A 60-year-old lawyer wearing a Breathe Right strip on his nose was asking me Yes/No questions yesterday.
I'm not exactly sure why he was wearing the Breathe Right strip. Perhaps my circuitous yet thoughtful answers sucked every last breath out of him.
I'm guessing he wasn't checking TweetDeck before we met. Any emails I send him are printed out by his secretary (what's that?) for him to read.
He's old school.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
The 60-year-old lawyer grew his practice and reach in a different world with different tools. Conversely, the 40-year-old lawyer in the same room told me he's lost track of how many referrals he's received through Facebook.
Whether you're a newly minted lawyer or one with battle scars from years of practice - don't feel handcuffed by social media. Relish the potential of expanded reach that it provides.
If you're blogging, Tweeting, or Facebooking be sure to weave the following themes into your content and your online presence:
Expertise: Environmental law? Employment law? Bankruptcy law? Make your specialty known. Show your peers and your potential clients what's in your head with the articles you share or the blogs you write. I can learn more about how a lawyer thinks by reading her prose, compared to speaking with her for 15 minutes.
Engagement: Don't hesitate to comment on other law blogs or to retweet other legal eagles. Create and mine a legal community by sharing insights and information. Whether it's LinkedIn or Twitter or even a focused online legal discussion group, engaging and interacting wisely in your area of expertise will repay you in thought leadership and client referrals.
Entertain: Don't be dry. There are a million lawyer jokes out there. It's OK to laugh at yourself. Tell people a story. Make them feel comfortable in your world. Build their trust.
Are you a lawyer who is not handcuffed by social media? How did you do it? What would you recommend. What wouldn't you recommend? Join us for our legal webinar today and tell us.
pic: Julia Manzerova
