Social Media and the Legal Industry: Friends or Foes?
During a recent conference that Firefly attended, the topic of whether or not law firms should engage in social media came up. This came about during a discussion group that was geared at improving client communication. It was a topic that although loosely related, was certainly not on the agenda of the session. The room was filled with about 50 people who produced a relevant Q&A session about social media.
An innocent enough question, “What do you think about communication on Facebook?” sparked a debate among the attorneys in the room. A few requested anyone under 30 with social media advice to provide it, and after a few minutes of hemming and hawing, a serious discussion came through. One attorney spoke up and vehemently opposed Facebook, defaming it as a waste of time. Another attorney spoke up to ask for a show of hands of how many people in the room, 5-10 years ago, had a Linked In account. One or two people raised their hands. He then asked how many people had a Linked In account now- nearly the entire room was filled with folks raising a hand. His point was that the times are changing. In five more years, how many people will be engaged in the big three (Facebook, Twitter, Google+)? It’s certainly a relevant question. And it was. Nods of consideration could be seen about the room, but so could the ever-present furrowed brows of the naysayers.
A quick Google search will tell you that there are players on both sides of this debate– countless blogs and articles have been published either for or against the use of social media for law firms. As attorneys and firms generally lead the way with marketing strategy in the legal services industry, process servers are also finding themselves in the same predicament– to engage or not to engage. Firefly Legal has found that participating in social media has improved website visibility, increased networking opportunities, and allowed for a more constant presence online- among other benefits.
It’s apparent that law firms are still struggling with how (if at all) to participate in social media. What are your thoughts on this?
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