Donna Devita and Jenny Levine joined Grace and Liel for a conversation about building a brand through community outreach.
Donna and Jenny are both seasoned legal marketing professionals. When they decided to come together and establish Swag My Brand they had a clear mission in mind; help brands have an actual impact in their community by creating promotional materials that make a difference in their lives.
This week’s conversation explores why now more than ever law firms need to adjust their marketing message for one in favor of unity and support to their communities and why this could in return help them improve their reputation and earn the trust of their market.
Jenny shares examples of promotional items that have helped law firms show care and support for both their communities and teams. And Donna explains why the content that is generated as a result of community outreach gets the highest levels of engagement in social media.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Swag My Brand
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Transcript
Liel: [00:00:00] Tim Cook said Apple has donated 30 million face masks and shipped two million of its own face shields to assist frontline workers. You probably already knew about these because these are the news everyone wants to hear about. I’m Liel Levy, co-founder of Nanato Media, and this is in Camera podcast, where community outreach makes your law firm stronger.
Liel: [00:00:50] Welcome to Incamera podcast, Private Legal Marketing Conversations. Grace, it’s May 1st or at least the day that we’re recording this tape. How are you?
Grace: [00:01:00] Good. How are you today?
Liel: [00:01:02] I’m good, Grace. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. And, you know, we’re past one third of 20/20 and oh, boy, does this year look very different than it did at the beginning, right?
Grace: [00:01:13] It sure does..
Liel: [00:01:14] Yes, it does. And you know what else looks different? Greys are planning and scheduling of this conversation. Why? Because, as you know, we were talking about Mass Torts last week and today we’re going to hit pause on duck topic so we can talk about something that is also extremely relevant. And Grace, you know, without further due, I’m just going to let you go ahead, introduce our next guests so we can get right on this very, very important topic.
Grace: [00:01:40] So I’m super excited to introduce a two amazing people from a very cool company and as mentioned by Liel this is gonna be essentially a topic that is extremely relevant right now. It’s on branding and community outreach. So I’m super delighted to welcome Donna DeVita and Jenny Levine from Swag my brand. And as I said, for a conversation on community outreach and branding. So Donna DeVita is a very passionate and award winning branding and legal marketing professional with a unique way of bringing life to a brand. She’s the principal of Esquire brand management and co-founder of Swag My Brand. Jenny Levine is a marketing professional with over 13 years of experience focusing on high impact initiatives to generate new business and increase client retention. She’s the co-founder of Swag, My Brand and any true expert in branding swag with purpose. And in twenty nineteen, Jenny and Donna formed Swag, my brand, to provide promotional items with a unique concierge service. They’re offering personalized options of promise, you’ll excuse me, of promotional items from various sources that are not only competitively priced, but quality is of high standard. And guys, I can speak to this Swag My brand is awesome. And they don’t just give you Tchotchkes its full brand experience. They get to know your market. They understand your message to identify the best product options for every campaign. Jenny and Donna, thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to InCamera podcast.
Jenny: [00:03:10] Thank you. Hello.
Liel: [00:03:11] Thank you very much for being here. Grace. Where can we find more and learn more about Swag My brand.
Grace: [00:03:18] So I’m actually going to allow Jenny to speak a little bit about that, because I know she has this amazing way of explaining what they do and how they do it. Go ahead, Jenny.
Jenny: [00:03:28] Thanks. Thanks, Grace. Swag my brand. We have a Web site called Swag my brand dot com. We can also be found on Facebook and Instagram. At, Swag my brand dot co. And we do have a little bit of a unique way of doing things. We are more of a concierge service where we basically are your promo products, personal shoppers. We go out and do all the legwork. You know, sometimes searching for promotional products can lead you down a rabbit hole of thousands and thousands of items. And so we try to make that process simplified by sourcing those items for you, narrowing them down, figuring out what your target market is. Who are these items being presented to and how do we present them in a way that’s going to get your message across your brand clear and your call to action clear so that these items are impressionable not only for its purpose, but for a long time in the future as people to hold onto these items.
Liel: [00:04:32] That’s amazing, and thank you very much for sharing your website. We’ll make sure that we’ll link to it on the episode notes as well to the social media channels that you guys have, and Jenny what you’re seeing is very powerful, right, because you’re kind of trying to deliver a whole brand experience through items. Right. True physical things. And I can only imagine how much thought process can go into creating these promotional material. So tell us a little bit about your process. What is it that you consider when coming up with one of these strategies.
