For legal marketing professionals and attorneys, getting signed up and active on Twitter is an important step in any social media marketing campaign. 

But what’s the point of signing up if you can’t be found?

That’s where twitter directories come in.

Twitter directories are third party apps that allow you to submit your twitter handle and profile so that potential clients or colleges can find you and follow in a matter of minutes.

Clearly, this is an extremely valuable tool when it comes to networking with other legal marketers, attorneys, and members of the media that may be looking to use you as a source.  Likewise, these directories allow potential clients to search by practice area (i.e, personal injury, criminal, estates), so if you don’t utlize the 5 minutes it takes to get listed, you might miss out on a great case!

You also want to make sure you are following the key players in your industry and Twitter directories make it so much easier to do that.  They also help the key players find YOU and follow what you have to say.  Obviously, it’s a win- win situation as far as networking is concerned.

So without further adieu, here are a handful of Twitter directories to get started with.  The first two are specifically for the legal profession, while the rest offer general directories and categories in which your twitter handle and profile can be named:

• LexTweet (A service of LexBlog): http://www.lextweet.com/
• Legal Birds (powered by Justia): http://legalbirds.justia.com/
• Twitter Fan Wiki: http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Apps
• Twellow: http://www.twellow.com/
• Just Tweet It: http://justtweetit.com/
• Twitter Packs: http://twitterpacks.pbwiki.com/
• Gov Twits (Find Gov’t Employees & agencies): http://newthinking.bearingpoint.com/2008/11/20/govtwit-directory/
• Book Trade (List of publishers & book execs- great if you want to get published!): http://www.highspotinc.com/blog/2008/12/a-directory-of-book-trade-people-on-twitter/

Online Business Manager and law firm marketing expert, Laura Lee Sparks, is one of the most authoritative and well respected voices on attorney outsourcing, legal marketing and being a virtual assistant for lawyers on the web.  Her advice and legal marketing campaigns have helped lawyers reach and surpass the million-dollar mark in their businesses numerous times thanks to her straight-forward advice and ability to make legal marketing principles easy to understand and implement.  For further information on lawyer outsourcing programs or to contact Laura Lee directly, please email help@legalmarketingmaven.com

For lawyers entering the world of legal marketing, social media and web 2.0, the concept of blogging is a tough thing to grasp.  You may be wondering “Why do I need a blog?” or “Who in the world will even read my blog?” Better yet, “I just don’t have time for a blog” is something that frequently gets thrown out there in regards to online marketing efforts

Well this article from Kevin O’Keefe of LexBlog may just convince you to make time for your blog once and for all.

Essentially, Kevin’s article explains the “whys” behind the “what” of legal blogging, while offering concrete steps on how to make the most of a blog to bring in clients and media opportunities. 

Here’s a short snippet from the article:

The results of such effective blogging are far reaching. People conducting relevant Internet research, both lawyers and prospective clients, will see your name over and over again. You’ll receive regular calls from reporters looking for commentary from a knowledgeable lawyer. Ultimately, word of your passion and expertise as a trusted authority in your niche will spread by word of mouth – both on and offline.

“Easily 80 percent of my new business comes from people who found me through my blog,” says Seattle lawyer Philip Mann, who publishes the IP Litigation Blog (www.iplitigationblog.com). “The Internet and blogs are the great equalizer. No longer do the large, established firms have a monopoly on the power to get their name out and attract business.”

One hundred years ago, lawyer marketing was all about entering into conversations with opinion leaders, business associates, and the public to spread word of one’s passion, expertise, and care and to further enhance one’s reputation as a trusted authority. Today, it’s still the same, except that the conversation has moved online.

You, too, can enter the conversation through blogging.

Canadian Bar Association Website.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons Artist Cambodia4kidsorgs

Online Business Manager and law firm marketing expert, Laura Lee Sparks, is one of the most authoritative and well respected voices on attorney outsourcing, legal marketing and being a virtual assistant for lawyers on the web.  Her advice and legal marketing campaigns have helped lawyers reach and surpass the million-dollar mark in their businesses numerous times thanks to her straight-forward advice and ability to make legal marketing principles easy to understand and implement.  For further information on lawyer outsourcing programs or to contact Laura Lee directly, please email help@legalmarketingmaven.com