While I was at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) Business meeting in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to meet with large-firm general counsel, communications directors and small firm members from across the country.

I really enjoy talking to lawyers in person about  social media, mostly because it gives me an opportunity to discuss the importance of on-line networking tools and how they can directly impact their business, face-to-face.

One attorney I spoke with said, “One of the reasons lawyers aren’t really going for social media like Facebook, is because it started with young people using it, kids really kind of playing with it.”  Unfortunately, she’s right.   Many legal professionals have antiquated ideas about how to generate business and technology has always been a challenge.

So,  they’re really suffering when it comes to understanding and developing new online tools for business development.  That makes the fast moving development of online communication all the more challenging for many in the industry.

During the NAMWOLF business meeting, the importance of staying in communication was an ongoing theme for the panelists.  We all know that for generations, lawyers have built their business through personal relationships.

It’s time to expand your “Comfort Zone” and learn new communications tools!

Facebook is the perfect tool to help lawyers have deeper conversations and relationships with acquaintances so they can become friends, and potential business contacts.

Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, JD Supra, Martindale.com and Avvo are fast becoming primary tools for generating new business for legal marketers going forward.

An article in the Lawyerist elaborates on the usage of Facebook and it’s intense growth among users between 35 and 55 years old.  The precise demographic legal marketers are targeting…

As of August 4, 2009, there were about 78 million users on Facebook, 40% of them over the age of 35. Facebook’s users in every demographic are increasing, not decreasing, with certain demographics like those over the age of 55 increasing by 514% from January through July 2009.

If you are not actively using social media in your marketing efforts, your firm’s business is missing out on some incredible opportunities.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketers – Now is NOT the time to give up on Twitter

Legal Professionals Who Are Not Social Media Savvy Can Jeopardize Their Cases

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

My assistant, Lori, sent me a very funny link to a law firm’s commercial on YouTube. (You’ve got to love when you find people to work with whose personalities and quirky sense of humor is in-synch with your own! )

One aspect of marketing I work with my lawyers on when developing their brands, is to step outside the mold of traditional legal marketing and be truly representational of their personalities.

NY based Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman took a chance with their agency, The Levinson Tractenberg Group , and created a big viral win.

This spot’s been viewed more than 96,000 times!

Other articles you may be interested in:

Draconian Ideology Is No Fix For Legal Marketers

7 Sites That Will Keep Legal Marketers On Their Toes With Social Media Marketing Rules

Legal Marketers, For Social Media PR to be Truly Effective It’s Important To Remember That Good Things Take Time

For Small and Midsize Law Firms: The Launch of Your On-Line Platform Is News and Information For Your Current And Prospective Clients

Social Media PR For Lawyers is More About “Staying Conscious” Than “Being Cautious”

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

It is important for legal marketers and PR firms to stay on top of the changing communications technologies and tools that impact our industry. One PR consultant’s experiment forced him to discover some “news tools” available beyond the printed newspaper.

PR consultant, Adam Vincenzini’s a new years resolution for 2010 and thought it would be of interest. Adam had averaged over 60 minutes per day consuming a variety of newspapers.

To explore the online resources available, he made a New Years resolution that he would not to buy or read a printed newspaper for an entire year. Within the first two months of his experiment he has already compiled this list of 50 ways he can receive the news without reading it in print.

Adam’s 10 Mobile-Based ways to get your news are very helpful:

1. Snaptu for mobile (news and apps combined)
2. Reuters Mobile
3. Forbes.com Mobile Reader
4. NYT Media Decoder (for mobile)
5. IngBoo — “Clutter Freedom” (web and mobile)
6. iPhone News Apps (top free and paid services directory)
7. Google News  Mobile
8. Viigo (the world’s biggest newsroom in your pocket)
9. Bloomberg Mobile
10. AP Mobile

Read Adam’s entire list: 50 Alternate Ways To Consume News in 2010 (No Papers Experiment, Day 50)

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

There has never been a better time for legal marketers to engage in social media activity and develop a presence in online communities.
A recent report from Nielsen indicates that social media websites have become the most popular globally over the course of 2009.

These figures also serve to prove that social media is indeed a marketing power to be reckoned with, and that if there has ever been a more opportune time for lawyers, law firms, and other legal marketers to incorporate social media into their marketing strategy.

