practicing with professionalism: social media and marketing strategy for new lawyers
DESCRIPTION
This was a presentation for new lawyers in Massachusetts who participated in the Practicing for Professionalism Course sponsored by the Massachusetts Bar Association. The focus was on strategic marketing and using social media, ethically, to promote a lawyers practice.TRANSCRIPT
Social Media and Marketing StrategyFor New Lawyers
David W. White, Esq.Breakstone, White & Gluck, P.C.
Two Center PlazaBoston, MA [email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/davidwwhite
Marketing Goals Get more clients Find clients you like Do work you enjoy Earn a better living Maintain your work/life balance
Define Yourself Who are you (or who do you want
to be)? What’s your image? What’s your style? What’s your pitch? Become known
Define Your Brand Do you have a look?
Professional Designer? Decent Portrait?
Find: Themes that differentiate you Qualities that differentiate you Activities that differentiate you
Getting Known Website/Blog Social Networking Contact Management Keeping in Touch with Referring Attys Speaking/Teaching/Writing Advertising Sponsorships
Website VERY IMPORTANT even if it is not
full of content, yet Purpose:
Attract visitors Hold visitors Convert visitors to clients/contacts Hold yourself out as expert
Attracting Visitors Content is King/Queen
Regular content additions Cross-linking pages
Articles to demonstrate expertise Newsletters and other publications All of this = Search Engine
Optimization a.k.a. SEO
Holding Visitors Aesthetics
Should design for all platforms, including phones and tablets
Interesting, Genuine Content Video Free Goodies Testimonials
Converting Visitors “Calls to Action”
Warnings about statutes of limitations Easy fill-in forms Larger contact forms Toll free numbers Prominent contact information Live representative services
Demonstrating Your Expertise
Don’t be shy about your expertise Showcase your strengths and
successes Be seen as an expert
Introduce yourself to the media Reprint your news stories
Blogs Make time to write Do a blog
Newsletter can recycle the blog Blogs bring you SEO and media
attention Blogs are CHEAP (as little as $0)
Get Found!Directories and Social Media
Google+ Page Yahoo Bing Avvo.com Lawyers.com Facebook LinkedIn Twitter
Get Found! Directories and Social Media
• Yelp• YouTube• Manta• Flikr• Myspace
• Hotfrog• Slideshare• About.Me• Better Business
Bureau
Consistency Exact spelling Branding across platforms Use pictures/videos everywhere Metatags/names
Google and Google+ Google dominates: ~70% of searches Google is getting smarter
Hates: Black hat techniques Keyword stuffing
Loves: Natural language Informative content
Google+/gmail are free
LinkedIn Claim and build your profile
completely Endorsements & Recommendations!
Build your contacts Join some groups Post your activities Build a firm LinkedIn page
AVVO.com Claim your profile (it’s free) Complete your profile Boost your rating Keep your profile up-to-date Answer questions to earn points
Facebook Check privacy settings for personal
page Create your firm page Link blogs, tweets, etc. Get some friends and some likes!
Get a username Complete your profile Start following people Hope they follow you Tweet and re-tweet Don’t tweet tripe
Be Careful What You Tweet
Contact Management Bring back old clients Bring in new clients Bring back old referrers Bring in new referrers Stay in the front of everybody’s
brain
Contact Management System Could be your e-mail (Outlook,
e.g.) Could be on-line (Constant
Contact, e.g.) Could be third party data manager
(Blue Orchid, e.g.)
Keeping in Touch E-mail newsletters E-mail alerts Holiday cards Birthday cards The point is: MAKE IT A REGULAR
COMMUNICATION
Define Your Strategy Create an action plan Schedule marketing time Make your social media use
systematic Avoid distraction/addiction
Define Your Strategy If you are not marketing every
week you will fall behind Marketing is just as important as
paperwork Marketing is your meal next
week/year Marketing is your floor, could be
your skyscraper
Remember Your goals:
Competence Connectedness Autonomy
You can define your success
FIN