practicehacker

SEO consultant Indu Priya recently wrote a post for the site Quick Online Tips about measuring return on investment (ROI) when it comes to Twitter. While the piece was not directed at lawyers, its messages were well taken and certainly apply to our practices. As the author notes there, it is notoriously hard to measure results on new-media platforms like Twitter; to discern what works from what doesn’t. But there are a number of tools available for those who want to measure their Twitter results and extrapolate their ROI. 

Obviously, to assess how close you are to your destination you must know where you’re going. Some firms have gone to the length of assemblying a marketing plan in order to set goals for themselves – but if you ask me a simple outline will do until you find out whether your aims are realistic, achievable, or economical. Consider these well-known Twitter success stories:

Dell famously uses Twitter to disseminate offers and discounts, as well as to listen in on market chatter. To guage success Dell counts the number of Twitter-based discounts redeemed by consumers, comparing those figures with the number of purchasers overall. The difference should represent the difference that Twitter makes in its customer-count.

Barack Obama’s Twitter account is the stuff of history – launched during his lightning 2008 presidential campaign, its goal was simply to touch as many people as possible and allow them to communicate with one another. Once their common Twitter friend (the Obama campaign) brought them together, the key metric measured b y the campaign was the number of posts (tweets) that were circulated (retweeted) by followers. After that the multiplier effect took over and delivered the vote.

Of course not all goals are measurable or even achievable; but most can be reached following some creative planning. In the meantime, consider these ROI measurement tools for Twitter and find more on OneForty: 

• twifluence     track the growth rate of your Twitter campaign
•  twitalyzer     analyze how many times others refer to your posts
• tweeteffect   find how many people are responding to your posts
• klout              measures influence on topics across the social web
• twitoaster     measure and view respones to blog and Twitter posts

Download now or preview on posterous

Zelotes v Rousseau et al 09-0412 Memorandum of Decision.pdf (497 KB)

At issue in this case was whether Chicago-based lead-generation service Total Attorneys was violating ethical rules by doing business Lawyers in the State of Connecticut. The answer apparently was no. At least, not based on the complaint brought by this Attorney-Plaintiff. The opinion is seen as a victory for free enterprise as opposed to the grip of local bar associations, which routinely monopolize Attorney-Referral Services, which are a source of profit.

John Jantsch author of Duct Tape Marketing has this solid advice for people who have content on their hands that isn’t generating new business: which is pretty much anybody who’s been around for a few years. As a lawyer for 15 yeas I can  sympathize, having literally thousands of pages and millions of bytes worth of information I’ll never use again. Why let it go to waste, right? Read the full post to get the details but here is the upshot:

1. Guest-Post: Offer to post on others’ blogs; invite them to do so too
2. Host a group: A forum, discussion group, blogging circle, whatever
3. Invite friends: Meet real people at actual events (”Tweetups” etc.)
4. Co-Branding: Basically this means ghost-writing or “white labeling”
5. Create Events: Like #3 but you would be the master of ceremonies

Of course these ideas have also been floated before so they sound a lot like marketing buzzwords, but this guy writes a monthly column in Wired that really resonates with me (it’s not bull). So it’s worth a quick read. Also, all of the suggestions involve actually interacting with other people as opposed to just writing or providing content so if you’re not a people person but still want to make an impact by sharing content, try contacting someone who is good with people and work together. It’s better than letting your work gather dust.

Posted via email from practice (redux)

2010 Social Media Influencers – Trend Predictions

Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn

“Dig your well before you’re thirsty”
Neal Shaeffer, Author

Summary: I’ve been a member of LinkedIn since 2007. But like many people I’ve had doubts about the network’s value. In Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn entrepreneur Neal Schaeffer shares specific suggestions about growing your network. Best of all, the author never talks down to the reader – that allows me to develop my own rational and strategy.

The Good: Shaeffer explains that LinkedIn is meant to function as a virtual favor-bank so members can help one another without obsessively searching for a quid pro quo. The author then goes further by providing a step-by-step guide to: creation, maintenance, and leveraging of your brand, asking for and offering recommendations, answering questions, and other pillars of social networking.

The Bad: While he explains things in a clear manner, Schaffer probably devotes too many pages to his windmill analogy. The result is not necessary to understanding LinkedIn and can get longwinded (ha!). But while I found the windmill abstraction a little forced, it ties in with Shaeffer’s own brand.

The Ugly: Schaeffer explains why LinkedIn (not Twitter or Facebook) is THE site for professionals. But the author comes from a general business background – not a legal one – so his point of view may be slightly off for our purposes.

Evaluation: While not intended specifically for lawyers, Windmill Networking is a great primer for members of the profession interested in using LinkedIn to connect with one another, reach out to referral sources, or recruit a team of professionals to serve our own business needs. I give the book 4 hacks out of 5

In Navigating the Ethical Pitfalls of Online Networking, Attorney Christine E. Mayle shares some considerations for social-networking lawyers. The piece is well written and concise, although I couldn’t help noticing that the list sounds awfully similar to the no-no’s we were warned about in connection with lawyer blogging; which were similar to the warnings about websites; which resembled the warnings concerning the use of e-mail by lawyers; which were only a hair different from the points brought up concerning Yellow Pages ads. In short, here we go again (stop me if you’re heard this one before):

• Advertising Rules: Web sites are considered advertisements – as are social networking profiles.
• Disclaimer Language: Some states require the use of disclaimer language in advertisements.
• Pre-Approval: Some regulators require a pre-approval process for any lawyer advertisement.
• Testimonials: LinkedIn and Avvo allow the use of testimonials, but some states prohibit them.
• Expert Designation: Avoid “expert” and leave references to legal “specialties” out of your profile.
• Revaling Too Much: Don’t disclose client information in posts or updates. Think before you post.
• Keep it Clean: Assume your post will be viewed by your firm, clients, opponents, judge, and mom.