If you’re an attorney out on your own or working in a small firm, you might be wondering if there’s any possible way to compete with some of the “megafirms” out there that can pump massive amounts of money into advertising and marketing. Luckily, thanks to social networking, the playing field has been made a little bit more level. Sure, the big firms will still be able to flood the market with their message, but the good news is that if your message is unique enough and properly presented, your legal practice can attract widespread attention.
Regardless of where s/he achieved his/her legal education, an attorney today has the opportunity to have an impact on literally thousands of lives. This means that while today’s lawyer might not be working with a seven-figure salary, using sites such as Twitter and Facebook can gain recognition and increased awareness.
Social Networks
While it's easy to get overwhelmed with the available options, there are 5 different social networking areas I would recommend attorneys focus the majority of their marketing time and attention upon. In no particular order of importance, they are:
While some simple set up an account and never go back, to have success socially it is important to use these sites the correct way. Sure, you might have gotten your education in legal affairs by attending Harvard Law School, but that won’t count for much if your messages posted on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ are seen as nothing more than spam. In fact, all of the social networking sites reserve the right to remove any accounts that are seen as being spam sites. (For a good example of what might be construed as spam, here is how Facebook explains its “Spam Prevention Systems”)
In order to make sure that your marketing intentions are not seen as just shameless self-promotion, you need to learn and participate in the dialogue style of each site. In other words, listen more than you talk. An attorney doesn’t need to always talk about what services their law firm provides; there can be times when whatever is posted simply discusses everyday matters — even matters that have nothing to do with the law. After all, an attorney who only posts legal issues on Twitter will have far less engaged followers than someone who occasionally posts a review about a new movie or even a family recipe that others might be interested in trying. The whole key to the social networking system is to be social.
Blogging
Writing a blog can be a great way of marketing legal services, but the blogs need to be informative to a wide range of people. If the blog only features press releases discussing how wonderful your law firm is and how much money you’ve received from various settlements, the likelihood of having consistent readers is pretty slim. You’ll be seen as simply putting out infomercials, which will result in you not being taken seriously.
Instead, write from your knowledge base about issues the your potential clients may frequently encounter. Make a list of the top 5 questions prospects ask, and then write a post answering each of them. Not only will this help people seeking such advice find you, but it will also save you time answering the same questions. Sharing information and legal updates from your area of practice will not only help your page rank higher in search engines, but it will demonstrate to the readers your expertise, experience, and ongoing interest in the issue.
Legal Advice
Naturally, specific legal advice should never be posted online. In broad terms, you might want to post about whatever current laws are being discussed, but include a disclaimer on your blog and other sites that protects you against charges that you provided inaccurate or incorrect information. By the same token, you should also make sure that nothing you post about any other attorneys or law firms can be seen as being libelous. Take the time to research the ethical guidelines for your state before starting your endeavor into social media.
Forums
There are a great number of legal forums online that you can join, engaging both other attorneys and clients in discussions. Again, the emphasis should be on creating a dialogue with a potential new client or contact, rather than only ever promoting your services. The more engaging you are, the greater the likelihood is that others will see you in a positive light.