Social media has become a viable marketing option for solo attorneys and law firms. It offers affordable options, the potential for wide-spread brand awareness, and innovative marketing strategies. It’s the great equalizer, allowing solo and small firms to compete with big law firms within a crowded marketing field.
With an effective social media strategy, smaller law practices can make a big impact on firm growth. Here are 5 easily implemented marketing tips to best leverage social media for solo practices and small law firms.
Tip # 1 Utilize LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s reputation as a professional platform makes it an attractive marketing tool for lawyers. Even with only a personal page, lawyers can leverage themselves to attract new clients and business opportunities. For law firms offering services to other businesses, LinkedIn offers more potential for B2B services than almost any other social media platform.
To get the most out of LinkedIn, use the following tips:
- SEO your LinkedIn profile with relevant keywords. For example, if you are a criminal lawyer based in Los Angeles, incorporate phrases like “LA criminal attorney” or “criminal defense law firm serving LA county”.
- Share regular updates. Post content that your connections and the ideal client would find interesting and useful. New additions to your firm, significant case wins, and relevant legal news topics are all appropriate for LinkedIn updates.
- Use as a blogging platform. LinkedIn offers another platform for sharing your law firm blogs with a large community of people. If you already maintain a blog on your website, then just repost to LinkedIn or share the link to your site with an interesting headline. If your firm is new to blogging, just go to your LinkedIn profile and click “write” to get started.
Tip #2 Start Making Videos
Videos are all over social media. From Facebook to Instagram, video content has become a commonly used strategy, even spreading to LinkedIn. This is because the video is a highly effective marketing channel, and here are some reasons why:
- With video, the viewer better connects with you, which can establish an instant rapport between your firm and a potential client. You can inject your personality, making the video more compelling.
- Video offers a viable opportunity to showcase the firm’s legal knowledge. Using a format like a question-and-answer session can help establish your credibility among viewers.
- Video can be used to demonstrate how your law office stands out from the rest of the crowd.
- Not every potential client wants to read a lengthy blog. Video appeals to these individuals with a quick and easy way to learn about your firm. It can better retain your audience’s attention span, creating more interest.
Once a legal practice enters the video arena, they can post them on a variety of social media platforms, including LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. Instagram and Snapchat also allow for the posting of short videos, which can be used as teasers to send viewers to your website or YouTube page.
Tip #3 SEO Your Social Media Content
Don’t make the mistake of saving Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your firm’s website. It can also be a very useful part of your social media marketing efforts. With effective SEO, you can attract more viewers and visitors to your social media platforms, which can result in more new clients into your law office.
To improve social media SEO, start with a little keyword research. Choose your desired social media platform, and enter keywords related to your content. As you type in the words, the platform will provide suggestions based on the most popular related searches. Use this information to identify what keywords your ideal client may be using in their searches and incorporate those into your content.
If you are specifically planning to upload videos to YouTube, you can also identify effective keywords by looking at the top videos that appear from your search. Examine the name of each video and look for any similarities among the group. Then incorporate similar words into your title and video description.
Tip #4 Don’t Underestimate the Power of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
A lot of law firms choose to solely focus on LinkedIn for their social media presence because they view other platforms as unprofessional. This is a grave mistake though. Social media platforms are used by millions of people each day. Eliminating yourself from numerous platforms can greatly limit your exposure to potential clients.
You craft your firm’s social media brand, so you can make your business Facebook page or Twitter account as professional and informative as you want. Remember, your firm’s Facebook page is not the place for cute cat videos and the joke-of-the day. But it is a place to demonstrate your firm’s legal skills and professional opportunities. Clients prefer to work with attorneys that they trust and like, so use Facebook and Twitter to craft a likable and skilled brand.
With Twitter, solo and small firms can reach potential clients with the strategic use of 140 characters or less. The platform can be used to highlight your firm’s blog posts for increased readership.
Tip #5 Plan Your Social Media Strategy
To best utilize social media in marketing your solo practice or small law firm, stat with a plan that identifies your overall goals and establishes a roadmap for reaching them. Here are some steps to crafting that plan:
- Identify what you want to achieve with each platform and your expected return on investment.
- Schedule the release of content for adequate preparation. Some attorneys prefer to create monthly content all at once, then use a social media management system to release it at scheduled times throughout the month.
- Focus social media content on what potential and existing clients would want to see.
- Don’t forget the visuals. Even if you aren’t ready to dive into the video, you can still take advantage of social media’s visual aspect with the use of pictures and graphics that add interest to your posts.
Get on Social Media and Start Marketing
As with any legal marketing efforts, make sure you understand your state bar’s guidelines before marketing on social media. Then, get online and get to marketing your legal practice.
About Erika Winston:
Erika Winston is a freelance writer with a passion for law. Through her business, Personal Touch Edits, she helps legal professionals deliver effective written messages. Erika is a regular contributor to TimeSolv and a variety of other publications.
