By
Julie Barry
By now, even the most
stridently resistant among us in the legal profession is likely to be using at
least one social media platform, if only one for socializing with friends, such
as Facebook. In fact, as shown here, approximately 91% of attorneys who participated
in this Attorney At Work poll used social media, with Linked In considered the
most effective for bringing in new business. A 2013 ABA Legal Technology Survey
found that 98% of attorneys identified themselves as Linked In users.
·
Update
Your Contacts and Use Those Business Cards. Take the
pocketful of business cards from your last networking event, enter them into
your Contacts, and mine them for social media information. Then follow,
subscribe, and link in or connect to those accounts. This provides a great
opportunity to connect or reconnect with clients, referral sources, and others.
And it may bring you great insights into what your contacts are doing, which
can make any outreach more personal and timely.
·
Don’t
Ignore Those Birthday or New Job Prompts. Use
social-media generated opportunities to connect. But don’t just “like” that
your contact has a new job or is celebrating an anniversary at a long-time
position. Send a personal message along with those well wishes, and an
invitation to have coffee or meet up at a REBA networking event. You might be
surprised how often you’ll get a positive response to those messages.
·
Use
Social Media to Publicize Events You’re Attending. You
can tweet or post about a panel discussion you’ll be participating in, or an
event you’re attending before, during
and after, and include addresses of the organizer and the venue for
additional likes and retweets. It’s all about starting a conversation, and
encouraging as many others as possible to join you.
·
Add your photo. Put a face to your name.
Think about it: all things being equal, are you more drawn to the faceless egg
or a photo? Adding a recent photo brings an approachable point of contact
whether you’re looking to find a new position or are recreating a brand as a
thought leader. And consider updating your photo on a regular basis. If you
have the good fortune of getting a meeting out of a social media contact, you
want them to recognize you.
·
Join
Social Media Discussion Groups (and Start With REBA’s Linked In Page).
This is another way to increase your
potential outreach. There are alumni groups, and charitable groups, and
industry groups, and sports fans groups. All of these provide an opportunity to
develop deeper connections with group members. Staying on top of trends in the
group will help you stay current and relevant while providing new sources of
information to share with your contacts. Be sure to join discussion groups that
will contribute substance with various perspectives on new information and
inquiries within your field. You’d be surprised the types of information and
other thought leaders you can meet within these groups.
·
Embrace
your summary. Your summary is where you get to shine!
Create a condensed summary that is conversational in tone that differs from
your firm’s bio. You are giving a short pitch to someone. Tell them how you
differentiate from others in the field. Make yourself known as a thought
leader.
·
Republish!
If you’ve written an article for another publication, blog or website, use this
content to post on social media. REBA’s Linked In page is a great place for
this. Make sure to include a source to the original publication. You will begin
to develop of list of written works on your profile to demonstrate your
involvement in your practice or industry.
·
Make
Social Media a Daily Habit. Pick a time that works
best, morning, lunch time, or after work, and take 15 minutes to “like” a post,
or share an article you’ve read, or post a blog, or look for new contacts.
These are just a few
tips to get you started, and make social media a daily habit that will help you
quickly build a following, and make new contacts that may some day lead to
business.
Julie
Barry is a partner at Prince Lobel Tye LLP where she specializes in real
estate, land use and environmental law.
She is co-chair of the REBA Environmental Law and Strategic Communications
committees. Her email is jbarry@princelobel.com
