Generating Business Through Social Media and Your Website

Geri L. DreilingBeth Lewandowski

Presentation materials may be found at: http://www.slideshare.net/GeriDreiling/generating-business-through-social-media-and-your-website

What is the one single communication channelthat can reach 87 percent of all Americans?

The Internet

(Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm)

What is the single biggest advertising expenditure for Missouri lawyers?

Law firm websites.

Where does social media use rank amongMissouri lawyers?

Social media is the eighth most popular formof advertising, ranking ahead of

print media, lawyer referral services, direct mail, newsletters, radio and television.

(Source: Missouri Bar’s Economic Survey, 2013)

In a way, the Web is like your Hollywood agent: It speaks for you whenever

you’re not around to comment.” -- Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

During this session, we’ll tackle the following questions:

• What should you do before you launch or update your website?• What should your website contain?• Should your website be responsive?• Who uses social media?• What is your social media strategy?

What should you do before you launch or update your website?

Your law firm’s website and social media strategy should promote your firm’s brand.

And this requires strategic thinkingthat should from the firm’s partners.

What should you do before you launch or update your website?

To get a clearer understanding your firm’s brand, ask and answer these questions:

•Who are your ideal clients?•What are your firm's strengths?•What are the needs of your clients?•Do you want to build a community, serve as a resource, provide information relevant to the lives of your clients outside of just the law, boost your city?•What tone will your materials take? Will they be positive, educational, scholarly, compassionate, combative?

Your law firm’s branding and the personal branding ofIndividual lawyers goes hand-in-hand.

Some law firms encourage lawyers to have their ownwebsites, blogs or social media feeds

that complement the firm’s efforts.

Media companies have recognized the importance of the personal brand of the journalists they employ.

Many now require reporters to have their own official social media presence

to help promote their own stories and the

stories of their colleagues.

What should your website contain?

Because the expectation of multimedia useis high among users, website should blend

different kinds of information – Images, infographics, sounds and words.

Users tend to lose patience with only one kindof communication. A wall of text can sendvisitors away. And while more favor videoover text, there are those who will skip a

video if there is no text.

(Source: Thinking Through Communication, Trenholm, 7th Edition)

What should your website contain?

Think of your home page like a building lobbythrough which people pass to get somewhere else.

--Jacob Nielsen and Marie Takir (Source: Thinking Through Communication, Trenholm, 7th edition)

What should your website contain?

Start with a one-paragraph summary:

this brief description is your presentation, your virtual “elevator pitch” use it at the top of your website, in your social media profiles, etc.

Then, and only then, the rest of your detailed information should follow

What should your website contain?More specific recommendations:• Your logo. That's how you build brand image, so you are remembered, and you look as professional. Use your name with some unique text depiction (to be unique and easy to remember) and pair it with a unique symbol - avoid clip-art or stock imagery than anyone can reuse, and go with a unique depiction of some law-related symbol, something that reminds of your company initials (so it helps you being remembered, in a very compact space) or both.• Your tagline. Just a single text line below your logo, summarizing what you do, in plain English - so people will know that they have arrived to the right place, and they won't "bounce." "Personal injury lawyer," or "Family lawyer" are good examples.• Your contact details. People who want to become your clients should have no problem reaching you, so including your contact details in an easy-to-find position is something that makes sense. So make sure to include a visible "contact" link in your main navigation menu (it's usually the last link of the list, which also gets more additional attention.) And including your phone number in a visible top spot in all your pages is something that can pay off.

What should your website contain?More specific recommendations:

• Make your title count. The title of every page should be big and very visible, as people (and search engines) would appreciate that. Put in here the main subject of the page, immediately followed by the kind of content you don't want your readers to miss. The right tagline prevents new visitors from bouncing, while the right title and first paragraph engages their attention and keeps them reading.• Use relevant images. Images are more than mere decoration, and they should be used to illustrate your point, introduce yourself, or present your offices. Also, make sure that your images direct attention towards your content.• Keep text natural. Keyword stuffing won't help you with search engines anymore. Moreover, it will hurt your rankings. So write naturally, avoiding excessive keyword repetition. Keep things straight to the point, and easy-to-read, as your potential clients are your main priority.

