International Women's Day 2018: LexRex, #RadicalManchester and Womanchester...

Welcome to International Women's Day 2018. Here at LexRex Communications we are jumping on board Marketing Manchester's fantastic #RadicalManchester initiative which, amongst other things involves renaming our fantastic city #Womanchester for the day (great job guys!)

We have decided to support the initiative by 'going purple' - you may have noticed a slightly different hue to the LexRex logo today.

We are also making a charitable donation to Manchester's Pankhurst Centre, a museum and women's community centre located in Emmeline Pankhurst's home in recognition of the great lady herself, and in support of the #Pankhurst100 efforts.

We thoroughly support the #IWD cause - which seeks to end gender disparity across the world. Here at LexRex, quite a few of our clients are female owner-managers of law firms, each of whom are achieving fantastic things within their businesses.

LexRex Communications' managing director, Victoria Moffatt commented:
"International Women's Day represents a great opportunity for women in business and beyond to celebrate the work that they do and the benefits they deliver within their business, the greater business community and the economy as a whole.

"Whilst the fight for gender pay equality is very much ongoing, I see International Women's Day as a chance to also review how far we have come over the course of the past 100 years, and mark our individual and collective successes in the workplace."

For more information about the #RadicalManchester campaign and Womanchester name change, check out Marketing Manchester's press release or visit www.radicalmanchester.com 
or www.womanchester.net.

You can also follow the #RadicalManchester hashtag on Twitter. The hashtags for International Women's Day 2018 are #IWD2018 and #PressforProgress.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Victoria Moffatt’s top tips for lawyers

Having been in business for 5 years (go me!), I recently sat down to think about what I’ve learned during that period. Cash is king, obviously. Don’t forget about VAT, and have your accountant on speed dial *Hi Darren, Leonherman - important life lessons it seems... But I also realised that a lack of confidence, or perhaps Imposter Syndrome, is something I sometimes see with female solicitor clients when it comes to making the most out of media relations opportunities. I've set out my suggestions for anybody trying dealing with it further down the page.

NB: My advice is focused upon broadcast opportunities, but is also applicable to print or online.

First - a bit of background: I am lucky enough to work with, and have worked with some truly exceptional clients. And I now realise that they all have something in common - big kahunas. At LexRex, we don't seek 'big law', regional leaders or multi-disciplinaries; we like boutiques. Small, agile businesses like ours, run by ambitious, level-headed lawyers who 'get' PR and want to be all over it.

Even amongst such ballsy practitioners though (and I have some BIG personalities on the books), I have noticed a certain reticence sometimes amongst female clients in particular, to grab an opportunity with BBC Breakfast, or jump all over a breaking news story. 

These are significant business women, with many years' experience. They have no fear (as far as I can tell) and will release the equivalent of an atomic bomb to win a case if they need to. So why the lack of confidence when it comes to media relations?

These are the reasons most commonly cited:

1. Anxiety around being asked something they don't know about

2. Concern that they are underqualified to discuss the topic

3. Fear of the unknown

1. Anxiety around being asked something they don't know about

I completely understand this. However, unless you are under the cosh for something your organisation has done or failed to do, and you are answering for it - you don't need to worry.

Media opportunities for solicitors tend to revolve around high profile cases/claims, situations that have arisen which may lead to claims, celebrity or human interest matters, or stories that arise at certain times of the year - 'divorce day' in January being an obvious one.

Securing an opportunity in the media around any of the above circumstances means that the broadcaster is looking for an opinion and/or legal advice. Basically the same as you would give to any client. They trust that you are an expert in your field, and want to hear your advice or comments. They will be friendly, because you are doing them a favour - they are on your side!

Of course, your concerns are valid, but can be quickly dealt with by your PR representative asking the producer exactly what they require in advance. 

Further, a good PR will brief you in detail, can probably find similar segments from earlier shows to show you the format, will certainly accompany you to the studio and stay with you throughout. You need to ensure you do know what you are talking about of course, so read up on the circumstances and ensure your knowledge is up to date. Simples.

Taking the long view, media training is also something to consider if you are seeking to raise your profile using broadcast media. It is worth its weight in gold, in terms of your confidence and also your PR's in knowing that you are prepared to go in front of a camera or microphone.

2. Concern that they are underqualified to discuss the topic

Quite a simple one here - if you are good enough to practise the law, you are certainly good enough to talk about it. Remember that you have paying clients who appreciate your advice and action. Media relations is no different - your advice is valued and your views are valid. 

As I mentioned above, as long as you are well prepared and understand what is required of you, there is no reason for you not to participate in the opportunity. 

3. Fear of the unknown

I completely get this. The first time I went into ITV I was terrified - and I was just the PR accompanying the client... It is daunting to go into a TV studio - but if you're a litigator, for example, in representing clients in court you already do something day in and day out that would frighten the pants off the majority of the population. And if you're not a litigator, it's worthwhile remembering none-the-less that you are still the most qualified person in the room to discuss the matter in hand.

In any event, you will usually have a bit of time before the broadcast to prepare, and if you are providing comments as a talking head, it's not uncommon to be plonked onto a stool in the middle of a hectic newsroom, and recorded in situ. It really isn't glamorous or especially terrifying. I promise.

In conclusion, yes imposter syndrome is horrible and can threaten to stop you from reaching your full potential in the media. Please, any time that you are feeling the fear - try to overcome it - TV appearances get easier the more frequently you do them. Good luck! I hope you've found this post insightful and if you've enjoyed it, check out the rest on the LexRex blog

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to boutique law firms. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline content.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com.  You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

Legal Directories: The LexRex view on The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners

Here's the LexRex view on Legal Directories...

