Are you on Twitter? (If the answer is no, WHY NOT? So much fun #lawtwitter #legaltech – check it out!).
A ton of people might think “lawyers on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram…doesn’t seem like a good match, tbh.” That’s probably because they’re thinking about the SUPER stereotypically bad lawyer social media ads, which are usually just different combinations of the words “tough,” “fair,” and “advocate.” (You can see my thoughts about the pitfalls from lawyers on social media here on Lawyerist?) Most lawyer social media is like a tiny billboard in 140 characters. Yuck.
But, if you do it right, social media can definitely help make your lawyer life better, no matter what stage of your career you’re in.
As a solo attorney, I use my Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram to build my personal brand, to put out information that could be useful to my ideal clients (nonprofits), to make connections with and learn from fellow attorneys…the list goes on. Social media plays a big part in my firm’s marketing AND in my own professional network.
But I will be honest – sometimes it can be a lot of work, especially when things get busy.
Typically, my wing woman Meghan schedules a few things, I post a few things organically, and we go from there. I try to keep my social feeds personable and devoid of boring lawyer platitudes. We have a strategy, but there’s also a certain attitude of “go with the flow, be a human” to our strategy too.
So when other areas of work get crazy…that “go with the flow” vibe can be hard to achieve. Some of the spontaneous posting just doesn’t happen.
But I’m not even worried about it. You know why? Because we use CoSchedule.
In busy times, this social media tool has been a lifesaver. It gives you an awesome global view of what you’re putting out on all different platforms, a super easy way to schedule posts for today or from a year from now, and some great analytics to help you decide what works and what doesn’t.
But the best part – it can take even the scheduling piece of it off your hands.
CoSchedule has this awesome feature called ReQueue. It looks at what you’ve already scheduled and fills in the gaps with a backlog of posts you’ve added. AND, it’s super smart so that the same tweets don’t go out again and again. I mean, what’s the point of having a robot do it if [/robot voice] it-sounds-like-a-robot-is-talking [/end robot voice]
Using ReQueue and all the other features that come with CoSchedule makes maintaining a social presence SO much easier.
In the past, putting social media on the back burner would have meant that all our channels would suddenly fall silent. But now, it just means that we’ll be a little less “live” than usual.
YES!
Coschedule makes it totally possible for me to be my authentic self on social media, to develop relationships with lawyers and potential clients alike, no matter what else is happening in my lawyer-life.
And I do think that’s super important for lawyers, no matter what stage of your career you’re in. As a student, when you’re just entering the workforce, if you’re leaving to start your own firm, no matter your situation, social media is a really great tool to build your personal brand and your professional network. Don’t underestimate it
And speaking of being social, why not connect with me! I’m @JessBirken on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on the ABA Before the Bar blog on February 12, 2019