Law Consulting Blog : Cordell Parvin's Law Consulting Blog : Coach & Consultant For Lawyers & Law Firms : Business Development, Career Planning

As you know, I will be speaking at the Dallas ALA chapter meeting a week from today. Here is the Promo for my presentation titled: How and Why to Use Social Media in the Law Firm. I thought recently that the legal administrators likely know why to use social media. I have to give them the ammunition to explain it to their law firm leaders who are my age. I wonder how many of those lawyers my age have forgotten that they were reluctant to have a firm website when that became the trend.

In Social Media Reduces the Luck Factor in Client Development I posted last week, I wrote about Seth Godin's 2000 Fast Company article Unleash Your Ideavirus.  I was busy practicing law then and, I focused my client development efforts in identifying changes impacting my transportation construction companies and providing guidance before any other lawyer. If you can picture, one way I kept up with regulation changes was to subscribe to the Federal Register and skim each daily edition. If there was a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), I wrote a draft guide or summary and then the day the rule became final, I edited it to incorporate any changes and mailed my guide to 100s in the construction industry.

You can imagine my delight when the Federal Register went on line and I could search for relevant proposed rule changes and the day when I could email my thoughts to the 100s in the construction industry.

The first time I remember emailing my guidance was in February of 1999. After several years the USDOT finally made final new rules on Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. I had three pieces of guidance ready to go that very day. I emailed those to construction associations in most states and asked the executive directors to alert their members. Some of the guidance is still relevant today as you can see from the Florida Transportation Builders' Association Web Site.

As I explained last week, today it would be so much easier. I would prepare for any change in regulations as before to be first to bring it to the attention of construction companies. But, instead of sending email. I would write a blog post, link to it on a Facebook Transportation Construction Page, link to it again on Twitter and link to it a third time on LinkedIn. As some of you know, I could actually do that all at once. If I was still practicing, I would also record a podcast outlining the impact of the changes and put it on iTunes. 

Depending on how much I would need to redraft my original analysis, what I have described above could easily be accomplished in about an hour. So,

• Let your clients know that you do not wish to inundate them with email and instead, they can join your page, or your firm's page on Facebook, follow you on Twitter and if they have an iPod they can subscribe to your podcast.
• If your clients are impacted by federal, state or municipal regulation changes, monitor what is being proposed.
• As soon as a new regulation is proposed, prepare an analysis or guide for your clients.
• The day the new rule becomes final, post a blog about it and link to your blog on your Facebook law related page and on Twitter. Also do a short audio recording podcast and put it on iTunes.
• Let industry association executives know of the change and provide a link to your blog and podcast.
• Invite blog readers to ask questions.
• If your analysis is long, don't put the entire analysis in your blog. Instead either upload a link to it or invite blog readers to send you an email to get the complete analysis. I prefer uploading the link.
• Make sure to have the usual disclaimers to avoid problems any hint you are giving legal advice or creating lawyer-client relationship with the reader.

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I got on Twitter a year ago. At first I was a skeptic. I didn't really see the value for lawyers. 

I recently spoke to a former construction law colleague from my old firm. During the conversation I asked if he was on Twitter. He said no and told me he did not see the value. When I asked why, he responded: "How many construction company CEOs or GCs do you know who are on Twitter?" I had to admit I didn't know any.

I think my former colleague may not understand how to use Twitter. He views it only as a tool to communicate and distribute content. I see it differently. It is a tool to listen to influencers and others and then engage. Suppose as a lawyer I represented highway construction contractors. So, I would be interested in what leaders in that industry might be saying. I can find them on Twitter and they influence the CEOs and GCs who are not on Twitter.

