Law Firm Use of Blogs and Social Media (Reseach/Trends)

law firm social mediaThis question just came up in a Linked in Group where I am active, Called Legal Blogging:

… I am loooking for case studies of lawyers who’ve found success with social media and blogging … “

I was so excited to share my experience with the topic, I decided to post it here as well.

First, I Pitched A Law Firm …

About a year ago, I was pitching a marketing project to a regional law firm with 200+ lawyers.  In preparing to meet with this particular firm, I learned the following:

 … of 200 lawyers, only 1 wrote a blog or used any social media.  As a result, that one lawyer ended up on every who’s who list, was invited to speak on national panels, was extensively quoted in the media, and effectively branded himself as the “expert”.  The others appeared very set in their ways.

I was loaded for bear when I went to my meeting with the managing partner/COO.

Armed with two studies, that showed “beyond a shadow of a doubt” that slow law firm adoption of blogging and social media was hindering success, I made my pitch … unsuccessfully, as luck would have it!

Then, I Pitched My Sister- in-law …

Even though I did not get the project, I couldn’t contain my excitement about the data I had found!  The studies were too good not to share!

So, in my excitement, I shared it with a few other lawyers I knew.  First, my sister in law, who founded a law firm with 50+ partners.

She didn’t share my excitement, however.   Her response?   “Our firm is different …”

Beth, I still love you … but we can agree to disagree. Your firm is missing the boat:)

Finally, My Lawyer Friends …

Still bursting with the good news, I told not one, but TWO dear lawyer friends about it … only to hear, 

“My practice is different, that’s not how I get business …”

Well, I have no idea why the lawyers I KNOW remain resistent to social media and blogging, but this week’s Linkedin group question reminded me that it might help others to post that initial research.

Does Your Law Firm Blog and Use Social Media?

It it does, good on you!  If not, FWIW, here’s a summary of conclusions drawn from the research I found:  Do with it what you will!

2012 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey (conducted by Greentarget Research)

Source:  http://www.greentarget.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012GTZGICSurveyReportFinal-WebsiteVersion.pdf

Summary:

  • In house decision makers are relying on blogs for critical business information, which then influences which law firm to hire. There is an increased use of other forms of social media to build relationships as well.
  • In terms of trend, in 2010, blogs were well used across the board, but use of social platforms like Linked in, Facebook and Twitter were much more concentrated among younger in-house lawyers.
  • In contrast, by 2012, there was much wider social media adoption among in-house lawyers in their 40′s, 50′s, and 60′s, while the younger demographic is holding steady.
  • As the legal industry has been slow to adopt new media, early adopters gained an advantage. Going forward, the lack of an integrated strategy becomes a distinct competitive disadvantage, as the use of these tools becomes the new standard. 
  • Law firms must integrate a forward-looking social media strategy into their websites, help more of their lawyers become bloggers, and integrate the use of social platforms into their client interactions.

Key Findings by Social Media Platform:

Blogs:

  • In-house attorneys exhibit widespread trust (84%) in blogs.
  • In-house attorneys read attorney-authored or firm-branded blogs more often than they read blogs written by journalists.
  • 76% say that a lawyer-generated blog had some level of influence over which firms to retain.
  • While daily blog readership dropped, weekly and monthly readership more than made up for it, shedding new light on the quality versus quantity debate.

Other New Media:

  • LinkedIn leads all other social networks in professional usage and credibility (88%); law firms clearly aren’t taking full advantage of its networking capabilities.
  • While blogs are read more consistently across age groups than the “big three” social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter), new media usage is gaining steam, especially among younger counsel.
  • While in-house counsel rarely contribute content on social channels, they are listening and consuming regularly.
  • Social media as a firm-to-client client services mechanism is also increasing, with an eight percent year-over-year increase.

Update (5/1/13)

The 2013 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey (conducted by Greentarget Research …  was recently released in April, 2013.  Here’s a link: http://insidecounselsurvey.com/

… the 2013 study confirms blogs and linked as the two most influential platforms for lawyers to use in order to build influence and business relationships.

