The Business of Branding: Happy Alums

Editor's Note: Beginning with this issue and appearing bi-monthly, we welcome Moir' Marketing Partners as regular columnists for The Business of Branding. As all of us “in the know” realize, branding is probably one of the most talked-about topics in the world of law firm marketing. Since the beginning of time, corporations have used branding as their “calling card” to identify a specific product, service, or business. Law firms in their own way have been branding themselves for just as long a period of time, some with success. This column is intended to enlighten our readers about how branding can work effectively in a professional services environment.

' Elizabeth Anne “Betiayn” Tursi, Editor-in Chief

When you hear the words “alumni outreach,” you probably think of your alma mater. They hope you do, anyway: Most undergraduate institutions send out a stream of publications heavy enough to break any mail carrier's back, and they've probably got banks of students hunched over phones in a small room on campus calling alumni day and night.

But alumni outreach isn't just for colleges anymore. A small but growing number of businesses are now also conducting their own such programs. They conduct alumni happy hours across the country. They publish alumni newsletters. They distribute alumni directories. Why? For a lot of the same reasons institutions of higher learning do, in addition to some reasons unique to the business world.

Brand Ambassadorship

Every departing employee your company sends out into the world becomes a potential ambassador for your company and for your brand. Who knows your business better than someone who has actually seen it from the inside? Keep your alumni happy, and you'll have a fleet of unpaid people spreading goodwill throughout the community. Because people take personal testimonials much more seriously than they take advertising, what your ambassadors say about your business can go a long way toward shaping perceptions and your brand.

Business Referral

It's not just goodwill that your alumni can spread throughout the business community ' they can also spread your business. In a professional environment, you can expect roughly half of your former employees to wind up in a position to influence business-development decisions at another company. They may hire your firm directly, or comments they make concerning your company may affect the decisions made by others.

Recruiting

It is well known that colleges reach out to their alumni to help with recruiting ' to conduct interviews, to identify local students who might be strong candidates for enrollment. But not all businesses realize that they, too, often have a strong recruiting base among their alumni. With intimate knowledge of the way a place does business, who better than a former employee to help identify potential new hires? If your former marketing director recommends someone she knows to work in your marketing department, odds are that's a candidate worth talking to. Further, “boomerangs,” or former employees who return to your company, can hit the ground running; they don't require a long training process to get them up to speed. And you can avoid the lengthy and arduous search for a candidate: You already know everything you need to about these particular candidates. Rehires can be great for your bottom line.

Let's Meet Online

Many professional service firms are integrating themselves on Facebook or other social media avenues (i.e., Twitter, YouTube, etc.). Technology like this is proven in helping to connect colleagues, past employees and friends, and even encourages networking among industry professionals. With that said, a growing interest is being placed on integrating alumni programs on Facebook. The latter is becoming an essential part and a powerful component of an alumni program's marketing mix, allowing your firm to communicate with past and potential employees. Strengthening your alumni connections in a virtual world can allow you to more readily reach your alumni in a cost-effective and efficient way. Facebook or other social media programs will never replace the face-to-face connections you can make with your alumni. However, with direct access to alumni via social media, the opportunity to connect, share stories and help strengthen your brand among alumni should not be ignored.

How to Reach Out

So how do companies reach out to alumni? Paul, Weiss (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP) is a 600-lawyer law firm that's a leader in alumni outreach. The firm publishes an annual, four-color magazine, Alumni News, that keeps alumni abreast of each other's whereabouts and achievements. Anything from marriages to children to new jobs is covered ' with the more notable and interesting alumni developments receiving full editorial treatment, complete with custom photography and sharply written articles. Aside from keeping alumni connected, Alumni News serves as a nice brag book for the firm, as well.

Other firms agree with this approach. “As a part of your marketing mix, I recommend implementing an alumni program. These programs help you stay in touch with your valued alumni, many of whom can become future clients. Alumni can also serve as your brand ambassadors in a world where word of mouth is key. I just heard a panel of in-house counsel advise “stay close to your alumni,” says Vickie Spang, Chief Marketing Officer for Sheppard Mullin.

Paul, Weiss also keeps alumni in touch by printing and distributing a series of alumni directories. And, with alumni happy hours and other events across the country, Paul, Weiss continually fosters a spirit of collegiality among its former employees. Some of these individuals return to Paul, Weiss, while others move on, often to refer business back to their former employer. And the firm itself winds up with a great human resource, a vast network of accomplished people with well credentials who spread the word about the company and help ensure its continued success.

Jeffrey Morgan is a principal at Moir' Marketing Partners, Washington, DC, and Long Beach, CA, a strategic branding and communications agency specializing in the success of law firms. He can be reached at [email protected]; connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter at @JeffreyMorganCA. Jeff Roberts is president and creative director at the firm. E-mail: [email protected]; connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter at @JeffreyMRoberts.