Bob Burleson is one of my closest friends. He is the President of the Florida Transportation Contractors' Association. He is on Twitter and frequently discusses the Florida legislature possibly raiding the highway construction trust fund. Here are a couple of recent tweets:

• Disastrous plan to pull DOT money out of Trust Fund – letter in PB Post http://bit.ly/9AZBAe
• The state of the State Transportation Trust Fund http://bit.ly/9vChZL - FL is gravely close 2 NJ's Transportation Policy
• Orlando biz owner and FTBA chair shares her concerns on raiding the trust fund Orlando Sentinel readers http://bit.ly/brOfd8
• Florida’s transportation building industry is being threatened – we may be down a vote, but we’re not out [BLOG] http://bit.ly/9HmvpM

The Associated General Contractors are on Twitter. Here are some of their recent tweets:

• Orlando, FL has highest rate of construction job loss of any city in Florida, FL's construction depression continues http://bit.ly/csrlMM
• Interesting look at the state of Washington's construction industry and what the future has in store...http://bit.ly/aQ7PqW
• RT @roadeditor: Senate discusses new transpo bill. http://www.roadsbridges.com/...debates-ways-to-finance-new-highway-bill-newsPiece20296

All of the tweets above would interest me as a lawyer representing highway construction contractors. I might retweet one or more of them. I might even comment on them. It took hardly any time to find them and would take little time to engage in the discussion.

So, if you are considering being on Twitter, or if you are already on Twitter, use it as a listening tool to find out what is going on that impacts your clients. Then, engage your clients by providing content based on what you have learned listening.

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Just today, I read an interesting Copyblogger  blog post: The Critical Mistake that Keeps Bloggers Broke. I could have easily written it for lawyers. I would have titled it: "The Critical Mistake that Keeps Blogging/Tweeting Lawyers from Connecting with Clients."

I know many law firms that have blogging lawyers. I know many lawyers who are tweeting. Several of those firms and lawyers make one big mistake. Their blogs/tweets are focused on what the lawyer bloggers/tweeters do rather than what their clients do. In that way the blogs and tweets are more about the lawyer than about the client.

The dirty secret is your clients and potential clients do not care about what you do. They only care about how you can help them solve their problems and achieve their business goals.

I recently wrote about this in the context of websites. Your Firm Website: Is It for You or Your Clients? Are your firm’s blog posts for you or your clients? If I was the partner in charge of marketing in my old law firm and could choose the firm’s blogs they would be:

• Financial Services Law Blog
• Construction Law Blog
• Real Estate Development Law Blog
• Healthcare Law Blog
• Hospitality Law Blog
• Energy Law Blog
• Manufacturer’s law blog
• Franchise Law Blog
• Information Technology Law Blog

Those were the main industries for our clients. I would want our litigators, corporate lawyers, environmental lawyers, IP lawyers, and labor and employment law lawyers to stay on top of what was happening in their legal field that was impacting any of our clients’ industries.

What are your clients’ industries? Are your blogs and tweets about what you do or about what your clients do?

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I have decided each Friday to share with you the blog posts I have been reading over the last week. As you will see most of them are not written specifically for lawyers, but the content is valuable for lawyers. You will also see that it takes hardly any time to read them. The more important time you spend is reflecting on how you can use the points in your own practice. So start by reading Is Reading Blog Posts Worth Your Time?

If you or your firm is blogging, you have to read Chris Brogan's Build Ecosystems for Your Content 

If you want to learn more about client service read Los Angeles lawyer Staci Riordan blog Puttin on the Ritz She shares a story about the service she received at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia.

If you want to learn more about social media read 10 Ways to Leverage Social Media

If you are blogging and trying to get your blog retweeted, read 13 Ways to Get Your Blog Post Retweeted.

Finally for this week if you are wondering whether you are spending time on social media sites wisely read When Worth Your While Isn't Worth Your While

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 I often hear: Social media is for younger lawyers not for experienced lawyers like me. My clients are not using social media sites."

Well, that may have been true a couple of years ago. But, it is no longer true. I recently read: Boomers and Social Media-Are you where your customers are? In 2009 Facebook and Twitter saw large increases in boomer users. Law firms and individual lawyers are increasing using both social media tools to reach out to their clients. I suspect that within a couple of years most firms will stop sending email alerts that many recipients do not wish to receive and will instead use social media to get the same information in the hands of those who wish to receive it.

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I recently wrote about the Strength of Weak Ties. In that post I mentioned that in 1983, Congress enacted a provision in a Federal Highway funding statute that complicated matters for highway construction contractors. I wrote about the change and spoke at conferences across the country.

At the time I was a 12-year lawyer and didn’t have the Internet to help with research or to connect me with weak ties. What would I do now, if I were a 12-year lawyer? How would I use social media and other Internet tools?

