Social media isn’t just for fashion influencers or creatives. In 2021-2022, 81% of law firms had at least one social media platform. They may have a Facebook page, post updates on Twitter, or even post small videos on TikTok. This is because most customers go looking for new businesses or services online before they ask through word of mouth or use other references. Strong social media marketing will make your law firm easier to find.
Social media can make it easy to put your brand in front of your potential clients. You can share reviews from other clients on platforms like Facebook, update people with news on Twitter, or share videos and images on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. However, it can also be an adjustment to learn how to navigate social media marketing if you’ve never used it before. Here are a few tips to succeed on social media for law firms.
#1: Understand Where Your Audience Is
One mistake that many law firms make when first delving into social media marketing is to set up a profile on most social media platforms. In theory, this sounds effective. The more platforms you’re on, the wider your reach. In actuality, it can be difficult to stay active on all of these platforms, and you will end up with a number of inactive accounts that could hurt your credibility to users.
Instead, take time to figure out where your audience is on social media. For instance, younger audiences tend to be on TikTok and Instagram, while professionals are often on LinkedIn or Facebook. If you work primarily with creatives and entrepreneurs attempting to protect their copyright, you might be better off on Instagram or Twitter — or, more recently, Hive Social.
Think of the practice areas that your law firm typically represents. Personal injury? Intellectual property? Construction? Then, think about the age and demographics of most of your clients. Social media demographics can help you learn where to find your audience. It can even give you a sense of how much time people spend on those platforms and when the platforms are the most active, so you can carefully time your social media posts.
It also helps to research what kind of content your audience responds to. For instance, you might primarily work with a demographic that likes to read helpful, informative blogs. LinkedIn allows you to post blogs, while Facebook offers long posts that can be similar to blogs. Even on Twitter or Hive, you can post a link to a blog on your website. If your audience tends to prefer short, image-heavy content or more interactive content, consider Instagram, TikTok, or even Pinterest, when used correctly.
#2: Create a Content Calendar
A content calendar can help you organize your content. Rather than spamming your social media accounts with several posts one day and nothing the next day, you can spread them out across days or weeks. You can schedule posts ahead of time and even bring back certain social media posts if enough time has passed.
Some content calendars allow you to plan your social media content, which you can then copy and paste to social media. For instance, you can easily create a free calendar on Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. Other content calendars, for a fee, can sync to your social media accounts and post your queued posts automatically so you don’t have to worry about getting everything in on time.
Content calendars can also make sure you seize the best opportunities to promote your services in new and exciting ways. For instance, content calendars may point out national holidays as well as small and fun holidays that don’t require a day off work but make for an interesting conversation point. On Talk Like a Pirate Day, you can post about online piracy. You can schedule “this day in history” posts for certain momentous days in legal history.
A content calendar is something you should create as soon as you decide to take to social medi. That way, you can plan ahead as much as possible. This will make social media a less time-consuming task in the long run. It will also ensure that you’re able to stay consistent throughout your social media presence, even across multiple platforms which is critical.
#3: Be Consistent With Posting and Responding
Whether you post twice a week or every day, you need to be consistent. Many law firms start out strong on social media, with a consistent following, but as time goes on, they get busy with cases or become overwhelmed with posting on social media, and activity drops off. When this happens, the traffic driven to your business begins to drop. Your law firm may also seem unreliable or inactive if you haven’t posted in months.
Your content calendar can help you develop a posting schedule. It’s important to find a posting schedule that works for your legal team. If you are part of a smaller firm or you don’t have a dedicated social media marketer, one or two posts a week might be all you can do.
Though this will mean slow progress in fast-moving social media, as long as it’s consistent, it’s better than inconsistency or inactivity. If you have a marketing department who can handle posting, try to post a few times a day. Scheduling posts ahead of time can also help you to stay consistent.
It’s important not just to be consistent in your posts, but in your responses. When law firms only post news and promotions, but never respond to their followers, it can present an uncaring, self-serving social media presence that turns potential clients away. If you follow users, make sure you interact with them rather than simply trying to get interactions from them. Again, this should be consistent — not just when you need business or have some sort of news to promote.
#4: Always Have a Call To Action
A “call to action” is an invitation for your followers to learn more. Usually, that call to action is focused on getting potential clients to contact your business to learn more information or to schedule an appointment. If you offer free consultations, this is the right time to promote your free consultations. This allows potential clients to talk to you about their case without making any financial commitments and tends to be a big draw for law firms.
Your call to action could also invite them to learn more about your services, linking them to a service page on your website. It could link them to a blog you recently posted or a seminar that you’re planning to take part in. Typically, these calls to action come after short social media posts: lay out the problem and the facts, and offer yourself as the solution.
Some social media platforms, such as Instagram, do not allow you to add links in your posts. This is where it can be helpful to add a phone number or to link to your law firm in your bio.
#5: Have a Social Media Personnel (If You Can)
If you are a solo practitioner without much of an administrative team, you may not be able to take on dedicated social media personnel. There are outsourced social media teams that you can hire, though these teams can vary in cost. However, if you have a small administrative team such as an administrative assistant and/or an office manager, you can ask them to post to your social media during their downtime.
If you can afford it, you can also hire a social media writer to tackle both consistency and social media optimization. This takes the task off your plate so you can focus on your clients, and it can also lend expertise that you might not have about social media if you’re new to using it.
Social Media Can Get Your Law Firm in Front of Clients
Social media is just one form of digital marketing, but it is an effective one. In 2022, the average person spends 147 minutes on social media, both looking through their feed and looking for products and services they might need. If your law firm isn’t on social media, your competition probably is. These tips can help you build a social media presence even with a small law firm that is both manageable and effective.
Want to learn more about how to promote your law firm on social media? Reach out to Scorpion Legal today for more of our resources for legal social media marketing.
