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Social Media: Trends, Emerging Issues & Ethical Pitfalls
September 11, 2009
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
What is Social Media
The underlying goal of social media is to connect people who share some sort of commonality. Those people are more likely to turn to each other in their decision making processes.
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Social Media Maxims Social media is just sharing who you are (Facebook),
what you do (LinkedIn), and what you think (Twitter)
Just because you are “friends” with someone online doesn’t mean they’d recognize you in a crowd of three people. Make your online connections the start of relationships, not the extent of them
Unless you measure the value of your real friendships by business you receive from them, it is unfair to hold your online friends to a higher standard
The only thing you’ll get from your online friends are their updates . . . unless you ask them for more
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Social Media Maxims Ever think it would be cool to be invisible? Ignore
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and to a vast number of your potential clients, you will be invisible
Want to understand the value of being active online? Ask the guy standing in the corner by himself at your next networking event how many friends he’s made
First impressions are no longer made in person. People want to get to know you before they meet you – and the place they go is to the web. Are you there and what kind of first impression do you make?
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Useless without a Goal
Rank higher in search engines
Show off expertise
Interact with others
Local or National clientele
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Different Social Media Sites Serve Different Purposes Not everyone in the firm needs to fully
participate
Good writers Seeking national attention Friendly acquaintances Professional acquaintances
All lawyers should have detailed profiles
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
People Want to Hire People
Take off your lawyer hat
Talk to people, not at them
Interact, don’t advertise
Share a little bit about yourself and your interests
Overlap between social and professionalMatthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Skeptics of Social Media Say…
Why should I invest my time or money in social media when I can’t even tell what the ROI is from my investment?
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Skeptics of Social Media Say…
My company is already making money and has been profitable for the past 10 years without ever using social media, why should I start now?
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Skeptics of Social Media Say…
Social media is really just a guessing game; things are changing so quickly that it’s impossible to know what’s going to work and what isn’t
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Different Types of Social MediaNewsVideo
ForumsBlogging
ProfessionalBookmarkingPhotosharingMicroblogging
Social NetworksAnswer Services
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Social News
Users submit news articles that are voted up or down
Can comment on submissions and conversations ensue about the stories’ validity
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Blogging and Microblogging
Paragraphs, hypertext links, pictures, etc.
Each should have its own URL (or web page)
Microblogging is Twitter and status updates
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Social Networks
After the success of MySpace and Facebook, many corporations are considering adding their own specific networks for brands, products, and companies – like Disney, Toyota, and Coca-Cola.
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Answer Services
Small but powerful niche
Members strive to give the best quality answers
Answers ranked / awarded points
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Video
Fasting growing segment
Equalizer for many small business
Google owns YouTube
Can subscribe to channels, rate video and embed video on social networks or blogs
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Bookmarking
Adds efficiency to your searches for useful information
Resources and you are easier to find
Additional promotional opportunities by being a better target for people who will be interested in what you are about
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Photo Sharing
Gets good search results when photos are labeled with keywords that relate to your site; another traffic driver
Be cautious of who’s labeling you in pictures!
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Professional
Several professional platforms exist for attorneys
Some open to the public Some require sign-up and log in to
search profiles
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Forums
Great knowledge resources because trust is quickly built with the person dispensing advice
LinkedIn “Groups” and ListServs are examples
With forums for everything under the sun, they offer a place for communities to form, members to contribute, and information to be shared
Thousands of these types of services are out there
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
Super User Active User Greedy Webmaster
Hater Lurker Helpful Stranger
Clueless Webmaster
Avid User Average Joe
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Super User
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Active User
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Greedy Webmaster
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Hater
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Lurker
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Helpful Stranger
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Avid Learner
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Types of Social Media Users
The Average Joe
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
How Many Types of Social Media Channels To Engage In
Some of the big brands engage in more than 10 and have a cadre of full time employees making it appear seamless
This presentation only deals with five channels: Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Video Sharing
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Blogging – Who’s Doing It?
82% of American’s top 200 law firms are blogging – more than double the number since August 2007
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Blogging – Who’s Doing It?
Out of top 10 U.S. law firms with the most profits per partner, only one – Kirkland & Ellis – has a blog
And that one really doesn’t count because it was founded by an associate and the content is published by law professors and guest writers who have no connection with the firm.
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Blogging – Who’s Doing It?