Donna: [00:05:09] Specifically talking about law firms, which is the majority of the clients that we work with, are law firms across the country. And we really take a look at their their current brand for what they are doing. And it starts off with very simply looking at their logo, looking at their logo and how their logo is presented.
Grace: [00:05:30] Looking at their tag line, right?
Jenny: [00:05:32] And figuring out what is the message they are conveying. And not only these promotional items, but across their social media channels, across their TV campaigns, across their their Internet marketing campaigns, making sure that message is cohesive and translating those messages to an item that makes sense for what they are doing.
Donna: [00:05:55] So sometimes law phones have a name of a law firm as their logo, but it doesn’t say what type of law they’re in or even that it’s a law firm. And Jenny and I have come across this, ever received the logo and we put it on a promotional item with a URL or a phone number. But really, if it’s in the hands of someone that never knew this firm and doesn’t know what they do. Sometimes we have to, you know, bring it to their attention, say, OK, if you’re a personal injury firm, then you need to somehow put put in, you know, underneath your logo and although it’s not part of the logo for that promotional item. You may want to mention, you know, you’re an accident attorney or, you know, trusts and estate attorney, whatever type of attorney you know the law that you’re practicing. It’s important to make sure that that is focused on the promotional item to.
Liel: [00:06:46] It’s such a such a powerful thing. Right. I totally agree with that mistake a lot of us make. As a matter of fact, our agency has gone through that. Right. We are called Nanato Media and a lot of people were wondering. What are you like? I mean, what are you guys, a production company? What is it that you are? And we are legal Hispanic digital marketing agency. And so we are actually starting adding that in addition to what our standard logo is for some of the promotional material we do. So people understand very easily what is it that we do. And it’s just a really good reminder that, you know, sometimes when you get to tunnel vision into your brand and into what is it that that you’re doing the message you want to do, you may leave out some other important elements that someone who is completely fresh to what is it that you do may not be getting from, what you’re putting in front of them.
Jenny: [00:07:39] Yeah, 100 percent brand awareness, especially for law firms. I mean, let’s face it, they don’t have a commodity that they sell that everybody can buy. Most people do not. The masses do not need their services. So they must be their brand must be in the minds of people that somehow come into a situation that then they need a lawyer for a particular, you know, if they’re injured or they need a personal injury lawyer per se. You know, now it’s about staying in front of them with a variety of different initiatives and promotional items, is supporting of community outreach and various events and leaving in hands with together, combined with a multimedia advertising mix and getting in front of people that are in the masses that know your name and understand what you do so that when they are hurt, they know who to call. Right. That that’s that’s the issue. And that’s the biggest challenge is the fact that, you know, the majority of the public that they market to do not need them right now unless we have mass torts specifically get making Hoenn into an audience that they know specifically, like if it’s contaminated water in Flint and you can go into Flint, Michigan, you can nail down a target really, really, really, you know, hyper targeted. But most of the time, you’re not always in front of people that need your services right. Then in that area.
Liel: [00:09:03] So tell us a little bit about how is it that community outreach and branding come together? Right. How is it that all of these are promotional items can actually support your community outreach.
Donna: [00:09:19] I think, you know, it all started with my agency and working with law firms and doing the marketing and traditional advertising. And I realized from what I was saying before that the fact that the majority of people that are seeing their ads don’t need their services, they really need another element. Right. And I call it giving a brand leg. Right. And so we go into law firms and we say, you know, assess your brand and the community you serve. What does your community what does your market place? How do they view you? And what do they see? Do they just see you as a law firm? You know, when it comes to personal injury, they could have, you know, this reputation of being ambulance chasing. And not always have a great reputation. And so what I always say is it’s really a great idea to position yourself as advocate within your community by showing that you care. OK. Being safety advocate, you’re doing things that keep people safe and sharing news and sharing information and resources so that, you know, we don’t want you hurt. But if you are, call us, right. But when it came down to them being seen out in the public and doing good things, I didn’t want them just to write a check. We’re not about just writing checks. We’re about getting in and being involved. And so when we work with law firms, Jenny’s worked with so many law firms that have a variety of charitable initiatives. We have them hands on and and with their communities doing good things, whether it be giving free carbon monoxide detectors away for the first hundred likes on Facebook. And then they come and they visit the law firm to take up their carbon monoxide detector. But we have the local fire department there. And then, you know, Jenny, sourcing and making sure that there’s appropriate swag, that these people are going away with that impact. One, it shows that these are good guys. There’s no skin in the game of why they would need to do this. They can get some public relations out of it. Their social media will buzz from it. And at the end of the day, people will lead there with a promotional item that supports what they’re doing as well as well. These guys are good. Right. And so it’s a matter of doing those type of initiatives and giving that law firm those legs. And sharing it on social to have a true social following. That, in turn will support the other types of advertising and marketing they’re doing to get their brand out thre.
