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Online Destinations that Influence a Consumer to Buy

Larry Bodine — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:56:53 GMT

According to new research, there are three places online that are most likely to influence a consumer to make a purchase:

"Retail" websites like Lawyers.com^SM
"Brand" websites, like a law firm's site
Blogs

Also topping the list were Facebook, and online forums and groups like Ask a Lawyer. The new findings in the Technorati Media 2013 Digital Influence Report confirm that the best way for lawyers to attract new clients online is to market around the way that consumers behave.

Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. It surveyed 6,000 "influencers" (bloggers), 1,200 consumers and 150 top brand marketers. "Brand managers report an expected increase in budgets for digital marketing in the upcoming year," Technorati reported.

Retail websites

Consumers love to go to retail websites like Amazon.com or Zappos.com - online shopping centers where people can find many brands. In this sense, Lawyers.com, which gets more than 6 million page views per month, is a "retail" site - where consumers can find tens of thousands of lawyer profiles.

On Lawyers.com, consumers can easily find out many lawyers' expertise, website and contact information, and can compare attorneys by peer and client ranking. Online reviews can be a great source of new clients. Lawyers.com and martindale.com® are the top online directories used by consumers who sought an attorney in the past year, according to the Attorney Selection Research Study by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG).

Brand websites

In contrast, a "brand" website displays information about one kind of product or service, like Microsoft or Google. A brand website is an online store, the digital equivalent of an Apple store at a shopping mall.

"Today's consumers are increasingly comfortable going online to find answers for all kinds of issues, including legal ones," says Samantha Miller, vice president of product, Web Visibility Solutions, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell. "Law firm websites need to capture consumers' attention and engage them, while serving as part of a larger marketing campaign."

There's no doubt that attorney websites still matter. More than one in three potential consumers of legal services turn to law firm websites to find a lawyer, and 26 percent have checked out a firm's website in order to validate an attorney, according to the TRiG research.

Lawyer blogs

It's clear to see why blogs also influence people to make a purchase. Consumers begin their search for a lawyer by researching their legal issue. The ideal place for them to learn a particular aspect of the law is on an attorney blog. And once a consumer has read a good blog post, who better to call than the lawyer who wrote it?

To learn more about what we can do for you and get a free Website Evaluation and Consultation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

Don’t Get Fooled by the Standard Marketing Advice

Larry Bodine — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:28:00 GMT

I was just reading a blog post by a lawyer who offered "5 easy marketing tips" for young and experienced lawyers. It offered the standard marketing advice but left out something crucially important.

The blog post advised staying top-of-mind with referral sources, making referrals, public speaking, joining organizations and doing excellent legal work. Check, check, check — this is all basic marketing information I've given to lawyers myself. It appeared to be standard advice until I hit the end of the article and found a titanic omission.

Pulling back, I thought to myself — you wouldn't market your law practice without paying attention to your website, would you? No — especially knowing that 76 percent of consumers seeking an attorney in the past year used online resources at some point in the process, according to TRiG research.

The standard marketing advice was right out of the 1980s, before the Internet went live. The guidance was tailored for a world with rotary phones, fax machines and VHS video cassettes. Today, the lives of consumers are filled with smartphones, iPads, computers, email, social media and blogs. These are marketing breakthroughs because they allow a lawyer to be many places at once.

In the old days, a lawyer could reach only the crowd he or she was addressing, talk only to the person he met at an organizational event and send a file only to referral source he had on the phone. Marketing efforts were limited as one-to-one activities.

But it's a different world today. Consumers are likely to look up your profile on the Web before they ever see you. They'll find you online before they ever hear your presentation or meet you at an event. When they look you up, consumers more are likely than ever to use their smartphones — smartphones are already outselling PCs and are regularly used by consumers to make purchasing decisions.

The Web has become an essential step in the way today's consumers really search for an attorney. Consumers don't start by looking for a lawyer — instead they begin by researching their legal issue. This naturally makes consumers seek out lawyer blogs and attorney websites that have detailed FAQ (frequently asked question) articles. Consumers will have a positive impression of a law firm if the website is mobile-friendly, and can easily be viewed on a two-inch screen on a smartphone.

