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Social Media is a place to show leadership and connect with customers through a good strategy

One of the greatest inventions of the modern time is the internet whose impact on society has been hugely phenomenal. With the internet, came social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram just to mention a few. All these collectively are referred to as social media.  

Social Media has changed the way we communicate and relate with one another. It enables you to stay connected to people who may be thousands of miles away in real time and allows us to connect with others directly irrespective of location anywhere in the world.  

For Lawyers, Social media is not just a place to show off your thought leadership. It can also be a crucial place to engage with your potential clients. As law firms directly communicate with the communities they serve, social media becomes a natural way to reach people in need and acquire new clients. 

There are several advantages for lawyers looking to use social media to create online visibility and market their firms. Some of these benefits include:  

1. Increased brand awareness.  
2. Humanize your practice.
3. Establish your practice as a thought leader. 
4. Stay top of mind.
5. Increase web traffic.  
6. Generate leads.  
7. Make your business go viral. 

Developing a social media strategy depends on the particular social media platform a lawyer or firm chooses to adopt. A social media strategy could also include multiple platforms. Such platforms include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Quora and Reddit. Here are a few tips for developing a great social media strategy: 

• Research Your Target Client.
• Position Yourself as an Expert. 
• Interact With Your Audience. 
• Join Social Media Groups. 
• Record Your Social Media Process and Policies. 
• Think About Social Media Tools. 

A lawyer must practice good social media hygiene to reap its benefits and protect your reputation. Here are some things you shouldn’t do; Be fake;  Feed the trolls; Forget to apologize quickly and completely; Try to build a presence on every social media platform; use social media as a billboard instead of a place to connect and post every once in a while.  

It is also important to note that the courts are not left out of the use of social media and IT. In several legal jurisdictions social media is being used an effective tool for the administration of justice. For instance, there are online mediations which are facilitated by social media and also court appearances which are facilitated by the virtual hearings achieved through social media applications.  

There are also a number of ethical rules for lawyers using social media or regular media include including:  

• A lawyer must not make false or misleading statements.  
• A lawyer must always guard against disclosing (inadvertently or otherwise) privileged or confidential information.  
• A lawyer should not communicate with a person whom the lawyer knows to be represented by counsel without first obtaining consent from the represented person’s lawyer. 
• Solicitations by a lawyer or a law firm offering to provide legal services and motivated by pecuniary gain are restricted under RPC.  
• An attorney-client relationship may be formed through electronic communications, including social media communications thus lawyers must be careful to issue disclaimers stating that their posts do not create such relationships.  

Social Media can help lawyers build a visible practice, establish their practice as thought leaders and also attract potential clients. Law firms are advised to pay particular attention to social media and how it can help them accomplish their practice goals.