Most law firm marketers are all too familiar with the following scenario—attorneys want to have an online presence and to find out how to use social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to enhance their online reputation, but when it comes to having them review and edit their bio, it’s like pulling teeth. They are so concerned with the allure and credibility that social media offers that they forget some of the basics. In reality, attorney bios are as essential to an online reputation as most social media sites.

On a law firm web site, attorney bios are arguably the most visited pages by both current and potential clients, referring attorneys and media. An up-to-date and engaging bio is, and should, be viewed as a vital marketing tool—one that can be used as the launching point for other online reputation endeavors. Once an attorney has a thorough bio for marketing purposes, there are many practical applications beyond the law firm web site.

With a compelling bio, attorneys can then link back to the firm web site on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook knowing that the information is accurate and reflects their work positively. Furthermore, attorneys can create multiple bios to position them as experts in different practice areas using the general bio as a starting point.

In addition, many attorney ranking organizations, such as Best Lawyers in America, Florida SuperLawyers and ChambersUSA, require the most robust and up-to-date bios for their web sites and even use these bios when determining rankings.

The attorney bio is a basic tool of marketing that can reap multiple rewards. Once attorneys take ownership of their bio, online reputation management can truly begin.