So don't be fooled by the standard marketing advice from the 1980s. Get your website in shape so that it generates new business for you. Need some help? Contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

Why Video Works So Well to Capture the Attention of New Clients

Larry Bodine — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:11:29 GMT

Nothing grabs a potential client's attention like sound, pictures and motion. That's why online video is effective at distinguishing your law firm in a crowded marketplace.

The statistics prove it: More than 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month, and more than four billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube. In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views, or around 140 views for every person on Earth.

The beauty of lawyer video marketing is that it is easy to produce and is so much less expensive than TV commercials. At Lawyers.com^SM, we've invested in video in reporting our "Latest News" for consumers. Check out "Your Guide to Lawyers.com Videos" where we've published close to 100 news videos.

We've also helped scores of lawyers all across the country to develop their own promotional videos, many of which have gotten tens of thousands of views by potential clients. Pay a visit to the Lawyers.com YouTube channel at http://bit.ly/15xNVUt to see what successful attorneys are doing with video marketing.

When it comes to lawyer video marketing, the results speak for themselves. Attorney profiles with videos on Lawyers.com are viewed 174 percent more than those without a video, and increase the click-through rate to a firm's website by 146 percent.*

LexisNexis offers video production services that showcase your entire firm, a specific office or an individual attorney. You can use stock images or shoot original footage on location with expert lighting and sound to convey a professional image.

With video, you can:

Create a professional image.
Increase the understanding of site visitors.
Extend and broaden your reach.
Motivate prospects to contact your firm.
Measure your effectiveness and ROI.

Video allows you to have an audition with a potential client on his or her laptop, iPad or smart phone. Find out more about lawyer video marketing today.

^*When compared to profile pages without videos. Impact of Law Firm Videos on Lawyers.com Online Visibility, Lawyers.com Traffic Report, Nov. 2009.

Attracting New Clients with a Blog [video]

Larry Bodine — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:39:13 GMT

Sixty percent of small law firms have landed a client as a result of their blog, according to the American Bar Association. A blog should be the cornerstone of your marketing strategy. If you post entries every day of the week or as often as you can, you're going to be rewarded with a higher ranking in clients' search results.

In the webinar excerpt "Blogging Best Practices for Law Firms" (see below) I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe practical steps lawyers can take to generate new business with social media.

Advantages of a blog include:

Emphasizing a niche, so that you are not marketing everything under the sun.
Responding quickly to current events. It takes you a few minutes to summarize a news item, add a link and put yourself online speaking as an expert on the topic.
Allowing comments on your blog. Lawyers can moderate comments, by using a feature to be notified when a comment is posted, and using an option to publish it.
Differentiating yourself, by writing about the work you do for clients and the problems clients have. This takes advantage of the way clients look for lawyers, which is to search for a solution to their problem rather than directly look for a lawyer.

Listen to the webinar as we cover 10 ways to find interesting blog topics.

"Blogging Best Practices for Law Firms" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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How Facebook Fan Pages Capture New Business [video]

Larry Bodine — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:40:26 GMT

Facebook today has more than 900 million active users — including almost half of the population in the United States. "Facebook is no longer just for kids," says marketer Stephen Fairley. "Your fan page is specifically designed to market your law firm."

In the webinar excerpt "Facebook Fan Page Best Practices for Law Firms" (see below) I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe practical steps lawyers can take to generate new business with social media.

Stephen estimates that 95 percent of law firms already have a website and are fishing online trying to get clients. But fewer than 10 percent of law firms are actively using Facebook to market their law firm and therein lies a huge opportunity.

Facebook fan pages should be updated regularly. Use them to:

Promote your law firm
Post blog content
Make connections
Build your mailing list

"You actually have to grow it, build it and nurture it. You need to focus on conversations and not just the number of connections you have," he advises.

