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The Event
Several minutes before the webinar was to begin, the managing partner of a 300 attorney Washington DC-based law firm sat in the conference room looking over his notes. He chuckled to himself as he remembered that only a few short years ago he had partners that were computer-phobic! Now, he was preparing to moderate a webinar on “Using ADR Effectively for Large Case Litigation”.

The attendance roster was impressive. The managing partner had 60 participants about to dial-in for the start of the webinar. Forty-two of the participants would be firm clients, with whom this webinar would highlight the firm’s expertise in this area. Certainly the webinar would assist in fostering these client relationships as well. Twelve of the attendees would be potential clients. This was incredible to him…some of them were clients the firm had been courting for several years. The remaining 6 participants were attorneys of the firm. Everything was in order. The panelists were well coached and the PowerPoint presentation was a cut above his expectations. Technology was working as a marketing tool.

Technology as a Marketing Tool
Words such as enhancing relationships, servicing clients, and differentiation are used with increasing alacrity among partners in strategic marketing meetings. Client expectations continue to rise even as firms increase their emphasis on client service. More and more law firms are taking part in brand development programs. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Lawyer and Extreme Marketing, 65% of the AmLaw 200 firms are currently involved in branding programs and 38% of those not currently branding are in the process of beginning such programs. Clearly sophisticated and strategic marketing programs have moved front and center in many firms.

Now more than ever attorneys need to foster and continue to enhance relationships with existing and prospective clients.

Imagine using technology to assist in building and nurturing relationships without leaving the comforts of the big conference room. In the past three years, a highly sophisticated technology has emerged that is helping business professionals all over the world successfully communicate with clients. This tool has become a standard, while creating differentiation in the technology and financial industries. It is now making its way into law firms. This new and highly innovative technology, termed “web event” (also commonly referred to as webcast, web seminar, or webinar) blends advanced web technology with a speaker and a presentation to create a highly effective, low cost communication mechanism for firms and their clients.

“The power of technology [the web] is utilizing two-way communication to enhance relationships – web events make this vision a reality,” suggests Ken Darling, Vice President of Express Interactive Solutions, which produces high- end web events in partnership with Netbriefings. The Microsofts and Oracles led the way with this new technology three years ago, followed by the brokerage and investment banking firms. “These two industries saw the need to get in front of high-end clients on a more regular and convenient basis. The legal industry is now beginning to follow suit and actively get involved in various web events,” reports Darling.

What Type of Web Event is Right for Me?
To determine which type of web event is right for a specific presentation, the firm must evaluate the desired outcome, the end-user’s technical equipment, the necessary data to be gathered, and of course, the budget. Presenters can opt to use a “video” webinar, where the presenter can be seen and heard live on the computer screen along with his presentation. The second option is an “audio” webinar, where the viewer sees only the PowerPoint presentation on the computer screen and only hears the presenter (through the computer speakers or telephone). The audio for both the video and audio presentation is facilitated through a “streaming” process, where the end result is hearing the presenter through the computer’s speakers. An audio obstacle for many law firms lies in the fact that many firms have secured firewalls to prevent their employees from utilizing the sound on the computer, thus creating the need for telebridging (telephoning) capabilities for the presentation. A telebridging function is created through a designated “call in” number for the participants.

The law firm of Gardner, Carton & Douglas, a 250-attorney Chicago-based firm, presented its first web event in conjunction with a live presentation at its Chicago offices. “Because our clients are located around the country, and because we present numerous seminars, we have frequently been asked if clients can participate via speakerphone or if we will videotape the programs. Both of those options present technical difficulties, so the webinar seemed like it was worth a try,” reports Pat Stankard, Client Services Manager at Gardner.

As with any new and developing technology, skeptics are always present. While potential problems with utilizing the web for a means of two-way communication still exist, the number of web-related dilemmas has significantly decreased over the past two years. Stankdard notes, “Our web program went very smoothly, but we did do several run-throughs prior to the actual event to ensure the highest quality on the day of our presentation.”

Gardner sees its webcast as a marketing tool for its nation-wide client base, and therefore absorbed the cost instead of charging to attend. Stankard adds, “We had participants from all over the U.S, including Phoenix, Denver and Wisconsin, listening and seeing the same presentation that our Chicago-clients heard live. Our lawyers were thrilled!”

Selecting the Right Vendor
There are several critical elements involved in selecting a vendor. First and foremost, the vendor must be able to work with the presenters to bring high impact solutions to the viewers. “A presentation is fatally flawed if you lose your audience half way through it,” says Darling. “The presentation must be interactive to hold the attention of the audience over the course of a 90 minute web session. That’s a lot of time to hold anyone’s attention, let alone if the presentation is not in person.”

The use of a strong moderator, interesting visual appeal, polling the audience, pop-up questions and the opportunity to email questions to the speakers are just some of the options a vendor should offer. A vendor must have the ability to collect valuable data prior, during and after the session through surveys, polling, and by obtaining email addresses for the long-term success and results of a web-based event. A successful vendor also realizes and coaches his clients that high impact visuals can make or break a presentation.

Summing it Up
Experts in the technology industry see a growing need for webinars in the legal arena. “Web seminars lend themselves to the legal profession, because the field involves boiling complex affairs into understandable terms. Online seminars will also be useful to industries that require the demonstration of a product, or explanation of an intangible service,” reports Web Consultant, Larry Bodine. As Ken Darling suggests, webcasts bring firms and clients together to further relationships. And the development of long-term client relationships is after all a key marketing component for every lawyer.

Merry can be reached at merry@extrememarketing.org