The document discusses how lawyers are using social media and provides advice on creating an effective social media practice. It summarizes the results of a survey of 65 lawyers on their social media usage. It then addresses common objections to using social media and provides tips on platforms to consider, goals to set, and how to manage your online reputation. The document is authored by Sara Lingafelter of Portent, Inc., an internet marketing agency based in Seattle.

1. Portent, Inc.
Make Social Media Make Sense
for Your Practice
Sara Lingafelter
July 24, 2014

2. Law school taught me to
cite my sources:
http://bitly.is/1r7qQE6

3. Hi. I’m Sara.

4. I play
outside.

5. I’m a lawyer.
n inactive
v
marketer.

6. For ethical
guidance,
consult the
REAL experts.
RPCs
and
advisory
opinions
on
point
have
been
addressed
in
CLEs
including:
• Jeanne
Marie
Clavere
on
Ethics
&
Social
Media,
KCBA,
December
2013
• Social
Media
PiHalls
and
Best
PracIces,
WSBA,
April
2012

7. I love what I do.

8. I’m a marketer.
^
in part.

9. Portent, Inc. is one of North
America’s elite Internet
marketing companies. Located
in Seattle, WA., Portent is a
full-service agency with in-house
design, creative, and
development teams including
experts in paid advertising,
analytics, SEO, content strategy/
writing, and social media.
Greetings from
the #smithtower
About Portent
Ahead of
The Horizon

10. We create customer
experiences worth
talking about.

11. But first…
how are other
lawyers using social
media?

12. 65 lawyers answered up
to 15 questions about
their social media usage
and here are the results.

13. Disclaimer: this is a
survey, not a study.

16. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Important
Not very important
Do not use to market my practice

17. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Important
Not very important

18. Assuming
Ime
and
money
IS
an
object,
start
here!

20. Oh
yes
you
do!

21. Why should you
create customer
experiences worth
talking about?

22. Whether you think you
“do marketing” or not,
you ARE your marketing
department.

23. Why social?

24. How do people
weigh social in
hiring service
professionals?

25. Who is
YOUR
audience?
1. Clients
2. Prospects
3. Press
/
Influencers
4. Referrers
1. Professional
2. Non-­‐
professional
3. Personal

26. hVp://bit.ly/1ukE1Wi

27. What is social media
practice?

28. hVp://bit.ly/1oPxTNg
Truth:
it’s
WAY
more
than
just
playing
on
Facebook
all
day.

29. What IS social media
practice, really?

30. Listen
hVp://bit.ly/1jVZEb0

31. Respond
hVp://mzl.la/UePoi0

32. Engage

33. Manage
your
reputation
• Who
would
you
rather
have
impacIng
your
reputaIon:
you,
or
others?
• Social
profiles
rank
highly
in
search
engines;
can
push
down
other
pages
in
rankings.

34. Build
community
hVp://bit.ly/1yzUHHN

35. Curate
content
hVp://bit.ly/1r7UnO1

36. Create
content &
tell stories
hVp://bit.ly/1nREpXr

37. Trigger
people to
take action
hVp://bit.ly/1r7Vgq3

38. What are some
realistic goals?

39. Think
microconversions,
not metrics.
Example
microconversions:
• Email
list
sign-­‐ups
• Reviews
• Referrals
• MenIons
by
influencers
/
press

40. What platforms
should you consider?

41. There’s always the
big three.

43. There’s always the
big three. four.

44. personal professional
Nobody
loves
Google+
more
than
Google.

45. But don’t
underestimate the
“little guys.”

49. But what about
[insert objection
here]?

50. Time
A
possible
“ramp
up”
plan:
Start
with:
• Take
15
minutes
a
day
to
listen
and
respond
to
inbound
messages.
Then
add:
• Curated
content
• “Opportunity”
listening
• Networking
groups
/
pracIce
area
groups
Then
add
(if
it’s
right
for
you):
• Content
creaIon
• Paid
social

51. Tools There
are
many
free
/
low-­‐cost
tools
to
make
social
management
across
plaBorms
easier.
• Sprout
Social
• Hootsuite

52. Talent Not
everyone
has
to
do
social…
…but
everyone
who
does
social
started
somewhere.

53. Trolls
1. Count
on
your
“got-­‐yer-­‐
back
posse”
2. Engage
professionally
and
in
public
(when
possible)
3. “Block”
judiciously
4. Delete
only
when
absolutely
necessary

54. Ethical
obligations
• Consult
the
WSBA
and
KCBA
CLEs
on
point
• Leverage
LOMAP
if
you
have
specific
quesIons
not
answered
by
those
CLEs

55. Reputation
risk
Build
your
confidence
by:
• focusing
on
listening
to
start
• focusing
your
efforts
on
“closed”
communiIes
(but
remember
they’re
not
private)
(e.g.
LinkedIn
groups,
mailing
lists,
etc.)

56. Personal vs.
professional
boundaries
Operate
in
accordance
with
your
ethical
obligaIons
AND
your
best
judgment
and
comfort
level.

57. “But I
can’t stand
social
media.”
You
don’t
have
to
like
social
media
to
be
present
on
social
media
plaHorms.
Just
be
sure
to
set
expectaIons
for
plaHorm
visitors,
so
they
know
how
to
reach
you.
And,
focus
on
what
you
DO
like
(a
plaHorm,
a
community,
etc.
Build
relaIonships
with
other
aVorneys
at
a
minimum,
even
if
you
never
talk
to
a
client
or
prospect
online.

58. Questions?

59. Portent, Inc. is one of North
America’s elite Internet
marketing companies. Located
in Seattle, WA., Portent is a
full-service agency with in-house
design, creative, and
development teams including
experts in paid advertising,
analytics, SEO, content strategy/
writing, and social media.
Greetings from
the #smithtower
About Portent Small Business Solutions
Small
practices
mean big
questions.

60. With 18 years in the industry,
you can trust our expertise.
Strategy Analytics Content Creative
PPC SEO Social Media
About Portent

61. Thank
Portent, Inc. 506 2nd Ave. Suite 1700 Seattle. WA 98104-2354 | Tel: 206.575.3740
YOU.
Sara Lingafelter
@saralingafelter
http://www.portent.com