Hashtags are arguably one of the more powerful tools on the Web right now.

While hashtags are a relatively new phenomenon, there is no denying their power and popularity among social media users. The concept of hashtags originated organically on Twitter but has since spread to many other social media sites. It’s important anyone involved in your law firm’s social media efforts understands the fundamentals of how they work and why they can be beneficial to your firm’s marketing campaign.

Their purpose

In a nutshell, hashtags consist of a numerical sign (#) that’s followed by a keyword. They are typically inserted at the end of a social media post and are a simple way to categorize content. From there, people can search hashtags to narrow down their searches and find relevant content. This means that social media users can quickly access content on nearly any topic.

Advantages

By using this technique, you can conveniently market your firm and get found by potential clients. A Memphis divorce lawyer might insert hashtags like #divorce or #childcustody into a post concerning these topics to quickly increase their exposure on Twitter or Facebook. From there, prospective clients who search for these hashtags could find those posts, which could lead to re-posts and more followers if the content quality is high enough.

Another benefit is the large volume of social media users that click on hashtags. According to Marketing Pilgrim, studies have shown that 41.8 percent of people will click on them to explore new content, which is tangible proof of their power. Since the process of creating hashtags is incredibly quick and easy, it only makes sense that your law firm should take advantage.

In addition, you can sometimes create a buzz around your law firm when you capitalize on current trends. If you  get one of your hashtags featured on Twitter’s trending list — which is admittedly very difficult — this can result in massive exposure overnight. If this happens, you can expect a dramatic boost in both your number of followers and traffic to your website, which can help you generate plenty of leads.

YouTube has reached one billion monthly views. Tap into that audience!

YouTube is a video sharing site that started out with humble beginnings, but it has recently reached 1 billion views per month. With such a large traffic volume, YouTube is the perfect resource for reaching your firm’s audience and generating new leads. Here are some tips for increasing the number of views that your videos receive.

Tip #1: Tag your video properly

One of the easiest ways is to include tags with each video that you create. Use relevant keywords that people would naturally search for to find your content. Add enough tags to cover all the bases, but don’t use keyword stuffing because this can have a negative effect.

Tip #2: Link to other networks

If your law firm uses other social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, place links in your YouTube profile from there. Likewise, place links to your YouTube channel on those sites to encourage traffic between your different online profiles. Not only should this increase your views, but it should help your branding efforts as well.

Tip #3: Build a community

In most cases, the YouTube channels that succeed are the ones that interact with and engage their audiences. For example, the Law Office of Caleb A. Kershner might be able to spark a discussion by asking a question at the end of each video they post. A representative would then respond to comments and strive to establish relationships with viewers. Over time, this can create a dedicated community of brand ambassadors for a firm.

Tip #4: Subscribe to relevant channels

Another integral part of success involves reaching out to others. That’s why subscribing to other legal channels can be so beneficial. Many people will return the favor by subscribing to your channel. You should also leave thoughtful comments that add value to a discussion on relevant videos. This can grab the attention of viewers, and who will hopefully visit your channel to find out more information about your firm.

Take a close look at the differences between mobile and desktop browsing behavior; it’s important!

According to Internet traffic data compiled by Adobe and Google, approximately 20 percent of all Internet traffic in the United States now takes place on mobile browsers. Smartphones are being used in greater numbers compared to tablets, but that trend is bound to see a reversal later this year: Tablets are expected to account for 10 percent of all Web traffic in 2014.

The figures above should remind modern legal professionals that their Internet presence should be optimized for mobile browsing, but there are other factors to keep in mind. Mobile browsing will one day be as common as desktop browsing; to this end, it is important to consider the behavioral and experiential differences between the two.

Desktop versus mobile engagement

Instant access is the first aspect to consider with regard to mobile browsing. Smartphones and tablets are always on and ready for duty, and this makes them more attractive to users who wish to quickly look up information even if they are at home. In fact, 70 percent of tablet owners browse exclusively from home. For this reason, it is imperative that legal professionals optimize their websites by using a responsive design.

Mobile sites must not only conform to various screen sizes; they must also provide a browsing experience that adjusts to various devices. In this sense, the mobile website of a Pensacola domestic violence lawyer should not offer as many touch-and-tap options as its desktop version. This entails giving mobile users more pixel space between areas of the screen they can touch, which makes the site easier to navigate.

The desktop browsing experience is more comfortable with regard to visibility and practicality. Desktop browsers invite collecting information, opening several sites, clicking on multiple links, drag-and-drop functionality and customizing the overall Web browsing experience. Reading, however, is an activity that users seem to enjoy on tablets more than on desktop systems; this should prompt legal professionals to increase the quality and quantity of content on their websites in order to appeal to all platforms and devices.

Learning how to implement converged media for your legal practice can strengthen your firm’s marketing efforts and connections to clients.

Converged media simply means that your customers experience your brand seamlessly through different locations such as your website, social media and your firm’s office.

As a lawyer or legal marketer, converged media is a vital part of modern-day web marketing. Gone are the days of simply posting information to be consumed in a vacuum. Your potential clients are savvy web users who want you to tell them what they want to know. If you don’t, they’ll find a competitor who will.

The good news is that if you provide the information and seamless links between your different web presences, your potential clients will find it and be grateful. User expectations of web marketing have grown while many law firms have not yet caught up, and the market is there for impressing.

Converged media and quality content

The heart of a converged media solution is providing high-quality content across all channels, content that is relevant and engaging. It offers immediate value to readers by answering common questions or improving their lives in some way. When it comes to your web marketing success, your brand is far more important than a static list of your services or other information.

Your brand is based on how well you connect with your customer base. For instance, if you’re an Orlando wills lawyer, your content should answer questions that customers have about probate procedures, how to write a will and important considerations.

