May 15, 2010
- Should Law Firms Take A Second Look At Podcasting?
I have written in the past about marketing for law firms through podcasting, but not many law firms are doing it, and the subject deserves a second look. While some law firms utilize seminars, articles, newsletters, e-mail newsletters or blog posts to promote themselves, podcasting is arguably a more effective method. (…)
May 29, 2009
- Will Law Schools Ever Teach Marketing for Law Firms?
Marketing for law firms should be a subject that is taught in law school. A May 28, 2009 article in the New York Law Journal notes that hiring partners, practice chairs and recruiters at law firms would almost universally like to see law schools teach students about business development and networking. According to the article, one solution would be to offer such subjects in the context of non-credit courses. The article further notes that new lawyers need to realize that a law firm is a business and that lawyers need to contribute to the firm's bottom line. New attorneys in law firms need to understand law firm economics. (…)
May 16, 2009
- Marketing for Law Firms through Podcasting
Is podcasting a viable means of marketing for law firms? My law firm's audio ERISA Litigation podcast should be an interesting case study. Although the first episode was released in October 2008, the first "regular" episode only recently became available. In that episode, I interviewed Michael J. (…)
January 3, 2009
- Social Media Marketing for Lawyers: 2009 Predictions
My belated 2009 social media/new media predictions on marketing for lawyers, law firms, and attorneys:
Business and/or law-related social networking sites such as LinkedIn, LegallyMinded, Legal OnRamp, and at least one new site will grow in importance for client development among lawyers
Law firms will gradually become less skeptical of blogs, and blogging will catch on among more and more attorneys
In light of the state of the economy and fears about a "recession," law firm marketing directors and marketing committees will increasingly turn to social media and new media
Use of video on law firm websites will still be sparse, but some lawyers will begin to appreciate and harness the power of video for purposes of SEO and effective communication
A small segment of lawyers will start posting more videos on YouTube and other video-sharing sites
Use of Twitter among lawyers will grow relatively slowly, due to the perception and reality that lawyers are very busy
Few lawyers will use "article marketing" or content marketing (through content sharing sites) in their client development efforts
Social bookmarking will not yet catch on among lawyers
Podcasting will not yet become widespread among lawyers
An increasing number of lawyers will start to view Facebook not solely as a social tool, but also as a business toolLawyers and the legal community are historically slow in adopting new technologies and social media strategies. However, lawyers generally seem to become ardent adopters of certain technologies (e.g., Blackberries and other mobile devices) once their clients and the business community have adopted them. During 2009, attorneys will make the social media advances described above (I think!). (…)
December 28, 2008
- Internet Marketing for Attorneys through Jaiku and Plurk
One of the cornerstones of Internet marketing for attorneys and lawyers should be micro-blogging. The current leader among micro-blogging services is Twitter. If you are not yet on Twitter, I recommend that you set up an account as soon as possible. (…)
October 20, 2008
- Doing "Good Work" Isn't a Form of Marketing for Attorneys
Many lawyers think that simply doing "good work" constitutes marketing for attorneys. In today's marketplace, that philosophy isn't enough. Doing "good work" for clients is simply a baseline that does not generally differentiate an attorney in his or her marketplace. There are lots of lawyers who produce excellent work product. While doing good work can provide referrals and some word-of-mouth business, it is not a form of marketing for law firms. (…)
October 7, 2008
- Vanderbilt and Marketing for Law Firms, Part II
As mentioned in my last post, those in the marketing for law firms field can learn from the example of Vanderbilt University (whose football team is now ranked # 13 in the AP poll). As profiled in the Vanderbilt View article that I referenced, Vandy has jumped effectively into the world of social media. The recent emphasis has been on using online video. In the past, Vanderbilt would wait for the networks to call about interviews and video content. In today's Web 2.0 world, however, Vandy is producing its own video clips and publishing them through iTunes, the Vanderbilt Web site, and on such sites as YouTube. (…)
October 5, 2008
- Vanderbilt and Marketing for Law Firms, Part I
Is there a connection between Vanderbilt University and marketing for law firms? In addition to a stunning college football victory today over Auburn, Vanderbilt has been a pioneer in the use of social media. (My father teaches physics at Vandy, so I am biased in favor of Vandy football and basketball). A September 2008 article in Vanderbilt View (Vandy social media article) quotes Vandy's associate director of the Vanderbilt News Service and director of Web communications as noting that the concept of a "conversation" is key in social media, and that the old idea of just putting out news is outdated. Communication must be a two-way street, and there is an expectation that both sides will be able to share their viewpoints. (…)
September 30, 2008
- Marketing for Attorneys, Facebook, and Spies
In a September 28, 2008 article of interest in the marketing for attorneys world, Yahoo! (…)
September 20, 2008
- Do-It-Yourself Social Networks for Lawyers
Another TechCrunch post profiled a website called twittermoms.com. According to that post, Twitter should consider establishing "groups." On Facebook and LinkedIn, members can join groups in areas of interest. The post notes that twittermoms.com has only been in existence for about 15 days, but that it already has around 5,000 daily users. (…)
September 19, 2008
- Twitter Platform for Lawyers?
