Posted on February 18,2016 in Social Media

This past weekend, comic book fans were finally rewarded for their patience as one of Marvel Comics’ most popular antiheroes arrived in theaters across the country and around the world. Deadpool opened on February 12 and has already broken records, enjoying the largest opening for an R-rated movie ever, surging past $150 million in its first weekend—not bad for a movie with a production budget of less than $60 million. Industry experts contribute much of the film’s success to the actors, writers, fight choreography, and cinematography, of course. Many, though, believe the bulk of the credit belongs to unique, pervasive, and borderline offensive marketing strategies that placed Deadpool at the forefront of public consciousness—thanks in large part to social media—long before the movie was ever ready for release. 

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 Posted on February 11,2016 in Legal Directories

Building a strong professional image takes years, if not decades, of tireless work and meticulous attention to detail. While you cannot control every aspect of the industry in which you work or the customer base that you serve, you do have authority over how and where your name and identity may be used, especially as it relates to commercial gain. When another company benefits financially from your professional identity without your permission, there is certainly cause for concern.

Online Directory Misuse?

This is exactly what has led a Chicago attorney to file a class action lawsuit against Avvo, an Internet legal directory that allows would-be clients to search for lawyers by geographic and practice areas. According to reports, the lawsuit attacks the Seattle-based company on the grounds that it creates profit by using the professional information of attorneys and law firms without their consent as a method of enticing them to pay for higher visibility and rankings. The attorney in question has never been a paying customer of Avvo, but has been listed on the site for some time, as the site utilizes public records, including bar admissions and other court and regulatory documents to build listings for as many attorneys as possible in a given area.

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 Posted on February 04,2016 in Social Media Marketing

In 1967, an American social psychologist named Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment that tracked chains of acquaintances between people in the United States. Through a series of packages sent by mail, Milgram looked to test how closely connected we are with our fellow humans, even those living halfway across the country. The study became known as the “small world experiment,” and among Milgram’s test subjects, he found a median of five people between any two selected individuals, or as it has been referred to in pop culture and Hollywood trivia games, “six degrees of separation.”

Over the years, even while his conclusion has gained traction among average people, the scientific community has challenged its validity and the reliability of his experiment. Regardless of the conclusion’s veracity, the small world of Milgram’s theory has become even smaller with the introduction of the internet and social media. This is especially notable today, as the social media giant Facebook celebrates its 12th birthday.

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 Posted on January 29,2016 in Legal Marketing

Since 2008, OVC, INC. Lawyer Marketing has helped many attorneys and law firms grow their practices.  The progress we have witnessed can be measured in several ways including increased revenue, the quantity of attorneys on staff, and the number of office locations for these successful clients.

As an online marketing firm, our first line of business focuses on options such as websites, blogs and content, Search Engine Optimization, social media, and legal directory partnerships. However, successful lawyers also participate in activities and investments beyond what OVC offers. Included here are other suggestions we highly recommend based on what we have seen time and time again from successful attorney clients.  In fact, the most important takeaway from these tips includes what do not offer in our product line, but without exception, is the number one factor required to grow a prosperous law firm.  

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 Posted on January 28,2016 in Mobile-Friendly Sites

Last year around this time, Google announced plans to release an update to its search engine algorithm that, if the volume of press it received was any indication, shook the world of website design to its very core. The online giant scheduled the upgrade—which quickly became known as “Mobilegeddon”—for mid-April 2015, giving site builders and webmasters just a few short months to prepare. Despite its ominous name, the online world was not ending, of course; instead, the update reflected Google’s recognition of the importance of websites being mobile-friendly, and rewarding those that are with higher placement in search engine results. 

Aftermath of Mobilegeddon

In the months that followed the algorithm update, mobile-friendly websites did, in fact, see a bump in search rankings, which, for many has resulted in increased traffic. Those that are not, conversely, have fallen in search rankings, not as a punishment, but in response to the mobile needs of more and more users. Experts point out that this was exactly what Google promised and, rather than threatening web designers with an ultimatum, the announcement two months prior to the release even offered tips and instructions on how to optimize sites for mobile access. But now the big question is: Is your site mobile-friendly? Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to find out.

