Discover Canadian Lawyers

3 Clever Ways Lawyers Can Find Their Clients Online

Natalie Waddell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:14:12 -0500

Finding your ideal clients online isn't a simple task. It's quite similar to networking in the "real world" and takes dedication and commitment. Narrowing in on your ideal clients helps tremendously. Remember, you can't be "all things to all people".

A recent article from Inc talks about the process of narrowing down your target market. The article isn't specifically relating to the legal industry but lawyers and law firms can benefit from these tips:

1. It's dangerous to be unfocused. Most law firms and lawyers are using social media in some form. I can almost guarantee there are many professionals in your same practice trying to get a piece of the "online pie". The biggest mistake you can make when deciding to craft a digital presence is to be unfocused. Susan Friedman, author of the books Riches in Niches and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Target Marketing says it right, "If you're not differentiating yourself in the marketplace, what happens is the consumer looks at price as being the motivator."

How to fix it: Do your research and check out what your competitors are doing online. Do something out-of-the-box. Pick an interesting niche. What makes you and your firm different? Talk about that.

2. Become the online expert in your field. I learned this concept from legal marketing expert Kevin O'Keefe. Liken yourself to being the online CNN in your practice area. Keep your audience up-to-date on practice changes, updated rules, rulings, etc. Feel free to share content that hasn't been authored by you, but always make sure to properly source where it came from. This builds online credibility and your community will think of you should the need arise for your services.

3. Research. Research. Research. This is one of the most important aspects of creating a successful online presence. Where do your clients, potential clients and referral sources hang out online? Do they congregate in LinkedIn groups relating to your practice area? Do they use Twitter and/or Facebook? This step allows you to focus in on relevant social media platforms. Don't join Facebook just because someone else does. Do it because that's where your clients are. And don't jump on the social media bus every time a new platform launches! (I'm guilty of this and it can take up countless hours).

The above three steps will help you and your law firm target your ideal clients online. It's no different than traditional marketing; it's just packaged differently! Do you have any tips or comments on how you've narrowed down your online focus? Please share them in the comments below.

5 Effective Ways to Find Your Target Clients Online

Natalie Waddell — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:53:08 -0500

Social media is no longer a passing fad when it comes to law firm business development, marketing and client acquisition. It’s traditional marketing packaged differently - the same rules apply. One of the most important things you should do prior to opening your first social media account is to figure out where your clients, potential clients, colleagues and referral sources reside online. Doing so allows you to focus your efforts as efficiently as possible.

1. Define your top ten clients first. What types of clients would you like to have? Be specific. Are you looking for specific individuals or multi-national corporations? Grab a pen and paper (or open a new Google Doc) and create a top ten list. Include business names, addresses, contact information, common connections, etc. Research your market’s demographics.

2. Research where your current clients hang out online. Look at your top 20 clients and see how they use social media. Do they use Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Blogging, etc.? Your target clients will most likely have similar styles and online habits. Take your time and do your research. Perhaps send a questionnaire to your clients asking them about their online habits. Get as much information as possible. You can also gain valuable client intelligence by checking out their social networks.

3. Do your competitors use social media to interact with their clients? You should definitely know the answer. Do a quick Google search and check out their social media accounts. How do they interact with followers and fans? Are some of your target clients getting cozy up with the competition? Record where you find them and use this information later.

4. Does your target client have a website? It’s very common for businesses to now include their social media account information. Take note - these are the accounts you’ll want to open.

5. Search Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ for your ideal clients. If you find them there, create an account. It’s as simple as that. You should also check to see how up-to-date these accounts are. Have they posted in the last couple weeks? How often?

Determining which social media networks to use is imperative when creating your law firm’s social media strategy. Figure out where your clients, potential clients and referral sources “hang out” online. Re-evaluate every six months. New social media networks come and go - don’t jump on the bandwagon each time a new one pops up. From my experience, most law firms use LinkedIn, Blogging and Twitter. How about you? How do you find your clients online? I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below!

How To Create a Impressive LinkedIn Law Firm Company Page

Natalie Waddell — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:26:00 -0500

Have you checked out what your law firm Company Page looks like on LinkedIn? If not, take a look. More and more of your potential clients are doing their research online and one of the first places they look is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn company pages used to be boring and static - not anymore. There are lots of things you can do to create an engaging and interesting visitor experience. The goal is have users "follow" your page so that your comapny status updates are seen on their home pages. Most businesses aren't using LinkedIn Company pages to their full potential and they are missing out on a great opportunity for business. It's free too! Here are three easy ways to liven up your law firm LinkedIn Company page.

