This 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:
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!
