Linkedin or not Linkedin, that is the question…

 
With social networking the hot thing right now, law firms face the question of whether or not to play. And, the answer is: Maybe…

The popularity of social networking and the whole Web 2.0 phenomenon might lead you to believe that, unless you’re actively integrating these new tools into your marketing plan, you’ll be left in the dust. But, that’s not necessarily so. What’s really important is to examine your business and marketing objectives and then determine if any of the Web 2.0 options can help you achieve them.

My most recent experience has been with Linkedin – www.linkedin.com – a social networking site designed especially for professionals.

It’s amazing the reach you can develop by renewing old acquaintances and business contacts and – more importantly – linking to new ones. For example, I have 20 direct connections. Through them, I have over 400 “second degree” connections. And beyond that, over 40,000 indirect connections.

It’s actually fun to see who I might know through someone else, and it’s especially handy if you’re looking for a job or new clients.

How might it fit into your marketing plans?

If you’re looking for new business, social networking probably isn’t your best bet. The most likely place to start is with your firm’s existing clients. Chances are, there’s a wealth of untapped opportunity there, just waiting to be explored.

Your “A” clients may have additional work in other practice areas, your “B” and “C” clients may have growth potential as well, and they all may be able to provide referrals.

If the whole firm’s on board with your business and marketing plans and everyone’s working well together to develop business for the firm – and not just themselves or their practice own areas – you should be focusing on existing clients, first and foremost. Even if there’s some internal friction about how to do it, they’re still your best bet.

Where social networking can be of practical value is in more informal ways, such as developing or expanding an alumni association. Linkedin may be an ideal tool to bring current and former firm members together. It allows them to participate to whatever degree they want. And, it could be a great way to expand the reach of your firm, renew relationships and eventually develop new business connections.

The Internet is evolving – mutating? – at an amazing rate. But it’s a tool, just like advertising, direct mail or your collateral materials. How – or if – you use it depends wholly on your firm’s objectives and whether it will help you achieve them.

Your firm’s core values are the foundation of effective branding

 
To penetrate your prospects’ “marketing immunity” you will need to create core values that are clear, simple and – above all – credible.

It’s important to note that there’s a strong tendency in all of us to idealize our core values – to envision ourselves as we’d like to be instead of as we are. Don’t do it. All those cynical, marketing-savvy prospects know how to cut through the half-truths and vague promises. They know manure whether they see it, smell it or step in it and they know when you’re spreading it.

Instead, take a hard look at where your firm is now – not where you’d like it to be – and define your core values based on that. Communicating your firm’s true persona will attract clients that are looking for those values. They will innately sense your integrity and respond to it.

The no-frills, “paper mill” will be successful because it attracts clients that want their legal counsel fast and cheap. At the same time, the traditional, wood-paneled, high-end law firms will attract clients who value those characteristics. As Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with aspiring to greater things, if you’re not happy with where your firm is now. But this is not the place to do it. Build your brand on what your firm is now and incorporate what you want it to be into your business and marketing plans.

So, buck up, look your collective self in the eye and say, “This is who we are and we’re damn proud of it!”

That little bit of psychology is the first step in building a successful brand. The second builds on it. You must recognize that to have a unified brand you need a unified firm.

Unless yours is a very small firm, you probably have at least one person who “doesn’t play well with others.” It may be that they’re set in their ways, that they’re already very successful, or that they’re just stubborn and don’t want to change.

Whatever the reason, that person (or people) must be dealt with to achieve the firm unity required for a successful branding program. If not, clients and prospects will sense the discrepancy between what is said and what is actually done. How to best deal with them is may be one of the most difficult and challenging things you do as you integrate a marketing vision into your firm, but it has to be done, or your plans will almost certainly fail.

Once you’ve accepted who you are and have dealt with the naysayers, it’s time to get to work defining your core values and implementing them throughout the firm.