In a steadily increasing digital market, more consumers than ever before are looking for services online. This includes those who are looking for legal services. Millions of people use social media platforms every month. Many lawyers are beginning to recognize the importance of having a social media presence to properly position themselves in the digital market.
In a 2019 survey from the American Bar Association, about 80% of respondents within the legal profession said they use social media for professional purposes. Many law firms are recognizing the benefits of having a social media presence when it comes to generating leads, brand awareness, and appearing as an authority within their field.
Even though many lawyers and law firms are now using social media, many may still struggle to harness its true potential. Without a marketing background, it can be difficult to know what to post, where to post it, and how to achieve the best results. This article will cover many ways lawyers can use social media and some tips on how to get the best results. Keep reading to learn more.
What Are the Advantages of Social Media Marketing for Lawyers?
Although many lawyers and law firms may have social media accounts, it can be difficult to stay motivated to regularly post content or optimize your social media presence. For those who are considering creating social media accounts or optimizing their social media presence, here are some of the main advantages of social media marketing for lawyers.
- Authority in your field: Most potential clients will search for the name of a lawyer or law firm before hiring them. Having social media accounts where you post quality content makes you appear as an authority in your field. This online presence can often help sway prospective clients to choose your law firm over a competitor.
- Generate leads: When you post on social media, you can potentially reach thousands of people who may be looking for legal services in your area. Properly optimizing your social media posts can help you generate leads over time.
- Low-cost marketing: Social media marketing can be particularly effective if you have a small marketing budget. Creating social media accounts and posting content is free, and it can allow you to reach many people who may turn into future clients.
- Reach a wider audience: A social media presence can help you reach a wider audience than other marketing strategies. This can be beneficial when building brand awareness and name recognition in the legal field.
There are many advantages that come with optimizing your social media presence as a lawyer. If you consistently post quality content, you will notice the benefits over time.
What Are the Best Social Media Platforms for Lawyers?
If you are trying to optimize your social media presence, you may be wondering which platforms are the best places to post content. Social media platforms you should consider are:
- YouTube
All of these social networks can be good places to post legal content and generate an online presence.
Having a Facebook page for legal content can be a good way to appear as an authority online. One of the benefits of having a Facebook page for your legal services is that it is extremely search engine optimized. When people search your name or law firm’s name, your Facebook page will be one of the first results to show up.
Fill Out Your Facebook Page
Since your Facebook page will be one of the first things to show up in search results, you will want to properly fill out details about yourself or your law firm on your page. Be sure to properly list about info, location details, contact information, and descriptions of your legal services as needed to convey a professional image, show legal expertise, and generate interest in your services.
Take Advantage of Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are a well-integrated feature on the Facebook platform. Creating groups allows you to invite those who follow you to join a group where you can discuss different topics or post content related to the group. This is similar to online forums that cover different topics.
Creating Facebook groups can be a very effective marketing strategy. Facebook groups will help you post content targeted towards specific people who follow you, often those who are most engaged with your content. Oftentimes, this will result in group posts getting more engagement than what you post on your main feed. Maintaining a group can help you stay active within your online community and promote your services to those who will be most interested.
Many companies are beginning to use Instagram as part of their social media marketing strategy. However, the 2020 American Bar Association survey states that only about 13% of lawyers use Instagram as part of their marketing efforts. Since many lawyers are not using Instagram, legal content on Instagram could be an untapped niche that you could target.
Use Targeted Hashtags and Location Features
Instagram can help you get targeted content views and build an audience. By using specific hashtags related to legal topics and Instagram’s location features, you can easily target people who are interested in legal content within your local area.
Simple Content is the Most Effective
An important tip to note when using Instagram is to make your content simple and personable to the viewer. Many who use Instagram will simply be scrolling through their home feed of accounts they follow. If you post content that is too wordy or complex, many of your followers may not take the time to view what you posted.
LinkedIn is the most used platform by lawyers and law firms for professional networking and social media marketing. LinkedIn helps you develop professional connections, which is why it can be particularly effective for legal services. This can help you connect with others in your industry, and other business professionals who may need legal services.
Fill Out Your Profile
LinkedIn can be used as both a social media platform and an online resume or portfolio. Completing your profile with your qualifications, work history, skills, and achievements can be a good way to display your expertise and attract new clients.
Long-Form Content is Successful on LinkedIn
One of the benefits of LinkedIn marketing is the ability to post long-form content that is similar to a blog post. This can be great for informational content that lawyers may want to post to their audience. Many business professionals who use LinkedIn are also more likely to read longer posts, which can make it beneficial to post longer content here.
Take Advantage of High Engagement Rates on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s algorithm is also very beneficial for posting content. Many social media platforms only show each post to a small percentage of your followers. However, with LinkedIn, a much larger percentage of your connections are likely to see your posts, keeping your audience more engaged with your content and business news.
Twitter is a good platform for posting concise content or business news. Using Twitter for social media marketing can be an efficient way to post content since posts are supposed to be short and easy to read. Regularly posting quick updates to Twitter can be beneficial for lawyers to keep their name relevant to their followers and reach new people who are interested in legal content.
Utilize Links on Twitter
Twitter has also been shown to be good for linking out to blog posts or other online content. This can be beneficial if you are trying to generate traffic for a legal blog or if you want to generate leads as part of your social media marketing efforts.
YouTube
Online video content has been generating increased interest in recent years. Many businesses are now starting to create YouTube content to advertise products or services and engage with consumers in a different way. However, many lawyers still don’t use video content as part of their social media marketing efforts.
Use Video to Display Your Expertise
Professional video content can help show that you are a knowledgeable authority within your field. This can help lawyers build trust with consumers who may be searching for an attorney online. Covering legal news topics along with information about the services you offer can be great ways to show your expertise and potentially convert viewers into paying clients over time.
Social Media Marketing Tips for Lawyers
Following some social media best practices will help you get the best results. Following these tips will help you get off to a good start with social media marketing.
Create Goals
It’s important to establish some social media marketing goals before you begin posting content. Posting different types of content will lead to different results and will build different audiences. Having specific goals in mind will help you build a foundation for the type of content you want to put out and what audiences you want to target.
Follow Legal Regulations
Depending on the jurisdiction, lawyers may have more rules and responsibilities for what they can post or say on social media. Make sure you look into the bar rules and regulations within your area for compliance responsibilities and ethics regulations. Ensure that you know these regulations before you post any content as a lawyer.
Keep it Simple
When posting social media content, it’s important to keep it simple. Most people who use social media are looking for quick, simple content that they can view before getting on with their day. Know your audience and refrain from using complicated legal terms in your content that the average person might not understand.
Schedule Content
Planning content you will post ahead of time can be a good way to stay consistent and will take a lot of the stress out of social media marketing. Posting consistent content is a great way to get more views and keep your name at the top of your follower’s minds when they are thinking about hiring a lawyer.
Use Location Features
Many social media platforms offer location features so you can target people in a specific area. This will help if you are trying to generate leads for potential clients within your local area.
Conclusion
Social media marketing can help lawyers build an online presence and generate leads that convert into paying clients. When using social media, it’s important to remember your goals and create consistent content that is targeted towards the right audience. If you stay consistent and follow the tips in this article, you will be on the right track to social media marketing success.
About the Author
Pierce Reiten is a digital marketing specialist and content writer. He can be reached at piercereiten@gmail.com.
