Here are some examples of lawyers who accomplish just that, by using a variety of social media websites.

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel P.C.

• Facebook - This Washington D.C. law firm's Facebook page is full of updates on what the firm has been up to, from video uploads of lawyer interviews to blog entries on tips for your injury law case. What an excellent way to demonstrate your abilities!
• Twitter - Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel's Twitter profile allows them to post more frequent updates on case winnings, blog entries and interactions with potential clients on Twitter. As CSCS clearly demonstrates, social media sites are a great way to promote frequently updated content such as a blog or press release.
• YouTube - The Chaikin and Sherman YouTube channel allows potential clients to watch interviews and real testimonials of former clients. Getting to know your lawyer face-to-face really helps to establish trust with your chosen law firm, and CSCS is well aware of that. Here's one of their most recent videos, "Ira's message to the fans," where Ira Sherman speaks directly to his YouTube viewers!

Recht and Kornfeld, P.C.

• Facebook - Recht and Kornfeld's Facebook Fan Page is full of blog entries, updates and uploaded photos of their law firm. For "fans" of the firm, this is a great resource of information on their recent cases. Uploading photos on Facebook is a great way to spread your publicity because you can "tag" photos with your name, easily identifying yourself to all of your followers!
• Blogger - Recht and Kornfeld's Blogger-powered blog is a great way for them to easily update their website with information on the latest news in personal injury law as well as their latest court cases and winnings. This allows their potential clients to keep up with their latest news, and it allows the law firm to showcase their achievements.

Colling Gilbert Wright & Carter - The Florida Firm

• Facebook - The Florida Firm's Facebook Fan Page is a place for them to post news and information about their firm such as blog entries, case winnings and video. By consistently updating information, they can attract and maintain a larger audience of followers, thus increasing their likelihood of finding a potential client!
• Blogger - The Florida Firm's Blogger-powered blog is a great way for them to post small, but detailed articles on their most recent cases and personal injury news. This really helps to demonstrate to their audience that this firm really knows their stuff.
• YouTube - The Florida Firm's YouTube channel is a great way to show their potential clients who they really are, and what values they care about. This firm uses YouTube as another place for their commercials - this helps them get more results in search engines as well! Here's one of their recent uploads:

• Kennedy Hodges, LLP, Is Reviewing Whistle-Blower Cases by Kennedy Hodges, LLP, in Houston, Texas. Kennedy Hodges goes over whistle-blower cases.
• Dangerous Dogs and Injuries by Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, in Jackson, Mississippi. Dog bite injuries are more common than you might think.
• Train Accidents by The Yost Legal Group in Baltimore, Maryland. Train accidents are a worst nightmare for many. What happens when you're actually in one? The Yost Legal Group has some advice.
• Texting Driver Causes Severe Auto Accident by The Cochran Firm, with offices all across the United States. With new dangers on the road like the growing popularity of texting while driving, how can you prepare for an auto accident?
• Red Blood Cell Drugs Cause Blood Clots by PersonalInjury.com, a leading resource for personal injury information and attorneys. This unusual pharmaceutical injury case might have some information you and your family will want to know.

• Automobile Accidents and Texting by The Cochran Firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Just how dangerous is texting while driving? This blog entry might give you some idea.
• DUI/OWI Laws and Punishment in Michigan by Jay Trucks & Associates, PC, in Clare, Michigan. Every state has different laws and punishments. Here's how Michigan handles DUI/OWI cases!
• If You Are Convicted of a Crime, What's Next? by Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, in Jackson, Mississippi. This blog entry will help you figure out what to do if you've been convicted of a crime.
• Massive Toyota Recall: Questionable Floorplan Design by John Feroleto, Attorneys at Law in Buffalo, New York. Here's why many Toyota vehicles have been recalled off the market!
• Why Do I Need a Car Accident Attorney? by Lusk, Drasites, Tolisano & Smith, PA, in Cape Coral, Florida. If you've been in a car accident, do you need an attorney? This blog entry might help give you some direction.

Now that we've covered the basics of LinkedIn, I thought that it would be a good idea to share some groups that are beneficial for legal professionals. The following list is just a small sampling of the types of legal groups that you can find on LinkedIn:

• Bisnar's Lawyer Marketing Mastermind Group: "A place for attorneys to ask marketing and management questions and share ideas." (310 members)
• Personal Injury Attorney Network: "This is a professional network for personal injury lawyers." (604 members)
• Lawyer Referral Exchange: "Lawyer-to-lawyer client referral and management system created by lawyers for lawyers." (332 members)
• American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section: "TIPS is unique within the ABA and the legal community because of a focus on balance & diversity, bringing together plaintiffs, defense, corporate & in-house counsel." (675 members)
• ABA Friends: "This group is open to all individuals/groups in the legal profession." (1,163 members)
• Leadership for Lawyers: "If you are interested in the latest trends, best practices, technology, advancements, innovation in the law and leadership, then we invite you to join this group." (3,665 members)
• Legal Blogging: "This group facilitates networking regarding publishing blogs related to the legal profession." (3,282 members)

Again, these are just a few of the hundreds of legal groups that you can find on LinkedIn. There are over 50 million users on the professional networking site, and many of them participate in groups. Use the groups that you join as resources for yourself, to aid with your legal web marketing efforts, and as a means to reach the masses.

And if you think I missed a group, let me know in the comments section and I'll be sure to add it to the list!

