Legal Internet Marketing Blog

Recently, Hubspot hosted “The Science of Timing”, a webinar attended by almost 25,000 that discussed research conducted by Dan Zarrella, a social media “scientist” who analyzed thousands of blogs, Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts, and emails to present data regarding the best practices for when and how often these communication tools should be utilized. The following is a brief look at some of the key points that were discussed during the webinar that are beneficial to law firms and other businesses looking to better market themselves online.

1. Should my blog posts be tied to my tweets and Facebook status updates?

   It is highly recommended that you feature your blog posts on both Twitter and Facebook so you can reach the highest number of people possible. However, that said, you need to be cautious about automatically linking your tweets to your Facebook. It’s much easier to flood the walls of the fans of your page than it is to flood their Twitter feed. This is partially due to the fact that Facebook filters users’ wall feeds based upon their preferences, so all updates and shares from friends and Likes aren’t always on their wall. With Twitter, the content of the feed is 100 percent of updates from users followed, and since many users follow hundreds of accounts, it is less likely your tweets will overtake their feed. For example, according to Zarrella’s research, the Facebook business pages that perform the best only post about every other day, so you should be very selective and careful with the pieces you highlight there.

2. Is it possible to saturate your Twitter audience?

   Yes, if you tweet the exact same thing. When tweeting, you can feature the same content but use different ways of promoting it. For example, if you are sharing a recent blog post on Twitter, tweet the link using the title of the post. Later on in the day, tweet about something different from the post, such as key points or an important quote, and again include the link. Make sure you spread out the content you are sharing to attempt to reach as many people as possible, since people access Twitter at different times throughout the day. Be creative and don’t tweet the same thing over and over. You shouldn’t be afraid of tweeting too much – Zarrella found that some of the most followed Twitter accounts tweet over 22 times a day.

3. How do I find the balance between experimenting with timing yet remaining consistent?

   It’s important to experiment with timing (when you share updates on Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.) in order for you to learn more about your audience. For example, Zarella’s research discovered that men are more likely to read blog posts at night, while blogs are more likely to be commented on over weekends. When are people more likely to read your blog posts, retweet your tweet, or like your Facebook page? Experiment to find out. However, for your audience that is already established, it can be confusing if you begin to experiment when you are sharing content if they are already used to a certain day or time.

While there is no easy solution, experimenting with timing can help you get an idea of when your audience is more likely to read and/or respond to what you are sharing, which can help you learn how to optimize your timing best.

While Zarrella presented many statistics, charts, and graphs based upon his findings, he cautioned webinar attendees to find what works for their business and their niche audience specifically. There are no concrete, fast rules to follow since social media changes constantly, but there are effective practices that can be implemented and regularly reviewed to see what’s working and what isn’t. With hard work and dedication, the results will follow. To find out more about how social networking and blogging can help your law firm get more clients, contact the legal Internet marketing team at SLS Consulting for a free growth assessment! Call 323-254-1510.

You’ve probably heard the stories of Facebook scams and fraud that have been circulating recently. While it’s important to be aware of these potential scams and acts of fraud through Facebook, there is no reason to delete your profile or fan page!

A recent article posted on Yahoo! highlights a few ways that some groups and individuals have been using Facebook to run scams. Over the past year, social networking sites such as Facebook have risen to fourth place from 17th for “most treacherous web terrain,” right behind sites for software-sharing, which most of us already know to avoid.

With over 500 million members, Facebook has become one of many targets for scams and fraud. A Facebook profile connects hundreds of friends, and most of us are so trusting that we’ll click any link, video, or status update a friend posts. As a precaution, even if a post or comment was made by a friend, read the entire message before clicking any links, as malware software could be installed on your computer by clicking links posted by scammers. Current security software can combat this, so it’s a good idea to always have the latest technology to protect yourself.