"Facebook Fan Page Best Practices for Law Firms" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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Best Practices to Get New Business with Twitter

Larry Bodine — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:04:04 GMT

Social media has evolved as a powerful way for lawyers to raise their profiles and attract new business. In the webinar excerpt "Twitter Best Practices for Law Firms" (see below) I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe practical steps lawyers can take to generate new business with social media.

Twitter is worth exploring for marketing, even though you're limited to 145 characters in a message. A best practice is to avoid advertising yourself. For example, one lawyer tweeted, "There are hundreds of personal injury firms. Why hire ours?" with a link to his website. The message is ineffective because readers will not be interested in the answer, and the tweet says nothing new.

In contrast, another lawyer sent a tweet, "The #Elderly at Nursing Homes who suffer abuse. #Phoenix #Personal #Injury @Attorney." This shows a smart use of hashtag symbols, because they are hooks that will make the tweet show up when a person searches for the term with the hashtag.

Another best practice is to tweet about trending topics. Use the link www.bing.com/social, which will display current topics being discussed in real time on Twitter and Facebook combined.

"Twitter Best Practices for Law Firms" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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Eight Steps to Jumpstart Your LinkedIn Presence

Larry Bodine — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:35:48 GMT

LinkedIn is the No. 1 social media network for business professionals. In the webinar excerpt "Social Media Best Practices" (see below) I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe practical steps lawyers can take to generate new business with social media.

By using the following best practices, you can turn your connections on LinkedIn into referrals and new clients:

Create a comprehensive profile. Take your entire bio and put it online and load it with keywords that clients use to find you.
Connect with people you know by downloading the free Outlook email toolbar. It will go through all of your contacts and will present you a list of people to connect with on LinkedIn. "That is the best, easiest, fastest way to get started on LinkedIn," says Stephen.
Recommend others using the built-in LinkedIn feature. There will be a notice that you recommended them and an invitation to write a recommendation for you. Social proof makes a big difference in marketing.
Join groups of attorneys and referral sources. There are dozens of groups on a wide variety of topics. Once you are comfortable, take the next step and start your own group.

Watch the video and find out about best practices Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

"Eight Steps to Jumpstart Your LinkedIn Presence" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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Social Media Best Practices Start with LinkedIn and Facebook

Larry Bodine — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:27:10 GMT

Finding lawyers online has become as common a method to find lawyers as asking friends and family. In fact, three out of four consumers seeking an attorney over the past year used online resources at some point in the process, according to current research.* Consumers are now using social media to find lawyers, because that's where their friends and family can be found.

In the webinar excerpt "Social Media Best Practices" (see below) I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe practical steps lawyers can take to generate new business with social media.

"LinkedIn is a fantastic way of getting started on social media," Stephen says, noting that LinkedIn has 150 million users, including executives worldwide. He offers eight steps to jump-start your LinkedIn presence, starting with a keyword-loaded online profile.

From there, a lawyer should start to connect with other people whom the lawyer already knows, recommend others and join LinkedIn groups of lawyers.

Meanwhile Facebook also offers a "huge opportunity" to market a law firm, Stephen says. This is because Facebook has hundreds of thousands of active users yet less than 10 percent of law firms have any presence to promote their law firms. He adds, "It is important to update your fan page regularly. You have to build it and nurture it." One best practice is to focus more on engaging visitors in conversations rather than merely building connections.

"Social Media Best Practices for Law Firms" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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*The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), "Attorney Selection Research Study," March 2012.

Ways to Use Social Media Effectively

Larry Bodine — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:26:11 GMT

In the webinar excerpt "How Will You Use Social Media?" I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe practical steps lawyers can take to generate new business with social media.

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and blogs will generate leads for attorneys. Of course, ethics rules do apply to communications on social media; the basic rules can be found in ABA Model Rule 7.1.

To use social media effectively, lawyers should start by identifying specific business goals including areas of practice and locations for which they want to be known. To get a free Social Media Evaluation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist. Best practices include:

Putting social media tasks in your calendar.
Focusing on challenges your clients are facing.
Making updates during downtime, such as airport layovers.
Using images and videos to pique interest.
Sending messages that educate, not sell.

