Every year, the ABA and the Legal Technology Resource Center conduct a legal technology survey seeking information from law firms of all sizes about how they use technology for everything from cybersecurity to cloud computing services to marketing and more.
Members of the Legal Technology Resource Center Board and other ABA members then analyze some of the information gleaned from the survey and the resulting ABA Legal Technology Survey Report and write articles covering their findings. These articles are known as TechReports.
The 2021 Technology Survey Report Covered the following areas:
Online Research
Technology Basics and Security
Law Office Technology
Marketing and Communication Technology
Litigation Technology and E-discovery
All of the 2021 TechReports have now been released and are available to the public. They can be found as listed below:
Use of Technology to Market Your Practice and Communicate with Clients
As noted above, I took on the task of reviewing the survey report related to websites and marketing once again this year, but my focus this year was on client communication - using technology to communicate with potential clients (marketing) and to keep current clients informed.
With respect to current clients, only 31% of survey respondents say they communicate with clients through their website or another online service (other than email). As I discuss in the article, I think this is a missed opportunity, especially since client portals make communicating with clients efficient and keeps client communications in one place (not to mention, often more secure than the way lawyers and clients are currently using email).
Similarly, lawyers miss an opportunity to streamline their billing and collections process by not taking advantage of current technology: "Most clients are used to paying for everything from groceries to medical services online, yet only 31% of respondents’ firms offer the ability for clients to pay online or through their website for their legal services."
In terms of marketing, lawyers seem to have recognized that having a website for their law firm is important - 94% of respondents in 2021 said their firm has a website. But, as my article indicates, "law firm websites still largely appear to be used as tools for one-way communication, rather than offering the firm’s audience easy ways to communicate with the firm through the site."
Video is another under-utilized communication tool among lawyers. " Only 28% of respondents’ firms use video for marketing overall, including only 19% of lawyers from firms of 2-9 lawyers, 18% of lawyers from firms of 10-49 lawyers, and only 10% of solos."
For more information and insights into how lawyers are using technology as a communication tool both on and off of their websites, with both potentail and existing clients, read the full TechReport here.
TechReport 2021 Highlights
Click on the links for any of the reports listed above to see the full report and analysis of the data and compare the results and the recommendations in each of these articles against what your firm is currently doing. Here are a few interesting notes from this year's other TechReports:
Laptops have passed desktops for the first time this year as the primary device of choice for attorneys to accomplish their work (Practice Management).
Although attorneys overall seem satisfied with the software tools they're using, the number of lawyers using these programs is low as compared to the number who have access to them (Practice Management).
Only 43% of solo and 50% of small firms responding indicated that they budget for technology (Budgeting and Planning).
Only 35% of solo respondents and 56% of firms of 2-9 attorneys report having technology training available at their firms (Solo & Small Firm)
74% of respondents said that they were involved in the selection process for the technologies employed at their firm (down from 81% in 2020). (Technology Training)
When identifying technology solutions for their firms, 88% of respondents reported that they sought information from their colleagues, and 35% of those found peer input to be “very influential. (Technology Training)
Only 59% of respondents stated that they felt “very comfortable” using the firms existing technology (Technology Training).
Current cloud users cited “confidentiality/security concerns” (61%), lack of control over data (43%), losing control over updates (27%) and vendor longevity (23%) as concerns about use of the cloud. (Cloud Computing)
Only 35% of survey respondents employed secure socket layers (SSL) as a security measure (Cloud Computing).
36% of survey respondents report having an incident response plan for a security breach (Cybersecurity).
Solo and small firms plan to spend only 10-11% of their technology budget on security compared to 20-36% of the larger firms with 100+ attorneys (Budgeting and Planning).
Almost 50% of the respondents who worked in a traditional office space leased/owned exclusively by the law firm did not return to that setting, but 64% of respondents said they did not telecommute (Life and Practice).
Overall, 64% of respondents report that they telecommute compared with 55% in 2019, but this response is skewed toward larger firms. In firms with 2-9 lawyers, only 50% reported they telecommuted, and 53% of solos telecommute regularly (Solo & Small Firm).