Liel: [00:11:56] Donna, basically, what I’m hearing is that this could be a good way of earning the trust of your community, making them see you as someone who is genuinely wanting to do good for their community, disregarding of what is it in there for them. And so by having a community outreach that could be supported by branded materials, you could potentially have that impact and really become that kind of like trustworthy or reliable protector for your community.
Donna: [00:12:31] It’s 100 percent what you’re saying. So let’s let’s pick that. The term community outreach. What are you doing? You’re you’re reaching out to the community you serve and you’re showing that you’re doing good and you can and in turn, that will be so much more beneficial than just advertising injured? Call. And so on. Right. It’s a combination of that message and being good. But also showing, you know, listen, I’m not saying they don’t want to promote their legal services and their results and reviews and all the other things that are important. But this element is what makes you different and stand out above your competition. When Jenny and I rolled out, swag my brand. You know, we both are very committed to our own community outreach, our own. I guess, responsibility, social responsibility for giving back. You know, we both have been very fortunate and successful and we just felt like this. There are, you know, people in need and we want to make a difference. What is this all about? You know, at the end of the day, what is this all about? Is it about only making money or is it about, you know, giving back and doing good? So with that sort of in mind, we really do align ourselves with clients that have the same philosophy and we really do promote our clients, especially when we’re running marketing strategies and initiatives to get, you know, be passionate about charitable work and philanthropic work.
Donna: [00:14:10] And and then being able to roll it out as a marketing spend. I mean, and it’s not that they’re doing it to get the marketing and PR, it has to be like a dual purpose. But at the same time, I would say, Jen. Right. We we we really do have great clients that truly care. And they’ve done unbelievable things for their communities.
Donna: [00:14:32] You know, maybe you want to talk about some of them.
Jenny: [00:14:34] Yeah, I think it’s just I mean, we could talk about some of the things even that’s kind of happening right now.
Jenny: [00:14:40] I mean, we we’re seeing a lot of firms, all types of businesses just really step up in today’s world that we’re in with the pandemic and doing all types of community outreach to show support to our front line workers and to those that are contributing to food banks. And just reaching out and showing the community that they are here and they are available for helping them through this time that, you know, a lot of people are struggling with. So, you know, we’ve had firms that have sent out care packages to all of their clients and, you know, which includes hand sanitizer or just a note that says, hey, we’re here, we’re still working on your case. If it’s still ongoing or we’ve already closed your case, if you need us, just reach out. Just keeping in contact and letting your your clients know that you are there. You are here to help your. You didn’t go dark, even though, you know, it is a struggle during this time. So I think that whether it’s feeding frontline workers or it’s passing out grocery bags, the people standing in the food bank line, you know, it’s just a way that you are contributing and rolling your sleeves up, doing what you can. And I think it’s important.
Donna: [00:15:59] And just to touch on that is the fact that, you know, law firms right now are struggling with what do they how do they advertise and what is their message during a time when people are dying and are sick. They want to be sensitive to that. And at the same time, they’re also in a mode of kicking a lot. It’s contingency business that, you know, financially they’re dealing with, you know, challenges and their own situations. So sometimes a lot of firms will pull in and go dark, like Jenny was saying during the shutdown. But recovery is coming soon. It’s around the corner, the recovery phase, and then eventually they’ll go into surge phase. We hope sooner rather than later. But, you know, promo item and Swag right now is such a great soft way of, you know, giving thanks. Whether it is, like Jenny said, to frontline workers or clients, but even employees, you know, and providing them with masks where they’re feeling safe and or, you know, working from home right now and many may continue to work from home, you know, is there ways of showing things being a care to your employees that are, you know, able to stay?
