About two-thirds of law firms cannot find the time and resources to build and maintain a strong online presence, even though more than 75% have committed to using social media as a business tool, a survey of 50 law firms has found.

RTS Media managing director Ralph Savage, who commissioned the survey, said: ‘This is like asking lawyers to man reception at the same time as doing their day job. Law firms must invest time and resources so that staff are available to monitor traffic throughout the day and share interesting content in line with the firm’s communications strategy.’

Some 43% of the surveyed law firms use LinkedIn and 34% use Twitter. However, only 13% use either platform to create a dialogue with existing and potential clients, while some 45% still believe they are best used for making ‘company announcements’.

Technology is not a problem. Some 65% of respondents said they had found it ‘easy’ to learn the ‘lingo’ and use ‘hashtags’. Content is not an issue, either, with 55% reporting that finding something interesting to regularly ‘share’ or ‘tweet’ is also ‘easy’.

The main problem is winning management support, with 58% of respondents saying it is ‘difficult’ to convince senior management and partners that social media has a role to play in the firm’s development.

The Social Media Legal Survey 2011 polled marketing managers at 50 UK law firms.