It takes a certain amount of courage to do a live interview.  Even the most seasoned speakers make a gaffe that lives in infamy.  A recent Wall Street Journal article called “Keeping Your Foot Away From Your Mouth” recaps some of the more notable misspoken comments.  Just one slip of the tongue can often remain memorable for years.

The author doesn’t really say how to prevent the mistakes.  That’s what a good public relations counselor can do via media training sessions.    With practice, some dynamic Q and A, and a dash of wariness (some reporters do try to elicit the possible faux pas in the era of ‘gotcha’ journalism!), chances of misspeaking can be minimized.

A good public relations advisor will find out about the interviewer, anticipate questions and risk areas, coach the client, encourage brevity (the less you say, the less likely you are to say something stupid) and keep his or her fingers crossed. With the media, the adage “Think before you speak” couldn’t be truer. Check out the article on Boardroom’s website at http://www.boardroompr.com/news/keeping-your-foot-away-from-your-mouth/

Kim Bolufé, stylist and owner of Bolufé, South Florida’s premier independent fashion house carrying the latest in high-end brand names for men and women, specializing in denim, dresses, shirts and accessories, was recently featured in Monday’s Business section of the Sun Sentinel.

In the Small Business Profile, Kim discussed her passion for fashion and the importance of staying on top of what the celebrities are wearing and staying even closer with her customers.  She also provided her recipe for success in running her three-store operation at Boca Town Center Mall, East Boca’s Mizner Park and at CityPlace in West Palm Beach. 

“In a bad economy, people still want to look good,” said Bolufé. “They’ve got to be smarter about their shopping, so I have to be smarter too.”

Here are some of the lessons she has learned over the past 17 years since she opened her first store:

(1) Select locations with vibrant dining and entertainment traffic.

(2) Be flexible with store hours to take advantage of concerts and special events.
(3) Optimize customer service. Blend the shopping experience with education, patience and respect. Understand the customer’s desire for wanting to be fashionable. A customer’s self-perception drives their buying decisions.

(4) Build a team of skilled workers. Offer them full-time employment to get the employee invested in the success of the business.

(5) Achieving a pattern of consistency and responsiveness creates trust. Bolufé develops and maintains vendor and manufacturer relationships at tradeshows and fashion industry events and strives to gain their respect so they will listen to what her customers want and need.

 (6) Each aspect of your business is important. Don’t allow distractions. Persevere. 
At Boardroom Communications, we share many of the same values as Kim Bolufé in conducting our Florida public relations and integrated marketing agency.  We salute her for her success and perseverance.

Click here to read the article

Most law firm marketers are all too familiar with the following scenario—attorneys want to have an online presence and to find out how to use social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to enhance their online reputation, but when it comes to having them review and edit their bio, it’s like pulling teeth. They are so concerned with the allure and credibility that social media offers that they forget some of the basics. In reality, attorney bios are as essential to an online reputation as most social media sites.

On a law firm web site, attorney bios are arguably the most visited pages by both current and potential clients, referring attorneys and media. An up-to-date and engaging bio is, and should, be viewed as a vital marketing tool—one that can be used as the launching point for other online reputation endeavors. Once an attorney has a thorough bio for marketing purposes, there are many practical applications beyond the law firm web site.

With a compelling bio, attorneys can then link back to the firm web site on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook knowing that the information is accurate and reflects their work positively. Furthermore, attorneys can create multiple bios to position them as experts in different practice areas using the general bio as a starting point.

In addition, many attorney ranking organizations, such as Best Lawyers in America, Florida SuperLawyers and ChambersUSA, require the most robust and up-to-date bios for their web sites and even use these bios when determining rankings.

The attorney bio is a basic tool of marketing that can reap multiple rewards. Once attorneys take ownership of their bio, online reputation management can truly begin.

