I read an article last Friday on Law.com about law firms that put restrictions on the use of social media by their legal and business professionals. You might find it hard to believe this is still an issue, but it stems from some firms being worried about what’s going to happen on social media. They don’t fully trust their people to make good decisions, so they don’t let them use social media, or they ask to review everything they post.

In today’s blog post and episode of Legal Marketing Moments (my 2-3 minute podcast), let’s talk about that because, in this day and age, these restrictions concern me.

If you prefer to listen to this as a podcast episode, you can click on the image below. If you are reading this via email and don’t see the player, I invite you to visit this link.

Are You Still Restricting The Use of Social Media In Your Law Firm?

If you are still in the mode of not letting people in your law firm use social media, or if you are putting a tight rein over them, asking to review what they are going to post, you might want to take a few steps back to think about the implications of those restrictions, as well as the benefits of lifting them.

Social Media Can Strengthen Brands and Careers

Social media are such good tools. In the right hands with the right intentions, they can:

• Build and strengthen your firm’s brand
• Build relationships
• Build and extend reputations
• Build practices

Building relationships with the people that you and everybody in your firm care the most about doing business with or learning from enable everyone in your firm to build their reputations on an individual level, which contributes to the overall brand of your firm. This also has a huge impact on your professionals’ longevity and their career.

Those who build their reputation and their relationships are those who are remembered first by others. They make it easy for others to remember them when the time comes and their services are needed.

Is It A Training Issue?

Perhaps this is rooted in a lack of training. If so, then please invest in training. Don’t just train once, but make sure there are reminders throughout the year. Requiring everyone to attend a training on LinkedIn, or any social media, then not reinforcing or demonstrating what that looks like on a regular basis, will probably not result in meaningful change.

Perhaps you should consider building an online learning platform that provides ongoing training sessions.

Social Media Users, This Next Message Is For You

If you find yourself saying silly or divisive things on social media, things you would not do face to face with your clients and potential clients, or in conversation with media, then you need to pull back a little bit. You’re intelligent, so please use your intelligence and common sense in these public spaces.

Build Your Personal and Your Firm Brand

Build a personal brand you can be proud of, and that you can build your career on. This also contributes to the overall brand of your firm, which is made up of all of the pieces of personal brands that you and your colleagues are demonstrating on a daily basis.

Bottom Line

Please don’t hold your people back from using social media because you’re worried they are going to ruin or break something. Let’s train your legal and business professionals so they can be an army of marketers and brand builders that are helping to build their reputation, and that of your firm.