Technology in Marketing: Using the Web

Foley & Lardner understands the imperative of making that connection with your audience and is doing so in exciting new ways. Foley's use of multimedia on their Web site gives them first mover advantage. 'Most attorneys pass along articles to clients. We do too but now we can also send video, including perspectives from our attorneys and industry executives,' says the firm's Scott Kilburg. For the firm's Multimedia Integration Project, Kilburg recently accepted an award for Marketing Initiative of the Year at the 2008 Marketing Partner Forum. 'Clients tell us that the real value is receiving the specific information they want quickly ' being able to click on a specific chapter or fast forward to something they are interested in plus it's remarkably fast,' he adds. In the information age, Foley understands that they are dealing with an overextended audience with limited time to view information.

Like most law firms, Foley's attorneys write articles, speak at CLE conferences and present at Firm-sponsored seminars. 'We develop and participate in more than 350 events. Whether breakfast briefings or one-day seminars, our attorneys and marketing staff invest a tremendous amount of time in developing these programs. We wanted to step back and say for this 1 day program where 150 clients attended, how can we get this information out to thousands and thousands of clients who were not able to attend?' Kilburg added.

Clients were asking if Foley was planning to repeat programs in certain cities so that other business executives could take advantage. 'We wanted to record and capture that moment in time and make sure that content was not just limited to that audience. We treat it as our ability to extend the life of a marketing program.' Foley's Executive Perspectives display interesting interviews on topics such corporate governance, intellectual property, health care, among other areas.

Transfer Proven Real-World Activities to the Internet

The best business Web sites are no longer static. Today, they have become interactive communities of interest ' organized around relevant topics ' that invite users to stick around and participate in an ongoing discussion. They are used to create online relationships that then translate into real-world business relationships.

Interactive Web sites are built by taking everything that is distinctive and engaging about a real-world law firm environment (where lawyers have already experienced marketing success) and transferring it to an interactive online environment.

In the real-world law firm environment, for example, one or more lawyers might be excellent writers ' with many articles published in print. In the interactive world, the lawyers' articles will be posted to the Web site and coded with RSS feeds. In addition, an excellent writer usually makes a good blogger. Although quite a few law firms have launched blogs, most of these do not enable user comments or bookmarking. This is a mistake. The truly interactive blog will offer these features.

In the real-world law firm environment, one or more lawyers might be popular and engaging speakers. In the interactive world, those same lawyers' presentations could be captured in an audio or video format and added to the Web site along with PowerPoint slides and an RSS feed. Using this tool, CLE or other training programs could be offered to clients as a value-added service. In a truly interactive environment, users could post comments to a completed presentation or actually participate in a real-time webinar.

In the real-world law firm environment, one or more lawyers might excel in face-to-face or organizational social networking. In the interactive world, this lawyer can leverage his or her people skills in an online environment ' including the creation of new (or participation in existing) online social networks devoted to the discussion of a particular legal subject. Members of these online networks can be invited to participate in real-world activities.

Embrace Innovation

Videos, blogs, podcasts, social networks and wikis are just a few of the many interactive tools that can be added to a law firm's existing Web site ' enriching basic descriptive content with a variety of clients touch-points that allow users to interact with a law firm and its lawyers. Once the tools are set up, these online activities take no greater investment of time and talent than activities in the real world ' and offer a far greater payoff in terms of strengthening a firm's all-important Internet profile and search-engine results. The biggest hurdle to acceptance of interactive Internet tools is most lawyers' inherent skepticism of anything new and outside their complete control.

To counter questions about newness, lawyers must be shown that their sophisticated clients are using these same tools. Clients expect to see a similar level of interactivity on the Web sites of their service providers. So far, most firms restrict use of these interactive tools to mini-sites that focus on recruitment, associates, alumni or social responsibility efforts ' but this will change.

Lawyers' concerns about control can be even more difficult to address. Lawyers like to hoard what they know ' and bill for it rather than share it. Foley's Kilburg states, 'we didn't want to allow that investment of time for a 1 day program to be done the day after. Our lawyers understood the value in leveraging this investment and extending it to our Web site.' On the Internet, service providers must give something of value ' some indication of knowledge and skill ' in order to get something of value ' a reputation as an expert that will lead to new business.

In 2007, the most innovative law firms picked up on this trend and began to revise their Web sites accordingly. In 2008, as more law firms decide to engage their audiences, create innovative experiences and open their sites to user-generated content, this trend will enter the mainstream.The savvy law firm can use all of these tools to make their Web sites more interactive with (and attractive to) clients, potential clients, referral sources and the media.

What are we talking about when we say 'Web 2.0' and 'interactivity'? Examples that have been embraced by the popular culture (and law firm clients) include opinion-sharing sites (blogs), video-sharing sites (YouTube or Google Video), professional-network-sharing sites (LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace), knowledge-sharing sites (Wikipedia) and favorites-sharing sites (Digg and De.licio.us). 'Mashups' are also associated with Web 2.0. In technology, a mashup is a Web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool.

Nancy Manzo is the Practice Director for Marketing Solutions at Hubbard One, where her consulting team helps law firms use technology to achieve their marketing and business development goals. For additional information, call 206-633-3624 or [email protected]

In the last two years, there has been an explosion of new technologies and new ideas in law firm marketing and business development. There are more ways than ever before to communicate to your audience and tell your firm's story to clients, potential clients, recruits, and the media through these new technologies. However, having technology alone does not make an effective marketing program. Effective marketing means striking a chord with your audience, making a connection. When you give value, and provide someone with choice ' that combination of valuable content delivered in a targeted way using innovative technologies – results in happier customers. Web 2.0 has taken the Internet to an exciting new level ' characterized by true interactivity between Web site hosts and Web site users.

