Americans increasingly getting news from social media : Bodes well for law firms who blog

Americans are increasingly getting their news via social media according to the latest study from the Pew Research Journalism Project.

The percentage of a respective social network’s users who get news from the network varies dramatically with Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook leading the way.

You also need to look at the percentage of Americans using each social network to appreciate the network’s impact on news delivery.

Facebook is by far the largest social networking site (64% of U.S. adults). With half using the network to receive news, this means 30% of the general population receive news via Facebook.

YouTube is next in terms of usage, at 51% of U.S. adults. Though only a fifth of its users receives news there, this amounts to 10% of the population.

Twitter reaches only 16% of the adult population, but with half using it for news this results in 8% of adult Americans receiving news via Twitter.

Only 2% of the population use Reddit for news. Though 62% of Reddit users use the network for news, only 3% of adults use the network.

LinkedIn, along with Twitter being of keen interest to law firms, has only 3% of its users using the site for news. With only 19% of adults using LinkedIn, you have less than a percent of Americans using LinkedIn for news. Admittedly law firms may still find this heavily business dominated audience attractive.

Of particular note for law firms is the demographic of U.S. Adults receiving news via social. It trends towards the higher educated, higher income, and 30 to 64 year olds. We’re not talking kids.

We’re talking the audience law firms and lawyers ought to be establishing a reputation for and relationships with.

U.S. Adults receiving news via social networks still use traditional media for news, television and newspapers included. In fact, the study found those getting news via social are more apt to get news everywhere – others are passing on news altogether.

Bottom line though Americans are shifting in how they receive news. Their news is coming via someone they trust via social networks.

Why is this good news for lawyers and law firms that blog? Blogs move in large part through social networks. Blogs cover niches, in some cases ultra niches, whose posts are shared via social by a strong following of readers with a keen interest in the niche.

Articles, newsletters, white papers, and the like, though they could be shared socially do not get the traction of blogs when it comes to being shared across social networks. The content is not as timely. Influencers are not getting them via RSS feeds, from which a post can be shared in second. Such content is not being curated into ultra popular news applications such as Zite and Flipboard, again which content can be shared socially immediately.

Perhaps most importantly, blogs grow influence. Influential lawyers get their content shared.

A law blogger sharing insight, commentary, and opinion on a niche builds a reputation as a trusted and reliable authority. That influence has always grown by word of mouth. Now we’re having that influence measured by Google via Google authorship and Google+.

Ten years ago no one could have imagined a society where news and information would move via social networks. It’s happened.

As a result, good law bloggers are going to become the equal of, or surpass, traditional legal publishers in news distribution.