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Engaging in social media conversation does not extend reach?

August 16, 2011

HubSpot’s Social Media Scientist, Dan Zarrella, in a post promoting an upcoming webinar, makes a pretty bold statement this morning. Engaging in the social media conversation doesn’t grow reach.

While I know “engaging in the conversation” has applications for customer service and retention as well as public relations, it turns my stomach every time I hear someone talk about it as marketing advice.

Zarrella cites data, with accompanying graphs, that he says back him up.

  • Blog comments don’t lead to more page views or links.
  • Likes and comments don’t lead to more impressions.
  • Highly followed Twitter accounts converse less, but they do Tweet more links. (Presumably means less conversation, but more links that can be clicked on to bring page views or impressions.)

I couldn’t disagree more with Zarrella, at least when it comes to the marketing of a professional services business such as a lawyer or law firm.

Lawyers get their best work by virtue of relationships and their word of mouth reputation. The Internet didn’t change that. The Internet accelerates relationships and reputation.

Impressions, links, and page views are not things a lawyer should rely on in measuring their Internet marketing success. That includes marketing via social media, assuming social media is even properly classified as ‘marketing.’

Success for a lawyer using Internet marketing and social media is achieved when their reputation is being enhanced, their relationships are growing, they are being viewed as a subject matter expert, and they are landing not just clients, but high quality clients.

‘Reach’ is defined as the estimated number of the potential customers it is possible to reach through an advertising medium or a promotional campaign.

Engaging in social media conversation via blog comments, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and now, Google Plus allows lawyers to reach not only reporters, business association leaders, conference coordinators, and A-list bloggers, but also prospective clients.

It’s this online networking by lawyers that builds relationships and enhances their reputation as a caring and trusted authority. This networking through social media conversation may not bring links, page views, or impressions, but it does bring clients.

Rather than reduce social media to a science, why not recognize social media as the art of networking to build relationships founded on trust?

Relationships, reputation, and trust through reach. Worked for lawyers 50 years ago. Works for lawyers through social media conversations today.

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