Essential social media tips for lawyers and law firms

Most law firms know they must have a social media presence. But being present may not be enough, writes Jacqueline Burns.

Jacqueline Burns • 16 April 2021 • SME Law

Essential social media tips for lawyers and law firms

As an expert in services marketing, here are my top 12 tips to help your law firm and lawyers succeed on social media.

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Define your target audience! Your goal should not be to have the most followers, it should be to have the right followers. You must identify your target audience before you can choose the best platforms to reach them.
Don’t spread yourself too thin. There are scores of social media platforms and new channels emerging every other week. Start with one or two. Master them.
Don’t use social to sell your services! Your social media accounts should not be an endless advertisement for your firm. Use social media to build an online community around your business. Give your target audience a reason to follow and engage with you by posting educational and entertaining content.
Don’t think everything has to be polished. On social, self-recorded video works as well, often better, than professionally produced content.
Interact! Don’t just automate your posts and then walk away. Too often, businesses focus on posting and forget to engage. Comment, share, and participate.
Respond to questions and feedback. The number one reason consumers will unfollow a business on social media is poor customer service or support (credit: Sprout Social Index).
Experiment. Don’t be afraid to try new things. For example, participate in relevant Twitter chats as this can be a great way to build a following and demonstrate expertise.
Leverage partnerships. To boost your visibility, collaborate with other accounts that have similar audiences. Instagram, for example, is making partnering possible by allowing you to go live with up to three other people.
Post real written and video testimonials. Your audience will relate and respond to people who have first-hand experience. And resist the need to stage-manage – you want your clients to come across as natural and spontaneous, not scripted and rehearsed.
Make it personal. Understand that people use social media because they crave a connection. Be authentic, relatable. Give a glimpse behind the scenes. Allow your audience to get to know your people on a personal level.
Evoke emotions with images. Without a doubt, imagery is the weakest element of most law firms’ visual identities. Most law firms use near-identical stock photos – photos which usually represent the lawyers themselves. Men and women wearing suits in high rise offices, loitering in corridors, and sometimes shaking hands. The occasional barrister’s wig or judge’s gavel. When marketing a service, you should try to evoke an emotion with your imagery, especially on social media. Use powerful, interesting, surprising, and emotive images that reflect and, will help you connect with, your audience.
Be patient. It takes time to grow a social following.

Jacqueline Burns is the CMO at Market Expertise.

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