Jenny: [00:17:17] And keeping them motivated? You know, keeping you keeping your staff motivated? It’s very tough for people that are transitioning to working from home that are not used to working from home. They’ve got kids around. They’ve got you know, it’s very hard to stay focused and you have to really motivate them to get the job done because it is a collective goal. It’s you and your staff that your support staff is is who you have and what you have to to keep pushing through. And so you want to make sure that that they’re supported as well. So, you know, whether it’s giving them notebooks or, you know, desk organizers or, you know, a coffee mug to remind them, Thank you. You know, it’s those little things that are going to keep them motivated, keep their spirits up so that they can continue to do the work that you need them to do.So collectively, as a as a business, you guys push forward.
Donna: [00:18:09] You know Grace, Jenny were in, you know, we’re a marketing and branding and swag supports parties and events and conferences and all things that were go, go, go.
Donna: [00:18:21] And then, you know, all of a sudden, you know, things were canceled. And that’s a small business. We were faced with this change and how we do business and how to stay relevant and stay in business. Right. I mean, it’s a challenging time for us all. And so doing this podcast is amazing for us. And what we’re doing and what a lot of law firms should be looking at, lawyers should be doing is keeping in touch with their client base and saying authorities and giving information and offering resources that can help your client base. So by you having us on this show, we really hope that we are helping, you know, a market that eventually maybe your services was really good to have you know, keep going…
Liel: [00:19:20] Haven’t the orders for face masks rolled in yet?
Jenny: [00:19:22] You know, I never thought I’d be selling custom facemasks, but it is. But it is a hot commodity right now.
Liel: [00:19:28] It’s not a joke. One hundred percent.
Donna: [00:19:32] Jenny has become the ad for Jenny has become the expert of sanitizers, as the hand says, the level of alcohol that it needs to be and the ingredients and the packaging and, you know, forget it. We’ve learned such new areas of.
Jenny: [00:19:52] I think the reality is that and the overall message is, is adapting. Right. And you have to adapt and you have to accept that you need to adapt. And that’s the first part of it, is accepting that things are not going to go back to normal any time in the foreseeable future. So what are we going to do to make an impact in our communities? Show them that we care. Even if you are not used to that, if you were never the community outreach firm, maybe you should start figuring out how to be that firm because TV nobody wants to see your car accident commercial right now, you know, and we’re not driving. A lot of us aren’t driving. We’re not going anywhere. We know these things are slowing down. So what is it that you can do as a firm to to get out there in the community still have some brand awareness. Let your name be known. And this is the way to do it is coming up with these creative ways to show that we’re still here, we’re still operating and we want to do good. So when in the future, as things do go back to normal, you remember us.
Donna: [00:21:04] And to add to that is that you don’t need a great deal of money. A lot of firms believe, well, I need a month of budget to do all this because I need to buy swag for thousands. And it’s not like that.
Donna: [00:21:15] And it may be something well, you know, you’re just offering the nursing home down the road, you know, to their staff, lunch. Right. Just small little initiatives, but you make strides in your community small. And then as you’re in a position to invest more, you look to expand that and really see how, like Jenny was saying, it shouldn’t be where it just during this time. But then eventually roll this out further and further and how you can be involved in the community. Well, listen, I have law firms that do everything from Passenger Safety Week where they’re giving away, you know, baby car seats and, you know, the do contest on social media so that they can increase their social media followers. And so there is a benefit to doing these sort of things. But at the end of the day, they’re still providing people with items and prizes that, you know, get people excited. Right. And so then they start looking at wanting to follow your social media because of, you know, other possibilities of winning, you know, prizes or or. And then again, the information seeing you, seeing the good that you’re doing, seeing the safety accident information you’re providing.
Jenny: [00:22:30] You know, I think it’s also thinking thinking outside the box. I mean, we all know that cars, there’s not as many cars on the road. Only, you know, for necessities. But how many of us in areas where the weather permits. But, you know, going out into your community, how many more bikes are we seeing on the road? How many more people are out riding bikes with their kids and bikes with their, you know, biking with their families because they just want to get out of the house? Right. So what about a bike safety initiative yet?
