I was asked today about law firm newsletters– if there are any good pre-printed providers for consumer-direct or business/defense firms.

We do custom news alerts, electronic and printed, that create Web traffic and referrals for our clients. They create frequency-recency and top-of-mind awareness. We can track calls, email inquiries, Web site visits and cases from to them.

Canned content and stock layouts look cheap and, well, canned– and they convey (from our research) that a firm employs a cookie-cutter, less personalized approach to handling cases. We don’t recommend you use such a service, no matter what your practice may be.

Think about the recipients. What affects their day-to-day lives or business practices. That’s the information you put in your law firm newsletter. Your goal is to “alert or alarm.” The basic sales tenet at work here is that people are motivated to buy (to retain or refer) only when they feel fear or see an opportunity.