Lawyer-Appropriate Use of Social Media
By Benjamin Glass

The world of social media is growing every second with more and more users turning to the Internet to find out the latest gossip in their circle of friends. Social media can be a great place for businesses to flourish, too, especially when it comes to your law practice and legal marketing. Not many lawyers have been able to crack the social media code, and with some effort and dedication you could be a pioneer in your area.

There are some pitfalls that come with anyone's use of social media and the main one is that it's social and public. Nearly anything you post through a social media portal can be made public knowledge, even if it's a private message. There's a basic rule when it comes to any sort of communication: if you don't want it coming back to haunt you, don't say it.

How "social" should my social media legal marketing be?

When you include social media in your legal marketing plan you need to understand that while it is a social interaction, it's also a professional one. You need to be careful not to get too casual in your replies to posts and Tweets, or you face coming across as unprofessional and careless.

Content on your social media sites is also important. While yes, you would do well to show the "human" side of your practice, you need to keep photos and links professional as well. A picture of your family at the local July 4th BBQ at the town square is great. A picture of your brother chugging his 12th beer at your private Independence Day soiree is not.

Consider Which Social Media Venues Fit Your Legal Marketing

Facebook is the biggest social networking site of the 2000s, and as of spring 2010 it had surpassed 450 million users. It includes paid advertising options to businesses, as well as the ability to create a branded profile for your law firm and have users "like" your page. You can then post content that will appear on their news feeds, such as notices about new office hours, updated informational materials, or fun things like your offices' participation in the local 5k fundraiser.

Twitter is a short-form example of social media, where users post "Tweets" - short messages that serve as updates to anyone who follows them. Twitter is best for advertising timely information, such as the proceedings in a sports game, and was widely used by journalists during the 2008 presidential elections to send out results. Still, Twitter has some merit for legal marketing when it comes to offering updates about local news for your clients.

LinkedIn is the most professional of the 3, being a business-centric networking site. Profiles are geared to serve more as a resume rather than a list of interests, and companies can establish corporate profiles to create a small corporate social network. If you're looking for a place to highlight your professional contacts and credentials, LinkedIn is it.

There are tens, even hundreds of social media sites out there that are all clamoring for you and your friends to sign up and connect. The big 3 for businesses are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Each one has its own merits, and it's up to you to decide which of them are appropriate for your legal marketing campaign.

At Great Legal Marketing, we focus on saying NO to ineffective traditional lawyer marketing. We seek out new strategies to market to our ideal clients in ways they'll actually respond to. So how do you get started? Get a FREE report and CD from legal marketing guru, Ben Glass. http://www.greatlegalmarketing.com/

Ben will teach you how to: stop marketing like every other lawyer on the block; grow the kind of practice you can be proud of; and still get home in time for dinner. Contact us today - (703) 591-9829.

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