Social media is a term that is continually thrown around and more often than not is something that as a Trainee you will be expected and encouraged to use. Using social media platforms is a fantastic way to promote the work that your firm undertakes, advertise the CSR work, circulate any publications, and to network.
Here are some of my best practice tips to ensure you benefit from using different social media platforms.
- Audience - ask yourself 'who are my audience? Who am I trying to engage with?' Try and post matters of interest and don’t just tell people what you think they will want to hear. Think of ways to make what you say stand out. Ashfords encourages Twitter users to tweet about the firm and then share three tweets with different topics in order to show a little personality.
- Interact - like, retweet, add connections on LinkedIn. Support your firm's pages and use relevant hashtags. The more active you are, the more you will benefit. Ask people what they want to read, if you are tweeting for your department - learn what works and what is expected.
- Stay up to date - keep your profiles up to date, and ensure that your LinkedIn stays relevant as you change seats. Share relevant articles and updates. News sites such as The Lawyer, The Economist and Legal Week are good sources for up-to-date news - show that you are in the know!
- Pictures - keep things light-hearted by posting pictures, but ensure you keep them clean! Use catchy hashtags along with your pictures to start a trend, for example, Ashfords promotes its charity work effectively through pictures and hashtags. Keep your profile picture professional, especially on LinkedIn (think of the page as an extension to your CV).
- Balance - post and tweet often but don't flood people's news feeds. Aim to post / tweet every few days. We all know that one person who overshares and dominates our news feeds - don't become that person! If something is not your work or opinion - state this. Also, remember to keep your personal and work profiles separate.
Using social media effectively in a work context is a skill that all Trainees must establish; don't post anything inappropriate or confidential. Remember that you're responsible for everything that you post - think before you share and you'll be fine.
Happy tweeting / posting!
