An “Old-School” Marketing Tool for Lawyers: the Internet Forum

Why use a forum to market yourself as a lawyer? At first it might seem like a mundane sort of way to advertise yourself. Forums aren't as sexy as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, or JD Supra . But posting in forums is almost always free and it's a great way to help out in community on your own time, while not actively soliciting clients. A forum automatically keeps track of how many times your topic has been read, and allows other members to comment on it. Forums allow you to get into the online game without the need for a blog program or an expensive website. There are many of the benefits of the big-name social networking sites without the need to constantly update your life status. You can do everything in a forum—it's like a one-stop shop for social networking, advertising, marketing, and social consciousness. There's groups and “buddy lists,” personal messages, links to your other social networking sites, links to your favourite causes and charities, and generally letting people know what you think. Forums may be “old-school” but they are extremely effective at getting you and your business attention and clients...