Of the 64% who telecommute, 39% did so full-time in 2021 compared to only 6% in 2019 (Solo and Small Firm).
14% of respondents would stick with changes to the way they practice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 74% would implement a combination of their “old ways” and “new changes (Life and Practice).
The November 2013 edition of Law Practice Today has been released, and its theme is internet marketing. The issue is chock full of tips, and it is available online to anyone here, whether you're a member of the ABA and the Law Practice Division or not. If you are a member, take a look for the latest issue in your email inbox.
Here's a preview of some of the great stuff you'll find in this month's issue:
Law Firm Websites
You firm's website is your 'home base' online. If you are still struggling with getting a firm website put together, you might want to read Jennifer Ellis' piece on how to quickly make a law firm website using WordPress. Jennifer is also the author of the forthcoming book WordPress in One Hour for Lawyers...keep an eye out for it!
I have personally seen many of these mistakes in law firm websites of all sizes, including two of my personal favorites: writing your web content for Google, rather than for human beings, and making your site all about you, rather than about your clients.
LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers, Second Editionwas released last month, and I have been doing a lot of work with lawyers recently on LinkedIn, including one on one training so that lawyers get a hands-on experience with using LinkedIn. Once your LinkedIn profile is up and running, it needn't take a huge investment of time to continue your participation. My contribution to this month's issue was, "A LinkedIn Marketing Plan for Lawyers," which provides a five step plan for any lawyer to get moving on LinkedIn, and shows you where to spend your time wisely to get the most out of the platform.
While LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook may be the "big three" social media platforms, Google+ should not be ignored. As I mentioned in my article, Google Plus for Lawyers, if you're serious about visibility on the internet, you need to pay attention to Google Plus and Google's related services. Gwynne Monahan drives home the point in her article, "Google+: You, Your Law Firm and the Future of Search," where she provides a four step approach to taking advantage of Google Plus and its effect on search.
And speaking of search, Gyi Tsakalakis of AttorneySync explains just how powerful Google+ can be in making a difference in your search results in his article, "Standing Out in Search with Rich Snippets." If you don't know what rich snippets are, never fear -- Gyi does a fantastic job of explaining what they are and how you can use them so that your content really stands out in search results.
Legal Directory Advertising
Lawyers are inundated - almost daily- with "offers" to list them in various legal directories - for a fee, of course. These directories promise leads galore, and for many attorneys who are continuing to struggle, these directories seem to be the answer to the question of how to get the phone to ring and get clients in the door. Attorney Rich Goldstein shares his experience this month in "Learn from my $50,000 Mistake" and provides his advice on what you can do to avoid making the same mistake.
As you can see, there's something here for lawyers of all stripes, so make sure you don't miss this month's issue of Law Practice Today!
This is a guest post by Matt Spiegel, VP and GM of
MyCase, the Web-based
legal practice management software for lawyers. Previously a criminal
defense attorney, Matt founded MyCase in 2010 in order to save time,
increase productivity, and improve client communication for
attorneys. Matt continues to lead MyCase, which was acquired by AppFolio
in 2012, with his legal expertise and vision.
The ability to manage work away from the office is becoming not only helpful, but also necessary for legal professionals. So how can busy attorneys break away from their desks to create a more nimble, effective practice? The most agile firms have implemented the following three principles for creating and managing a mobile practice.
Get a tablet – or better, leverage the one you have
Computer experts speculate that desktop computers will be extinct within 20 years. In fact, PC World reported that PC shipments declined 14 percent in the first quarter of 2013. Laptops are the stronger option given their flexibility, and mobile devices are rapidly gaining favor and market share over traditional computers. Getting your team and systems up to speed for this shift will put you ahead of the curve as firms struggle to stay at the front of the technological change from traditional desktops to tablets and other mobile devices. Being able to work on a device away from the desk increases flexibility, mobility and versatility.
