social

media:
Why Your Firm Should Care
28 LEGAL MANAGEMENT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010
An introduction to social media tools to
get your firm up to speed.
BY TRACY ACOSTA-SPORE
Business today is conducted in a virtual world where organizations of all sizes have
the potential to participate on a level playing field. Information is king when it comes
to fully exploiting this virtual marketplace. Social media has become the
tool of choice for gathering and disseminating the plethora of information
available. How can a firm ensure their message is being heard and the right knowledge
is being gathered given the immense volume of digital data flying around in cyberspace?
Thats the question facing just about every lawyer and legal administrator today.
Results of the 2010 Corporate Counsel New Media Engagement Survey indicate
AmLaw-ranked firms have jumped on the new media bandwagon and a majority
of in-house counsel expects to interact with firms using these tools now and in the
foreseeable future. Of the 164 survey respondents, 62 percent indicated they prefer to
obtain their business and industry news online using a variety of digital tools. Is your
firm currently able to deliver this much sought-after business and industry news to the
electronic devices of choice, whether through a computer, BlackBerry or iPhone?
WWW. ALANET. ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 29
30 LEGAL MANAGEMENT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010
Corporate counsel may find social media
tools invaluable in finding and engaging
qualified legal counsel. These tools give firms
an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise
in the areas of law in which they specialize.
You can find just the right firm to meet your
current needs by carefully listening to what
they offer through these venues.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
Before you begin any foray into the mysterious
world of social media it is important to first
understand what it is and how it is used. Lets
start with a basic primer of the more common
social media tools currently available.
In broad terms, the entire Internet is one big
social media tool. Search engines such as Google,
Yahoo and Bing make it easier than ever to find
information. With this overload of information,
however, it is easy to get lost in the sea of data.
A few innovative companies have developed a
handful of Web-based tools designed to harness
the power of social media.
Most organizations, including law firms,
have websites already. Although it is not
commonly considered a social media tool,
a branded website serves as an online brochure
and thus can help communicate your message.
Most law firm sites include office locations,
attorney information, practice areas in which they
specialize and news mentions or press releases.
However, such static information is unlikely to
attract repeat visitors and keep your firm in the
forefront of their mind. For corporate counsel,
these sites may be your first exposure to what a
firm can offer your company.
To remain competitive, firms may opt to
include newer social media tools such as a blog or
pages on LinkedIn and Facebook. However, these
interactive elements must contain timely, accurate
and useful information. Content must be updated
on a regular basis to remain fresh and attract
repeat visitors.
According to a recent survey conducted
by Alyn-Weiss & Associaties on corporate
transactional and defense firms, 2010 National
Marketing Effectiveness Survey: What Works,
What Doesnt and How Much Firms are Spending,
nine percent of firms are getting work directly or
by referral from social networking sites such as
LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
One of the best ways to attract a steady stream
of traffic to a firm website is by incorporating a
blog. A blog is essentially an online broadcast
of thoughts and information written in a casual,
first-person style. Bloggers post content that
communicates a message they want to share with
the community. Members of the community are
then able to provide feedback about that content
by typing comments directly on the page where
the blog post resides. These virtual conversations
are usually available to the general public and may
appear in search engine results for the topic under
discussion. This provides an easy way for firms and
potential clients to find one another.
Marketing professionals encourage bloggers
to be authentic when creating content, but
suggest that posted content be closely monitored
to ensure its in line with the firms overall
business goals. Because the tone of a blog is more
casual, the message may be perceived as more
personal. Blogs can help build credibility when
used appropriately and may be used by corporate
counsel to determine their general compatibility
with a firm represented by the blogger.
LinkedIn is a website that allows users to
create a profile that resembles a resume or CV.
