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Social Networking for Lawyers
My colleague Bob Ambrogi offers the first installment of a two-part series on social networking tools for lawyers at Law Technology News. As Ambrogi cautions, these social networking sites offer real promise for marketing a practice, but like any other marketing tool, they won't magically confer instant success without a long-term commitment.
From Ambrogi's perspective, the benefit of social networking directories is that they "give you far more control, helping you tailor your listing and manage your network in ways no traditional directory ever could." And though many lawyers haven't come on board yet, Ambrogi argues that you're better off leading the pack than trailing it.
As for specific tools, Ambrogi shares the details on using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Plaxo, all of which are currently available at no cost. If you're trying to choose between them, here's how they rank:
Of the three, LinkedIn is the stronger marketing tool. Facebook is a fun way to keep in contact with your circle of friends and colleagues. Plaxo is a sure route to maintaining your contacts over the long haul.
As most marketers know, building relationships is a sure way to generate clients. After all, that's why golf has long been an integral part of rainmaking -- it's a slow game that gives participants long stretches of time to bond and get to know each other outside of the office. Social networking tools, if used over time, are nothing more than a new way of building those same, old-fashioned relationships.
If you're interested in finding out additional information on implementing social networking tools, you can learn more at my home site, MyShingle.com.
Posted by Carolyn Elefant on June 9, 2008 at 01:09 PM | Permalink
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