Prominent Blogs Influence Hiring of Law Firms
In a new report Greentarget found that blogs influence the hiring of lawyers, LinkedIn is the online network of choice for lawyers, and that social media use is going mainstream in the legal profession.
For example, 76% of 334 in-house lawyers surveyed said they attribute "some level of importance" to a lawyer’s blog when deciding which firms to retain.
Confirming what we know, the study reported:
- Survey respondents indicated they read blogs written by firms slightly more often than they read blogs written by journalists. In-house counsel also perceive blogs as credible (84%).
- LinkedIn leads all other social networks in professional usage and perceived credibility (88%). [We knew last June that LinkedIn Seen as Most Important Social Network and that LinkedIn is a Happy Hunting Ground for Lawyers]
- New media usage is going mainstream: the generational divide among in-house lawyers is leveling off. "This effect is driven by older counsel 'consuming more content' rather than a significant drop in consumption among younger counsel," the report says. [See 81% of Large Law Firms Use Social Media for Marketing]
- In-House Counsel Largely ‘Invisible Users’ of Social Media: This audience rarely contributes content on social channels, preferring instead to listen and consume. This approach makes their true level of engagement difficult to measure.
- Wikipedia Important, But Not to Research Law Firms: Very few in-house counsel (7%) are using Wikipedia to research outside firms, but they are using the online encyclopedia for issues-based research (51%).
- Firm-to-Client Communications Going Social: Whether initiated by inside counsel or by firms themselves, the legal industry is warming up to social media as a "client services mechanism."
For more, see www.greentarget.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012GTZGICSurveyReportFinal-WebsiteVersion.pdfIn-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey
