Blogs & Social Media

A Rain Delay on Social Media

At Rain, we try to model sound marketing strategies and tactics while practicing what we preach and adhering to a data-driven plan that makes sense for our business. In most contexts, reconciling the two is easy. Then there’s social media, which has become tough for us to reconcile. So, Rain is taking a break from some of our social media relationships — we’re just not that into them, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

Pressing Pause on Twitter and Instagram

When we compare our investment of time and resources against our engagement statistics, the logic of putting continued energy into Twitter and Instagram doesn’t add up. Give us credit, though; we were there when you had only 140 characters to work with on Twitter, and we welcomed the opportunity to pair images with words on Instagram. Ultimately, though, our adoption and adaptation have become irrelevant.

It’s become evident that decision-makers and influencers who might be interested in Rain’s services and thought leadership either aren’t on Twitter or Instagram or aren’t using them to make decisions or be influenced. We’re done with woulda, shoulda, coulda. More posting, liking, sharing, or commenting won’t fix things for us; you don’t need a juris doctorate to understand the law of diminishing returns.

Maybe our target audiences were never on Instagram or Twitter for anything but personal use (although our Sticky Lawyers podcast has amassed a decent following on Instagram). Perhaps they were but left because political and general divisions soured them. Maybe, like us, they neither see the value of trying to keep up with the Joneses nor fear missing out; like running on a treadmill in a cage, FOMO can be exhausting.

And speaking of cages, are Messrs. Musk and Zuckerberg seriously considering fighting each other in the ring? Really? Yet another reason to take a walk.

To be clear, we’re only suspending our efforts on Rain’s Twitter and Instagram company accounts. Our people are free to play on social media wherever they like. And we will continue to educate ourselves about these platforms and recommend that clients use them if and when it makes sense.

LinkedIn Remains the Proven Go-To Platform

LinkedIn has been and continues to be the social network of choice for business, including lawyers, law firm leaders, legal marketing colleagues, and other people from whom we want to learn and with whom we want to connect and interact. We routinely evangelize to our clients about the virtues of being on LinkedIn and the importance of the platform as a publishing tool, personal website, and business development channel.

No change for Rain on LinkedIn – keep watching us there. We will continue to build our presence and exchange ideas.

If we haven’t shown it already, we don’t need or want to be all things to all law firms. We know who and what we are, and we remain true to our brand.

The Jury Is Still Out on Facebook

Despite Mr. Zuckerberg’s recent pugilistic overtures, Rain isn’t checking out on Facebook, at least not yet. Facebook isn’t as hip as TikTok, as incendiary as Truth Social, or as professional as LinkedIn. However, it is still a resource for many and one where we have modest traction.

Until the data suggests otherwise, we will plod along with Facebook. Just don’t expect us to play Farmville with you.

Staying Genuine and Modeling Good Marketing Practices

As the sayings go, hope is not a strategy, and luck is not a factor.

While we might hope social media becomes more useful for building strategic relationships, the reasoning isn’t there for Twitter and Instagram. Without luck, the ends likely don’t justify our investment in those means.

Law firms, particularly those with more people- or consumer-oriented practices, are wise to consider different social media platforms. For our clients who operate in those spaces, we will continue to position them on social networks that make sense for them and help them promote their brands and legal services. What makes sense for them may not make sense for Rain and vice versa, and that’s fine – we can live with that.

If we haven’t shown it already, we don’t need or want to be all things to all law firms. We know who and what we are, and we remain true to our brand.

Never Say Never

As consultants, we remain open to new ideas and revisiting old ones, and we do so by inviting conversation. What’s your take on social media today? How are you using it and deriving value?

Please let us know. We’re interested in hearing your perspective.