Public Reputation Tip of the Week - January 21, 2010

A marketing strategy’s effectiveness is measured by results.  Legal marketing is no different, and law firms must identify Public Reputation management opportunities, benchmark positions, and track the impact of tactics and initiatives.

Your Web audience, clients, and the media, among others, build your Public Reputation.  With those audiences in mind, here are ways to monitor and measure your Public Reputation:

• Search Engine Rankings: Regularly search Google to see where you appear in the results and the nature of the listings.  If you don’t see the rankings you want, optimize your site or publish new content to enhance your position.
• Web Site Traffic Reports: Services like Google Analytics reveal who’s visiting your site, what pages they’re viewing, which search engines and Web sites they’re coming from, and how often they return.  You can then determine whether you should revise your Web pages or build in new links.  A skilled SEO specialist can also provide strategic advice upon reviewing your traffic reports.
• Client Interviews: Speak to your clients, and ask for feedback – what’s going well, what isn’t?  If you receive unfavorable comments, get the details.  Understand the situation so you can act to improve the relationship.  If you feel clients won’t be upfront with you, ask a consultant to conduct interviews and to provide a report.
• Client Surveys:  Use a questionnaire to learn your clients’ thoughts on a particular subject or business practice.  The results can generate deeper conversations.
• Media Audits & Alerts: Journalists can impact a firm’s Public Reputation, characterizing facts and opinions in ways that may differ from the perception you wish to convey.  Media search programs plus tracking tools like WestClip or Lexis can show what’s being written about you, and an outside publicist can help you obtain more frequent and more favorable media mentions.