Achieving Social Media Success: Listening and Speaking
In “Joining the Social Media Conversation,” we talked about the importance of participation and the best practices for setting up your social media profiles. And in our most recent post, we looked at the opportunity to develop business with just 15 minutes a day spent on social media. Following these steps will certainly put you on the right path toward social media success. But the reality is that even when you participate on the right sites, stay focused, and recognize that building relationships online takes time, knowing what to say can be challenging.
So what should you say? How can you be sure that you’re saying the right things?
There’s no doubt that you know the value of having a strong message for marketing your law firm. And while your core message won’t change when you post to Facebook, Twitter, or other sites, the medium changes the dynamics. To use social media effectively you can’t just post your message: You also need to monitor and respond to the feedback you receive.
On one hand, feedback can be frustrating if those commenting disagree with your message (stay tuned for our upcoming post on adjusting your message without engaging in a fight). On the other, feedback of all kinds is a great research opportunity. The comments of your potential prospects – those users who engage with your message – allow you to identify what’s working and see where your message isn’t making a connection.
The oft-repeated phrase “God gave us two ears and only one mouth” even holds true when it comes to engaging with social media. While you should post often, you should commit to monitoring the space even more often.
If you’re committing just 15 minutes a day to social media, spend less than five minutes posting your message. Spend the remaining 10 looking for feedback, and focus on being an effective listener. Get to know your audience. Respond to questions. Respond to criticisms and redirect the conversation as possible – if you can turn a negative into a positive or showcase your ability to help, you’ll be building relationships and your best prospects will recognize your ability to help them and meet their needs.