Though an older study, these findings mirror the trends from a 2011 global study from Martindale-Hubbell on social media use among law firms:

http://kevin.lexblog.com/uploads/file/LexisNexis_Global%20Social%20Media%20Health%20Check_Summary%20Report_Web%20version.pdf

Leave a comment if you have personal experiences and successes to share with other lawyers, to give them that “nudge” to get started.

If so … leave a comment! 

(And, stop by and say hi on my facebook page, where I share marketing tips, opinions, stupid cat photos, and more).  Thanks!

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How One Food Blogger Got Thousands of Followers in 16 Months (… and You Can Too)

heather katsoulisIn one of those serendipitous moments, I met fellow marketer and food blogger Mary Pisarkiewicz while teaching a class on Digital Marketing Strategy last month, as part of the National Minority Business Council’s Executive Management Program.

My ears perked up right away when one of the sponsors joked that she could always tell what Mary was cooking, from the delicious smells greeting her in the hallway of the building where they both live. Continue reading

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Link Love: How Bloggers Rub Noses on the Social Web

link loveOn Valentine’s Day, It’s nice to recognize all the relationships that foster love and positive energy in our lives.

For many, those relationships exist online through the content we write, read, and share, which is why I’m excited to talk about link love! Continue reading

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10 Online Marketing Trends for 2013

2013 online trendsHere’s a list of online marketing trends I put together for a panel discussion on 2013 Social Media Trends.

My co-panelists, Stephanie Schwab and Ellen Gerstein, will no doubt have other insights  – and I can’t wait to hear them.

For now, this is the world as I see it: Continue reading

Posted in blogging, content marketing, digital media trends, inbound marketing, marketing, social media, Social Media Best Practices, social media strategy, social media trends, website effectiveness | Tagged , | 2 Comments

5 Ways to (Legally) Use Photos in Social Media and On Your Blog

Evil Murphy Says NO to Copyright Violation -- photo by StaceyWho doesn’t love a cute photo or funny image on the social web?

According to Hubspot’s latest research, Facebook  photo posts get 53% more “likes”, 104% more comments, and links on these posts get 84% more clicks.

Instagram and Pinterest also owe their explosive growth to our collective love of visual content.  Any blogger or social media manager worth his or her salt aims to add compelling images to their posts.

Do you have the rights to use the images you post on line? Continue reading

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Blogging Dry Spell? Try a Little Help From Your Friends.

I’ve hit a blogging dry spell lately.

An editorial calendar is supposed to kick in at times like these … but how to gain enthusiasm for those “same old” topics?

When you can’t think of anything new to add to the online conversation, what do you do?

Maybe you just need a little help from your friends.  Your blogger friends, that is.

Continue reading

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The Entrepreneur Who Intends to Cure Blindness (and Other Inspirations)

approaching the summitThis week, I’m about to break the cardinal sin of blogging.

Instead of my usual marketing topics, a post about 3 people who were inspired to go the extra mile.

Here’s the common thread that runs through their stories:  having a goal, and committing to see it through … despite discouragement, even when it’s hard.

Here are their stories: Continue reading

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Solving the Social Media ROI Puzzle

social media under a magnifying  glassIf you were asked to calculate social media ROI, could you?

What starts with hello, can grow into a trusted relationship and result in revenue …

… but how to measure it?

Here are three resources that provide insight into social media ROI: Continue reading

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Online Marketing: It Doesn’t Have To Be So Hard

You don’t have to be a marketer to know that we’re living through the biggest cultural shift in human history.

Just do a gut check … how many times just TODAY did you google something?  Check the news online?  Engage in a social site?

The world is texting and engaging and searching constantly, and when it comes to reaching customers, traditional interruption techniques just don’t work anymore. Continue reading

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From “Off the Grid” to Inbound12 … Plus, an Invitation to Inbound13!

Rhonda Hurwitz in August: A Marketer Goes Off the Grid

Being off the grid for most of August made me wonder what news I missed … but a quick glance at Mashable (“Wheee! 10 YouTube Clips of Animals on Slides!!!) tells me I probably don’t have to worry.

I did miss connecting with my online friends, however.  Last week was all about catching up on client work … top of my list this week is to return to blogging, social media, and reconnecting.

Here are two things that inspired me in August … Continue reading

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