My name is Heather Milligan and I am a legal marketing geek. My friend @glambert from Three Geeks and a Law Blog has informed me that “geek is the new black,” so I suppose there are worst things in life I could be.

What excites me most about legal marketing is watching the lights come on when a lawyer “gets” it. They get that clients hire them because they are known, liked and trusted. They get that “face time” leads to stronger relationships. They get that the stronger the relationship the better the flow of business in the form of new matters, cases or referrals. They get that marketing and business development is not a waste of their time, a drag on their billable hour requirements, but the catalyst to their financial and professional success.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been times over the years when I have wanted to throw in the towel and abandon legal marketing for something saner. The harsh reality is this: with every partner who “gets” it, I have had to fight my way through several brick walls. At times I have thought it was too overwhelming, exhausting, and just not worth it.

Then along came my current firm. As I said here, I might not have the biggest budget or the snazziest technology, but I get to shape the message and influence those around me every day. I’ve been moving the ball forward at a consistent pace for the past 14 months. Rewarding and fulfilling? Absolutely. Exciting? Not every day.

And then along came social networking, blogs and that social media darling, Twitter. KAPOW. My 10 ½ years of legal marketing experience seems to have found new meaning.

It turns out that the people who like their jobs the most are also the ones who are doing the best work, making the greatest impact, and changing the most. Changing the way they see the world, sure, but also changing the world. By challenging the status quo, a cadre of heretics is discovering that one person, just one, can make a huge difference.

Tribes, Seth Godin, p. 11

Social media is changing the world about us. It is forcing companies to be transparent. It is expanding how individuals identify, reach and communicate with their target audiences. It is providing a holistic view of us. I am no longer just a legal marketer. I am a wife, mother, a Girl Scout troop leader and a former punker.