Legal Directories: The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners can really add value to the marketing mix, and provide a decent ROI if done properly. Used as part of a strategic communications plan they can be utilised tactically to support identified goals.

Case study...
A boutique firm wants to undertake more of its most profitable work (why wouldn't it!), and decides to embark upon a campaign aiming to increase instructions from new clients by 25% within the next 12 months. The objective is to position the firm's managing partner as a thought-leader and expert in his/her field.

Tactics could include media relations, a thought-leadership blog, social media, a targeted newsletter, and a refresh of supporting marketing materials. A directory listing in either The Legal 500 or Chambers and Partners could support these tactics in the following ways:

Media relations: if a journalist needs a quote, statistics or spokesperson, they want to know that their source is an expert. Including a directory listing in 'notes to editors' at the bottom of all copy and in email footers/Twitter accounts/LinkedIn profiles gives weight to any claims of expertise.

Blog, website, social media, newsletter: including a directory logo and/or quote on the blog, website, social media and newsletter may prompt visitors to check out the said directory listing, once again providing affirmation of expertise.

Marketing materials: listings can also be used across marketing materials and especially when pitching for new work. Whilst sophisticated buyers are likely to understand directories, and may or may not give weight to them, for some they are a kitemark of expertise. In the worst case, a mention could have a neutral effect.

In brief
If your firm has managed a number of decent matters over the course of the past year, and you have contacts and clients who may be willing to be contacted to discuss your work, then legal directories may be something worthwhile considering. Don't forget - the deadlines are coming around quickly.

How can we help?
Whilst it can be time-consuming to prepare the submissions, it is possible to outsource the process. At LexRex we do this by discussing the matters that can and should be included in the submission, then we prepare it for you. Alternatively you can write the content and we'll provide a reviewing service.

Don't forget that Victoria Moffatt, who leads on directory submissions, is an ex-solicitor so this isn't a difficult process for us. We can also can assist with client/contact liaison for the referee element of the submission. And of course, we support the media relations side of things when the directories are published.

We hope you enjoyed our thoughts on Legal Directories and how they can help to support your communications efforts.

If you enjoyed this post, check out the others on the LexRex blog

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to boutique law firms. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline content.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com.  You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

Increasing the return on your PR budget part 1: cross-pitching

If you're a lawyer, and you 'do' marketing, chances are you sometimes wonder what you can do to increase the return on your PR budget, squeeze a bit more out of your activities or receive more 'bang' for your 'buck'. If so, this blog is for you.

Every so often, a news story breaks, a new piece of legislation is announced, or you win* an interesting case that sets a precedent or covers novel or newsworthy facts. As a fully paid up pro-marketing lawyer; you obviously leap at the opportunity to get your face and name on the telly, in the newspapers and talk, talk, talk about your involvement/showcase your specialism/promote your wares. Don't you? Hopefully yes, yes, yes...

Now a good agency will maximise your opportunities to discuss your newsworthy topic, by pitching to a range of different media - TV, newspapers, journals, trade publications, online sources (relevant, carefully researched outlets only though, of course).

Not only will they pitch to a wide range of media, they should also consider pitching vertically (to publications covering a specific industry - for example legal, fleet management, civil engineering) and horizontally (to publications not limited to a specific industry - for example HR, marketing, IT management).

Cross-pitching like this not only ensures your message reaches a wider audience, it also enables your agency to pull out and emphasise different elements of the 'story'. For example, a HR publication will be likely interested in different elements of a case in comparison to a broadsheet. A really good agency will be able to identify the elements of interest for each publication and write comments, or an article, that is drafted to perfectly fit within the readership's sphere of interest, thus guaranteeing (as far as possible) publication and hopefully, repeat opportunities in the future. Being able to identify different angles, and cover the same facts in multiple different articles and secure opportunities in this way is one of the marks of a great agency. If yours does this - congratulations, you're on to a winner!

If your chosen agency doesn't do this, or *horror face* they expect you to draft your own articles, it may be time to sit down down over coffee and map out your expectations.

So until next time, over and out. Look out for my next blog covering collaborative working... See you then!

If you enjoyed this post, check out the others on the LexRex blog

*even if you lose - a good PR may well be able to find a positive angle, especially if there's a chance of it going to appeal, it's a David and Goliath case (your client can be David or Goliath) or if it involves a human interest story.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline content.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com.  You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

Time to spring clean your PR?

After a long winter the signs of spring are definitely here! With daffodils and tulips popping up all over the place and the evenings staying lighter for longer, it's a great time for taking a good old look around you.

The same goes for your PR. If things are going ok it can be easy to accept a 'status quo' and keep on with the same course of action. But is 'ok' really getting you the results you need?

In this post we hand over to LexRex account manager Kate, who gives three top tips on ‘spring cleaning’ your PR.

Have a ‘spring awakening’.
Any good spring clean means a thorough look at things you don’t always get chance to consider. From time to time it is an immensely valuable exercise to reassess what you're doing and why. After all, you don't do PR for fun; it's to achieve an objective. PR mapping is a useful process that looks at each area of a law firm, how each can meet a PR agenda and how these can work together as a whole. If you use an external PR agency, get them to come up with some new ideas. It can also be a worthwhile and revealing exercise to ask a number of PR agencies to come in and showcase what they could bring to the table.

