Few Social events are quite as polarizing as the cocktail party, people either love them or hate them, but attending one for professional reasons is very similar to Social Media marketing. But the one thing you don’t want to do, whether referring to social media or cocktail parties, is stand in the corner and refuse to engage anybody.

Forget those days when Facebook and Twitter were only used to inform friends that your vacation or night on the town was upstaging theirs. Now social media ─ Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn specifically ─ should be an integral party of your law firm’s marketing strategy. And if your firm isn’t using social media as part of its marketing efforts, you’re in the minority ─ seventy percent (70%) are, according to Attorney at Work’s 2017 Social Media Marketing Survey.

Just Remember…Think Cocktail Party When You Think Social Media.

When you’re ready to launch or revamp your social media marketing efforts, keep the following four (4) things in mind:

Be Genuine

You wouldn’t pretend to be something you’re not at a cocktail party (right?), so don’t do it when using social media. Make posts reflective of your firm, the type of law you practice and how you want to be perceived in the marketplace. And while writing about yourself might be uncomfortable, it’s important that your personality shines through. If you love golf, share thoughts and photos about your recent round at Pebble Beach.

Elevator Pitch

We all know what an elevator pitch is, right? It’s something about you and your firm that can be verbalized on a (no more than) 30-second elevator ride. Take the same approach with social media posts; they need to quickly convey who you are, where you work, and how you help people.

Share the Good News

Social media posts work best when they offer a more human, personal touch. You don’t have to only share posts that reference the law or the type you practice. If your son’s basketball team wins the championship, share it with others. You never know who might read it and forward it on to somebody with a vested interest in your son’s school.

Use Images and Videos

Sure, giving the reader something to look at along with text helps information stand out, but it’s more than just about looks. Check out these statistics from Adobe’s Digital Index Report. Tweets with images earned up to:

• 18 percent more clicks,
• 89 percent more favorites, and
• 150 percent more retweets.

Remember to think cocktail party when designing and implementing your firm’s social media marketing strategy. And here’s the best part ─ you don’t have to dress up for it.