Talking to Two Million People at a Time // How Lawyers Can Build Business with Social Media BY JENNIFER JESSIE
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’ve been a social media practitioner for as long as I’ve been a lawyer; I created my own system, ignoring the “rules” we have all seen. My tweets show up on one to two million people’s twitter timeline each month, close one or two clients from the platform each week, and often have reporters reach out to me as a source for stories, which increases my visibility. In the midst of this pandemic, social media platforms are more important than ever for client-building and networking. When I think of in-person legal events, it feels like a distant memory. And what I remember about networking events was feeling the weight of anxiety as I went to the event, feeling alone in the first couple of minutes, forcing myself to talk to people, eventually enjoying myself, then leaving wondering, “Why don’t I do this more often?”
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I had big plans to network more in 2020. I am sure many of you reading this had similar aspirations. 2020 had different plans for us all. Most lawyers rely on word-of-mouth referrals and networking to help grow their business. Word-ofmouth is still a reliable source of new business. But in the chaos of COVID-19, in-person networking events are limited and feel like a relic of the past. In addition, getting potential clients to sit in front of a screen for a webinar or networking event after a day of sitting in front of their computer all day for work is challenging. Yet, there are still opportunities for lawyers to network to grow their business in this new, ever-changing climate. Some of those opportunities can be found on social media.
