May 17, 2024
A brand's social media page can make a massive difference when it comes to reinforcing the company's message, brand identity, and current promotions. It's pretty easy for those in hospitality and retail to make beautiful visual content with memorable tags. But what about companies in a more serious line of work? Can you use social media effectively as a law firm and stay respectable? The short answer is yes. Social media is incredibly effective when used well. You just have to be on the right platforms and use the right strategy.
Social media is essential for law firms because it can help build your online reach beyond your company website. Websites are the most important tool of all in digital marketing and SEO because you need that platform to connect with clients and prove your authority in the industry. Social media acts as a way to funnel organic traffic to the website. People looking for your services, for whatever reason, may find a video, ad, or little piece of social commentary on their social media feed. It doesn't matter if it was shared content sent their way or if they stumbled across a recommended and promoted post while scrolling. What matters is it converted them from someone who didn't know you existed to someone ready to pay for your services.
This level of accessibility is crucial in a world where so many people are online and younger generations rely on social media for information. You can't think of social media as something purely for teenagers, either. Countless Gen-Z young adults are looking for legal advice online. Millennials are entering middle age and looking for help with employment, tax, and wills, and they spend a lot of time escaping the world on Instagram. Even Boomers in need of help in their later years often have a Twitter profile or use Facebook community pages. The more platforms you take advantage of with a law firm digital marketing expert, the better. So, here are 5 of the best examples right now.
This one has lost credibility with younger generations but is still widely used because of its community pages. There is a friendlier side to Facebook where users can converse, spread news, and promote events. This could give you greater connections to local residents.
Twitter is problematic because of its politics and algorithms. Yet, there are still lots of users from different walks of life discussing major trends. If you can tap into those with the right hashtags, you can make connections.
Instagram is generally more laid back, with more enjoyable visual content and promotions. Law firms that promote their local area and effectively jump on viral trends can get noticed pretty easily. Videos with quick tips on important subjects can reach a lot of people.
YouTube requires a lot of work and commitment to create high-quality videos that get hits. Yet, these longer videos can act as engaging companion pieces to blog content on your website. You can come across as an authority on a subject, earn subscribers, and maybe get more business out of it.
This one isn't as good for finding clients because the site has become a bit of a punchline. There are, however, plenty of other firms and peers on there to connect with. This can help build your reputation and lead to future referrals.
There are other platforms out there, but these are the ones to focus on. TikTok didn't make the list because of the uncertainty surrounding it and the demographic. It can be very effective for viral content and marketing if you know how to use it. Lawyers may not be able to show their professionalism and enough context in such a short video.
Once you know which platforms you want to use, you can start creating content and building followers. It pays to have a good strategy in place and to tailor your content depending on the platform. Think about the demographics most likely to see your posts on that app and what they will engage with. For example, if you're looking for business in cases related to employment law, you can consider how to inform younger generations of their rights through short-form content. If you're looking to connect with the community as a personal injury lawyer, you can focus on those Facebook pages. Alternatively, you can play with trends and hashtags related to current events on Twitter and Instagram.
The best way to do this is with a skilled team working in law firm digital marketing. Their experience in the field will give them the knowledge to direct your strategy in the right direction. They can also stay on top of all the data over time and use that to analyse the performance of each app. Some ventures may be highly successful with lots of engagement, new followers, and conversions. You may see that reflected in inquiries for legal services from those who saw a specific campaign or video. You can build on this and maybe focus attention on that platform. Other sites may be less productive, and you can decide whether to tweak the approach or cut your losses. It's fine if the YouTube idea doesn't work out if you're getting a lot of shares on Instagram and messages on Facebook.
You might assume that you've missed the boat when it comes to setting up social media profiles for your law firm, but that's not true. Other law firms may already have their name out there and a bigger reputation, but that doesn't mean they're any good at social media content. They might have a lot of followers in the form of peers and current clients, but their content could be boring, predictable, and too infrequent. Hire a top digital marketing team for lawyers, build a strategy, and start posting. Before long, you could find that you have a lot more engagement and followers than rival firms that didn't make the effort. Stay on top of that schedule, make amendments as needed, and start converting viewers into clients.