Jenny: [00:22:58] You know, bike lights or, you know, holders for the phone on the bike or helmets and things of that nature pushing those types of initiatives that are adapting to what people are doing.
Grace: [00:23:11] You guys jumped right ahead to what my question was going to be. As a matter of fact, was just perfect, you know, because, look, community outreach is mostly done in person, right, face to face. And you can’t do that right now. So what can they do to help continue helping the community but still continue earning their trust and growing the brand? You mentioned one, you know, quite a few, actually, the bike helmet, bike lights. I mean, do you have any other ones that you can think of, like off the top of your head that would help them out a little bit?
Jenny: [00:23:40] I think that, I think the bike one is a good one
Donna: [00:23:43] I think motorcycles, more motorcycles on the road.
Donna: [00:23:49] And on, you know, they’re quite dangerous. So, you know, they’re definitely promoting, especially in states where it’s not a law to wear a helmet. You know, the promotion of helmet wearing and sharing info on that.
Jenny: [00:24:03] I mean, I think things like tried and true things like reusable grocery bags, you know, for people that not wanting, you know, where we’re going to see a lot more germaphobes, you know, come come into play where people want to bring their own bags, take around bags, things of that nature.
Jenny: [00:24:21] Obviously, the face masks is something that right now is is a hot item sanitizers for sure.
Jenny: [00:24:29] And then just we’ve seen firms do fun playing cards, custom puzzles, like making a really cool puzzle.
Grace: [00:24:37] Custom puzzle? Phenomenal idea.
Jenny: [00:24:40] Things that people can do in the house with their families, giving them activities outside of, you know, being on their devices. Because what we’re seeing is, you know, it’s kind of, it’s kind of a weird change. Right. Like, people are bored of being on their devices. They’re looking for they’re looking for other things to do. Whereas when they had all these things to do, when we were out in the real world, we were on our devices all the time. Now people are getting bored of their devices. They’re tired of scrolling. They’re tired of doing, you know. So they’re trying to figure out things to do outside of that, which is why you’re seeing so much more activity in the neighborhoods of people riding bikes in and out, playing baseball with their kids and throwing the ball around, you know.
Donna: [00:25:24] Another two popular products, especially rolling into. I live in New York. So summer. Spring is here. Summer’s coming, but getting early in the summer. But that’s down that list. Lip balms and sunscreen is another very high demand and useful item. And also, you know, golf courses are open everywhere. You know, golf balls are popular.
Grace: [00:25:46] Yeah. Right. So it kind of leads me to how do you I mean, we all know this because we’re marketers. All of us on this are marketers. Right. But how does this kind of improve your other marketing efforts? Like, could you just speak a little bit to that, you know? How does it impact it?
Donna: [00:26:02] I mean, this element with regard to my clients, my agency clients and I’m doing advertising for this is the the cherry on, you know, the cherry on the top.
Donna: [00:26:15] Because when you when you’re building a brand and you’re doing advertising, there’s only so much you could say in a very small window, whether it be a digital ad that’s popping up a 30 second. Possibly the longest thing would be a 30 second television ad, your website. Everything has a story. And you’re talking about yourself. You’re talking about yourself and the results and why you need to have them. But it’s very self gratifying. And it’s with a multimedia mix of, like I say, giving life into a brand with community outreach. And with doing good things, it enhances their advertising and their marketing in a way that I believe makes people remember you. It creates an impact because it’s just, wow, that was really good of those guys.
Jenny: [00:27:04] I’ll tell you what, it’s not. It’s not another article about what to do when you’re in a car accident is what it’s about. So, we all have seen them. Every law firm has it. There’s only so much of that that you can post before people are like, oh, gosh, OK, we got it. Not even in a accident. And I haven’t been in a car accident. And by the time I do get into a car accident, this article is long gone. Right.
Jenny: [00:27:29] But I’m going to remember the guy that, you know, gave 5000 sandwiches to the community who was standing in line at the food bank because the food bank ran out of food. You know, I mean, it’s those people remember good things. People in the community remember what you’re doing for the community. And it just adds.
