social media: adapt or ???
DESCRIPTION
From the Pasadena Bar Association Technology Section luncheon on September 27, 2011. Social media and social networking for lawyers and law firms.TRANSCRIPT
Social Media: Adapt or ???
Pasadena Bar Association
Technology SectionHeather L. Morse
Director of Marketing, Barger & Wolen LLP
Author & Editor, The Legalwatercooler
Why is Social Media important?
• Kids these days– The “Internet” is to Social Media
what electricity is to flicking on a light switch.
• Hyper-Connected– When preparing to write his new
book, “That Used to be Us,” Thomas Friedman checked the index of “The World is Flat” and noticed something missing. Facebook!
Why is Social Media Important?
“When I said the world is flat, Facebook didn’t exist. Or for most people it didn’t exist. Twitter was a sound. The Cloud was in the sky. 4G was a parking place. LinkedIn was a prison. Applications were something you sent to college. And, for most people, Skype was a typo.”
» Thomas Friedman on Meet the Press
Why is Social Media Important?
• This has all happened in the last seven years
• Moved world from connected to hyper-connected
• Huge opportunity and a huge challenge
• It’s not going away
General Benefits
• Introduce yourself to a wider audience
• Soft sell what you do to a personal audience
• Build your reputation• Expands your footprint• GET FOUND in a crowded
marketplace
General Pitfalls by Lawyers
• Not understanding privacy settings
• Not understanding that the Internet is forever
• Not understanding that while you’re having a conversation with one person, everyone else is listening
• Balancing talking AT and talking TO
• Legal ethics– ABA 20/20 Commission
Know Your Audience
• Clients• Referral sources• Press/media• Influencers (conference
organizers
Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Oh My!
• What are these different mediums?
• Do I have to do all of these?• What about the Facebook
changes?• What about Google+?• It’s always changing, I don’t
have the time to keep up with all of this.
Blogging
• More than an online newsletter• Allow you to establish your
niche• Allow you to build your
reputation• Great Google search results• Write 1x per week• Engage readers• Free to nominal costs• Write once, repurpose/distribute
Blogging
• Common Pitfalls– Comments section
• Allow comments, but they must be approved
– Not blogging enough– Not understanding who your
audience is– Listening to all the “gurus”– Not tracking your stats– Not hyperlinking
• Gains attention of the person and/or organization
Blogging
• How law firms/lawyers are using– Instead of a website– SHOWING the types of clients
and work you want– Way of attracting attention of
press/influencers– Promote your events, conferences
you are attending– Market yourself– Group v. personal blog
• Cast a wide net• Great resource to build new
relationships with referral sources
• News aggregate• Shared experiences via
hashtags
• Common Pitfalls– Spending too much time– Not spending enough time– Following everyone who follows
you– Not understanding your audience– Public fights – people are
watching you– Talking at, not talking to– Not following conversations about
yourself or firm• Use search features
• How law firms are using– PEOPLE use Twitter to establish
relationships– Repurpose content– Conferences
• Follow hashtags for events– Meet other attendees before
event
• Tweet ups at conference• Live Tweet programs
– Attracts attention of the conference organizers, speakers and virtual attendees
• Personal pages v. business pages
• Ability to soft share what you do• Connect to business pages of
clients
• Common Pitfalls– Not having a strategic plan – Personal page too open– Inviting non-friends, but sharing as
friends– Thinking a locked page is private– Not caring what people think
about your politics– Allowing a business page to run
on autopilot
• How firms are using– Personal pages to softly promote
themselves and firm• Sharing photos and blogs
posts– Pages to promote firm
• Show side of firm not “appropriate” for the website
– Event notices– “Like” and “favorite” client pages,
news industry pages• Reshare and promote their
content
The “NEW” Facebook
• Facebook Timeline– Why are they changing it?
• The next level• Create and control how your
data is seen and managed– “We complain but we're hooked
so we stick around, and FB knows it...”
» Tim Corcoran, Vice President, HubbardOne (division of Thomson Reuters – Westlaw)
The “NEW” Facebook
• Facebook is now up to 800 million users worldwide– Not looking to add numbers, but
continue users “stickiness” on the page
– Goal to become an aggregate to your life and your life experience
• Thursday is the big day
• Rolodex on steroids• 6 degrees of separation• Reconnect with lost colleagues,
alumni, clients• Extended resume• #1 job market• Participate and create groups• Use it as validation of who you
know
• Common Pitfalls– Bad profile– Not building your users
• After any conference, add the speakers and attendees to your network
• Speak to a member of press, add
– Not sharing content– Ignoring invites– Inviting people with standard
message … be personal
• How law firms/lawyers are using– Track down old colleagues and
alumni– Firm alumni networks– Create groups around a topic of
law– Job search– Research/find clients– Extended personal resume
Google+
• 43 million users• Connects to your Google profile
and footprint (search results)• More tech/business focused
(right now)• Add a +1 to your blogs• Don’t get too attached
– Studies show a 40% drop off of visits
• Common Pitfalls and Use– Too early
Yelp and Avvo
• Personal “reviews”• Highly placed on Google search
results• Important for consumer
practices
I Don’t Have the Time
• Yes you do• Take a sharpie to your calendar• Delete your DVR subscriptions• Do it anywhere on a Smart
Phone• Dedicate a specific time, then
shut it off• Use Hootsweet and other
scheduling tools• Quicker than going to lunch• Don’t do everything
Questions to Ask Yourselves
• Am I up to the challenge?• Am I willing to invest the time,
money and resources to advance my practice/my business?
• Am I willing to let the world continue to pass me by at hyper-speed?
Take Aways
• Get a Smart Phone• Start somewhere• It’s OK to let your personality shine
through• Write about the types of work you
want, and who you want to do it for • 80/20 rule always applies.
– Personal Facebook – 80 personal/less than 20 business
– Twitter – 80 business/20 personal– FB business page – 80 about firm/20
about the industry