Happy New Year!  We move boldly into a new year with new possibilities.  As lawyers and businessmen alike, it is important to use the new year to develop new strategies of growth and success.  2008 marks the year that new internet technologies and increased market awareness should lead to many new and effective ways of marketing.  Technologies that once seemed too difficult to master or too futuristic to be effective are now intuitive and efficient.  To kick off the new year of the Lawline.com Friday Five, here is a list of new technologies that you can use to help jump start a year of business development.  Enjoy!

TOP 5 TECHNOLOGIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IN 2008

1. Email.  Today the traditional uses of email as a means of communication have become so commonplace that it has become vital to the day to day activities of many individuals.  More and more, email is becoming a marketing tool favored by many to communicate with current and potential clients/customers.  Surveys, promotions, newsletters, and other email mechanisms can be automated to provide customers with information easily and efficiently.

2. Blogging.  Everywhere you look, people are blogging.  It is important to see that blogging has emerged out of a way for a few web users to write down their opinions on certain topics, and into a way that companies and clients alike discuss the most important aspects of any industry.  Blogging can be used to let people know what is going on behind closed doors, and to encourage an interactivity between businesses and their customers.  It takes the companies goals and values and helps match them up with their customers.

3. Video.  Online video has become mainstream.  Videos can be used in a number of ways as a marketing tool.  Websites like YouTube, Google Video, and the like make it easy to upload and host videos anywhere.  Videos can be used to share offerings, discuss values, showcase talents or highlight expertise.

4. Social Networking.  Networking sites are everywhere.  For every tiny niche or industry, there is a social network of people online ready to share their ideas and experiences.  Along with that, there are social bookmarking sites that allow users to share things they find on the internet.  It is important to take advantage of the communication channels there.  Companies can take an active role in discussions, listen to what people are saying, and mold the way they approach new clients based on that information.  It is a great way to create a brand name that appeals to the masses.

5. Podcasting.  News, opinions, lectures, and ideas are all being shared in the form of podcasts across the internet.  It’s just another form of online media that allows internet users to really listen to things they are interested in.  Just like online video, this can be a great way to showcase talents and experience on a given subject.  For lawyers, you can feature yourself on a podcast that reveals your knowledge of a certain practice area to potential clients on many online forums.

It does not matter what you use it for, only that online media and marketing technologies are for everyone.  Treat your practice like a business, and take advantage of everything available to grow that business.  We wish everyone the greatest success in 2008.