One of the most essential tools for solo attorneys is Facebook. Maybe you should be getting in on this cheap and easy tool?
Facebook is an anomaly for many people whether you are a user or not a user. It has played an integral part in revolutionizing media for now and the future.
Whether you are 17 or 70, you’ve probably heard a lot about Facebook and may have even engaged yourself in it.
As time goes on, more people are becoming attorneys and as a result, they are a younger age demographic. This changes industry standards indefinitely and Facebook falls in line with those standards.
Is it possible to target your potential client as a solo of Facebook?
Facebook is great for creating micro-targeted ad campaigns because it helps you further reach your audience in an easy and extremely cost-effective manner. Unlike other online advertising outlets, Facebook costs much less to just boost a page and get it noticed. Doing this also saves you valuable time that could be used actually practicing law.
That being said, Facebook should certainly not be your sole source of advertising and should instead act as an extension of the advertising model already in place for your firm.
What exactly does a Facebook advertisement do?
For example, using Facebook to advertise a small Italian restaurant that only serves the New York City area to a consumers in a city like Bakersfield, CA, would not be advantageous because this city is not even in your immediate space. It’s not even in the same state!
A Yelp! profile might do better for this, but in terms of Facebook where you want to target specific clients in your area, you have the ability to do that.
Basically, the more a Facebook user “overshares” their interests, the easier it is to target them.
Example:
Let’s say you are an immigration attorney whose main clientele is French-speaking immigrants who live in New York City.
By doing a little Google research, or through past client experiences, you know there is a heavy influence of native French speakers all over New York City.
Facebook is special because it allows you to create content that is sensitive to geographic preferences. For example, if you are a NYC attorney, you can choose to just have your ad run for New York state viewers as opposed to some random in Georgia. You won’t waste your advertising efforts on those who cannot even partake in your services.
Facebook also helps you tailor your message to a more specific audience by use of advanced demographics. If your message is in the French language, you have the ability to promote that message to only French-speaking individuals; if age is of concern, Facebook also has an option for that.
Tapping into a potential client’s history also allows us to truly find our target audience. Advertisements can be limited to individuals that originated from a specific geographic locale. In the case of the immigration attorney with a French-language advertisement, he or she could directly target individuals from France, Haiti, Canada, or even French Polynesia where French is an official language.
Finally, an attorney can tap into their target audience’s social behavior. Facebook has a feature called “Like.” Individual users can like anything from a musical artist to a particular cookbook. It is a reflection of the individuals taste. Lawyers can refine their advertisements to take into account an individual’s “likes.”
For example, the lawyer in the above scenario can limit their advertisement to Facebook users who have “liked” the category “France.” It is a safe bet to assume that of the 60,503 users who liked the category France, at least a few may be in the immigration attorney’s ideal client profile.
Utilizing Facebook advertising saves time and money.
When it comes to money, Facebook is crucial in terms of advertising. Utilizing Facebook allows for a relatively low expenditure as opposed to something like a billboard or local magazine advertisement that costs thousands just to use the space. Attorneys have the luxury of designating how much money they want to use to promote their brand, etc.
You can start with $20.00. Even if you choose to start with $100.00, it is still a low initial spend, especially in light of what many solo attorneys charge per hour. (Basically, you have to find an additional 20 minutes of work to cover the advertising spend.)
Facebook is a common means of connecting with those you couldn’t on a regular basis. Attorneys using Facebook, especially for advertising, allows them connect on a level that in very unique. You sometimes feel like you know them before you’ve even met them.
Like anything else, Facebook advertising takes time to cultivate and gain clientele. You have to think of it more in terms of building awareness for your services within a specific community. Having Facebook is much better than not having it.
