“Social media networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are becoming indispensable tools used by legal professionals and those with whom they communicate.” – Social Media Committee of the Federal and Commercial Litigation Section of the New York Bar Association
1.73 billion people used social media in 2013, according to eMarketer. These social media users are using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many of the other social networks for two reasons:
- Entertainment
- Information
With billions of people using social media, some of them are looking for legal help. They are either looking for advice from people who have been in the same situation as them, or they are looking for experts to help them. It’s the professionals who are able to answer their questions getting the most esteem right now online. They are quickly growing their online presence, and that is helping them offline with their practice.
Using Social Media for Marketing a Law Firm
Just like any business, lawyers must learn how to utilize social media for marketing. It’s where their target audience is, so it’s where they need to be. The problem is that many lawyers don’t know how to use social media to market their practice. The following will help you with marketing your law firm on social media, so you can start to grow your online presence.
LinkedIn is a social network for professionals. Your potential clients will use this to see what your credentials, experience and reviews. You must be sure your profile is complete and includes recommendations, reviews, and endorsements.
It’s also wise to start a group on LinkedIn. This group can help LinkedIn members with their questions. The more you answer questions, the more active the group will be. You can even encourage other members to share their thoughts, so that everyone is able to benefit from the group.
Facebook Pages are beneficial in spreading the word about legal issues, new laws, law firm announcements and engaging with others. People will be able to like and share your posts and then when people comment, you can answer them.
Facebook also allows people to leave a review for your practice. This can be great for getting more local people to follow you. When they need a lawyer, they will be much more likely to contact you when they see your Facebook Page posts.
Twitter is the place to get the attention of people looking for help. People will tweet questions about their legal issues regularly throughout the day. When you answer them, these people will appreciate it. They already trust you as a lawyer and when they see you take the time to answer them, they think you are kind as well. That will get them following you and sharing your posts, so others find out about you.
Blogs Are Important Too
People use social media to find good content. While you can curate content (sharing other people’s articles), it’s good to have some of your own to establish your brand. This is why it’s important to have a blog that helps people on social media.
Here’s a trick: Pay attention to what people are discussing on social media relating to your practice areas. Take what’s popular and write a blog post about it. That way when you share it on social media, you’ll already know that there are many people looking for the information you are providing in your blog.
Branch Out as You Become a Social Media Marketing Pro
As you get a handle on blogging and marketing yourself on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, start branching out. There are many sites that could use your expertise such as Quora. It’s a site people go to for answers to their questions. Not only are you able to help people, but you are also finding out what your target audience is searching for online.
You can also guest post on other people’s blogs. This will open yourself up to a whole new community that could use your services. While blogging on a site that has an audience nationwide will increase your online presence, try to blog for local sites to gain some attention locally.
Social media is big right now for consumers and business owners. Jump on in there and get started. You may just be surprised at how effective this marketing strategy really is for your law firm.
