Weblogs, Podcasting & RSS Leveraging New Technologies to Market Your Firm Rick Klau FeedBurner, Inc.

Overview Weblog – a definition Weblogs in marketing Component of overall web strategy PR advantages Client/prospect profiling What You Need to Know About RSS Podcasting © 2006 FeedBurner. All rights reserved..

Weblog – a definition

Weblogs in marketing

Component of overall web strategy

PR advantages

Client/prospect profiling

What You Need to Know About

RSS

Podcasting

When Technology Works… “ Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke

Gartner Hype Cycle

Weblogs Chronologically ordered web pages Frequently updated content Managed by a weblog application Individual posts have unique URLs, which encourage inbound links Legal weblogs (aka “blawgs”) are growing each month Why should a firm care?

Chronologically ordered web pages

Frequently updated content

Managed by a weblog application

Individual posts have unique URLs, which encourage inbound links

Legal weblogs (aka “blawgs”) are growing each month

Why should a firm care?

So What?

Why Weblogs Matter Google is addicted to them Fresh content Inbound links Links are “votes” in favor of a page’s relevance They establish a voice Corporate websites are stale and often uninteresting Readers develop a relationship with weblog authors The press reads weblogs!

Google is addicted to them

Fresh content

Inbound links

Links are “votes” in favor of a page’s relevance

They establish a voice

Corporate websites are stale and often uninteresting

Readers develop a relationship with weblog authors

The press reads weblogs!

What happens when you blog…

© 2005 FeedBurner. All rights reserved..

Links: Google’s “Currency” Site Inbound links dwt.com (Davis Wright Tremaine) 0 hollandhart.com (Holland & Hart) 1 prestongates.com (Preston Gates) 2 hollandhart.typepad.com/healthcare/ (Holland & Hart) 87 sheppardmullin.com (Sheppard Mullin) 280 telecomlawblog.com (Davis Wright Tremaine) 1,172 antitrustlawblog.com (Sheppard Mullin) 1,200 visalaw.com (Siskind Susser Haas & Devine) 1,420 ediscoverylaw.com (Preston Gates) 1,810 reedsmith.com (Reed Smith) 2,460 rklau.com (Rick Klau’s personal blog) 4,510 bgbg.blogspot.com (former Reed Smith attorney) 10,600

Weblog issues What have you done for me lately? Lack of current content will kill a blog, send the wrong message to readers Conversations are best when they are dialog Reactions to comments, posts will dramatically increase your blog’s success Time commitments If you can send an e-mail, then you can post to your blog Fear of exposure Blogs are public, Google makes sure they’re persistent

What have you done for me lately?

Lack of current content will kill a blog, send the wrong message to readers

Conversations are best when they are dialog

Reactions to comments, posts will dramatically increase your blog’s success

Time commitments

If you can send an e-mail, then you can post to your blog

Fear of exposure

Blogs are public, Google makes sure they’re persistent

XML/RSS – Why it Matters Large number of consumer publications and news sources already offer content via RSS RSS traffic growing 30% per month RSS is as significant to content publication as HTML was in 1995 Microsoft built RSS suport into Vista IE7 shipped in Q4 2006 with RSS support built in

Large number of consumer publications and news sources already offer content via RSS

RSS traffic growing 30% per month

RSS is as significant to content publication as HTML was in 1995

Microsoft built RSS suport into Vista

IE7 shipped in Q4 2006 with RSS support built in

How to Create a Feed Most weblog applications include RSS/Feed support out of the box Check out these applications: FeedforAll ( www.feedforall.com ) ($30) ListGarden ( www.softwaregarden.com/products/listgarden/ ) (free) Once you have a Feed, use FeedBurner to: Monitor feed consumption (# of Subscribers) Add services (subscribe by e-mail, automatic podcast creation, etc.)

Most weblog applications include RSS/Feed support out of the box

Check out these applications:

FeedforAll ( www.feedforall.com ) ($30)

ListGarden ( www.softwaregarden.com/products/listgarden/ ) (free)

Once you have a Feed, use FeedBurner to:

Monitor feed consumption (# of Subscribers)

Add services (subscribe by e-mail, automatic podcast creation, etc.)

What can you do with RSS? Develop a reliable content delivery mechanism to clients, prospects, journalists Syndicate your content to other sites Generate traffic (and links!) to your site Cross promote your content across a family of sites Monitor timely information As of last year, only 7% of AmLaw 100 use RSS at all

Develop a reliable content delivery mechanism to clients, prospects, journalists

Syndicate your content to other sites

Generate traffic (and links!) to your site

Cross promote your content across a family of sites

Monitor timely information

As of last year, only 7% of AmLaw 100 use RSS at all

Technorati.com monitors 1,200,000 posts a day It’s indexing conversations in real time – telling you what people and sites are talking about now More than 55m blogs indexed, growing 100k per day You can set up searches to monitor mentions: Competitors Industries Clients Prospects Subscribe to these feeds, get notified instantly when relevant posts appear RSS as market intelligence

Technorati.com monitors 1,200,000 posts a day

It’s indexing conversations in real time – telling you what people and sites are talking about now

More than 55m blogs indexed, growing 100k per day

You can set up searches to monitor mentions:

Competitors

Industries

Clients

Prospects

Subscribe to these feeds, get notified instantly when relevant posts appear

Monitor your firm

Podcasting Just RSS + audio Automated delivery of audio content Opportunities for law firms CLE Equivalent of a “radio” commentary Show off your expertise!

Just RSS + audio

Automated delivery of audio content

Opportunities for law firms

CLE

Equivalent of a “radio” commentary

Show off your expertise!

Search Engine Optimization Use “friendly” URLs www.visalaw.com/about/immigration-practice is much better than www.visalaw.com/get=article?id=123456 Hyphens are far better than underscores Use a Google Sitemap to keep Google in the loop about how much content is on your site Publish an RSS feed Ping centralized servers when you update your content GET LINKS

Use “friendly” URLs

www.visalaw.com/about/immigration-practice is much better than www.visalaw.com/get=article?id=123456

Hyphens are far better than underscores

Use a Google Sitemap to keep Google in the loop about how much content is on your site

Publish an RSS feed

Ping centralized servers when you update your content

GET LINKS

Take-aways Technology is cheap Weblogs: Free RSS feeds to produce and consume: Free Podcasts: Free to listen, almost free to produce You can leap-frog the big guys Your clients are already using these tools, and will expect you to Using these tools will make you more findable than your competition

Technology is cheap

Weblogs: Free

RSS feeds to produce and consume: Free

Podcasts: Free to listen, almost free to produce

You can leap-frog the big guys

Your clients are already using these tools, and will expect you to

Using these tools will make you more findable than your competition

Thank you! Rick Klau VP, Publisher Services FeedBurner, Inc. E-mail: [email_address] Blog: http://www.rklau.com/tins/ Phone: +1-312-756-0022 x2012 Skype/AIM/Y! Messenger: RickKlau