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Social Media and the Small Law Office
Synopsis
January 12, 2011
Definition: Social Media is any platform, network, website, blog, marketing venue used to convey information,
communicate/discuss relevant topics and network with other people.
More lawyers are using popular sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn not only for discovery and trial
preparation, they are finding it beneficial for showcasing their expertise, connecting with experts and other
attorneys, as well as attracting clients. It has evolved to being a format for professionals to connect in a much
more multi-faceted way.
SEARCH ENGINES
Database of websites both submitted to them and discovered when crawling other authority sites.
Websites are analyzed for Page Rank and Authority based on content, how well information is formatted and
quality of inbound links (especially from high authority sites). Google strategy is to get backlinks from authority
sites that already have a high page rank in Google’s eyes.
Top High Authority Sites from top 500 list, include:
1. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. YouTube
5. Wordpress
6. Yahoo (Bing)
13. Amazon
16. Digg
20. Linked In
31. CNN
43. e-Bay
94. ezinearticles
95. LA Times
202. Scribd
426. Findlaw Source: SEOmoz
Links from bad sites will damage your site ranking.
Reciprocal linking has no value.
The text for your incoming links is important. Link from significant content in your post.
STRATEGY
1. Website:
rd
Foundation of all internet marketing efforts, all 3 party listings need to point to same base point
Content
Keywords
Links from Authority sites
2. Blog
Internet spiders recognize current and active content
Link blog to your website and social platforms
Wordpress - source for free blog, or free blog templates to use on your own server
Blogger – source for free blog, analytics, subscribe features
Feedburner – subscribe features with detailed analytics, add to any blog
Share This – special code, add to blog so reader can easily share with their favorite networks
RSS Reader – special code to allow readers to subscribe to blog
3. Popular Social Media Sites – Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter
3a. #1 in top 500 websites
Facebook accounted for 8.93% of all U.S. visits between January and November 2010.
Facebook, launched in 2004, has over 500 million users. There are more than 200 million active users currently
accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
Bing has connected with Facebook to make searching on Bing more sociably delivering “liked” results from users
pages. Source: Experian Hitwise
Available layouts:
• Profile vs Business Page
• Friends vs Fans
• Custom Tabs/Apps
• Blogger (App Network Blogs/Twitter)
• Videos
• Published Legal Articles (App)
• Photos
All potential in search engine Results
Profile vs Business Page
Text only Advance customization potential
New layout highlights interests instead of content Maintain image/brand
Posting limited to Wall Custom tabs/Apps allow for blog, articles, etc.
Everyone starts at “Wall” Can designate which page visitors land first
“Friends” can post on your wall, cannot be deleted More controls over what “Fans” can post
Example: Profile page (original layout)
2 Social Media and the Small Law Office, January 12, 2011 Sumner M. Davenport , Solutions Consultant 310-968-1350
Sumner@SumnerDavenport.com www.SumnerDavenport.com
Example Business Page:
Facebook Apps - updates on Facebook tab automatically
Blog – Network Blog (links from existing blog)
Legal Articles (Linked from JD Supra account – see below)
Slideshare - (Links from Slideshare account, share photos, presentations)
YouTube - (Links from YouTube account)
Security:
Designate how much information is displayed
Designate who can see your postings (friends, friends of friends, anyone)
Designate who can comment on your wall, your photos and postings ((friends, friends of friends, anyone)
Note: You cannot un-ring a bell. If someone posts something on your wall, or you change your mind regarding a
post and delete from your wall – it will still show on all your friends walls. Anyone who can see their profile will still
see that post. These comments are returned in search results.
Social Media and the Small Law Office, January 12, 2011 Sumner M. Davenport , Solutions Consultant 310-968-1350 3
Sumner@SumnerDavenport.com www.SumnerDavenport.com
3b #20 in top 500 websites
• Profile (text with profile photo)
• Work experience
• Summary
• Recommendations
• Group Memberships
• Legal Memberships
4 Social Media and the Small Law Office, January 12, 2011 Sumner M. Davenport , Solutions Consultant 310-968-1350
Sumner@SumnerDavenport.com www.SumnerDavenport.com
• Groups (start one or join legal associations or special interest groups)
• Discussions
• Custom Apps
• Blogger (App Network Blogs/Twitter)
• Videos
• Published Legal Articles (App)
• Legal Updates App (JD Supra App)
• Documents App
• Wordpress/Blog App
• Events
• Lawyer Ratings
• Google Presentations
• Recommending Reading/Amazon Reading list
• Slideshare
Profile is indexed by Google
Posts are accessed by Bing
Security
Designate who can see your complete profile and postings.
Designate how often you want to be contacted by email regarding postings, messages, invitations, etc.
Designate if your groups are closed to invitation only or open to all.
Social Media and the Small Law Office, January 12, 2011 Sumner M. Davenport , Solutions Consultant 310-968-1350 5
Sumner@SumnerDavenport.com www.SumnerDavenport.com
3c. #4 in top 500 websites
• Customize your background
• Use #hashtags on Twitter to improve
your SEO value
• Interactive integrated communications solution
• Spice up your tweets with pics/video
6 Social Media and the Small Law Office, January 12, 2011 Sumner M. Davenport , Solutions Consultant 310-968-1350
Sumner@SumnerDavenport.com www.SumnerDavenport.com
ADDITIONAL DIRECTORIES/NETWORKS
• Findlaw.com (fee) #426 in top 500 websites
• JD Supra (free and fee services)
• HG.org (free and fee services)
• Articlesbase.com (free)
• Ezinearticles.com (free) #94 in top 500 websites
• Targetlaw.com (free)
• Avvo.com (free)
• Justia attorney listing/firm profile/blawg listing (free and fee services)
• Superlawyers.com
• Scribd.com (free)
• Docstoc (free)
• YouTube.com (free) #4 in top 500 websites
RESOURCES:
Submit your Blawg
Justia.com http://blawgsearch.justia.com/suggestblawg
About.com http://legalcareers.about.com/u/sty/legalresources/legalblogsubmissions/form.htm
Answer /Questions/Discussions:
ABA Journal - www.abajournal.com/blawgs/submit/
Justia Legal Answers: http://answers.justia.com/about-legal-answers
Expert Law Forum: http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/forum.
AVVO http://avvo.com
ANALYTICS:
• Google Alerts
• Google Analytics
• Alexia
• Facebook Insights
Social Media and the Small Law Office, January 12, 2011 Sumner M. Davenport , Solutions Consultant 310-968-1350 7
Sumner@SumnerDavenport.com www.SumnerDavenport.com