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Why are public relations professionals handling social media?

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems totally illogical to have public relations professionals advising you on the use of social media for business development. Seems crazier yet that you would have a public relations professional executing your social media plan.

Using social media for business development is all about networking through the Internet. The same sort of networking lawyers have done for business development for the last 100 years or so. We’re just using a different medium, the Internet.

Business development by a lawyer or a law firm, done via the Internet, is all about relationships. Relationships nurtured through engaging and networking with your target audience.

An audience that’s defined by the type of legal work you are looking to do and who you are looking to do it for. An audience that’s comprised of clients, prospective clients, referral sources, and the influencers of those three (bloggers, reporters, publishers, association leaders, conference coordinators etc.).

Networking is personal in nature. It’s a participation, full contact sport. It’s not a passive activity where someone does the dirty work for you.

You wouldn’t send a PR person to network on your behalf at a cocktail party filled with clients, prospective clients, and association leaders. You also wouldn’t ask a public relations agency to develop a plan for networking at the cocktail party and to coach you in that regard.

Why would you do that when it comes to networking through the Internet? Because you don’t know how to network through the net and chose PR people to help is not a great answer.

I like many PR professionals. Some do a great job. I have hired public relations agencies, but not to do my networking through the net. And not to advise me regarding the use of social media to network through the Internet.

Look at Wikipedia’s definition of ‘business networking.’

Business networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. There are several prominent business networking organizations that create models of networking activity that, when followed, allow the business person to build new business relationship and generate business opportunities at the same time.

Many business people contend business networking is a more cost-effective method of generating new business than advertising or public relations efforts. This is because business networking is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment than company money.

As an example, a business network may agree to meet weekly or monthly with the purpose of exchanging business leads and referrals with fellow members. To complement this activity, members often meet outside this circle, on their own time, and build their own “one-to-one” relationship with the fellow member.

Look at the terms and concepts pulled from this definition.

  • Relationships.
  • More cost effective than public relations.
  • Involves more personal commitment than company money.
  • Build their own “one-to-one” relationship.

I understand how a public relations agency can be used to monitor Internet discussion about your law firm, its lawyers, your target audience, and relevant subjects. But stop there. It makes little sense to to have PR professionals advise you on how to engage in this discussion nor to actually engage your audience on your behalf.

Social media, whether it be via blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook is all about networking to establish and nurture relationships. Relationships that lead to professional and business development success for lawyers.

It makes no sense to me to have public relations professionals handle that networking for you. What do you think?

  • http://www.hellermanbaretz.com/ John Hellerman

    Interesting post this morning Kevin. It reminded me of your discussion from several weeks ago about ghost-blogging (http://bit.ly/c0GDZm) and my subsequent reply. I agree with you that social media tools are simply that: tools for creating and maintaining lucrative relationships. But just as there are hammers and jackhammers there are lots of tools — some more effective than others (social media is to media as a jackhammer is to a hammer) — to develop new business and, like any tool, it’s what you do with it that matters. Many attorneys go to lunches, dinners and conferences to network, or blog to showcase their expertise, yet most never fully capitalize on the opportunity these events and activities offer to develop relationships and, ultimately, new business. As a PR consultant and owner of an agency (http://www.hellermanbaretz.com) that routinely advises the most sophisticated and savvy lawyers and their firms on how to use social media for business development, it seems odd to me that you’d advise against someone utilizing professionals to help with such a critical task. A key factor in business development is competition, and competition is all about advantage. There is nothing inauthentic about having a professional communicator help you communicate your own ideas and your own messages; indeed, you’re probably doing your ideas and messages a favor. For example, a labor/employment firm wanted to blog about HR issues….What L&E firm doesn’t? We suggested our client peg their blog to NBC’s hit show The Office and create a litigation value for each episode. For the first 2 years, 20,000 plus people read it weekly. The blog could have been boring, but as professional communicators we advised the client how to communicate their ideas in a way that not only broke through the clutter but did so in a way that received enormous positive, useful attention.
    So, it seems to me that the important question in this discussion is how does one actually use these seemingly burdensome tools to his or her advantage? The answer, which was also the subject of a Law360 article (http://bit.ly/bYr2tp) I wrote in April, is rather simple and research-based (http://bit.ly/bL8Fe4): create “credentialing content” (byline articles, quotes in trade outlets, Q & A’s, conference speaking, association leadership, industry awards and recognition, etc.) and share it! Not just through your own network, but cause it to be shared through your colleagues’ networks, as well (an article you’ve written is powerful when shared by you directly, but it is even more powerful coming from a trusted colleague of your intended target’s). Social media tools are powerful, and if you don’t think you’re using them to your advantage, get help. Your competitors are.

