How One Social Media Skeptic Was Won Over

As a social media strategist, I expect to convince some lawyers of the value of social media for legal marketing and business development. I was surprised to meet a legal marketer who also admitted to being ambivalent about the benefits of social media.

Elora Schatzker is a freelance law firm marketer. For over 15 years, she has helped law firms with their business development strategy and provided marketing operations support. Other than her LinkedIn network, she doesn’t use social media for professional purposes. She also hasn’t been encouraging her clients to use it.

I didn’t need to explain to Elora the benefits of social media for lawyers and other legal professionals though. Ironically, a senior partner of a large Bay Street firm recently gave her a new insight into the value.

Of course I wanted to explore her skepticism and conversion. She happily agreed to confess…

Question: Why were you skeptical of social media use for legal marketing or business development?

Elora:

So, just to be clear, I’m not completely anti-social media! Let’s just say that I think there are a lot of ways to attract clients, and I am a bigger fan of tactics that put people face-to-face with each other.

I think a lot of my initial reluctance stems from the way I saw people adopting social media in the early days. Among law firms in particular, it was very ‘broadcast’ oriented – sending self-serving promotional messages instead of engaging with potential clients and other members of the online community.

Question: Engagement is key to successful social media use. So, what did the senior partner say to you to change your mind about the value of social media for legal professionals?

Elora:

I have always taken to a pretty traditional view of professional services marketing: lawyers who do excellent work and provide stellar client service will receive repeat business and referrals from their clients, and it grows from there. Of course marketing communications is an important part of the strategic mix, but the key to successful rainmaking is a solid network of personal relationships.

But my partner friend pointed out that a personal referral from a happy client is no longer enough. That potential new client doesn’t need to take their colleague’s word for it that you have the right credentials – they can find out for themselves by looking you up on the Internet. And having an active social media presence can be a really great way to demonstrate your expertise and convince that potential client to pick up the phone.

Question: An online presence is very helpful these days. Will you now be convincing law firms and lawyers on the need to incorporate social media into their legal marketing and business development strategy?

Elora:

Well I think you’re already doing that job for me! For me, the most important aspect of any business development activity is that it can’t be forced – it has to be genuine. So I won’t be pushing my clients to blog or tweet, if that’s just not their thing.

But I will definitely point out that potential clients are checking them out on the Internet, and that an active social media profile can help to showcase their expertise.

Question: You don’t sound like a complete convert…

Elora:

Well, I’ve been in this business long enough to see a lot of clients who latch on to the latest, shiniest thing in marketing, but then lose interest when the next cool tactic comes along.

I always warn my clients about the dangers of the half-hearted effort, and I think that’s particularly true for online activities. The Internet is littered with blogs that have sputtered out, and Twitter users who haven’t tweeted in months. Like every other business development effort, lawyers need to be prepared to stick with it for the long term.

Question: I agree social media use is not for everyone, but is a valuable tool for those who are willing to invest some time in it. What will be the first thing you’ll say to a lawyer who does not have an online presence?

Elora:

I think most lawyers today recognize the need for at least a baseline online presence. And a lot of lawyers have the support of a firm-managed website, featuring biographies and thought leadership. I would check that the lawyer’s online biography is up to date and presents their skills and expertise in a compelling way, and I would encourage them to establish a solid network on LinkedIn.

Once those basics are covered, then we can explore the lawyer’s business development goals and see if social media could play in role in helping the lawyer to establish credibility and profile with their target audience.

Question: Thanks for helping me explain how social media can help a lawyer in his or her career. What is next in your social media plan?

Elora:

Well this Q&A is my first foray into the brave new world of social media! I’m going to take small steps: updating my LinkedIn page with some case studies to demonstrate my expertise, and then looking at outlets for some of my writing.

All the best, Elora!

I love hearing these experiences where one realizes the benefits of social media. This experience made me think of my blog post Why Lawyers Should Embrace Twitter. Lawyer Sandra Nishikawa admitted that she had some reservations joining Twitter earlier this year, but has since been regularly using it.

It’s easy to be skeptical of something that doesn’t produce immediate results. To appreciate the benefits of social media, you need to start using it and have a plan. Your plan needs to include time management aspects so you don’t get lost in your enjoyment of keeping up to date and social networking. You don’t want to become a social media addict in a negative way.