Avoiding random acts of PR.

• Author: Goldman, Corri
• Position: Public relations

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Most law firms consider public relations to be an important part of their marketing and business development efforts. However, few firms actually undertake PR in a strategic and focused manner. Random acts of PR can happen for many reasons: A firm's in-house marketing professional doesn't have the time, or may not have the experience, to develop and implement a focused PR effort; a firm may engage an outside PR firm but hasn't provided--or possibly hasn't been asked for--information about priority practices, industry groups and/or attorneys; or the firm may have the best intentions of utilizing PR in a strategic manner, but somehow, practice groups, attorneys or events that have not been deemed of high importance end up as the bulk of the firm's media outreach.

The Importance of Strategically Focused PR

Every organization can benefit from a well-designed strategic plan. For law firms, the ever-increasing levels of competition, industry specialization and buyer sophistication have made it essential for firms to do a better job of forecasting and planning for the future. Studies have shown that companies (law firms, included) that set goals, determine priorities and develop written plans consistently outperform those that do not.

If public and media relations play any part in a firm's marketing mix (and they should), the same wisdom should apply to this undertaking as well. Public and media relations work best when they are derived from a firm's strategic goals. Otherwise, the practices, attorneys or initiatives that are most important to the firm from a branding, marketing or general business development perspective might not be those receiving media attention. Even worse, wrong messages might be communicated to the media, simply because the firm hasn't taken the time to hone the right ones.

We have all seen examples of firms that have received publicity for cases that are the polar opposite of those for which the firm wishes to be known, for clients that differ from the desired target market, for practice groups that are not core competencies within the firm and for attorneys who will soon leave. It is peculiar to see firms invest considerable time and attention, even thousands of dollars, to perfect each word in a brochure or on aWeb site, but simultaneously undertake PR efforts without any plan, oversight or monitoring.

Developing and Implementing a Program

Whether a boutique or general practice firm, it is...