One of the reasons why many lawyers hold back from developing a comprehensive social media strategy is because they think it is simply a specific ‘add-on’ to the core legal services activities they provide.
I appreciate why many might think this is the case, especially when marketing has never been seen as something they needed to do beyond the referrals and networking opportunities available.
However, the use of the Internet by potential prospects to search for information and the need to seriously differentiate your law firm from your competition means lawyers have to think about the reputation they build within their online social networks.
Social media has meant that the rules governing reputation management are changing fast, and your reputation will increasingly be influenced by the various online interactions you have with people. This means you need to use social media to unearth the questions potential clients are asking and engage with them in ways you might not have done so before.
Now, if more and more people are using social media to find out how to solve their problems and see who has answers they are looking for, then lawyers have to find out which social media platforms their target markets are using if they want to build good relationships. Simply getting on Twitter will not help if your prospects hardly use it to search for information.
The ideal social media strategy should fit seamlessly into the overall business strategy and have metrics in place to see how successful it is on a day-to-day basis. It is important to remember that any social media tactics used have to have specific goals and have to help lawyers develop a position of authority within specific niches.
Fundamentally, it all comes down to customer experience. Everything about you… the content you provide, the follow up communications you set up, the way your colleagues handle enquiries, the information someone gets if they click on your website… all these will influence the views other people have of your law firm.
Social media, therefore, becomes part your job description as you need to know which platforms are relevant to your target market and use these to build effective relationships.
Does this take time? Yes.
But, with the Internet changing the rules regarding client attraction, and social media becoming more important in the decision making process for the purchase of legal services, then you need to think about having a well-thought out social media strategy.
And it can’t simply be an add-on to your core legal services!
