Of course, our newest teammember, Silvana Brucculleri, knows about our Beacon readers; their needs and concerns and the informationally-focused news that we try to provide for the trial law community. Silvana brings real-world investigative fieldwork and research, translated into a digital format, to our valued readers. A short while ago, we realized we needed to expand our staff. After reviewing tons of vid. CVs, conducting in person interviews and carefully sorting through unsolicited, albeit, some interesting, offers, we incidentally and accidently ran into Silvana during a work-related project. We saved the video resumes, letters and amusing Photoshopped headshots we’d amassed for our Best of… release and went gut instinct. Starting with next week’s Bulletin, Silvana will be joining us via live video from the field. Welcome to Beacon, Silvana!

On to this week’s topic: Yellow Pages v. Internet Ads

The knowledgeable weigh in:

The Yellow Pages
Regarding Lex-Nex’ David Heardman’s negative assessment of Yellow Pages advertising as a viable current marketing avenue, Josh Friedman, Esq, responds: “Although I hate to give away my “secret,” I think prediction of the death of the yellow pages is a bit premature. First of all, it’s simply not true. In my solo civil rights and employment law practice, and in those of many of my small firm colleagues, the yellow pages is far and away the biggest source of business. Most of my under 30 clients don’t even have Internet access, and they are much more comfortable using the phone to identify, research and hire counsel….” davidheardman@lexisnexis.com

The Digital Divide
U.S. residential broadband penetration is expected to exceed 50 percent in 2007. By the end of 2007, more than 60 million U.S. households will be connected–around 55 percent–according to market researcher Parks Associates. During 2006, broadband subscriptions grew by more than 20 percent in the U.S. and by the end of the year around 50 million households had fat pipes. Source: CNet. (www.cnet.com)

Unless one has Legal Zoom’s advertising budget, the decision between print and digital advertising is an angst-ridden one for most law firms. Much like iPhone’s early purchasers, most business owners do not want to be caught out in the cold two months after spending their annual budget in the wrong marketing venue.

We have solid advertising advice for the legal practitioner:

By limiting to, or concentrating your advertising dollars to spend in, the Yellow Pages and other print-based mediums, you are likely to also limit the audience to one that is typically less able to pay your fees.

Certainly one should keep a presence in the print media but the market-saavy recommend that you decrease the print and increase a digital presence as well. That way you stand a better chance of getting a few of the many folks who are increasingly using this medium for their legal resource finding.

You will definitely miss the group from another city who need the services of a local provider. They will use an online resource almost 100% of the time. That is inevitable.

Bottom line: Our experts suggest a 30% print and 70% digital advertising campaign.

Remember to help us usher in Silvana next week as she reports live!

BNI Operatives: Street smart; web saavy.

Be careful,

Jonathan Caspian