Leaflet Distribution As A Force For Good

The recent case of twelve men being arrested for distributing leaflets that contained inflammatory and offensive material was not the first time that leaflet distribution has hit the headlines for controversial reasons.Leaflet distribution has a long history of coming under scrutiny because of the way it can communicate a message quickly and effectively to a large group of people.

However these run-ins with the establishment have not always been for reasons like the recent case.More often than not leaflet distribution has been at the forefront of important crusades and has helped to break down barriers, bring people together and, in many cases, has led to laws being changed or attitudes being revised.

These changes have always fallen into two groups, artistic and social.Leaflet distribution has help artists and designers question issues of taste and decency and has helped politicians and reformers raise awareness of important issues like poverty and homelessness.

The Civil Rights movement in the United States benefitted greatly from leaflet distribution.The very fact that the medium is so democratic and open to all means that it can be used to give voice to opinions that otherwise wouldn't have one.It can spread a message even if that message is not necessarily what the establishment or authorities want to hear.

It can, of course, be abused, as in the case of the men who used it to propagate offensive material, but in the case of the civil rights movement it was an ideal way to get the message of equality across.

People like Martin Luther King Jnr.were not granted the same access to mainstream media like other political groups at the time.Television and many newspapers were governed by people who wanted to maintain the status quo even if that was at the expense of a large part of the community.

Segregation and race were volatile subjects in 1960's America and few people in positions of power were willing to put their necks on the line.Leaflet distribution became an important weapon in the civil rights movement as a result.

Leaflets that were handed out during the time quoted from the American constitution and exposed the hypocrisy that segregation represented.Without leaflet distribution the message wouldn't have travelled as far and as fast as it did.It was also used for the same purpose in Ireland, Spain and South Africa.

Another political movement that worked towards social change and used leaflet distribution as a means to achieve its goals was the Suffragette movement.The Suffragettes were led by Emmeline Pankhurst and their main aim was to win the right to vote for women.Among their tactics were the lobbying of politicians, marching and demonstrations and leaflet distribution.

Pankhurst was a well educated woman and saw no reason why the fact she was a woman should exclude her from areas of society, commerce and politics.She campaigned vigorously and joined several groups that worked towards women's suffrage including the Independent Labour Party.

It was while she was involved with them that she met socialist reformer Keir Hardy and became aware of the state of poverty in many of Britain's cities.Although she did work to improve working and living positions for the poor it did not distract her from her main aim which was to win the right to vote for women throughout the country.

Pankhurst's tactics grew more extreme but she called a complete halt to her campaign during the period of World War 1 to support the war effort.The war had a great influence on the campaign as it gave women the opportunity to demonstrate skills that would normally have been the preserve of men.When the war ended Pankhurst formed the Women's Party and the right to vote followed soon after.

About the Author

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the leaflet distribution industry.

Find out more about leaflet distribution and the history of marketing.

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Creating Your Law Firm Marketing Calendar

When building a law practice, it is important to plan ahead and methodically market your practice week after week. You cannot build your practice and win over new clients without taking the time to market your services. There are no shortcuts. Time is a luxury that is often more precious than money, but you must make your law firm marketing plan fruitful or you wont succeed in your practice. Those are just cold, hard facts. Court dates, research on cases, family commitments, social commitments all eat away at every available minute of every day it seems. Its not hard at all to understand that feeling deep in the pit of your stomach of being overwhelmed by it all. There simply isnt enough time to do all of this and market your law firm, too.

The truth is, there is just as much time now as there ever was. The problem is not having too little time, it is in the way you are utilizing the time you do have. Chances are if you find yourself in this conundrum, your time is not being managed properly; denying you all the benefits that would offer. There are simple ways to get these backbone functions of your law firm marking plan on schedule, in sync and keep them that way.

The best way to do this is to develop a 12-month law firm marketing calendar. Each month should be broken down into detailed daily tasks. With a solid and organized plan of action, you will be able to refer to your law firm marketing calendar at the start of each day and know what goals you must accomplish before the close of business on that day.

For each month, the activities should include a variety of marketing strategies such as:

Direct mail efforts

Networking events

Database contacts

Promotional e-mail campaigns

Presentations

Trade shows

Follow-up sales phone calls

Warm calls into the database

Press releases

It is important to stagger the different activities for maximum effect. A major event should immediately be followed by phone calls or e-mails to keep the momentum moving in the right direction. It is important to follow up each event with some type of correspondence. The key is consistency and frequency.

Direct mail outs should also be timed in coordination with the follow-up phone calls and monthly e-zines. The e-mail campaigns, on the other hand, should fall on different days. This way you can eventually track the open and conversion rates and find out which day of the week produces better results for your various promotions. It is very important to remember to keep in touch with your prospects. Initiate some form of contact with them every two to three weeks at the very least. This creates a powerful combination of individual and electronic methods of touching base with each client. It is also a key part of successful law firm marketing.

