Twitter, LinkedIn, Justia, Avvo, Plaxo, Facebook, websites, blogs, and on and on - it's practically impossible to keep track of it all, let alone use these tools effectively. And suddenly it seems that every time I turn around, there's another presentation, class, lecture, or article about social networking. I've attended several of these, and I haven't always been impressed with what has been presented. The difficulty, at least in part, is that new online opportunities arise quickly and lawyers in general are not known to be 'early adopters.' That means that in any given audience, there is likely to be a big disparity in familiarity with any given platform.
This post isn't meant to address any one of these platforms specifically, but rather to give some general hints about maximizing your online presence in whichever area you choose. Since the purpose of joining most of these sites is to get business, either directly or through referrals, keep in mind that 'client' below can refer to referral sources or other connections as well as clients.
5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Online Profile
Use the words your clients use - I call this "speaking your clients' language." If your profile is filled with legalese and jargon, you create more distance between you and your audience. If your goal is to create an online presence to demonstrate your expertise, to show potential clients that you understand their problems and can help them, you want them to feel like they know you. (Remember: people do business with people they know, like and trust.) The best way to do that is to speak to them in a way that they can understand.
Include a photograph - Nobody cares what you look like, but people remember faces more than they remember names. Your clients are going to meet you eventually (in most cases), so there's no reason to hide. Seeing a person's face helps to establish a connection and helps them to feel that they know you (see above). Make sure that the photograph you use is recent and of good quality. If you're posting a photo on a professional profile, that photograph should reflect the professional persona you want clients to identify with. People are used to seeing photos, particularly on line. If you don't have a photograph, clients may feel that something is missing or that you're hiding something. Invest in a good photograph.
Show, don't tell - The more that you can demonstrate your experience and knowledge, the better. Use stories, case studies or short descriptions, rather than just saying what area you practice in. For example, rather than 'commercial real estate lawyer,' you might say that you negotiate leases for businesses.
Be as complete as possible - Fill in something in every section of the profile that you possibly can. List all of your previous employment positions, even if they aren't directly related to what you do now - you never know what small fact in your profile might get you found or trigger an association with someone searching the site. Make note of areas that you can't fill in - for example, if there are areas for speaking engagements or articles and you don't have that experience, add those items to your marketing and business development plan.
Participate - The online world isn't so different from the virtual one. The more you participate, the more visible you'll be and the more people wil get to know you. Participating also allows you to demonstrate your expertise - to the extent that the ethical rules of your jurisdiction will allow. Of course, you need to be mindful of creating inadvertent attorney-client relationships and include all appropriate disclaimers, but joining discussions or answering questions relevant to your area of expertise, posting documents and articles, linking to resources (including your own website, blog, etc.) will all help to demonstrate your knowledge and to help visitors get to know you.
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