Many marketing tactics involve putting our name in front of new people. It’s also important to remind people that we’re still around. It’s important that they remember our name and the work we do.

One approach I’ve used in the past is to write a letter to the editor of my local paper. They often get published.  Of course, fewer people read the paper today, but they are still read and many of those readers are the most respected members in our communities. It’s a quick and easy way to remind people that you’re alive and well.

I haven’t written such a letter it in a while. I need to get back to it *.

Joseph Condo came to my attention this week. He practices family law in Mclean, Virginia.

He read a short article about a divorce coach in the Washington Post Magazine. It probably took him 30 seconds to read it. He then shot off a quick letter to the editor. It’s also short and likely took only a few minutes to write.

He’s already one of Washington’s top divorce lawyers but he took the time to send in his point of view. My guess is that his few minutes of effort resulted in reminding many of his referral sources that he’s still around. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could trace a new client or two back to that letter. At a minimum, it helps remind the community, that doesn’t really focus on divorce lawyers most days, that he’s a leader in the legal community deserving of referrals.

You can write a letter or two and send them to your local paper. There’s stimulating material in most papers, most days. It’s likely that one of your letters will get published.

Fortunately, we also have another option today that didn’t exist in the recent past. You can comment on blogs. It’s easy and nearly always gets published on the site. You can even link back to your site so the readers can quickly learn more about you.

Take a minute and write your editor or post on a blog. I’d welcome your comment here. If you do comment, be sure we know your name, your area of practice, your geographic area and provide a link back to your site. You might just find a referral waiting for you when you show up for work tomorrow.

* I once wrote a letter to the editor in praise of my local police department. I got a nice thank you note from the Chief. I kept it in my glove compartment for a while hoping that I could show it off if I got pulled over. Fortunately, I never had a chance.