Page 67 - Leaders in Legal Business 2018 - Master Copy - 999
P. 67
plan, but having all of those pieces in place in a law firm is often a luxury. It is my job to
eliminate the inertia that can come from not having all of those pieces in place first, which is
why we need to discuss how to move ahead with a social media and social networking initiative
in your firm even if all of the other pieces are not in place. Progress can often be made by taking
baby steps, and is often accomplished through a side-door strategy such as the introduction and
efficient use of social media. We can tackle Rome later!
Here are the concepts I’d like you to keep in mind as you create your social media plan.
To get started:
Establish need. Sell your firm based on the knowledge and need we have
discussed here.
Strengthen your weaknesses. If skills and knowledge are needed, hire them.
Make sure commitment is secure. To go this alone with no support is a surefire
recipe for frustration
and even disaster.
Decide who will be in charge. Too many cooks managing this process can cause
frustration, a lack of
focus, conflicting messages being distributed, and a lack of
common vision. Conversely, many cooks
moving in the same direction are a recipe
for success.
Build social media guidelines. These don’t have to be rocket science, but they do
need to take accepted
ethical restrictions into account, as well as best practices for
effective online networking.
Practice the 3 Cs: Communicate, communicate, and communicate! You need to
let everyone in the firm know what is going on at every step of this process in order
to achieve buy-in and consistency. If not, dropping a social media plan on everyone
after it has already been decided can cause dissention and a
lack of ownership in
the effort, which can be destructive.
Adjust expectations: Know that using social media is not a cure-all for internal
weaknesses. You can’t
communicate what you wish was happening in your practice
or at the firm because it will come back to haunt you when your prospects discover
otherwise.
The Process for Building Your Social Media Plan
Start with the basics. This process resembles the process you undertake to create a
marketing and business development plan.
Benchmark your and your competitors’ digital presence.
Set realistic goals based on existing plans.
Decide how you are going to measure success.
Decide what your social media brand is going to be.
Identify clients, influencers, and advocates.
53
eliminate the inertia that can come from not having all of those pieces in place first, which is
why we need to discuss how to move ahead with a social media and social networking initiative
in your firm even if all of the other pieces are not in place. Progress can often be made by taking
baby steps, and is often accomplished through a side-door strategy such as the introduction and
efficient use of social media. We can tackle Rome later!
Here are the concepts I’d like you to keep in mind as you create your social media plan.
To get started:
Establish need. Sell your firm based on the knowledge and need we have
discussed here.
Strengthen your weaknesses. If skills and knowledge are needed, hire them.
Make sure commitment is secure. To go this alone with no support is a surefire
recipe for frustration
and even disaster.
Decide who will be in charge. Too many cooks managing this process can cause
frustration, a lack of
focus, conflicting messages being distributed, and a lack of
common vision. Conversely, many cooks
moving in the same direction are a recipe
for success.
Build social media guidelines. These don’t have to be rocket science, but they do
need to take accepted
ethical restrictions into account, as well as best practices for
effective online networking.
Practice the 3 Cs: Communicate, communicate, and communicate! You need to
let everyone in the firm know what is going on at every step of this process in order
to achieve buy-in and consistency. If not, dropping a social media plan on everyone
after it has already been decided can cause dissention and a
lack of ownership in
the effort, which can be destructive.
Adjust expectations: Know that using social media is not a cure-all for internal
weaknesses. You can’t
communicate what you wish was happening in your practice
or at the firm because it will come back to haunt you when your prospects discover
otherwise.
The Process for Building Your Social Media Plan
Start with the basics. This process resembles the process you undertake to create a
marketing and business development plan.
Benchmark your and your competitors’ digital presence.
Set realistic goals based on existing plans.
Decide how you are going to measure success.
Decide what your social media brand is going to be.
Identify clients, influencers, and advocates.
53
