Trying to Promote Your Business?

Last September in Orlando, Florida, my cohort, Brian Clune, and I presented a seminar on marketing during NCRA's Videotape in the Legal Environment Seminar and Legal Video Forum. Many marketing ideas were shared by the attendees of the seminar and presenters alike, and I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the ideas bandied about during the seminar in case you, too, might be looking for suggestions to maybe get that edge on your competition or maybe just simply to get your name out there in the local community.

1. Sponsor a cocktail reception at a bar association function or court reporter convention.
   
   
2. Rent a booth at a trade show or convention designed to draw attorneys, litigation specialists, court reporters, judges and paralegals as attendees. Don't forget to have "freebie" items on hand to pass out to the attendees advertising your business and services, such as calendars, paperclip dispensers, Post-It pads, pens, letter openers.
   
   
3. Sponsor a golf tee at a golf tournament. What attorney doesn't play golf?
   
   
4. Advertise your business and services in publications such as trade magazines whose subscribers are attorneys, court reporters, litigation specialists (Lawyer's Weekly, Journal of Court Reporting, Sullivan's Law Directory, bar association newsletters, etc.)
   
   
5. Advertise in "The Source Book" published by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) which categorizes all NCRA members who are court reporters, scopists, videographers.
   
   
6. Sponsor or assist at a community service project in your area and provide videotaping services of the individual participants such as "Breakfast with Santa, Easter Egg Hunts with the Easter Bunny, programs for underprivileged children and various holiday programs.
   
   
7. Videotape your son or daughter's sporting event (baseball, T-ball, basketball, soccer) and provide a copy of the videotape to each of the players on the team. Many parents of private school children are usually attorneys or are involved in the legal field and what better way to promote your business than by giving them something "free of charge". A definite selling point -- just don't forget to use custom designed labels for your VHS tapes, DV tapes or CDs which prominently display your company logo, phone number and address so people know how to get in touch with you.
   
   
8. Design marketing brochures/pamphlets on CDs or VHS tapes which explain details about your company and the services you provide and send these out to law firms, court reporting firms, or pass these out at convention exhibitor booths.
   
   
9. Be a speaker at a court reporters convention or one-day seminar and present a topic dealing with legal videotaping such as video synchronization.
   
   
10. Be a speaker at a bar association convention or seminar and present a topic dealing with legal videotaping such as videotaping techniques, courtroom playback technology available on the market, digital videotaping.
    
    
11. Be a speaker at a high school or grade school "Career Day". Chances are many of the students will go home and talk to their parents (who may also be in the legal field) about the great job you did speaking at their "Career Day" or the neat/awesome freebie items you handed out to everyone listening to your presentation.
    
    
12. Sponsor a "Party Room" at a professional sporting event and invite guests/clients you'd like to impress. Not too many people pass up on a "Party Room" invitation like to a St. Louis Cardinals game or St. Louis Rams game. (Oh, that's right; I'm from St. Louis but you get the idea, I'm sure.)
    
    
13. Design postcards advertising your company and its services and mail them out to the legal community.
    
    
14. Have ball point pens printed with your company name and phone number and furnish them to convention coordinators to pass out on their registration table or include in their registration packets for the convention attendees
    
    
15. Sponsor a social event at the NCRA annual or mid-year convention.
    
    
16. Provide a Silent Auction item or an attendance prize for a convention held for court reporters, attorneys, etc. Don't forget to affix your business card or company brochure to the item, plus you should get notoriety via convention placards, posting boards or signage by the convention coordinators for your generosity.
    
    
17. Hold an Open House at your place of business and invite prospective clients.
    
    
18. Advertise in gridiron shows and plays sponsored by various bar associations. The ideas that were presented were endless. Brian and I opened up the seminar and we received lots of feedback from many of the participants on ideas they have had much success with, and I hope you enjoyed reading some of their ideas as well as ours.