Donna: [00:27:48] And that true content. That’s true content to post. Right. What Jenny mentioned that blog and everybody has it is because it’s for SEO purposes to rank high. And you need it. I get it. We get it. But it’s not something that’s going to have any true following on social. Right. So no one wants to follow injured call or, you know, what do I do? What do I do? What do we do? But all of a sudden, you’re starting to see from a law firm that they’re giving away good things that they have. They’re doing positive. They’re saying like, you know what roads to avoid or, you know, the dangers of something. If it becomes purposeful. And there’s a reason and I tell you, I sit around the table, my mother, my mother follows all my clients social media, and I’ll be at like a holiday. And I hear my mom talking about, you know, what about this news, this story about something that’s going to avoid that bridge. There’s the business on the top 10 efficient bridges in New York. So I look at her. She goes, oh, I know. Tyler Napalmed posted that, right? Yes mom. But what I’m saying is I see firsthand that that information, you know, was valuable and good. Right? So the combination of doing what Jenny was saying, you know, the unique ways of engaging with potential clients is by connecting with them. And you’re not going to connect with someone who was not injured and doesn’t need an injury attorney. But maybe by doing good things and staying in front of them when or if they need it, they would want to call you because of that.
Liel: [00:29:24] Yeah, actually, it’s all very true, particularly when you say about creating an impression that is actually relevant and that has a message. And that actually tells the story. Right. And I think we’ve seen some amazing things come out over these past eight weeks. Right. Different law firms across the nation, things that they’ve done. I mean, it’s just it’s it’s amazing, right? I mean, from the attorney that is offering homework help to kids over facetime to, as you rightly said, those who volunteer to prepare 10 dozen sandwiches for the people that have been waiting at different public services that are serving those who are in much need right now. So, ladies, thank you so much. I think we are at a point where we would like to ask, you know, what would you say are three takeaways, actionable takeaways that law firms who do not have a community outreach and branding strategy in place should start looking at. And also, keep in mind those who do have it but haven’t really done it right. That there is opportunities to improve and kind of like to refocus it for it to be relevant to these times. So what what would you say are those?
Jenny: [00:30:41] The first take away would be just looking at the brand as a whole. What is your message and defining what your message is? What is your purpose? What is your your ultimate end goal? What are you looking to do? Is it generate more cases? Is it generate better branding and brand awareness and just kind of figuring out what that is? Will help you establish what to do next.
Donna: [00:31:11] Number two would be the message and how you are promoting the firm during this pandemic. Right. So we’re right now, many states are still in shutdown summer in that recovery phase. So the messaging itself, even in your advertising and I’m sure many, many law firms that are advertising right now, I see that they change the tone of their ad. So it’s not hurt call. Not if you’re injured, call, but they’re more you know, we’re here for you. We’re open and we’re supporting you. And we care about the front, you know, frontline workers. And I think it’s across all industries. If you’ve noticed on TV, most of the commercials that are running are very sensitive to what’s going on. And I think Jenny’s right. The approach of your message and what you’re saying now during this pandemic, I think has to be very soft, before you can go back to full on aggressive, hard hitting commercial.
Liel: [00:32:14] It is very right. What you say, Donna, it’s very nice to see so many billboards across the nation that have changed from their traditional attorney billboard to that same law firm, but now coming up with a message like Atlanta we’ll get through this together and messaging that doesn’t necessarily he’s trying to promote the law firm services, but actually just send a positive message out to the community. And we’re talking about billboards.
Jenny: [00:32:41] 100 percent.
Liel: [00:32:41] It’s very heartwarming when you see those kind of things.
Donna: [00:32:48] We just, I just have one of my clients to get an ad on Facebook. And it really was a picture of various front line workers from, you know, health care providers, delivery men, military men, construction workers, grocery shoppers. It’s the collage of pictures together with just say, you know, we thank you. And we want to acknowledge this list of essential workers in New York for keeping our city going and our people safe. Please stay safe and well. And I will tell you something. The amount of traction on that ad and the enormous positive comments and even to a point of them liking their page and getting more traction from that ad wasn’t didn’t cost a great deal of money yet and didn’t didn’t look like they’re dark. They did advertise that in a way that just showed, hey, we care, and here’s our brand. But without it being your face, right?
Liel: [00:33:54] Very good point.
Jenny: [00:33:55] And the third, takeaway, I did think that the promotional items, though, you know, it is important component because you have to think about right now impressions, right?