What should your website contain?More specific recommendations:

• Include a call to action. After reading your texts, a user may wonder about what the next step is. So this is a good point to include a call to action, as a direct instruction of what to do, like a clickable "contact us now" button. Including a unique advantage - as "get immediate help" or "first free consultation" - can help you too.• Use a relevant footer. Your footer is a good place for disclaimers, but also to repeat those very visual trust-building seals. It is a good idea to include your address in the footer, but use your real address, and don't spam with areas where you aren't present, as that can get you punished in local search results

(Source: Enrique Serrano Valle, Web Developer and User Experience Consultant)

What should your website contain?What do consumers rate as important?

Up-to-date information

Personalization

The right level of detail to find information they need

(Source: Digital Experience: Are Brands Meeting Consumer Expectations?)

What about responsiveness?

Sixty four percent of American adults now own a smartphone of some kind,

up from 35 percent in the spring of 2011.

Smartphone ownership is especially high among younger Americans, as well as those with relatively high income and education levels.

(Source: Smartphone Use in 2015, Pew Research Center)

What about responsiveness?

Because more people are using their smartphones to search the Internet, websites should be responsive, meaning they

change size depending on whether the site is being viewed on a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop.

Just how important is responsiveness?

On April 21, Google announced that it was adding a website’s mobile friendliness as a search engine ranking signal.

(Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog)

Who uses social media?

(Source: Pew Research Center Social Networking Fact Sheet)

Who uses social media?

(Source Quoted: Pew Research Center Social Networking Fact Sheet)

Who uses social media?

Who uses social media?

Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

58 percent used Facebook

23 percent used LinkedIn

22 percent used Pinterest

21 percent used Instagram

19 percent used Twitter

According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of social media users among all American adults 18 and older was as follows:

Source: Pew Research Center

Who uses social media?

Source: Pew Research Center

Who uses social media?

Source: Pew Research Center

Who uses social media?

Source: Pew Research Center

Who uses social media?

Source: Pew Research Center

Who uses social media?

Source: Pew Research Center

Who uses social media?

Research in 2011 from the Center of Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth found use of social media among the following:

• 58 percent of Fortune 500 companies• 71 percent of Inc 500 companies• 97 percent of charities• 98 percent of higher education institutions

(Source: Newsom, Public Relations Writing)

Who uses social media?

"Blogs and social media platforms can be excellent tools for consuming content, creating awareness about an industry or client,

establishing expertise in a practice area or industry, or for Creating or nurturing relationships with clients, referral sources,

colleagues and others.“

--ABA Tech Report 2014

(Source: Blogging and Social Media, ABA Tech Report, 2014)

What is your social media strategy?

Begin with a strategy of building your law firm's brand and decide how your website

and social media will promote that brand.

What is your social media strategy?

First, you must choose the appropriate medium.• Facebook: for photos, news and text updates

• Beth Lewandowski LLC• Kelly & Visotcky

• Instagram: Photos• Urban Lawyers• Callagy Law

• Pinterest: Photos and infographics. • Copyright Infographic• Navigating the Criminal Court System• Taylor & Taylor Law Firm

What is your social media strategy?

First, you must choose the appropriate medium.• Twitter: Short text updates.

• Kramer Law Firm• Beverly A. Michaelis• Lee Rosen

• LinkedIn: Status updates and posts• Gyi Tsakalakis

• Tumblr: Blogging and micro-blogging platform• Stowe Family Law• Above The Law

What is your social media strategy?

The writing style should always be clear and concise.

Poorly written or hard-to-understand writing won't be read.

Make a decision about tone which can range from very formal to light hearted. What is appropriate depends on the context.

What is your social media strategy?

•Set up Google Alerts for content ideas

Paperli may help with content ideas

•Use # hashtags. (hashtags.org)

•Minimize broadcasts. 80/20 rule

•Determine the best days and times of days to post. (Infographic)

What is your social media strategy?

And don't forget the power of review sites. According to a 2014 survey from Software Advice of

3,465 respondents, Yelp was deemed the most trusted website for legal reviews -- above Martindale Hubbell, Avvo

and Superlawyers.

(Source: Software Advice)

Additional Resources

A Lawyer’s Guide to Social MediaSocial Media For LawyersBusiness of Law BlogLaw Practice Tips BlogLegal Solutions BlogDivorce DiscourseSearch Engine Land

Generating Business Through Social Media and Your Website

Geri L. DreilingBeth Lewandowski

: