Practicing Lawyers Embrace Social Media

This Thursday, I will be presenting in Seattle, WA to a group of lawyers from around the country on the topic of social media.  Not considering myself an expert in the field, I was surprised to get the invitation to join an esteemed panel.

Here's the catch; the good folks at Avvo.com, a website designed to interface consumers of legal [and health care] services with the providers of those services, wanted a panel made of practicing attorneys; not just the usual "social media marketing" consultants.

Lawyers are not just dabbling in social media these days.  For most, getting connected and developing a robust electronic profile is now a "catch-up" exercise.

So I will be addressing conference attendees on how, as a busy practicing attorney, I have utilized social media in my law practice.  Along with the other panelists from around the country, I will be sharing my experience with utilizing social media to get our law firm message out to our target  audience.

Thanks, in part, to the followers of this blog, I can point to sustained search results placing us near the top of hyper-local searches for legal services in Northern Oakland County.

As a preview to this presentation, I was interviewed by Colin O'Keefe [from the Seattle area] of LXBN TV.  Here is a link to Colin's interview.

www.clarkstonlegal.com

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Posted in: Avvo,Avvocating 2012,Colin O'Keefe,lawyer,Oakland County,Seattle,social media

Social Media Presentations for Lawyers Are In Demand

With Lynn Krauss, President
Midland County Bar Association

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to address various bar organizations and industry groups on the topics of marketing and legal issues emerging within the social media context.  Lately, my bookings for such presentations have increased.

Lawyers now want to know how to market their wares electronically, and how to avoid the pitfalls.



Yesterday, I presented to the Midland County Bar Association.  They hold their monthly meetings in the spacious, and just-built, clubhouse at the Midland Country Club.

As bar association meetings go, it was a well-attended event.  The MCBA's Treasurer, Eric Larsen, attributed this to the topic he arranged: social medial marketing for lawyers.  Of the nearly 40 attendees, there was an even mix of general practitioners and Dow corporate attorneys.

The discussion focused on how to stay abreast of the constant wave of information; how to manage that information; and how to disseminate select portions of that information for a lawyer's prospects.  Hyper-local marketing was explained.  Tips were imparted on how to rise above the ever-present clutter that always seems to accompany search engine results.

The message in Midland was consistent with my other presentations: to get noticed on the Internet [i.e. Google, Yahoo, YouTube], lawyers marketing on the web need to frequently post relevant content that your target audience will find useful.

Now doing that, while managing a law firm, and actually practicing law, that is the challenge for the modern general practitioner.  More and more, lawyers and catching on to the social media wave.  For many, the good ole "yellow pages" ad is a distant memory.

Upcoming presentations on these topics will include a webinar sponsored by Thompson-West on Thursday, 02/23/2012, at 11:00 am EST.  Also, I will be on a panel of other practicing attorneys at the "Avvocating 2012" seminar in Seattle, WA in May.

Stay tuned as this is an ever-evolving topic.

www.clarkstonlegal.com

info@clarkstonlegal.com

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Posted in: Attorney Barb Krauss,Attorney Eric Larsen,Avvocating 2012,Dow Corporation,general practice attorney,Midland County Bar Association,social media