Brush up on the basics. 
Now you’ve looked at the bigger picture, it’s time to get back to basics. Are all of your current systems working the way they should be? Are you making the most out of the activity you’re currently undertaking? If there are areas you feel you could improve on, you shouldn’t deny yourself the opportunity to improve. Training can not only help to improve skills but can also improve efficiencies. There are many tools out there now that can help PR and communications professionals and training can open your eyes to these.

Consider something different. 
The days when PR was just about press releases and well-placed sponsorship are long gone. There are a whole load of things law firms can do now to raise their profile; from blogging to social media, awards to email newsletters. The key is to be consistent in your approach and integrate each activity with the other marketing and communications you're doing to create a cumulative effect.

April is not only the early days of spring, it’s also the start of the new financial year for many law firms. So if you’ve renewed your budgets and have capacity to invest in outsourced PR activity, or else want to invest in training to help improve your PR skills and efficiency, we’d love to chat to you!

Rekindling the Love: A guide to getting the most out of your legal PR agency...

Do you love your law firm's appointed PR representative? Do you share your deepest thoughts and wishes for the future of your firm with the team on a regular basis. No? Why not?

You should do really, as you are paying that company or consultant to represent your business - so it follows that they should be as passionate about it as you are.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we share our top tips for ensuring the chemistry with your PR agency is exactly as it should be. And if it's not - we offer advice on what you can do to remedy this, and how to recognise when it's time to move on to pastures new...

1. Question: Does your PR consultant/team really 'get' your firm and what you are trying to achieve? It goes without saying that the content they produce is legally correct*, but does the tone of the copy reflect how you would describe the business? If you can't hand-on-heart say that the messages your PR is putting out there reflect exactly how you want your firm to be represented, then it's time to consider taking one or more of the following steps...

2. Talk: If your representative is labouring under the false belief that everything is hunky-dory, then it's your responsibility to arrange a review to discuss where improvements can be made. Don't put this off - as with any relationship, talking helps to disperse resentment and prevent the rot from setting in. Don't allow niggles to become terminal.

3. Mapping: As part of the above, consider asking your PR to undertake a mapping process. This is should be something they do on an annual (at least) basis anyway. Done well, brand mapping draws out key messages, business objectives and targets and at the very least - should facilitate a discussion about what has and hasn't worked and what to aim for in the future.

4. Focus: Understand your representative's strengths and ensure that these continue to align with your firm's needs. If your focus is on media relations, but you have selected an integrated consultancy that prides itself on excellent social media strategies and delivery - it may be time to rethink where you spend your budget.

5. Review: Just stopping to take the time to think about where improvements can be made to an existing relationship can prove to be both insightful and empowering. Strong observations can be made simply by reviewing what your PR set out to do, against what is being delivered, and these may be very powerful in helping you to decide upon the best course of action when looking to the future.

*And if it's not - time to get the experts in. We're the experts, obviously.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and online/offline copywriting.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com.  You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

What is Legal PR? Part 3: Everything Else...

What is Legal PR?

In parts 1 and 2 of this series, I covered media relations and social media. This, the third instalment, describes some of the other supporting services we provide to clients on a day to day basis.

Awards: many lawyers recognise the value of being 'an award winning law firm', when it comes to attracting new clients. Others are cynical about their value, and some feel they are handed out 'willy-nilly' to mates and sponsors of the organising body.

Now it's certainly the case that not all awards are born equal. However, that's not in itself a reason to dismiss them in their entirety. The Law Society Excellence Awards for example are fairly judged, neutral and well respected. Others, are unfortunately less so. If you're interested in a case study on our awards service - here's one.

My advice when it comes to awards is: don't dismiss them out of hand, but take professional advice on the ones to enter and those to skip. Of course, it goes without saying that submissions must be well drafted and compliant with the T&C's of entry...

Copywriting: we also draft outstanding content - standalone commissions such as updates to clients' websites, ongoing and regular content for technical client blogs, as well as newsletters, white papers, reports and of course the media relations content described in part 1 of this series.

Events: everybody loves a good party, and we are certainly no exception to that rule! We provide consultancy and detailed party planning for our clients. Our past events have included conferences, birthday parties, launch events, breakfast seminars and hosted events for our clients' clients.

Directories: their mention typically prompts multiple eye-rolls across all departments, nevertheless the Legal 500 and Chambers directories continue to have a hold over the legal profession. For the haters out there - as well as for those who recognise the value in a ranking, but find it difficult to find the time or vocabulary to draft their submissions - we jump right in and do the hard word.

So that completes the series on Legal PR. I hope you found it interesting and if you learnt something new - let us know by leaving a comment!

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and copywriting.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

What is legal PR? Part 2: Social Media

What is Legal PR?

No doubt that even just 10 years ago, the answer to that question would have been quite different. Media relations, which we covered in our last post, is still fundamental and is now supported by a whole host of other elements. One of those is social media, and we'll cover the others in later posts.

We most commonly help law firms to get their message across using Twitter and LinkedIn, but that's not to say that Facebook doesn't have its place.

So what do we actually DO? Well, initially, we map out a client's brand on a strategic basis - to understand what they stand for, who they want to reach and where the business is going over the course of the next 6 - 12 months. Once we understand all of this, we create and start to implement a supporting social media strategy.

Twitter is a great place to start with social media, as it's a bit like entering a giant networking event. You really never know who you're going to meet there! We help our clients to build a following of dedicated fans - but we don't believe it's purely about the numbers. In our experience* it's far better to have a smaller, focussed following made up of target individuals who are interested in what you have to say, who may actually buy from you in the future. On that note - people do buy on Twitter, and don't let anybody tell you that they don't.

