Lawyer Marketing & Social Media: How Web 2.0 Changes the Game

Lawyers are finding it difficult to let go of the older methods they use to market their services. It’s difficult to change habits we’ve grown comfortable with. I find this is especially relevant to lawyers promoting their services on the web. Again and again, I see lawyers that participate in blatant self-promotion. The effect is not what they desire.

Websites, newsletters, blogs and other advertisements are becoming increasingly self-promoting.

Gaining a presence on the web can work both for you and against you. In other words, even though people may know who you are, it may be for the wrong reasons. When you are marketing professional services, such as legal services, not all publicity is good publicity.

When you publish content on the web, make sure it isn’t just a giant advertisement for yourself.

The following are some suggestions to avoid egregious self-promotion.

1. It isn’t all about you. The reality is that by writing about what you know, by being an expert in your field, you are promoting yourself is a good, but more subtle way. Think about the last time you read something you really admired or found interesting. If you didn’t know who the author was previously, chances are you took the time to find out afterward. This is what lawyer marketing in the web 2.0 world is about. Contribute good info and you will be remembered.

2. Attention on the web is fleeting. With lawyer marketing in web 2.0, your time is limited. You need to be helpful but concise. I always tell people to create bullet lists, outlines instead of long essays. Provide a lot of information in a small space.

3. Stay current, but don’t get overwhelmed. In addition to being brief, you need to be current. With web 2.0 lawyer marketing, people don’t want to wait a month for your next blog post. By the same token, you don’t need to produce 3 articles a day to stay current. I would advise planning out a couple of blog posts, perhaps 2-3 a week. Do the same with your social media efforts. This will help you increase the effectiveness of your efforts.

4. Talk with your own voice. In a nutshell, be interesting. The amount of information put out onto the web increases with every second. To rise to the top, you need to be interesting. When you speak in your own voice, the content will take on your personality and will differentiate from what others are writing.

Download This Free Guide: The Short E-Book To Getting Your law practice Found In Google. Simply having a website is like having a needle in the internet haystack. There are many law practice SEO techniques that need to be done over time to actually get your site found.