1. Maximum Exposure:
Social Media Marketing for Lawyers
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

2. Introducing Today’s Presenters
Law Firm Marketing & Social Media Specialists
Featured Presenters
Jason Weingarten
LexisNexis® Law Firm Marketing Solutions
Product Manager
Jason.Weingarten@LexisNexis.com
Clay Cazier
PM Digital
Sr. Director, Search Strategy
ccazier@pmdigital.com
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

3. Agenda
Today’s Topics:
• Why Social Media Marketing Matters to Law Firms
• Top 10 Tips for Social Media Lead Generation
• Next Steps
• Q&A
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

4. Why Social Media Marketing
Matters to Small Law Firms
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

5. The Rapid Evolution of Blogging & Social Media
200 million
901
million
500 million
1998 2000 2003 2004
1994
First
websites
and blogs
appear
LinkedIn
launch
Google
launch
2006
2010
Twitter
launch
Facebook
launch
Source: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013
2012
Today
• 901 million
use Facebook
• 200 million
use LinkedIn
• 500 million
use Twitter

6. The Current Reality of Law Firm Marketing
3 out of 4 consumers
seeking an attorney over the
last year used online resources
at some point in the process*.
They look for legal services using search engines,
websites, YouTubeTM, Facebook®, and other tools.
*Based on a survey of 4,000 adult internet users (internet users comprise 78% of the US adult population** and the US adult population comprises 235 million according to the US Census
2010) conducted by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), March 2012. ** According to The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project's Spring Tracking Survey conducted
April 26-May 22, 2011.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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7. Decisions are Made Based on Social Media
Social media is attracting more and more consumers searching for answers.
78%
of business
decision-makers
search for
lawyers online.1
74%
1 Source: Greenfield/Belser, 2010
2 Source: ODM Group, 2011
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013
of consumers are
using social
networks in some
way to guide
purchase decisions.2

8. Qualified Visitors Convert to New Business
Use social media effectively to engage more prospects and drive more business.
50 percent of small law firms reported landing new
clients as a result of their blog.*
* Source: The American Bar Association’s 2012 Legal Technology Survey Report.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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9. Social Media Lead Generation Increasing
Social Media Lead Generation Growing in 2012:
LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are becoming more useful
ways to acquire customers with significant growth in 2012.
Company blogs continue to be strong performers as 57% of
companies have acquired a customer from that channel.
* Source: The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing, HubSpot
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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10. Spending Increase on Blogging and Social Media
Small Businesses Spending More on Social Media in 2012:
In 2012, small businesses (1 to 5 employees) plan to spend 43%
of their lead generation budgets on inbound marketing
(blogs, social media, search engine optimization).
In contrast, in 2012, small businesses (1 to 5 employees) plan
to spend only 14% of their lead generation budget on
outbound marketing (direct mail, telemarketing, trade shows).
* Source: The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing, HubSpot
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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11. Top 10 Tips for Social Media Lead Generation
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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12. 1. Identify Your Business Goals
Start by identifying
your business goals.
Answer these critical questions to get started with your social media campaign:
•
•
•
•
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For which area(s) of practice do I want to be known?
In what geographies do I want to compete for business?
Within social media, where do my likely clients “hang out”?
What content do I have to offer that people will find valuable?
How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

13. 2. Determine How You’ll Measure Success
Before we talk tactics, let’s discuss a useful way to think about social media: social
media as a sales funnel.
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more
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more
Artwork: getsatisfaction.com
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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14. 2. Determine How You’ll Measure Success
With this framework, we can now associate real value with common social media
data points:
Awareness &
Education
• # of visits
• # of
followers, likes, +1s, s
ubscribers, etc.
Engagement
• # of page likes
• # of retweeted posts
• # of shares
• # of inbound links
• # of mentions
• # of comments
• # and quality of
ratings
Conversion
• # of calls
• # of forms submitted
(lead gen)
• # of site & store visits
• # and AOV of
purchases
• # of downloads
• Event Attendance
Unfortunately, measurement will require an array of reporting tools: Google
Analytics for your website/blog & G+, Facebook Insights, LinkedIn Analytics and
Twitalyzer are among the best sources.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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15. 3. Select Relevant Topics to Engage Your Audience
Audience Engagement can spring from many sources.
•
In social media, talk about problems you solve,
not areas of practice (“hurt in a car crash” instead
of “trial lawyer”)
•
Research what’s trending on social media, Google
alerts, newspapers, and magazines and talk about
it on your blog… then post to social media.
•
Ask a question based on a local or current event,
like “What’s up with the way the Anaheim BOA
treated M. Smith? No experience???” or “What
do you think of the Trayvon Martin shooting?”
•
Post a picture with a yes/no question.
•
Create a Top 10 list about a recurring legal issues.
•
Create a regular feature.
•
Respond to your posts’ comments and comment
on others’.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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16. 4. Have a Complete Social Media Strategy
Maximize your investment and reach with a comprehensive social media
presence (including blogging), designed to drive leads to the firm.
HOW MANY OF THESE DOES YOUR FIRM HAVE?
 A Blog – audience engagement is far easier to attain within a blog
format than with a “traditional” website
 Social Media Profiles – secure your firm’s reputation and engage
consumers by creating business pages within
Facebook®, Twitter®, Google+ and LinkedIn® that are all branded
uniformly and linked to your website/blog.
 Pinterest and Instagram are of value but, for most
attorneys, should be a secondary focus.
 A Content Plan and Calendar containing quality content in consumerfriendly language. Plan a quarter at a time.
 Automated Sharing of Blog Content to social profiles and external sites
 Website Analytics reporting traffic and leads by social media referrer.
 Call Tracking Number and Custom Contact Form to track leads.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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17. 5. Best Way(s) for Attorneys to use a Firm Blog
Own More of the
Search Engine
Results Page
•
Establish your firm as an authority on a specific legal topic
•
Post fresh content quickly
•
Target search rankings for “long tail” keyword searches (eg “Lake Street Accident
Investigation”)
•
Participate in social media in a way you can more easily control
•
Create links pointed to the attorney’s primary website
•
Write about things attractive to influencers
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

