The other day, I added a "new"
Friend to my Facebook network, someone I see maybe once a year at a
professional gathering. I thought: This is great. Can it get any easier to stay
in touch and up to speed on what's going on in her life so that the next time
we meet we can immediately ease into a relevant conversation? No, it can't. I
love what Facebook brings to the flow of my professional (and
personal) life.
Does
anyone still use a Rolodex?
Then I thought, how much better than
the previous, one-dimensional Rolodex era! As a marketing director in the era
of the ROLODEX, I would sometimes suggest to lawyers that they go through their
Rolodex contacts once a week and choose someone to call up just to say,
"Hello, how are you doing? I was
thinking about you and thought to give you a call."
This suggestion was more often than
not met with three objections: (1) I don't have time (2) I don't feel
comfortable doing that, and (3) what would I say after hello?
My counter objection went like this:
"But, you have to stay in touch with
people who have engaged you or who can refer business your way. How else do you
expect them to think of you when they DO need your services again or have been
asked to recommend an attorney? Using your Rolodex to prompt a touch point is a
simple method; please just try it."
While a few adventurous souls would
give my advice the old college try, most would soon revert back to opting for
the chance meeting at a lunch spot or charity event. Oh well. Can't say I
didn't try, right?
Client
Relationship Management?
Then came CRM (Client Relationship Management). It
promised to change the amount of work involved in keeping tabs on our contacts.
It's easy; you put contact information into the database, you time and date
stamp every touch point, newsletter, or event invitation for that contact and
mark it for a follow up reminder. An excellent system, only one problem, some
systems are less than user friendly, adding an extra step to the attorney's
workflow. (I'm not gong to suggest a law firm doesn't need a CRM - they do -
but for other reasons, not personal networking.)
FACEBOOK
for Lawyers?
Fast forward to social networking.
When I first suggested that lawyers try moving their business network online to
Facebook (not LinkedIn-the safe choice), I was met with three objections: (1) I
don't have time (2) I don't feel comfortable doing that, and (3) what would I
say? (Funny, same objections - what's the pattern here?) For most, the
idea of a LinkedIn presence seemed respectable, but Facebook-isn't that for
college kids? Well, yeah, it can be for young adults with wide social circles,
but that's the beauty of it. The technology is place for developing and
maintaining wide social networks and it is available for anyone
to leverage!
With a little common sense, and
little effort, you can post one to many communications, saving steps, letting
your network know what you're up to-and it's totally acceptable.
PRACTICE
POINTER: No one will think less of you because you are using Facebook! IN FACT,
it may soon be just the opposite -
"Why aren't you my "Friend" on
Facebook yet? Why don't we connect on Facebook? I'd love to keep in touch more
frequently and since you're a thousand miles away, this is the next best
thing!"
Genius! You can hone in on the
people in your network, that are otherwise so easily neglected, by commenting
on one of their posts. A simple "like" is all it takes sometimes. And,
you can easily step it up to the next level with a one-to-one conversation via
chat or onsite email when someone appears in your news stream that presents an
opportunity to get more personal. All without leaving the site and fuddling
with extra steps. (Note #1: Facebook is not the place to give legal advice - or
anything resembling it. This is not the place to discuss a client's case or a
judge's ruling - even in a private Facebook email or chat. This is strictly
social!) (Note #2: Some CRM's are integrating your social networks now, and if
so, you may do well to investigate and learn how to use them.)
Privacy
Settings.
Facebook
is not the scary place that it was once thought to be-though there are some safe guards
you MUST not ignore. By all means, don't act like a stooge on Facebook:
Only share G rated photos and don't allow others to tag you in their photos
that you do not believe represent your interests well. (If someone in your
network does tag you-make sure your My Account/ Notifications settings are set
to alert you to when you are tagged in a photo (see illustration)-simply go to
the offending photo and remove the tag. They will not be able to add it back in
even if they try.)
Also, don't share your birth DATE
(your month and day is okay if you don't mind getting swamped with well wishes
on your birthday!), lock down your profile and privacy settings to Only
Friends, and don't post controversial links to polarizing articles that may
compromise future business opportunities. Be wary of third-party applications
and games -you really don't need them. AND, don't friend judges, or others who
may come back to haunt you merely by association. (More
Facebook tips here.)
Bottom
Line:
Treat your engagement with others on
Facebook a little like you would the people you interact with socially at the
country club, neighborhood, church, synagogue, or your kids' school. Be
reserved, but be personable. Otherwise, go for it! The results can be
significant. I recently heard yet another story of a lawyer who picked up a
VERY, VERY significant matter as a result of their activity on Facebook.
Facebook is a multidimensional
Rolodex that you can fill with all the people you've encountered at various
points and intersections of your life-you seldom know exactly where your next
piece of business might come from. Make sure that your Facebook Friends are
aware of your knowledge base, your accomplishments, interests, and yes, even
what you were cooking on the barbeque at your Memorial Day picnic! It's okay.
People like to do business with people they know and trust. Today, more
of those relationships are budding on Facebook. What are you waiting for?
If you need help navigating social
networks, drop me a
note.
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