Social Media 101

There are various components to internet social media. The most important at this juncture are: (1) blogging; (2) micro‐blogging via Twitter™; (3) Facebook™pages; and (4) LinkedIn™.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a rapidly expanding, free service where members follow the conversations of others, which are built on short 140 character bursts of information (“tweets”). Law firms, law organizations (ABA, etc.), law firm practice groups, and individual attorneys are all taking advantage of the growing web presence of Twitter and what it has to offer.

How does the Tweet information reach the client or targeted reader?

While there are services (such as Tweet Deck) that help to organize Tweets by topic, the real jewels of the Twitter service from a law firm marketing perspective is the ability of the reader (1) to search for a topic and find the law firm’s tweets discussing that area – or (2) to search for the law firm, and read through the tweet history that the firm has built over time.

More than a blog, and clearly more than a web site, Twitter searches provide the potential client or referring attorney a clear, detailed, and cohesive overview of not only the firm’s depth of knowledge and expertise in a certain area, but also the personality of the law firm (its brand).

What is Facebook?

So far law firms have been reluctant to use Facebook. This may be in part to ease of use; for another, the proliferation of “friend” pages on Facebook, with its more informal atmosphere, tends to dissuade law firm professionals from participating in Facebook. However, with the option of a “fan page,” where communication has more tight control options for the member, law firms are beginning to include Facebook web pages in their social media marketing plans. Today, law firms on Facebook usually choose “business or fan” sites instead of the more personal “friend” sites. Facebook allows members to join as “fans” of the law firm, and the firm can connect with other sites to build relationships (and a web presence for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes).

What is LinkedIn?

Originally, LinkedIn was a free marketing service designed to help its members find new jobs or new hires. Over time, LinkedIn has lent itself to building an expanded web presence of professional connections, and now most larger law firms and legal professionals are likely to have a LinkedIn membership.

Succinctly put, LinkedIn remains a premier professional networking site but it is not primarily used for chatting or disseminating information. Usually, information such as Specialties, New Hires, Firm Size, Firm Revenue, and individual resume pages of firm partners and associates are provided for marketing purposes via Linked In. Evolution continues at LinkedIn, however, and its essential resume and reporting features have expanded into providing a communication tier, as LinkedIn members are now able to automatically duplicate blog (“blawg”) posts and Twitter feeds into their LinkedIn webpages.

Who has Time?

To effectively tweet or post, several entries should be made each day, every business day during the year. Who has time for this? Everyone. Some companies may assign employees to tweet or post daily, or they may hire someone whose job is to tweet/post and oversee other social media tasks. Others take advantage of web tactics to maximize their tweet/post presence with a minimum of investment. For example, free services such as HootSuite.com or SocialOomph.com allow posts to be written in a block, and then scheduled to appear on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn combined and at staggered times.

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