The cornerstone of any online marketing campaign is a law firm blog, because it positions a lawyer as an expert. Blogs also work well to attract calls from the media.

"How Will You Use Social Media?" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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Business Development with Social Media

Larry Bodine — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 23:15:00 GMT

In the webinar excerpt "Top Four Reasons Why Social Media Matters," I join Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, to describe how lawyers can generate new business with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

There's a huge online conversation among consumers about legal issues. You can be part of the conversation, or you can miss it and the business that goes with it.

Stephen and I outline four reasons that social media works for lawyers:

It is one of the most cost-effective means of building your platform.
It will increase traffic to your website.
It will influence buying decisions by your potential clients.
It connects you to referral sources.

"The holy grail of your marketing is to build your word-of-mouth referrals," Stephen says. "Social media gives you a way to build a massive platform rather rapidly and is one of the most cost-effective ways to do so."

To get a free Social Media Evaluation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

Blogs and social media are also an effective way to boost traffic you your website. "The two things Google loves are fresh, relevant content and inbound links," notes Stephen. "The more links you have to your website the better Google will reward you by pushing you to the top of search engine results."

To get a free Website Evaluation and Consultation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

Social media is so prevalent now that it influences consumer buying decisions. "If you start adding things up, you can see that social media has the ability to influence thousands and thousands of people. If the average person on Facebook has 130 friends, if you can get your Facebook fan page to over 500 connections, you have the ability to influence 65,000 people," Stephen says.

"Does social media work? That is the wrong question," he says. "The right question is, which social network will work best for my practice area?" He quoted from a survey by Hubspot:

Is your end client a business, a CEO or an executive of a company? If yes, you are a business-to-business firm. Business-to-business firms — over 45% — say that the No. 1 source of acquiring a customer was from LinkedIn.
Is your end client a consumer? If yes, you are a business-to-consumer firm. Business-to-consumer firms — 68% — say they had acquired a new client from Facebook.

LinkedIn is a fantastic place to develop referral sources. One of the things that lawyers enjoy about LinkedIn is the ability to join a group. When you belong to a LinkedIn group, you can meet lawyers and referral sources online and then connect with them in person.

"Top Four Reasons Why Social Media Matters" is an excerpt from the LexisNexis webinar "Join the Conversation: Social Media Strategies for Your Law Firm." View additional LexisNexis webinars for the latest insights and best practices in online marketing for law firms.

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¡Hola! The New High-Tech Latino Client

Larry Bodine — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Over 52 million strong, Latinos are no longer just a sub-segment of the American legal economy, but a prominent driver of economic growth and trends. Smart law firm marketers will court this fast-growing population of consumer clients.

Contrary to false stereotypes, Latinos are more tech-savvy than the general population. According to Nielsen's State of the Hispanic Consumer: The Hispanic Market Imperative report, as compared to the general population:

60 percent of Latino households own a video- and Internet-enabled cell phone (compared to 43 percent of the general population).
Hispanics spend 68 percent more time watching video on the Internet, and 20 percent more time watching video on their mobile phones.
Latinos are 21 percent more likely to post links, articles, videos and websites online.
They are 17 percent more likely to write or update a personal blog.
They are 7 percent more likely to have one or more social networking profiles.

With a buying power that will reach $1.5 trillion in three years, according to Nielsen, the U.S. Hispanic market would be one of the top 20 economies in the world, if it were a standalone country. Latinos are buying homes, consumer goods, dinners in restaurants, financial services, cars — and legal services.

Latinos accounted for 23 percent of consumers who sought an attorney during the past year, according to new research conducted by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG)* -- more than any other minority demographic.

The arrival of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court was symbolic of the emergence of Latinos in the law. Hispanic Americans share many of the same legal needs as other consumers, from incorporating family businesses to drawing up wills and dealing with family law issues. Additionally, Latinos are concerned with legal issues involving immigration, refugee status, notary fraud, access to equal housing and voting rights.

