Social Media Use by BigLaw Firms Sucks; 3 Ways to Be Better
Good2BSocial and Above the Law did a survey last year of the 50 biggest U.S. law firms, measuring their social media use. The predicable findings were that BigLaw moves slowly, and isn't particularly socially adept, reports CMS Wire.
What were some of the issues? Social media use is "inconsistent at best and often evidences only a token effort." Only 34 percent have established a firm or practice group blog. Twitter and Facebook accounts are glorified press release listings. Most firms' social media use is antisocial, with no engagement with the public. And finally, only one firm had an internal social network (though 40 percent had some social functions on their intranets). Internal social networks are great for project management and collaboration.
How can your small firm be better than BigLaw? Here are three ways:
Engage
The biggest mistake social media novices make is to turn their Twitter into a running list of their own greatest hits. They tweet, but don't retweet, respond to mentions, or ya know, be social. When we were prepping our list of the top legal Twitterers, one thing that irked me personally, and kept a few big names off of the list, were the anti-social people. If I want a list of your blog posts, sans commentary or interaction, I'll add your RSS feed.
Blog
Nobody is blogging in BigLaw, apparently. Why should you?
Blogging demonstrates authority, both to potential clients and fellow attorneys. It keeps you up-to-date on legal issues, especially if your blog posts cover major developments in case law and legislation. And, fresh, regularly updated, and original content is great for your website's SEO (Google ranking).
Cloud Practice Management
BigLaw firms don't use internal social networks. You probably don't either.
Most cloud practice management platforms, such as Firm Central (a fellow Thomson Reuters product), MyCase, and Clio, have a social media-like interface, allowing you to post notes for your fellow firm members, share and comment on files, etc. This is great for those who share client files with other attorneys in their firm, or for those who work remotely on occasion.
Have any social media success stories? Tweet them to @FindLawLP and we might just write about it.
Related Resources:
- Companies Are Erecting In-House Social Networks (The New York Times)
- The results are out! Announcing the Inaugural Social Law Firm Index (Good2BSocial)
- Beware: The Crypto Locker Computer Virus Strikes Again (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)