Get More Followers

It's important to encourage users to "follow" your LinkedIn Company Page so that they see your company status updates. Add follow buttons to your blog, website, signature line, newsletter, etc. Tweet a link to your Company Page if you use Twitter. Post it on Facebook - you get the picture.

Post Status Updates

Post status updates from your LinkedIn Company Page every day. These links can be blog posts, articles of interest, relevant news or anything else your followers might find interesting. Don't post too often - you don't want to come off spammy. It's important you enable company updates for you page as well.

Add Practice Areas aka Services

LinkedIn Company Pages offer "Products" tabs. These are designed to showcase products and/or services. Describe your practice area(s) and get creative. You can add pictures and links. You can also put links to upcoming conferences, webinars, and/or classes.

Add the Blog RSS Feed

Does your law fim have a blog? Feature your blog's content automatically by adding the blog's RSS feed to your LinkedIn Company Page. Your latest posts will appear on the overview tab. Adding the RSS feed is easy to do. Go into edit mode of your page's "Overview" tab, scroll down, and enter the URL of your blog's RSS feed. Done!

LinkedIn is definitely catching on when it comes to how to do social media right. The abilty to post updates from your LinkedIn Company Page is a game changer when it comes to engagement. Don't forget to check out how many people are viewing your page on the Analytics tab.

Are you going to update your law firm LinkedIn Company Page? Let us know how it works for you and any other neat features you come across in the comments below!

How to Create a Successful Law Blog by Emulating a Journalist

Samantha Collier — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:24:18 -0500

Creating fresh content for your law blog can seem just as fun as cleaning the gutters for most lawyers. Client obligations, billing targets and filing deadlines take priority leaving your blog stale and lifeless. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Most bloggers piggyback on newsworthy information to tie their business to a story that is currently generating a lot of buzz in the news. Keeping up-to-date in your practice area and becoming the first to write about breaking stories will gain you and your firm major exposure.

Hubspot recently wrote about how to jack the news to generate marketing buzz and they shared some interesting ideas. They stated that the opening paragraph of your blog post should answer the who/what/where/why questions about the news story. This information can be easily found on the Internet or a corporate website. The second paragraph is your chance to shine. This is where you share your expert opinion aka original content. If you have a credible source or valuable insight share it here and you'll have the chance to newsjack at supersonic speed.

The early bird catches the worm when it comes to breaking the news. Yes, you will have to get up in the wee morning hours when the sun is first rising. It's even better if you live on the East Coast! Follow the news, blogs and journalists in your industry and set up Google Alerts using relevant key words. It's also a good idea to cozy up to your journalist friends and perhaps they'll throw you a bone once in awhile.

The key here is to be first. It's imperative you are #1 so that you become the "go-to" person for everything related to your practice area. As soon as people start hearing about news in your industry they'll come to your blog for the latest info. Allow comments and encourage discussion.

Create a strategy on how to quickly write blog posts. Perhaps you can brainstorm with a fellow associate or have an assistant do a quick proofing. Either way, make it simple so that you don't get hindered by red tape or a dragged out approval process.

Following the news can be a great way to create interesting and useful content in your practice area. Let us know how it works for you!

How to Handle Critical Comments on Your Facebook Page

Natalie Waddell — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:09:51 -0500

One of the biggest reasons lawyers and law firms shy away from using Facebook (and other social networks) for business development and client acquisition is the fear of receiving critical comments and not controlling the message.

It's important to understand why critical comments may be left on your firm's Facebook page:

Inconsistency with expectations. It's important you don't "oversell" your services online. Don't promise or guarantee anything online. An under delivered advertised promise is sure to breed negative comments across all your social networks.
Online conduct. The lawyers and professionals who run your social networks must adhere to the highest codes of conduct. Their actions and words represent your firm. Negative comments can definitely hurt your online reputation. It's imperative you define standards and best practices on how to deal with all types of personalities. You'll meet every type - trust me!

What should you do if you receive a critical comment on your firm's Facebook page? This is not to be confused with spam, slander or abusive posts - those should be deleted immediately. Your first impulse might be to delete the post. Don't do it! You joined Facebook to "join the conversation". Deleting the post defies all social media logic. (Check out what happened to ChapStick here. They aren't a law firm but it's a good example nonetheless).

Here's what you should do if you receive a negative or critical comment on your firm's Facebook page:

What is the issue? What is your reader upset with? Define the problem.
Take action quickly.
Reach out to the disgruntled poster. Don't ignore them!
Respond with a respectful tone and start a friendly debate.
Stick to the facts.
Don't lose your cool. Ever.
Offer to take the conversation offline if necessary.

