The document discusses the importance of social media for lawyers in business development and professional networking, emphasizing that the legal community is gradually adopting these technologies. Key concepts include the distinction between social networking and traditional marketing, the necessity of having a strong online presence, and the integration of platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Ethical considerations and best practices are outlined to ensure that lawyers engage effectively while adhering to legal standards.

1. Social Media for Business Development and Professional Networking for Lawyers ______________________________________________ WCBA Law Office Technology Section Thursday, April 8, 2010 David A. Barrett, Esq. Part One

2. “ The legal community are historically slow in adopting new technologies but an increasing number of lawyers are starting to view social media as a valuable business tool.” - Bentley Tolk, Marketing for Attorneys

3. “ While many lawyers practicing today think they don’t have time for online networking, law students consider it essential.” Davida Brook, Stanford Law School Student

4. Social Media for Business Development and Professional Networking for Lawyers Part One - Social Media Basics and Key Concepts Adopting a productive social media philosophy and strategy Social currency and open networking Why a website is not enough / search engine optimization (SEO) Online “findability” Personal vs. professional online presence and online reputation Attorney profile do’s and don’ts and content rich profiles Legal networking vs. legal marketing The relationship based nature of social media / engagement marketing Social media venues (Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter) Social media and legal ethics

5. “ Stop thinking of the Internet as a place.” Adrian Dayton, Marketing Strategy and the Law

6. Why social media marketing? Your competition is doing it Your customers are using it Your vendors and partners are using it - Todd Malicoat, Stuntdubl

7. Adopting a Productive Social Media Philosophy and Strategy Understand the key concepts - social media is here to stay, and permanently changing online business development – it is a cultural shift Develop a marketing plan and a social media strategy/plan Develop a law firm social media policy before getting started

8. “ Lawyers who depend strictly on traditional marketing techniques are quickly learning that many “tried and true” methods no longer perform like they used to. Attorneys could dramatically improve their results by updating their marketing programs to include more current practices.” Kevin Quinlan, LaywerMarketing101

9. “ It is crucial to expand your presence in the online world to stay relevant in the market place.” – Sanjay Sivam

10. Social Currency Social currency - “information shared which encourages further social encounters” (Wikipedia) Give to get Engage your audience Create interest and value Social networking is a “two-way street”

11. “ Open networkers use social media to initiate and build new relationships while closed networkers simply have an online address book that never grows.” - David Barrett, The LinkedIn Lawyer

12. More Lawyer to Lawyer Referrals Increased Findability Group Sustainability Better Quality Question and Answer Forum Larger Networks on Other Platforms More Website and Blog Traffic More Social Currency Shift Law Firm Business Strategies More Newsletter Subscribers More Access to SlideShare and JD Supra docs Benefits of a Larger Network and an Open Networking Philosophy LinkedIn for Lawyers

13. “ It is about doing for others, not about others doing for you. To get value, offer value. Provide feedback, answer questions, share ideas – create a following. Then those followers will want to assist you.” – Frank Ball, Attorney

14. Why a Website is Not Enough Websites are like business cards or brochures unless they have been developed to be social media enabled Maximize search engine optimization (SEO) Lack of opportunity for law firms to engage potential clients on a traditional website

15. “ Your website is only a billboard. You can have the most beautiful website in the world and without traffic, it might as well be a billboard in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa.” - Todd Malicoat, Stuntdubl

16. “ Few people realize that there is an SEO benefit to LinkedIn. You can create three text links with keyword rich anchor text pointing back to your website.” – Scott Testa, Dr. Scott’s Cool Business Blog

17. “ You've heard the hype. Print media is dead. The Yellow Pages are passé. You have to be on-line to survive. Websites aren't enough. The only thing a website provides is an on-line brochure of your firm.” - Al Nye, The Lawyer Guy

18. “ I've read estimates that over 80% of people begin their search for a lawyer by using one of the popular search engines like Google or Yahoo. If someone searched for a lawyer online under your specialty, would your name come up at the top of the listings?” - Al Nye the Lawyer Guy

19. The Importance of an Impressive Profile and Promoting Findability Content rich profiles Incorporate as much information as possible into social media profiles and onto static lawyer directories and other social media networks - Blog - SlideShare content - JD Supra content - Twitter feed

20. “ You are in the findability department. The marketing department is dead.” Todd Defren, Shift Communications