It seems simple, but mobile technology can be an indispensable asset to lawyers who are constantly working between court appearances and client meetings. If a firm utilizes a management platform with a mobile app, the entire practice can be managed on the go. For instance, document management capabilities eliminate the need to print and organize stacks of case files when you need something quickly; these systems allow lawyers to access, view and even edit documents and files remotely.
Many apps also contain time-tracking tools, so lawyers can record from anywhere, anytime. Where previous systems might not have recorded time spent on accounts while away from the office, time-tracking tools available on an iPad or other mobile device means more accurate billing. Though it might be a personal investment at this time for lawyers with smaller firms, the New York Times reported as early as 2011 that some of the nation’s largest law firms were buying iPads for every associate.
Use cloud-based file management
It’s no longer productive to require that associates be in the office to access client files and case information. A cloud-based system allows attorneys to view documents, discovery and client contact information from any device, wherever their clients need them to be. In addition to offering the convenience of working remotely, cloud-based file management eliminates the need to run back to the office for an important form or accidentally showing up at a meeting with a less-current version of a briefing.
Up until just a few years ago, lawyers had to collect, transport and secure every document or piece of information they handled. Technology allowed documents to be stored, but only on a physical computer or server, and new documents that were created needed to be added to the physical file. Today’s cloud environments eliminate these cumbersome obstacles and increase overall efficiency. Not only do cloud-enabled software tools allow associates to work anywhere and to create and access important information quickly and easily, but they also provide remote, automated backup, practice management tools, time tracking, billing and educational resources all in one convenient location.
The transition makes sense: Not only does working from the cloud allow better tracking of billable hours and easier access to vital resources, it means that your law office is always ready to meet the needs of your clients, wherever you (and they) are.
Pursue firm-wide mobile readiness
Even though it might take a few years to convince every partner he or she can run the entire practice from a smartphone, encouraging your attorneys to learn and implement best practices for mobile devices will put you far ahead of those firms that will only begin training when mobile practice becomes the industry standard. While the increased freedom to access documents and client information anywhere means a more nimble firm, it also requires a bit of planning from an operational perspective.
Start small, by implementing a mobile readiness program. This will include the critical elements, such as defining security procedures, operating protocol, and crisis plans in the (unlikely) event something does go awry. For instance, you’ll want to set a policy that instructs staff to change their passwords frequently and to follow guidelines from tech leaders for optimal password security (for example: please don’t make your password “password”). The infrastructure of cloud-based systems is more secure than ever, but there are still vulnerabilities if attorneys aren’t smart about locking mobile devices when they step away, or always using password-protected Internet access. Work with your IT consultant to determine what these best practices are and then work them into your employee training.
Technology, when used well, makes law firms faster, more equipped and better able to serve their clients. Instead of leaning on old methods that keep attorneys shackled to their office-based desktop computers, mobile devices and the applications that run on them allow the entire practice to be operated remotely. Don’t be left behind as firms become more dynamic in their ability to serve clients from anywhere, and with more detail and accuracy than ever before.
The Second Edition of LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyershas been released and is available for purchase here. Given the many changes in LinkedIn's interface, navigation and features over the past year, the Second Edition became necessary much more quickly than we had originally anticipated.
Although the second edition covers the same concepts that were included in the original LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers, this new edition contains all brand-new screenshots showing how LinkedIn looks (and functions) in 2013, along with explanations of new features and functions integrated into the platform within the last few months.
If you've ever wondered how LinkedIn can work for you in your law practice, this book is a great opportunity to quickly get up to speed, improve your LinkedIn Profile, maximize your connections, and develop a strategy for LinkedIn participation.
But if you really want to get up and running quickly, sign up for ALI-CLE's webinar, "LinkedIn for Lawyers Reloaded" happening tomorrow from 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern.
Registration for the webinar includes a FREE copy of the ebook version of LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers. Participate in the webinar to get a great overview and then use the ebook as your go-to reference for LinkedIn use.
