Skip to content

WSJ on social media and law firms survey : Few taking plunge into genuine interactivity

December 13, 2011

The Wall Street Journal’s Legal Affairs Reporter Jennifer Smith (@smithjenBK), references the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Global Social Media Survey in a her piece this morning, ‘Law Firms and Social Media: A Match Not Yet Made in Heaven.’

Her takeaway is that though law firms see the potential of using blogging and other social media for business development, few law firms are taking the plunge into genuine interactivity.

While a number of global law firms have dipped their toes in the social media pool, relatively few have taken the plunge into genuine interactivity, according to an audit released today by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.……Firms appear interested in using social media as a marketing platform, particularly outfits based in places with excellent internet penetration: New York, Canada, the United Kingdom and Western Europe. Still, most of those surveyed use social networks as one-way channels to distribute company news, and few embraced blogging and YouTube or integrated social media widget into firm web sites, the audit found.

Smith also provided a snapshot of the survey’s findings:

  • 77% of firms surveyed had profiles on LinkedIn
  • 31% used Twitter
  • 29% used Facebook
  • 10.9% used YouTube
  • 8% had official firm blogs
  • 7% used social media widgets to integrate firm web sites

I shared with Smith in a comment to her post that the title implying law firms and social are a match not made in heaven is a bit misleading.

One, because about 75% of the AmLaw 200 law firms and the majority of the largest firms in Canada are blogging. Admittedly that leaves gaps in overseas firms not blogging, but it’s wrong to imply that law firms are not seeing the power of blogging and social media.

Secondly, lawyers get their best work by word of mouth reputation and relationships. The Internet did not change that. Social media and blogging act as accelerators of relationships and one’s word of mouth reputation.

Lawyers and law firms who are using social media and blogging effectively to grow their networks, build relationships, establish themselves as subject matter experts, and obtain high quality clients are evidence of this. Social media and blogging are the perfect fit for good lawyers and law firms.

Smith and the survey did pick up on the lack of interactivity by law firms in their use of social media. Interactivity is not limited to conversations on Twitter, something lawyers ought to do sparingly, but extends to blogging.

The best law blogs engage third party sources, whether reporters or bloggers. Knowing that links are the currency on Internet conversation, lawyers publishing these blogs freely link to other people and content.

By doing so, the lawyers engage thought leaders and influencers, collaborate and share insight on legal matters, and advance legal discussion. In turn the lawyers find that they’ll pick up citations to them and their blogged content as well as have their blogged content shared on other social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Interactivity like this is not a marketing game, but the reality of what we’ve always done as lawyers to network, build relationships, and enhance our reputations. We’re just doing it online, in addition to offline, via blogs and other social media.

Smith and the survey are spot on to pick up on this lack of interactivity. Though many blogs do engage others, there are many bloggers who fail to join the Internet conversation. As a result those blogs do not realize their potential.

I also want to thank Smith for quoting my blog post of yesterday in which I made the point that opportunities await law firms and lawyers looking to blog as law blogging is still in its infancy. It’s not every day I’m cited in the Wall Street Journal or its law blog.

Posted in: