It is reported that more than 18% of law firms are on Facebook and more than 40% of attorneys use Facebook regularly. 12% of respondents agreed that working at law firms (with an online presence in a social network such as Facebook) is hugely helpful.
In an era of growing Facebook and social media users, trying to find a place for the legal community online may not be a big challenge. However, the problem may be with regard to the privacy and safety issues quite often needed for attorneys.
With Facebook’s new customized privacy settings and its continued growth both worldwide, lawyers and law firms must figure out how to make the most of all that Facebook has to offer. Lawyers and law firms can ill-afford to neglect Facebook and other major social media channels.
The plain truth is Facebook has already penetrated its way into the law courts, where alibis have been established based on a Facebook status update. Ethics committees have ruled on whether judges and lawyers could be friends. The state bar associations have relied on Facebook in the course of investigating their cases and building evidence.
Lawyers can start a Facebook Page and use it to find clients. All you need to sign up for a Facebook account is an email address and a willingness to network. You can create a Facebook page in a few easy steps. It is your prerogative whether you want to do so from a personal account or an account you set up specifically to use to market your practice of law.
If you list your physical location on Facebook, it means you can easily see if someone commenting on a page is a potential client or someone with whom you’d want to connect. Remember that Facebook allows you to send geo-targeted status updates and inbox updates to fans.
Use Facebook to provide useful information to prospective clients. You can share as much or as little information as you deem fit on your Facebook Page. The information you furnish often includes basic contact info like physical addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, or a profile of you and/or your fellow attorneys.
Most law firms make a good job of this, including the same information available on its main site and prominently displaying office hours and pertinent contact information. But before you start sharing status updates, photos, and other information, make sure you and your law firm is clear what your marketing strategy is going to be.