I was privileged to be a part of a discussion among a group of solo and small firm lawyers in varying practice areas recently about their online marketing initiatives: what their online marketing experience consisted of, what worked and what didn’t work, etc.
Not surprisingly, a lot of those attorneys indicated that they knew they needed websites so that potential clients could ‘vet’ them after they had already received their name or a referral, or to provide additional information for existing clients, but that they didn’t see the utility of a law firm website for attracting new or potential clients. Most of the attorneys who felt that way also expressed dissatisfaction with the type of client who was finding them on the internet, saying that the clients who came to their firms through the internet were ‘low value’ clients who either wanted free information or who didn’t want to pay their full fees.
After some discussion it became clear that the real question these lawyers should be asking is not whether the internet is the wrong tool to attract high value clients, but whether their websites were not performing the way that they should because they weren't actually built to attract high value clients - or with clients in mind at all.
Google’s New Hummingbird Algorithm
At the end of last month, Google announced that it had implemented a new algorithm, “Hummingbird,” which is a bigger change than the recent “Penguin” and “Panda” Google algorithm updates. As always, Google’s focus is on the web visitor; Google wants those who search the internet to get the best possible results as fast as possible.
The new change relies less on individual keywords and more on collections of words and phrases and their semantic meaning, which will place more emphasis on “long tail” keywords – in other words, longer phrases, rather than individual keywords. A major reason for the new algorithm is the fact that more people use “conversational search;” rather than searching on individual words, web visitors are typing in (or using voice commands to speak) a question, and the new algorithm helps Google focus on the meaning of the entire phrase, rather than on simply matching individual words contained in the search.
Google has also now started encrypting all keyword data so marketers can no longer track traffic by keywords from organic search.
“The Hummingbird update will put less emphasis on matching keywords and more emphasis on understanding what a user is most likely hoping to obtain in their search results. If I can give businesses one piece of advice after this update, it’s to prioritize a well-rounded online marketing strategy that continues to deliver a clear message. Every business in America has an audience, but not every business in America understands the needs of their audience. The companies who prioritize the needs of their users and create content to satisfy those needs will see the biggest successes in the future.” (emphasis added)
What does all of this mean for lawyers and their websites? It means that lawyers need to be more conscious than ever of how their website works and whether it sends the right message. Lawyers should focus more than ever on the clients they want to attract, learning about the needs of those clients and what information is most important to them.
If your site is attracting the wrong kinds of people, maybe it’s time to stop blaming that on the internet and start taking a look at how you might improve your site to attract better clients.
A few quick tips:
Target Your Ideal Client
Your website needs to provide information about you, your firm and your services, but it shouldn’t be all about you. It needs to be about your client.
Speak your client’s language. With the new Google algorithm, it’s more important than ever to ensure that the language you use on your website tracks the way your clients talk about their issues. If they don’t use legal terms that lawyers typically use or if there are industry-specific terms they do use, your site should reflect that. Don't speak like a lawyer on your site - speak like your clients.
Some things to think about: Does your site provide useful content to your clients? Is it a resource that they will return to over and over again? Are you providing information that affects them and their business or the issues that affect your representation? Do you describe your ideal clients on your site so that the best prospects will recognize themselves on your site?
If your website is stale, you’re losing opportunities. First, stale websites get poor rankings in search results. Remember: search engines are looking to provide web visitors with the most relevant, up to date content possible. If your site hasn’t been updated in years, not only is the search engine crawling your site less frequently, but it’s assuming that the information on the site is old and therefore, less relevant.
Failing to update your site also gives those who land there a poor impression of you, particularly if you have sections of your site entitled “news” or “recent events” and those areas are not updated; you don’t want your most recent event to be 2009 if it’s almost 2014. And if your site doesn’t contain the most updated information about your area of practice or the issues that affect your clients – particularly if there have been big changes recently or your area of practice has been in the news – neither Google NOR actual web visitors are going to see your site – or you- as an authority on the subject.