Despite many reports that law firms are continuing to struggle, a bright light of hope was offered by Robert Half Legal recently in the form of a survey on legal hiring in the third quarter of 2010. More than 33% of respondents said that their firms or organizations plan to hire additional legal staff in the third quarter and more than 83% believed in their firm’s growth potential. Respondents were from law firms with more than 20 attorneys or corporate lawyers at corporations with more than 1,000 employees—all with hiring authority.

What does this mean for Florida’s legal marketers? It means that there will continue to be a steady stream of new associates and partners to work with and an increased need for refined legal marketing strategies and business development plans. The need for legal marketing is even greater in a recovering economy—as law firms get back on growth tracks, develop new practice areas and hire additional attorneys, legal marketing must be targeted to enhance the firm’s growth pattern.  Especially in competitive legal communities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando and Tallahassee,, the need to stand out through marketing initiatives is paramount.

Whether hiring increases, decreases or remains steady one thing is true—legal marketing will always have a vital role in the growth of any law firm.

By Jennifer Clarin, Boardroom Communications

Florida law firm marketers know that marketing a law firm is a skilled task, and all law firms are NOT created equal. What works for one large law firm might not work for a small or solo law firm.  Deborah Hrbek and Jill Miller, each an attorney in a small or solo practice, authored a comprehensive article on this subject for American Lawyer Media, which brings up quite a few relevant issues and suggestions.

The most important point this article makes is, for a small or solo firm, business development is as important as client service—and both must be managed efficiently and effectively for a firm to succeed.  You can’t rely on the business you have to always be there.  You have to be constantly looking toward the next matter and obtaining the next client.  Identify your key markets and go after them, even if you have a steady client flow. The best time to look for business is when you have business – the busy attorney is always more attractive.   When you have a good business flow, you are less ‘desperate’ – and can be more selective, and more successful. 

Both authors are attorneys in New York.  Despite the obvious differences in climate and billing scale, New York has a similar competitive legal environment as South Florida.  They suggest that, in a crowded marketplace, you need to create a brand, stick by the brand—and stand out.  According to Hrbek and Miller, small firms have the unique opportunity to leverage inherent benefits in small firms including personalized service and accessibility. Use these items to your benefit in your branding and have one or two key points of differentiation from your competition. More will clutter your branding attempts.

Finally, they stress the importance of customer service and authenticity. Small firms have to arguably be more accountable and accessible than larger firms, because of the personalized approach. It’s the compelling reason companies use smaller and solo firms, so capitalize on this opportunity to the best of your ability.  Make it the hallmark of your firm. Remember, being smart is what gets you in the door, but how you handle the matter is what keeps you there.

The full article is available at http://bit.ly/c1nSUWl and outlines additional considerations in marketing a solo or small firm practice, that apply equally to New York and South Florida law firm marketing. The key is to find your niche, find your target audience and go for it—all while remembering that business development and client service should always play a large role in the practice.

With the recent unveiling of the iPad , and the iPhone’s upgrade to Version 4, the media and citizen reviewers alike have been coming out of the woodwork to bash the new products on everything from the iPhone’s poor reception due to faulty antennae,  to the company’s product incompatibility and refusal to use the Adobe Flash platform, it’s clear that there has been a backlash against Apple products, as well as the company itself unlike anything ever experienced before by the technology giant. 

In the May 15^th article on CNN Money, “What’s the Bug Up Apple’s @$$” (http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/17/technology/apple/index.htm), public perception is that Apple, and more specifically, the company’s founder, Steve Jobs, used to be somewhat of a “rebel” in a world of stodgy PCs.  Now, according to the article, Apple “has either lost touch with its customer base, or has a bug lodged up its data port”.