The article notes that Internet users have a tendency to use the same password for everything; from work computers to bank accounts to Facebook. Scammers know this, and try desperately to get the password to your Facebook account because it’s likely it’s your password for everything else. An obvious fix to this problem is to have separate passwords for things. However, some scammers are even more cunning and go even farther, getting at you through a variety of phishing attempts that appear to be games or widgets.

You should always be careful about what applications and games you allow access to your Facebook profile, and it’s definitely worth a few minutes to see what exactly this access entails. Often you will find by reading their terms and conditions that you are giving them permanent access to your profile and even your friends’ profiles.

There are other ways scammers try to get information from you or about you in an attempt to gain access to your profile, bank accounts, and more. Always be on alert for possible scams. If something looks like it could be harmful to your account or your computer, it probably is.

It is important to remember that Facebook offers users a lot of flexibility in regards to what information they want shared, and with whom. You can update your Facebook privacy settings so that only certain people can view your photos, you status updates, and certain parts of your profile. You are also able to control what information about you Facebook shares with search engines and gaming apps and other apps on the site. You can also block apps from accessing your information and contacting you. Being careful with what information you share can help protect you from scammers.

With so many benefits to social networking; like connecting with friends and potential clients; you shouldn’t discard social networking out of fear of possible scams or fraud. While the chances of your Facebook profile being affected are slim, it can’t hurt to be aware, not only in relation to your Facebook account, but in regards to any other online account as well.

As an attorney, you understand the value in making sure your name and the name of your firm favorably show up in Google searches. And it’s not just about names. Keywords that describe the area of law you practice in relation to location and your target audience are also important for search engine results.

If you don’t have a legal website, then you should strongly consider stepping out of the dark ages. There is no escaping the power or value of the Internet, no matter how much you try. Sure, you can advertise your services on TV, billboards, through the mail, or in the yellow pages, but as you write those bloated checks for such advertising…ask yourself WHY???? Ask yourself what people are using the most to find information quickly. Do you really think people start trying to figure out where they last saw that phone book that came ages ago? Answer: NO!!! Do they run outside and try to find a bus or billboard? Answer: NO!!! They sit down at their computer and SEARCH - mostly on Google.

If you’re savvy with legal Internet marketing, then you also know the importance of AVVO, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other forms of social media. But do you know about Google Profiles? Having a Google Profile is another (FREE) way for you as an attorney to create, manage, and have a public page on the Internet. The point of a Google Profile is to make it easier for people to find you and get to know you and/or your services. However, a Google Profile should not be used as an alternative to a website or social networking profile.

Google recently redesigned Google Profiles to have similar appearances as Facebook, with a large profile picture in the upper left-hand corner and a user can have a series of photos stretching across the top. Under this photo display, there is room for an introduction, employment/company information, education, and more. Users can also still include the links they are connected with and there is a separate tab for Buzz. One new feature to Google Profiles is the ability to control search visibility. While you may not want to block your profile page from getting indexed, having the option isn’t all that bad.

Since the rise of Facebook over recent years, Google has needed to creatively and productively elbow its way into the social media world. In a similar way, Facebook has done the same in relation to search, finding new ways to get Facebook users to stay on the social site to conduct searches instead of going to Google.

If Google has a social strategy, shouldn’t your law firm? At SLS Consulting, we have over 10 years of experience integrating custom attorney and law firm website design onto social media sites and blogs. Helping lawyers and law firms nationwide establish online authority and obtain high search engine visibility, we also create and manage social media sites to spread firm news and other important, timely matters relating to your areas of practice and location. Having a Google Profile is one of many ways to help your law firm grow online, create a community on the Web, and get more clients. Call us today to find out more.

Are you wondering why your traffic and website rankings dropped suddenly? Well, aside from the fact that slight shifts in traffic and site rankings occur on a daily, weekly, and even monthly basis, Google recently updated the way it ranks web pages with the Farmer Update.

By changing its algorithm, which seems to have mostly affected lower quality sites, content farms, and even some article directories, Google has made its message loud and clear that high quality sites hold the most search engine strength. Why is this the case? Because these are the websites that actually help people. Search engine users are looking for relevant results for the information and/or help that they need.

