Social Media Tips

We are big fans of social media. It's a great way to spread awareness of your firm and be seen by people where they are. In fact, social media usage is up in the United States, as you may expect. The average American spends over 2 hours on social media, with Facebook in the top spot, according to The Global Statistics. Individuals looking for an attorney search online. Having an active and informative social media presence improves your 'findability' for these prospective clients. Here are our tips to use social media to grow your firm.

Time Constraints

The top issue with deciding whether or not to create a social profile is the firm's ability to actively manage it. The keyword here is 'actively'. Creating a Facebook profile for your firm is great. But if you don't have the time to post at least a few times a week, it's simply not worth the effort. 

We've said it before and we'll say it again. Content is king. If you are writing a blog, that's easy content to share. Perhaps you have some client testimonials. That's great content, too. Naturally, you are staying up to date on the latest for your area of law. That's great content too. The more potential clients see your firm as a resource, providing helpful information, the better. And of course, some fun stuff is key, too. We love our weekly posts with #PetsofLegalTech. 

The key here is not to take on more than you can manage. An inactive profile on any platform, whether Facebook, Instagram, or others, will not help you. In fact, it can be a detriment.

Platform Preference

The clear winner here is Facebook. Sure it started out to be a very socially focused platform and to some extent still is, even if the average age of the user has risen over the years. But that's a good thing, here. If you pick solely one platform, for law firms, we recommend Facebook. After that, we suggest LinkedIn. But the real difference is the type of law you practice and your target market.

If you are targeting individuals as clients, Facebook is your best bet. If you are targeting companies, that's LinkedIn. Not to say both don't serve the purpose to get your firm in front of more people. But if you have time to manage only one, select the platform that best aligns with your target market. 

There is a lot of chatter about podcasts, TikTok, and many other social media platforms. While popular, and certainly lots of traffic, consider your target. If the platform isn't the right place for your content, steer clear.  Unless you have external marketing support, you have other options that will deliver higher benefits.

Content

You may be saying to yourself, great, something else I need to do. But don't fret. We have some tips on how to easily create content and repurpose things you already have. Layer on that the share option, well, you are good to go.

Consider your sources. What do you find helpful for your practice area? Maybe it's a news aggregator like Google News or Apple News. The American Bar Association produces a lot of great content. Your local bar association likely does as well. If you read something that you find interesting and appropriate to share with potential clients, it's as simple as retweeting or sharing. Most online news articles offer links to their various social media outlets and make it easy for you to share. We strongly suggest adding a comment to the shared news. It doesn't need to be a long statement, but perhaps why you think it's valuable to read. You get the idea.

One of our favorites is asking questions. Some see great responses. Others, not so much. Now, you need to have followers to get any traction, We'll touch on that next. But suffice it to say, asking people for their thoughts, feedback, or experiences, can be very helpful. Unfortunately, lots of trolls out there on the interwebs. If that happens, let it go. If it becomes excessive, you can always block those accounts.

Remember to have some fun, too. What is something unique about your area? Perhaps a non-legal topic that interests you? Anything from your latte art or local community theater group. You get the idea. Giving your law firm a personality that is more than just the law makes your firm more approachable, too. Don't go too far down that path, but it's good to add a dimension.

Followers 

As my mom always said, it's quality over quantity. Don't get caught up in the game. You are helped far more by having fewer followers that support your firm than an excessive amount that are not interested. 

As to how to gain followers, the first place is to let your current and past clients know about your law firm profile. Simply ask them to follow you. Some will, some won't. And that's ok. 

The best way to gain the right followers is to use hashtags. Each platform offers support to help you. Check out the Facebook/Meta Business offering and the Twitter Business product. Not only do they guide you through setting up your business profile, but provide support to find the best hashtags. 

The single best suggestion about social media is to put yourself in your potential client's shoes. Will they go to social media to search for an attorney? Maybe... and maybe not. But they will look for your website. How will they find it? Typically, search. Having an active social media platform and a robust online presence helps to grow your awareness. And in turn, that improves your ranking on search engines. With hashtags, you gain more impressions of your firm, too. And that leads to more awareness.  

Remember, your law firm personality should be visible through your social media presence, too. Choose hashtags wisely. Monitor what happens. And adjust. Have some fun, too.