Social Media at the Law Associate Level.

Younger professionals within the firm are already using social media to network within the legal community and search for referrals. Firms harness this energy with a social media policy integrated into the firm’s business development plan.

From a usage audit, you’ll find associates who enjoy writing blogs, and others who are comfortable facing a camera for issue and education video updates. Still others will be proficient with Twitter and Linkedin groups. You’ll also find that because they “grew up” with social media the efforts are not considered much of an intrusion onto billable hours.

Channel these efforts toward business development and recognize and reward them just as the firm encourages public speaking, writing published papers and face-to-face networking.

The firm sets social media policy, acts as the enabler, makes users champions, and in the process enhances the role of the firm as a forward thinking place for young lawyers to grow.

Social Media at the Law Firm Level.

Social media has taken on a significant word-of-mouth role, traditionally a key referral source for law firm business. It also presents opportunities to comment on events related to areas of practice leading to an enhanced reputation as a thought leader.

Follow these trends by using managed social media services to create a firm-level social media presence. Use it to communicate the personality and culture of the firm to potential clients, a significant ingredient in converting prospects into clients.

The trick, of course, is to create an appropriate platform to address issues and educational topics of value to senior partners without an undue burden on time. This is where managed social media services come in.

Creating a strategy where everyone pulls in the same direction to increase caseloads through word-of-mouth referral from the web… isn’t that what all this is about anyway?

For more ideas to drive sales check out the archives or visit Ambit Advertising and Public Relations.

This is where Managed Social Media Services come in.

Solve the “whether to do or not” question by getting help from an agency that understands each piece of social media. Have them put the right tools (not one size fits all) into perspective for you in a program to build your business. We talked about finding the right agency for this in Part 3 of the three part series Can Social Media Blend with Traditional Advertising to Drive More Sales?

Can you give that agency the responsibility for the ongoing management of your social media? Is that agency writing business blog posts, Facebook entries, Twitter tweets, or Linkedin profiles? Look for talents the same as required for business advertising and public relations… writing skills and the discipline to stay on message.

Blog writing, Facebook posting, Twitter posts, Linkedin profiles… while they have new names and new twists on writing style, all have similar roots in the writing and messaging needed to produce quality advertising and public relations. It starts with research to understand the business, and leads to writing motivating ad copy and compelling press releases, or writing blog posts and Facebook entries… all to professionally convey the company message.

The difference is ad and pr writing gets published in media such as newspapers/magazines/web/radio/TV, while blog, Facebook, and Twitter writing gets published in its own social media.

Beware of agencies and staff with successful personal Facebook pages that “know” social media and are chatting all the time. It just isn’t the same as running a purposeful business social media presence.

Kind of makes sense. You don’t assign staff to write ad copy and press releases. Have your social media managed by professionals to get the most value for your business.

For more ideas to drive sales check out the archives or visit Ambit Advertising and Public Relations.

Ambit was invited to speak to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association about strategies to use social media to attract customers. The presentation to restaurant and hotel owners and marketers was a combination of inspiration and education intended to raise their awareness as to why adding Facebook and Twitter icons to their websites would most likely not produce measurable results.

In this fifth and last part of the five part video series, we focused on practical social media tools now being used. Take home points include:

• Motivation to get on Facebook or Twitter
• How you build your following
• They are sitting at your restaurant and pool right now
• Twitter and Facebook tools
• Don’t let anyone just put the F and T on your home page

For more ideas to drive sales check out the archives or visit Ambit Advertising and Public Relations.

Ambit was invited to speak to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association about strategies to use social media to attract customers. The presentation to restaurant and hotel owners and marketers was a combination of inspiration and education intended to raise their awareness as to why adding Facebook and Twitter icons to their websites would most likely not produce measurable results.

In this fourth part of the five part video series, we focused on practical social media tools now being used for restaurants. Take home points include:

• Olive Garden Facebook page with 436,000 followers
• Kogi BBQ creates a Twitter only branded business
• Valpo, making Twitter and Facebook work for small restaurant
• If I had a restaurant… and I understood what I know now about social media…
• Don’t let anyone just put the F and T on your home page

Stay tuned for the remainder of the series.

For more ideas to drive sales check out the archives or visit Ambit Advertising and Public Relations.

Social media offerings are now more of a “need to have versus a nice to have” for many businesses. But going from a “lean back” disengaged experience with an F and T on a home page to the lean-forward, “I-need-to deliver-relevant-information” experience requires a well thought out plan.

The domain of creating a meaningful social media presence has migrated from pure digital and web design shops populated by sneaker wearing youth who “get it” to traditional advertising and public relations agencies. In taking the mantle, these agencies not only get it but more importantly have developed techniques for integrating social media to strengthen existing marketing campaigns and bring out the best in both.

And the single right agency to blend your advertising with social media becomes more obvious if you look for these four “what you should be looking for’s” in an agency.

1. Should be strong on marketing strategy… planning it takes to find the right combination from all the possibilities to position your message in front of your customers at the least cost with the best results.

2. Should be strong on the execution of traditional marketing. Tools like advertising; TV, radio, print; creative in their own studio; brochures and branding… anything that you currently use or might think should be a part of the way you market your business.

3. If you can get an agency strong on public relations, should be talking about how the pr business has changed dramatically over the past couple of years, that newspapers are a fleeting target and writing more than half their releases to be read on-line possibly never to appear in print. And about writing your message in a key word rich style to attract Google spiders to your website.

4. Should have social media on the mind of every person in every brainstorm working session. Ask at what point they bring the social media person in on their discussions. If the answer sounds like “when we need them” then they will be planning what they are comfortable with and bringing in social media as an add on. So last year’s habit. It’s about setting the goals and expectations for social media every time you talk about moving a business forward.

This is a huge step forward to the way ad and pr agencies deliver comprehensive services. Most will claim they get it, some will actually deliver. Go through the “shoulds” and find the right agency for you.

Can’t think of a more exciting time to get on board.

For more ideas to drive sales check out the archives or visit Ambit Advertising and Public Relations.