Am Law Daily called the nine non-blogging firms
“The conversations we have centered on a general theme: The firms just don’t see the point. They are already successful, so they don’t feel the need to market themselves or prove their grasp of a particular subject matter in the limited spare time they have.”
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Blogging – We’re Not Doing it Either
CBA maintains a list of bloggers on its website, and currently it has about 15 blogs listed
Blog should be your first tool of branding yourself and your practice, and then expand from there into other media
A blog is like a hub with spokes protruding outward. When you update your blog, automated messages can be sent to your other social media for followers to return to your blog and read what you posted. Once there, your blog can house your Twitter accounts, professional photographs, videos, and can conspicuously highlight your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
What to Blog About
Read blogs pertinent to our practice areas
Write a week’s work of entries over the weekend
Automatically published throughout the week
SEO benefitsMatthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
LinkedIn – What is it? 45,000,000 users
Average user is ~40 and makes $140k/year
Educational and professional history as well as rolodex and achievements on an intuitive page
Search old colleagues and connect with new people in an incredibly easy to use format
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Creating a LinkedIn Profile It’s free and expected
Crete a detailed profile of yourself
Include descriptive keywords in the “Summary” section
Professional photograph of yourself in business attire
Obtain branded URL (www.linkedin.com/in/ohiolaborlawyer)
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
LinkedIn’s Indispensable Additions Status updates – like Facebook and Twitter, but
keep it professional
BlogLink – displays your latest blog posts on your profile
Box.net – allows you to create links to files such as briefs, decisions, and marketing kits
Slideshare – embeds slideshow presentations on your profile
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
LinkedIn’s Indispensable Additions Recommendations – give then get
Q&A – thoughtfully answer questions
Groups – join and/or create but make sure you’re active
Introduction – people in your network can introduce you to people in their network
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Twitter The latest rage, but is it all hype?
18.2 million unique visitors in May 2009
5% of users account for 75% of all activity
85% of all users post less than 1 update/day
So Twitter is actually comprised of 910,000 users, tweeting less than once a day
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
To Tweet or Not To Tweet
Larry Bodine, law firm marketing consultant: “I don’t think that even justifies more than a
causal mention in social media strategy. After months of using Twitter, I’ve learned that it is a shouting post for relentless self-promoters, a dumping ground for press releases and advertising, and ego-driven competition to amass followers, and a target for computer-automated Tweets.”
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
To Tweet or Not To Tweet
Tom McLain, attorney “A fair assessment of my own marketing practices
is that my priorities have been wrong and I was spending too much time on Twitter and not enough on higher ranking methods.”
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Conclusion: To Tweet
Same problems with advertising in the phone book or on billboards
Twitter, like email alerts, seminars, and holiday cards are not what build a legal practice, it merely helps sustain an established practice
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
How to Use Twitter
Expand your network
Mold your image
Distribute your news
Simulate the water cooler
Get noticed by news media
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
250 Million users and growing
Firm “Fan Page” or personal professional page
Focus on business activities
Share articles and links to presentations on your wall
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
YouTube
YouTube was recently ranked No. 4 among the top U.S. websites according to Alexa.com
A recent search on YouTube for “Lawyers” returned 69,000 videos
Pros and cons with using YouTube as part of your social media plan
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Pros of Using YouTube A video hosted on YouTube can be embedded
on your own website, Facebook, or blog
We live in a TV/Computer monitor world
Good way to augment your other content strategies
Favorable decision in a case? Frame it quickly in a two-minute video – and then post the legal documents on your website, Facebook, or blog
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Cons of Using YouTube
Video may be detrimental to your marketing efforts.
Not having a series of videos
Video not text so title of video will be SEO, but not spoken word
No control over the videos listed next to yours – could portray things not in line with your firm image
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
To YouTube or Not to YouTube
If you are not going to take the time to prepare a series of quality videos, do not begin posting videos to YouTube
Search “bad lawyer advertisements” on YouTube if you don’t believe me
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
The Take Away Points Social Media should be embraced
Social Media is not difficult – everyone has started slowly, was self-conscious about what to post, and fearful of looking foolish
Social Media must be done consistently
Social Media is not a practice builder; it is a practice sustainer and practice reviver
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com
Thank You
Matthew D. Austin [email protected] | 614.734.9440
Matthew D. Austin | blog http://ohiolaborlawyer.wordpress.com