Depending on the options selected, members
may view profiles, receive status updates through
comments and posts, and view who else they
connect with. Corporate counsel may also review
the connections of the firms in which they have
an interest in engaging, which may be helpful in
avoiding potential conflicts. LinkedIn members
may join groups and connect with others who
have similar interests. If a group dedicated to a
particular interest does not exist, you can establish
one. LinkedIn is an avenue for listening to what
law firms, clients, potential clients and competitors
are talking about. Simply join the groups in which
they participate and frequently review the posts
within the group discussion forums. If you do
nothing else, said Jessica Jaramillo, a marketing
and business development consultant for Alyn-
Weiss & Associates, join LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an
opportunity for constant visibility. LinkedIn lets you
WWW. ALANET. ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 31
get the word out and promote what you do 24/7.
This is a valuable tool that can easily complement
face-to-face marketing efforts.
While LinkedIn tends to be focused on building
business relationships, Facebook is much more
social in nature. Its likely that many of your firms
attorneys or their family members are already using
it personally, this minimizes the perceived threat
that may exist when adapting to a new technology.
Facebook allows users to become fans of a
company page. Fans are then able to see anything
the company has posted on its page in their own
news feed when they log on to the site.
Twitter is essentially a mini version of a blog.
Members can post short, 140 character messages,
called tweets, through the website or from their
mobile devices. Tweets are then broadcast and
are viewable to anyone. Most users tweet about
the status of current projects, things they are
interested in or working on or events they are
attending. Twitter members can follow others and
are automatically shown the tweets of any person
or company they choose to follow. Tweets can be
viewed from the website directly or via any mobile
device. LinkedIn or Facebook can also be set up to
automatically display these tweets directly,
thus reducing the time involved in keeping each
site updated.
Twitter is an amazing tool for gathering
information, disseminating information and
building readership for blogs. Lawyers should not
dismiss it as frivolous, said Amy Knapp, President
of Knapp Marketing. However, Knapp also cautions
lawyers and staffers to enter the Twittersphere
slowly by following others for a while, listening
to what interests them and then carefully crafting
tweets in a way that will engage clients or
potential clients.
WHY USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
There are plenty of articles, how-to books and
websites covering the social media phenomenon,
yet you may not be convinced of their value for
a law firm or solo practitioner. Even when the
benefits are clear, most firms are reluctant to dive
in. Before taking that leap, evaluate which tools
are best suited to your firm culture, size, marketing
practices and business goals.

32 LEGAL MANAGEMENT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

Educate yourself on the tools available and how
competitors and clients are currently using them.
Here is a general overview of what is occurring
within the legal industry according to some
industry thought leaders.
LexBlog indicates that as of March 2010 nearly
half of the AmLaw 200 firms are blogging an
astounding 147 percent more than in August
of 2007.
Apollo Business Development reports that every
one of those AmLaw 200 firms has a profile
on LinkedIn. In fact, of the approximate 50
million LinkedIn users, nearly 1.5 million of
them are lawyers.
Among the AmLaw 100, 31 percent have
a Facebook fan page.
Seventy-six percent of AmLaw 100 firms have
a Twitter presence.
Some of these numbers may be somewhat
deceiving, as only a handful of the firms using
these tools have done so aggressively or
effectively thus far. However, given the rapidity
with which these tools are being adopted
by firms and their clients, this is likely a short-
term condition.
According to Mary Meeker, Scott Devitt and
Liang Wu of Morgan Stanley in their Economy
+ Internet Trends presentation at the Web
2.0 Summit in San Francisco last October,
Improvements in social networking and mobile
computing platforms (led by Facebook and
Apple ecosystems) are fundamentally changing
ways people communicate with each other
and ways developers/advertisers/vendors reach
consumers. They also noted that Twitter had
year over year growth of over 1,171 percent
with approximately 5,000 tweets per second
being broadcast during peak times.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Now that you are familiar with the basics of social
media, the next step is to develop best practices
and policies associated with the use of these tools.
Remember to distribute any policies internally and
educate your population on using social media
responsibly. A social media blunder is a very public
misstep that has the potential to countermand
any progress your firm may have realized
previously. Sample social media policies abound
on the Internet and may be found by doing a
search using any of the popular search engines.