Provide Substantive Legal Information
Speaking of being an authority, does your website simply say that you have experience, knowledge and expertise, or does it demonstrate that you do? One way to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about is to ensure that your site contains the kind of information potential clients or referral sources are most commonly looking for when they are researching their issue online.
Articles, legal updates, case studies, frequently asked questions and other substantive legal content will help establish your expertise in the eyes of your web visitors and potential clients.
Be Mobile Friendly
According to the marketing experts at HubSpot, by 2014, more people will access the web via mobile than via a PC, and yet 46% of users express frustration with accessing web content on mobile devices. That means that just because your site is ‘available’ on mobile devices, doesn’t mean that it is optimized for mobile or that users accessing your site from a mobile device will have a pleasant experience.
And while we’re talking about ease of use of your site, you might want to review this post to see how user-friendly your website is in general.
Be Present on Social Media
Google’s algorithm has historically been heavily influenced by links, because it sees links as confirmation of a site’s relevance and usefulness – people only link to your site if the content they find there is helpful to them or to their audience. Shares, likes and interaction on social media are the new measures of relevance, and they can be impacted by anyone with a social media account, whether they have their own website or not.
Like it or not, these days you need a presence on social media if you want to draw attention to your content. You need to build relationships with other lawyers, referral sources and potential clients online and interact with them by liking, commenting on and sharing their content if you want to be visible online.
Although many people still aren’t talking about it in the legal industry, Google + is important for lawyers to pay attention to. It is, after all, Google. Some experts are even saying that Google Plus is going to become a fundamental aspect of Google SEO.
To learn more about Google+ and lawyers, check out this article from my Lawyer Meltdown site.
Use Simple SEO Principles
Google hasn’t completely abandoned other factors that go into search rankings, (and other search engines use these factors, too)so be sure your site includes SEO basics like good title tags and meta descriptions which show up in search results and make sure you make use of relevant internal links to help visitors navigate your site. Link to external sources as well, when it makes sense to do so.
Use headlines, titles and subheads, and make your content easily to skim so that when visitors do land on your site, they can easily find the information they’re looking for.
Next time you’re tempted to discount the internet as an effective tool for legal business development, remember that it is likely that even high value clients are using the internet as a tool to search for information about the legal issues that affect your area of practice – and be sure that if they do, your site is the one they’ll find.
I am a list person, and I especially like checklists. Many tasks or projects are repeated throughout the week, month or year in any law practice, but that doesn't guarantee that something won't fall through the cracks or that steps won't get skipped, either as a result of being forgotten or as an attempt to take shortcuts.
Checklists are another way to 'get everything out of your head' and to focus on the task at hand, rather than on the specific steps that need to be accomplished.
Checklists can also be helpful for training new employees or as a handy 'cheat sheet' for those who don't perform specific tasks regularly.
Many lawyers and law firms are still new to social media, and often, their efforts are haphazard and ineffective at best. MaximizeSocialMedia.com has developed a social media checklist to help you identify potential gaps in your social media strategy and implementation and fill them.
The six steps begin with who should be in charge of your social media campaigns (not an intern!), cover setting goals and developing basic guidelines for your "brand," establishing and documenting processes, and forming an official social media policy for your firm.
The Social Media Implementation Checklist – An infographic by the team at Maximize Social Media
Although LinkedIn has been testing it for a while now and rolling out slowly to some users, the newest version of their user interface with a new navigation bar was finally announced by LinkedIn yesterday. You may recall that toward the end of 2012, LinkedIn made some changes, most of which were cosmetic - adding the black band to their navigation bar and the icons for your Inbox messages (the envelope) and notifcations (the flag), among others. But this change is even bigger.
A simplified user interface
As LinkedIn moves the "professional network" to be more in line with social networks like Facebook, adding social features such as the ability to 'like,' share, or comment on Updates, and becomes more visual, with the new Portfolio (also slowly rolling out to users), which allows the addition of multi-media elements including video to certain sections of the Profile, LinkedIn is also trying to simplify its user interface.