With regards to LinkedIn, our role is to enable clients to present the best version of themselves to the world. Who wants to read a stuffy CV-based profile? I want to know the person behind the photograph (you do have a professional headshot on there don't you?), and if you have a personalised profile that actually tells me something about you, I'm more likely to warm to you, and correspondingly, instruct or at least meet with you. We also train clients on how best to use LinkedIn, particularly to build business.

On a firm-wide basis, we create and manage company pages - these are often criminally under-utilised, and create and share content to drive web traffic and new enquiries.

Facebook isn't for every firm... but for those that can harness its power strategically, it's a no-brainer. As with Twitter, we help our clients to build an army of loyal followers, people who will like and share content, provide comments and engage publicly. If your mates like something, well it's got to be worth checking out, right?

So that was our whirlwind tour of social media... If you enjoyed it, please do leave a comment and if you found it useful, why not check out the others on our blog.

*As one of the first practising lawyers on Twitter, Vic knows a thing or two about Twitter

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and copywriting.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

What is Legal PR? Part 1: Media Relations

What is Legal PR?

So it's been a little while since I last blogged, and with good reason. In May 2014 I produced a little person, and since then, I've enjoyed taking some time off. But now I'm back. A little bit like the Terminator, but hopefully slightly less sinister.

Anyway, because it's been a while I thought I would ease myself back into writing with a series of back-to-basics posts on what it is we do at LexRex Towers. It's easy for us to say 'we specialise in Legal PR', but what does that actually mean?

So first up, it's the daddy, the dark art, our bread and butter... It's Media Relations.

Media relations is basically anything to do with the media. Duh - sounds obvious right? Well, yes and no. We do draft and issue press releases on the usual subjects: financials, new appointments/promotions, ground-breaking/interesting claims, mergers, directory listings etc etc.

We also prepare what we call 'forward feature' calendars mapping out which of our clients' target media are writing about their specialisms and when. We use these to help to plan their PR year and to ensure we make the most of any planned opportunities.

We build relationships between journalists and clients through meetings, interview opportunities, introductions at conferences, Q&A's and roundtables. We know the journalists our clients need to know, and if it's appropriate we'll connect them.

We also pitch in and write bylined articles. These are the pieces written by lawyers that are typically seen in trade publications. These are not 'paid for' pieces or advertorials, but they are usually advisory in nature. Because we are all newshounds here, we know exactly what is topping the news agenda at any particular time, and we approach journalists with ideas for columns or articles on our clients' behalf. As well as print and online media, we also create and exploit opportunities on the TV and radio.

So, media relations. Hopefully it's all just become a little clearer...

By Victoria Moffatt

If you found this post useful, why not check out the others on our blog.

LexRex is a specialist consultancy providing strategic PR and marketing support to law firms and businesses that operate within the legal sector. Our services include media relations, social media support and training, award entries, legal directory submissions and copywriting.

If you would like to know more about our services, please drop us an email on info@lexrexcommunications.com or call us on 0161 850 5556. You can also tweet us LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

BINGO! Tips for lawyers on avoiding a PR #epicfail...

The Conservative Party's post-Budget 2014 BINGO! poster illustrates the importance of understanding and getting under the skin of your key audiences more clearly than anything I could ever have put in words. 

I don't intend to examine where, how or why the party got it so wrong, or open up a political debate - but I think we can all agree it was a mistake.

So - how can lawyers avoid an #epicfail like this in their own marketing and PR activities?

Work out who you want to speak to

It's important to be very clear in this respect - no sweeping statements allowed - i.e. we want to speak to business people. Not good enough I'm afraid - you must be specific. 

Try something like: "Owner managers, finance directors and general counsel of SMEs in Manchester" or "People with a net worth of £250k and above, who haven't written a will/updated their will in the last 3 years, and live within 10 miles of Chester". The more tightly you can define who you want to communicate with the better, and the easier it will be to construct a strong PR and marketing strategy.

Get to know them

Find out what your key audiences read, what they like, where they hang out and what they do in their spare time. Heck - you might even be one of them, in which case, you'll know a lot of this stuff. I heard somebody say recently that you can sell anything to your friends, and I think it's a great quote - because it's true!

Presume nothing
For me, the biggest mistake of the above poster was that it presumed a lot - making sweeping statements about a mysterious 'they' and that offended people. 

So, when it comes to reaching your identified key audiences, put aside your preconceptions and be willing to get into their shoes. 

And if you can't do that - it could be time to rethink your target market.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms and businesses that support law firms, including strategic brand and PR mapping, media relations, social media training and consultancy, awards entries, legal directory submissions and a number of PR and writing courses.

If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via the above email address or tweet us @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

www.lexrexcommunications.com/

National Press Coverage: A 'Must Have' For Lawyers?

At the start of many a new business conversation or during a strategic legal PR mapping session with law firm clients, the question of national media coverage inevitably arises. Many lawyers want to know when they can expect to see themselves in The Times or on the BBC.

Now, for some lawyers, achieving national exposure delivers fantastic results. Slater and Gordon, for example, are doing a lot of work on this front and seem to be set to loosen Marilyn Stowe's 10 year+ grip on ITV shows such as This Morning and Lorraine. Certainly, the media profile that Marilyn has been able to grow via national broadcast and print PR is fantastic, and (I believe) drives a lot of new enquiries, and I can understand why a national consumer brand like S&G is intent on this course of action. 

'Mr Loophole' himself, Nick Freeman, is another lawyer who (a few years ago now) was able to generate strong national coverage and a reputation as the 'go to' driving offences lawyer for the rich, famous and ridiculously good at football.