21. Personal vs. Professional Online Presence Online presence Online reputation How others see you Reputation management Personal branding

22. “ The Farmville Lawyer”

23. “ Before Facebook, what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas. Now, what happens in Vegas can impact your business.” - Matt Homann, LexThink

24. Engagement Marketing vs. Interruption Marketing Traditional marketing: television and radio commercials, junk mail, telemarketing, print advertising Conversational marketing: initiated by customer search, increased customer sophistication due to growth of Internet use Conversation venues: blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and other social networks

25. Social Networking Lawyer Communities of Interest LinkedIn: Law firm profiles, lawyer networking groups Twitter: LexTweet, Twibes, Twellow Pages Facebook: Lawyer groups, lawyer product fan pages, bar association fan pages

26. How LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Blogs Work Together to Enhance Relationships The continuum of “professional” to “personal” online environments LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are the virtual handshake Biography and professional profile vs. interaction, engagement and conversation LinkedIn > Blog > Twitter > Facebook

28. LinkedIn Profile Page Blog SlideShare Content JD Supra Content Increased SEO

30. Law Firm Business Page Link Individual Associate Profiles to Firm Business Page Link Individual Associate Profiles to Firm Business Page Facebook for Lawyers LAW FIRM CONTENT: Link Firm Blog Twitter Feed JD Supra Content SlideShare Content Cause(s) Audio YouTube

32. Ethical Social Media Legal Marketing

34. Social Media and Professional Ethics Legal ethics - client solicitation, attorney advertising Social media - lawyers, investigators and trial evidence Social media and the attorney/client relationship Legal networking vs. legal marketing Social media contact with jurors and judges on open cases, ex parte communications, jury tampering, recent advisory opinions from bar counsel Everything you say on social media networks is considered publishing

35. Consider everything you say (or type) on social media sites as publishing.

36. “ It is the lawyer’s conduct, not the medium, when ethics rules are violated while using social media”. – Eric Cooperstein, Lawyerist

37. Facebook and Lawyer Ethics Facebook has been used as a means for service of process in Australia and New Zealand The Philadelphia Bar Association has issued an opinion on lawyers investigation of a witnesses Facebook page – that the lawyer could not engage in such an investigation A North Carolina Judge was reprimanded for “friending” a lawyer on a case before him and discussing the case with him on Facebook

38. FB CHAT MESSAGES – 11,000,000 / DAY LEGAL ETHICS – No ex parte communications with judge No communication with trial witnesses Prohibitions extend to third party investigators or paralegal staff May not make any misrepresentation to any third party

43. Recommendations may not say anything the lawyer himself would not be allowed to say. Watch particular prohibited words in specific jurisdictions: “ best lawyer” “ specialist” “ expert“ “ guaranteed results”

44. To Tweet or Not to Tweet In the NY State Bar Association Journal, a partner at a NYC law firm argued that Twitter posts could spell litigation trouble for attorneys Messages must be treated with the same caution as messages in any other form and should not reveal confidential information, appear to contain legal advice, or violate rules of solicitation

45. “ Twitter is not a sales call.” - Jaffee Associates

46. “ Keep in mind, tweets can be used in litigation discovery. They are searchable, permanent and findable.” – Steven. J. Bennett, New York State Bar Journal

47. “ The old maxim that ‘one should think before they speak’ (or Tweet) applies no less to the Internet than to other forms of communication.” - Eric Cooperstein, Lawyerist

48. “ Don’t drink and Tweet.” Adrianos Facchetti, California Defamation Law Blog

49. “ When you take the time to understand the rules of social media, you open yourself and your firm up to the immense power of these law firm marketing tools.” - Stephen Fairley, The Rainmaker Institute

50. Social Media for Business Development and Professional Networking for Lawyers ______________________________________________ WCBA Law Office Technology Section Thursday, April 8, 2010 David A. Barrett, Esq. Part Two

51. Social Media for Business Development and Professional Networking for Lawyers Part Two – Advanced Social Media for Business Development Building your network, why size matters Networking targets and strategies Out of jurisdiction lawyer to lawyer referrals Linkedin functions and groups Facebook and the multi-media power of viral marketing Twitter functions, lists and groups Legal blawging Social media measurement SlideShare, JD Supra Game Plan