Below is the "old" LinkedIn navigation bar:
Here is the new navigation bar - although you may not see it on your account yet, you will get it eventually (within the next several weeks, according to LinkedIn):
As you can see, the new navigation bar is much more streamlined, with only five main tabs on the left, rather than nine. The Search box has moved to the top of the page, and an additional icon has been added to the messages and notifications icons: the icon that looks like a person with the plus sign is a quick way to add new contacts to LinkedIn.
Instead of seeing your name in the top right corner, you'll now see your thumbnail image. Hover your cursor over that image and you'll find your account options, settings, and the Help center.
Change sometimes leads to confusion
But the streamlined interface may also make it a little more difficult for you to find some of the features that were easy to access with the old interface. For example, when you hovered over Companies in the old navigation bar, if you had your own Company Page for your law firm or business, you would see a direct link to your Page. Now, you'll need to choose Companies from under the Interests tab and then search for your firm to find and access your Page.
You won't find Skills or Recommendations by using the navigation bar any more - instead, you'll need to find those items on your Profile and scroll down to them to manage them or make changes.
Mobile Updates
LinkedIn has also recently updated its mobile application, so if you access LinkedIn from your smartphone or tablet, you may have noticed a new homepage and navigation, with more changes to come. To learn more about the changes to the mobile app, see this article from LinkedIn.
If you haven't seen them yet, get ready - changes are coming to Facebook (again).
Facebook's "What are you doing?"
The latest addition? When you click in the status update box to post to Facebook, in addition to options to indicate who you're with, where you are and when your post will appear on your Timeline, Facebook has added a new option: what you're doing.
The new option is designated by a smiley-face icon at the bottom of the status update box (like the others mentioned above, it only appears once you click inside the box to begin writing your post):
Once you click on the smiley face, you'll see a number of different options to respond to the question, "What are you doing?"
As you can see, each category has an arrow next to it which provides additional options. For example, clicking on the "feeling" section will bring up a menu of icons to choose from that express all different kinds of emotions. Similarly, clicking on "reading" will bring up a list of books. But you can also add your own by simply typing into the space that appears under the dotted line.
If you post in one of the categories such as reading" or "listening to" these items will also be added to your About section that corresponds to that activity.
As of this writing, you are restricted to one feeling or activity per post.
New Guidelines for Facebook Business Page Cover Photos
Facebook has also recently updated its guidelines for cover photos for Facebook Business Pages. Previously, Facebook restricted cover photos for businesses to prevent them from including contact information, pricing information or calls to action (such as "Contact us at: 555-1212" or "Download your free report here") as part of the cover photo.
The new guidelines simply say that your Business Page cover photo cannot include more than 20% text, and that text cannot be "deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright." And you cannot encourage others to upload your cover to their personal Timeline.
Facebook is also rolling out a new, less-cluttered version of News Feed. You'll have more options for filtering what you see in your Feed, and the experience across desktop and mobile applications will be more consistent. You can find out more about the new news feed here.
Internet marketing consultants, social media "experts," and SEO "professionals" seem to be everywhere these days. Lawyers have begun to recognize that they can no longer ignore the internet, even if they think it isn't their main source of business. Many are embracing the internet and are willing to spend money on designing professional looking websites, creating video, and optimizing their sites for the best possible visibility.
But too many well-intentioned lawyers are still falling victim to "black hat" SEO tactics, or tactics that don't present them in a professsional manner - and they don't even know it!
Bad SEO Strategy
When I see this happening, I want to reach out to these lawyers individually and let them know what a mistake they are making. For example, this morning, I received the following email (names and links have been changed, but otherwise the email is exactly as it was received):
Hello Sir/madam,
I'm the Webmaster of http://www.xyzlawgroup.com/. Our website provides the details about Civil Related Law site etc. We are requesting you to provide a link for our website from your site links page. Kindly add and reply your site details.
I'm waiting for your response.
