Improving your firm’s social media presence

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By Tony Ogden
Dolan Media Newswires

Given the current explosion of social media use, it’s more important than ever for lawyers and their firms to be part of the conversation.

“Our future clients are communicating this way,” said Stephanie Kimbro, author of Virtual Law Practice.

Lawyers who fail to develop this marketing challenge are hurting their business, said Kevin O’Keefe, CEO and publisher of LexBlog.

O’Keefe said that social media “is very similar to traditional business development in that your goal is to enhance your reputation and build relationships,” which is how most good lawyers get their work.

Despite those similarities, said Kimbro, lawyers need to handle social media marketing differently than more traditional approaches.

She recommends moving outside your role as a lawyer when engaging with others online, speaking about your hobbies or interests as well as the law.

“People trust when they know something personal about you,” she said. “That heightened trust will make them engage in a conversation. After that’s established, you can mention that you also provide legal services and provide a URL, but that’s secondary. The primary focus should be sharing content.”

It’s “a conversation with the public,” she added. “Lawyers are trained to be on their guard and second-guess their interactions. That has its place and you do need to be careful, but don’t be afraid to be human.”

O’Keefe advises lawyers to guard against too much self-promotion.

He said that lawyers who focus their efforts on self-promotion are missing out on the opportunity to build relationships and build their reputation, both of which will ultimately result in better visibility.

In addition, says Kimbro, self-promotion “won’t build you a following. People will just block you.”

To get started, O’Keefe suggests finding credible authorities in your practice area and following them online to get a feel for the environment.

“The most important part is … listening. That way, you’re seeing the ecosystem or conversation taking place,” he said.

Once you become more comfortable, start contributing to the conversation, said Kimbro.

“If all you do is just copy what other people do, you’re not going to build followers,” she said.

A typical initial time investment for social media is 5-10 hours per week, said O’Keefe, although once you are established the time needed to maintain your presence should decrease.

If a firm already has a website and branding, existing logos and materials can be repurposed at essentially no cost. Firms that are starting from scratch will need to spend some money on outside help. O’Keefe suggests asking around for a consulting firm that has helped other firms with their social media.

“What law firms have you seen doing a good job with social media? Talk to them. Who are they using? Just like somebody looks for a good lawyer, turn to people you trust. You’ll run into the people you should,” he said.

Kimbro added one note of caution: Before you get started, be sure to check your local ethics rules on social media.