But for many lawyers, especially those with a limited PR budget, going for national coverage at the expense of local or trade media may be a mistake. Why?

1. National coverage can be expensive and time consuming to achieve and is extremely unpredictable. It can take many months of pitching ideas before an opportunity arises, and often you will be required to drop everything to fit the needs of the show or publication - something that many busy lawyers find impossible to do.
2. Media coverage is never guaranteed. Broadcast and print pieces are frequently 'bumped' at the last moment and may never see the light of day - regardless of a 5 a.m. start, £150 ticket to London and 6 hours out of the office.
3. Further, it's important to remember that although national coverage will put you in front of a huge audience, it may not be an audience you actually want to engage. If you get this wrong, you could end up generating a wide range of new enquiries in an area of law that is actually unprofitable for you, fielding a high volume of calls with no prospect of a valuable instruction, at the expense of higher quality leads from existing clients.

This isn't to say that national coverage doesn't have its place and certainly, if you can secure an opportunity that helps to further your strategic PR goals, then its power and reach are not to be underestimated. But before you demand that your agency or in-house team get you on the 6.00 o'clock news - remember that your time and money may be better spent elsewhere.

Next time I'll write about the benefits of local media coverage, and why it could be worthwhile focusing your efforts on often over-looked publications and opportunities.

By Victoria Moffatt 

LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms and businesses that support law firms, including strategic brand and legal PR mapping, media relations, social media training and consultancy, awards entries, legal directory submissions and a range of PR and writing courses.

If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via  via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

Legal Awards: Maximising the PR Opportunities of Winning

Legal Awards... Do you regularly nominate yourself or your firm? No? If not - why not? If you're otherwise into your PR and marketing, but you don't 'do' awards you could be missing a trick. Awards aren't for 'show-offs', they are for sensible lawyers who understand the value and importance of promoting their practice.

A note: if you think awards are for numpties who like to blow their own trumpets, and you believe that PR and marketing is a load of fluff and self-promotion, you should stop reading now - this post will probably just annoy you.

Is there an award for me?
Yes! There are lots of different awards for lawyers to enter.

There are the 'big boys' - such as The Lawyer Awards (submission deadline recently extended to Tuesday 25th February - so there's still time), The Law Society's Excellence Awards, and The Legal Business Awards which incidentally took place this week in London.

If you're not part of 'Big Law' or don't think you're quite ready for a national award, there are still loads of opportunities to be recognised for your expertise, niche, customer service or internal management structure (for example).

Local awards specifically for lawyers exist, for example check out Manchester Law Society's Legal Awards and The Yorkshire Legal Awards.

And if you or your firm has a particular niche or strength, there are also awards for you. Personal injury firms are well serviced by the Proclaim Personal Injury Awards and The Claims Innovation Awards. Conveyancers can take part in The Conveyancing Awards and family lawyers have the Family Law Awards.

Lawyers operating away from the major legal centres also have opportunities for recognition in local business awards. Typically run by Chambers' of Commerce, local networking groups or business publications - there are usually specific categories for Law Firm of the Year or Legal Personality/Professional of the Year. Alternatively, why not consider entering less obvious categories such as Start-Up of the Year, Most Innovative Business or Entrepreneur of the Year.

What next?
Presuming you've now entered yourself or your firm for an award (and for tips on drafting award entries check out this post), the next step is usually to await the shortlist announcement.

If you are shortlisted then *BAM* that's PR opportunity number 1. If the awards you've entered operate in conjunction with a media partner (usually a local or national business/trade publication) then you can probably rest assured that you or your firm will be featured in that publication with a piece covering all of the shortlisted candidates. At this point, it's worthwhile striking whilst the iron is hot and getting a press release about your shortlisting issued to other relevant outlets.

You could think about sending this to your local paper's business pages, local business publication, regional Chamber of Commerce or networking group for possible inclusion in their newsletter, or as a piece of member news for their website.

Of course, the above are suggested actions only, and you must either carry out your own research to ensure you're not spamming journalists with content they'll never use or pay a PR to take control of this side of things. Note - time spent carrying out good research is fundamental to strong PR, without it you'll just annoy journalists and limit your prospects of good coverage now and in the future.

Away from the media relations side of things, you should certainly publish the release on your website, and you may also wish to tweet about it, and share it via LinkedIn and your individual/firm's Google+ page.

On shortlisting, your chances of actually winning are usually pretty good. Odds of between 1:3 and up to around 1:7 (for national awards such as The Excellence Awards) are fairly typical and it pays to be well prepared.

Without being arrogant, there's absolutely no reason not to create and approve a press release before the big event. This has two benefits: if you do win, you can issue the release immediately to your target media, or first thing the following day (regardless of how hungover you are). Even if you don't win, you now have a handy precedent for use in the future.

In addition to PR and media opportunities, it's also important not to neglect the simple, but obvious, marketing opportunities that go hand in hand with an award win. To this end, don't forget to utilise any award-winner logos on email footers, across your website, in your marketing materials and throughout your sales process.

Remember to tell your clients about your success - a mention of the win, along with some strong images of the presentation, can be used in newsletters and on your website.

At the end of the day, if an award is worth entering, it's worth shouting about when you win.

For more tips on award entries, check out our three part series: Why Should Lawyers Enter Awards?

If you would like a copy of our Calendar of Awards for Lawyers, please drop us a line on info@lexrexcommunications.com


By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms and businesses that support law firms, including strategic brand and PR mapping, media relations, social media training and consultancy, awards entries, legal directory submissions and a range of PR and writing courses.

