Avvo Answers and the Benefits of Social Media Distribution

Here at Avvo, we’re constantly talking to attorneys about how to get the most out of the time, attention and resources they devote to online activities. One of the critical themes we hit on is the need to develop a “core web presence.” For many, this will be their website. For others, their blog, Avvo profile or even a Facebook page. The idea is simply to have a place that contains everything you want potential clients or referral sources to know about you and your practice.

This is not to say that non-core web activities should be neglected. Quite the contrary – non-core tools or web presences can and should be used heavily. It’s just that these services should be viewed as supporting players in the overall mission of enhancing the content and visibility of the core.

Take Twitter for example. Twitter is probably not going to be the core web presence for most lawyers. But it IS a powerful way to distribute the content you write, thus driving users back to a blog or website.

While using Twitter as a distribution tool is effective for bloggers, it can also be used very effectively by non-blogging attorneys answering consumer questions on Avvo. The thousands of legal questions asked on Avvo every week provide a unique forum in which attorneys can showcase their expertise – without needing to launch a blog or come up with topics. Here’s how it works:

• Claim your free Avvo profile if you haven’t done so already.
• Add links to your Avvo profile. You can link to your social media services (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc) and to your core web presence – likely your website or blog.
• Answer questions on Avvo. You can filter by geography and practice area, and even set up alerts so you’ll be notified every time a new question is asked in your state and practice area.
• At the end of each question, you’ll be given the option to check a box to share on Facebook or Twitter.
• Share away – but share selectively. The goal is to share those answers that are interesting and show what you know. Short, vague or by-the-book answers are best not shared widely.

By distributing your answers to legal questions more widely via Twitter, you invite more readers back to your network of content about you and your practice: First through the answer you’ve provided, then your Avvo profile and finally your core web presence (and it’s beyond the scope of this piece, but such distribution and linking provides plenty of SEO goodness as well).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh King is Vice President Business Development and General Counsel for Avvo. Josh will be speaking, alongside other technology leaders and digital media experts, at the company’s 3rd annual online marketing conference, Avvocating 2012: Legal Marketing in the Era of Social Media, May 3rd and 4th in Seattle, Washington.