Unless you have spent the last several months under a giant boulder or the Blarney stone, then you are aware of two current events that have generated quite a buzz in recent months.
It was all about Murder, Mystery, and Espionage – the stuff that grabs people’s attention.
Two law firms jumped on these events with marketing finesse. It was newsjacking at its finest and merits being the subject of this week’s law firm marketing & management blog.
We’ll start with the MURDER. Once upon a time, amidst the Spanish moss-laden oaks of the Low Country of South Carolina, was a respected small-town dynasty. Seemingly above reproach and above the law, the family Murdoch prospered for generations until they didn’t.
The Murdochs have become a household name in the last few years, as the center of an unfolding story of scandal and intrigue, that has captured the attention and interest of much of America.
Alex Murdoch stands accused of murdering his wife and son in a backdrop of embezzlement and fraud. It’s the stuff movies are made of. (And Netflix has already covered this juicy saga in a documentary series)
But right now, the trial is ongoing, and a savvy South Carolina law firm has ingeniously devised a way to get in the game and capitalize on the national fascination. (and more specifically, the interest of their South Carolina market). PILMMA Mastermind members Justin Lovely and Amy Lawrence Lovely of The Lovely Law Firm in Myrtle Beach, SC, have been broadcasting the ongoing Murdoch murder trial, in its entirety, in a live feed on their firm’s social media. Talk about Newsjacking on steroids! Brilliant.
Newsjacking is the art of interjecting your business or brand into a breaking news story to leverage and capitalize on the publicity and traffic generated by the news story. In essence, you join in the ongoing public conversation as a way of drawing attention to your business and build relationships and credibility with prospects in your market.
You may not have a murder trial going on in your backyard, but you do have local, regional or national news breaking every day. Consider how you can weigh in on the current conversations in your market.
- Push out your own short videos on current topics across your social media platforms.
- Consider being a sponsor on local radio and developing a relationship with local radio and TV reporters. Offer to be their go to person for quotes and commentary.
- Consider hosting your own radio call-in show.
Although consumers spend much of their entertainment time on streaming services these days, local radio and TV is still alive and well, because people still want to hear about what is happening in their town or city, and they want their local weather reports. Capitalize on this consumer behavior by creating a presence on local radio and TV.
PILMMA Member, Ian McGuire, has his own local TV show, and invites other local lawyers outside of his area of practice to join him for live viewer call-ins. It’s a great way to set yourself up as an expert, build your brand, and build lucrative referral relationships with other lawyers, too. And local radio and TV stations usually welcome more local programming, so you can jump on this opportunity without spending a fortune.
Now on to the RECONNAISSANCE Marketing:
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. NO, it’s a spy balloon from China!
Many of us across the country watched pictures and video footage of the mystery balloon that hovered over Alaska, Canada, and specifically over Montana (the home of one of our country’s three primary ballistic missile bases) in February.
Although China alleged it was merely a “weather balloon” gathering innocuous weather data, our country’s military intelligence was pretty sure that was NOT the case. Consequently, President Biden ordered the balloon (the size of three buses) to be shot down.
Interestingly, in order to decrease the risks to lives and increase the likelihood of salvaging as much of the mystery balloon as possible, the US military waited several days until the mystery spy balloon was hovering over the Atlantic Ocean just a few miles from my home in Myrtle Beach, before they blew it out of the sky.
At the time the spy balloon was cruising along above the blue Carolina waters, and our jet pilots were preparing to fire, I was sitting in my den, snuggling with our brand-new Pug puppy. When the Sonic Boom sounded, I don’t know who jumped higher, me or the puppy! My husband who was down in the garage at the time, said the blast was so strong it rattled and shook the garage doors! We felt we were seeing and experiencing history in the making.
It was no wonder that people everywhere were glued to their TVs and smartphones as the spy balloon made its way across the country and then was obliterated in the air.
As I scrolled through my social media feed that day, I noticed attorney Ted Sink’s post and couldn’t help but chuckle. Ted is a young, smart Charleston, SC personal injury lawyer with a knack for marketing. Thus, it came as no surprise that he jumped on this exciting development.
He used the balloon that the world was watching as an opportunity to connect with potential clients on social media. His funny meme, and host of relevant hashtags were examples of superb newsjacking. He didn’t have to spend hours of time, and prepare a lengthy script, but he did have to be able to seize an opportunity and respond quickly in order to join in the conversation. Bravo!
So, whether you want to craft serious videos, or host shows, or opt for comical memes, the point is this: Join in the online and on-air conversations that are going on around you. It’s one more way to build your brand, establish relationships with prospects, and ultimately sign more cases.
****Justin Lovely will be speaking at this year’s 2023 PILMMA Super Summit, sharing how he uses AI to improve his law firm’s admin/management – saving significant time and money!
****Ted Sink will also be speaking on the latest Social Media Marketing Strategies at this year’s PILMMA Super Summit.
