Hi folks.  It’s almost the middle of 2007 and time to start planning for 2008.  The webbed civilization is here to stay and the Internet is pushing other media back, as far as the advertising industry is concerned.  Lawyers have started to use the internet effectively to market themselves for quite some time.  However, for most of us, use of the internet is still limited to browsing, and reading, and sometimes writing content.  The internet provides powerful marketing tools, but mental inertia prevents most of us from spending the effort to internalize them and use them.  There is nothing so highly technical about internet marketing that a lawyer cannot understand or use.  And, it’s a shame if you remain content with watching market leaders reap success using the same tools that were easily within your reach. 

Grant D. Griffiths at his blog Home Office Lawyer (http://gdgrifflaw.typepad.com/home_office_lawyer/) has two excellent posts on the subject of internet marketing.  In his May 22 post titled Why Every Lawyer Should Advertise in Search Engines – guest blogger Todd Henley says, “If you are a practicing lawyer, whether from your home, garage, or a New York City skyscraper – you need to be advertising in search engines.”  He goes on to say that just having a website, or the fact that you can easily find your website on the search engine does not matter.  What matters, says Henley, is whether your clients, including your potential clients, can find your website as easily.  Sound advice from Henley, the founder of the Internet Marketing Blog (http://www.sitelead.com/blog/), goes on to show you how to do what matters.  A post further down the page on email marketing read together with the May 22 post gives a full overview of the subject and makes you ready to do your own bit.

Change is the only thing constant in this world, but the legal fraternity as a whole is far behind other professional communities in accepting and using technological changes.  We are reluctant to give up dresses that were relevant in the 16th century.  We are reluctant to give up legal aphorisms that were relevant in the time of the Roman Empire.  We do accept change, but only after we find that the leaders have accepted them and the particular change is now socially acceptable.  We rarely think that it is this adaptability to accept change ahead of others that makes somebody a leader and a success.

Arnie Herz on Legal Sanity (http://www.legalsanity.com/) has a May 23 post on “innovation and the legal profession.”  You will find the post interesting, but more interesting are his linked posts on “what will drive change in law firm culture” and “whether law firms can change to meet lawyer-user demand.”

This year, I have resolved to plan ahead and start setting my goals for 2008, form plans, and strategies to realize them right from now.  And I definitely intend to sharpen my internet marketing skills and put them to good use.  How about you?