Ethan Wall, founder of Social Media Law & Order, presented to all the Florida city groups (Orlando, Tampa Bay, South Florida) on Wed. June 3 on the topic Five Things Every Legal Marketer Must Know About Effective Social Media Marketing. There was an excellent turnout for the event, with 26 attendees in Tampa Bay, 23 attendees in Miami, and 20 attendees in Orlando.
The key takeaway items from Ethan's presentation:
1. Everyone is on and using social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube, Instagram, Pinterest)
- Pinterest is the largest growing social media site for women. Some are using it as a marketing resource for clients and referral sources.
2. Potential clients are searching for your attorneys. What are they finding on the various platforms?
- After Google, You Tube is the second most used search engine.
- Consumers are looking at Facebook and You Tube.
- Example: Google search Ethan Wall and first three results are Ethan's personal website, Twitter and LinkedIn because Google finds these results important.
3. Are your attorneys using social media effectively for marketing?
- Use social media as tools to accomplish your objectives.
- Facebook: great for marketing to personal connections.
- Twitter: great for sharing information about your practice to others who share that interest.
- LinkedIn: professional online networking with limited personal interaction.
4. How to use social media to accomplish your goals.
- Create a social media marketing plan by identifying your goals (such as maintaining an online presence; attract new clients; generate new business; become known as authority in particular area of law) and the firm's goals.
- Need to interact with your audience, engage then online but in a professional manner.
- Sharing content is good, but interacting is better because it develops relationships.
- Need to demonstrate social media's value to your attorneys.
- Attorneys aren't using social media for marketing for a variety of reasons.
- Training: afraid to post the wrong information.
- Trust: generational differences.
- Time: cannot bill for it.
5. Ethical rules for social media use.
- Florida Bar: social media used solely for social purposes with family and close friends is not subject to advertising rules.
- Florida Bar: pages appearing on networking sites that are used to promote the lawyer or the law firm's practice are subject to lawyer advertising rules.
- Florida Bar: statements must be objectively verifiable.