Communicating With Clients: Social Media and New Technologies

Communicating with your customers has never been easier than it is now.  The trick is:  Do you have something worth paying attention to?

Much as laser printers and desktop publishing software gave people the ability to publish their own newsletters, the Internet -- and in particular social media -- allows people to speak on the global stage.

At the business level, most people use social media to promote their organization, their services and their products.  Although the list of available social media platforms and networks grows every day, the most common for marketing are still the two largest: Facebook and Twitter.

One thing to realize is that social media is entirely content driven, which requires a balance of quality and quantity.  People often believe that by having a Facebook or Twitter account, you must be very active in order to be effective.  Yes, there are people who seem to post all the time, but that's like the person who doesn't stop talking.  People typically get tired of others who don't say much of value.

The lesser said is oftentimes more listened to.

While it's natural to want to post about yourself (this is what Facebook was originally intended for), the savvy social media poster knows that unless you're Ashton Kutcher, people aren't really following YOU…they're following what you know.  When celebrities tweet, they’re marketing a product just like any other business.  In Ashton’s case, he himself is the product.  For a small law firm, your products are your services and your expertise.

Craft your message to your intended audience.  As an expert in a specific area, demonstrate your skills by discussing breaking news that affects your area of practice.  Let people know about loopholes or pitfalls they should be aware of.  Tell them about an upcoming event where you're speaking or exhibiting that they may wish to attend.

You need to promote your law firm’s social media offerings whenever possible.  Link to them on your website, mention them in marketing literature, at speaking engagements, even on your business cards.  Don’t expect anyone to go out in search of your Twitter account unless you make it as easy as possible.  You may not see an immediate effect on your bottom line, but you'll garner followers that will come to know you better and hopefully contact you when their needs align with what you offer.

By using social media, you can reach people that would otherwise never know about you.  If they need your services, great, but they can also recommend you to others who may need you.  Either way, social media can help your business grow and flourish.

Mark Mathias is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of NexFirm.  He has more than 30 years of experience with large and small company technology matters.

My Sister Is Smarter Than Your Sister

This may seem a bit off the topic of small law firm management, but I promise it is on point, so indulge me.

Muddy Waters is an institution for coffee drinkers in Uptown Minneapolis that serves as a morning bell, an afternoon hangout and the late night rally point for a progressive, multi-generational crowd.  My sister, Danielle, and her partner, Sarah, inherited a mess when they bought the place, but after a few short years they made Muddy’s thrive.  Then, several months ago the landlord passed along a huge rent increase, forcing them to seek a new location.

Dealing with their landlord, seeking new space, funding the build-out and breaking ground on construction each came with their own stress, expense and worry.  As usual, Danielle took these negatives and turned them into gold.

She transformed the Muddy Waters website into a chronicle of the process for their patrons to see, recounting landlord negotiations, uploading design plans and posting weekly photos and videos of the construction progress (Check it out- http://www.muddywatersmpls.com/).  She even invited patrons to come to the construction site each week to view the progress and have a free cup of coffee.  The response has been fantastic, and the support from their customers and the community is unprecedented.

The genius in these activities is simple: communication connects people.  Muddy Waters makes their clients and the community feel as if they are part of the process, part of the family and hopefully, part of the solution to their predicament.  Her customers take ownership of the new place at an emotional level, and they become focused on making it succeed.

One of the big benefits you have as a small law firm competing against BigLaw firms is the personal side: Your clients know you, like you and want you to succeed.   They aren’t rooting for Skadden Arps, but they are rooting for you.  You want to foster that, and the way to do it is by making them feel like they share your success.  Communicate what makes your business tick.

Are you redesigning your company logo?  Share your options with your clients and let them chime in with their preferences.  Thinking of bringing on a new partner?  Ask your clients what they think of her.  Thinking that you should pursue new clients but don’t know who?  Maybe your clients have some ideas.

