February 28, 2019

What You Can Learn From How Top Law Firms Are Using Social Media

You know that your firm needs to be on social media, but how do you get started and what should you do?

We’ll take a deep dive into what some of the top law firms in the country are doing and see what we can learn from them.

According to the ABA 2018 Tech Report, 76% of survey respondents have a presence on social networks.

You already know it’s important to have a social media presence, but how can you stand out?

Top Law Firm Facebook & Twitter Statistics

We looked at what some of the top Vault 100 law firms are doing on Facebook and Twitter. Some of the results are surprising, while others seem like common sense.

Facebook – 2018

*Engagement is a combination of  likes, shares, reactions, and comments.

Some Of The Most Engaged Posts:

Twitter – 2018

Some Of The Tweets With More Engagement:

Key Takeaways:

The most engaged posts tended to be news that related to the firm or it’s attorney’s.

It might seem like common sense to post about your firm’s news and updates, but actually doing it consistently is hard.

At the very least, posting consistently keeps your firm top of mind. Your audience may not be looking for a lawyer or law firm now, but they might in the near future.

Some firms like, Kirkland & Ellis focused on 1 social media site.

What Could Be Done Better:

1. More posts that were helpful to their target audience rather than just news and updates.
2. A consistent posting/tweet schedule.

What You Can Do For Your Social Media:

Attract and Know Your Audience

Before you begin to capture the attention of your audience, you must first know who they are and what they are about.  Demographics matter. The way you’d talk to insurance adjusters about workers comp is far different than how you’d approach someone getting a divorce.  

Establish who you’ll be targeting and then approach them based upon their age, needs, likes, dislikes, and everything else they are about.  The more you know about your group, the better chance you have of winning their attention.

For more a more specific breakdown read our post on demographics and psychographics here.

See when they are most likely to be on social media.

There are some of the best times to post according to Co-Schedule:

Set a consistent posting schedule.

Use a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your posts in advance. You’ll want to post at least 2-3 times a week and depending on which network you are using, you may want to post 2 or more times per day as well.

4. Post about a variety of topics that would be helpful to your target market, not just updates and news about your firm.

Here are a few actionable tips on how to do so:

Be a Story-Teller

Decide what story you want to tell.  What’s your message? Do you want to inform your audience about yourself, your practice, or perhaps your mission?  Maybe you’d like to let them know individual cases you’ve been successful on.

Tell your story with passion.  Based upon the statistics, it’s clear that getting your message out to the public is imperative.  An audience can’t respond to or engage with information they haven’t seen.

But while exposure offers you the chance to engage, the way in which you tell your story will determine what you do with that opportunity.  Connecting with people is the key. Pull on their heartstrings. Stir up emotions. Give them something – information, a cause, or something else of value.

Have a Game Plan

What is your strategy?  Where is it you are wanting to go with the information you have given?  Maybe your purpose is simply to attract followers. Ask for what you want.  If your intention is to direct your audience to your website, let them know.  

Have a goal with what you want to accomplish and a make a precise plan of how you intend to carry it out.  Be clear with your intentions by giving a direct call to action.

Be on Their Side

To someone with a legal issue, an attorney is like a doctor is to a person who is sick.  They are depending on you for assistance, both professionally and personally. It’s important that your audience knows that you are on their team.

In order to accomplish this order, be careful not to talk down to your readers by using judgmental wording, professional jargon, or a vocabulary that is over their head.  Get on their level. Assure them you know how they feel and sympathize with them. It is up to you to convince them that not only do you understand their problem at hand but you are also able to provide a solution.  

Summary Of The 4 Key Takeaways From This Case Study

When it comes to social media growth, seeing what the big firms are doing can help you when planning your law firm’s social media strategy.

1. Identify your target audience in order to focus your marketing efforts and to tailor your messaging.
2. Post At Optimal Times
3. Have A Consistent Posting Schedule
4. Post Helpful Articles Along With Firm Related News

It’s a Win-Win

Social media offers the potential to reach millions of viewers.  But there is a catch. You have to capture your audience’s attention and you have only seconds to do so.  And, once you do have their attention, you have to keep it.

Engaging your audience can only be achieved by knowing your audience and giving them something they want to latch on to – be it a touching story, a worthy cause, or a service they need.  Then, you’ll need to have a winning plan to seal the deal in order accomplish what you set out to do in the first place – to provide an excellent service for your viewer.

Now it’s your turn to test it out.