Professional Development: Using Social Media to Advance Your Careers and Build Business

Unfortunately, most attorneys just scratch the surface when it comes to maximizing LinkedIn. Most simply post a copy of their text CV and then complain that they don't get any business or job offers from LinkedIn! In late 2012 and early 2013, LinkedIn added powerful new features that make the site (your profile) more attractive and interactive.

First, you can now add slides from a recent presentation or even embed a video clip of a recent speaking engagement. For example, I recently gave a guest lecture to grad students at a New York college and posted short video highlights. I also posted a link to my article, “How Law Firms Can Use Social Media in a Crisis,” that was recently published in Strategies, the Journal of Legal Marketing. But instead of just posting a direct link to the article, I posted the link that connects LinkedIn with my blog post that includes the article. That way, the reader is taken to my WordPress site, where they might read more of my posts.

Lawyers should post regularly to LinkedIn. Again, it does not have to be your own original content. Often, I post news articles from respected media outlets that I'm confident are valuable to many in my network.

Another powerful tool inside LinkedIn is the ability to join and participate in specific groups, some of which have tens of thousands of members. You might post content in your status box, but you should also “cc” that link into groups where that content would be of greatest interest. Unfortunately, lawyers spend way too much time talking to competitors online and off. So make sure you join and participate in groups where there are business prospects.

LinkedIn also has a little-known tool called Advanced Search that lets you search for jobs/prospects by a wide variety of filters, including job title, company, geography, etc. You'll be surprised how small the world is when you notice that one of your connections is connected to a person of influence who you want to meet.

Twitter

The second most important “spoke” in the social media wheel is Twitter. Here, like LinkedIn, you want to put your thought leadership on display. You can share your own white papers, bylined articles, analysis of legislation and cases ' or simply share similar content written by others, whether they are journalists or attorneys. Twitter is also where people go to learn about developing news. So, if you know that the U.S. Supreme Court has a case on its argument calendar, then a few days before and/or on the day of the argument, you can Tweet a headline and your insightful blog post about the case. Just remember that brevity and cleverness wins attention on Twitter ' not long-winded legalese.

YouTube

Lawyers who want to be truly visible ' and I urge that all should ' would be smart to use YouTube. A former client of mine retained me to raise his visibility as a criminal defense attorney in New York and Long Island. The problem is, there are thousands who crowd Google search results for “criminal defense.” So my idea was to shoot a video of my client talking about the infamous Anna Gristina prostitution case that was garnering lots of local and national media attention.

We shot the video in his office a few days after news broke and I did a fairly quick editing job before rushing it on to YouTube. Today, if you do a search for “Anna Gristina,” my client's video is #4 in the world with nearly 8,500 views. But more importantly, people can now more easily connect the face and intelligent voice on the video with the name. We also embedded that video on his website in the area called “sex crimes.” That also makes his website that much more interesting; users can click on the video right there.

Google+

Another great social media tool is Google+. Setting up and posting content to a Google+ law firm page is a great way to start climbing toward the top of Google's search engines. Inside Google+, there's a gem called Google Hangouts. I used this technology beginning in June 2012 to launch The Crisis Show, a weekly Internet video broadcast that focuses on crisis management, crisis/litigation communications and online reputation. The show has been seen at least once in 100 countries and there's a real connection between the show and the recent uptick in key influencers following me on Twitter and LinkedIn. And, yes, I've gotten business because of the show.

You could do a show on trends in labor and employment law, IP, securities, real estate, etc. It's not the live show that counts, but the fact that Google/YouTube records the show instantly, giving you a powerful marketing tool for eternity (or at least until some cyber attack takes down the Internet). I don't speak that well or have perfect audio and lighting on my show. Ditto for my guests. But we're providing free, valuable content that viewers appreciate and we're opening the doors to business conversations.

Conclusion

If you're a neophyte and don't know how to begin using some of these tools, don't worry, because it's all online. Start with www.mashable.com, http://www.Cnet.com%20and watch The Social Hour on Twit.TV. You might also read “Trust Agents,” by Chris Brogan and Julian Smith, as well as “Tribes,” by Seth Godin.

Finally ' too many lawyers worry about content being perfect before putting it out to the world. Social media influence is not built on perfection but on connection. So go for it and reap the rewards.

'

Rich Klein, president of Rich Klein Crisis Management (formerly LawFirmsPR), is a media relations/crisis communications consultant with 30 years of experience in public relations and journalism. He has spoken before local and state bar associations on these subjects and has written articles for the National Law Journal, the New Jersey Law Journal, and Strategies, The Magazine of the Legal Marketing Association. Reach him at [email protected].

'

'

Lawyers who are looking to advance their careers and who want to build business should not underestimate the power of using social media to raise their visibility. In fact, those who rely too heavily on 20th-century tools will likely fall behind when it comes to getting that position or securing new business. So what are the most critical social media tools to build relationships and to communicate your breadth of knowledge?