Jenny: [00:34:06] Because TV commercials, you know, and budget. Let’s talk budget too, you know, we’re all, everybody is in a financial, you know, hardship. A lot of a lot of firms are they don’t know, you know, they’ve had to cut advertising budgets. I know we keep saying it’s you know, you really shouldn’t because it’s not the time to back off. But some some firms don’t have that luxury, unfortunately. And that’s the reality. Right. Promotional items do make a very long lasting impression, far greater than any TV commercial. And a 30 second spot, far greater than a boosted social media post our social media ad. These are if you choose the right items, they are held on to for years to come. And and, you know, I can I can pull out a drawer full of accuses to prove that to you. Oh, yeah. No. So I think it’s promotional items are an inexpensive route in these times that serve that to engage and serve multiple purposes for a lot longer lasting impression.
Donna: [00:35:16] One hundred percent so that it could be used with regard to the community service through outreach to your client based through mailings or or employee loyalty and, you know, showing gratitude to your employees.
Donna: [00:35:29] So it really has a lot of different facets to how you do it.
Liel: [00:35:36] Absolutely. That’s without a doubt. Right. I mean, the right materials to promote and to help are always going to have a positive impact. And so if you use them cleverly, you choose wisely and you partner with the right team to back up the strategy is going to make it even more so successful.
Liel: [00:35:55] So, Jenny, Donna, thank you again very much for joining us for this great conversation. We’ll make sure that anyone who wants to get in touch with you can easily do so by clicking on the links on the episode notes. And thank you again.
Jenny: [00:36:11] Thank you guys for having us. I appreciate it, it was fun.
Donna: [00:36:13] Thank you so much, bye bye.
Jenny: [00:36:15] Stay well.
Grace: [00:36:27] Thank you.
Liel: [00:36:27] Grace, what a great and fun conversation, wasn’t it?
Grace: [00:36:30] That was awesome. A whole other way of looking at branding and, you know, as a whole and then how that it really impacts the community as a whole as well, particularly during this time.
Liel: [00:36:40] Yeah, I think it’s very inspirational the way that both Jenny and Donna sees the whole purpose of actually doing promotional materials and how you should be distributing them and what’s really the message behind them. Right. I think you and I get blindsided a little bit in the way that we go to all of these trade shows and we see all of these six foot long tables filled out with key chains and pins and a lot of things that you end up at some point wondering like who really needs or who really wants that. But when you look at it, take a completely different shape. And it’s being approached in a completely different way than all from the start. And it’s like, yes, this is actually needed. This is actually probably one of the best things that you could do for your law firm right now. So, Grace, with that being said, let’s just jump right into what are the takeaways that you and I gather from this conversation. So what’s your first one, Grace?
Grace: [00:37:32] So for me, I felt like the most important thing to take away from this is number one is assess your firm as a whole. What is your message? What does your current message? Are you doing any community outreach right now? Are you not? Look at your brand as a whole and how your messaging is perceived outside of your firm and even including inside of your firm? Right. Because employees are part of your community. So as part of the outreach, you need to assess your firm as a whole. What is your message? How do you see yourself?
Liel: [00:38:01] Yeah, I think yeah. I totally agree with you. Nice. It’s actually it’s it’s a hard exercise. Right, because it’s you’re kind of putting yourself in the spot right there. You need to be very honest about it. You really needs to see first of all, is your brand, is your messaging, is your logo, is your tagline. These are all of the things that are components of your brand actually helping you in delivering the message that you want to convey. And then how is the actual community seeing you and kind of like what reputation you have across the board? If you have any, right. And how can you make that streamline more to your vision and to your values? And that’s probably where everything should start, because that’s going to help you build your strategy and what actions you’re going to be taking moving forward, what d you think Grace?
Grace: [00:38:52] That’s right, 100 percent. I mean, if you don’t know where you are currently, how can you move forward?
Liel: [00:38:56] Yeah, I agree with you, Grace. So then what would be a takeaway, number two?
Grace: [00:39:01] So I and I think this one’s a very important one. And Leo and I have discussed this a few times in terms of is this applicable to everyone? And it truly is. It’s be a safety advocate. That’s such an important concept, particularly right now. But honestly, in general, it is. You know, as we were talking about during the podcast, you know, with Jenny and Donna, they were mentioning, you know, helmets, bicycle helmets, bicycle lights, you know, things like that. Well, the reason for that is because that makes you a part of a community. That means you care. You’re a lawyer. Your whole idea is, as Liel said to me a few times, the problem solver. Right. So you need to be a safety advocate as a community, in the community and be a part of that. What do you think, Liel?
