  - 7 days ago, 15 Feb 12, 8:00pm -
• Wait for it … wait for it …
  Patience is not a common trait of the legal marketer. An “inside” joke amongst us is that the code of the attorney is “HURRY. HURRY. HURRY.” Followed by “WAIT. WAIT. WAIT.” And then, “NOW!!” I wrote here about how patience is a virtue…
  - 8 days ago, 15 Feb 12, 5:35pm -

Lawyerist

• newReview: Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180 Home Theater PC
  The Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180 is a small, beautiful HTPC (home theater PC) that looks perfect sitting next to your television. That is, unfortunately, all it is good for. The Q180 is poorly constructed, under-powered, and a huge disappointment. Don’t…
  - 8 hours ago, 22 Feb 12, 10:39pm -
• newCompetition Makes Smart People Dumb
  Do you feel a sense of competition when you attend meetings at work? Small-group meetings are a cornerstone of organizational activity. It’s hard to imagine working in any organization without them. But they are also the cause of lots of lamentatio…
  - 18 hours ago, 22 Feb 12, 1:11pm -
• newFinally! Smart Documents for the Rest of Us
  It’s a huge and classic conflict: expectations vs. reality. Clients think legal documents should be free; that paperwork has no cost, the lawyer need merely push a button and a completely personalized state-of-the-legal-art document will effortless…
  - 2 days ago, 21 Feb 12, 5:02pm -
• newReview: LastPass Password Manager
  LastPass is a user-friendly password manager with great functions and it is a dream to use. For only $1 per month you can have access to its full functionality (free access does not provide the smartphone integration), and all of its time- and energy…
  - 2 days ago, 21 Feb 12, 1:11pm -
• newInside of Your Law Firm Now Inside Google: Business Photo Pilot Program
  Have an impressive office? Now you can share it in Google Places. No, I’m not talking about merely claiming your profile here. I’m talking about literally providing a 360 degree tour of your office. That’s the ambitious goal of Google’s new B…
  - 3 days ago, 20 Feb 12, 5:11pm -

Legal Ease Blog

• Law Practice Today:QR Codes, Smartphone Advice, Business Development and More
  The February issue of Law Practice Today, the ABA Law Practice Management Section's Webzine is out -- here's a preview of what's inside: FEATURES Deciphering the Chatter That Matters Listening Platforms Provide Insight Into Clients, Prospects and Ind…
  - 7 days ago, 15 Feb 12, 7:45pm -
• Do Something! Tips for Organizing Your Law Office
  In my last post, I literally opened up my closet to show you my first organizing project of the year. When working with my clients, I find that they are often not as productive as they could be because they...
  - 15 days ago, 8 Feb 12, 2:28pm -
• Do Something! Organizing Your Law (or Home) Office
  I consider myself to be fairly organized, but sometimes things just get away from me. The end of 2011 was a bit hectic which made things even worse, but now we've started a new year, and one of my goals...
  - 21 days ago, 2 Feb 12, 2:52pm -
• Client Testimonials for Law Firm Sites
  "How do I ask clients for endorsements or testimonials?" "If a client posts a testimonial or recommendation on sites like AVVO or LinkedIn, can I copy that endorsement and put it on my website, too?" These are questions I hear...
  - 35 days ago, 18 Jan 12, 6:54pm -
• Ghostwriting and Legal Blogs
  Last week on Kevin O'Keefe's Real Lawyers Have Blogs, Kevin posted two separate posts on the issue of ghostwriting and lawyer blogs. The first: Are ghostwritten lawyer blogs unethical? explores the issue of whether lawyers who allow others to write..…
  - 37 days ago, 17 Jan 12, 2:23pm -
• How to Choose Billing and Accounting Software for Your Law Firm - Guest Post
  This is a guest post written by Loretta Ruppert, Senior Director of Community Management for LexisNexis’ practice management team, including law firm management and legal billing software. She has experience as a business owner, a technology and bu…
  - 43 days ago, 11 Jan 12, 2:30pm -
• Lawyer Ethics: Is Ignorance an Excuse?
  An ethics charge against a lawyer was thrown out by the New Jersey Supreme Court last week, according to Thomson Reuters. But lawyers should still look at this decision as a caution, rather than an excuse to breathe a sigh...
  - 57 days ago, 28 Dec 11, 2:30pm -
• What Marketing Goals Will You Be Accountable for in 2012?
  To choose a goal without being prepared to be accountable for progress towards it is to choose nothing. -David Maister, True Professionalism In True Professionalism, David Maister comments that most firms believe themselves to be democracies, but the…
  - 64 days ago, 21 Dec 11, 2:46pm -
• Are You Prepared for the Chaos Factor?
  Yesterday, I was hit with the 'chaos factor' - otherwise known as Murphy's Law, or "whatever can go wrong will go wrong." Right in the midst of all of the holiday craziness, while working on the second draft deadline for...
  - 70 days ago, 15 Dec 11, 6:28pm -
• Marketing Effectiveness: ROI vs. Profits
  How do you measure the effectiveness of your marketing? How do you know if you should continue doing what you are doing, 'tweak' it a little bit, or try something else? Lawyers often ask about the return on investment or...
  - 77 days ago, 8 Dec 11, 1:55pm -