Having critical comments on your Facebook page can actually become a blessing in disguise. How you respond demonstrates your integrity, ethics and ability to handle conflict. You might even make a new fan!

Protect Your Online Reputation When Using Social Media

Natalie Waddell — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:09:37 -0500

Most of us don't think we need to worry about our online reputation. It's only pop stars and political figures that need to worry right? Wrong. Any lawyer that works with the public (almost everyone) and especially those that use social media personally and professionally need to think about how to protect their e-reputation. Taking measures now can save you embarrassment and even your career in the future.

Larry Bodine recently wrote about 4 Things You Need to Know to Protect Your Online Repulation. His article is based on an infographic published in Mashable and you should definitely take the time to check it out here.

Your e-reputation is how you are perceived on the Internet. What do you do when you want to find out more about someone? You check them out on Facebook, LinkedIn, perhaps Twitter and so-on. Up to 48% of recruiters refer to personal websites when deciding whether or not to hire you.

It's important to monitor social media sites, blogs and websites for what's being said about your and your firm. A good presence can lead to increased business, promotions and respect. A bad presence, or no presence, can damage your in person reputation - especially when your competition has a carefully cultivated presence.

Your online reputation can be influenced by a number of factors. These include public images, comments about your character or work, articles, and/or your criminal history (if you have one).

Having no presence at all online can also be incredibly damaging as I mentioned before. When websites first came out most of us never thought we'd actually create one for our business - now it's a given. Not using social media for marketing and business development is becoming a thing of the past.

Here's how Mashable suggest you protect your e-reputation:

Create an online presence using a website and/or blog. Join social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Create a Google Alert for your name and your law firm's name. You'll be alerted each time your name is mentioned on the web.
Regularly post content that you want to be known for.
Learn about SEO and how it can be used to raise the ranking of positive content.
Don't give anyone your passwords to online accounts and don't give out your personal information such as your birth date, address, etc.
Ask your friends to delete negative pictures that don't portray your professional reputation.

LinkedIn Company Pages New Status Update Feature

Natalie Waddell — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:49:23 -0500

Does your law firm have a company page on LinkedIn? If the answer is yes you definitely need to know about a powerful new feature called "Status Updates". If you don't have a company page yet please go create one - it's a free, efficient way to reach clients and colleagues. You'll thank me later!

Page administrators now have the ability to post updates directly from their company overview page similar to Facebook and Twitter. These updates will be seen on homepages of connections who "follow" the company. They will also be seen on the overview tab on your company's LinkedIn page.

It's a good idea to integrate the Company Profile Linkedin Button on to your firm's blog and/or website to encourage readers to follow your law firm. The button will display your firm's logo, summary and number of employees. It's very easy to add the button. If you have issues contact your firms IT specialist or Google it.

Use company status updates to share all the content your law firm creates. This can be company news, blog posts, articles, promotions and/or awards. Status updates support text and URLs such as websites, images, YouTube video, etc. Posts can be up to 500 characters including spaces.

Be sure to include a link back to the origianl post. Use tools such as Google Analytics to track how successful your LinkedIn status updates are. You can also track impressions and engagement directly on your company page under the Analytics tab. An impression is the number of views your status update receives and engagment equals total interactions such as comments, likes, clicks, shares, etc. The data appears approximately 24 hours after an update is published.

People that follow your company on LinkedIn have the ability to comment on your firm's status updates. Administrators have the ability to moderate comments and can delete comments if they wish. It's a good idea to moderate your page on a daily basis so you can respond if necessary.

LinkedIn offers a complimentry guide to LinkedIn Company pages and you can download it here.

20 Facts Canadian Bloggers Need to Know

Samantha Collier — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:16:40 -0500

Are you a Canadian lawyer interested in starting a law blog? If so, good for you! Blogging is a wonderful way to get involved in the realm of social media. There are a number of things to consider such as which blogging platform you will use, determining your editorial calendar as well as permission from your law firm if needed.

I read an article from the Blog Herald titled 20 Legal Facts Every Blogger Should Know and I felt it was worth sharing with you. The article is based on US law but it's a good reminder on how to conduct yourself and your content online.

