Bob Ambrogi Avvo 2010

Empowerment and Social MediaAvvocatingJan. 21, 2010

Robert J. Ambrogi

Robert J. Ambrogi Esq. ambrogimedia.com


The Internet provides the power…


… you need to plug it in.


The social media

landscape


More and more consumers use

social media


Survey of active Internet users worldwide:

• 73% read blogs.

• 57% join social networks.

• 83% watch video online.

• 39% subscribe to RSS feeds.

• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs.

Survey: Universal McCann Wave 3, March 2008


2008: 35%

2006: 16%

2005: 8%

Survey: Pew/Internet, January 2009

Adult Internet users who use a social network site


Survey: Pew/Internet, Fall 2009


Younger adults more likely to use social networking.

• 75% of online adults 18-24.



• 19% of online adults 45 to 54.

• 10% of online adults 55 to 64.

• 7% of online adults 65 and older.

Survey: Pew/Internet, January 2009


Median age of users:

• LinkedIn: 39.

• Facebook: 33.

• Twitter: 31.

• MySpace: 26.

Survey: Pew/Internet, Fall 2009


More and more lawyers use social media


Survey: ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

4%Firms that

have joined a social network

15%Lawyers who have joined a social network

12%Firms that have joined a social

network

43%Lawyers who have joined a social network

2008 2009


Survey: Leader/LexisNexis, August 2009








Martindale-Hubbell Connected:

• March 2009: 3,000 members

• November 2009: 22,000 members

Legal OnRamp:

• Total members: 10,500

• In-house members: 5,300


Social media empowers consumers


“Markets are conversations…

“These conversations are most often about value: the value of products and of the businesses that sell them.”

- The Cluetrain Manifesto



Consumers Most Trust Real Friends and Virtual Strangers





• 82% percent of small business owners use review and ratings sites for a various reasons, including legal needs.

• 49% of consumers use review and ratings Web sites for the same reasons.

• More than half of small business owners agree that ratings sites give customers more control over the quality of goods and services.

• More than half of small business owners agree that review and rating sites mean businesses are held to higher standards.

Source: LexisNexis, October 2009


Social media empowers

lawyers


1.2 million


Consumers want to know:

• Who can do what I need done?

• Who can I trust to do it well?


Marketing boils down to:

• Making yourself stand out as a choice.

• Establishing confidence in yourself as the choice.


Old ways not very good at either.


Early Web not much better.

• No good search

• Limited audience.


Fast forward to today.



Survey: Leader/LexisNexis, 2008, 2009


Lawyers ConsumersTrust

The nexus of lawyers online and consumers online


Social media are a set of tools for building and

strengthening your network of trusted relationships.


Conversation

Community

Commenting

Collaboration

Contribution


tips for putting the power to work

10


1. Ramp up your visibility.


Blog


Blogs = Social

Web sites = Wallflowers




2. Distinguish your ability.





3. Engage in the conversation.



19% of online adults

use Twitter.


4. Make yourself ubiquitous.





5. Fish where the fish are.


• 300 million-plus active users.

• 4th most trafficked Web site.

• More than half post-college



6. Nurture your networks.




Firm Name Members Type

Skadden, Arps 839 Alumni

Heller Ehrman 323 Alumni

White & Case 281 Alumni

Baker & McKenzie 278 Employee & Alumni

Orrick, Herrington 183 Employee & Alumni

Troutman Sanders 159 Alumni

Fish & Richardson 88 Alumni

Womble Carlyle 61 Current Employees

Dewey Ballantine 53 Alumni

Morgan, Lewis 52 Alumni

Cooley Godward 51 Alumni

Venable 51 Alumni

Cadwalader 45 Alumni

Pillsbury Winthrop 45 Alumni

Cleary Gottlieb 40 Alumni

Goodwin Procter 40 Employee & Alumni

Duane Morris 31 Alumni

Holland & Knight 21 IP Attorneys

Firm Name Members Type

Stroock & Stroock 17 Employee & Alumni

Mayer Brown 15 Derivatives Lawyers

Bryan Cave 10 Alumni

Jones Day 10 Washington Alumni

Hunton & Williams 9 Alumni

Sonnenschein 9 Alumni

Drinker Biddle 8 Alumni

McDermott Will 5 Current Employees

Sullivan & Cromwell 4 Employee & Alumni

Davis Polk & Wardwell 3 Alumni

Baker Botts 2 Current Employees

Baker & Hostetler 1 Current Employees

Gibson, Dunn 1 Alumni

Kirkland & Ellis 1 Current Employees

K&L Gates 1 Current Employees

Seyfarth Shaw 1 Alumni

Steptoe & Johnson 1 Paralegals

Survey: Large Firms with LinkedIn Groups, October 2008

Source: 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

http://tinyurl.com/5ujave

http://tinyurl.com/5jotma

http://tinyurl.com/683o7t

http://tinyurl.com/69mfru





7. Know your audience.




8. Share knowledge generously.




Would you consider hiring a lawyer who provided an answer to your question?

• 21%: Yes.

• 47%: Maybe, it’s just one factor in deciding.

• 15%: No, I’m not happy with the answer provided.

• 17%: No, I don’t need to hire a lawyer.

Source: Avvo, December 2009


9. Be transparent.




10. Embrace ratings.



• Ratings tiered by relation.• Lawyer ratings will include

price comparisons. • Better metrics to ‘rate’

lawyers.• Search tools will better

rank influencers.

What’s ahead?



Seize the power!