If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via the above email address or tweet us @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt.

www.lexrexcommunications.com/

New Year, Better PR?

Welcome to 2014, and to a fresh and exciting start. Here at LexRex Towers we're building up to an action packed January and we're excited about working with a number of new legal PR clients, and to developing some fantastic business opportunities sent our way recently by existing clients of the business.

This month, we'll also start implementing the 2014 PR plans we've created for our existing clients. For us, December is usually a busy month spent finalising strategies and agreeing targets and measurable ROI's with all of our clients.

But it isn't too late to start thinking about implementing a new PR campaign, as well as reviewing your successes and failures in 2013. Good legal PR is all about a number of different elements, including:

1. Understanding your strengths and USP's
2. Creating key messages that reflect these
3. Knowing your target audiences
4. Building campaigns around the key messages which reach the target audiences

It's also really important to plan and measure your activities. A PR plan should include not only your key messages and target audiences, but also a budget, a timeframe, a set of SMART targets and measurement criteria, and an over-reaching strategy with tactics to support this - such as media relations, social media, events, awards and legal directory entries. It's also imperative that the plan ties into and supports the firm's business objectives and targets, and is signed off and approved at the highest level.

It's relatively easy to create a PR plan in-house, but if you do decide to outsource your legal PR, or elements of it, an agency or freelancer worth their salt should always incorporate an element of planning into their brief. Ideally, this PR planning - or mapping as we call it here at LexRex - should happen right at the start of the campaign, and include a session with the management team as well as any in-house marketing support. Management support is fundamental to ensuring any strategy and plan is adhered to, and provides top level buy-in - which is a key driver to successful implementation.

So, here's to 2014 and to continued excellence in legal PR! The LexRex team wishes you all a fantastic new year.

Hopefully this post has provided a handy kick up the butt on the PR front, or at least given food for thought. As ever, comments and feedback are gratefully received.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms, including strategic brand and PR mapping, media relations, social media consultancy, awards entries, legal directory submissions and a range of PR and writing courses. If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us: @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt

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A Quick Update from LexRex Towers...

A very busy few weeks here at LexRex Towers... We've just completed our first year in business - YIPPEE! And now we're preparing our accounts. We're all very excited to see our figures on paper, but not so excited about our impending tax bill...

So, what have we been up to?
Well, on September 19th we celebrated our first year in business with a FABULOUS party in Manchester, with some of our closest friends, wonderful clients and lovely contacts. By all accounts, a fabulous night was had by all.

In October, we were extremely pleased to welcome on board our fabulous event and party planning consultant, Kate Mackenzie. A fellow ex-practitioner, Kate really knows her lawyers but more importantly she puts on a great event! We are already looking forward to hosting an extremely exciting conference in April 2014 on behalf of one of our clients; which we have no doubt will draw the crowds from far and wide... More to follow on that front. *Watch this space*.

Also in October, we cheered on our client Aequitas Legal at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2013. We are very pleased to report that the firm took home the Excellence In Client Service Award, and despite missing out on the LexCel Award for Excellence in Practice Management, managing partner Sucheet Amin was, we're told, "over the moon" at winning a gong. 

We should point out that it was Aequitas' first time entering the awards, so to be shortlisted for not one, but two awards, and to scoop (arguably) one of the most prestigious - was a MASSIVE achievement. Well done Such and the team, and onwards and upwards in 2014!

This month we're looking forward to supporting Such and the team at the Manchester Young Talent Awards, which take place on Thursday 21st November. Once again we'll be cheering for Such, as he's shortlisted for the Legal Professional of the Year Award. Good luck Such!

The Manchester Legal Awards 2014 were announced last week, and we'll be encouraging our clients to enter. If you need some help deciding upon which categories to enter, or some support in drafting your submissions, why not give us a shout - our awards entries are award-winning after all! The awards ceremony is taking place on Thursday 6th March, and will no doubt be THE event to attend in spring. We can't wait.

We've also had a lot of great media coverage to celebrate recently. Of course, Aequitas Legal's win at the Excellence Awards made a good story, and to date, we've had strong local success with Northwich law firm, Susan Howarth and Co's new family law initiative.

Our favourite piece of coverage was probably Jo Norris' comment in the Guardian Small Business Network article on the importance of good cashflow management. Excellent work Jo!

Legal consultancy, Zebra LC has been keeping us busy as managing director Zoe Holland moves and shakes across the PI market, providing due diligence advice on a number of high profile deals.

Finally... We can't wait for the Christmas markets to return to Manchester on Friday 15th November, and we're looking forward to a bit of a knees up and bratwurst all round, with the team at Ratio Law to celebrate a full year of working together. Happy days!

So, a lot going on here at the moment, but we're always excited to meet new clients. So if you fancy a coffee and a chat, or a mulled wine and a mince pie, be sure to give us a shout.

To find out more about what we do, check out our website. http://www.lexrexcommunications.com/

To contact us, please drop us an email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us: @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt

Is PR advertising?

This week I'm writing about something that continues to surprise me - the prevalence of the belief that PR is advertising. It's not, of course, although the two disciplines are intrinsically linked.

PR is all about communicating with key audiences. In my line of work, it's usually about promoting a legal service to those audiences. However, it is not typically paid-for promotion in the same sense as advertising.

One element of PR - perhaps the most well-known - is media relations. Media relations is, in essence, about creating opportunities in the media for clients. It can include placing and writing bylined articles, providing comments for articles, writing and issuing press releases and securing interviews for television, radio, print or online publications (for example). 