My main strategy would be to use the Internet to find things going on that will create legal issues or opportunities for transportation construction contractors. I would also use the Social Media tools to become more visible and credible to my target market and to build relationships.

1. I would have Google Alerts set up for each of my clients, their competitors, and highway construction, bridge construction, rail construction, airport construction and mass transit  construction.
2. I would continue reading construction magazines like Engineering News Record, but I would also get their daily electronic updates.
3. I would be on LinkedIn and I would start the Transportation Construction Law Group. I would invite all my contractor friends on LinkedIn to join the group. I would search for other groups that would likely have members interested in transportation construction and join those groups. Each month I would link to the column I wrote in Roads and Bridges magazine. When I did presentations I would mention them and offer to send the PowerPoint slides and handouts to anyone who was unable to attend the presentation.
4. I would be on Facebook and likely use it to stay in touch with my friends, as I am using it now. I would consider setting up a Transportation Construction Law Fan Page where I would post what is going on in transportation construction. I would use this page instead of sending out email blasts of alerts I write.
5. I would be on Twitter and I would use it to gather information, to build relationships with transportation construction leaders, influencers and writers who are on Twitter. I would also use it to post news and information contractors would find valuable and helpful. I would be seeking contractor friends to follow me on Twitter. I would also link to the monthly columns I wrote for Roads and Bridges magazine.
6. I would update and make e-books of my books on Transportation Construction Claims, Design-Build for Transportation Construction Contractors and Linear Scheduling.
7. I would do quarterly webinars at no charge for the transportation construction industry. I would record them and make them available to national construction associations and their state chapters. I would edit them and make several short podcasts.
8. I would consider putting my PowerPoint slide presentations on Slide Share.

Some senior lawyers do not see the value of social media. Others believe there are ethical problems with lawyers using social media for marketing. Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog has written about both points. I urge skeptical senior lawyers to read Kevin's posts. In his November 8 post Kevin writes how social media has raised the bar for client development and in his December 30 post, Kevin includes a list of things to avoid doing that would raise ethical considerations.

Lawyers are increasingly using social media to market. It can be done efficiently, effectively and ethically. How are you using social media? How is your firm using it? How can you take some of my ideas above and use them for your practice?

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Are you on Twitter yet? If so you can follow me at http://twitter.com/cordellparvin.

Twitter is described as a “Micro Blog.” That is because Twitter requires that you post no more than 140 characters. I think most lawyers and most law firms on Twitter are using it to drive potential clients and referral sources to their Blogs, Alerts and other written material.

I have been on it a few months with the hope I could share with lawyers the value of being on it, if any. So far it is challenging for me to see much value. I have used it with the hope that followers will read my Blog posts or listen to my podcasts. But, most people who are following me on Twitter are not the specific lawyers or law firms that I would hope to find value from my posts and podcasts. While I have become aware of some young lawyers because of Twitter, my guess is their target clients are not following them on Twitter.

If you want to get an idea of how businesses are using twitter and how you might use it, listen to the April 24 and April 28 podcasts at DuctTapeMarketing.

If you want to read an argument on why lawyers using Twitter for marketing is ineffective read what Larry Bodine recently wrote about it.  To get a pros and cons view, read and consider listening to the podcast.

For me, the most interesting part of Twitter has been creating content anyone would care about in 140 characters. I typically take something I have written before and paste it only to find I am over the character limit. Then, I have to shorten it and still say something readers would find valuable. Learning to say things more concisely has been a valuable exercise for me.

Here are some examples of my “Tweets.”

• How can some people be both very successful and very family oriented? The answer: They focus on their priorities and use their time wisely.
• I believe law firms should organize their marketing efforts around what their clients do rather than what their lawyers do.
• Develop business by creating content that demonstrates you know the legal issues your clients face and how the issues impact their business.
• I like this Donald Trump quote: "Your higher self is in direct opposition to your comfort zone.
• Super Lawyers think optimistically http://bit.ly/yLKpG
• My latest column in The Practical Lawyer:Rainmaking: Talent is Overrated http://bit.ly/1ckqG
• What a senior associate should do about client development http://bit.ly/36Mesu
   

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