Law Marketing Reader

• Top Legal Marketing Blogs: Tracking 27 Law Firm Marketing Blogs and News Feeds
  View the latest headlines from the top law firm marketing blogs and news feeds in a convenient, one-page dashboard that is updates automatically. Check us early and often! Also features articles from authors and the best from around the web. (See bel…
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• Say Hello To The Law Firm CEO
  Law Firm Leadership in the 21st Century: The role of law firm leader is evolving rapidly toward that of a law firm CEO whose main focus is on managing people, adminstration, business development, long-term planning and running a business — not prac…
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• Linkedin for Lawyers: Top Ten Tips - by Amy Campbell
  Linkedin can be a powerful online tool to help you expand their professional network, raise your visibility, and position and control your personal brand — if, that is, you know how to use it.
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• Budget Essentials for Law Firm Business Development - by Deborah Scaringi
  What do law firm business development pros put at the top of their budget "must haves"? Deb Scaringi polled some industry leaders to determine what tops their list of indispensable budget line items.
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• Direct Mail Strategies in a Web 2.0 World - by John O. Cunningham
  In a business environment buzzing with a constant stream of e-messaging, one way to demand the attention of your target audience is a good old-fashioned direct mail campaign. Learn how the authority and permanence of "print" might be just the hot new…
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• Lessons from the Recession: How Marketing Practices and Priorities Can Make the Difference
  A survey by the Alterra Group found that despite the sour economy, a number of professional services firms actually held their revenue steady or increased it in 2009. What separates the firms that thrive? The research finds that the more successful c…
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• Do-It-Yourself Marketing for Small Law Firms - by John O. Cunningham
  Small law firm lawyers don’t need expensive advertising to be effective marketers. With some diligence and imagination, small law firms can imitate the marketing strategies and programs of larger firms — even with part-time or no in-house profess…
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• Ten Ways to Boost Lateral Partner Integration - by Katie Rutter
  Whether due to mergers or downsizing, the trend in lateral lawyer moves is on the rise. Creating a lateral integration program is essential to make sure your new laterals hit the ground running, get up to speed, find their fit in your firm culture, a…
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• Recessionary Thinking: 12 Smart Marketing Tips for Tough Times - by Deborah C. Scaringi
  If you or your management is considering cutting or eliminating marketing programs because of tough times, think again! Research shows that companies that market through a recession stand to gain tremendously over competitors that cut back. Here are…
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• Six Facts About New Business - What Every Lawyer Needs to Know
  In a free chapter from his book, Legal Business Development: A Step By Step Guide, consultant Jim Hassett offers six basics that any lawyer can quickly understand and apply in order to start winning more legal services business.
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