All of these opportunities are free. This means they are accepted on merit and newsworthiness alone. No money changes hands between journalist and client.

On the flip-side; advertising is paid-for content and may include television or radio adverts, sponsored columns and advertorials (paid for adverts that have the look and feel of editorial), leaflets, pop-ups or banners. Because advertising is paid-for, it is usually promotional in nature, often overtly so.

There is often a cross-over between PR and advertising, for example, PRs are often responsible for writing the content for advertorial and sponsored columns. 

The real difference though is that PR is earned, advertising is paid-for. Simples.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms, including strategic brand and PR mapping, media relations, social media consultancy and support and a range of PR and writing courses. If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us: @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt

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Lawyers! Time to Review your PR?

After a short break, the LexRex blog is back, and this week I'm explaining why I think September is a great time for lawyers to undertake a strategic review of their PR activities.

I can't be the only person who feels that it's September, not January, that signifies the start of a new year. Perhaps it's a kick-back from school but I still use an academic diary, and I always find those first few days of early September exciting and fresh.

Things slow down over the summer months for no other reason than the fact that people go on holiday, meaning that pushing through sales, starting new projects or even just speaking to the right person becomes a merry-go-round of frustration. For me, this period of relative quiet time is great for catching up, working through the to-do list, getting stuck into some CPD activity and squeezing in a holiday.

In contrast September always seems like a month of opportunity, a time for reviewing progress to date and planning for the future. So that's why this post is all about reviewing your firm's PR activity - and what better time than now to be thinking about that?

So why should you review your PR? Well if you have an agency, marketing/PR person/team or use the services of a freelancer, it's likely that you are making something of an investment in their service. So it's important to know that you're getting a return.

A 'return' should be possible to measure simply by referring to the initial objectives and targets agreed at the outset...

If you don't currently measure PR activity and results, now may be the time to make the change. PR targets don't need to be complicated but ideally they will be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable/action-oriented, relevant/realistic and time-bound).

In any event, the process of setting targets and goals tends to be a useful exercise in itself. In-house and indeed agency teams are often pressured to deliver against sometimes impossible expectations from some partners. For this reason it can be helpful to identify the teams with higher-than-achievable ambitions, to ensure that the available time is allocated appropriately.

For example some partners want endless coverage and will pester for service that goes over and above the agreed retainer (or that exceeds what the internal team can realistically deliver), whilst other teams are completely uninterested in PR yet have specialist expertise that could provide excellent content for press releases, media comments or blog posts.

This means that a pattern of 'he who shouts loudest' is often at risk of arising - which is fantastic for the team with a lot to say - but is potentially destructive for other, quieter teams who may need a little more encouragement to promote their expertise.

Once the firm's PR weaknesses have been identified (and every firm has them) it's much easier to take steps to remedy them.

For example, if the family team provide blog posts for the firm's generic blog on a weekly basis, but the IP team struggle to do anything at all; a casual visitor to the blog may not realise the firm even has IP expertise. Of course, if that person is looking for an IP lawyer - that's potentially an opportunity lost. Once the IP team's weakness on the blogging front has been identified however, steps can be taken to remedy it. They could include outsourcing the blog writing process, providing writing training to the team or perhaps creating a separate family law blog to host all of that valuable content.

When undertaking a PR review, it's also worth considering what's worked in the past, and what hasn't been so successful. If the firm's focus is on traditional media coverage in the local business pages; why not undertake a review of the coverage achieved in the previous 12 months. Think about which press releases were used widely, and which never saw the light of day again.

Review time is also an excellent opportunity for brainstorming new initiatives - which don't have to be high tech or newfangled. Events can be successful if they are insightful and well-targeted. Seemingly old-fashioned techniques like taking clients out to lunch, making thoughtful referrals and introductions still work - so use them strategically, and measure the cost:benefit ratio of doing so. Media relations, content marketing and blogging, Twitter and strategic LinkedIn usage may all have a place in your PR and marketing arsenal; but you must be strategic and consistent in how you use them.

If the team is struggling to think up new strategies, or the past year's activities haven't worked as well as expected; it may be time to think about bringing somebody new to the table. For tips on choosing a PR agency check out my series of articles on expertise, chemistry and conflicts of interest.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex offers a wide range of PR and marketing services to law firms, including strategic brand and PR mapping, media relations, social media consultancy and support and a range of PR and writing courses. If you would like more information about our services, please drop us a line via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us: @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt

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Re-using Law Firm Content Part 2: Blogs

Last week I wrote about re-using press releases to ensure you get your money's worth from each one. In this post I'm explaining how to do the same for blog posts.

So, once you've written a post that's not only valuable but interesting, and audience appropriate - what next? Well first of all, you need to promote it. So do the obvious and share it on Twitter, post a link to it on your LinkedIn profile and add it to your firm's and your individual Google+ page (assuming you use this for professional purposes).

After you're shared the content across a variety of platforms, think about how you can re-use it. The obvious starting point is your firm's newsletter.

Depending upon the size of your blog audience, you could think about re-writing the piece. If you decide to do this - consider whether you can make it more relevant to a particular set of clients. If you send out a variety of different newsletters, even more reason to focus the content for that particular group.

If you have just the one newsletter, and the content is relevant to a large proportion of its readership, turn it into a 'top tips' piece or similar.

Also consider whether the content might be of interest as a guest blog. Popular bloggers are often open to content from different writers to help lighten the load of writing fresh, insightful content, but also because they want to add value to their readership by posting new perspectives and handy information.

