Most attorneys I speak with these days feel a sense of urgency to participate on social media networks, but in the rush to join in some are making critical mistakes. If you’re just beginning to dip a toe in the social media ocean, here are 5 things you should definitely avoid:

Hard sell. There’s a reason it’s called social media...it’s social! Just like you wouldn’t give the hard sell to a prospect at a cocktail party, you also need to avoid it on social media.   The way to approach social media is as a tool for building relationships, and from those relationships will eventually flow sales opportunities. 

Self-promotion. Nobody likes to listen to someone talk about themselves ad nauseum. Again, think of the cocktail party analogy...social media is for engaging and listening. 

Being all things to all people. Your practice has a target market, and different social media networks appeal to different people. Once you have identified your target market, identify where they are hanging out online and spend your time on those social media sites.

Keeping up with the Joneses. If you’re a small firm or solo practitioner, don’t try to compete with the big firms. There is a reason clients come to you and there is real value in being exactly who you are online. 

Thinking social media costs nothing. While it won’t cost you a dime to sign up on social media networks, maintaining a robust presence on these sites does cost you – either time or money, it’s your choice. Monitoring your social media ROI and assigning a number value will enable you to track how effective a tool social media is for your practice.