Two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visit social networking or blogging sites, accounting for almost 10% of all internet time, according to a new Nielsen report “Global Faces and Networked Places.”

If data captured from December 2007 through December 2008 is any indication, that percentage is likely to grow as time spent on social network and blogging sites is growing more than three times the rate of overall Internet growth.

Consumer (aka “potential client”) engagement has rapidly become one of the most effective forms of marketing, facilitated in no small part by the advent and growth in popularity of social networks. Having mastery with the tools used to create brand-focused social network, is more important than ever and  online communities have turned into the central hub of online brand marketing activity.

Social Media is appealing and available to all kinds of individuals across the board of society, and as such, it is time for legal marketers to recognize that social networks as a key way of identifying and engaging with their target audience and attracting the kinds of clients they truly want.

A presence on generic social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are highly beneficial in terms of crowd sourcing, the use of a brand-focused social network developed around  the needs of a legal organization’s brand ,will provide a refined engagement experience for both the consumer and the legal marketer.

I offer a one day work-shop, specifically developed for small to mid-size legal organizations to kick-start their social media efforts.

See the Services for more information

Please feel free to call me at 917-856-5410 for a free initial conversation.

Other articles you may be interested in:

LexisNexis Legal Business Community to include Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog Content

4 JD Supra Applications For Your Law Firm’s Facebook Page and Accentuating Your Personal Brand

“How to Create a Personal Brand as an Environmental Lawyer” Webinar presented by Kara Smith of Karasma Media

Legal Marketers – Here’s a Great Example Of What Not To Do With Twitter

Legal Marketers Who Are Not Social Media Savvy Can Jeopardize Their Cases

To legal marketers – The secret of winning at social media is to stick to it…

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) 2010 March Business Meeting, will be held March 4 – 5, 2010, in Washington, DC at the Dupont Hotel.

This is free conference for in-house counsel, will feature the launch of an exciting new initiative, as well as sessions for in-house counsel and NAMWOLF law firm members.

Attendees will participate in an informative session presented by Stephen Hanas, Senior Counsel, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; an In-House Best Practices Session presented by Jason Brown, PepsiAmericas and Andrea Clark-Smith, American Airlines; annual meeting planning; and many networking opportunities.

Current registrants of the meeting include:  Accenture, Time Warner Cable, PepsiAmericas, Prudential, American Airlines, FDIC, ALM Media, Choice Hotels, Ocwen Financial, Banco Popular, A. O. Smith, Amtrak and Sodexo.

I was first introduced to NAMWOLF last year, via a Direct Message Tweet I received from a graphic designer, whose sister was affiliated with them.  The organization is committed to providing opportunities for minority and women-owned law firms, so is indeed a privilege for me to support this year’s Business Meeting.

Karasma Media is also a member of NAMWOLF’s  Corporate and Public Entities Partnering Program.

Members of the program have a committed to set a goal of eventually expending a minimum of 5% of your outside counsel budget with certified minority and women-owned law firms.

Please don’t hesitate to join our colleagues and register today.  I’d truly like to meet you in person, so please look for me!

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I was recently contacted by Martindale-Hubbell Connected and the new LexisNexis Legal Business Community (http://www.legalbusinesscommunity.com).

Their request:  T0 mirror-publish the Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog on the Legal Business Community with link-backs here.

Of course I enthusiastically accepted!

Their open web community focuses on the best practices/strategies around running a law firm/business.   Topics covered include client acquisition, marketing, technology, people management and finance, among others.

I am thrilled to be a contributor on the LexisNexis Legal Business community, as it is exactly the kind of request I love to hear!

As legal marketers using social media, your expertise popularized via the online content you produce and the scope of your outreach.

Your commentary is a vital part of the communities you associate with, and it is up to you to consistently generate thought provoking and valuable material as an expert.

If you’d rather get my blog delivered to your in-box, I can do that too!
Subscribe to Karasma Media Blog Email Subscription

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketers, Attract More Clients With SEO Copywirting Strategis For Your Firm’s Blog

How To Write Better Headlines For Your Legal Industry Blog

Legal Firms — Don’t Allow Outside Parties Using Social Media To Control Your Reputation

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

I have been a verbal proponent of legal marketers cross branding your personal and business profiles on Facebook for more than a year.

