Let’s face it: as the world moves increasingly online, social media has become an integral part of every business’ identity. Beyond using social platforms as a place for daily entertainment, it has become a powerful marketing tool that can expand your audience and draw in potential clients. And the good news is that since you are an attorney, you already have a strong grasp on language. But entering the conversations on social media can be challenging, so here is a guide on how to get started:
The Data
Social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, have become extremely popular throughout the world. Facebook has more than one billion active users, with 23 percent of these users checking their account at least five times throughout the day. Instagram reports that every eight seconds an average of 8,000 images are liked on their website, and Twitter sees more than 500 million tweets per day.
While these numbers are staggering, one of the most surprising features for all of these sites is the ability for businesses to successfully market their products and services. Companies that have a clear and concise social media marketing plan can target a vast number of potential customers in a short period of time. In fact, this SMM marketing is so effective that businesses must have a comprehensive social media marketing plan with analytics if they hope to stay competitive in today’s market.
1. Attract New Clients
Social media networks can give your law firm’s website the exposure it needs to draw in more clients. When it comes to where people search for information, social media has become a close second to Google. However, your social media marketing plan must include several viable ways to increase your company’s visibility other than just setting up your social media pages. Look for ways that your followers can share about your practice by providing ways for them to like, share and comment on the various things your law firm posts online. Once your page is shared by one of your followers, then everyone on their friend page will be able to see the page too.
2. Active Engagement
One of the biggest mistakes that business owners do when it comes to social media marketing is to set up their social media pages and stop there. This is not enough to attract clients to your practice. Your social media marketing plan must include regular posting to all of these different social media sites. You can post about relevant news, thoughts within the legal community, or regularly post comments to engage with your followers. This will help to keep your firm’s name fresh in potential client’s minds for when they need your legal expertise.
3. Feedback
If you are going to set up a social media page, it is vital that you check it on a regular basis. You must respond to potential client’s comments, questions and any complaints. Most people expect a respond to any post within 24 hours. Anything longer than this may make people feel like you do not care. You especially want to make sure you respond to negative comments on your page. Just one negative comment left on your social media page for several days could damage your law firm’s reputation.
4. Branding
Above everything else, you want to make sure that your law firm’s branding is properly displayed across the social media networks. Your social media marketing plan should be consistent with your company-wide marketing plan. Your clients and potential clients should see consistency whether on your company website or any of your social media sites.
Beyond its entertainment value, social media can be a lawyer’s digital marketing powerhouse. By spending the time to understand how different platforms operate, you can utilize their resources to your advantage and strategize an effective marketing plan.
These features should all be included in your comprehensive social media networking plan if you hope to stay competitive in your perspective industry. Combined, the features will help you create a social media following that will display your law firm’s brand and attract more clients to your website. This, in turn, will help you grow your business and boost your firm’s overall growth.