GUEST BLOGGER: Michael Silverman, CEO, Duo Consulting

When most professional service firms think of social media, they envision Facebook and Twitter followings. Then again, how many new clients have you gained from these social channels? You could probably count them on your fingers.

Are iTunes, Pandora and turntable.fm so 2010? Like many around the world, I am a big user of iTunes and I have the premium version of Pandora. BUT, Spotify has given me immediate access to new music, with the opportunity to share with my friends. By now, is it safe to assume that we all have heard of Spotify?

A huge misconception of social media is that if you build it they will come. This is not field of dreams. In addition, joining social media networks is not like advertising. You must be proactive and reach out to fellow group members, network and create those relationships. It is those relationships that assist in leading to new business opportunities. Merely joining a group or building a profile does not lead to new business.

We hear it all the time in blogs, white papers, newspaper articles and from industry experts. “….marketing budgets continue to be slashed, programs are being dropped and marketing staff are being laid-off.” This creates the challenge of strategically choosing the marketing tactics that make the most sense for your firm and your brand.

Last week, Moiré Marketing Partners attended the Los Angeles Legal Marketing Association’s Continuing Marketing Education Conference, where law firm leaders and marketers gathered to discuss the pressing issues facing their firms. One of the most common themes we heard was the need to update law firm websites and improve their search engine rankings.

Sitting at my local watering hole the other night, I struck up a conversation with a person in town on business. Our conversation took a turn when they asked me what I do. When I told them I work remote with a DC-based strategic branding and marketing agency, they went off on a tangent about how successful their employees are that work remote and the benefits of such an arrangement.

I enjoy writing blogs like this, and sending out tweets when I run across a great article that I think will be of value to colleagues. However, I must admit that I have stopped tuning in on my TweetDeck on a daily basis. Why? Because I see more and more tweets that simply prattle on about subjects that I don’t have the time or interest in reading. Perhaps I need to go in and clean out my followers and create more robust lists. But this is not my point.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend a mine asked me if he could pick my brain about developing his website. After talking for a while, I realized the questions he was asking were probably common for many professional service marketers as well. While he understood the basics of developing a website, his questions were more about the big picture and what makes an effective website.

As law firms continue to struggle under the weight of the economic downturn, online positioning and advertising opportunities have emerged as an inexpensive way to elevate their brand and raise name awareness. Increasing your online visibility can draw more visitors to your website, position you as a thought leader and attract new customers.

Last week a couple friends and I played a friendly round of golf. As we walked the 18 holes, we chatted about our jobs, our personal lives and, of all things, pop culture. I was quickly reminded that while we all communicate and interact with each other over social media platforms, the in-person interaction is essential in sustaining and building upon our already strong relationships.