  • http://www.LawFirmsPR.com Rich Klein

    Kevin..I have long admired your work but to wrap a blanket around all PR professionals and say it’s “illogical” to have them handle social media is simply misguided. Good PR people today are also the good social media pros. They have to be to survive. And any PR agency that doesn’t do social media tied to business development today is short changing its clients. I do agree that PR people should not be ghost-blogging — but I’ve had busy lawyers tell me about a speaking engagement and asked me to simply write it like a blurb for their LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook account. I see no harm in that particularly since I’m better able to get it to 140 characters. It’s in their name and they approve the copy. I have also shown law firms how to use LinkedIn’s search function to find clients and have created their YouTube Channels and Facebook pages that have improved their search engine results. Kevin..I think you have a limited vision of what PR people do from past experiences. I can only hope John, myself and others can change that view. Real Lawyers Have Blogs..but they also can have PR people help them with those blogs and all their social media tools.

  • http://www.thecastlegrp.com Mark O’Toole

    So are we talking social networking or social media? Because there is a line.
    Social networking more accurately applies to your blog statements. Networking is personal in nature, whether you are using it to make private connections or business connections. Can PR pros help here? Absolutely. PR is more closely aligned with business development than ever before. But building deep, authentic relationships through social networking is the responsibility of the individual.
    Social media is more about content, messaging and branding. Maybe it didn’t start that way, but that’s where it is now. And that’s where PR excels. The best firms have embraced social media, not as a place to control messages, but to engage with the PUBLIC.
    Social media is changing, evolving, new entities and rules are emerging – a professional aware of all this movement is a smart choice to serve as an advisor and/or executor of social media strategies and efforts.
    For lawyers, their concentration is on the law, not content engagement. PR professionals are the clear choice for effective immersion into social media.

  • http://www.elephantcreative.co.uk Helen Hammond

    I may be about to alienate my entire profession but… speaking as a marketing and PR professional, specialising in professional services, I couldn’t agree with you more!
    I spend a lot of my time banging my head against the wall explaining to lawyers that I can’t sell the firm for them… that all I can do is provide the tools (and foundation) to help them. When you buy in prof. serv. it’s all about trust and relationships (we all know this)… and that means developing that person to person. The client doesn’t want a relationship with me… they want it with their lawyers directly.
    So, why then do I get so many firms asking if I can manage their social networking for them? I’ve even had firms ask if I’ll go to networking groups for them (so yes, it does happen… not that I’ve ever agreed… I’ll go “with” them, but not “for” them).
    I think the bottom line is that people (as Mark quite rightly points out) confuse social networking with social media. It’s an important distinction with a huge grey area in the middle. They over-think it all and assume it’s harder and more time-consuming than it actually is to do the social networking part.
    There is real value in employing a professional to help you get started, and to work out (with a bit of common sense) the best way for you to get going… Rich has a point about helping them by suggesting topics and writing concise updates etc… there’s even value in getting a professional to handle the social media (in terms of pure PR and brand building) but never, ever to do your networking for you.
    I was a lone voice the other day, at a conference, when a consultant was selling her services to a group of business start-ups and small law firms. She was offering to set up their Linkedin and Facebook accounts for them and, for a retained fee, she would keep them going throughout the year. Yes, I’m sure it’s a money-winner for her… but is it fair to the client? Isn’t it better to be the person that helps them to see the value and supports them in doing it for themselves? She didn’t agree…