Along with InsideCounsel, our friends at Greentarget and Zeughauser Group have issued the 3rd edition of their excellent survey examining how in-house counsel use new media and digital tools. The 2013 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey reveals that more in-house counsel are using online and social media, to get news, research topics or people of interest, and grow their professional networks. At the Legal Marketing Association annual conference in Las Vegas earlier this month, we attended InsideCounsel’s General Counsel Panel, which brought together a panel of reputable in-house counsel to further discuss the survey findings and their understandings of the state of the legal industry, how they use blogs and social media to gather information about their outside counsel, and the undying importance of personal relationships. They all echoed the major survey findings: More in-house counsel are using online tools to search and gather information about law firms and attorneys than ever before, and that will only continue to grow.

The shift in the way in-house counsel are using online and new media tools to gather news, research, and information, means that the media is becoming less important as a delivery tool.

This year’s findings affirm key trends and findings we at HBC have noted in the market for a while. Key findings from the 2013 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey include:

• Attorney blogs are growing in importance, and may influence hiring in the future: 55% of in-house respondents indicated they read attorney-authored blogs and, more importantly, 53% of counsel noted they “envision a future in which a well-executed blog will influence hiring decisions.”

Above all else, as we’ve said many times in the past, law firm and attorney blogs need to have substantive, informative, and unique content, which is posted regularly on a defined topic. For instance, counsel may visit labor and employment blogs when looking for special counsel or experts in the area and want to see legal expertise, but also content that makes the firm or attorney(s) stand out. With the volume of legal blogs out there today, law firms and attorneys should only be launching blogs that will leave an impact on readers and have unique, insightful, and timely content.

• Wikipedia is a trusted professional online reference tool: This year’s survey found that 65% of counsel use Wikipedia to conduct company and industry research, up from 51% of respondents in 2012. This signals a major shift in attitude, and that Wikipedia is now an online source for professional searches. Law firms and attorneys should be careful to monitor and take ownership of their Wikipedia pages in order to confirm the content is not only accurate, but strong for the firm. While a reference tool, Wikipedia is another online opportunity to present and package content, and also to optimize for online searches; firms need to be taking control of this resource.
• Video is valuable: HC has been touting the growing value and importance of video content for law firms for a few years now, and the In-House Counsel Survey supports this with 55% of respondents reporting they access law firm websites and YouTube channels to some degree to access substantive video content. The counsel indicated that short and concise video content – no matter the topic – is key. At LMA, the GC panel agreed that video content is most effective and valuable to in-house counsel when it is at 3-8 minutes, 10 minutes max, and when it drives issue awareness and advises on implications.
• Timely, concise client alerts are effective: Survey respondents only affirm what we’ve said for a while: In the age of new media, client alerts are only valuable if they are done in a timely manner, examining and analyzing the facts, and advising on action items for their clients. C-suite executives and GCs read the news first thing in the morning, so if there is a case filed, settled, or in the news that day with significant implications for their business or industry, they know about it. They will open the first client alert they receive in their email inbox that provides insights and analysis of the case.

In order to keep up with the constantly evolving legal marketplace and the competitive landscape, law firms and attorneys need to maximize the potential of online and new media tools that in-house counsel are using. LinkedIn is the professional social network, as the 2013 In-House Counsel New Media Engagement Survey affirms, and professionals need to ensure that they are using their LinkedIn profiles and the time they spend on LinkedIn to make valuable connections with business development potential and also to present content that attracts attention from prospective clients. Because more in-house counsel are using online and new media tools to gather information about prospective law firms and attorneys, firms need to be producing more thought leadership content in order to have more to post on online forums, populate new media platforms, and distribute and share through LinkedIn, JD Supra, YouTube, and other networks.

The shift in the way in-house counsel are using online and new media tools to gather news, research, and information, means that the media is becoming less important as a delivery tool. Firms have many more options to identify, target, and communicate directly to prospects – and also to control the content that is online and on social media about the firm and its attorneys. Take control and get online; the business development potential is only a click away.