LexisNexis can help lawyers in small firms reach the young and fast-growing Latino demographic in several ways:

A well-defined presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social media will catch the eye of Latinos. To get a free Social Media Evaluation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.
Videos that explain the law will boost traffic on a lawyer's website in general, and capture the attention of Latinos in particular.
A mobile-friendly presence will be attractive to Latinos who view lawyer websites on smartphones and tablets. To get a free Website Evaluation and Consultation, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.
SMS (short message service) messaging will resonate with a Latino audience, who send more text messages than the general population.

Latinos will contribute more than half of all population growth in the United States over the next five years, and they are the fastest growing ethnic segment, according to Nielsen. Successful lawyers will be the ones who devote adequate resources to identify and pursue Hispanic market opportunities.

*Based on a survey of 4,000 adult Internet users (Internet users comprise 78% of the U.S. adult population** and the U.S. adult population comprises 235 million according to the U.S. Census 2010) conducted by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), March 2012. **According to The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project's Spring Tracking Survey conducted April 26-May 22, 2011.

Using the Power of Habit to Generate More Business

Larry Bodine — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:23:00 GMT

Attorneys can apply the lessons from the new book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and turn them into new clients. Kudos to Phil Livingston, Chief Executive Officer, Marketing & Business Solutions at LexisNexis, for spotting the book and giving me a copy.

The book says a habit consists of three parts:

A cue (a location, time, emotional state, other people or an immediately preceding action)
A routine (the activity that forms the habit)
A reward (an emotion payoff, physical sensation, recognition or a prize)

By identifying the right cue, an attorney can create a marketing initiative that launches a routine by clients, such as reading the lawyer's blog, visiting the firm website or liking the lawyer's Facebook page. Ideally the routine will also include phone call for an appointment at the firm. In any event, it is essential that lawyers have website visibility and social media marketing, which LexisNexis is highly skilled at creating for lawyers.

"People's buying habits are more likely to change when they go through a major life event," the book points out. Following are examples of cues that will prompt clients to contact attorneys:

Change in residence
Change of job
Having a baby
Parent goes into assisted care
Client is suddenly in a wheelchair or rehab
Arguments at home (over adultery, financing trouble, work stress, depression or addictions)
Being arrested or pulled over
Getting a legal notice
Holidays (when there are disputes over child custody)

These cues should be discussed in a lawyer's blog, Tweeted out on social media and highlighted on the firm website.

The reward for visiting an attorney's website, blog or social media presence is emotional. This isn't in the book, but I believe this includes feelings such as relief, security, justification and safety. Remember that people buy things such as legal services for emotional reasons — they will justify them later with logical reasons.

Attorneys can plan their marketing strategy and tap into the power of habit with a LexisNexis team. Options to consider are video marketing and a lawyer blog. To learn more about how our Law Firm Marketing Solutions can boost your online presence, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist.

Follow Larry on Twitter: @LarryBodine

Marketing Tips that Generate New Business

Larry Bodine — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:39:00 GMT

The No. 1 mistake I see lawyers make when marketing themselves is failing to be active online. LexisNexis® just announced new research by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG) that reveals that 3 out of 4 consumers seeking an attorney over the last year used online resources at some point in the process.* This means that attorneys must have a Web page or blog as the cornerstone of their online marketing. Further, every time a new article or blog post is published, a lawyer should share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

To build a following, a blog should be updated at least once a week, if not more often. A blog allows attorneys to demonstrate their expertise and discuss legal issues that consumers face. The more content that is created, the more there is for Google to index.

This can be a lot of work, so I recommend that attorneys enlist help from LexisNexis, which can set up your blog and Web page and actually write a first draft of all the material you put online.