Add this Link in your site:
Title: First Party Insurance Lawyer
URL: "http://www.xyzlawgroup.com/"
Site Description: Mr. B is the owner and lead trial lawyer for the B Law Firm in Large City, Texas. 15 years of civil trial and litigation experience. I have represented thousands of clients nationwide.
Once added my link remind me, I gave link to you in my law related blogspot.com
http://crappylawblog.blogspot.com/
Thanking you,
Webmaster,
http://www.xyzlawgroup.com/
The Response
I wanted to respond directly via email, but instead, I decided to reply here, in an 'open' letter to the attorney:
Dear Mr. B,
I wanted to make you aware of some of the activity on the internet being undertaken on your behalf, including the sending of email spam in your name. This morning, I received the above email message that was sent on your behalf (although it came a gmail address, rather than your regular law firm email address), with your name, your law firm’s name and your website link.
Not only does this message request reciprocal links from another site which has no relation to your site at all, but no substantive reason has been given for the request (Google has made recent updates to its search algorithm specifically to combat these kinds of artificial links), and the message represents both you and your firm poorly with its improper English and sentence fragments.
In addition to referring to your regular website, the email references a blog where the requested "reciprocal link" to my site is to be placed. A quick review of the blog reveals although it is purportedly over two years old, it contains few posts, some of which reference accomplishments by other law firms. Others are about legal topics but appear largely unrelated to the actual law you practice. The internal links on the blog lead to completely unrelated posts. Glaring grammatical mistakes abound.
I doubt that this is the kind of professional presence you intend to project to potential clients.
A quick search of the internet reveals that someone has created several different sites on your behalf, most of which contain very little substantive content, almost none of which appears to be original.
Your main website, xyzlawgroup.net, at first blush appears impressive because of the updated design and available videos, but even a cursory further investigation of the site reverses that impression almost immediately due to the canned or copied content from outside sources and the distracting ‘slideshow’ at the top of the home page which repeats the same photo and text over and over, distracting the viewer from the information on the site, among other issues.
You should also be aware that some of the marketing tactics employed on your behalf may be a violation of your jurisdiction’s ethical rules. Although I am not a Texas lawyer and am not an expert in the Texas advertising rules or the Texas ethics rules, I would suggest that you review your internet presence in light of these rules. For example, the cumulative claims regarding results (“Completed over 3000 cases. Won 3000.”) on the blog my be a violation, even if a disclaimer were included (which it is not).
I would urge you to contact your webmaster or other internet marketing/ SEO consultant and find out exactly what is being done on the internet on your behalf, using your name and your firm’s name, to be sure that the measures being taken are not ‘black hat’ SEO tactics (which could result in your site(s) being penalized by the search engines) or a potential violation of ethical rules, and that they convey the proper professional presence and tone in their presentation.
It is clear that you have spent time and money on your internet presence, but it is not clear that you are aware of the other steps being taken on your behalf or the potential implications they may have for you and your firm.
Please note that I have marked the received message as spam, and would be willing to bet that others that received similar messages have done the same.
Best of luck with your website and your internet presence.
P.S. If you want more information about SEO tactics and what lawyers should be concerned about, you may want to look at these posts:
Optimizing your website with correct alt tags, title and meta tags and ensuring that you are using keywords to attract your ideal clients and drive traffic to your website are important. But it is even more important to ensure that once your ideal clients arrive at your website, they are receiving quality, original content that reflects who you are and how you can help them. Using canned content or content that makes you seem as if you're simply stuffing your site with keywords or sound like you can't put a complete sentence together in proper English isn't likely to impress anyone, let alone paying clients.
Don't let your webmaster or consultant destroy your reputation or make you look incompetent. Keep tabs on what they're doing, be aware of your jurisdiction's current ethical rules, and require anyone sending emails or placing content on the web on your behalf to get your approval first.
And for goodness' sake, if you receive an email like the one I received this morning, don't agree to the 'reciprocal linking' arrangement!
I recently did a blog post on content marketing, and I've now come accross a slideshare presentation done by Velocity, a UK business to business marketing firm. The presentation went viral, for good reason. I've embedded their presentation below if you're interested in viewing it in its entirety, but here are my take-aways.
