Why Plug In?

This page is dedicated to describing 100 reasons that lawyers should have a coherent social media strategy.  As you can see, the list is evolving.  Add your suggestions in the comments.

Already convinced, but don’t know where to start?  Check out our Getting Started tips.

Drum roll, please….  Here is the list (in no particular order for now).

1. Because you can
2. Because it’s cheap (low cost barrier)
3. Because it’s cheap (your competitors are doing it)
4. Help the media find you
5. Help other experts find you for collaboration
6. Get found for speaking opportunities
7. To understand social media and how it can help your clients
8. To understand social media and how it can hurt your clients
9. Because transparency is where it’s at, baby
10. There is still time to get out in front of your peers
11. Increase your visibility in general
12. Increase your visibility in a particular niche or channel
13. Increase your web traffic and search engine position
14. Be the one who defines who YOU are, not your competitors or detractors
15. Be in a position to get in front of a reputational crisis
16. Pre-develop a trust relationship with prospective clients
17. To enhance your offline marketing efforts (e.g., press releases)
18. Stand out from the Web 1.0 crowd
19. Give yourself a competitive advantage
20. Brand yourself within your firm as a rainmaker
21. Brand yourself as digitally savvy with your existing clients
22. Brand yourself as digitally savvy with potential clients
23. Brand yourself as digitally savvy with your peers
24. Brand yourself as digitally savvy with the media
25. Leverage the leveled playing field, if you are a smaller player
26. Help yourself recruit digitally savvy talent to support your team
27. Give yourself a platform for broadcasting events
28. Get to know your clients more informally
29. Allow your clients to get to know you more informally
30. Get to know your prospective clients more informally
31. Allow your prospective clients to get to know you more informally
32. Observe your clients “talking” to their peers
33. Observe your prospective clients “talking” to their peers
34. Get special access to thought leaders in your space
35. Get special access to high level decision makers
36. Get special access to the media
37. Easily monitor trends in your specialty
38. Test the viability of new practice niches/offerings (crowd sourcing)
39. Easily monitor your competitors
40. Be in the channel for breaking news
41. Be in a constant attitude of strategic networking
42. Know how to scope out opposing counsel and their strengths and weaknesses
43. Know how to scope out potential witnesses and their strengths and weaknesses
44. Know how to scope out potential recruits for your team
45. Know how to find potential recruits for your team
46. Lawyers need fun, too (hat tip Teresa De Ford)
47. Hanging out on social platforms can be educational (hat tip Teresa De Ford)
48. Social platforms are a good vehicle for making connections with people who need help (hat tip Teresa De Ford)
49. What else??