The legal industry hasn't been known to be the most innovative industry when it comes to cutting-edge interactive marketing. But a handful of firms are challenging that assumption.

Foley & Lardner

Foley & Lardner understands the imperative of making that connection with your audience and is doing so in exciting new ways. Foley's use of multimedia on their Web site gives them first mover advantage. 'Most attorneys pass along articles to clients. We do too but now we can also send video, including perspectives from our attorneys and industry executives,' says the firm's Scott Kilburg. For the firm's Multimedia Integration Project, Kilburg recently accepted an award for Marketing Initiative of the Year at the 2008 Marketing Partner Forum. 'Clients tell us that the real value is receiving the specific information they want quickly ' being able to click on a specific chapter or fast forward to something they are interested in plus it's remarkably fast,' he adds. In the information age, Foley understands that they are dealing with an overextended audience with limited time to view information.

Like most law firms, Foley's attorneys write articles, speak at CLE conferences and present at Firm-sponsored seminars. 'We develop and participate in more than 350 events. Whether breakfast briefings or one-day seminars, our attorneys and marketing staff invest a tremendous amount of time in developing these programs. We wanted to step back and say for this 1 day program where 150 clients attended, how can we get this information out to thousands and thousands of clients who were not able to attend?' Kilburg added.

Clients were asking if Foley was planning to repeat programs in certain cities so that other business executives could take advantage. 'We wanted to record and capture that moment in time and make sure that content was not just limited to that audience. We treat it as our ability to extend the life of a marketing program.' Foley's Executive Perspectives display interesting interviews on topics such corporate governance, intellectual property, health care, among other areas.

Transfer Proven Real-World Activities to the Internet

The best business Web sites are no longer static. Today, they have become interactive communities of interest ' organized around relevant topics ' that invite users to stick around and participate in an ongoing discussion. They are used to create online relationships that then translate into real-world business relationships.

Interactive Web sites are built by taking everything that is distinctive and engaging about a real-world law firm environment (where lawyers have already experienced marketing success) and transferring it to an interactive online environment.

In the real-world law firm environment, for example, one or more lawyers might be excellent writers ' with many articles published in print. In the interactive world, the lawyers' articles will be posted to the Web site and coded with RSS feeds. In addition, an excellent writer usually makes a good blogger. Although quite a few law firms have launched blogs, most of these do not enable user comments or bookmarking. This is a mistake. The truly interactive blog will offer these features.

In the real-world law firm environment, one or more lawyers might be popular and engaging speakers. In the interactive world, those same lawyers' presentations could be captured in an audio or video format and added to the Web site along with PowerPoint slides and an RSS feed. Using this tool, CLE or other training programs could be offered to clients as a value-added service. In a truly interactive environment, users could post comments to a completed presentation or actually participate in a real-time webinar.

In the real-world law firm environment, one or more lawyers might excel in face-to-face or organizational social networking. In the interactive world, this lawyer can leverage his or her people skills in an online environment ' including the creation of new (or participation in existing) online social networks devoted to the discussion of a particular legal subject. Members of these online networks can be invited to participate in real-world activities.

Embrace Innovation

Videos, blogs, podcasts, social networks and wikis are just a few of the many interactive tools that can be added to a law firm's existing Web site ' enriching basic descriptive content with a variety of clients touch-points that allow users to interact with a law firm and its lawyers. Once the tools are set up, these online activities take no greater investment of time and talent than activities in the real world ' and offer a far greater payoff in terms of strengthening a firm's all-important Internet profile and search-engine results. The biggest hurdle to acceptance of interactive Internet tools is most lawyers' inherent skepticism of anything new and outside their complete control.

To counter questions about newness, lawyers must be shown that their sophisticated clients are using these same tools. Clients expect to see a similar level of interactivity on the Web sites of their service providers. So far, most firms restrict use of these interactive tools to mini-sites that focus on recruitment, associates, alumni or social responsibility efforts ' but this will change.

Lawyers' concerns about control can be even more difficult to address. Lawyers like to hoard what they know ' and bill for it rather than share it. Foley's Kilburg states, 'we didn't want to allow that investment of time for a 1 day program to be done the day after. Our lawyers understood the value in leveraging this investment and extending it to our Web site.' On the Internet, service providers must give something of value ' some indication of knowledge and skill ' in order to get something of value ' a reputation as an expert that will lead to new business.

In 2007, the most innovative law firms picked up on this trend and began to revise their Web sites accordingly. In 2008, as more law firms decide to engage their audiences, create innovative experiences and open their sites to user-generated content, this trend will enter the mainstream.The savvy law firm can use all of these tools to make their Web sites more interactive with (and attractive to) clients, potential clients, referral sources and the media.

What are we talking about when we say 'Web 2.0' and 'interactivity'? Examples that have been embraced by the popular culture (and law firm clients) include opinion-sharing sites (blogs), video-sharing sites (YouTube or Google Video), professional-network-sharing sites (LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace), knowledge-sharing sites (Wikipedia) and favorites-sharing sites (Digg and De.licio.us). 'Mashups' are also associated with Web 2.0. In technology, a mashup is a Web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool.

Nancy Manzo is the Practice Director for Marketing Solutions at Hubbard One, where her consulting team helps law firms use technology to achieve their marketing and business development goals. For additional information, call 206-633-3624 or [email protected]