Open Up!

Opening up prevents demonization, Seth Godin quickly wrote in his blog today.
Think about how difficult it is to get mad at the Bank Teller for waiting if you have had previous conversations. Imagine the last time you heard about a company on the news for doing something wrong. You probably easily believed the news story. Now remember the last time your heard about a friend's company involved in some scandal, minor or major. Most likely you said to yourself "I need to hear both sides of the story" Leaning toward the side of the accused.
Open conversation brings people to our way of thinking. Many law firms believe they are in an ivory tower and do not need to explain what they do to the common man. Then you end up with PR problems. If you don't think the legal industry still has an Underlying PR problem, pick up "The Devil's Advocate".
I am not saying a web presence is going to repair the entire legal industry's image. However, websites, blogs and other forms of social media allow a conversation with more people than you can ever have hoped to contact before. This proactive PR gets your name out but also sympathizes many former strangers. to the cause of your law firm.
You might say you don't have the time, or it costs too much. How much is one extra client that continues to spread your good word worth? Beyond a client, one extra person who says "I've heard of them, they are good people."?
Or would you rather keep the word in and allow everyone to make their own assumptions, grouping your firm with every other firm out there?

Change is not the End

Sure, we could be going through a financial apocalypse. However, do you truly know what an apocalypse is? By definition it is the end of an era, a change revealed to the select few. Those blind to opportunity are the ones depicted weeping, pulling out hair and gnashing their teeth. We remember them because these images are, well, memorable. An apocalypse is opportunity, and whenever their is massive change their are massive opportunites.
Fortunes are made in times like these, because the earth has shifted and gold lies under a rock it never did before. People start to mistrust the advisors that told them to invest in Merril Lynch and Bernie Madoff. The smart money does not hide but looks elsewhere.
The world is an amazing place because information now moves more freely than ever. Rumors and news and facts are mashed into one and desseminated. Text messaging, twitter, email have provided us more than enough news and Search sorts it out. Gone are the days of trusting what your financial advisor or the family attorney said. You can, and shoould, look up the answer for yourself.
The world is looking up answers on the web and in social media and if you are not in that conversation your business will die. No matter how good you are, or "real time"responsive, those that are not involved, not just present, in the world wide revelation that is the internet might as well decide to go live on a mountain and hope someone might stumble upon them there.
What I am saying is, an apocalypse is not the end but a new beginning, but if you are reluctant to change, then yes, it is the end. The real risk lies in not doing anything at all.