Beginner’s Guide To Social Media For Lawyers

When considering various marketing strategies, law firms may avoid diving into social media. The idea of keeping up with posts, sending likes, and tweeting comments may seem too tedious, so a social media marketing strategy gets pushed aside. However, ignoring social media may be a big mistake for your business. With 69% of adults presently using at least one social media platform, and 85% of law firms using it as part of their digital marketing plan, social media is worth a second look. Social media for lawyers definitely needs to be used wisely, and there are some practices to avoid, but the benefits may outweigh any potential drawbacks. If you are examining social media marketing, review the following to discover how you can use social media to advance your law firm’s goals.  

Why Lawyers Should Use Social Media (Yes, YOU!) 

Almost four billion individuals currently use social media, spending an average of two hours a day on it, and over 70% of consumers who interact positively with a business on social media recommend the business to their friends and family. This is a powerful referral system, and it sends a message to law firms: if you are not visible on social media, you are probably missing out on great referrals and essential leads. Since your colleagues and competitors are using social media, and potential clients are spending serious time there, perhaps it is time to jump in and get started, so you can bring the following benefits to your law firm. 

Meet & Connect 

Social media for lawyers gives a web of new contacts, and as you build a following, you are building a network of potential clients. When you reach out and share valuable content via social media, you are getting your name, story and services out there to be viewed. Lawyers are also using social media to establish their name within the legal community. By interacting with other legal professionals through social media, you can stay informed on what is trending in the legal arena, and it gives you another opportunity to voice your thoughts as an authority in your field. 

Build Your Law Firm’s Brand

Planting your presence in social media by creating a recognizable profile builds up your law firm’s brand. It is a way for prospective clients to see what you do and helps them research the facts related to your law firm. 

Provide Another Way to Find Your Law Firm

Being available on social media gives potential clients another road to find you. Since people are already there on social media, this provides another channel for you to introduce yourself and drive individuals to your law firm website. 

Boost Your Rankings

The more your law firm is visible online, and the more your name is circulated, the more likely it is that you will boost your search engine rankings. Search engines favor social media indicators in their algorithms, so it is essential to start building a positive social media presence. 

Gather Important Information

When you are active on social media, you can track what clients are saying about you and also about your competition. Social monitoring helps you gain insights that can help you improve your future marketing strategies and win more clients. 

7 Social Media Tips for Lawyers

Social Media for lawyers can provide powerful benefits, and as you get started, here are some tips to make your venture as successful as possible:

Examine Your Target Client

Start with your ideal client in mind as you create posts and content. The information you offer should relate to your audience, so get to know them and craft a unique plan accordingly.

This includes the choice of social media platform, since certain demographics tend to huddle in distinct social media areas. For instance, Facebook draws in users of a wide variety of age groups, while Instagram tends to reach a slightly younger audience. 

Stand Up As An Expert

When you are seen as an authority in your field, you are building trust with potential clients, and social media makes this effortless. By linking to your website resources, offering valuable information in your content, and commenting on posts, you showcase what you know and who you are. 

Interact With Your Audience

Gaining a social media account is not the end goal. The purpose of social media for lawyers is to interact with potential clients. Try to consistently answer questions from visitors, thank them for their reviews, and like their posts. 

Join Social Media Groups

Individuals use social media to learn about local businesses and services within social media groups. Joining these groups allows you to make sure your law firm name is included in the array of local offerings. 

Examine Paid Social Media Advertising

Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram offer paid advertising options. Businesses can target ads to a specific audience, which is ideal for law firms that practice in unique niches. 

Document Your Social Media Policies

Once you plan your social media strategy, it is important to record a written plan that answers the following questions:

• Who will post content?
• Who will comment on and react to content?
• How often will you post content?
• How will you handle negative comments?

Consider Social Media Tools

Starting a journey into social media may seem like a daunting task, in addition to your other commitments and responsibilities. Consider using tools such as SmarterQueue (my absolute favorite! (affiliate link), that can help your law firm manage its social media presence. Get a free extended trial with my link to SmarterQueue here!

Benefits of Specific Social Media Platforms

There are scores of social media platforms, but which ones work best for law firms?

Facebook for Lawyers

Facebook is one of the leading social media platforms for lawyers. Law firms can connect with target clients, join groups, utilize messaging, and create pinpointed ads. Follow me on Facebook here!

Instagram for Lawyers

If you choose to target a younger audience, Instagram might be an excellent platform, since 63% of its users are between ages 18 and 34. Instagram is image-based and a great place to showcase your law firm with video, stunning photos, concise insights, and stories. 