A good brand will keep visitors coming back to your website and other information feeds, and it will be far more likely to convince visitors to become customers. Quality is more important in today’s marketing world, so don’t worry if you don’t inundate your social media, blog and web content streams with constant data. As long your brand is consistent and seamless throughout, you will gather lasting interest.

Online events offer a wealth of benefits for hosts and attendees.

Virtual events have become a hot topic of conversation as of late, and many businesses are using them for networking and generating leads. Here are some of the top benefits of having a virtual event and how it can help your law firm.

Lower costs

Perhaps the biggest benefit of an online event is the overall cost-effectiveness. Rather than having to rent a venue and pay for speakers’ travel costs, a virtual event cuts back on your expenses dramatically while delivering the same message to your audience. This is especially good if you’re dealing with a limited budget and only have a minimal number of audience members.

No geographical limitations

It’s also advantageous because you don’t have the geographical restrictions that you would normally have with a live event. This means that you can feature speakers from all over the world and get more in-depth insight as a result. Your audience members also have access to your virtual event regardless of where they live as well.

Later viewing

Since you can record a virtual event, you can also place it on your website’s archive so that people can view it at a later time. This option would allow a Los Angeles matrimonial attorney to share his event with others for months and years down the road. If someone needs to extract a certain piece of information, they can do so by reviewing the virtual event.

Branding benefits

In addition, this technique is perfect for increasing the brand recognition of your firm. By offering a video, slideshow or other presentation to your audience, it’s an effective way to demonstrate your legitimacy and authority in your area of law. In time, this can serve as a valuable marketing tool that can provide your firm with plenty of leads.

For law firms, a content strategy can produce more long-term success.

While some businesses can benefit more from focusing on short term sales and marketing, law firms are usually better off when looking at the big picture. As such, it’s beneficial to make the shift from a channel strategy to a content strategy. Here are some reasons why this move is important and how you can use it to help build a long-term client base.

First of all, a content strategy is geared toward creating information architecture that your audience will find helpful and provides them with genuine value. Unlike a channel strategy that concentrates more on making an immediate sale or conversion, a content strategy looks further into the future where a conversion is likely to be made at a later time. Although it tends to take longer to see tangible results from a content strategy, the long-term benefits often outweigh those of a channel strategy. When done correctly, this can lead to the creation of brand ambassadors for your firm and maximize your overall impact.

One of the best ways to get started is to figure out what your audience already knows and what they would like to know. This will ultimately dictate the type of content you create and is important for seeing success. Once you have an understanding of the needs and wants of your audience, you can spend time creating relevant content. A Tucson embezzlement lawyer might want to write a series of blog posts concerning white collar crime and the legal process a defendant in Arizona typically goes through.

After you have built your foundation of content, it’s important to get feedback so that you can maintain your existing audience while gradually increasing it. This could include viewing blog comments, interacting on social media sites, responding to emails and performing other any tasks that engage your audience. From there, you will need to update your content and keep it fresh. While this may not result in massive leads right away, it should generate a considerable amount of quality leads over time.

Press releases are excellent marketing tools for lawyers seeking a boost in traffic to their websites.

One form of online marketing from which most law firms can greatly benefit is press releases. When done correctly, these can result in large volumes of traffic and generate new leads. By following a few guidelines, your firm should be able to get the most out of press releases.

To start, you will want to create a press release at the most opportune time. Typically, this means writing one whenever your firm has a newsworthy event such as winning a big case or when a member of your firm is giving a speech in your community. A group of Social Security attorneys might send one out after winning a key disability case. Within the press release, you should include the name of your firm, your city and state, some contact information, and a link to your website. This information is important because it will help potential clients find you and bring traffic to your website.

Once the press release is completed, you will need to submit it to some major media companies who cover legal topics like the ABA Journal. After being sent out, a press release should be circulated around the Internet on places like legal blogs and social media sites. In time, this will usually generate a substantial amount of traffic and increase the overall exposure of your firm.

To get the most out of press releases, it’s also important to track your traffic. Analyzing this data will let you know which websites are driving the most traffic and which ones are helping you make conversions. Understanding the data you gather is beneficial because you can use it for future press releases and with marketing in general. This way, you can place more attention on the websites that are driving traffic and avoid the ones that aren’t pulling their weight.

Interested in learning more about how to make a stellar press release for your law firm? BestLegalMarketing.com has a whole series on Attorney Press Releases you can check out for free!

Are you paying attention to your online reputation? A good reputation is one of the best marketing tools you have, and all professionals should work to protect their reputation, both online and off. After all, it’s a lot easier to protect a good online reputation than it is to try to clean up a bad one.

Adrianos Facchetti offers three simple but effective ways to protect your online reputation in “3 Quick Ways To Defend Your Online Reputation.”

Buy your own domain name:

In other words, secure at least the .com version of your legal name. For added security, you might want to buy other common TLDs, like .net or the new .co. You don’t need to use them all, but by owning them, you prevent others from using them and posting potentially negative information. Set up your website on the .com domain.

Use JDSupra:

High quality useful articles are always a good way to boost your reputation. According to Facchetti, articles on JDSupra rank quickly, so post some good articles containing your desired keywords on the site. Just remember that the article needs to be useful and well-written, otherwise you could hurt your reputation instead.

Ask for reviews:

If you’re allowed to do so, set up a Facebook page and ask clients to post their thoughts about you there. As the page administrator, you can remove posts you don’t like, but remember that constructive criticism can be helpful, especially if you respond to the post in a professional manner and get it resolved. Also, 100 percent positive reviews can look suspicious.

If you’re not already doing these things, consider adding them to your priority to-do list. They don’t take much effort, and they can go a long way toward protecting your online reputation long-term.

Information in this post gathered in association with Asbestos information.