Our presenter was Larry DePalma, an affable guy who identified himself as a marketing expert.
He mentioned a number of times that he works with a bankruptcy lawyer in Tennessee. [I checked his LinkedIn profile which claims that he is a “Treasury management and payments industry professional with extensive experience in product and marketing management.” His specialty, according to LinkedIn, is that he is a “Certified Treasury Professional, experience [sic] in domestic and international cash management and emerging payments.” Of his two businesses, one website is down and the other cannot be found.]
I note at the outset that I am not an objective reviewer of this session, as I am not only a practicing bankruptcy lawyer but also a marketing consultant to the bankruptcy bar. That having been said, I’m always looking for additional tips for promoting my practice.
Social Media As A Legal Marketing Platform
DePalma told attendees that Twitter would be useful eventually, but “not now.” He mocked Facebook as a business platform. He avoided LinkedIn and Google+ entirely.
This, right after he extolled the virtues of press releases to let the world know that you’ve attended a conference .
Blogging And Content Creation
DePalma said that blogging is important . The creation of fresh content makes your site more appealing to the search engines as well as to repeat visitors.
He also made an excellent point about being sure to write about things other than your practice area. It’s important to keep your humanity in the forefront; doing so makes you more appealing to your prospective clients.
DePalma recommended that you have your non-lawyer staff members blogging for you without much further discussion. He didn’t address how to keep your paralegal from speaking to legal issues or confront the issues that surface when you have people create content in your name.
Media Relations And Press Releases
As DePalma said, your relations with the press are important and should be cultivated. He recommended that everyone create press releases surrounding their attendance at the conference, and send them around to the local media.
The Importance Of Mobile
DePalma knows the importance of the mobile space, including smartphones and tablets. This is going to be where the game is changed in the near future, and it’s important to understand it completely so you can get first-mover advantage.
[ I have a contrary point of view about many of these issues which I’ll discuss later]
