4 Ways Lawyers Can Benefit From Using Social Media

It’s no secret that social media is a great tool to use for boosting your business. It can help generate leads, advertise your business, establish brand awareness, and lots more.

But, there’s usually a perception that social media is only beneficial for certain types of businesses.

People tend to think that social media is great for small businesses, or independent stores – as it is. But because of this assumption, businesses can often overlook social media when it comes to being a more professional service.

Like if you operate a law firm, for example.

There are numerous ways that social media and social media marketing can be beneficial if you’re working as a lawyer or operating a law firm.

Yes, you may be surprised to know that social media and law can very successfully go hand in hand.

Given how important direct communication and a personal approach is within the law industry, social media is an effective tool to navigate this. It can allow you to specifically target potential clients, engage in discourse surrounding law and your practices, and also establish yourself as a reliable business worthy of your customer’s time and money.

So, what do you need to know when it comes to social media for law?

Read on to find out!

Our earlier point states that social media is a great way to promote your law practices and services to potential clients. But, that only works if your clients are looking.

How do you make sure that the right people are coming across your profile? Well, this is where social media management comes in.

Social media for law can be a difficult thing to achieve successfully given how it’s dependent on the type of law you’re practicing, and the services you offer.

You could have the most carefully curated and well-developed social media profile, but if you’re using the wrong platform and targeting the wrong demographic, then it’s simply just a waste.

A social media management company like Shape The Market would be able to undergo the necessary and comprehensive research to decide which platforms would best benefit your business and why.

But, if you’re looking for a general insight, we can still provide one.

If you’re a B2B corporate law firm, representing other businesses in matters of corporate or financial law, then you’re going to want to use a platform like LinkedIn.

This platform is generally seen as more professional and geared towards businesses, and subsequently would be the best way to advertise your law practices to a potential CEO or Head of a company.

It allows you to speak directly to the person running the company account, or also search for individual employees working there too. This way you can communicate with specific employees and what services you can provide for them.

What’s more, according to Law Practice Today, over 90% of lawyers in the UK use LinkedIn. It’s no wonder therefore that so many businesses looking for law services would be scouting for potential on this platform.

Are you making the most of LinkedIn?

Similar to LinkedIn, Twitter also works well for lawyers working with businesses. You just need to make sure that you’re speaking in the right circles and tweeting about the right stuff.

Given the short character count for tweets, Twitter allows you to show off your expertise in short, digestible content.

You can simply tweet tips potential clients may find interesting, facts about your previous client history, and even updates about your working day.

It may be surprising to know that only 25% of lawyers in the UK use Twitter in a professional capacity. However, this may work to your advantage.

Twitter is less saturated with lawyers using the platform and therefore your chances of standing out are even greater.

What’s more, Twitter has one of the highest click-through rates for ads across all social media platforms. Speaking to a marketing agency and asking them to advertise your law practice on Twitter is a great way to get noticed.

On the other hand, if you’re offering a different type of service and practicing family law for example, then Twitter and LinkedIn likely won’t be the best platforms for you.

Family-orientated and more Direct to Consumer platforms like Facebook will allow you to reach out specifically to individuals who perhaps may not be engaged in the professional fields, and therefore may not have access to or use platforms like LinkedIn.

Facebook’s largest demographic is of those aged 18-44, making up 72.8% of users, a huge pool of potential clients who may be looking for help with marriages, divorces, adoption, and any other family law matter.

As well as this, given that Facebook business pages allow you to leave reviews, rate the services, and find out information like prices and contact details, it’s a great tool to promote your law firm.

Perhaps one of the most surprising platforms people use when it comes to social media for law, Instagram also has benefits if you’re looking to target your key demographics.

Much like Facebook, people using Instagram to search for lawyers to work with will likely be doing so with a need for family law services.

And, given that Instagram allows you to directly communicate with followers/potential clients without being encumbered by a character count (looking at you, Twitter and LinkedIn) you can more easily speak to clients and get a better assessment of their needs.

Ultimately, social media for law allows you to directly approach your potential clients – be it a business or individual – and put your best foot forward.

Social media lets news spread like wildfire. All it takes is one bad word or one bad review for your business to suddenly be under fire.

The last thing you need is for your law firm to be facing a PR crisis.

By using social media for law, you can see what it is you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. Social media acts as a constant stream of feedback letting you know what people are thinking of your services.

If people are responding well to a certain ad you’re running on TV, or something on your website, or a service you’re offering, you know to replicate this and keep the content coming.

Essentially, social media lets you run an unofficial campaign to constantly see what your audience likes.

You can monitor the way your audience feels about your services and constantly keep on top of your brand perception.

Firstly, having a social media presence can increase your website traffic and SEO because more people will be searching for you.

If people like your social media platforms then they’re more inclined to visit your website and see what services you have on offer. More website traffic = appeal to the search engines.

As a result, you can see your business rise on the search engine results pages.

But, specific social media platforms can also help your SEO.

Google+ has a direct impact on your SEO rankings on Google in numerous ways. By setting up a profile and posting within communities pertaining to your area of law and practice, you not only establish yourself as an authority in the area but boost your SEO.

Posting curated content on Google+ allows you to build up a following, something which will certainly appease the search engine algorithms.

As someone using social media for law, Google+ certainly has the most benefits out of all of the platforms available. Not only is this a professional platform that lets you connect with other businesses similar to yours, but it can help you rise on the search engines and thus impact the amount of website traffic.

When we look to buy a service or pay for a product, we want to make sure that it’s the best. No one wants to go to a restaurant where the chef doesn’t know how to cook, or visit a school where the teacher doesn’t have a degree.

And this sentiment couldn’t be more true when it comes to the industry of law.

Potential clients want reassurance that you can satisfy all of their needs, and that you have the skills and experience to be able to do this.

Whether this is because you went to one of the best schools in the country, have 15 years of experience practicing law, or have an impressively high success rate, clients want to know that they can trust you.

So how do you demonstrate this?

Through social media, of course. Social media for law is one of the greatest ways you can quickly and effectively communicate to potential clients that you’re a leader in the industry.

This could be with the use of promoting your blog posts on your accounts, posting useful tips and insights, and even reviews about your practice.

Show your prospective clients that you’re a leader in the industry and prove to your followers that you’re reliable and trustworthy, and worthy of their time and money.

Whether it’s recruiting potential clients, advertising your business, or showing off your expertise, there are many benefits for utilising social media for law or being a lawyer.

Many people assume that social media can only work if you’re operating within a less professional or executive industry. Likely because of the connotations of social media influencers and advertising.

But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t utilise social media if you’re operating a law firm or working within the law industry.

Given the value of direct communication with customers and the need to demonstrate your previous work history, social media is one of the best ways to be upfront and transparent with potential clients.

There’s a reason why 96% of lawyers are utilising social media for their practices, according to Attorney at Work.

So, now you know the 4 ways you can use social media for law, what will you be doing first?

If you’re unsure where to start and what you’ll need, at Shape The Market we’re here to help! Our social media management services can help you set up and optimise your social media profiles and make sure that you’re making the most of social media for law.