WEB SITES AND BEYOND: INTERNET MARKETING IN THE SECOND

DECADE

Greg Siskind

GSiskind@visalaw.com

901-682-6455

The Challenges - 1994

• Solo lawyer with limited time resources• Limited market potential in Tennessee• Lack of capital for expensive marketing

campaign• Lack of established clientele• Lack of experience

The Solution• Capitalize on interest in writing and

enthusiasm for technology by using the Internet as a means of marketing

• Created first web site and kick started a general immigration practice.

• Created first lawyer blog in 1997

Today• One of largest, best known immigration practices

in the US (only 3 NLJ 250 firms have larger groups)

• Representation of many of the best known companies and individuals in the world

• Used many of the same online tools to create a global immigration law network to service clients moving to markets outside the US

Health Care Immigration: A Case Study

• The Goal: To identify high end niche markets with few firms readily identified as experts in the field

• Zeughauser – Be identified as one of the top 2 or 3 firms in your area

• Markets identified – health care, sports/entertainment, law firms, investors, M & A

Why health care immigration?

• Highly priced work (particularly MDs)• Less prone to economic cycles with decades-

long labor shortages predicted• No disadvantage to being headquartered in a

smaller market• Higher level of complexity than other areas of

immigration and little competition

Owning Health Care Immigration – The Online Tools

• The portal

• The email newsletter

• The blog

• Webinars

• Matchmaking

Owning Health Care Immigration – The Offline Tools

• Book (J-1 Visa Guidebook (LexisNexis))

• Lobbying

• Regular op-ed submissions

• Trade shows (exhibiting, speaking)

• Government agencies (drafting programs, speeches)

• CLE programs for health care lawyers

The Results• Widespread recognition as market leader

in this field• Represent hundreds of hospitals around

the US including two of the largest hospital systems in the country

• Represent one of largest foreign nurse staffing company in the country

• Represent a number of the largest physician headhunting firms

What’s Next: Law Firm Immigration

• Why law firms?

• Rolling out new portal on the web site for information on the topic – articles, charts, links to statutes, regs and cases, etc.

BLOGS – The Pluses• Extremely effective way market a niche practice,

or promote firm news• Very easy to use software that can be updated

quickly and easily• Content easier to generate quickly• Search engines like them• Good way to recycle content – articles,

powerpoints, video and audio files

BLOGS – The Minuses• Easily become stale without regular

attention• Not a substitute for writing articles (though

the two complement each other)• Tougher to monitor and requires training

and trust• Lack of formality might not fit image of a

firm

My Blogs• The big blog – news and opinion at

http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind

• Visalaw blog – PR-oriented (news articles, announcements, etc.)

• Health Care Immigration

• Fashion, Arts Sports Immigration

• Technotes – Gadgets and tech for lawyers

Thanks

Contact Details at

www.visalaw.com