Law Firm Social Media: Be in it to win it

Law firm social media is one of the fastest growing segments in communications today. Lawyers – once loath to advertise (unless you are an “ambulance chaser” or a specialist in “slip and fall” cases) are rapidly embracing social media as a means of prospecting for new clients via lead generation. Undertaking a law firm social media campaign is crucial to any well-considered marketing program. In seeking an attorney with a particular expertise, where do many people start the search process? They might seek recommendations from friends or colleagues. Some might even turn to that old standby Google – and that’s where the importance of search engines comes in to play. A robust law firm social media program will have a positive impact on your search results on an organic basis. When someone likes something on your Facebook page or retweets something you posted on Twitter, it indicates to the the search engines that you might be an authority on that subject. This is a big part of law firm social media marketing. Law firms and lawyers are not always on the cutting edge of new technology (look how long it took them to learn about the value of public relations). But at 100,000,000 users and counting, LinkedIn has been well-vetted and is now completely mainstream. It might be time to engage in the discussion (not to mention the prospecting) going on via social media. Joining LinkedIn is just the start on your voyage of utilizing law firm social media. Fill out your page completely, including job history, specialties and education. Get recommendations and add PowerPoint presentations and PDFs by using the utilities provided by the service. If you have a blog – and you should – add a blog roll to your page. And this is just scratching the surface. The expanded functionality really makes LinkedIn a very valuable resource, so take advantage of all it offers. Oh, and don’t forget to create and complete a page for your law firm as well. There are other valuable law firm social media techniques that lawyers should explore as well. Most notably YouTube. If you or members of your firm are giving speeches or participating in round table discussions, consider having the events videoed and put up on a YouTube channel which will certainly help advance your use of law firm social media. Displaying intellectual capital, making connections, lead generation are just some of aspects of law firm social media programs. Law firm social media can help build your practice, especially if your competitors are not engaged. You can’t win it unless you’re in it. For lawyers contemplating a law firm social media campaign, the time to have started was yesterday.