53. Building Your Linkedin Network Increase the number of people who enter your marketing funnel Increase number of followers/connections to drive more website and blog traffic Increase number of newsletter subscribers and improve number of signups for white paper or marketing promotions

54. “ When you hire someone, you hire his or her network.” – Omar Ha-Redeye, Law is Cool

55. Why Size Matters The larger your network, the better your chances of: Becoming findable on LinkedIn Shifting business strategies over the life of the law firm Out of jurisdiction lawyer-to-lawyer referrals Larger networks on other social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, Martindale Hubbell Connected) Group sustainability

56. “ Using the six degrees of separation concept, you benefit by gaining potential access to hundreds or thousands of contacts as your LinkedIn network grows.” – Margaret Grisdela, Rainmaking Club

57. Linkedin Networking Strategies Identify your networking targets Conserve invitations to connect as precious currency by using “Quicklinks” instead Help your networking targets by creating business opportunities for them Leverage the power of LinkedIn groups to build connections

58. “ The biggest mistake I see is that many lawyers are not on LinkedIn.” – LegalMarketer

59. Linkedin Functions Connections, search Recommendations Groups, sub-groups, group Questions Questions, answers, SEO Announcements, events, messages SlideShare notifications, status

60. Linkedin Attorney Profile Do’s and Don’ts Do include written disclaimers on profile regarding the attorney/client relationship and providing legal advice Don’t clutter your profile with “LION” (linkedin online networker) “invite me”, your email address or your business name Do include notice that “this LinkedIn profile may be considered attorney advertising” and make sure that all information on the LinkedIn profile is “true and complete” Don’t use LinkedIn questions differently that you would a comment on any other publication Don’t be that guy inviting random people to connect with a form letter that begs the recipient not to click the “I don’t know” button

62. “ Any professional or business today who is seeking to engage an audience in meaningful ways, should maintain a presence on Facebook.” - Adrian Lurssen, JD Supra

63. Why Lawyers Need a Facebook Profile Facebook is the world’s largest social networking site with more than 350 million active users. Facebook is the social media platform with the most powerful multi-media tools. Facebook, because of its dynamic interactive nature, is a “relationship enhancer” allowing users to engage others from static social networks like Martindale Hubbell Connected, Plaxo and LinkedIn.

64. “ There is no longer any good reason to avoid Facebook. The site has crossed a threshold – it is now so widely trafficked that it’s fast becoming a routine aide to social interaction, like e-mail and antiperspirant.” - Farhad Manjoo, Slate

65. Getting Your Firm Started on Facebook Set-up “personal” pages for everyone in the firm - NOT for the firm itself Set up a “business” or “fan” page for the firm Link firm’s website, blog, newsletter, JD Supra content, Twitter feed, SlideShare content, audio and YouTube videos to the Facebook page Share content that establishes your firm as an expert in a practice area Demonstrate your firm’s ability to remain current on topics important to your target clients and target client referral sources

66. Building Your Facebook Legal Network Invite LinkedIn connections and newsletter subscribers to join fan page Search fan pages/groups/business pages for law schools, paralegals, bar associations, chambers of commerce and groups within your practice area Search lawyer groups to build connections with other lawyers and groups where your networking targets spend their time Build groups that will attract your target clients or target client referral sources Use groups to locate and build relationships with your networking target contacts

67. “ Meet your audience where they gather, cultivate and engage them on Facebook.” – Aviva Cuyler, JD Scoop

68. Facebook Causes Causes recruit members and encourage those members to recruit others – creating a viral marketing effect. This subtle self promotion is more effective than traditional interruption advertising with consumers that effectively avoid traditional advertisements Set up a “cause” related to your practice area or embrace/promote a cause that already exists to promote visibility and help raise firm’s visibility among target clients or target referral sources

69. Harnessing the Multi-Media Power of Facebook Photos: Facebook holds more photos than any other website, users are allowed unlimited photo uploads) Audio: blog talk radio, podcasts Video: made part of one’s permanent Facebook profile YouTube: may also be imported onto your Facebook wall which shares the video in news feed for all Facebook friends

70. Viral and Spreadable Marketing Viral and spreadable marketing is a technique that uses pre-existing social networks to achieve marketing objectives Much like email forwarding (“viral” as in computer virus, “spreadable” as in word of mouth) Viral promotion products: video, interactive games, e-books, images, email, text messaging, photos Categories: wow, funny, emotional

