Connecting with Clients via Social Media: The Upside
February 21, 2012
Legal Marketing, Networking, Social Media
By Tyson Snow
A while back, I was interviewed for a news article about lawyers using social media. It was at a time when attorneys were finally getting on to the Twitter train (and others were starting to notice). One of the questions posed was, “how do you, as a lawyer, use social media to benefit your practice.” I rattled off the laundry list of positives that many of us are now familiar with: marketing, staying abreast of recent legal developments, and, of course, networking. But as I progressed through the interview (it was by email–quite an effective technique if you have never tried it), I thought of another benefit that I had not purposefully practiced but could significantly benefit from by pursuing.
I responded as follows:
I believe in creating client loyalty and, in my mind, there is no better way to create client loyalty than to sincerely show your clients that you care about them and what they do. I use social media to keep track of my clients, find out what they are doing and/or whether there is anything I can do to help. When one of my clients moves to a new company or gets a promotion (as listed on LinkedIn), they get a congratulatory e-mail or something similar from me. If I hear about a struggle or illness on Twitter or Facebook, I send a sympathy card. If someone is looking for some advice, I reach out and give it to them, usually for free. These are people I care about and want to help. And I want them to know that I care about them and want to help them.
I continue to think that this is a great use of social media (and one that is often overlooked). In this day, keeping in touch with your clients means more than sending a Christmas card once a year. To be sure, you will still want to take the GCs from your best clients out to lunch every so often. And it never hurts to go hack around a golf course with existing or potential clients. But building relationships and loyalty can, and should, be more regular and routine.
A few simple thoughts:
- Create a Twitter Group for “Clients” and actively monitor what is happening with their business and lives.
- Subscribe to your clients’ blogs via an RSS reader / aggregator.
- Connect on LinkedIn and check for updates (and read that recent “Updates” email LinkedIn likes to send out).
- Set up Google or Bing News Alerts to inform you of recent newsworthy events.
You could even just bookmark a bunch of websites and visit them every so often, in search for fresh news and content. From a practice standpoint, this boils down to knowing what is happening with your existing clients (and your potential clients) so that you can effectively assist them (and know when they need assistance). From a marketing standpoint, this boils down to keeping your name at the top of the “go-to” list of lawyers and thwarting others’ attempts of building off of your book of business. Familiarity does, after all, breed comfort.
When something newsworthy or noteworthy happens, shoot your client an email or give them a call. When a LinkedIn contact changes their profile, get in touch and congratulate them on the new gig, responsibilities, promotion, etc. If a client wins an award or attains some form of recognition, “like” it on Facebook (and consider sharing it with your other friends / connections / followers). Think of the message you are sending: “My lawyer cares about me and my business and she or he is even willing to spread the news of my accomplishments and/or achievements to others!”
In a world (and profession) where relationships remain key, you need to keep those relationships strong and active. Use your creativity and various social media channels to establish and build these relationships and increase client loyalty. You may not be able to take a client out to lunch every month, but you can certainly foster and maintain relationships with all of your clients by “reminding” them that you are there, you care, and are ready to help as needed. Start using social media to help keep your “card” at the top of the proverbial “stack.”
