I’ve been gone over a month and a half. I needed the break from writing, blogging and complaining about the practice of law. So I took it. Yada-yada-yada... Someday I’ll discuss the reasons but not right now; just too many things hitting me too close together in time. One of the issues you can read about here and here.  So realizing I needed a break, I took one. I’m still not back completely emotionally from all of this and there is no way I’m writing like I was, but for now let’s see how it goes. Today I want to talk about legal marketing. So hang in there while I work on my gripe meter and hopefully get back in shape.

Let's have Miley Cyrus help us today on the beaches of Tybee Island.

I read something from a law firm marketing firm last night and it brought to mind a question. Are all these legal marketing guys in bed together assembling as many legal sheepeople as they can to jump onboard so they can pump up their numbers and hopefully sell the next Internet digital IPO?

If you listen and believe in the holy Grail of legal marketing you need LinkedIn + FaceBook + AVEO (or whatever it's called) + Twitter or else you're just missing out on all the digital chatter boxes who may in the future need your services. The content on most of these sites is pure garbage. The content amounts to nothing more than noise that pollutes the digital airways, but is supposed make you feel important; it’s said that it makes your site important b/c it's the noise that counts. But really it only counts towards the numbers the owner of the website needs to justify the next IPO crapshoot.

This reminds me of 2007 and commercial real estate. My warning to the commercial realtors applies equally to lawyers and Internet carpetbaggers. The most important asset we have working for us is our credibility. Credibility with the general public equates to trust. The commercial realtors and brokers gambled theirs away selling a dream that never existed to unsuspecting people. The stockbrokers made and are remaking the same mistake with trust. Internet marketing carpetbaggers are jumping on board, first with Y2K and now with digital media that will glow red hot only to die a quick and painful death. If it’s not making money it’s simply not a business. What kind of business can survive in a capitalist society that simply loses money?  

Like value investors the most important asset you own is your reputation. Because when trust your "client" or "customer" has in you goes, it takes a long time for them to forget the distrust they felt when it all blew up in their face.