Berbay's Blog: Marketing for law firms, engineers, CPAs, architects and other professional services

Berbay markets in complex ways (Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, social media) for clients in complex professions (lawyers, accountants, real estate brokers), so it’s nice to be reminded from time to time of the simple yet effective marketing techniques.

I got such a reminder recently while walking my dogs, a door hanger advertising the services of The Swiss Handyman caught my eye. This basic advertising medium, selling this humble service, has a couple things to teach even the most sophisticated marketer.

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The first thing I noticed was the door hanger’s paper stock—a hard, glossy material (possibly even plastic). Not only do you not typically see door hangers of this stock, you don’t even typically see stock of this quality used for marketing materials from professional services firms. Using high-quality stock in business cards, brochures and other print collateral is something I propound to my clients: It says, “I believe in myself enough to invest in this material,” and helps persuade potential customers to have the same faith.

More practically, high-quality stock is durable. The reverse side of the Swiss Handyman’s door hanger offers an extensive list of jobs he can do. The door hanger’s durability means even if someone didn’t need any of those things done now, they could put the ad away in a drawer and when they needed it later, it wouldn’t be crumpled or torn.

The other thing I liked about this ad is that it leads the viewer to attribute qualities people associate with Switzerland (promptness, precision, reliability) to this handyman. First, of course, he calls himself The Swiss Handyman (and the door hanger assures the viewer, “He really is from Switzerland!”). The door hanger also features an image of the red-and-white Swiss flag, and a corresponding red-and-white color theme is used throughout the ad. Finally, the door hanger consciously utilizes the abovementioned characteristic Swiss qualities as descriptors for the handyman.

Looking at the ad, I’m reminded of the holiday season while I was in college that I worked as a gift wrapper at Tiffany’s in Beverly Hills. We were told that if a piece of crystal, glassware or china had a “Made in Switzerland” sticker on it, we should leave it on to suggest positive associations, whereas if anything was made in China (and a lot of stuff was) the tag should come off. The Swiss Handyman is employing this same smart selling tactic—and any marketer would do well to take a page from his book.

“How to Garner Press” is the subject of a free webinar hosted by Sharon Berman, Principal of Berbay Corp., and David Ackert, President of The Ackert Advisory.  Topics of discussion will include everything from gaining press attention to leveraging media placement for new business.  This webinar will take place on March 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. PST.

Register today, because space is limited!

I recently attended a Greater Los Angeles Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) lunch program called “Meet the Press – How the Media Cover Commercial Real Estate.”  The panel of three real estate reporters/writers included Andrew Khouri from the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, Jacquelyn Ryan from the Los Angeles Business Journal and Roger Vincent from the Los Angeles Times.

The three reporters started by providing insight on what kind of material they seek to cover, best ways to reach them, etc.  Among the topics that could pique their interest was the “next big thing,” new companies doing significant transactions, and trend stories.

The questions from BOMA members that stood out to me were:

“How come I always see the same individual quoted in your stories?” The reporters admitted that they were guilty of returning to the same reliable resources that they developed relationships with, but acknowledged that they needed new resources in their database.  They noted that a reliable resource is one that is always available or gets back to them right away with valuable commentary.

“I spoke with a reporter once and when the story came out, my quote was not what I had said; the reporter didn’t offer to fix it or apologize.” Reporters strive to be as accurate as possible but there are steps that you can take to ensure this, including asking the reporter to repeat the major points back to you to ensure they understand the story.  Also, it is always a good idea to send a follow-up email thanking the reporter and at the same time reiterating the correct spelling of your name, firm name etc.

The reporters said never ask what the quote will be but did say that sometimes they will email the quote to the individual to ensure accuracy. They do not welcome or accept edits to the quote – in other words, when people see their quote, they may say – “Well, that’s not what I wanted to say, I wanted to say something more along the lines of….”

Interestingly, the reporters preferred to be contacted by email rather than by phone but in our experience, phone follow-up is how we obtain results for our clients.  So although reporters don’t like to be bugged via phone, sometimes you have to take that extra step.

Berbay would be happy to speak with you further about making your experience with the media successful.

I attended a networking event this morning and heard Jonathan Fitzgarrald, Chief Marketing Officer with Greenburg Glusker, give a presentation on personal branding. Mr. Fitzgarrald opened the presentation by showing us photos of people almost anyone would recognize: Oprah, Lindsay Lohan, “The Situation” from Jersey Shore, etc. He asked everyone, first, to blurt out the initial thought they had when they saw these pictures and, second, if that impression had changed over time. The group was unanimous in the words it used to describe these people: The celebrities clearly had personal brands. This exercise was designed to show that personal branding exists, and that the impressions we make on our clients, friends, co-workers, etc., create a reputation and make a difference.

One key part of Mr. Fitzgarrald’s presentation concerned likeability. Being likable, Mr. Fitzgerrald said, is one of the top factors that create your reputation and personal brand. I thought this was very interesting. We’re always trying to differentiate ourselves from the competition. Many of us focus on providing high-quality service, a personal touch, even alternative fee arrangements; being likable is not among the first five items on the list. Likeability comes down to being genuinely interested in what people are saying—listening more than you talk and really adding something to the conversation.I attended a networking event this morning and heard Jonathan Fitzgarrald, Chief Marketing Officer with Greenburg Glusker, give a presentation on personal branding. Mr. Fitzgarrald opened the presentation by showing us photos of people almost anyone would recognize: Oprah, Lindsay Lohan, “The Situation” from Jersey Shore, etc. He asked everyone, first, to blurt out the initial thought they had when they saw these pictures and, second, if that impression had changed over time. The group was unanimous in the words it used to describe these people: The celebrities clearly had personal brands. This exercise was designed to show that personal branding exists, and that the impressions we make on our clients, friends, co-workers, etc., create a reputation and make a difference.

Mr. Fitzgarrald closed with a personal story about how, when he and his five siblings would get too noisy while out to dinner with his parents, his dad would lean over and say, “People are watching.” The moral was that we should always bear in mind that “people are watching,” treating everybody (regardless of their professional stature) as if we were being judged on it. We should also behave consistently, Mr. Fitzgarrald said—dressing decently even to go grocery shopping, for example. What if you ran into a prospective client in your pajamas? Our behavior, even at the supermarket, plays into our personal brand.

What do you think of your personal brand?

For the seventh consecutive year, Berbay exhibited at the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (GLA-ALA) 2012 Annual Employment Law Forum on January 28^th in downtown Los Angeles. We look forward to this each year to catch up with colleagues we may only see at GLA-ALA events, network with clients, and of course, learn the latest on employment law developments.

The structure of the Forum is one we have always appreciated as an exhibitor. The presentations are held in the same room as the exhibit booths and there are several breaks throughout the morning, providing attendees with the opportunity to stop by and learn about your services.  Because everything is in one room, attendees are more inclined to visit your booth rather than having to traipse off to a separate exhibit hall. Most importantly, GLA-ALA is great about giving their “business partners” (sponsors) recognition and encouraging members to engage our services.

We also enjoy taking the opportunity to gather marketing intelligence on what other firms are doing. Just when you think you’ve seen every type of pen or stress ball, something new is being handed out. We find it interesting to visit other tables and peruse their set-ups, and this is something every professional service provider should keep in mind – check out what others are doing.  Remember, exhibiting isn’t all about networking and business development; it’s a chance to see how others are implementing their marketing and gathering ideas to work into your own approach.