Microsoft Outlook can be very helpful in setting up this process. Otherwise, any calendar function will suffice. It is highly recommended that you start your law firm marketing plan by laying out the overall strategies you want to use and can afford. Break down each strategy step-by-step. Then determine the dates by which you will have each step completed. Write each of these steps down on your law firm marketing calendar.

It may be helpful to print two or three months at a time and hang it in a prominent place in your office. This can help you stay on track when planning out your week. It will provide you with the specific weekly action steps you have chosen to take in an effort to build your law practice.

Some other action steps you can take include:

Set a goal for yourself to complete your marketing plan by a particular date

Write down your business goals. Make them specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed SMART goals

Find someone to hold you accountable for reaching your business goals: perhaps a mentor, business colleague or business coach, but not your significant other

Revisit your business goals and marketing plan at least four times a year to verify that you are on track and to help you focus on the next steps

Successful law firm marketing depends on a combination of marketing strategies and a realistic and thorough plan of action. It takes a high level of marketing to make any business a success, and law firms are no different. It is probably advisable and very realistic to plan on spending at least half, if not a majority, of your business time on marketing and promotional efforts.


About the Author

Stephen Fairley is CEO of The Rainmaker Institute is the nations largest law firm marketing company that specializes in helping small law firms generate more and better referrals and create a 7 figure law practice. Over 6,000 attorneys have benefited from our proven Rainmaker Marketing System. Attorneys: claim your FREE legal marketing CD 7 Keys to a 7 Figure Law Practice at

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6 Keys to Creating a Strategic Law Firm Marketing Plan

Are you sitting back comfortably in your cushy leather chair because you just landed a dream client Fantastic Congratulations Just realize that this is one client and that wont keep your business afloat. You still need several good repeat clients in order to stay in business. You must get out there and find them, but how Not only that but how much time, money and other resources is it going to take to get it done The last thing you want to do is lose momentum now that you are on the move.

While its wise to always be thinking ahead to what your next move will be, there is no reason to cloud up and rain on your good fortune of today. Enjoy your victory and know that tomorrow will be taken care of with the right preparation. There is a simple way to insure that you have new clients next week, next month and even next year. An excellent way to do this is by developing a working law firm marketing plan. Determine your next step and where you intend to be a month from now.

The whole process will probably take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, from start to finish. This depends on time availability and how much energy you have already put into thinking about all of the pertinent issues. Much of this time will be spent researching and rethinking your original plans and ideas.

There are many ways to write a marketing or business plan, some of which are more helpful than others. Here are six of the critical components you need to create a solid law firm marketing plan.

Executive Summary and company Overview

This will be a one page overview of your marketing plan. It will also be a complete overview of your entire law firm designed so that a person totally unfamiliar with your business can easily and quickly know exactly:

What is your company mission statement

What are your company goals and objectives

What are your law firms marketing strategies

What services are you offering

Who is your target market

How can you solve their problem

Services and Products

This is what your law firm will offer to your prospective clients. Describe which services you will offer and to whom you will offer them. Explain why you are offering that particular service to that specific market. Be clear about which services you are offering to which markets. Create a very detailed list of all of the benefits your services will provide.

Target Market

Who will buy your products or services This is probably the most important section of your marketing plan. You can have the highest quality service and the least expensive product with the most features. But, if you cannot clearly identify who your ideal target market is, you will never build a successful law firm. It is very important that you avoid the two most common mistakes when determining who your target market is. These mistakes are targeting a market that is too big and targeting the wrong market.

SWOT Analysis

Identify your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Look at your business venture as objectively as possible to determine what strengths you have and what weaknesses you need to be aware of. You also need to determine what opportunities you need to explore and identify any potential threats to your plan.

Positioning, Competitive Advantage and Unique Selling Proposition

Why should people pay for your services What skills, abilities and experience can you offer that they cannot receive elsewhere List every unique point you can offer your clients. This is what will sell them on hiring you over your competition.

Your Biography

What are your credentials Why are you able to build this specific business This is where you focus on making yourself and your law firm look as fantastic and wonderful as you possibly can. Brag and make yourself look like the only logical choice for an attorney. Then brag some more. A word of caution: make sure you are as good as you claim or your clients will see right through your facade in no time at all.

A few other very important factors should be outlined in your law firm marketing plan. Determine who your competition is. You must develop your law firm marketing strategies. Determine how people will be able to find you. Be sure they will develop a good and lasting memory of who you are and the image you portray.

Set a financial plan in motion. Before you can build your law practice you must be able to establish a plan of action for expected and unexpected expenses. You also need a contingency plan. If everything goes wrong and you have to start over, what is your back-up plan

Creating a successful law firm marketing plan is the first step toward a successful law practice. Have a written plan of action that you can set in motion and accomplish each task step-by-step until you have reached your goals.


About the Author

Stephen Fairley is CEO of The Rainmaker Institute is the nations largest law firm marketing company that specializes in helping small law firms generate more and better referrals and create a 7 figure law practice. Over 6,000 attorneys have benefited from our proven Rainmaker Marketing System. Attorneys: claim your FREE legal marketing CD 7 Keys to a 7 Figure Law Practice at

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