So how can you arm your website now to ensure that traffic and rankings don’t plummet the next time Google updates its algorithm? Here are five tips.

1. Nothing’s Set in Stone – The first thing you need to know is that you can’t control what Google does and you certainly can’t fool Google either. And even if you do succeed in fooling Google, such actions usually are short-lived and result in penalties.


2. Be Original – Duplicate or plagiarized content will get you nowhere fast. Google crawls websites looking for the most relevant and updated content. If your website has material that another website has, not only will your rankings and visitors decrease, but your site could be penalized.


3. Provide Something Irresistible – If your website doesn’t provide any valuable, informative, unique, or helpful information, no one is going to stay longer than a few seconds. The most recent Google algorithm update stemmed from user complaints about low quality and irrelevant sites showing up with high search results. That is why, for the most part, these sites no longer have successful results.


4. Fit the Profile – Google is looking for websites that have original, informative content. As we have experienced with our own Legal Internet marketing website and those of our clients, high quality websites that contain in-depth reports, research, thoughtful analysis, and content that is useful to visitors will continue to see their search engine rankings maintain their positions or even jump.


5. Stay True to Yourself – It may seem tempting to follow advice from your neighbor or friend about why you should post content to content farms or include a lot of hidden links on your website, but these tactics will hurt your rankings in the long run. Regurgitating information and over-optimizing may seem like the easy way out, but beware … these things won’t take you anywhere.

To sum it all up, if you write and add quality content to your website, it’s very likely that your high search engine rankings will stick or even increase. Google will update its algorithm again. But the odds that Google will change it to favor low quality sites with duplicate, over-optimized, or irrelevant content are slim to none.

If you think your website contains low quality content, there is no better time than now to change that. Call us today to see how we can help you "turn up the heat" on your search engine rankings.

On March 21, 2006, Jack Dorsey sent the very first tweet, which simply said, “inviting coworkers.” Now, five years later, the social media “microblogging” site has become an integral part of the world’s culture.

Considered to be an experiment in microblogging since it limits users to writing no more than 140 characters at a time (called “tweets”), Twitter asks a simple, yet vital question: “What’s happening?” And on an almost daily basis, its 200 million users respond, from luminaries in the technology field, to popular celebrities, to the president of the United States.

At first, Twitter’s growth was slow. In 2007, only a year after it had begun, there were only about 5,000 tweets per day. Three years, two months, and a day later, over a billion tweets had been sent in total since the site began. Now, there are over 140 million tweets every day, at a rate of about 1,600 every second, which adds up to over a billion tweets per week.

The power and reach of Twitter is undeniable, and has become a broadcast channel for major news events around the world. Highly publicized incidents such as Michael Jackson’s death and Charlie Sheen’s problems with CBS have set the Twitterverse a-tweeting. However, other important happenings have also found a communications source in the social networking site; during the political uprisings in Egypt, Iran, Moldova, and Tunisia, anti-government protestors used Twitter as a hub for communications, coordinating plans and broadcasting their message to the world through their tweets. Even more recently, Twitter’s importance to worldwide communications was solidified after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. On March 11, Twitter says a record 6,939 tweets were sent per second immediately following the earthquake, and over 177 million tweets were sent that day. Twitter has also become a major marketing tool for businesses across the world. Many major companies use Twitter to advertise special deals and get their consumers talking about their products, capitalizing on the power of word-of-mouth marketing.

Last month, it was estimated that Twitter’s worth was between $8 to $10 billion. There is no doubt that Twitter has forever changed the way we communicate online, and it is a powerful force that is here to stay. Using Twitter is an essential part of a legal Internet marketing plan, and if you aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities that this social networking site and others offer, you should strongly consider doing so. Social media provides another way for you to connect with potential clients and others in your field, and also offers you an avenue in which to communicate news about your law firm and other relevant issues within your field. Twitter has shown that the modern consumer desires information that is immediate and transparent, and from a source that is seen as friendly and approachable. If you have yet to create a Twitter account for your law firm, now more than ever is the time to join the conversation.