71. “ LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter enhance the traditional networking process but the real power of social media marketing is viral and spreadable media.” - David A. Barrett, The LinkedIn Lawyer

72. Facebook Applications for Lawyers Mobile Facebook applications Facebook events Lawyer virtual gift applications Facebook groups Facebook business pages/fan pages Facebook causes Facebook connect JD Supra, Twitter and SlideShare

73. “ If I tell my Facebook friends about your brand, it’s not because I like your brand but rather because I like my friends.” - Mike Arauz, Undercurrent

74. “ Facebook is the most powerful, populated and utilized social media platform. By keeping FB personal instead of professional, it’s like your marketing campaign has one arm tied behind its back.” David A. Barrett, The LinkedIn Lawyer

75. Facebook Do’s and Don’ts Do balance the personal and professional: Set up a “professional” page with enough “personal” information to let people know you Don’t decide against leveraging one of the most powerful tools in social media by “keeping Facebook personal and Linkedin professional” Do develop multi-media content to share on your Facebook wall (i.e. YouTube videos, e-books, client alerts, newsletters). Don’t share tired news articles everyone has seen Don’t fill up Facebook with blatant self promotion or begs for support

77. “ Twitter is one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.“ - The New York Times

78. WHY Lawyers Use Twitter Set yourself up as a specialist, and as an expert within that specialty Increased media attention: promote your appearances and publications Express your willingness to take and make referrals Keep in regular touch with the people in your network Mold your image, enhance relationships Distribute your news, simulate the water cooler, monitor the buzz Legal marketing, law firm business development Attorney lead generation

79. “ Used well, Twitter is a powerful tool for building reputation, leadership, trust and influence.” - Laura Fitton, Pistachio Consulting (@pistachio)

80. WAYS Lawyers Use Twitter Networking, sharing, branding Research, information gathering Monitor breaking news Follow trends in the legal industry Follow conversations about legal issues in your field Get noticed Used as an RSS reader

81. “ Nobody really pays attention to what you have to say on Twitter unless you have shown that you know how to listen.” Adrian Dayton, Marketing Strategy and the Law (@adriandayton)

82. Getting Started on Twitter Create an attractive profile (with professional description and photo) Add a twitter background and use as ad space 70% microblogging and 30% conversation style Tweets Retweet interesting items to build relationships and networks Identify networking targets from marketing plan based on practice areas of law firm Find Twitter lawyer directories (Justia Legal Birds, LexTweet, Twellow Pages, Law Line, Twibes) Law schools, bar associations, CLE providers, law libraries, chambers of commerce, law enforcement Get to know your followers: If you don’t know who is following you, Twitter will not help your business

83. “ Why Twitter? Because the conversation will happen whether you are there or not.” - Alin Wagner-Lahmy, Lexis Nexis

84. Twitter Search Twitter search vs. Twitter interface Use hashtags (#) to follow structured conversations, conferences, seminars, online CLE Search your own Twitter address (@barrettdavid) for reputation management and communication Search key words of interest

85. “ Twitter is a great way to promote your expertise by commenting on timely legal topics.” - Paul Gillin

86. “ Twitter makes me approachable.” - Kelly Phillips Erb, Tax Attorney (@taxgirl)

87. Initiating and Enhancing Relationships Following others on twitter Automatic welcome message “ @replies” for public conversation Direct messages “dm” for private communication Import Linkedin connections Bringing your connections from linkedin and other business networks into a real time interactive environment Moving from the virtual handshake to interaction and building and spending social currency

88. “ Dear Boomers: Twitter works, you’re just not doing it right.” Adrian Dayton, Marketing Strategy and the Law

89. Twitter Do’s and Don’ts Don’t violate legal ethics by soliciting business on Twitter, don’t try to make sales Do Tweet interesting items and be thought provoking Don’t Tweet client information that is confidential or without explicit written permission: good news is not always public news Do think strategically in terms of building relationships with people in your geographical jurisdiction Don’t answer the question “what are you doing” Do get listed in Twitter lawyer groups and directories Don’t spend time reading everything on your Twitter feed Do RT often and build social capital

90. “ A blog is probably the most effective way to drive potential clients to your (virtual) door.” – Sam Glover, Lawyerist

91. Why a Blog? A blog is one of the most powerful ways to build relationships with prospects, clients and referral sources. A well written blog will get great search engine optimization or SEO. Establishes yourself as an expert in your practice area. A combination of more personalized “push and pull” marketing. A blog cuts through the PR and is a forum for honest communication with personality that websites do not have.

