Social media is here to stay. Sure it may evolve from moment to moment with the speed of lightening that we have not seen in the past. But there is no turning back the hands of time… that is for sure. Besides who would want to?

So, embrace it or get left behind. Now, in my mind that doesn’t mean you have to abandon old tactics for new tactics. I think it’s the combination of old and new. Social media is a TOOL… and we must never forget the common sense strategies of relationship building and interacting with people. Will that be in person, via phone or Internet? No matter what the medium, you still need to ENGAGE another person in a conversation. 

Need some guidance? My friend Paramjit Mahi at Profiting with Public Relations published a list of 5 Reasons Why Your Law Firm’s Social Media Program Isn’t Working. How many of these hit home?

1. Failing to develop a strategy." As I often say… it all starts with a plan! Without a plan you have no idea where you’re going… not to mention how to measure results.

"2. Shoveling the task onto those lowest on the totem pole."  Yes, get help from wherever you can get it… but there comes a point, if you are going to see results you are going to have to be the one to establish relationships.

"3. Neglecting to drive conversations." Paramjit points out that just pushing content out is a big waste of time and I agree with her… it’s about engaging in conversation: asking questions and responding to comments.

"4. Not watching your social media mouth." I love that Paramjit has pointed this one out! It is easy to rant with the keyboard of your computer… ask yourself if you would say those same words sitting across the table from your client, your partner or your mother for that matter! You can be strong and authoritative without being nasty.

"5. Forgetting to track and learn from results." There are many ways to measure results… be open-minded and follow where it leads. A re-tweet leads to increased traffic, and loyal followers lead to word of mouth… or shall I say "word of internet" reference. Most of all, remember to ask people how they heard about you.

Read Paramjit’s insight on these… I bet some of you could add to this list. I would love to hear your thoughts.