Legal Goes Social

An increasing number of plaintiff law firms are leveraging social networking to cultivate their client base with highly targeted campaigns and profitable results. Firms are creating websites, blogs and news sites highlighting a practice specialty, marketing initiatives that are attracting visitors and prospective clients. For example, Parker Waichman Alonso LLP has created three websites, bigspills.com, oilspillclaims.com and oil-rig-explosions.com, to attract potential clients to the firm. The strategy is driving results. More than 1000 people have filled out contact forms and close to a dozen law suits have been filed. The firm’s approach is intriguing; a balancing act between utilizing social reach and exploiting a catastrophe. The latter of the two speaks to the need of law firms to invest in Search and Online Reputation Management (ORM).

Law firms like Parker Waichman Alonso may be tempted to implement Search and ORM within their internal marketing structure citing the success of Parker’s website launches. Regardless of their size or ranking, law firms must not take their reach or reputation for granted. Outsourcing Search and ORM to knowledgeable performance marketers can provide firms with a cost-efficient, fully optimized keyword research program designed to maximize marketing spend and drive relevant traffic to their site. Implementing a robust ORM system will provide firms with continuously improved monitoring of and protection from negative user posts. It will also enhance positioning of positive and negative results on the first page of major search engines, generate online buzz through blogs and reviews and offer better communications management of social media sites.

Performance marketers attending LegalTech West on June 23rd and 24th should take this opportunity to promote their valuable services to law firms. By outlining the value proposition of Search and ORM and their clear results-driving benefits, the legal community should have little objection.