Think about the blogs that you read, and whether there might be room for some of your writing. If there is a cross-over between their content and likely audience, and your target audience, then get in touch.

Before you make your approach though, just mentally sense-check your proposal. Ensure that your pitch shows that you understand the blog you want to write for. Many bloggers write out of a passion for their subject and poorly thought-out, irrelevant pitches are not only ineffective, but may cause offence.

By Victoria Moffatt.

LexRex provides specialist PR and communications consultancy to law firms across the UK. Headed by ex-lawyer Victoria Moffatt, we understand both the law and the art of communications.

LexRex now offers a range of different writing training courses, including the popular 'Exciting Writing for Lawyers' and 'Clear Writing for Junior Lawyers' workshops. If you would like further information about these new products or our other services, please drop us a line via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us: @LexRexComms or@vicmoffatt

Re-using Law Firm Content Part 1: Press Releases

This week's post is a guide for lawyers on making the most of and re-using press release content. In later posts I'll cover articles and blogs.

But first, a moment of reminiscence... Back in the day when I was a practising solicitor, I had a ring-binder full of precedent documents. This included sample particulars of claims, defences, grievance letters and letters of advice. To save time I would turn to this folder at least once a week, and either use the content as guidance or as a refresher, or even; in straight-forward repeat matters such as residential landlord and tenant claims, reuse the copy verbatim.

Now I'm sure I'm not the only person with a sneaky ring binder. Although these days it would probably be a file on my desktop. But why is my precedent folder relevant to this blog?

Well, it's the concept of re-using and recycling that's relevant here.

When I speak to lawyers about their PR and online marketing strategies (if indeed they have such a thing), one of the complaints I hear over and over again is that they simply don't have the time to create as much content as they would like.

Now, I 'get' this, but there are ways to make it easier upon yourself - you just need to learn to recycle. If you have some great news - big deal, new partner announcements, year-end results etc. you will most probably issue a press release. That in itself is probably at least half a day's work for somebody.

Now - what else do you do with that copy once you've issued the release? Nothing? More fool you.

If your news is covered anywhere, you've probably got the basics right and you should stick a copy of the release in your firm's version of my ring binder. You can then use this as inspiration next time you have something to say.

In addition, after you've given your target media the chance to use or discard your press release, reword it slightly and publish it on your website.

Then - share it on LinkedIn and think about putting it on your Google+ page.

Consider tweeting a few links (over time) to the announcement on your website or any online coverage and whilst you're at it, retweet any tweets covering your news issued by any of your target media*, or any indeed other friendly tweets that mention your firm in this context.

Finally, you can re-use the copy all over again when you create your next client newsletter.

Honestly... that's quite a list of things you can do with a 500 word press release...

*You do follow your target publications and the relevant journalists on Twitter - don't you?

By Victoria Moffatt

Lawyers: 5 Tips for Effective Writing

Writing... It's a topic I've covered before, and if you're interested, check out my posts on writing a law blog and writing clearly. Today though, I want to cover writing techniques at a more granular level.

My experience is that writing is an act of constant editing. The hardest bit is typically getting something on paper, but once that first draft is written, it is then simply a matter of chopping and changing the content until you're happy.

Tip 1: just do it

I think a lot of people do 'just do it' and then press publish or send. Please don't do this. Check your writing carefully and at the very least, run a spelling and grammar check. But don't rely solely upon this, as it will only highlight incorrectly spelt words, not those used incorrectly - for example 'any' rather than 'and'.

I edit all copy ruthlessly and endlessly. I'm also obsessed with brevity and clarity. I read a great post on LinkedIn this week about cutting irrelevant words from writing and announcements. The article is spot on and you can check it out here.

Tip 2: edit edit edit

Sometimes, I really struggle to get something down - often when I'm tired, or if I've already written a lot of content that day. When floundering I try to move onto something less demanding for an hour or so.

Tip 3: write when you are fresh and full of beans

My pet hate is the use of the same word or phrase over and over again. If you've used 'professional' once, try not to rely upon it again. The same goes for specialist, expert, unique, valuable etc. It's lazy writing and there's usually no excuse for it. Thesaurus.com is a handy resource, as is the Microsoft synonyms tool. You can also use the 'find' function if you fear you've over-used a particular word. Sometimes repetition cannot be helped - but even just being conscious of avoiding it will probably make you a better writer.

Tip 4: don't overuse favourite words or phrases

I like to keep my sentences really short. That's because I think they are easy to read. In addition, short sentences enable me to keep to the point, and hopefully encourage my reader to continue.

Punctuation is a little bit like breathing. (Takes a breath) Insert commas and full stops at natural pause-points and you won't go far wrong. (Takes a breath).

If you write really long sentences without making use of punctuation marks your reader will find it difficult to understand where one idea ends and the next begins, they will also hate you for being unclear and for not giving them permission to stop and breathe.

If I'm honest, even writing that sentence was a struggle, and reading it back makes my eyes start crossing. Hopefully you understand my point.

Tip 5: keep sentences short and make use of punctuation marks

The above 5 ideas are just the points that I use to guide my writing, so let me know if you think I've missed anything fundamental.

By Victoria Moffatt

LexRex provides specialist PR and communications consultancy to law firms across the UK. Headed by ex-lawyer Victoria Moffatt, we understand both the law and the art of communications.

LexRex now offers a range of different writing training courses, including the popular 'Exciting Writing for Lawyers' and 'Clear Writing for Junior Lawyers' workshops. If you would like further information about these new products or our other services, please drop us a line via email: info@lexrexcommunications.com or tweet us: @LexRexComms or @vicmoffatt