18. 6. Best Way(s) for Attorneys to use LinkedIn
Social media channels can be used for varying purposes
LinkedIn
Make contact with business clients and potential clients, meet referral
sources, market yourself with recommendations
Top Tips
•
Make sure your personal profile is as complete as possible, including
reference to your areas of practice.
–
•
•
•
•
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Pay attention to the Summary + Skills & Expertise sections
Encourage all employees to do the same
Ensure your Business Profile page is also as complete as possible,
including your company logo and descriptions of your areas of practice
under Products & Services
LinkedIn Groups and Answers are good ways to show thought
leadership. You must give something to get something.
Frequently go through business cards you’ve collected and connect with
them via LinkedIn
How a Blog Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

19. 7. Best Way(s) for Attorneys to use Facebook
Social media channels can be used for varying purposes
Facebook
Be found where social media users spend the most time, collect fans and
converse directly with your target audience
Top Tips
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Create a Facebook Business Page and populate all About and Location information
Choose a cover photo that represents your firm’s areas of practice. It's the first
thing people will see when they visit your Business Page.
Post only as often as you have something unique to say or show (image/video).
Generally, 3-5 times a week.
It depends on market, but generally post in the afternoon (4-5pm). WednesdaySunday will generally be the best times to engage followers.
Share photos and videos because they tend to be more engaging
Ask questions or seek input
Share exclusive information that people are likely to want to pass along to their
friends
Explore the options under the Build Audience button on your admin panel to find
new “friends”
How a Blog Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

20. 8. Best Way(s) for Attorneys to use Twitter
Social media channels can be used for varying purposes
Twitter
Position self as an information source, share your own content, attract
followers
Top Tips
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
20
If anywhere in social media, consider tweeting under a personal profile
here instead of a business profile. That means using your image instead
of a logo.
Tweet on the weekends
Add links within Tweets to get higher Retweet rates
Follow and Retweet local or topical influencers – you can find them
using Advanced Search
Share content that’s “behind the scenes” or to show things in
development at your firm – photos work well
Share things from your community
Watch your Mentions tab and always respond to positive things people
say about you. Carefully consider responses to negative tweets.
How a Blog Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

21. 9. What NOT To Do
Some are common sense and some are funny, but all are important:
•
DO NOT mix business and personal accounts
•
DO NOT create false identities
•
DO NOT type in all caps – it’s considered shouting
•
DO NOT drink and post – Facebook & red wine do not
mix
•
DO NOT post information or images that could
embarrass you – even if you THINK it’s private
•
DO NOT self promote all the time (spam)
•
DO NOT post to other’s Facebook timelines (spam)
•
DO NOT share an idea without citing the source
•
DO NOT ignore comments/questions
•
DO NOT continue to reply to a negative comment
thread. Some people can continue the argument
forever and very publicly. Take it offline.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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22. 10. Research Ethical Considerations
Advertising involves an active quest for clients,
contrary to the tradition that a lawyer should not seek clientele.
Learn: ABA Model Rule 7.1
(Communications Concerning a
Lawyer’s Services)
Learn : ABA Model Rule 7.2
Advertising
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
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23. Next Steps
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

24. Next Steps
Applying a few best
practices can make you
much more effective with
social media.
• Create a “To Do” list to keep yourself on track, put tasks on you or your
assistant’s calendar
• Use your posts to update, educate and stay in touch - not to market
• Commit to updating regularly and maintaining conversations
• Focus your content on the areas of law you practice
• Write about the challenges facing your clients and potential clients
• Use images & video, not just text. Nobody likes reading a wall of text
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013

25. Schedule Your Free Social Media Consultation + Evaluation
• Compare your blog or website with
those of competitors
• Evaluate whether you are using the
latest best practices
• Learn how to measure ROI
• Talk with a law firm marketing expert
Receive your own, free, custom “Blogging & Social
Media Grader Report Card” with your evaluation.
To schedule your free evaluation today, please visit:
www.lexisnexis.com/free-evaluation.
MCGUIRE & ASSOCIATES LAW FIRM
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How a Blog Can Help You Attract New Clients
Questions?
December 9, 2013

26. LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, martindale.com and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks,
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings is a trademark and Lawyers.com is a service mark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc.,
used under license. Other products and services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies. Copyright 2012 LexisNexis. All rights reserved.
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How Social Media Can Help You Attract New Clients
December 9, 2013
December 9, 2013