Many of the points made in this slideshow struck me as particularly applicable to lawyers. Lawyers are busy enough as it is, but to compete in today's market, they'll have to start producing content - quality content - on top of everything else they already have to do to attract and serve clients. That means they need people who can create content - but not just any content: content their audiences (potential clients, existing clients, former clients, strategic partners and referral sources) will find valuable - and share-able.
As Velocity also points out, SEO agencies are going to be offering to develop content for clients, including lawyers. In my experience, many SEO companies already do a bit of that by offering to write web copy for lawyers. But is an SEO expert really the one you want developing content - particularly legal content - for your audiences?
As a lawyer, you're going to want not only "[p]eople who 'get' content, understand context and can actually produce things that audiences want to consume," but you are going to want content produced by someone who has a working knowledge or understanding of lawyers and legal concepts.
Perhaps Velocity's point can be reduced to the following mathematical equation:
The slideshow concludes with Velocity's 8 Principles of Great Content Brands (which your law firm must be in order to compete). They are:
Be the client Know your target audience and what their concerns are. What information are they looking for?
Be authoritative Talk about what you really know; don't add content just to add it - make sure you know it inside and out and can handle those kinds of matters
Be strategic What content are you producing, where will it be placed, how will it relate to other content, how will that content be shared and why?
Be prolific You'll need lots of content on a consistent basis.
Be passionate If you don't care about the issues you're writing about, why should anyone else? When you write with passion, readers can tell. If you're bored, that will also come through - and your audience will be bored, too.
Be tough on yourself Your content needs to show you in your best light and demonstrate your expertise. Don't settle for crappy content, and don't let laziness take over. Don't become a content machine or have content prepared by rote.
It's a brand new year, and that means it's time to plan your trip to a brand new ABA TECHSHOW. ABA TECHSHOW 2013 is scheduled to take place from April 4-6, 2013 at the Hilton Chicago located at 720 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. As usual, the TECHSHOW includes both an EXPO and conference programming.
Consider this your official invitation to attend, whether or not you're a member of the ABA.
I am excited to be speaking at two sessions at this year's conference:
Leveraging LinkedIn & Finagling Facebook: Building Relevance on Leading Social Media
with Dennis Kennedy, and
Ramping Up Maintream Social Media
with Samantha Meinke. Both sessions will be part of the Social Media track on Thursday afternoon.
You can see the full 2013 conference schedule here, but here are a few highlights of this year's conference to whet your appetite:
The conference features 12 separate tracks over the first two days, with the addition of a "Meet the Author" track running throughout both conference days
Tracks include Tech Grab Bag, Cloud/Collaboration, Mac, Tablets and Smartphones, among others
The Keynote, "Disruptive Tech: What's New, What's Coming, and How it Will Change Everything" will be presented on Friday afternoon by David Pogue, the weekly personal-technology columnist for The New York Times and a monthly columnist for Scientific American. He is also an Emmy Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and the current host of NOVA ScienceNow
There will be specific tracks geared towards large firms, solo/small firms, and litigation practices
Day 3 includes the Plenary Session, "On the Trail of the Craigslist Killer: A Case Study in Digital Forensics," as well as your choice of one of three presentations covering Windows 8, Android or iOs, along with the ever popular "60 Sites in 60 Minutes" session to round out the conference
TECHSHOW is bringing back the conference app, which debuted last year and was extremely popular - it's a great way to follow what's happening at the conference
Important Deadlines
You'll want to register early to ensure a spot in the conference hotel and to get the best price on the conference. Here are some important deadlines you'll want to know about:
Early Bird Registration Deadline – Monday, March 11, 2013
Hotel Deadline – Monday, March 11, 2013
Advance Registration Deadline – Monday, March 25, 2013
For pricing and registration information, click here. I hope to see you there!
(If you want an idea of what has happened at TECHSHOW in years past, you might want to look at these posts:
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