Social Strategy1

Building the case for using social media in your legal practice can be a challenge—especially if you’re working with professionals who grew up with clunky typewriters or mobile phones built like bricks. And while their hesitancy to jump into the social media landscape is understandable, that doesn’t mean the case is closed. Now that social networks have been around for several years, we’re finding that these channels are, in fact, becoming an important way for attorneys and other professionals to attract clients and nurture profit-building relationships with them. Here are a few social media statistics from the Social Media Examiner’s Industry Report on how social media works for businesses:

• 85%  reported it created exposure for their business
• 63% reported an increase in traffic/subscribers/opt-in list
• 52% said it generated qualified leads

With results like that, it only makes sense for legal professionals to leverage the power of virtual word of mouth to help them build trust—and business—with potential and current clients. But if you’re a lawyer trying to get social media buy-in from partners or associates, you might need more than a few social media statistics to win them over. Here are three arguments to help you build the case for social media:

• Social media develops the personal brand – Personal branding is communicating those qualities that differentiate you from the other three dozen lawyers in the phone book. Each attorney in the firm will be able to share their unique experience and expertise with clients through social media, laying the groundwork for firm-building relationships.
• Social media increases website traffic – For many attorneys, the practice website is one of the top referral sources. Presence on social sites like Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube allows you to drive traffic to your website. These incoming links not only boost site traffic, they also improve search engine ranking.
• Social media builds approachability – We all know the world is filled with misperceptions about lawyers. An active social media presence that allows attorneys to engage in dialogue with clients will help turn a lawyer from being considered the butt of jokes to being considered a trusted professional to turn to in a time of need.

Social media is becoming an increasingly valuable platform for generating exposure, increasing traffic, and producing a host of other benefits for legal professionals. If you need to build the case for online participation, like blogging, tweeting, and other social media in your practice, contact the team at Social Strategy1 for a no-risk assessment.