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 Posted on January 21,2016 in Social Media

In the ongoing battle between social media outlets, Facebook has long dominated the competition, with about 1.1 billion estimated unique monthly users. The site in the number two spot may depend one’s definition of social media. While YouTube claims the next-highest market share when included, when it is not, Twitter sits in second place with more 300 million unique visitors each month. Setting YouTube aside for now, this means that the behemoth frontrunner is nearly four times more popular than its closer competitor.

As you might expect, Twitter has not remained complacent in recent years, as it tries to reclaim a portion of the social media landscape. Early in 2015, the company announced that “tweets”—or posts on the site—would be indexed by Google, making them searchable and increasing site traffic. According to various reports, the partnership began very slowly, with less than 1 percent of all tweets actually being indexed in February 2015, the effort’s first month. The good news is that by summer 2015, the indexing rate had grown more than four and half times; the bad news is that more than 95 percent of tweets were still not being indexed.

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 Posted on January 14,2016 in Reputation Management

As with most professions, an attorney’s reputation is one of his or her most important assets. Training, education, experience, and skill, obviously, are vital to a lawyer’s long-term success, but a poor reputation can impact his or her ability to reach new clients and grow the business. There is little question that the internet has changed the way that people share information, and online reviews can have a major impact on the way the public views you as an individual as well as your law firm as a whole.

You probably realize that that you will never be able to completely satisfy every single client that walks through your door. Despite your best intentions—and, no doubt, your most sincere efforts—the legal world is often unpredictable and, occasionally, a client will be upset by the outcome or some other element of a case. If that client were to leave a negative review on Yelp or Google, your available options may be somewhat limited. A reputation management service, like that offered by OVC, INC., can help you mitigate the review’s impact, but even a disgruntled client is entitled to an opinion—unless the review contains false allegations. Then, as at least one case from Florida demonstrates, the situation may be significantly more noteworthy.

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 Posted on January 07,2016 in Criminal Law

Despite our commitment to serve the marketing needs of attorneys across the country, OVC, INC. is proud to call Illinois home. As such, we are very aware of the constantly changing legal environment as it effects The Land of Lincoln. Recent developments around the state have begun interesting discussion that could potentially effect a social activity popular in countless offices and workplaces. The issue in question is the legality of daily fantasy sports and a push by lawmakers to fully consider the future of such games.

Attorney General’s Comments

Last month, Illinois Attorney General Lisa issued a written opinion on the topic. Daily fantasy sports games, which involve participants selecting a team of professional athletes and competing based on the players’ actual on-the-field performances, have become a multi-billon enterprise in the last few years, led by sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings. Madigan expressed her take in letters to the two companies, stating that, “absent legislation specifically exempting daily fantasy sports contests from the [state’s] gambling provisions, it is my opinion that daily fantasy sports contests constitute illegal gambling under Illinois law.” She went on to say there is pending legislation to exempt the games from gambling prohibition, but that, in the meantime, she expected the companies to notify would-be bettors that they were not able to play in Illinois.

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 Posted on December 24,2015 in Legal Marketing

The legal world is one that is constantly in a state of evolution. Elected officials and government officials are forever attempting to live up to promises made to constituents and to make improvements to the communities they serve. Though we are pleased to offer top-quality online marketing services to law firms around the country, OVC, INC. is proud to call Northern Illinois home. Thus, when changes and amendments are made to Illinois law, they directly affect us and a large number of our regional clients.

This past year was a fairly busy one for the Illinois legislature, as are most years, with 237 new laws being approved. As usual, many of the new measures to receive approval of the State House, Senate, and the governor are set to take effect on January 1. With just a few short days to go in 2015, here are some new laws that Illinois residents should be aware of for 2016:

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 Posted on December 17,2015 in OVC Lawyer Marketing

As we enter the final phase of the winter holiday season, the team at OVC, INC. would like to take a few moments to thank our clients for another great year. We are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to serve each and every one of you, and we wish you all continued success.

The legal world is one that is often filled with bitterness and acrimony, as many cases can quickly become intensely personal. The holiday season is the perfect time to leave the stress of law at the office and to focus on the company of friends and loved ones. No matter which of the winter holidays you choose to observe, we wish you and your family all of the joys that the season has to offer.

Familiar Friends and New Faces

While we at OVC seek to provide the best in online marketing services for your law firm, we realize that we can only be successful by keeping our clients fully satisfied. We value the relationship we have built with our most loyal, long-time clients and we are proud to play a role in their continued growth and success. In addition, we are also delighted to assist new clients and are always excited to help those looking for improvements to their website and online presence.

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