How lawyers use social media in 2014

©WEBER SHANDWICK 2013 All rights reserved

2014, Digital Engagement and Lawyers


Where most lawyers go wrong on social media

Companies thinking scheduling tweets = engagement Still far too much emphasis on broadcast instead of

engagement Not replying to people Not starting conversations A lack of goals regarding online Trying to be conversational once a month A lack of showing personality Not looking after staff and stakeholders online Events not being aligned with social media A lack of linkbait tactics or using up to date

communication styles A lack of planning and being too slow to respond


The biggest errors come from a lack of…

If you plan you cannot fail Learn to plan so you can respond quickly Make sure your tweets earn their keep and are aligned with blog

posts Think like the school edition of the local papers Put your links in the right spot…


The basics…

If on Twitter, use a tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck for better engagement and monitoring

Keep your tweets to under 120 characters so they are easy to share

Monitor for your Twitter name and brand name Know what your keywords are and try to mention them in

the first 100 characters of everything you do, especially blogs. SEO essential now

Tools like Google Alerts, Google Analytics and Mention.net make life a lot easier – and are free

Use Facebook Power Editor for better control over Facebook Ads

Respond quickly to people, engage lots Mobile is only going to continue to grow Bit.ly links are very useful (and you know to add a + at the end) You might even see Google+ as a LInkedIn – not Facebook

- killer


Don’t forget the website


Your 24/7 new business developer






Let’s assume some basics. You all know…


New York lawyers and digital engagement

Disappointment in Facebook – decling reach They see value – or can understand value – in advertising They know they should blog more but don’t Confident with video, especially YouTube, but don’t do enough of

it Other visual mediums – Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat –

leave them baffled Lack of co-ordination between comms channels and PR

MarComms All about tablets They want to try and speed up response time – a blog post

shouldn’t take three weeks. Google+ isn’t even on the radar for most Huge fear over offending someone so play it safe and dull


Advertising you say?


The digital talking points in 2014

Most firms will finally grasp digital/social media policies for staff that go beyond the company PC

Lots of chat around The Quantified Self – and there will be huge legal implications around it

More people to fundamentally fail at the basics of communication Remarketing ads and retargeting ads to be huge for

Google Devices like SmartWatches and Google Glasses to create

minefields The home and office to be more networked – NEST devices

and wifi lighting are only the beginning Smarter push advertising on apps like Waze – you drive near a

street with a home for sale, the SatNav tells you about it Far more incredible stunts – many done inexpensively Content will still rule the online world – especially video and text


Ahh, content…

Use video, audio, text, visuals to reach out to people

Vary your platforms of engagement

Use tools like Piktochart and Prezzi to make data more interesting and visual

Plan your content – use an editorial calendar – and be consistent. Podcasts every Wednesday for example

Vary your styles like a newspaper – have humour


Less reliance on text…

Content comes in more than one form

Will always have a role to play in SEO but people demand more now

Use videos – long and short – whitepapers, events, audio, staff training, presentations – get them all online if there’s relevance to an audience that will see you in a positive light

Always err on the side of brevity Make sure it all loads quickly –

and make sure people can share it

Use tools to see what works for others


Ahh, content…

#missionchristmas


Engage? Yes, we always do… on our blog

Don’t spend all your time on your own sites or networks

Go out there, visit Reddit, leave comments on other blogs, pass on useful information to people out there in the digital lands

Don’t wait for people to come to you

At the same time, remember: Be relevant Be useful Be helpful


Will 2014 see better use of The 7:2:1 rule?

For every 10 pieces of content you post… 7 should be non-

promotional and helpful to others

2 can be semi-promotional

1 can be a blatant plug That doesn’t mean you

abandon relevance. A restaurant can share recipes or cooking videos that people want

Accountants can share tax advice on donations to charities


Believing Content is King


Using social for stunts but never rely on just one channel…


Going visual


Going visual


Going visual


Going visual


Going visual


Going visual


Going visual


Going visual


ROI is hard to justify! In 2013? Really?

“Face-to-face” transaction can cost up to £11.28 whereas an equivalent contact centre episode expends £6.35 yet a similar transaction online incurs just 46 pence of cost.

Scottish Government ICT Study http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/351231/0117794.pdf


Ways of judging effectiveness on the road to ROI


Thank you

Craig McGillDigital Strategist, Scotland/Ireland0141 333 0557 07584 385 571@[email protected]/in/craigmcgill/[email protected]