Running a law firm in 2022 is a tough and competitive task, especially when it comes to getting the marketing approach just right. Law firms do require a unique approach, and there are many special factors to consider compared with marketing a more common or standard product or service.
Social media marketing should be a key weapon in a law firm’s arsenal, so we’ve prepared a list of tips to help lawyers and law firms master these platforms and make social media work for them.
Tip #1: Hire an Agency
If you’re quite new at using social media as part of your overall strategy, then hiring a lawyer social media marketing agency is the best policy. A skilled and experienced marketing company will help create a working strategy that plays to the individual strengths of your firm and its associates, and that communicates more effectively with your target audience. An agency will also help you avoid any critical mistakes that law firms sometimes make when using social media.
Tip #2: Create Content Consistently
One of the more general and widely accepted cardinal rules of social media marketing that applies as equally to law firms as it does to other businesses is the need to post regular content. This doesn’t mean you have to be posting multiple times a day, but it means that whatever schedule you do create — daily, weekly, monthly — you should stick to it.
Tip #3: Identify the Value Content
Effective social media content has value to the target audience. So, for a law firm, your team has to ask itself what their community will find valuable from your firm. For example, in a law firm that serves a small community with common family law needs such as wills, estate planning, divorce procedures, and so on, short videos that answer frequently asked questions on these topics would be useful.
Conversely, in that same small community, videos or blog posts discussing obscure matters of financial regulation directed towards large multinational banks may be of interest to some members of the community, but it most likely has little real practical value.
Tip #4: Be Mindful of Legal Ethics
A lot of people use social media very casually to make bold claims and statements about their products or services. For instance, a local bar may claim to have the best beer selection in town, or a pizzeria the best-tasting pizza. There’s some creative license given to these outlets, but the same isn’t true for lawyers. Making unprovable and unsubstantiated claims violates standards of ethics and accuracy that the community (and the country) expects law firms to uphold.
Tip #5: Involve Your Team
When making entertaining and educational content for your community to enjoy, be sure to include your team members as much as possible. Having real lawyers from your firm explain tough legal concepts in simple terms, and answering frequently asked questions or settling common misconceptions is the best way to present your information.
In this way, you gain more reputation as a knowledgeable and authoritative local law firm, but people also feel like they know you more; like they have a connection with you. This makes them far more likely to think about your firm if and when the time comes that they require legal services.
Tip #6: Use Images and Music to Evoke Emotion
One of the most powerful ways that social media content engages with the audience is through its imagery and music. Try to combine your content with images and background music that can strike an emotional chord with your audience. That emotional connection keeps them engaged and keeps them watching.
