In the day-to-day life of a lawyer, the thought of posting to Facebook or sending out a tweet on twitter probably seems both useless and juvenile. Lawyers are held to a more professional level and are accustomed to a certain way of conducting business; thereby, making it difficult for them to grasp the concept of forward technologies and new routines. To make social media part of your law practice would mean having to add yet another element to an already busy work lifestyle. But, without social networking you may be setting yourself at a competitive disadvantage among your competitors in the legal profession.
What you should know about social media is that it is not to expect a flood of calls and inquiries from potential clients the day after you create your account. Rather, it is to cultivate and engage with your followers. As a social media user you begin to establish credibility in your area of expertise among your followers. The objective to to engender their trust and connect on a more personal level. Your level of social interaction may range from posting articles from your favorite publications, sharing interesting legal anecdotes (not legal advise), or even sharing your experience at a new restaurant you recently visited.
By generating interesting content and communicating with your followers you open the doors for more personal communications and break down the wall of fear that most people have when thinking about contacting an attorney. As a result, you will begin to see your followers and/or likes double, even triple. As a lawyer in the social age you will want to connect with your community, as well as other businesses that could potentially refer you clients (or be clients themselves), and also follow blogs or publications relevant to your area of expertise.
One concern a lot of lawyers and law firms have is the possibility of being subject to sharing legal advice through social media. The proper online etiquette would be to simply add a disclaimer onto your social networks that you do not offer legal advice. Once you create name recognition and users begin to associate themselves with you and your practice, you will notice an influx of referrals and inquiries about your legal services.