As we mentioned in previous posts, social media sites offer attorneys another way to reach out to existing clients and getting themselves in front of prospective clients. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks offer a variety of opportunities to engage and connect with peers and potential clients, among other benefits.


It goes without saying however that with more opportunities comes more work. And for busy attorneys, concerns about how you’re going to fit social media activities into your already busy schedule – particularly when you have not started to see lead generation and business development results – are completely understandable. Thankfully, once you’ve set up your social media profiles, you can maintain and manage your social media presence by just taking a few moments each day. Here are some specific ideas that may help you make the most of the time you spend on social media activities:

• Concentrate on the sites where your prospective clients are: There’s no need for you to have an active presence on every social media site; only participate on the ones that make sense for your business and your goals. Focus your social media efforts on the sites that have the greatest potential to bring you the biggest return on your time investment.
• Set aside time every day to nurture your social media activities: Once your profiles are up and running, you should set aside a small block of time to check in, make and respond to comments, or share information. Try dedicating 15 minutes a day to your social media efforts. Even this short amount of time can have a big impact on your social networking success.
• Stay focused: Certainly, it’s tempting to follow your golf buddy’s link to a funny YouTube video while you’re checking out the latest Facebook updates. But remember your purpose: to network and use social media to help cultivate relationships and build business. Manage your time wisely by remaining focused on professional and networking-related tasks while spending time on social media sites, and make a note to yourself to check out that YouTube video this weekend from home.
• Take your time: Just like with any other business relationships, nurturing relationships via social media takes time—and you risk damaging the relationship if you try to push things too quickly. Remember that your goal in becoming involved in social media is to engage and build relationships with clients and prospective clients in a low-pressure environment. Keep sales pitches and other hard sales tactics to a minimum and let the relationships naturally develop.

Social media offers law firms a worthwhile opportunity to find and connect with colleagues, clients, and potential clients. Make the most of your social media activities by effectively managing your time, and you’ll see the payoff in terms of an increasing number of business contacts and relationships, and in the long-term, a likely impact on your firm’s bottom line.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under Legal Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.