Why law firms need a conversation architect

Are your law firm’s prospective clients talking about your expertise? If not, perhaps you need a conversation architect, who moves marketing beyond the idea the one-way messaging.

David Armano of Business Week Online writes that marketing has historically been a one way street. Marketers communicated their messages to us whether it be in ads or press releases. We didn’t talk back nor have active communities where we discussed the value, or lack thereof, of a company’s service or product.

That’s all changed now. It’s the conversation economy, stupid.

Marketers are finding themselves in an increasingly frantic race to get people talking about their brands. The desire to produce something ‘viral’ is nearly ubiquitous in the marketing world. However, it’s unclear who exactly ‘consumers’ are these days. We don’t even know what that word means any more. Can consumers be producers? Yes. Can they be users? Yes. Can they be active participants, members of niche communities or even critics capable of effectively mobilizing others? Yes, yes and yes.

How does a law firm orchestrate conversation about their brand, their expertise in a niche area of the law? Enter into the ongoing discussion taking place about subjects within that niche area of practice.

Read blogs discussing the topic as well as offline journals, reports and papers covering the topic. Follow keywords on those subjects written in those same sources via Google News and Google Blog Search. Blog and comment about what is being said.

In not much time, you’ll have bloggers, including prospective clients & those who influence them, and reporters citing what you’re blogging about. You’ll have orchestrated the conversation.