Making a Big Splash
Posted By Rob Millard - 0 Comments -
There are enough excellent folk out there operating in the law firm and professional service firm marketing space for me not to want to muscle in on it except where a specific marketing issue is of undeniably central strategic concern. Marketing uber-guru Seth Godin has a post today about launch PR and media campaigns that is well worth passing on, though. In a nutshell, his advice is .... don't. My response: As with most things in life .... it depends.
Seth is talking about start-ups, primarily, and the need for them to resist the temptation to over-invest effort and funds in garnering media attention. Certainly, there are more important things to do during this phase of the business life cycle and cash flow is also paramount in most start ups.
On the one hand, it is difficult for clients to buy one's services if they don't know that one's firm exists. On the other, professional firms are seldom launched without a critical mass of existing clients from the founders' own practices. The focus must be on retaining these clients first and securing new business second. Publicity does usually help with the latter although I agree with Seth's admonition not to "break the bank or your timetable in the quest." Publicity in a professional service firm launch is useful when:
1. You have the type of practice that depends on a large number of once-off transactions with clients that use your kind of service only periodically, especially when that service is expensive. Personal injury lawyers and dentists specializing in cosmetic orthodontics spring to mind.
2. You are operating in a market where a moderate amount of publicity is likely to get you quickly to "top of mind" in the awareness of potential clients, for instance in medium sized towns and cities.
3. You have an undoubtedly newsworthy and memorable tale to tell. Messages that essentially say "hi, this is who we are and although we look, taste and feel just like the whole range of other existing firms that provide the same services, we're really better" seldom succeed.
Publicity is less useful where client purchase your services based on immense trust that you are amongst the best in your field in matters that are strategically important to them. It can even be counter-productive when it makes first-person assertions, promises things that your firm cannot deliver or attempts to create any sort of hype.
Marketing professional services, as my friend and colleague Gerry Riskin always says, is a full contact sport. Even in start-ups. It cannot be delegated to the media. If you are serious about wanting to learn or improve your skills in this sport, though, you really do need to contact Gerry.
http://www.robmillard.com/admin/trackback/85538
