Social Media for Lawyers

Practical tips and tricksBy Jason Elias

Director Elias Recruitment &Co-founder Bulletpoints.com.au

What is Social Media?

Social media is the

interaction among people

in which they create,

share or exchange

information and ideas in

virtual communities and

networks.

How to use Social Media?• Keep informed

• Client attraction

• Personal and company

branding

• Attracting staff

• Getting referrals from other

professionals

• Keeping up with competition

• Clients will research you

• Employment opportunities

Which sites are best for lawyers?

Keeping Informed

Set up a news feed eg Google alerts for your specialityFollow hashtags on twitter Subscribe to industry blogsFollow Linked In “Pulse”Join Linked In Groups eg Australian Legal Community

Back one horse

• Linked In leads all other social networks in professional usage and perceived credibility (88%)

• 2012 Greentarget Inhouse Counsel Survey

Our aim

• Get known

• Get liked

• Get trusted

Client Attraction

• Clients are being more selective

and do research on service providers (incl lawyers)

• Being known as an expert through good LI profile, blog or profile on groups increases visibility and likelihood of engagement

• Experts can charge a premium or be more selective with clients

Branding

• Legal services market has never been more competitive

• Your brand is your differentiator

• Social media lets you broadcast your Unique Selling Proposition

• Promote your expertise

• Use recommendations and referrals esp on Linked In.

Linked In Profile

• Make sure your profile stands out. If anyone Googles your name, Linked In (or YouTube) entries appear first due to indexing

• Profiles Should be complete incl professional photo

• Profile is not a CV, what is your aim, sell yourself to your audience

Profiles

• Maximise your subheading – divorce specialist

• List projects you have worked on

• List memberships of Law society, Industry Associations

• List awards and achievements

• Cover the type of matters you do eg successfully acquired $12 million IT startup

• Have a vanity address au.linkedin.com/yournamevanity

Company pages

• Keep your branding consistent

• Give people a reason to come eg resources like whitepapers, newsletters, powerpoints

• Call to action

• Add links to your email signature

Groups

• You can join 50 groups- use this

• Join groups that will be useful for you- think laterally eg interest groups, industry, expats

• Contribute, don’t just watch- comment

• Add content, esp original material if not share resources you found interesting

• Connect with users

• Don’t just sell, add-value, be an expert

Attracting Staff

• Gen Y have grown up online

• They don’t book a trip, see a movie

• or change jobs without checking online

• Your social media presence and comments about you could make the difference as to whether a candidate joins you or a competitor.

• Jobseekers will check your Linked in profile before meeting you.

Referral Network

• Word of mouth has always been best source of referrals. Social media exponentially expands reach of Word of Mouth

• A strong social media presence will result in more referrals (not all worth pursuing)

• I get 2-3 calls a day from people through Linked In

• Value of testimonials not LI endorsements

Be proactive

• Invite contacts after you have attended a function

• See who has viewed your profile

• Use your quota of inmails

• Comment on posts

by others

• Be visible

Keep up with competition

Clients will research you

Employment Opportunities

• Linked in is mainly a recruitment tool. It supplements and updates a database.

• If you are an employed solicitor it is a way employers and recruiters can pitch you

opportunities

• Display your mobile and personal email

What not to do

• Troll

• Bad photos

• Oversell

• Forget to add value

Questions?

Feel free to contact me for information related to :

Social Media

Recruitment

Continuing Legal Education

Jason Elias BA (Asian Studies) LLB FRCSA

jason@eliasrecruitment.com