92. Why Lawyers Should Have Blogs A combination of push and pull marketing Less intrusive than e-mail newsletters Creates an appearance of authority due to online punditry Offers an opportunity for a conversation instead of a lecture Showcase professional’s intellect or wit, thus personalizing them to potential clients Stand out from your competition A blog cuts through the PR, a forum for honest communication Offers personality that websites do not have Easy to update when breaking news occurs Transparency Makes lawyers seem more human and approachable

93. “ Effective blogging can lead to many unexpected opportunities.” – Niki Black, Sui Generis

94. Legal Blogging as Your Social Network Hub Blogs are the “content hubs” for all your social media work online Set up one for each practice area, and/or each attorney Demonstrate expertise, cover timely and controversial issues Use Google Alerts and Alltop to start “microblogging” Blogging, legal writing and microblogging as a graduate level thesis: r emain abreast of current news and developments in the law much like a graduate student publishing articles found on topic during a literature review Repost high quality, high-interest content produced by others (with credit) Establish your practice area expertise by sharing high quality content via online social networks The effect on those in your social networks The effect on the legal blogger and microblogger

95. Surveying Your Area of Expertise Focus on a niche to set you apart Do your homework: read other blogs in your practice area The more focused your niche, the better your blog will work as a marketing tool

96. Blogging Topics, Titles and SEO Types of blog posts: referential and experiential Re-posting material someone else has written Offer lessons learned, recent successes, announce seminars Interviews, and reviews Blogging subjects that allow narration on both specific topics and areas of general interest Blog posts crafted with key words Blog posts crafted with a marketing message

97. “ Having your own blog is vital to effective law firm Internet marketing.” - Stephen Fairley, The Rainmaker Institute

98. Developing an Ongoing System for Capturing Blog Topics Produce a stream of ongoing blog posts Create a few months worth of blog titles at once and fill in the blanks with breaking legal news and announcements Set up Alltop and Google alerts

99. Blogging Do’s And Don’ts Do embrace criticism Do respond to comments in a timely manner Don’t ignore your readers Do give credit where credit is due Don’t hide behind a pseudonym Do commit for the long haul and post consistently Don’t overdo promotional copy

100. JD Supra and SlideShare JD Supra – An open publishing and content distribution platform for legal professionals. Court filings, decisions, forms, articles, alerts, newsletters. SlideShare – A slide sharing service. Upload and share PowerPoint, Word and PDF documents.

101. “ In the online world, transparency is key. This premium on transparency may be the single greatest cultural shift that businesses will face as they engage with social media.” - Paul Gillin

102. Social Media Measurement Feeling the shape of the elephant (influence, engagement) Monitoring and tracking activities Online tools for measurement

103. Social Media Game Plan

104. Social Media Plan: Step One Identify your firm’s competitive advantage Identify networking targets Start with a blog as your content hub Start with: Blog > LinkedIn > Twitter

105. Social Media Plan: Step Two Increase online presence with: Legal OnRamp, Martindale Hubbell Connected, Facebook, Plaxo, Ning and free lawyer directories Thread blog and Twitter content into all available social media portals Increase social networks - quantify and quality

106. Social Media Plan: Step Three Implement systems to achieve rapid and high volume social network growth Effectively use existing social networking groups Identify needs and opportunities for new social networking groups Utilize administrative support to maintain high level of participation and content sharing for constant awareness in various social networks

107. Social Media Do’s and Don’ts Do initiate new relationships online Don’t keep LinkedIn professional and Facebook private Do keep your profile identity in mind Don’t focus exclusively on self promotion Do integrate social media activities of all lawyers in the law firm Don’t allow social media pages to die on the vine

108. “ This is clearly the direction where social media campaigns are headed – going beyond simply having a presence on key social sites and also doing something creative that engages customers with your brand.” - Adam Ostrow, Mashable

109. Thank You! Questions? Comments? Contact me: Email: linkedinlawyerwebinars@gmail.com Blog: http://www.linkedinlawyer.blogspot.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barrettlawoffices Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/barrettdavid Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/barrettdavid