On January 28 I moderated an innovative virtual panel discussion examining three of the first efforts at law firms to implement integrated social media campaigns. Kelly Hoey from 85Broads, Russell Lawson from Sands Anderson Marks & Miller, PC, Andrea K. Stimmel from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and I explored our social networks in real time while participants connected, shared their thoughts and posed questions on twitter using the hastag #ISMC.

If you’re not looking ahead you’re falling behind. To help you stay on the leading edge in 2010, here’s a list of top trends you should consider when developing your marketing plan for 2010.

So I guess you figured out by now, that no one really has the magic bullet. But there are a few things that you, the marketing professional, can do this year to help make your firm successful. And seriously, if there were such a formula that produced marketing results, then that would probably negate any need for our strategic services. Don't you think?

Besides going to the gym and trying not be such an agressive driver, here are 5 new year's resolutions we can all shoot for this year.

The FTC recently extended their guidelines for endorsements and testimonials in advertising beyond traditional media to include social networks and blogs. Starting December 1, 2009, you must disclose any relationships with advertisers when you endorse a product or service on a blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or any other online forum. What does this mean for you? If you’re active in social networks or contribute to a blog and offer an endorsement, you must announce:

MRI Starch, the venerable market research company that has been measuring the effectiveness of advertising for more than four decades, recently completed a survey to find out what makes a print ad sell. The findings include a number of valuable take-aways professional services marketers can use to improve our own positioning and branding efforts. Here’s what Starch learned:

The goal of online marketing like banner ads, pay per click (PPC) campaigns and email blasts is to drive prospects to your website. Most professional services online marketing campaigns send users who click on links to their homepage or maybe a practice area or service area page. But what will your prospects do once they get to those pages? They’ll disperse, and you won’t have any way to capitalize on their interest. Landing pages help you convert prospects by providing them with relevant and valuable content.
 
What is a landing page?