At this point, you’ve probably heard about LinkedIn, a professional social media website that serves in providing credibility, ways to acquire and give recommendations, opportunities to network, and get referrals.

LinkedIn wouldn’t be one of the “must-have” online social/professional profiles if it didn’t revamp its product and launch new strategies from time to time. The popular and useful professional site recently introduced a new social news product, LinkedIn Today. This product provides a convenient and helpful way for those with LinkedIn profiles to access top new stories and information not only within their own network but also from entire industries.

What makes LinkedIn Today so intriguing and potentially beneficial for attorneys is that it is a quick and easy way to read about breaking news relevant to law, other law firms, and your fellow attorneys, including comrades and your competition. What’s even better is LinkedIn has launched a mobile version of its news product, making it even easier for a lawyer to participate in their own social media marketing while on-the-go.

As LinkedIn finds more and more ways to be ever-present in the workplace and lead the professional Internet social profile world, you may want to jump on this bandwagon. LinkedIn has grown as a credible online source. Having a LinkedIn account, whether you decide to use LinkedIn Today or not, plays an essential role in adding to your online authority and Web presence. The professional site helps users create more of an online community and is designed to make establishing connections efficient, helpful, and simple.

For a lot of attorneys, as well as any other professional, it is vital to do everything that helps the bigger picture, especially when it comes to marketing. If you’re trying to cut out the amount of social networking sites you need, then you may want to readjust your perception. It’s not that more is better; it’s just that all social networking sites offer different benefits. You don’t want to get to a place where you are choosing LinkedIn over Facebook or Facebook over Twitter. Whether you like it or not, all of these profiles, and MORE, go hand in hand towards creating buzz, establishing an online community, and staying informed about the latest legal news and other important information that affects you and your law firm.

At SLS Consulting, we devise specific marketing plans for each of our clients that include social networking account creation and management. To learn more about how our legal Internet marketing strategies can help you get more clients, contact us today for a free assessment!

Attorneys and other businesses with a Facebook page have a new way to increase discussion and commentary on their websites and blogs. Facebook just released a restructured Comments plugin to allow publishers to sync comments throughout a site and a Facebook page. The updated plugin also includes threaded comments and moderation controls.

According to Mashable, the new Comments plugin will put Facebook in the spotlight more than ever. The updated plugin also offers a way to improve and contextualize commentary and bring a Facebook-like conversation to other websites. As users read through various comments left on a website off of Facebook with the plugin, they can mark comments as spam or report inappropriate or abusive comments. There is also an option for users to share comments left on a website with the Comments plugin by posting the comment to their wall and being distributed to their Facebook friends. In creating threaded conversations, the new plugin is designed so that comments on an article or a post are shown together in the same conversation so no one misses a part of the conversation.

Users who would like to integrate the new Comments plugin can access the code on Facebook’s Social Plugins page. However, it’s important for publishers to remember that it takes more than simply adding a plugin to generate discussion and an online community. Active participation is also essential so that you don’t miss timely comments or questions left by visitors.

Facebook offers various plugins that can be added to websites off of Facebook. The Like button has broken ground on many blogs and websites, allowing anyone with a Facebook account the chance to give their two cents. Similar to how retweeting on Twitter registers material as relevant in search results, Likes and Comments on Facebook and within websites that contain Facebook plugins also serve as potential ways to gain high search results and be considered an online authority.

The new Comments plugin also gives publishers the opportunity to synchronize comments so that they appear on both their site and Facebook page. Publishers can control comment visibility by adjusting settings to make comments private or hidden. Certain users and specific words can also be monitored through backlist controls.

While the new Comments plugin offers some great features, it’s unclear at this time how the plugin might influence site performance or page load time since it uses a script.