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

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?

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

 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.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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?

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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
   

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link