In conjunction with Twitter's formatting changes today, TechCrunch had some interesting posts about specialized microblogging services. The first was about Gospelr, which is a microblogging tool for Christians. Gospelr apparently aims to be more than the Christian equivalent of Twitter; it would like to be a vehicle for sharing religious ideas and views both with Christians and non-Christians. Thus, TechCrunch reports that Gospelr includes tweets of different colors, depending upon their source, and that the service allows users to share and upload files (as with Pownce). Gospelr also has the advantage of auto-refreshing. TechCrunch also reported today on Yammer, which is a microblogging system for businesses and is akin to Twitter. After a company has used Yammer for free, the company apparently has the option of taking over control of the account. (…)
September 17, 2008
- Marketing for Attorneys and Audio Indexing
Today's good news in the marketing for attorneys world is that Google announced the launch of audio indexing. Part of Google labs, and called GAudi, audio indexing works with YouTube and catalogs the words mentioned during an audio or video clip. The transcript then becomes part of a database that can be searched: according to Google, you can "[s]earch what people are saying inside YouTube videos." GAudi is currently in beta form and only indexes video and audio related to politicians or politics. Thus, GAudi has a large Barack Obama section and a smaller John McCain section. Although there is not yet a Sarah Palin section, I wouldn't be surprised to see one in the near future. (…)
September 16, 2008
- Marketing for Law Firms and the Future of Web 2.0
The ABAJournal.com has shown its commitment to Web 2.0 as a model for those engaged in marketing for law firms. I was pleasantly surprised to receive today an e-mail from that publication asking whether I was too busy to go to the actual website itself. The e-mail provided me the option of subscribing via e-mail, RSS, Twitter feed, mobile edition, iPhone application, or Facebook page. I was able to subscribe on my own terms in the way I wanted, and I chose to subscribe via RSS. (…)
- Web 2.0 Opportunities in Marketing for Attorneys?
Should marketing for attorneys include a Web 2.0 strategy? According to a nationwide survey of 850 U.S. (…)
September 14, 2008
- Law Firm Websites and Marketing for Attorneys
How do law firm websites affect marketing for attorneys? A recent Am Law Daily article notes that many law firm websites lag behind corporate websites in terms of savvy and effectiveness. The article profiles the Winson-Salem law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. Womble Carlyle's site contains blogs and podcasts, and the firm apparently has approximatley 50 attorneys who blog. The firm also has an Internet marketing manager, even though most law firms ignore the subject of Internet marketing for attorneys. (…)
September 13, 2008
- Marketing for Attorneys and "Family-Friendly" Law Firms
One aspect of marketing for attorneys involves recruiting talented lawyers to the law firm. This past week, the Yale Law Women (the "YLW") organization announced its 2008 "Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List." In alphabetical order, the top ten listed were: Arnold & Porter (D.C.), Covington & Burling (D.C.), Dorsey & Whitney (Minneapolis), Debevoise & Plimpton (N.Y.), Gibson Dunn (L.A.), Kirkland & Ellis (Chicago), Kramer Levin (N.Y.), Mintz Levin (Boston), Perkins Coie (Seattle) and WilmerHale (Boston). (…)
September 9, 2008
- Lawyers on Twitter, the New iPod, and Marketing for Attorneys
In a September 9, 2008 article that is of interest in the marketing for attorneys world, Adrian Lurssen at JD Supra listed the 145/180 lawyers and legal professionals he follows on Twitter. Although I was not included in the initial list of 145, I am included in the subsequent list of 180 lawyers/legal professionals he follows: http://tinyurl.com/6oogwr. (…)
September 8, 2008
- Internet Marketing for Attorneys and Google's 10th Birthday
The 10th birthday of Google is significant in the marketing for attorneys and internet marketing for attorneys realm. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin on September 7, 1998. Approximately 10 years later, Google has a market value of well over $100 billion and has almost 20,000 employees, according to a September 9, 2008 article in CNN.com. (…)
September 7, 2008
- Facebook Groups as Marketing for Attorneys?
I now address whether Facebook groups can be used in marketing for attorneys. In a previous post, I talked about Curtis Mallet's Facebook page and its implications in marketing for attorneys and internet marketing for attorneys. While a Facebook page can be accessed by anyone on the Internet (regardless of whether he/she is a Facebook member), Facebook groups can generally only be accessed by those who are members of Facebook. Thus, while Facebook pages (which are generally for businesses or celebrities) have search engine optimization (SEO) implications for anyone searching on the Web, Facebook groups are usually limited to searches within Facebook. (…)
September 5, 2008
- Marketing for Attorneys using Web 2.0?
Have the fields of marketing for attorneys and internet marketing for attorneys embraced Web 2.0 methods? According to a report in the ABA Journal Law News Now, most lawyers have been slow to adopt Web 2.0 in their practices: http://tinyurl.com/5fwgrv. (…)
