Back in the day, before it was common knowledge that posts got you the most views and impressions on LinkedIn, I used to take such pride in writing blogs on here with my own publishing platform.
(You have one you know. We all do. We can all be Authors on LinkedIn!)
I don’t know what happened. I got seduced by impressions, likes, and easy conversational threads.
The result? A sad, abandoned blogging platform that last saw action in the days of Covid.
Is this what I want my prospective clients to see when they visit my LinkedIn profile I ask myself?
Absolutely not!
So, full of new resolve, I am kicking off this season with some thoughts on what’s going on in the world of social media – according to me.
The platform formerly known as Twitter
Oh, Twitter now X – how I miss thee.
Twitter is where I launched my legal marketing career before LinkedIn. Twitter was THE place for legal innovation. It was a hub of naughty and disruptive people in the legal space and conversations that went viral. Waking up to 100 notifications about a random meet up that had developed its own brand identity and become its own Twitter account overnight was a regular occurrence.
(If you know, you know #Chankubator….)
But it was so much more than this.
It was a quick, organic, fluid conversation. It was a brilliant listening tool. It felt, to me, that bit less performative.
I learnt a lot about legal innovation, design-thinking, legal technology, and legal operations – long before this kind of content made it onto LinkedIn. There was, and still is, a huge disability community on Twitter and a lot of advocacy on this platform.
Firing up that little blue bird to see what was going on was always a thrill. It was my go-to place when LinkedIn became….well. You know. Shouty and performative.
But since the rebrand happened I cannot buy into the new, toxically masculine X. I find myself moving further and further back from the place that was once at the centre of all my social media joy, and where I won clients I still work with today.
And yet when a news story breaks, it remains my go-to to see what the word on the street is. There is nowhere else quite like it in that respect.
How do you feel about X versus Twitter? Are you misty-eyed with nostalgia as well?
Main takeaway: Platforms change. You don’t own your social media platforms. We never know what might change. Be aware how you invest in your primary platform and always have a content strategy that you can easily map over or adapt. And time to face the sad reality of changing your little bird on your website to a logo that gives you much less joy *sob*.
Threads – it’s Instagram, but text
But it was all so exciting for one day only as we all set up on Threads!
Not realising that in doing so we would never be able to come OFF Threads without deleting our entire Instagram account.
Well played, Meta. Well played.
Threads is a text version of Instagram. Which is weird. Launching my Instagram contacts into a Twitter world has not delighted me.
I guess I like my tweets on Twitter and my photos on Instagram. I am stuck in my content ways like that.
And don’t get me started on accessibility and inclusion. If you’re going to create something new, there’s a real chance to design from the ground up and hard bake accessibility into it. Not just add as an afterthought.
So Threads, it was a fun 24 hours. I am annoyed that once again I have fallen into the dark world of all Meta products. I can’t imagine Threads will pop up in any of my social media strategies.
Main takeaway: If you want to protect the handle for you and your law firm and set up a Threads, it’s never a bad idea to “save your place” on any new platform. But you’ll never be able to leave again. Because…Meta.
Instagram – Threads, but pictures
At one point in my professional, personal, and advocacy work I had no less than FOUR Instagram accounts.
- One for personal, friends and family.
- One for business.
- One for disability advocacy.
- One anonymous account sharing life as a Londoner in Normandy (WHY???)
And for each one there were Stories. IGTV. Reels and the pressure to keep your gallery absurdly aesthetic.
Even one Instagram is a LOT of work. Let alone four. Instagram was at the heart of my social media burn-out. I felt like I was on a continual treadmill of constant content production and actually, for minimal value. It’s a platform of huge growth, but it’s also not easy to grow your following on Instagram unless you are a known brand or influencer.
I actually feel a bit traumatised reliving my Instagram over commitment, so am straight on to the take-aways.
Main takeaway: if you are a small business in legal, be aware of the time and commitment it takes to run an Instagram account. Question why you are doing it. Is it just to have a pretty grid with 50 followers and minimal likes? If so, you can de-prioritise that, you know. And instead focus on the platforms that generate you more awareness, leads, and followers. You are welcome.
LinkedIn for Legal
LinkedIn.
Well, haven’t you been a surprise?!
From a tumbleweed desert of legal directory humblebrags a few times a year to a creative canvas allowing many to show the wider world that YES! lawyers are humans too. Finally – a way for lawyers to cover everything from networking and business development to profile, to be able to write and share knowledge and expertise, to enable learnings from clients and others both within and outside the legal industry, to be able to LISTEN to clients.
What a gift.
And yet too many law firms still have concerns over empowering their people to be visible on social media.
Every time I deliver training, it is the same things that tend to come up in the pre training survey.
- I don’t know what to post.
- Why would people find what I have to say interesting?
- I don’t have the time.
And do we really want our people out there being wild and free saying all sorts of things? What if it all comes back on us? What about the risk?!!!!
*Sounds of law firm management breathing into a paper bag*.
The answer to this is training.
The only way to tap into the opportunities that LinkedIn can offer your lawyers and your law firm or legal business is to empower them with proper training. By this I mean developing their personal brand strategy and understanding how this supports your company brand. In a law firm or legal business with a positive culture, the personal brands of your people will shine a light on your company- and your company brand will shine a light on the people who power it.
How about that for a virtuous circle?
Main take-away: Training is also a great way to bring the team together and have some fun whilst upskilling. If you know you need to get started with this and would like someone who can convert even the most reluctant onto LinkedIn, just drop me an email on .
TikTok
And finally, the Tok.
When it comes to consuming content, learning new stuff, looking up facts and mindless and endless dopamine scrolling, the Tok is the place to be, certainly for my tween anyway.
In less than six years TikTok has radically transformed social media from old fashioned social networking and instead got us all hooked on algorithmically selected short videos. With over 1 billion users and the ability to still “go viral” and reach a wide audience organically, it has huge potential for a future where short form video is still a content format of preference.
In fact, I wrote a blog about it a while back. And did a TikTok on it (so meta).
https://saltmarsh.marketing/lawyertok-is-coming-for-you/
TikTok has huge potential for lawyers looking to put themselves in front of the camera in relaying legal content in a more accessible way. Especially for those lawyers who have more B2C practice. But – it’s not for the faint-hearted. Staying on top of trends is a full-time job. You can easily spend a whole day creating a fun TikTok (I speaketh from experience) which might not meet your goals. It works well to create content and cross post to other channels – such as LinkedIn. And legal brands themselves I would say are using TikTok tentatively and still figuring it out.
Main take-away: Even if you are scared of the Tok, it is worth staking your claim on there on both the personal and the company level. to If you’d like to chat about the opportunities for your law firm or legal business, you can book a 60 minute strategy session. Drop me a line on .
Wrapped up
Finally, some thought on strategy.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking visibility on social media means “marketing.”
Don’t fall into the trap of hitting and hoping, either on the company or the individual level.
Social media makes it far too easy to be seen and to feel like you’re doing something.
But without knowing who it is you are trying to connect with and what you are trying to say and how this converts to your goals, it’s a fast route to overwhelm. Unless you are Coca Cola with a marketing team of hundreds, don’t try and split yourself across every single channel. Pick the right platform, for the right audience, for the right job.
And never, ever, down source “social media” to the new intern.
For this is no way to treat what is arguably one of the most important marketing channels of this age.
AGREE?! As they say on LinkedIn.
