On the 8th Day of Social Media, Your SIG Leaders Gave To You:
8 Challenges to Cynics
Cynics. You all know one. Or, hey, maybe you are one. Regardless, you sometimes need to combat them.
With social media (especially in law firms), you’ll have cynics. It’s a given. So let’s look at eight typical issues they come up with and ways to challenge them.
1. I don’t have time.
Not having enough time is always a concern. There are only 24 hours in a day (and you’ve got to sleep sometime). But Jaimie Field does the math (h/t to the fab Heather Morse-Geller). She may be referring to rainmaking, but like everything, you need to make time if you want to get benefit from it. If it’s important, you make time. And not to mention, as Jaimie indicates, good things take time.
2. I don’t want to give away information for free on a blog when I can bill for it.
I get it. Why spend time when you’re not getting anything out of it? Ever heard the phrase “give to get”? Well, it’s true (shocker!). Sometimes you need to let people sample your wares before they make a commitment. You’re not going to go out and, based on some internet research, spend millions of dollars on someone you vaguely know. There’s no reason to assume your clients/potential clients would be willing to do that for you, a virtual stranger.
3. My clients aren’t on there.
Go read the latest social media statistics. Your clients are there. They might not be on SnapChat, but I can almost guarantee they’re on LinkedIn. At least before you use this as an argument, go do your research. This argument can easily be disproved by taking a list of clients and finding them on a social network.
4. It’s just a fad.
To quote my friend Rebecca Wissler, “yes, social media just may be a fad. Just like that dangerous new technology from a few years back: email. But let's learn about it just in case. Better safe than sorry, mmmmkkay?”
In 5 years, who knows what’s going to be relevant. Don’t dismiss things just because you think it might go away in a few years. (Even if it does, chances are something similar will take its place.)
5. It’s too complicated.
Wait, wasn’t email at first? Or cellular phones? Beepers? Pay phones? OK, so maybe not that last one, but there’s always an excuse. And come on, law school is tough! (Isn’t it?) If you can graduate law school, you most certainly can work a piece of technology. It’s a mindset, people.
6. I don’t care what people had for dinner.
You get to choose what content you consume—this is one of the great things about the internet. And really, not everyone posts what they had for dinner. But if you choose to stay for the more personal stuff online—the photos of families, restaurant recommendations, personal updates—you’ll find yourself with stronger connections.
7. I don’t want my competitors to see my clients in my friends or connections list.
There are several ways around this. One of them being your security settings. Networks like LinkedIn allow you to showcase or hide your connections. And most other networks allow you to control that function via settings. In other words, not a good excuse.
8. I don’t want to make a mistake.
First of all, everyone makes mistakes (even lawyers). The key with socal networks is to listen first. Learn. Get the hang of it. Know what to expect and what others expect of you. Oh, and don’t post status updates when drinking/drunk—rarely a good idea.
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We look forward to sharing the next 5 Days with you, so check back Monday to see what your SIG leaders will bring you for The 8th Day of Social Media!
If you missed us last year, you may also want to check our 2012 12 Days of Social Media. You can find them right here!
The 12 days of Social Media are a sliver of what you get when you're an LMA Social Media SIG member. We host regular Social Media webinars with experts inside and outside of the legal profession. As a member of the Social Media SIG, these posts and invitations will be sent to you automatically via the Groups ediscussion Forum.
To get full benefits, and advance notice of our events, please join:
Happy Holidays from your Social Media SIG Leaders!
- Lindsay Griffiths, International Lawyers Network
- Laura Toledo, Bowman and Brooke
- Gail Lamarche, Henderson Franklin
- Lance Godard, JD Supra
- Nancy Myrland, Myrland Marketing & Social Media
Missed any of our 2013 12 Days? Here are the posts you'll want to see!