Marketing Musts

It's important for lawyers to publish FAQs ("frequently asked questions") online that discuss a potential client's problem — not just practice area descriptions — because people often start by researching their legal issue, not by searching for a particular lawyer. Smart lawyers put content online that gets them found early in a person's search.
An attorney must be facile and comfortable with the Web, blogging and social media. With the huge growth in social media, a potential client's friends, co-workers and colleagues are online — and so the attorney must be online too.
Along with online sources, referrals are a significant source of new business for lawyers. Accordingly, attorneys should find their counterparts and set up express referral arrangements. For example, a litigator should seek out transactional lawyers. Social media is a great way to meet referral sources.
Smart lawyers join and become active in trade associations and organizations that their clients belong to. Many associations have online groups and networks, and they make it easy for an attorney to meet a potential client online — and then pursue the relationship in person.
The new TRiG research shows that Lawyers.com^SM is the top-cited online legal resource mentioned by consumers who sought an attorney in the past year, following Google.* Consumers are accustomed to reading reviews online, on websites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. When a consumer cannot find any information about a lawyer online, this is a major turnoff. Furthermore, consumers don't like it when they cannot find a rating of a lawyer online. The place to turn is Lawyers.com, which carries profiles of hundreds of thousands of lawyers, who can invite their clients or fellow attorneys to rate them. Consumers want to know a lawyer's clients rate them highly, and whether fellow lawyers respect them.

The "old-fashioned" methods for finding lawyers are still in use — people will always check with friends, family and co-workers to find a lawyer. But there is one thing you can be sure about — people will double-check that recommendation online.

You can get professional help today with LexisNexis website design and hosting services.

Follow Larry on Twitter: @Larry Bodine

* Based on a survey of 4,000 adult Internet users (Internet users comprise 78% of the U.S. adult population** and the U.S. adult population comprises 235 million according to the U.S. Census 2010) conducted by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), March 2012. ** According to The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project's Spring Tracking Survey conducted April 26-May 22, 2011.

Marketing by Making Online Videos

Larry Bodine — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:13:00 GMT

YouTube is a potent marketing tool for attorneys. For example, when Ari Kaplan goes to conferences, he records short interviews of prospective clients he meets. Ari uses the video recording function on his iPhone, and uploads the videos online.

"Self-promotion is much more about promoting the good works of others and letting that reflect on your character," Ari says. When he records and uploads a video, "My goal is for the other person to think, 'Ari is really thinking about me, he understands my business — he's not a commodity.'"

Lawyers from across New Jersey and New York came to a recent LexisNexis LEXPO networking and marketing event to hear Ari Kaplan explain how to generate new business with social media — particularly LinkedIn. Ari is the author of the new book Reinventing Professional Services: Building Your Business in the Digital Marketplace.

Video is a very effective marketing tool. Of the people he's interviewed, "I've worked with 75% of these companies now," Ari says. View this video to learn more about marketing with online video:

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Like this post? Watch all of Ari Kaplan's videos from this presentation in Marketing by Making Connections Online, Marketing by Connecting to Groups and Marketing by Making Introductions.

Follow Larry Bodine on Twitter: @Larrybodine

Marketing by Making Introductions

Larry Bodine — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:43:00 GMT

The sharing culture that exists online creates marketing opportunities to introduce people to each other, according to lawyer, legal industry analyst and author Ari Kaplan. "If you met me, and I knew that you were an environmental specialist and dealt with a lot of real estate developers, and I knew that another guy had a tremendously successful real estate practice with a lot of real estate developers, I could say, 'You guys should connect.'"

"When you meet somebody, what do you do afterwards?" Kaplan asked. "You'll email me and say, 'It was great to meet you.' Maybe you'll be bold enough to say, 'Do you want to have lunch?'" But if you make an introduction of one person to another, he explains, "You have now created this triangle. Suddenly there are all of these conversations going just because of your mere introduction."

The next time you think about how to follow up with someone, think about two people you can connect, Ari says. View this video to learn more about creating a "conversation triangle” to advance your law firm opportunities:

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Like this post? Watch Ari Kaplan's earlier videos in Marketing by Making Connections Online and Marketing by Connecting to Groups. Look for the next video from Ari Kaplan next week. Topic: Online Video.

Follow Larry Bodine on Twitter: @Larrybodine