From social media to business tool

For Mr "Too much information" how much information is too much?

Do you keel over from information overload? No, of course you don't.

Some people have a bigger capacity to take in information and then analyse it.

And social media is just another way of communicating what you want to communicate.

It's therefore a form of marketing. It's a bit of the answer to
"how do I deliver my message to my target market."

If you want to build a brand around your personality and expertise
then you should include social media. If you don't then for most people
you probably won't exist as a brand.

Andrew - keep banging on this door. Neil Rose also wrote an excellent piece recently in the Guardian (21 September) on Twitter for solicitors. I am also aware of half a dozen legal professionals who have received high quality new clients directly through their Twitter accounts.

Last week I delivered a seminar at the ALEP conference to 27 professionals, principally solicitors specifically about Twitter. Wifi glitches aside, most received it very positively and it shows that a select few are adopting the technology.
But I was also struck by the vitriolic and visceral hatred of social media by some lawyers.

My experience suggests that the nay-sayers would benefit from putting aside the emotion and looking at the facts surrounding the efficacy of social media in new client generation. Indeed it is a new technology and yet another thing on which to expend time. But it works for those that "work it".

I can understand why the 1st anonymous comment was kept anonymous.

Using derogatory terms for female genitalia on a public, professional forum and slurs against "Sad" lawyers who use social media are easier to make if made anonymously.

But why then link an otherwise anonymous comment back to a law firm's website?

Seriously.

Click on the "anonymous" and see where it goes.

"Anonymous" demonstrates the point Andrew Wooley is making very well.

Online communication including social media enables us to enhance our reputation, and that of our firm, by being sociable, by creating and sharing content, experience and expertise. Pretty much what Andrew has done here.

Of course we need to be careful that what we do put online is professional and courteous. Use appropriate language. Make your point but do it without causing offense, not because people might get upset, but because you might not want it reflecting back on your reputation.

Posting behind the cloak of anonymity is a very high risk game. That cloak may well be borrowed from the emperor's new wardrobe.

Interesting post Andrew. With regards your thoughts about Facebook - I would agree that it is a more cumbersome social media tool than some of the other platforms, like Twitter. It should be remembered that social media sites were not originally developed for business use – but for social interaction. It is not really a surprise therefore that some are difficult to adapt for business/marketing purposes.

As Mark at Defero Law points out, we do use Twitter at Farleys. It’s not a major part of our marketing mix, but it is a useful tool for communicating with other businesses and potential clients and as a way of quickly accessing blog posts and news items relating to our sector. We take the approach that it’s quality and not quantity with Twitter - Tweet a load of useless and irrelevant comments and you will soon lose followers - but deliver a few interesting and relevant messages and you should gain engagement.