From a public relations standpoint, Apple can certainly afford to let the critics and naysayers have their say-the popularity of the products is such that it is unlikely that a few unpopular or less-than-stellar aspects of the products will hardly tarnish the brand.  Apple creates the kind of buzz around a new product’s unveiling that few other companies can match.  Because the online forums on Apple’s homepage are closely monitored, loyal customers can be sure that bugs found in a first or second-generation will be ironed out and that the company is always improving, upgrading and tailoring its products to match existing technologies-for example, it is rumored that a criticism about the lack of a built-in video camera in the iPad will almost certainly be rectified in the next generation’s model. Each time a new product is announced, Steve Jobs appears, like a modern-day messiah, to preach to shareholders and brand enthusiasts alike, live on the web from the company’s headquarters in San Fransisco.  And no one can argue that long lines snaking around Apple stores and customers camping out to be first in line on a new product’s release date are more effective than any advertising or social media campaign could ever be. 

As a professional Florida Public Relations firm, we can see the value in Jobs’ masterful strategy-now that they have found mainstream popularity, Apple just isn’t afraid to offend a few people, step on a few toes and root out the bandwagon-jumpers from the true disciples.  As long as they continue to develop and manufacture cutting-edge technology, no one will hold it against them.

Once a company becomes so successful as to generate the kind of buzz that Apple does, that company is bound to attract more attention, both positive and negative.  In any case, as long as they continue to produce highly sought-after products, it seems Apple mania is here to stay.

Boardroom Communication’s very own Julie Silver Talenfeld, Founder and President, was recently named one of the South Florida Business Leader’s Women Extraordinaires.   She is honored to be held in such high respect and among some of the most successful South Florida Women. 

Just prior to Lebron James making his decision to go to the Miami Heat, the media constantly asked Where will he go, where will Dwyane Wade go, where will Chris Bosh go?   News outlets coast to coast pondered the question.   

Just prior to that, many news outlets (not the sports writers!) were reporting on the Jake and Vienna split.  For those who never read it or clicked on it, it was nothing more than a break-up Jake, a “Bachelor” on the ABC show, and his fiancée, whom he met during the process.

How do two people without any news value generate so much interest?  Magazine covers, daily papers, radio and tv shows tapped into this split between two people who were hardly together.  The reason is simple.  The media made them a couple – and the media continued its role in making their split newsworthy.  With the right public relations, they stayed top of mind.

So when three of the most talented athletes on the planet dominated the media thereafter, yes, it was overkill – but at least they earned their right to be in the public eye. 

But really, it doesn’t matter.  Because the media has the power to make people newsworthy who met on a TV show and then broke up.  That’s it. 

With Lebron, Dwayne and Chris, the talent came first – then the media frenzy.  With Jake and Vienna, the media frenzy came first – and we’re still waiting for the talent. If you think these things all happen by accident, think again.  Behind both sets of characters were skilled public relations experts.

The Legal Marketing Association Southeast Chapter has scheduled one of its mini-conferences at the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale on August 27, 2010. This is a great opportunity for South Florida legal marketers and lawyers interested in law firm marketing, branding, public relations, social media and new business development to come together and learn new strategies, share ideas and network.

Subjects being covered include business development in a recovering economy, defining value in legal marketing and developing a tag line. The role of law firm marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years, and in order for firms to be successful, they must constantly refine and redevelop their marketing strategies. This conference will present new concepts in legal marketing and strategies on how to implement them within law firms.

Boardroom Communications has been involved in the South Florida, Tampa and Orlando City Groups of the Legal Marketing Association for more than a decade and recommend the organization to Florida’s law firm marketers, attorney marketing partners, legal administrators and consultants involved in the industry. Boardroom Account Director Jennifer Clarin is the current co-chair of the South Florida City Group, COO Don Silver is a past Chair and Executive Vice President Todd Templin is also involved in the Tampa City Group.

To register, visit http://www.lmasemini-conference.org/Tours/FtLauderdale. Hope to see you there!

We at Boardroom would like to thank our loyal clients, friends and fabulous team of  PR and marketing pros for their support over the past 21 years, helping make the agency one of Florida’s largest public relations firms.  Treating people right, giving back to the community and generating impressive media relations and online marketing results is what keeps our clients coming back.

Thank you again.