lmatech2013: there’s more to life than linkedin – social media, communications and today’s...
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Social media channels have exploded over the past decade, profoundly altering the communications landscape — redefining what is news and how it is consumed. This panel will examine many of the most trafficked tributaries of today’s “river of news” examining their usefulness for both PR and business development purposes. What will the future of law firm communications look like as firms distribute content, gather market intelligence and engage with relevant audiences? Issues to be addressed include: •Finding the right proactive and defensive strategy for social media. Performing a social media audit and updating a communications strategy to address how audiences consume today’s news and information. •Who is the captain of new technologies? Exploring the intersection of IT, business development, marketing and public relations professionals for firm branded channels and the interplay with individual attorney accounts. Identifying tools and tips for managing firm accounts. •Dispelling common misperceptions and finding the value proposition. A brief “channel guide” for outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. •Roads less traveled. Pinterest, Foursquare, YouTube and other niche channels. Can your firm find value in these alternate paths? •Delivery Options. What does the potential extinction / irrelevancy of the RSS feed mean to content delivery and consumption? •How to know it’s working. – Not overvaluing “followers” or “likes.” Finding the right criteria to judge effectiveness. Moderator: Lydia Bednerik, Marketing Director, Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP (Moderator) Panelists: Melita Jampol, Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Fenwick & West LLP Traci Stuart, President, Blattel Communications Jeff Yerkey, Web & Interactive Director, Right Hat LLPTRANSCRIPT
Online Social Channels
There’s More to Life Than LinkedIn
Social Media, Communications and Today’s
River of News
Speakers
Melita Jampol Sr. Marketing Communications Manager
Fenwick & West LLP Twitter: @melitaz
Traci Stuart President
Blattel Communications Twitter: @tstuart
Jeff Yerkey Web & Interactive Director
Right Hat LLP Twitter@jeffbob
Lydia Bednerik Marketing Director
Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP Twitter: @LydiaBednerik
Dispelling the Myths
“Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after
the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at
a plywood box every night.”
— Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th Century Fox, 1946
Dispelling the Myths
• We have no need to change our current methods. • Change is inevitable. It is important to start somewhere.
• These things are fads. • You don’t have a website?
• Just keep saying no to these marcom initiatives.
• Resist “Irrational Rejectionism.”
• None of our clients use social media (beyond LinkedIn).
• Whether readily apparent or not, clients are using these channels.
• A company-wide ban/strict social media policy will suffice.
• There is no such thing as an airtight “No Social Media” policy.
Channel Guide Best in Breed is Winning
Twitter: Microblogging, 140
characters. Short, concise,
real-time or leading to more.
Facebook: Everything
from baby photos to
corporate news. No
character limit.
Foursquare: Check-Ins.
Aggregates users at
events.
Instagram: Photo-sharing
with attitude. 10-second
videos. Quirky and
addictive
YouTube: Everything from
homemade videos to
programmed channels.
LinkedIn: Professional
connections.
Pinterest: Image pinning.
Online, shareable
scrapbook.
Google+: Social networking
attempt. Important for SEO. Any
length permitted. User-created
video conferencing “hangouts.”
Channel Guide Continued
Vimeo: YouTube with
higher resolution.
Yelp: User-generated
reviews of businesses.
Vine: Six second, user-
generated videos. Owned
by and paired with Twitter.
AVVO: User-generated
reviews of lawyers.
Flickr: Photo-sharing site
used by amateurs and
professionals.
Yammer: Intra-co. or
intra-org. social media
network.
After 11 year run, RSS declared dead by many in the media.
March 13, 2013: Google Reader Discontinued
Now What? Time to jump into “The River of News”
Where Do We Get Our News?
• No longer rely on bundle dropped at our doorstep
• Medium matters less
• Newsprint and traditional broadcast (TV/radio) are supplemented and, often, surpassed as a conduit by Internet.
Where Do We Get Our News?
• Internet = democratizes news and redefines the “gatekeepers” • Old gatekeepers – editors, producers. • New gatekeepers – “trusted” sources (e.g.
friends, click-driven sites, thought leaders and other individuals followed.
• Disparate, definable regional tributaries of news have merged into a global raging river.
• Enormous opportunity to publish content (organic and paid/sponsored).
• The challenges are both reaching and engaging users.
The Next “Big Thing” is Here.
•The television that watches you is almost here. •Users are engaging with media properties more
than ever. –Comcast and Twitter “See It”
•Encourage user-generated content creation. –CNN iReport
–Reporters create multimedia articles (and promote them).
•For legal services providers, generational shift in creation/consumption of news (akin to radio/TV) is under way.
•Content can be viewed on a sliding scale of interaction.
–Poles: CBS Evening News story; Reddit “Ask Me Anything”
Static
Editor-Producer Driven
Dynamic
End-User/Consumer Driven
CBS
Evening
News
“Ask Me
Anything”
Opportunities and Challenges
Smartphones and Tablets
● Communications now on myriad screens
● “Lean forward” vs “lean back” reading
● Format for responsiveness
● Factor for extended social sharing (e.g., location aware, share again)
Flipboard Custom Magazines
Invites users to create their own favorite feeds into sharable custom “magazines”
Distributing Content
We’re talking social media, but remember...
• Direct email/pushed content
• Self publishing (on all sites)
• Distributors (JD Supra, Lexology...)
• Newswires, press release posting sites (impact of Google’s new rules)
• Online advertising, promoted Tweets, AdWords campaigns
Strategy
• What’s driving your engagement?
• What messages and to whom?
• Who’s your audience for each platform?
– Alumni
– Recruiting
– Subject matter community/industry
– Media
Strategic Risks and Rewards
Consider strategies including: • Pushing existing content • Sharing media mentions with @handle mentions of the
reporter and publication • Using #hashtags and posting from your own events • Joining #hashtag conversations for events where your
attorneys are speaking • Celebrating client wins • Be generous
Who is Captain?
• Who is responsible?
• Who else is on the team?
• Interplay with individual attorney accounts
• Tools & tips for managing content
Mitch Jackson / Pinterest
Allen Matkins / Google+
Allen Matkins / Google+ (cont)
Fenwick & West / Google+
Fenwick & West / Google+ (cont)
Fenwick & West / Twitter
Fenwick & West / Twitter (cont)
Hanson Bridgett / YouTube
Hanson Bridgett / YouTube (cont)
Richard Hsu / One Page Blog
Richard Hsu / YouTube
Richard Hsu / Twitter
Wendel Rosen / Facebook
Wendel Rosen / Facebook (cont)
Fenwick & West / Facebook
Fenwick & West / Facebook (cont)
SF Business Times / Twitter
SFBT Reporter Mark Calvey / Twitter
Engagement
• It’s about listening to clients, journalists, prospects and stakeholders
• Share, respond, like and support the news of your community
• Respect the channel
Is It Working?
• Marketing and communications ROI is, by its nature, a soft science.
– A world dominated by anecdotal evidence.
• Value infrastructure building more than followers and likes.
• Participation reveals new dimensions of contacts, humanizes individuals and companies.
– Relationships are the currency of business.
• Be fluent in lexicon of the day.
• Determine what’s “enough” to make it worth your while?
• Be patient (and don’t let the intern handle).
Preparatory
Awareness
Online
Engagement
Real-Life
Engagement
New Business
Social Media ROI Continuum
Thank you!
Q&A