Robert Davis
Despite the fact millennials and gen-x’ers lead the way in social media usage, the use of social media in legal marketing can often be seen as inconsequential to the growth of your firm.
Sure, social media may be used mostly for entertainment purposes, but the fact remains that 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site.
The people are there, and some of them may be in need of legal services.
Social media is one of the largest platforms of consumer entertainment ever—more than U.S. adults who watch television.
Take a look at these statistics:
- 68% of adults use Facebook (76% of whom use the app daily)
- 25% of adults use LinkedIn (18% of whom use the app daily)
- 21% of adults use Twitter (42% of whom use the app daily)
Due to its user base and activity alone, if used correctly, social media can represent an enormous opportunity in your legal marketing, allowing you to increase your digital exposure and overall reach.
So, how do you use it in tandem with your other legal marketing efforts?
5. Take Social Media Seriously
The average lawyer spends about 1.6 hours a day on social media.
As a lawyer, your time is inherently precious. However, it’s important not to look at social media for its entertainment value, but primarily for its ability to allow you to connect directly with potential clients.
Did you know 79% of 30-49 year olds online in the U.S. are on Facebook? Or that the median age of their users is 40? Understanding how people use these platforms is critical to the content you put forth and how they respond to it. This also means creating a dedicated social media content calendar that maps out your posts for each platform.
As a lawyer, start with Facebook. It’s easy to use, and chances are you probably already have a personal page. For example, on your business page, you can post informational pieces of content like blogs, interviews, client testimonials, and more.
4. Post Consistently
Each platform (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn) will have a different optimal posting rate. For instance, did you know 3pm EST on a Friday is the best time for gaining clicks on Facebook posts? It’s best to schedule your posts ahead of time to optimize your legal marketing. Having a dedicated social media manager to keep track of your firm’s brand, content creation, and subsequent distribution is vital to effective social media use in your firm’s marketing.
3. Remain Active
Lapses of longer than a week or infrequent posting can create a negative perception for your firm—influencing a notion that your practice is disorganized. Further still, lapses greater than several months to a year can form impressions that your company is closed or out of business.
If you’re going to take on an active social media presence, build your brand, and use these platforms as an opportunity to generate new legal leads, remaining active can provide potential clients with the confidence that your law firm is up to date and contemporary. It also shows you’ve evolved with changing consumer behavior and are malleable to changing in order to improve.
2. Be Personal
Legal-based social media posts, in general, should be shared in a conversational tone. Address negative comments like an individual and not as a legal firm (“We apologize for your experience and are working to remedy the situation…”). Depending on your values as a brand, champion your followers in their personal lives when they achieve in ways that are in line with your core values. In a sense, you want your firm to feel like a friend to everyone, repairing negative experiences, communicating honestly, and showing support to your followers when applicable.
1. Provide Real Value
This cannot be stressed enough. Why should any potential clients consume any of your content? What are they getting out of it? How is your content adding a source of value to their lives?
Before any Facebook, tweet, or LinkedIn post, you need to think about why someone needs this information. There’s a rule within legal marketing that’s called the “70/30” rule, where 30% of your content should be about your firm or services, and the other 70% should be geared towards providing value to your potential clients: answering their questions, offering your wisdom and guidance, and ultimately positioning your practice as an expert in your field.
A Few Dos and Don’ts:
· Don’t Delete Negative Comments. Address the concerns publicly and remedy the situation as best you can. You may win over more clients as a result of your customer service.
· Do Post Pictures and Videos. Few things captivate attention like a good video or picture. Use these wisely to communicate your message, and try to be entertaining and fun for better effect and viral sharing.
· Don’t Be Salesy. If you get a question on social media, try to provide a solution, not a new client acquisition. Client acquisition will come once you’ve established trust. The emphasis of social media is to be social and expand your brand’s reach, not make sales.
Scorpion is a digital marketing agency specializing in law firm marketing. Using time-tested practices, we help attorneys across the U.S. build their web presence, attract more high-value clients, and grow their firms.
