Industry Tips 2010

> January 2010: Social Media for Law Firms & Organizations NEW

> Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - What Is It?

> Your Clients are Hungry: Feed Them

NEW

Social Media for Law Firms & Legal Organizations

Creating a social media policy for your law firm or legal organization is no longer an option.

If you want to increase hits to your website and engage in current social network trends that are considered mandatory by most online audiences - then you must get engaged.

It is surprising how few legal organizations are actively participating in the social networking scene.

Before you read this, it is assumed that you have a website that offers value to your audiences by providing current information and services that they desire. It is also assumed that your website employs industry-standard technology and usability factors.

Without a website firmly engaged in the 21st century, a social media policy will not work.

A few considerations:

Blogging or engaging in social networking helps search engine optimization (SEO) results. The more legitimate content you have published online, the better your chances of being found by Google and Yahoo.
Social networking is not a sales vehicle. Don't sell your services. You should publish content that informs, and invites, participation by your users.
Everyone in your firm or organization should have a professional profile on LinkedIn. And each profile should contain a link to your firm's website. Again, the more hits to your website, the better the search results.
Developing a social network plan helps manage your public reputation. Whether you actively engage in PR or not, buzz about your firm or organization is already happening. So get a head start and get involved.
Don't keep your staff from participating in social media. Educate them on the do's and don'ts, the legalities of private client information, and the differences between social networks like Facebook (usually personal) to LinkedIn (usually professional).
Your firm's social media policy needs to be clear about copyright and trademark laws, fact-checking, handling private client information, and above all, how to be courteous and respectful.
If you don't have the staff or the time, hire a writer to build up a database of "evergreen" content that you can publish periodically to keep your content fresh, valuable and interesting.

Yes, you will need to dedicate a certain amount of time to this endeavor. However, a social networking plan on a small scale can be just as successful as one on a large scale. But a plan is a must in order to achieve success.

And it's fun. Guaranteed.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - What Is It?

Search engine optimization—or SEO—can appear to be a bunch of mumbo jumbo to many organizations who want to create better, more successful content.

Developing good content and incorporating industry standard SEO principles is a part of developing a successful website. And it is more straightforward than you think.

What is SEO?

SEO is about increasing your chances of being "seen" by search engines. Search engines like Yahoo or Google pull data from millions of websites and display this data based on what human beings type into search boxes.

How these companies do this is a secret, and not a secret you need to care about. You simply need to incorporate the SEO basics that have become industry standard around the world.

Two SEO Factors

SEO consists of two factors: on-page and off-page factors that can help your search engine ranking.

Off-page factors are pretty much outside your control and consist of how popular you are with other websites. It’s called “link ranking.” How many other websites link to your website? This algorithm is used by Google to rank your popularity. The more websites that link to you, the higher your ranking in the search engines.

On-page factors are completely in your control. These components are what you incorporate yourself into your website, on most of your pages.

On-Page SEO

Here are the steps to getting started with on-page SEO, 1-2-3.

1. Conduct research to generate keywords and key phrases. Hold a brain storming session with your team that includes those individuals who have the most contact with your clients. This could be your front desk, your sales reps, or you and your business partner.

Develop a list of words and phrases that real people, real clients, and real visitors would type into search engines to find your product or information. Analyze what keywords your competitors use, too.

2. Type these keywords into search engines to see what you get. Test them out!

An important thing to remember is that using the most popular keywords is not always the best path to take. Competition is fierce for popular keywords and your company could become lost in the results. Look for those keywords and key phrases that are unique to your organization. Current research indicates that this will produce better results.

Plug these keywords or phrases into Google or Yahoo to see what pops up. Choose the ones that are less popular, but still high on the list. Chances are this will result in better conversion rates.

3. Once you've narrowed down your list, incorporate up to three keywords and key phrases into your article titles, title tags, headings, copy and links for the content that is on that page.

Your in-house or freelance copywriter should know how to create good copy geared toward your audience's needs first, while incorporating SEO factors, brand and voice in parallel.

It’s all about creating good, fresh content. If you know your audience and have done your research, SEO comes naturally. It's a part of doing business.

Your Clients Are Hungry: Feed Them

Your visitors are hungry for content. Bring your website into the 21st century and feed them. Give them the content they are looking for, and they will convert to clients.

A recent Forrester report indicates that 90% of purchasing decisions begin online, and also predicts that over the next 5 years on-line sales will increase at a higher rate than in-store sales.

It's no secret that you need to create a customer experience beyond a simple presentation of your products, services and information in order to capture the attention and trust of today's users.

When potential clients visit your website, they want to know that you've taken the time to get to know them, that they are not wasting their time, and that they are on the right path.

You can convince users of your expertise by providing content that they find valuable during a purchase cycle. If you become a part of their decision-making experience, then you establish critical trust and a long term relationship.

Today's savvy internet users want more. Much more. Each time they visit they want to know that they've invested their time wisely. If you know your users and your industry, the ideas are endless. And if you keep up with today’s web trends, new ideas will come fast and furious.

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