Over the last two weeks, both my God-mother, Mildred Ricks, and her son, Franklin Delanore Kinder, passed away.

I know that many in the legal field are leery about sharing their personal lives via social media; and in the midst of being profoundly saddened by their passing, I wondered if including who Millie was for me would be appropriate here on this blog. I also now that you have a vibrant, busy life and are surrounded by many people you love dearly, without whom doing your chosen profession may not have been possible.

So, I’m choosing on the side of generosity.  It would be incredibly selfish and impersonal for me not share one of the most important people in my life with you.

“Millie” was hired by my mother to take care of me when I came home from nursery school, more than 40-years ago. She fast became best friends with my mom, and second mother to me, and over the years our families spend numerous dinners and vacations together. I can honestly say, I didn’t have a more diligent, loving supporter of my dreams and aspirations.  I already tearfully miss our late-night pep-talks…

Millie Ricks

Without Millie’s never ending compassion, strength and support, it’s very unlikely that I would have finished college, let alone have an advanced degree and my own business in New York City. Her generosity seemed endless, as my family’s experience of her was duplicated countless times with the multitude of children she cared for over the years. Her care-taking even extends to the off-spring of the kids she originally cared for and some of their children, so she deeply impacts more than 4-generations of a wide-spread extended family.

Randy, Ummuna, Azeb, Almaz and Randy III — much  love to you.

My advise to legal marketers…

Never cease doing what you love to do and sharing yourself generously. If you continue to follow your passion and stay aware of who you’re talking to, you’ll find the right words to say — not to worry.

Other articles you may be interested in reading:

4 JD Supra Applications For Your Law Firm’s Facebook Page and Accentuating Your Personal Brand

Keeping Creativity Flowing on Your Legal Marketing Blog

Are you a Legal Marketer looking for help with Facebook? Here’s A Free Guide!

Legal Marketers: You Can Create an eNewsletter from your Facebook Fan Page

Legal Professionals Who Are Not Social Media Savvy Can Jeopardize Their Cases — Legal marketers, what you don’t know is hurting you

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Facebook has fast become the world’s largest and most engaging communications platform!

I regularly encourage legal professionals to establish their profiles here as they can only stand to benefit from building their a corporate presence and personal brand here.

Granted some skeptics within the legal industry are still leary of blending the personal and professional profiles.  However, in this day and age of personal transparency, next to the quality of your craft the genuininess of your persona is your strongest selling tool.

JD Supra has 4 applications (The title of the article linked here says “Three”, but there are actually 4 listed) that will work extremely well on both your personal and business pages.

Legal Publishing

JD Supra Docs

Legal News

Email Sign-Up

I find JD Supra’s applications so invaluable that I’ve become an affiliate myself and highly recommend using them to my clients.

Read the full article here:

Three Apps for Your Law Firm’s Facebook Page – JD Scoop

Other articles you may be interested in:

Legal Marketers – Now is not the time to give up on Twitter

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Protecting your legal marketing brand from “Bad Buzz”

Keeping creativity flowing on your legal marketing blog

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

On Friday, February 12th at 5:00 pm EST I will present an ExecSense webinar :

How to Create a Personal Brand as an  Environmental Lawyer

In this webinar I’ll examine specific ways to use speaking engagements, published articles, and social media web sites as a way to establish yourself as a thought leader to clients and colleagues.

The 60 minute webinar can be printed out  your computer, mobile phone, iPod or printed out.  An excellent resource for understanding how to go about sharing your thought leadership as a Trust attorney and establish yourself as a personal brand in the area of trusts law; apart from/in addition to that of your firm.  Sponsored by ExecSense Webinars.

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Other articles you may be interested in:

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Protecting Your Legal Marketing Brand From Social Media Bad Buzz

Why technology and social media need to be integrated into your branded legal marketing strategy

When designed properly, social media communication is personal and unobtrusive.

It’s not “spammy” – At All!

Chris Brogan published an amusing, yet sadly repeated manner in which Twitter (and other social media platforms), can be used inappropriately.

This is just wrong…  and will jeopardize your organization’s reputation…

Read Chris’ article here…

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410