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Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

Lawyers Feel the Need, The Need to Blog

Posted by redactic on December 23, 2009

We came across this article recently, detailing the increased pressure on attorneys feelings compelled to blog.  To put it simply, most lawyers don’t have enough time in the day to blog and practice law.  It’s a growing problem, especially as more and more attorneys and law firms realize the need to keep up to date content on their websites.  Though the importance is recognized, that doesn’t do anything about the time constraints.

Because we offer legal blogging services, we too see the value in blogging.  And not just for our income, but because it is a very cheap way to get your message across.  Even if you don’t hire a blogging services company like Redactic, you should understand how effective and efficient blogging can be for lawyers.  (And any other profession.)

Let’s take a hypothetical situation:  A medical malpractice attorney St. Louis starts a blog.  She writes about her day to day experiences two to three times a week.  Sometimes she writes about winning a case, sometimes she talks about her frustration with a personal injury settlement.

Unbeknowst to her (yet knowst to others) she has been marketing herself with every post.  And not just marketing, but indelibly leaving a record of herself to scatter to the internet winds, traveling all over the world.  Some of words she used in her writing are subsequently picked up by search engines.  They drive traffic to her blog.  A client might search the internet for “St. Louis medical malpractice lawyer” and bingo, her blog posts pops up.   That potential client reads it, like it, and clicks on the “contact me” button on her blog.

And that’s about it.  One post, one new client.  And that one post isn’t like a radio add that only airs for a certain amount of time.  It isn’t like a ad in the yellow pages you have to keep paying for every  month or year.  It’s there.  Out in the ether.  Floating around until someone finds it and follows it to your firm.

Nifty, isn’t it?

Posted in Law Firm Marketing, legal blogs, Social Media | Leave a Comment »

Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Legal Marketing

Posted by redactic on December 14, 2009

If you’ve been alive recently, you know that social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and linkedin are the end all be all of existence.  Everyone who is anyone is using them at all hours of the day and becoming fully realized human beings capable of super-human feats.

Well, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration.  But the emergence of these tools has brought up a lot of questions when it comes to attorneys and law firms.   Ethical considerations aside, are there practical benefits for attorneys who use these sites to find new clients or business?

Some attorneys don’t think so.   Many believe the short messages and updates posted on sites like these don’t attract clients.  The thought is that people aren’t going to Twitter to find a lawyer or any other kind of professional.   Is someone going to log onto Facebook and try to find a good plastic surgeon?

They have a point.  These sights may be great for socialization, but for finding the attorney that’s going to help you with your DUI?

Then again, we’re not so sure that using these sites is a lost cause.  Since a lot of (if not most) new clients find their attorney through recommendations from a friend, and these sites make it easier to contact friends, why wouldn’t they use it?  Is it difficult to update your Facebook status and say “I’m looking for a lawyer.  Can anyone recommend one?”  It’s not unreasonable to assume this has, and is, happening now.  (We know from personal experience that many of our Facebook friends often send us questions about legal situations they’re in.)

It’s also not unreasonable to believe that social media friends could then direct the potential new client to the lawyer’s Facebook page.  (Or Myspace, or Twitter, etc.)

We once read that attorneys are much more likely to be pessimists than any other profession.  (Yes, shocking, we know.)  This attitude may serve them in their work, but when it comes to taking advantage of new opportunities, they may be on the tail end of things.   As far as social media goes, like the internet, we don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.  It has potential, and though still in its early stages, we think it is at least worth looking at.

(Photo courtesy Damien Basile via Flickr.)

Posted in Law Firm Marketing, Social Media, Technology | 1 Comment »

 
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