Your content will reach a world-wide audience in every jurisdiction. Remember that what is legal in one country may not be legal in another.
Your content is being posted to a public forum. The law largely treats it as public similar to if you printed it in the local newspaper.
You are responsible for your content legally and posting anonymously may not protect you.
Copyright protects works of creative authorship and is a collection of rights over those works. Rights include the right to make copies, the right publicly to display/perform the work and the right to make derivative works.
Copyright is given either to the author of the work or their employer if they are creating that work for their employment. (Contract work does not always transfer copyright).
By default, copyright blocks uses of a work. If you wish to give broad permission to use a particular work use a Creative Common License to let others know the terms they can use it under. Likewise, if you are looking for a work that you can use, seek one with a Creative Commons license.
The current term for copyright in the United States is the life of the author plus 70 years for individuals or 95 years for works of corporate authorship.
Fair use is an exemption to copyright that allows others to use copyrighted works without permission for certain limited purposes. There are no bright lines when it comes to fair use and a fair use is decided on a four factor test that looks at each case in detail.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it relatively easy to get infringed copies of your work off a site hosted in most countries.
Defamation is the communication of any statement, presented or implied to be true, that is false and puts a person, business and/or entity in a negative light falsely harming their reputation.
Slander is any defamation presented in a transitory medium, usually spoken word. Libel is anything printed, published or put into a fixed form.
Defamation can be communicated to one party or to a million.
Truth is an absolute defense against a defamation claim but it must be a verifiable fact. Opinions are not libelous but they must be actual opinions.
Libel is largely set on the state level.
A trademark is a word, symbol, phrases sound or almost anything uses to identify a business or their goods/services. Registering a trademark helps protect it but it is not always necessary.
Trademark law is designed to prevent confusion.
Although trademarks protect things copyright can't, such as names and phrases, that protection is limited to uses that cause confusion. You're free to talk about businesses.
There are four types of privacy torts: intrusion and seclusion, misappropriation of image, publication of private facts and false light, the latter of which is similar to defamation.
Once a fact has been made public, it's considered in the public domain and repeating it is not the same as making it public. As such, any information you post to your blog, Facebook, etc. is considered public.
Privacy laws vary state to state.

How are the Canadian laws different when it comes to copyright, privacy, trademark and defamation? It's a good idea to know US and Canadian law as your work will most likely be read in both countries. It's also a good idea to get all your legal questions answered prior to publishing your post.

What Facebook's Updated Timeline Means For Lawyers

Samantha Collier — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:57:41 -0500

Facebook launched a number of profile and newsfeed changes much to the horror of its 750+ million plus users. Most of these changes affect the single user experience but what about business pages? Will they be affected?

The answer is an astounding yes. Law firms and lawyers that use Facebook for business by using Facebook Pages will have to start thinking more like publishers. Status updates should inspire users to share and interact content. This can be tricky when it comes to law firms but it is possible.

It's important to note Facebook has enabled a control in the top right of each story where users can check to unmark a top story. Consider the number of status updates you post each day from your law firm page - will your fans find the information useful or a nuisance? Will your updates inspire conversation and action? They better.

Users are no longer able to view posts sorted by "most recent". Facebook uses EdgeRank to determine whch stories users will see. Most Facebook users don't interact with business pages very often. Facebook page owners will need to think up new ways to interact with their fans to be viewed more often. How will you do this?

My favorite update is the "Friend Activity Feed" located on the left hand column of Facebook pages. It's easy to view how your page was interacted with: who liked your pictures, who shared a post, etc. It's a good idea to take note of who your top "sharers" are and thank them!

What do you think of the new changes?

Lawyers, Do You Have Social Media Burnout?

Samantha Collier — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:41:36 -0500

Kevin O’Keefe recently wrote an article, “Are There Too Many Social Networks for a Lawyer to Keep Up With?” It’s a great article sprinkled with the opinions of other lawyers, business owners and marketing professional, Brian Solis. Be sure to check it out.

Kevin’s opinion is that as a practicing lawyer, you should try a few networks and see which ones add value to your life. You don’t need to do them all.

I agree. With the explosion of social media it can be a daunting task to decide which network to start off with. Law is also an “oddball” of sorts where not all mediums are accepted or encouraged. Take Foursquare for example, I don’t think law firms should use Foursquare for business development. I know some won’t agree, and I guess it depends on your practice area, but I think Foursquare is more product driven (not professional services). Law carries a certain “trusted advisor” reputation and your social networks need to portray that.

Google Plus is one of the newest social media players. For now, Google is only allowing personal accounts. Business accounts are not permitted and this policy is strictly enforced. I’ve been playing around with it since the beta version was first released on June 28, 2011. When it comes to law firm marketing, I’m confident Google+ will have its place among the other networks. Especially because Google is so important when it comes to SEO. Perhaps business accounts will tie in to Google Places? We’ll see!

My advice is to start off with LinkedIn if you’re just starting off with social media. Create a comprehensive profile and then move on to blogging and/or Twitter. Master one before you move on to the next. These are my recommend choices. Let me know how it works for you!