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Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

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Social Media’s Impact on Search Volume

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Social media has had a major impact on Internet traffic, user behavior and search volume. This has forced organizations to dedicate a great deal of time and energy to their web strategy if they want to attract new customers and stay in touch with current clients. Today, organizations need to monitor and incorporate various types of social media into their web strategy, as users spend so much time communicating via these services.

The article, Using Social Media to Get Ahead of Search Demand, suggests that firms needs to engage in a level of “social listening” when they monitor web behavior. This means that the words that are trending on social media sites are also the words that may be good keywords for search engine traffic. In order to take advantage of trending topics, firms must be ready to track and adjust to various keywords and phrases in real time.

Tracking this type of information is very important in a technology-driven world, and organizations should stay attuned to various social media outlets. However, they still need to make practical decisions as to what the traffic means and how the organization should react. The firm must work hard to understand the human needs of their clients and tailor web marketing accordingly.

Information in this post gathered in association with Mesothelioma lawyers.

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Google +1 Overview

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Sites like Google continue to work on ways to connect clients with businesses—and vice versa. Some connections are direct, while others are more subtle. Instead of waiting for random discoveries, search engines are increasingly optimized to target potential clients with information that may be specifically relevant to them.

Endorsements
The general idea behind Google’s +1 function is to allow users to endorse various sites so that their friends, family and other contacts can see that someone (who can seemingly be trusted) has recommended the site. As noted by Google’s article on +1, the site is about helping people to quickly find results that are theoretically interesting to them.

Help from friends
The Google +1 tool is essentially an Internet version of a word-of-mouth campaign. Since so many individuals are online, companies are indirectly using people to do the advertising for them. Granted, organizations still have to get endorsements from some customers who will spread the word, so conventional means of advertising must still be in place.

Social networking
Sites such as Facebook and Twitter have used the +1 idea as companies use cross-promotion to advertise their products. When individuals go to particular sites, they may see that their Facebook friends have “liked” this site. Google +1 is an attempt to utilize a similar strategy and maximize the power of consumer marketing.

Philadelphia accident attorneys at Howard, Brenner & Nass, P.C. have contributed resources for the development of this content.

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LinkedIn Marketing, Social Networking for Lawyers

Friday, October 29th, 2010

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site that allows professionals to post their resumes online and create direct connections between professionals in similar fields. LinkedIn members can utilize the site for a variety of activities including: creating a larger professional network through referrals and direct contact, finding business opportunities through the network, and find common friends that can help you network with other companies.

Like most tools, LinkedIn is only as good as how you use it. Below are few strategies to help you optimize your LinkedIn profile so you can impress employers, colleagues, headhunters, professional association members, and more.

Tip #1:
One of the most visible areas of a LinkedIn profile is the summary statement. This field allows you to highlight some key facts about yourself. When doing this, it is important to use keywords that a recruiter or hiring manager would use if they were to search for someone like you. The best place to find relevant keywords is in job listings that appeal to you, and the profiles of people who currently hold the type of positions that you want. Check out LinkedIn’s Company Pages feature to search through the profiles of employees at your dream employer.

Tip #2:
When creating your profile, also be sure to “write for the screen”. LinkedIn is not the place for long-form prose. Present your summary statement in short blocks of text with lots of white space. Bullet points are great, too. And remember, it is absolutely fine — crucial, in fact — to include unpaid or volunteer work in your Summary.

Tip #3:
Take the time to list out all of your experience, this is the best way to build out your network. One of the most valuable aspects of LinkedIn is the way it connects you with former colleagues and classmates. These are some of the best networking contacts. It would be a shame if a long lost colleague or classmate, who happens to be a recruiter now, couldn’t find you because you hadn’t listed that shared employment in your LinkedIn profile.

Tip #4:
Be sure to collect recommendations from a diverse collection of individuals in your network. Nothing builds credibility like third party endorsements. The most impressive LinkedIn profiles have at least one recommendation associated with each job a person has held. Think about soliciting recommendations from professors, internship coordinators, colleagues, employers, and classmates with whom you shared an extra curricular activity.

All of these tips should help you create a LinkedIn profile that is sure to increase the size and effectiveness of your online professional network.

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Online Reputation:the New Word of Mouth

Friday, August 20th, 2010

There is a lot of buzz around the term reputation management online in this age when consumers can easily go online to review items or services and compare and contrast the options available to them.  But it was when reading an interview between small business consultant Matt McGee and national reputation management expert, Andy Beal that it hit home as to why this is an important area for lawyers particularly to pay attention to. In the interview Beal discusses how when speaking with his clients he refers to “reputation management” as “referral management.” This clarification is an important one, especially when it comes to marketing legal services.  Historically attorneys have depended largely on word of mouth referrals to obtain clients. Now, many people turn to online resources such as reviews and social media to try to get background on a business or service provider. So in a sense, online reputation  is the new word of mouth.

Within a few keystrokes, someone searching online for a “Los Angeles criminal defense attorney” is given a list of potential attorneys to consider. The first step is of course to make sure your firm is returned for that search through search engine optimization.  However you also want to make sure that what potential clients find there and in subsequent searches presents your firm in a positive light.

With natural search and online reviews you of course cannot have the same level of control as with other types of marketing where you are paying for advertisements that you have created and approved. On the other hand, this often gives online reviews more sway as they are not viewed as paid advertising by those seeing them.  With reputation management you need to be cautious, especially as an attorney that you are acting ethically and staying within your state bar regulations for online marketing. Obviously you want to avoid practices such as  impersonating clients to either promote your services or criticize your competitors.

With this in mind, whether you are small lawyer practicing locally such as an attorney in Fort Wayne or a trademark lawyer who is handling cases nationally, there are steps you can take to be pro-active about how your firm is coming across online. You can take these steps yourself, or hire a consultant such as Beal, to help you.

Where do I start?

Monitor your presence online. The first step to managing your reputation online is knowing what that reputation is. Search for your firm name and attorney names online and see what is returned. Check out what is being said about your firm on local directory sites that include reviews such as Yelp and see if there are any reviews attached to your Google local listing. You can also set up Google Alerts for your firm name and check out other reputation management tools.

What should I do about a negative review?

Answer them. Post a response to their review as way of explanation or to ameliorate if it is legitimate complaint. By responding, you are showing others who could read this review that you are actively engaged in working through their concerns rather than ignoring them completely.

Learn from them. An important lesson: learn and utilize those negative reviews to see what it is specifically that a client did not like about your business.  What was it about your service that they were unhappy with?  Was it too much time in between communication?  Was there a verdict or settlement that left the client unhappy?  Take these reviews and try to make sure that your new clients do not have the same experience.

Be Pro-active.Encourage satisfied clients to post reviews online about their experience working with the firm, and be proactive about soliciting testimonials for posting on your own websites’  testimonials page.

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