The Media Matters
By Chris Fickett, Firesign
Does your law firm’s name, or those of your firm’s attorneys, appear regularly in traditional media articles and trade publications? They should, especially if you want to appeal to small businesses suddenly faced with a legal need.
While your marketing efforts may be focused on placing content on your firm’s website and legal news aggregation sites, media relations with the traditional press can play a big role in courting small businesses and entrepreneurs.
That’s because small business operators are overworked. According to a survey shared by Entrepreneur, more than 40 percent of founders work more than 50 hours a week, and 41 percent say there’s “never a dull moment.” Small business owners aren’t scanning JD Supra and Lexology for the latest scoop on new regulations and legislation like in-house counsel.
This behavior is illustrated in a survey by Firesign. Only one in five small business owners surveyed say they routinely educate themselves on legal issues. And when they’re faced with a legal problem and need to educate themselves, small business operators are likely to seek information from articles in the trade media covering their sector or the general business press rather than legal aggregators or law firm website content.
According to the survey, 46 percent of small business owners turn to the trade media that covers their industry, and 46 percent also seek articles in the general business press when faced with a legal need. Just 4 percent seek law firm content on legal news aggregators.
In the survey, small business clients also ranked trade media (29 percent) as the most reliable source for staying up to date on legal developments, slightly edging out the general business press (22 percent). Despite its popularity (and use by 29 percent of small business clients), content on general social media feeds was only ranked by 6 percent as reliable.
Once small business clients move to the selection process, media coverage in trade publications and the general business press remains relevant. The survey revealed that lawyer biographies (92 percent), online reviews (83 percent), and law firm content (72 percent) were cited as the most credible sources during the selection process, but 27 percent of survey respondents said lawyer/law firm press coverage was important as they finalized their choice for legal representation.
Here’s how to put this information into action:
● Pursue quotes and bylined articles in the media: Focus on relevant trade publications and business publications in your region. Consult their editorial calendars to see if there are special “legal” issues planned and make article pitches. Research reporters who have written about legal matters, introduce yourself, and offer your assistance as a source if they have questions for upcoming articles.
● Encourage lawyers to post on LinkedIn: When your law firm or your lawyers are quoted in the media, they should always share the article link on their feeds, offering thanks to the interviewer (to cultivate future interview opportunities and article placements) and insight into their comments. This is the most likely way for lawyers to reach prospective small business clients’ feeds.
● Seek opportunities to share expertise with trade associations: These organizations enjoy high levels of small business trust and may also produce publications that your potential small business clients read. Some ways your law firm can get on the radar of trade publications: Offer to present at their annual conference; if your firm offers CLE webinars, you could even repurpose that presentation to target a specific industry audience. These efforts can position your firm and lawyers as subject-matter experts who are worth quoting and featuring in their publication.
This is the last article in our series, Startups and Small Business: Actionable Intel for Legal Marketers.
To learn more about how small businesses scout and select lawyers, check out Firesign’s report, From Referrals to Recon: How Small Businesses Hire Lawyers.
Chris Fickett is a senior content specialist at Firesign | Enlightened Legal Marketing, an agency that helps law firms and legal service providers build their brands and bottom lines. He can be reached at cjf@firesignmarketing.com.