Twitter for Lawyers

Most businesses use Twitter as part of their strategy since it is an excellent place for professional services. No need to create wordy content here, since Twitter is the spot for brief insights, updates, and helpful hashtags. 

LinkedIn for Lawyers

LinkedIn is a favorite social media venue for all types of businesses. It is a solid neighborhood to showcase your professional experience, content and much more. LinkedIn users thrive because of connections with current associates, clients and potential referral sources. LinkedIn helps individuals build up their credibility, because others can give them recommendations and endorsements. Law firms can share blog posts and website content on LinkedIn and stay informed of current legal chatter. (As a shameless plug, follow me on LinkedIn here!) 

Clubhouse for Lawyers 

Have you heard about Clubhouse? It is a new social media app for Apple users that requires an invitation – but it is AMAZING. Think of a radio show that is on the exact topic you want to listen to, and you can hop in and add to the conversation and ask questions. How can this help you as an attorney? You can provide value to potential clients by discussing matters in your legal field! 

Social Media for Lawyers: What to Avoid

Although social media for lawyers can be uber-effective, there are some pitfalls to avoid, such as:

• • Being fake. Stay true to yourself and your brand.
  • Engaging in arguments. There are social media trolls who just want to stir up trouble. Do not feed their efforts.
  • Neglecting apologies. If you make a mistake, make it right quickly and thoroughly, because this builds trust. Always be professional in your responses.
  • Promoting over personal connection. Use social media platforms to connect and chat with your audience, not as a busy billboard. 
  • Sporadic posting. In order to make social media work for your law firm, you must post consistently. If you post sporadically (once a week or less) your audience may think you do not have much to say, and may not see the benefit of following you.
  • Offering legal advice. Make sure never to actually provide any legal advice online to avoid violating any Bar Marketing rules in your state.

Should Attorneys Use Social Media?

As per the Pew Research Center, 70% of Americans use some form of social media, making it an important marketing tool. Before exploring this guide to social media for lawyers, it can be beneficial to learn the answer to “Why should law firms use social media?”. Below are some of the main reasons why attorneys can benefit from using social media.

Low Marketing Costs

Law firms can use social media to market their businesses without spending anything. All that is necessary is for a firm to dedicate some time every week to make posts and stories, share content, and respond to comments and direct messages. This is particularly valuable for small law firms that may not have extensive marketing budgets.

Increase Reach

Many Americans increasingly spend their time using one or more social networks, and more users are joining daily from various age groups. This means using social media can allow lawyers to reach far more potential customers.

Compete With Other Firms

The vast majority of attorneys use some form of social media in their marketing efforts. Any law firms that avoid embracing social media may find that prospective clients opt for their competitors’ legal services instead of their own.

Tips for Lawyers to Develop Effective Social Media Strategies

Here are some tips to help you use social media for lawyers well and help your firm develop effective social media strategies.

Check the Rules

Before you start your social media journey, make sure you check the rules for lawyers in your state regarding what you can post and share on social media. This includes both ethical considerations and compliance regulations. For instance, some states do not allow lawyers to use certain terms, such as “specialist” or “expert”, when describing themselves on their social media channels.

Determine Your Goals

As a lawyer, a good way of using social media effectively involves determining what you want to achieve by using these platforms. For instance, you may want to gain more clients, get extra visitors for your website, or develop an awareness of your law firm’s brand. With this in mind, set achievable short- and long-term social media goals. Then, use these milestones to guide your firm’s social media strategy.  

Consider Your Competitors’ Approach

To use social media well, consider how your competitors approach social media. Think about what they do well and how you can handle things differently to appeal to clients more. Then, incorporate this into your firm’s social media strategy.

Develop Your Platforms Over Time

Rather than trying to set up multiple social media accounts on various platforms at the same time, consider starting small and focusing on a single account. Doing this reduces the risk of you feeling overwhelmed and ensures you can dedicate adequate time and effort to developing the account. This gives you a better chance of the account achieving your social media aims. Over time, you can then create accounts on other platforms to increase your firm’s potential reach.

Plan Your Content

Think carefully about the sort of content you want to post on social media. This may involve creating new content, sharing existing posts, or engaging with potential clients through direct messaging and comment replies. Regardless of what you decide to focus on, ensure you consider your firm’s audience to guide your strategy. Moreover, it is a good idea to schedule your stories and posts by using social media scheduling tools. Doing this allows you to carefully consider what to post, increasing the chances of the post effectively engaging with your audience. Additionally, it allows you to post more consistently, leading to a more constant online presence.