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Leaders in Legal Business
Online Social Media Marketing Nancy Myrland1
Myrland Marketing
President
What are Social Media?
We see social media referred to in two ways. One is a substitution for what is called social networking.
You will hear people say, “Yes, our firm does social media,” or “No, I have no idea what I’m doing in social
media.” These comments tend to refer more to the actions, which are social networking, than the platforms, social
media, which leads to my definition of social media.
Social media are those platforms, or media, that are virtual, and that offer the ability to interact and
establish relationships by being “social” with our intended audiences. The latter enables the former. Just like
broadcast media (what we see on TV) is a platform that delivers a message, so, too, social media deliver messages.
The main difference between broadcast and social media — and it is an important distinction to make —
is that broadcast media enable one-way conversations, and social media enable, and even thrive, when there are
conversations between at least two people.
These media are relatively new to the entire world and are certainly new to the legal profession, where
we tend to follow marketing and communication trends started elsewhere. The fact that we were not allowed to
advertise or promote before Bates v. State Bar of Arizona in 1977 has resulted in our profession’s adoption of
many marketing practices to be a few years behind those outside the legal profession.
Why Is Social Media Important?
The use of social media in law firms at the individual, team, group,
business unit, and firm level is the most comprehensive development in
communication that the profession has seen since the advent of email. This
statement might seem far-reaching to some, but it was not that long ago
that firms introduced email as a new way of communicating with the
outside world via a simple keyboard and computer. What was exciting to
some was overwhelming and scary to others. This newfangled method of
communicating with clients changed communication forever.
So too has the development of social media and the use of social networking, not only for attorneys and
administrators, but also, more importantly, for our clients. Instead of the introduction of one tool (email), we now
see the introduction of an entire set of tools, or media, that enable us to reach out and touch many people at a
moment’s notice, as well as to listen and learn from them.
This ability to communicate with the masses has opened up new opportunities for lawyers, whether they
are solo practitioners or are one of 7,000 professionals in a firm. You now have tools at your disposal that provide
ways for you to show your clients, potential clients, referral sources, media, and other important parties what
makes you qualified in the areas in which you practice and what makes you different than other lawyers with
whom you compete.
1 With an early career in sales, management and marketing in corporate America, Nancy Myrland entered legal marketing as an in-house Marketing Director for
then Baker & Daniels, now Faegre Baker Daniels. Nancy founded Myrland Marketing & Social Media in early 2002, where she helps lawyers and legal marketers
understand Marketing, Content, and Social & Digital Media, and how they can fit together to help retain and grow their client base. She frequently consults,
trains and speaks on LinkedIn and other social media, and can be found blogging at The Myrland Marketing Minute Blog at www.myrlandmarketing.com.
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Online Social Media Marketing Nancy Myrland1
Myrland Marketing
President
What are Social Media?
We see social media referred to in two ways. One is a substitution for what is called social networking.
You will hear people say, “Yes, our firm does social media,” or “No, I have no idea what I’m doing in social
media.” These comments tend to refer more to the actions, which are social networking, than the platforms, social
media, which leads to my definition of social media.
Social media are those platforms, or media, that are virtual, and that offer the ability to interact and
establish relationships by being “social” with our intended audiences. The latter enables the former. Just like
broadcast media (what we see on TV) is a platform that delivers a message, so, too, social media deliver messages.
The main difference between broadcast and social media — and it is an important distinction to make —
is that broadcast media enable one-way conversations, and social media enable, and even thrive, when there are
conversations between at least two people.
These media are relatively new to the entire world and are certainly new to the legal profession, where
we tend to follow marketing and communication trends started elsewhere. The fact that we were not allowed to
advertise or promote before Bates v. State Bar of Arizona in 1977 has resulted in our profession’s adoption of
many marketing practices to be a few years behind those outside the legal profession.
Why Is Social Media Important?
The use of social media in law firms at the individual, team, group,
business unit, and firm level is the most comprehensive development in
communication that the profession has seen since the advent of email. This
statement might seem far-reaching to some, but it was not that long ago
that firms introduced email as a new way of communicating with the
outside world via a simple keyboard and computer. What was exciting to
some was overwhelming and scary to others. This newfangled method of
communicating with clients changed communication forever.
So too has the development of social media and the use of social networking, not only for attorneys and
administrators, but also, more importantly, for our clients. Instead of the introduction of one tool (email), we now
see the introduction of an entire set of tools, or media, that enable us to reach out and touch many people at a
moment’s notice, as well as to listen and learn from them.
This ability to communicate with the masses has opened up new opportunities for lawyers, whether they
are solo practitioners or are one of 7,000 professionals in a firm. You now have tools at your disposal that provide
ways for you to show your clients, potential clients, referral sources, media, and other important parties what
makes you qualified in the areas in which you practice and what makes you different than other lawyers with
whom you compete.
1 With an early career in sales, management and marketing in corporate America, Nancy Myrland entered legal marketing as an in-house Marketing Director for
then Baker & Daniels, now Faegre Baker Daniels. Nancy founded Myrland Marketing & Social Media in early 2002, where she helps lawyers and legal marketers
understand Marketing, Content, and Social & Digital Media, and how they can fit together to help retain and grow their client base. She frequently consults,
trains and speaks on LinkedIn and other social media, and can be found blogging at The Myrland Marketing Minute Blog at www.myrlandmarketing.com.
43
