PR AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FIRMS

Roger RoyseRoyse Law Firm, PC

1717 Embarcadero RoadPalo Alto, CA 94303

E-mail: rroyse@rroyselaw.comwww.rroyselaw.com

www.rogerroyse.comSkype: roger.royse August 27, 2012

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FIRM STRATEGY

A. BrandingB. Marketing ToolsC. ReferralsD. Transparency

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A. BRANDING

• Establish your brand- Price- Size- Practice areas/Specialties offered- Geography/Industry- Expertise/Experience- Client list

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BRANDING CONT’D…

• Strong brands ensure client retention and acquisition- Consumers want to be assured of

making the right decision• Messages must be true, meaningful

and differentiable

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B. MARKETING TOOLS

Every lawyer and law firm has a different “core” marketing focus.

1. Inbound Marketing2. Firm Website3. Social Media4. Budget

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1. INBOUND MARKETING

• Networking Events- TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP with potential

referral sources- NOT just to get new clients

• Speaking Engagements- Get the attendees contact information- Have a follow up strategy (e.g., offer

consultation, monthly newsletter, etc.)

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INBOUND MARKETING CONT’D…

• Blogs/Articles/Newsletters- 51% of Internet users in the U.S. (over 91 million

people) read blogs- Discuss cutting edge topics and current events (e.g.,

tax issues in cloud computing)- Publish blog posts constantly (2 to 4 times per week)- Register your blog in directories and promote

constantly• Videos

- Content, Content, Content- Professionalism - Focus on target audience

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INBOUND MARKETING CONT’D…

• Press Releases- Google loves press releases

o Considers them an authoritative sourceo Ranks them high for search results

- Good way to show firm success without promisingo Avoids ethical issues

• What do you write about in your press releases?- Commentary on current news events- Legal decisions that potentially affect your community- Results of a poll or a survey you conduct among clients- Firm news such as new associates, awards, community

involvement, etc. • Publish at least one press release per month for most attorneys

- More if you are a new practice

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2. FIRM WEBSITE

• Integrate website with all marketing outlets- Use it as a publishing platform for your social media

sites and attorney-generated content• The more geographically dispersed your client base,

the more your website matters- Less face-to-face meetings

• Client testimonials- Ethical issues arise because these are testimonials

that you control- Encourage positive feedback to be posted by

others on your social media sites• Use of Wordpress and Turnkey Solutions

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FIRM WEBSITE CONT’D…

For an example, check out the

Royse Law Firm Website

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3. SOCIAL MEDIA

• Using Social Media- Create a profile/page for the firm- Load with engaging content (research, articles,

photos, videos, etc.)- Share info: lawyer speaking events, publications,

legal news, firm news- Update and engage visitors often- Link all social media and inbound marketing (e.g.,

blog) o each other

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SOCIAL MEDIA CONT’D…

• Social Media Sites- Facebook- Twitter- Linkedin - Twitter

• Lawyer Social Networks- Martindale-Hubbell Connected- Legally Minded- Hubstreet- JD Supra - Lawyers.com- Avvo- Justia

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SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (“SEO”)

• Tag keywords in all of your online content and link back to your website- Google AdWords (or Twitter hashtags)

• List your company in as many directories as possible

• Analytics- Monitor visitor activity

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SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

• Remember that social media is “social” – embrace its interactive nature

Buddy Media’s “Best Practices Guide for Twitter”- Tweet 4x/day or less- Use fewer than 100 characters per Tweet- Add links to Tweets to get higher Retweet rates

o Tweets containing links get 86% higher Retweet rates- Make sure the links are clickable by including a space before the

URL- Tweet on the weekends – engagement rates are 17% higher then- Engage with followers during “busy” hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.- Include hashtags in your Tweet, but no more than 2 per Tweet- Add links to images- Use the word “Retweet” as a call to action to your followers to

shareo 12x higher Retweet rates

• Think about this data while using all social media sites

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4. BUDGET

What is your budget?

How much are you willing to allocate to social media and marketing?

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C. REFERRALS

• Equally important marketing outlet• Longer-term strategy• Types of Referral Sources

- Current clients - Former clients - Lawyers- Associations/Social Clubs- Lawyers.com- Family

• Ask for referrals in your social media and marketing outlets

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D. TRANSPARENCY

• Link together all marketing outlets- According to HubSpot, firms that publish

blog content to social media sites generate 50% more leads than firms that don’t.

• Monitor ROI and focus on what works for your firm

• Follow up with potential, current, and past clients

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PALO ALTO1717 Embarcadero Road

Palo Alto, CA 94303

LOS ANGELES11150 Santa Monica Blvd.,

Suite 1200Los Angeles, CA 90025

SAN FRANCISCO135 Main Street,

12th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105

www.rroyselaw.comwww.rogerroyse.com

E-mail: rroyse@rroyselaw.comSkype: roger.royse