Public Relations Update: Utilizing PR Initiatives to Achieve Business Development Goals

By Andrew Ryan in LMA Virginias Newsletter Volume III, Issue 3, Fall 2010

The focus of this quarter's newsletter on business development is particularly appropriate given the ongoing concerns about the legal industry's recovery. With the broader economy remaining virtually stagnant and law firms continuing to feel pressure from clients to keep costs low, but the quality of work high, generating new business is a critical component to any firm's survival, let alone potential growth. An often overlooked aspect of successful business development plans is the role of public relations. A strategically designed and properly implemented PR campaign can help achieve a firm's business development goals. In fact, media placements should not be considered an end goal. Sure, it's nice  to see your firm and attorneys in the paper, but these opportunities must be utilized to further business development goals if they are to be considered worthwhile.

Understanding PR as a key aspect of the business development cycle will further reinforce its strategic role. For example, a firm's PR initiatives should reflect the business development goals of particular groups. If more resources are allocated to the IP group, the firm should craft a PR campaign around that IP group. Effort should be spent on indentifying and reaching out to those media outlets that current and potential clients read and trust. Once media opportunities are secured in those targeted publications, the content that is developed and published should be leveraged for additional, direct outreach. Repurposing can include posting a reprint online, distributing a client alert about that issue with a link to the article, utilizing social media tools (blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) to increase awareness of the article, having an attorney send the article to current and potential clients, and bringing recent articles to conferences and events to share with participants. In leveraging the content and placement, that PR activity and the corresponding media hits become exponentially more valuable. This is the difference between simply doing public relations and using PR by capitalizing on results.

A November 2009 BTI survey prepared for Hellerman Baretz about attorney hiring found that credentialing activities - getting quoted as an expert by the media, presenting at a small education seminar, authoring an article in the trade press - are second only to peer referrals and scheduled in person meetings when corporate clients consider hiring for legal work. Not only that, but these types of strategic PR efforts are cumulative and build on one another. Thus, the more effectively PR activities are incorporated into a firm's business development cycle, the greater the return will be for those efforts.

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