Law firm media relations and integrated campaigns (Kysen)

December 19, 2023|Kim's Blog, Lawyers, Marketing, Web Sites|

I keep an eye out for case studies in professional services marketing and share them at workshops. This post describes some case studies from veteran legal PR expert – Clare Rodway at Kysen. I’ve known Claire for more years than either of us care to remember and her long-established agency is known as one of the best for legal PR. Legal marketing case studies – Law firm media relations and integrated campaigns (Kysen).

Bolt Burdon Kemp – E-scooter rights and personal injury law

E-scooters that are part of trials are insured and legal whereas private-owned e-scooters are not. So where accidents happen there is an opportunity for personal injury solicitors who manage complex cases. The challenge was to raise BBK’s profile in an increasingly busy space and ensure that it integrated with the firm’s wider digital marketing (especially it’s SEO and Google rankings).

The solution was to create a digital asset on the BBK web site to drive users to the site and be relevant for journalists to include a link in their news and features pieces. Kysen helped to create an interactive quiz “So you know the law around e-scooters?” The campaign was initially tied to a Christmas hook – for those thinking of buying an e-scooter as a gift.

It positioned BBK lawyers as “go to” experts for e-scooters. The quiz was successful – with 3,300 participants (a significant increase in web traffic) completing the eight questions. Substantial media coverage was obtained in just one month. A stand-out, agenda-setting piece in the Sunday Times elicited 600 comments and the story was subsequently picked up by the Daily Mail, The Metro, The Evening Standard and the Law Society Gazette (February 2022). After the campaign, the evergreen content served as a valuable digital asset that continued to draw traffic to the site.

E-Scooters – Do you know your rights? | Bolt Burdon Kemp

SA Law – Integrated employment law services multi-channel campaign

SA Law was targeting small and medium sized enterprises (SME) clients in the competitive arena of employment law. It wanted to raise the profile of new lead lawyers and support cross-selling with commercial clients in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The firm felt its deeper and longer-term relationships forged with its clients allowed it to provide more nuanced advice which was a point of difference.

After a brainstorm between Kysen and the firm’s director of marketing and BD a campaign was created entitled “Let’s talk about it”. It focused on the power of conversations to resolve tricky HR issues such as saying “No” to holiday requests, discouraging employees playing social media games during office hours, handling bullying at work and sexual harassment.

The services were given the new title of “Employment and Workplace Relations” emphasising the commercial solutions from the emotional and practical intelligence of the firm’s lawyers and how they tailored it to each client’s organisational culture and staff personality types.

The core campaign centred on wise interactions between employers and employees to avoid costly litigation and the theme was promoted through a variety of marketing channels (media relations, events, advertising, social media and amplifiers, web, infographics and motion graphics, one-to-one conversations with clients, prospects and referrers and signage in SA law offices).

Media coverage was obtained in The Guardian, realbusiness, People Management, CityAM and Changeboard (a global HR community). Early successes were the renewal of a major client which was being courted by a competitor and a new client attracted by table cards at an event. The increased confidence of the team led to them approach many new business prospects.

Specialist employment law solicitors in London & St Albans | SA Law

Pinsent Masons – Recruitment of contract lawyers for Vario

A high impact campaign was required to make a noise in the increasingly crowded contract lawyer marketplace and to support long term brand building. And to recruit new freelance lawyers early in their careers.

A multi-channel campaign was developed using #NoClone concept – emphasising the career opportunities for new 2-6 PQE lawyers. A press campaign coincided with a Vario networking and training event – including emotional intelligence coaching for dealing with clients – supporting the idea that the work was not easy to replicate with AI solutions.

In the first three weeks of the campaign, the social media sharing of press pieces on Twitter/X and LinkedIn created a buzz and increased the social following by 50%. Further press opportunities were generated and a Legal Cheek blog piqued interest from The Daily Telegraph who requested an interview.

After a year, Vario was contacted for comment as a matter of routine by the media. The firm has grown client mandates and its contract lawyer base.

Vario (pinsentmasons.com)

Weightmans – Cyber risk for the reinsurance market

With a move to the City of London’s insurance district, the firm wanted to underline its reinsurance market credentials and initiate business development conversations with new clients across multiple classes of insurance.

A mixed media campaign lasting four months was recommended to facilitate face-to-face discussions using the common theme of the exponential rise of cyber issues in the digital business age – a new category of risk.

At the centre of the campaign was detailed thought leadership – a two-part survey (100+ respondents from insurers, brokers and reinsurers to a questionnaire and in-depth interviews with insurance industry leaders) jointly designed with leading reinsurance trade title Insurance Day.

The survey had its own page on the Weightmans’ web site and attracted significant media coverage (20 pieces on BBC channels, national broadsheets such as The Times and leading trade titles including Insurance Day).

It appeared in the firm’s client magazine and provided the topic for a round table discussion event. The survey results were included in a detailed Cyber Risk Report which was mailed widely and included in delegate packs for events.

Weightmans looks to bridge cyber confusion gap with specialist team | Latest News | Insurance Times

7BR barristers – Campaign on the role of language in #inclusivity

Forward-thinking barristers set 7BR created a series of infographics, following interviews with five AccessAble Ambassadors, each designed to highlight the realities and #accessibility issues facing a disabled person when they’re asked to simply ‘swing by’ or ‘nip to the loo’. For a disabled person, ‘popping to the shop’ can be a dramatically different experience.

The campaign was part of an exciting project 7BR announced in 2022.

7BR Disability Access Open Morning and Lunch – 7BR Barristers Chambers

7BR discusses accessibility with five AccessAble Ambassadors – 7BR Barristers Chambers (infographics)

7BR invests in state-of-the-art disabled access – 7BR Barristers Chambers (Sesame steps)