Episode 29-How Newsletters Can Set You Apart From the Competition

Thirty years ago, legal marketing was in its infancy and the focus in the practice of law was on doing great work for your clients.  Provide high quality legal services and more would come (and so would referrals). In the 1980s, as marketing became more acceptable in the legal profession (both culturally and ethically), lawyers began to spend more time looking for ways to promote their services.  Initially, the emphasis was on the same types of marketing that had long been used by other industries and professions (direct mail, advertising, speaking at conferences, publishing, etc.)  But by the 1990’s, there was a growing recognition that marketing was a more passive activity and business development (or business relationship building) needed to be part of the mix.  At the same time, by the 2000’s, most law firms had websites and lawyers had began blogging. By the mid to late 2000’s, social media was beginning to take off. And e-mail marketing was thrown into the mix. Today, a good marketing strategy should employ a healthy mix of marketing and business development. One tool that has been around for 20 years is e-newsletters.  In this episode of C2C, I welcome Michael Katz, an expert in marketing professional services and someone who knows a lot about e-newsletters, social media and the full array of tools that are available to market your law practice. Michael Katz, is an award-winning humorist and former corporate marketer. He is the founder of Blue Penguin where his is Chief Penguin and where he specializes in helping professional service firms and solos talk/write about their work in a way that is clear and compelling. Since launching Blue Penguin in 2000, Michael has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week Online, Bloomberg TV, Forbes.com, Inc.com, USA Today, and other national and local media. He is the author of four books, and has published more than 400 issues of “The Likeable Expert Gazette,” a twice-monthly email newsletter and podcast with 6,000 passionate subscribers in over 40 countries around the world. Michael has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. He also has a second degree black belt in karate, a first degree black belt in parenting (three children), and is a past winner of the New England Press Association award for “Best Humor Columnist.” I met Michael through my business networking group Provisors which I have been touting now for months.  Michael is someone who has taught me the value of focusing your marketing message. He does many things but his identity with Provisors is the person to go to if you want to produce a newsletter for your practice. Additional Resources Sign up for Michael Katz's Free Newsletter More business development and marketing resources on the Counsel to Counsel website