Liel: [00:39:42] Yeah, I totally agree with you, Grace. And as you’re saying, the message of being a safety advocate. Right. The message of how and what to do in order to prevent having to need the services of your law firm. It’s an also very powerful one. But, you know, at the same time, you’re also saying if things don’t work out, we’re here right before when things go wrong. Well, we’re here. We’re gonna be here to support you. Another thing that I really like that was mentioned as part of the conversation was, you know, like some of the most powerful messaging that you can do right now is the message where you’re actually shedding the light into somebody else who deserves more recognition than yourself right now. Right. I think that example of the Facebook ad that went out thanking every essential worker in the field right now. It’s such a powerful way to connect and show that care and respect for those who are actually really risking their lives right now in order to keep everybody safe, including the law firm. Right. And so whenever you actually think about talking about others and putting the attention on others as part of your marketing strategy, you earn a lot of respect from your community. And I think it’s a humble thing to do. And personally, as a user, every time that I come across these things, it warms my heart. And so I think it’s something that everyone should be thinking if they actually have the platform to do so. Grace, let’s move on. Third one.
Grace: [00:41:23] And I think this one is probably as a whole. One of the most important. Well, each one is pretty important. But this one, because if you’re buying promotional materials, you need to buy promotional materials that speaks to needs. What does that mean? Well, what that means is it needs to be brand with a purpose, as Jenny and Donna have said over and over again. You don’t just pick up a Tchotchke, right? This is something that’s actually going to help somebody. And it’s speaking to the needs of your community. And that’s why you need to think about all of the things we’re telling you. Assess your firm as a whole. Be a safety advocate and actually create promo materials with purpose that speak to a need that you’re trying to fulfil.
Liel: [00:42:07] I totally agree, Grace. I do think, you know, when you actually have mission behind the promotional material that you’re giving out there and there is a genuine intention to help and to be of assistance. I think it completely change the whole strategy behind putting your brand on an item. Right. Because that can also be seen as very self-serving. Right. And I think, Grace, we’re going to enter a period where we’re going to see some people doing it very well and we’re going to see people doing it extremely poorly by just blasting their logo into a face mask and just not really doing themselves any favor. Right. Everything needs to be with a thought. Everything needs to be with the messaging needs to be appropriate. Right. Obviously, if you’re going to go after and pursue a face mask so you can help those in your community to get protected. Of course, it’s a great item to be giving away. Now, you may want to be a little bit considerate as to what the messaging in that facemask should be, if there should be a messaging or if it should be something that it’s more discreet. And it’s maybe sitting on the side or on the back and maybe in the front, there is no messaging.
Liel: [00:43:25] Or maybe there is something that it’s a more positive message that is community oriented. Right. I’m doing this for you or something like that. I’m just coming up with ideas right now because that’s where really the make it or break it of the strategy will end up happening. So, Grace, interesting times ahead of us. Like some states are closed, some states are starting to reopen. And this only means that there’s more opportunities right now to get involved and do more things for your community. And earn their trust because at the end of the day, you know, we’re not going to enter this part of the conversation right now. But there is some massive benefit behind doing community outreach. I mean, you can do all of the articles you want on your practice areas, on Google. Right. And many of them won’t earn you link ever. Okay. But these stuff, these stuff can potentially get you some of the most powerful links that you can get for your SEO strategy.
Grace: [00:44:24] That’s right.
Liel: [00:44:24] But we’ll leave that for another conversation. Grace, thank you so much.
Grace: [00:44:24] Thank you.
Liel: [00:44:28] Are we coming back to Mass Torts next week?
Grace: [00:44:30] Yes. We’ll be getting back to Mass Torts next week.
Liel: [00:44:33] Well, whether it’s Mass Torts or another great conversation about legal marketing, we will be here so, thank you very much.
Grace: [00:44:43] Thank you all.
Liel: [00:44:43] If you like our show, make sure you subscribe. Tell your co-workers. Leave us a review and send us your questions at ask@incamerapodcast.com. We’ll see you next week.
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