SOCIAL MEDIA IS A NECESSARY TOOL TO GENERATE LEADS AND SITE TRAFFIC
Not long ago, people found lawyers by listening to the radio or television, or they would pull out the trusty phone book and turn to the yellow pages. Today, people are more likely to find a lawyer through a search engine, online ads, or social media.
For a law firm to have a fighting chance among the immense competition, it must have a solid online presence. To set itself apart from the competition, the law firm must have a high-ranking website, an excellent marketing campaign, and fully utilized social media pages and accounts.
Law firms usually emphasize building a website with search engine optimization content and viable Paid-Per-Click and Facebook ads than social media. SEO and online ads are great ways to generate traffic and leads, but law firms must develop a solid social media presence beyond Facebook ads.
Ways to Engage Potential Clients on Social Media
Become Active on Social Media
Social Media Content
Most of the content law firms produce on social media accounts should target potential clients. They’re not interested in the lawyer lifestyle; they want answers to legal questions and information regarding services. They’re waiting to feel heard and want an attorney they believe will fight for their legal rights.
All content posted needs to contain pertinent information like the law firm’s brand, where it’s licensed to practice, and the services offered. Graphics and taglines are a great and easy way to convey a firm’s message.
Having a robust website is necessary to maximize social media efforts. A law firm with SEO content (e.g., blogs and landing pages), lead magnets (e.g., white papers, surveys, checklists, and resource lists), and webinars can post links to these engagements via social media posts. Attaching links to social media posts creates more traffic to the firm’s site and generates leads.
Whenever posting, the copy should be clear, engaging, and informative. Posts should never sound too much like a sales pitch, as leads will become less likely to be generated.
Video Content For Social Media
Webinars are an excellent source for a website as the video length will increase dwell time on a law firm’s site and increase page rank, but video content should be less in-depth and shorter for a social media site. Include a link in the video post to an article or webinar that contains more information regarding the video’s subject matter.
YouTube is another avenue that can drive traffic back to a law firm’s website while building another audience. Remember that 30 years ago, only so many avenues were available to promote a law firm. On top of the old ways of print, radio, and television, there’s now a slew of social media sites garnering different demographics, so it’s essential to represent a law firm on as many platforms as possible.
YouTube videos are handy for multiple reasons; they can take the place of webinars, or the two can remain separate. When posting YouTube content, include a link to the law firm’s website in the description. The YouTube content created can become material for posts (if it’s short enough) on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This tactic allows a firm to reach demographics across the board, and eventually bring traffic to the firm’s website through the included link.
Online Word of Mouth
Word of mouth used to play a massive part in the success of a law firm. Today’s version of word of mouth takes place on social media. A big part of Facebook is seeking referrals; users regularly post questions to friends and family for recommendations.
A law firm should place a client’s satisfaction as a high priority. A happy client will sing praises through reviews and gladly give recommendations to friends and family members. However, an unhappy client will blast a law firm whenever an opportunity arises.
A law firm can monitor its Facebook page and hide negative comments. However, there is nothing a firm can do to stop an unsatisfied client from sharing a negative experience on their page or on friends and family’s pages. If a past client leaves a negative comment on a firm’s page, someone from the firm must reach out to the past client and try to resolve the problem immediately.
Online word of mouth is excellent, but only if it’s positive. Negative comments can spread like wildfire on social media, and they can live on forever. Law firms need to put these fires out as quickly as possible.
LinkedIn Referrals