• Public Option Health Insurance by Coxwell & Associates in Jackson, Mississippi. A discussion about public option health insurance and how it might help you during a crisis.
• Whistleblower Gets $51.5 Million by Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel, P.C., in Washington D.C. An amazing tale about a man who exposed a major pharmaceutical company and made the company accountable for its dangerous medicines.
• Importance of Estate Planning for Nursing Home Residents by Jay Trucks and Associates in Clare, Michigan. Estate planning not only ensures that your last wishes are met, but prevents against some cases of nursing home abuse.
• Glossary of Truck Accident Terms by Long & Waite Attorneys at Law in Mobile, Alabama. A list of handy terms to know should you be considering a truck accident lawsuit.
• $3.1 Million Awarded in Drunk Driving Accident by Kennedy Hodges, LLP, in Houston, Texas. Another wrong righted when a woman finds retribution after an accident with a careless drunk driver.

With Twitter and Facebook stealing the social media spotlight, it is important for lawyers to remember to utilize LinkedIn. It is the top networking site for professionals and can be incredibly valuable to your legal web marketing strategy. Take the time to connect with colleagues and update your profile often.

But why does it even matter? Try Googling your name. Most likely LinkedIn is one of the top results. It’s important that when people search for you, they find an up-to-date, professional profile. It enhances your online presence and, if done well, your image too.

To get the most out of your LinkedIn profile, join groups and contribute to discussions when you can. Not only will it help you to establish yourself as an expert, but you may also learn a few things from other legal professionals. And be sure to show off as many credentials as possible! This will impress potential clients. Also include links to your practice’s website and any blogs that you contribute to.  In fact, cross-link as many resources as possible. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your connections to write recommendations for you – and return the favor! LinkedIn can be a great place for testimonials from past clients as well as colleagues.

While LinkedIn can be time consuming at first, once your profile is established it doesn’t take much time at all. And the time you do spend will be well worth it.

Check out Page 1 Solutions' profile:

• Promising New Treatment for Women With Breast Cancer Relapse by Silberstein, Awad & Miklos in New York, New York. A promising new treatment has been released for women who are suffering from a breast cancer relapse.
• Personal Injury Lawyer Workers Compensation Specialist by Anthony Castelli Accident & Injury Law in Cincinnati, Ohio. Learn how to become an expert in personal injury and worker's compensation.
• Patient Dumping Practices by Robbins & Associates, PC, in Atlanta, Georgia. Learn about the practice of "patient dumping," which is more common than you may think!
• EPA Moves One Town, Won't Help Their Neighbor by PersonalInjury.com. The EPA bought out and moved the residents of Picher, Oklahoma, leaving devistating effects on the surrounding areas.
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There have been some great posts in legal news lately. Here are some of our favorites, in no particular order!

• · MRSA Infection Still Present in Some at Hospital Discharge by Silberstein, Awad & Miklos in New York. Learn about MRSA, a strain of staph that is resistant to common antibiotics, and why some people who were supposedly “cured” may still be spreading the infection to their friends and loved ones.

• · What Do I Do if I’m in an Auto Accident? by Polewski & Associates in Dallas, Texas. Some great tips from the pros on what your first steps after an automobile accident should be.

• · Man Paralyzed in Jail Files Lawsuit Against Lee County, Florida Sherriff by PersonalInjury.com, a great resource for those interested in personal injury law. The fascinating story of a man who was had nearly total paraplegia after trying to get an infected wound treated while in jail.

• · Automobile Accident? You May Need An Attorney by Craig Goldenfarb, P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida. A more in-depth take on how to determine if you need an attorney after an automobile accident.

• · Pickup Truck Side Crash Tests by McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates, P.A. in South Carolina. An interesting read about how popular trucks such as the Dodge Ram 1500, the Chevy Silverado 1500 and the Nissan Titan performed in side crash tests in contrast to the protection they were designed to give.

While they are avid supporters of social media, they understand the risks involved for lawyers participating. I highly recommend checking out the Social Media Guidelines section of their website. They discuss issues that surround social networking sites as they pertain to lawyers, and even provide videos that offer insights and tips for legal professionals. You can also subscribe to their YouTube channel to follow their videos, which are always helpful and entertaining.

Internet marketing is a "you get what you pay for" world. The cheaper solutions will mean inexperienced or unreliable people working for you. Or they may do decent work on the front end, but have no follow-through or the follow-through costs extra. More costly solutions typically mean more specialized experience and more reliable service, but even that isn't always true.

So, the first step toward finding an "affordable" Web marketing company is to establish your goals and priorities. What can you feasibly spend, and what do you define as a successful Web marketing campaign. If it's simply to launch a basic website, then you can definitely achieve that goal within your budget. If your goal is to be number one on Google for "New York Injury Lawyer", and you only have $100 per month to spend, then your goal is unrealistic, and you might as well go out to a nice dinner with that money.

In most cases, you want to find a happy medium solution. Accept the fact that Web marketing, at least in metropolitan areas of any sizeable population, is not going to be cheap. But it is "affordable" if it will generate a return on investment. This is critical. Do your shopping and identify firms that not only build a website, or offer basic optimization, but also offer monthly follow-through to do the hard work that will generate results. Ask for examples of their work as well as references. Compare apples-to-apples, and if one firm does not offer a service that another does, take them to task and ask them why not.

In the end, it all comes down to trust, and it may not work out the first go-round. This is not uncommon, and is an unfortunate reality of the industry. That's why it's also important to get some sort of guarantee in writing that the campaign will generate some kind of results. You probably won't be able to get someone to guarantee cases, but they should be able to guarantee search results. Read the fine print, but know that if they offer a guarantee, they're probably more dedicated to the long haul than other companies.