Why are we programmed to handle tough decisions in private?  And why do we feel successful by scurrying away, working diligently and then orchestrating a big reveal as if to say, “Look at what I accomplished”?  Unfortunately, what you accomplish is cutting the people you need the most out of the loop.  Get past the idea that it is weak to have problems and questions, and use your tribulations as a way to invite those you need onto your team.  Aside from getting your clients on your side, they will help you make better decisions and ease your stress.

Muddy Waters has done what took Apple Computer billions to achieve; they have become bigger than the product they sell.  Muddy’s is about community, personal connection and history, just like Apple is about sleek, modern individuality.  To make your law firm more than a place that pumps out documents, into something bigger that your clients want to succeed, invite them into your process.

David DePietto is the founder and CEO of NexFirm.  He can be reached at dd@nexfirm.com.

I Used to Think David Pogue was the Devil: How to Keep Control of Your Week

It all started as a 10-minute break on Thursday afternoons.  I would read David Pogue's technology reviews in the New York Times Personal Tech email:  Sometimes I’d chuckle, sometimes I’d find out about new technology and occasionally, when I was busy, I would just click delete.  Good stuff.

Along the way, I started feeling anxious when that email showed up in my mailbox.  It was a warning that the end of the week was here, and it made me feel like a quarter of a month had slipped away and again, I hadn't achieved everything I had hoped to.  Scrolling through the long list of columns he’d written, I would freak out.  How does he put out so many articles, reviews, books and webcasts each week?!?  His emails, I felt, were mocking me.

Even though it was all David Pogue's fault, I decided to take action.  Managing my time better each week would help me avoid feeling this bad each Thursday. I created a task list, and I figured out the 8 best ways to take control of my week.

1)  Create a detailed task list each week.  Without one, your days will become a series of reactions: to emails, to phone calls and to the other requests and distractions that we all experience.  Keep a master list of everything you’d like to do, and select items from that menu to focus for the week.

2)  Plan on Friday.  Set aside 3pm to 4pm on Friday afternoon to plan.  No exceptions.  You will hit the ground running on Monday morning.  More importantly, next week feels far away, so you can convince yourself to schedule big tasks that you might avoid when you’re in the heat of battle.  Plus, you’ll know if you need to work over the weekend because you have an unmanageable week coming up.  Send out requests for information and assistance on Friday, and set meetings and conference calls as well.  Giving notice will help keep others from gating your efforts. 

3)  Be strategic.  Don't put things on your list simply to check them off.  Compare your task list against a list of your strategic goals.  Items that don't help further strategic imperatives should come off the task list.  (If you haven't taken the time to list your strategic goals, you ought to.  I will write about that another time).

4)  Don't be a doormat.  We are all forced to commit to tasks because someone is bugging us.  Don’t let pressure take you away from important things you want to accomplish.  To be in control of your career you must keep control of your schedule; so make plans that serve your objectives and tell the squeaky wheel to keep squeaking.

5) Leave time for emergencies, and personal business.  Some emergencies can’t be avoided.  If you don’t leave time to deal with them, you’ll never have time to complete the things you want to.  We all have personal lives that require our attention, so leave some time for that too.    

6) Say no.  If you treat every request you receive as an emergency, your week will be out of control.   Things that come up are almost always less important than the plans you have scheduled, so stick to your guns.  You have to say no.  When you can't say no, try to carve out tasks that fit into your schedule, or delegate so that you don't find yourself off track.

7) Don’t let deadlines rule you.  Facing deadlines on top of deadlines, it’s easy to forget to make time for the things that are not time sensitive.  Like lunch.  And thinking.  Leave time in your schedule to do important but leisurely things like taking clients and colleagues to lunch or committing new ideas to writing.  If you wait until your schedule slows down to do these things, you are never going to do them.

8)  Set expectations.  When you decide what you won’t be doing next week, let those who are affected know (nicely, of course).  Sharing your upcoming week’s plan will allow others to adjust, and hopefully be an aid to you instead of an anchor.

Once you’ve gotten your schedule under control, you can enjoy David Pogue on Thursday afternoons, too.

David DePietto is the founder and CEO of NexFirm.  He can be reached at dd@nexfirm.com.