Take ABOVE THE LAW’s Confidential Social Media Survey

If you care about the “business of law” then Above The Law’s article: This ‘Social Media’ Thing Might Not Be A Fad, Law Firms Acknowledge by Brian Dalton is a must-read.

Traditional marketing is not the only path and may not be the best path these days.

Today’s law firm leaders can no longer ignore “…the positive role that LinkedIn, Facebook, blogs, and similar sites can play in marketing, recruiting, client support and internal collaboration.” Churning out “…unread white papers and ignorable client alerts as part of [your] traditional marketing efforts” is ill-advised. The most powerful takeaway? According to the 2012 In-House Social Media Engagement Survey, jointly conducted by Greentarget, Zeughauser Group and Inside Counsel magazine:

76% of in-house counsel attribute some level of importance to BLOGS when deciding which outside firms to retain.

Brian notes that the 2012 survey of lawyers and legal marketers by ALM Legal Intelligence “attests to this shifting attitude.” Consider:

• 70% of law firms maintain blogs
• Nearly 50% of firms say that blogging/social networking has produced new client leads
• 40% say those same efforts have actually helped them land new work
• Over 50% of respondents plan to increase their budget for social media initiatives

My point? The time to be reluctant or skeptical is over. 

Please let ABOVE THE LAW know what you think by taking their “absolutely confidential” Social Media Survey. Encourage your colleagues to take the survey. Use the survey results to inform your strategy. And, let me know what you think. Are you a law firm leader frustrated by the pace of change? How are you adapting to the opportunities presented by social media? As a business development or marketing professional, what are you doing to leverage the power of social? What’s the biggest challenge you face? About the photograph I shot the photo at the top of this post on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula at Turnagain Arm during a fishing trip with close friends. Like traditional marketing in the age of social media, this sedate trickle of water may not be the best path to follow unless you’re into tidal bores:

Turnagain Arm is one of only about 60 bodies of water worldwide to exhibit a tidal bore. The bore may be more than six feet high and travel at 15 miles per hour on high spring tides. Turnagain Arm sees the largest tidal range in United States, with a mean of 30 feet (9.2 m), and the fourth highest in the world, behind Bay of Fundy (11.7m), Ungava Bay (9.75m), and Bristol Channel (9.6m).

A magical place, indeed.

Photo credit: Kevin P. McKeown © All Rights Reserved