From Aaron:

Presence Marketing is the recognition and exposure that a person or company gets simply by being there. Where is there? It is simply anywhere that people are.

In traditional advertising, it might be product placement in your favorite television show. An example of this is how Agent McGee uses the iPhone throughout NCIS. (It is unclear if this is actual Apple marketing or not - but any publicity is good publicity, in this case). Another example was the use of Cisco VoIP phones or Dell computers at CTU in 24.

In the online sense, it is nearly identical, but manifested differently. By being active on blogs, social networks or any other format that places a high dividend on visibility, companys and brands are engaging in Presence Marketing.

Lawyers do online presence marketing through effective blogging and the making use of social media.

Francis Pileggihas made himself a brand name in the area of Delaware corporate litigation through his blog. Not only is Pileggi seen on his own blog, but his blog is routinely cited by well known practicing lawyers and law professors who write on corporate law issues. Now through syndication and social media, Francis' content is displayed at the Wall Street Journal, in the news at LinkedIn, at Harvard Business School publications, and in Bloomberg news feeds.

Think in-house counsel and exec's selecting local counsel feel more comfortable calling Pileggi when they see him all over the place online?

And you don't need to be a major corporation to do presence marketing. Aarron gives you one example, that being the use of Twitter.

As an individual, you have more ability to be seen and engaged as any major brand anywhere in the world. In fact, due to Twitter, it is demonstrated repeatedly that simply being present and active on Twitter can create more brand recognition and marketing capital for individuals than companies engaging in the same space and not being 'as present'......In another day, or another age, this would not be possible because traditional marketing skews toward those who have money, time or historical depth.

I agree wholeheartedly with Aaron that little or no effort is required to be present and 'seen'. 'It is the lowest of the low hanging fruit in the marketing industry.'

Picture the situation. You're standing around in a crowded bar at a social event after a conference. There are 150 people standing around in various states - some drunk, some not. Everyone's talking. Most likely, they are talking about some hot button issue in whatever industry you're in. They might be talking about their newest product or pitching a potential partner......

In one conversation, an industry expert is referred to and the four people participating in that conversation laugh and nod. In another conversation, another industry experts new startup is opined about and everyone questions the business model. The point is, people are talking about these other people and conversation is flowing. Those people are not present. Can't give business cards. Can't pitch their product. Can't talk about their new experience or their new lines of thinking. Yet, their messages are getting out. For better or for worse, their personal brand is alive and well and well represented in this crowd.

Aaron nails a common misconception in blogging - if you produce good content, people will come. "While that is true to a certain extent, that theory will never amount to much in the broad scope of things." He explains there a lot of people who write 500 to 750 word thoughtful and well written posts a week that no one hears about.

When you write that great content, try to get that content in front of other SMEs (similarly minded experts). Find ways to market yourself. Give away your knowledge. Speak at industry events. Host meetups related to your industry. Be social and network. Go drink a beer with others in your industry. When an opinion is asked for, be aggressive and share your opinion in a succinct, well-spoken manner.

I'll add that a lot of this can be done without leaving your office or home. Be social in your blogging.

• Comment on other blogs leaving your name, blog url, and email address.
• Reference other people's blog content on your posts. You may get a trackback link and you'll certainly be seen by the blogger whose content you referenced who may subscribe to your blog and blog about your content.
• Let reporters know you've blogged about their stories. It won't be too long before you'll be quoted in a publication which your clients and prospective clients read.
• Blog about conferences you want to present at. Let the conference coordinator know you blogged about them and your availability to speak on a niche topic.

99% of bloggers don't understand blogging is an art. Effective blogging to get people talking about you will put you light years ahead of your competition.