To convince the hesitant attorney to adopt a social media presence, two hurdles must be overcome. Time Management and Monetization.
As I posted yesterday, the volume of information available through social media outlets such as Twitter can be overwhelming. Like drinking from a fire hose. A combination of low barriers to entry and uncertainty over how to utilize social media frustrates attorneys. In February, I spoke with Richard O’Connor of Cruickshank, an IP firm based in Dublin, Ireland, regarding the utility of Twitter for lawyers. (As an aside, I “met” Richard through following his Twitter feed and that introduction opened the door to an in-person meeting in February.) He recommended that a lawyer devote about an hour each week on social media. Create a blog post on topic of current interest. Direct your followers to the blog through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Maybe someone with several thousand followers will re-tweet your post. Now, several thousand new people know you exist and what services you offer.
I must disclose that I cannot attribute any business to my firm from social media. So, why do I bother? I am a relatively new attorney with a solo practice and I lack the marketing budget of a larger firm. It is essential for my practice that people know I exist and the services I offer. The cost to me in terms of real dollars is negligible as compared to a traditional marketing plan and my social media activity has a global reach. Social media levels the playing field for the solo or small firm. In speaking with several non-U.S. attorneys, I found that attorneys at larger firms were less inclined to see value to their firm from social media. They have built successful practices by developing personal relationships with their clients over a number of years. Why change? I would offer two responses to why the big firm should engage social media. First, by lagging in adoption, you are allowing smaller firms to become more prominent. Second, is client contact. Social media allows you to monitor issues that affect your client’s business as well as allows you to push information that may be of interest to your clients.
