An overview of legal uses of social media -- with thanks to Lexis Nexis for some of the graphics.
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1. D.C. Bar Association Thought Leadership I: Using Web2.0 to
Show Expertise May 21, 2009
2. Agenda Thought Leadership 101 Web 2.0 Why bother? Landscape
Basic Rules Basic Tools Special Legal Considerations Introduce
Presenters
3. What Thought Leadership IS A strategic decision about your
firms market position in 2-5 years Positioning your staffs
expertise to achieve those goals
4. What Thought Leadership ISNT Legal jargon-filled press
releases (as one example)
5. Thought Leadership Planning READY AIM FIRE
6. READY Pick area of focus that: Supports strategic thrust
Leverages firm core competencies Has market space to establish
leadership Conduct research to substantiate viability ie: what are
investment banks, large consulting firms doing; what are other law
firms doing and how large are their marketing staffs
comparatively?
7. AIM: Planning Goal Where currently positioned? Growth
potential in 2, 5, 10 years? Benefit What are core differentiators?
Strategy Tactics (tools) Establish case with white papers/legal
journal articles Consider seminars and webinars invite current
clients to participate Well be talking today about Web 2.0 and on
June 11th about traditional media Resources partner time, staff
commitment, hard costs Success Measures
8. FIRE Implement plan Establish and monitor success measures
Make necessary course corrections
9. Web 2.0: Why Bother?
10. Everyones Doing It According to the Networks for Counsel
(2008) study by Leader Networks and LexisNexis Approximately 50% of
counsel belong to a social network such as LinkedIn or Facebook (as
of April 2008) Corporate Counsel are over 3x more likely to use
their network for professional reasons Counsel prefer a private
online network for just attorneys Martindale-Hubbell Connected is
the online network attorneys favor most And they believe it helps
them work Access to information I cant get anyplace else 46% Easier
exchange of information 45% More quickly find and evaluate the
right legal partners 29% 10
11. The Social Media Landscape
12. Primary Professional Networking Activities for Lawyers
Utilizing Online Legal Business Tools Referral management
Integrated search Client ratings 12
13. Maintaining a Positive Online Reputation Career Builder did
a study (Sept. 2008) on how employers and hiring managers use
social media to vet candidates. Top factors that influenced their
hiring decision included: 48% - candidates background supported
their qualifications 43% - candidate had great communication skills
40% - candidate was a good fit for the companys culture 36% -
candidates site conveyed a professional image 31% - candidate had
great references posted about them by others 30% - candidate showed
a wide range of interests 29% - candidate received awards and
accolades 24% - candidates profile was creative Keep your digital
persona professional and appropriate. Clean up any digital dirt on
personal sites. 13
14. Listening: Reputation Management Discover your online
identity Research yourself, your firm or company and your area of
practice http://www.google.com/alerts Fix or edit any incorrect
information about you or your firm. If you find yourself quoted,
mentioned or commented about on a blog or article, use comments
area to respond right away Activity + Credibility = Visibility
14
15. Listening: Monitoring the Online Channels Find blogs that
you want to read regularly and follow those blogs Visit them
regularly (manually) or Use a web browser to follow that RSS feed
or Subscribe by email Follow bloggers & journalists through RSS
Connect to peers and thought leaders via the Twitter follow feature
Search SlideShare, YouTube, key social networks and join groups of
like-minded professionals 15
16. BASIC RULES Its a conversation Authentic and personal You
dont control the medium and thats a good thing You get by giving
starting a conversation topic, commenting on someone elses blog,
etc Use your dinner party manners
17. BASIC TOOLS (these and your own website/blog) Blogs and
Reputation Community Social Networks Online News Aggregators
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18. Existing social media sites strengths and weaknesses
Twitter immediate, breaking news, cool kids club LinkedIn very
professional Facebook quirkier, more personal Legal Communities JD
Supra Legal On Ramp Martindale Hubble Connected (www.martindale.com
/connected) Communities where potential clients congregate Example:
Sermo (physicians)
19. Best Practice Social Networks for Lawyers 19
20. An Effective Social Media Profile (NOT written by your
assistant) She is reachable and accessible Effective photo and
contact information Expertise and area of practice is clear and
well defined Credible authority established Bio is first person She
has spoken on 6 continents about the rule of law, women in the law,
and the future of the law. Links to others = well connected
Interests give personal feeling Activity and frequency of use
establishes commitment 20
21. The Network Effect I have a real Professional networking
estate success matter in Seattle. means making connections Who can
do And using them well the work? Who do I know that can serve as a
referral? 21
22. Using Groups to Segment Your Audience Groups are a great
way to segment the growing audience of professional network users
Connect with other around a common professional interest Narrow
peer groups into smaller, more focused clusters and allows for more
substantial professional conversation Enables deep dives into
subject matter with others who understand the nuances, language and
issues of a specific topic Joining a group is a more intimate
experience than joining a network Introduce yourself to the group
and offer brief background Participate frequently and offer ideas,
questions and insights Above all, be helpful and pro-active to
maximize value for all 22
23. SPECIAL TIPS FOR LAWYERS - 1 Law firm social web policy
Appropriate business behavior guidelines Respectful and polite
Employers time vs my time
24. SPECIAL TIPS FOR LAWYERS - 2 Professional legal ethics
Commercial speech is subject to advertising rules Copyright and
fair use laws Avoid use of proprietary and confidential information
Dont make misleading statements
25. SPECIAL TIPS FOR LAWYERS - 3 Legal liabilities Admissions
Trade libel/trade secrets Disclosure of non-public information
Patentable information Securities fraud Information that could
undermine firm or client position w competitors
26. 8 Minute Social Media Game Plan 5 min scanning RSS feeds
and blogs 10 seconds check Google alerts (respond if need be) 3
minutes Tweet links to key articles; ideal #Tweets/day=4 5 minutes
log onto professional network of choice - connect to 1-3 people
every few visits -write personal e-mail to 1-2 connections -scan
for a or blogs/brief comments or post message 5 minutes or less
daily respond to comments on your blog posts 1-2/month write or
co-write blog entry - Tweet link to blog post - Post blog on
network profile -RSS feed sends blog entry to all subscribers
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27. Todays Guests Scott Oswald, Employment Law Group Website
best practices/SEO/Using technology during trial Lyle Denniston,
SCOTUS Blog SCOTUS editorial emphasis Shaun Dakin, Executive
Director, Citizens for Civil Discourse Using Twitter and
Facebook/other social media Ryan Ozimek, PicNet Search engine
optimizing legal briefs and websites to dominate searches;
Integrating and centralizing social media tools Stan Magniant,
Linkfluence Measuring social media.
28. Thank You! Turner Strategies 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite
710 Washington, DC 20036 202-466-9633 CREDITS: Legal Marketing
Association; Lexis/Nexis