LinkedIn

LinkedIn would have to be considered by lawyers and professionals as the most important social media property ' and most surveys of business people confirm it's the most used compared with other sites. Think of a bicycle wheel with many spokes, with each spoke representing a social media site. Linked-
In is that first spoke.

Unfortunately, most attorneys just scratch the surface when it comes to maximizing LinkedIn. Most simply post a copy of their text CV and then complain that they don't get any business or job offers from LinkedIn! In late 2012 and early 2013, LinkedIn added powerful new features that make the site (your profile) more attractive and interactive.

First, you can now add slides from a recent presentation or even embed a video clip of a recent speaking engagement. For example, I recently gave a guest lecture to grad students at a New York college and posted short video highlights. I also posted a link to my article, “How Law Firms Can Use Social Media in a Crisis,” that was recently published in Strategies, the Journal of Legal Marketing. But instead of just posting a direct link to the article, I posted the link that connects LinkedIn with my blog post that includes the article. That way, the reader is taken to my WordPress site, where they might read more of my posts.

Lawyers should post regularly to LinkedIn. Again, it does not have to be your own original content. Often, I post news articles from respected media outlets that I'm confident are valuable to many in my network.

Another powerful tool inside LinkedIn is the ability to join and participate in specific groups, some of which have tens of thousands of members. You might post content in your status box, but you should also “cc” that link into groups where that content would be of greatest interest. Unfortunately, lawyers spend way too much time talking to competitors online and off. So make sure you join and participate in groups where there are business prospects.

LinkedIn also has a little-known tool called Advanced Search that lets you search for jobs/prospects by a wide variety of filters, including job title, company, geography, etc. You'll be surprised how small the world is when you notice that one of your connections is connected to a person of influence who you want to meet.

Twitter

The second most important “spoke” in the social media wheel is Twitter. Here, like LinkedIn, you want to put your thought leadership on display. You can share your own white papers, bylined articles, analysis of legislation and cases ' or simply share similar content written by others, whether they are journalists or attorneys. Twitter is also where people go to learn about developing news. So, if you know that the U.S. Supreme Court has a case on its argument calendar, then a few days before and/or on the day of the argument, you can Tweet a headline and your insightful blog post about the case. Just remember that brevity and cleverness wins attention on Twitter ' not long-winded legalese.

YouTube

Lawyers who want to be truly visible ' and I urge that all should ' would be smart to use YouTube. A former client of mine retained me to raise his visibility as a criminal defense attorney in New York and Long Island. The problem is, there are thousands who crowd Google search results for “criminal defense.” So my idea was to shoot a video of my client talking about the infamous Anna Gristina prostitution case that was garnering lots of local and national media attention.

We shot the video in his office a few days after news broke and I did a fairly quick editing job before rushing it on to YouTube. Today, if you do a search for “Anna Gristina,” my client's video is #4 in the world with nearly 8,500 views. But more importantly, people can now more easily connect the face and intelligent voice on the video with the name. We also embedded that video on his website in the area called “sex crimes.” That also makes his website that much more interesting; users can click on the video right there.

Google+

Another great social media tool is Google+. Setting up and posting content to a Google+ law firm page is a great way to start climbing toward the top of Google's search engines. Inside Google+, there's a gem called Google Hangouts. I used this technology beginning in June 2012 to launch The Crisis Show, a weekly Internet video broadcast that focuses on crisis management, crisis/litigation communications and online reputation. The show has been seen at least once in 100 countries and there's a real connection between the show and the recent uptick in key influencers following me on Twitter and LinkedIn. And, yes, I've gotten business because of the show.

You could do a show on trends in labor and employment law, IP, securities, real estate, etc. It's not the live show that counts, but the fact that Google/YouTube records the show instantly, giving you a powerful marketing tool for eternity (or at least until some cyber attack takes down the Internet). I don't speak that well or have perfect audio and lighting on my show. Ditto for my guests. But we're providing free, valuable content that viewers appreciate and we're opening the doors to business conversations.

Conclusion

If you're a neophyte and don't know how to begin using some of these tools, don't worry, because it's all online. Start with www.mashable.com, http://www.Cnet.com%20and watch The Social Hour on Twit.TV. You might also read “Trust Agents,” by Chris Brogan and Julian Smith, as well as “Tribes,” by Seth Godin.

Finally ' too many lawyers worry about content being perfect before putting it out to the world. Social media influence is not built on perfection but on connection. So go for it and reap the rewards.

'

Rich Klein, president of Rich Klein Crisis Management (formerly LawFirmsPR), is a media relations/crisis communications consultant with 30 years of experience in public relations and journalism. He has spoken before local and state bar associations on these subjects and has written articles for the National Law Journal, the New Jersey Law Journal, and Strategies, The Magazine of the Legal Marketing Association. Reach him at [email protected].

'

'