Why legal service providers should participate in ALM "Best Of" Surveys?

Why Legal Service Providers Should Participate in ALM “Best Of” Surveys

Every legal service provider should be aware of ALM Media LLC “Best Of” surveys and how they can be used as valuable legal marketing and public relations tools.

ALM shared a list of 2018 “Best Of” opportunities at the end of 2017. The Google Docs chart includes all the information for Best of 2018, including survey and publication dates, links to the surveys, rough drafts, previous issues, etc.

The 2018 ALM List of “Best Of” Publication Surveys and Dates

National Law Journal: Survey closed in 2017 and was published in February.

Corporate Counsel: Survey closed on February 2 and the supplement will be published in April.

Daily Record (Georgia): Survey opened on February 12 and will close on March 9. The supplement will be published in May.

Midwest: Survey opens on February 26 and will close on March 23. The supplement will be published in June.

The Record (California): Survey opens on March 26 and will close on April 20. The supplement will be published in July.

The Legal Intelligencer (Pennsylvania): Survey opens on April 23 and will close on May 18. The supplement will be published in August.

Connecticut Law Tribune: Survey opens on May 7 and will close on June 1. The supplement will be published in August.

Texas Lawyer: Survey opens on May 28 and will close on June 22. The supplement will be published in September.

New York Law Journal: Survey opens on June 25 and will close on July 20. The supplement will be published in September.

New Jersey Law Journal: Survey opens on July 16 and will close on August 2. The supplement will be published in October.

Legal Times (Washington, DC): Survey opens on July 30 and will close on August 24. The supplement will be published in November.

Daily Business Review (Florida): Survey opens on August 20 and will close on September 14. The supplement will be published in November.

Note: All dates are subject to change.

Promoting Legal Service Providers Through ALM Best Of Publications

A few things to keep in mind about “Best Of” for promoting legal services through marketing and public relations:

Every time the legal service provider company is nominated, the company’s name is put in front of the full database of ALM contacts that receives the survey.
Every time the company is listed in a “Best Of” list of top three vote getters, the legal service provider gets a listing in their “Best Of” directory free of charge. The print directories also have a long shelf-life and almost all of the directories reside online.
You do not need to purchase advertising or a badge every time you get a “Best Of” placement. These should be purchased strategically when you wish to promote the particular “win” or target specific markets. This cost is considered a “reprint license” with ALM and is separate from their advertising department. That said, the badges may be more reasonably priced when purchased with an advertising package.
Whenever the legal service provider is nominated, the company should share the survey link and ask people to vote on social media. This takes very little time and is another touch point with the legal service provider’s target audiences.
Legal service providers should promote nominations with requests to their contact list for votes. This can be done via a traditional email or with eAlerts. This is a great way to remain top-of-mind, and to validate the legal service provider’s stature and credibility in the marketplace.
Legal service providers do not need to purchase additional advertising every time they are listed in a “Best Of” placement, however, there will be times that a well formulated ad will add value to the “Best Of” listing and can draw greater attention to the legal service provider.
Press releases touting “Best Of” wins are a great way to tell the legal service provider’s story and give you yet another touch point with your target audiences. While most media outlets will not pick up a “Best Of” press release for another publication as news, the press releases can be used as website content, social media content, eNewsletter news content and for search engine optimization (SEO).

Focus “Best Of” ALM marketing and public relations efforts should be an important part of all the legal service provider’s communication efforts assuming the company’s service category is included in the survey.