Do Women Have an Edge in Social Media?

Many women attorneys who have seized the benefits of social media to market their skills are seeing big benefits.  The ABA Journal recently interviewed Sports Law practitioner Carla Varriale who says she could not have built up her national presence in the male-dominated field of sports law without the use of social media.   She attributes TV appearances and many new clients to the exposure she gained by spreading her message on the web.  Varriale explained that social media gives women a new platform or voice, creating an automatic presence online.  Some say it is the relationship-building aspect of social media that favors women. 

Solo attorney Amy Elizabeth Stewart told the Journal  that "Social media is a non-confrontational way to develop real social relationships with people who can impact your success."

The idea of self-promotion is something many women struggle with in face-to-face interactions.  Social media allows women to show the value of their skills and talents without using blatant self-promotion.  The soft-sell aspects of social media are more in line with women attorneys' comfort levels. "Social media isn't about sales: 'Read my ad, buy my product.' It's about how I'm providing value, which is its own reward," New York solo attorney Nina Kaufman explained in the Journal.

With these benefits in mind, well-known social media blogger and attorney Carolyn Elefant questions why more female attorneys aren't jumping on the social media bandwagon in this JD Supra post.  In it, she emphasizes how social media caters to women's strengths because "it is compatible with work life balance and can give women the opportunity to find mentors in the legal and business world beyond the confines of their law firm."

Social media guru, author and attorney Bob Ambrogi does not view social media as more beneficial to one gender over the other, instead, he says it is a way of leveling the playing field for everyone.  "I see both men and women who are quite effective at communicating on social media," says Ambrogi, "and others of both genders who fail miserably at it," the Journal reports.

Sources:

ABA Journal

JD Supra