Similar to the government, law firm is remarked as late adopter of the social media approach. The generally cautious nature of law firm management determines the conservative process of the new technologies implementation in this industry.
Nowadays, the use of social media is widespread around the world. For the law firm, disengagement doesn’t seem a wise choice anymore. The issues are not insurmountable. For any law firm, the premise is a common and acceptable social media policy should be developed to encourage the use of innovative tools and technologies. As Simon mentioned, How Should Law Firms Approach Social Media, “Get input from all stakeholders and participants by establishing a committee of your rainmaking lawyers, senior managers, IT experts, marketers, and members of Gen Y to devise your specific firm strategy.”
In early 2012, Social Media Guidance for Lawyers was issued by Law Society, which establishing a promising future of the application of social media in law firms. According to Legal Futures, “by June 2012, twitter was becoming the key referral source for lawyers, with a 663% increase in people asking for recommendations on the social network.”
Besides Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter, various social media software and platform are available now. Law.com provides best social media dashboard for law firm from 2012 to 2013. Different dashboard has different strength that fit diverse marketing strategies.
There are two special human capital should be used for a law firm when establish and apply its social media strategy. The involvement of young minds is as essential as an excellent and professional marketing team.
- Senor lawyers who are unfamiliar with the fast-pace technologies revolution should embrace the help and assist from junior lawyers who just fresh out of Ivy law school. The young generation has the nature mindset of technologies involvement in their daily life as well as profession work.
- After establishing individual adoption attitude within a law firm, how to apply a successful social media strategy from the firm level becomes next critical issue. Any law firm among top tier all constructs their robust future on the brand, so creating an outstanding marketing team to promote, protect and enhance the brand integrity is necessary.
First, aligning the goal of the social media strategy with the cultural of the law firm. There is no any other industry would treat culture as sacred integrity as law firm do. Setting up a consistent goal fit the culture does not just mean loyalty to their clients, but also for their brilliant smart guys who would devote to the firm for whole life.
Second, a professional marketing team owns the responsibility to training lawyers to communicate effectively from the client perspective by using social media approach. Social media approach would only add value to the firm, when the lawyer could apply their critical thinking fame to the access of social media.
Most important of all, they should consider how to balance the using social media efficiently with guaranteeing security. How to define the scope of the publish content in different social media platform, how to monitor the process of the clients while not construct interfere. There are various critical issues need to consider.
Be creative, even the most tradition industry need fresh blood, so law firm is.
Social Media's Impact on Business 