Editor's Note: Beginning with this issue and appearing bi-monthly, we welcome Moir' Marketing Partners as regular columnists for The Business of Branding. As all of us “in the know” realize, branding is probably one of the most talked-about topics in the world of law firm marketing. Since the beginning of time, corporations have used branding as their “calling card” to identify a specific product, service, or business. Law firms in their own way have been branding themselves for just as long a period of time, some with success. This column is intended to enlighten our readers about how branding can work effectively in a professional services environment.

' Elizabeth Anne “Betiayn” Tursi, Editor-in Chief

When you hear the words “alumni outreach,” you probably think of your alma mater. They hope you do, anyway: Most undergraduate institutions send out a stream of publications heavy enough to break any mail carrier's back, and they've probably got banks of students hunched over phones in a small room on campus calling alumni day and night.

But alumni outreach isn't just for colleges anymore. A small but growing number of businesses are now also conducting their own such programs. They conduct alumni happy hours across the country. They publish alumni newsletters. They distribute alumni directories. Why? For a lot of the same reasons institutions of higher learning do, in addition to some reasons unique to the business world.

Brand Ambassadorship

Every departing employee your company sends out into the world becomes a potential ambassador for your company and for your brand. Who knows your business better than someone who has actually seen it from the inside? Keep your alumni happy, and you'll have a fleet of unpaid people spreading goodwill throughout the community. Because people take personal testimonials much more seriously than they take advertising, what your ambassadors say about your business can go a long way toward shaping perceptions and your brand.

Business Referral

It's not just goodwill that your alumni can spread throughout the business community ' they can also spread your business. In a professional environment, you can expect roughly half of your former employees to wind up in a position to influence business-development decisions at another company. They may hire your firm directly, or comments they make concerning your company may affect the decisions made by others.

Recruiting

It is well known that colleges reach out to their alumni to help with recruiting ' to conduct interviews, to identify local students who might be strong candidates for enrollment. But not all businesses realize that they, too, often have a strong recruiting base among their alumni. With intimate knowledge of the way a place does business, who better than a former employee to help identify potential new hires? If your former marketing director recommends someone she knows to work in your marketing department, odds are that's a candidate worth talking to. Further, “boomerangs,” or former employees who return to your company, can hit the ground running; they don't require a long training process to get them up to speed. And you can avoid the lengthy and arduous search for a candidate: You already know everything you need to about these particular candidates. Rehires can be great for your bottom line.

Let's Meet Online

Many professional service firms are integrating themselves on Facebook or other social media avenues (i.e., Twitter, YouTube, etc.). Technology like this is proven in helping to connect colleagues, past employees and friends, and even encourages networking among industry professionals. With that said, a growing interest is being placed on integrating alumni programs on Facebook. The latter is becoming an essential part and a powerful component of an alumni program's marketing mix, allowing your firm to communicate with past and potential employees. Strengthening your alumni connections in a virtual world can allow you to more readily reach your alumni in a cost-effective and efficient way. Facebook or other social media programs will never replace the face-to-face connections you can make with your alumni. However, with direct access to alumni via social media, the opportunity to connect, share stories and help strengthen your brand among alumni should not be ignored.

How to Reach Out

So how do companies reach out to alumni? Paul, Weiss (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP) is a 600-lawyer law firm that's a leader in alumni outreach. The firm publishes an annual, four-color magazine, Alumni News, that keeps alumni abreast of each other's whereabouts and achievements. Anything from marriages to children to new jobs is covered ' with the more notable and interesting alumni developments receiving full editorial treatment, complete with custom photography and sharply written articles. Aside from keeping alumni connected, Alumni News serves as a nice brag book for the firm, as well.

Other firms agree with this approach. “As a part of your marketing mix, I recommend implementing an alumni program. These programs help you stay in touch with your valued alumni, many of whom can become future clients. Alumni can also serve as your brand ambassadors in a world where word of mouth is key. I just heard a panel of in-house counsel advise “stay close to your alumni,” says Vickie Spang, Chief Marketing Officer for Sheppard Mullin.

Paul, Weiss also keeps alumni in touch by printing and distributing a series of alumni directories. And, with alumni happy hours and other events across the country, Paul, Weiss continually fosters a spirit of collegiality among its former employees. Some of these individuals return to Paul, Weiss, while others move on, often to refer business back to their former employer. And the firm itself winds up with a great human resource, a vast network of accomplished people with well credentials who spread the word about the company and help ensure its continued success.

Jeffrey Morgan is a principal at Moir' Marketing Partners, Washington, DC, and Long Beach, CA, a strategic branding and communications agency specializing in the success of law firms. He can be reached at [email protected]; connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter at @JeffreyMorganCA. Jeff Roberts is president and creative director at the firm. E-mail: [email protected]; connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter at @JeffreyMRoberts.