Information may also be found on legal-specific
social media communities or through your
professional liability carrier.
Learning the essentials of using social media tools
themselves is as easy as reading a book, listening to
a podcast series on iTunes or taking an online course.
Ann Handley and Mack Collier of MarketingProfs.com
offer a podcast entitled How to Blog Effectively for
Business (GF101), as part of the Inbound Marketing
University podcast series on iTunes. They suggest
that bloggers should be passionate about the firm,
excited about social media technology and interested
in connecting with current and potential clients. They
also point out that bloggers should be good writers
To remain competitive, firms may opt to include newer
social media tools such as a blog or pages on LinkedIn and
Facebook. However, these interactive elements must
contain timely, accurate and useful information. Content must be updated on a
regular basis to remain fresh and attract repeat visitors.
Tracy Acosta-Spore, Office Administrator, THOMPSON & KNIGHT LLP
Become a fan of ALA on Facebook:
Search for Association of Legal Administrators
Join us on LinkedIn:
Search for Association of Legal Administrators
Follow us on Twitter:
@ALABuzz
WWW. ALANET. ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 33
who are willing to commit time on a regular basis to
keeping the content fresh. Laura Fitton of Pistachio
Consulting and co-author of the book Twitter for
Dummies, also participated in the podcast series with
a segment entitled Twitter for Business (GF501).
Fitton suggests that using Twitter allows companies
and brands to engage more deeply with consumers
and markets in strategic and powerful ways.
The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)
is a great tool for learning about social media.
Some members of your local chapter have likely
investigated the possibilities, started a social media
program, or created a social media policy, network
with other members who may already utilize these
tools successfully. There will likely be speakers on
social media at chapter meetings and regional
conferences. As always, you can access the
www.alanet.org website for resources and
information about social media. These resources
may be the best way to determine which social
media options may be of value to your organization.
Lawyers just need to get comfortable engaging
in online conversations they just do, said
Knapp, who also cautions lawyers and staffers to
internally introduce the topic of social media slowly.
Do not come in like gangbusters or the prophet
of social media. Continue to add one additional
social media tool at a time until the appropriate
mix is achieved that best suits your business needs
and the social media experience of your attorneys.
Remember to keep the information fresh and remain
actively engaged with your followers. Listen as
much as you communicate, adjusting your message
appropriately to meet the needs and expectations of
the client community.
If one of your tools is languishing remove it rather
than abandoning it. Having stale content thats no
longer pertinent or a Web presence thats never
updated does not present a favorable impression.
Remember creating an online presence is not a
one-time activity. Your firm must be committed to
engaging clients and potential clients for the long haul.
Although the monetary investment may be
minimal, the time investment necessary to do it
successfully should be considered when deciding
on a social media strategy that is right for your
organization. However in todays world, it is likely
you will find any time investment worthwhile. K
about the author
Tracy Acosta-Spore is Office Administrator for
Thompson & Knight LLP in Dallas, Texas. She is
also the VP-Programs for ALAs Dallas Chapter and
frequent contributor to Legal Management and the
Lonestar Administrator, a publication of the Dallas
Chapter. Contact her at tracy.acostaspore@tklaw.com.
iufrocuciuc fur rLi-rsr kuowLrccr
rorfrL - r LrcrL rcucrfiou & rrsrrrcu fooL
crsicurc fo sfrrruLiur rcuiuisfrrfiou
wuiLr civiuc \ou r Lof ror r LiffLr.
wr cusfou-suiLc ru ouLiur soLufiou ror
\our riru's urrcs, cousiuiuc purLif\ cLr
rrocrrus wifu sfrrss-rrrr ururcruruf.
urruwuiLr, \ou ouL\ rr\ ror fur orfious
\ou wruf. rLrxisiLif\ fo rif ru\ succrf.
srr r cruo rf BMJBCBPSHQPSUBM, or crLL 1-800-cLr-urws.
QUID PRO
LESS DOUGH