Social media and your law practice

Creating a positive brand using social media

For many aspiring lawyers, social networks mean everything. In starting an independent law practice, social media can be a gateway to building clientele and a strong personal and professional network.

Unless the settings are private, anyone can view your social media account activity. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, niche social networks and blogs are on search engines and are accessible to anyone. Users view social media accounts to learn about the firm, to search for answers to legal questions and to interact.

So, post to your social media accounts thoughtfully. Inappropriate images, videos and texts can cost you customers and referrals and damage your professional reputation. In addition, posts consisting of badmouthing, gossip, foul language, bad grammar, or breaking a confidentiality agreement are equally tasteless.

You should post quality and relevant information. Avoid divisive topics like politics, race and religion, unless your law practice specifically addresses legal questions in these subject matters. Then, separate your personal and professional accounts. Create personal and professional versions and/or use privacy settings to hide personal accounts.

Additionally, diligent entrepreneurs must eliminate offensive and damaging multimedia in earlier posts. Never assume negative posts disappear because it’s old news or pushed so far down the page no one will find it.

On the flip side, avoiding social media altogether could have a negative impact as well. At worst, another poster with a bad reputation could share your name and damage your personal brand as a result. More commonly, not having a presence on social media means that potential clients won’t be able to find you or learn more about your firm.

Choose a social media platform that suits you and your company best, and then be sure to post regularly. A social media profile with no posts is almost as bad as no social media presence at all. You don’t have to be on all social media platforms: Choose one or two that are comfortable for you and plan to post at least a few times per week.

As independent lawyers attempt to build a successful law practice, social media interaction is part of the strategy.

To learn more about starting and growing an independent law practice in Denver, contact us. Our flexible office leases and co-working spaces offer you a collaborative environment for growing your network and your business.