In this week’s edition of Things I Wish I Knew, Joleena provides an update on how she uses various social media platforms to grow her solo practice.
Social media has become an important part of my marketing strategy. I use it to build relationships with referral sources, create brand awareness and establish myself as an expert to potential clients.
The ROI on my social media marketing has been great so far; 40% of my leads and 25% of my retained clients are a direct result of my social media efforts.
The key is finding the right platform to connect with your target audience and then using it consistently. For me, that took a lot of trial and error.
Here are the social media platforms that have (and have not) worked best for my practice:
Instagram is still my favorite social media platform and it is a regular source of new clients. Last week alone I got four calls from people who found me on Instagram, and two of those calls resulted in consultations.
My Instagram strategy is very simple: Regularly post content that my target audience finds interesting. The biggest mistake I see other lawyers make is posting what are essentially ads.
Instagrammers don’t want to see your logo or some stock photo, they want to be either entertained or educated. My most popular posts are quotes related to divorce or family law tips. Only about 20% of my posts advertise my practice.
This strategy has helped me gain almost 2,000 followers. Not a huge number when it comes to Instagram, but they are engaged and send me referrals.
Twitter & Linkedin
I primarily use Twitter and Linkedin to connect with lawyers and other professionals. I share relevant articles and network with people that I think I can have beneficial relationships with.
I’ve connected with many referral sources by simply commenting on their tweet or LinkedIn update, and moving the conversation to email. As a social introvert, I find it much easier to meet people this way before connecting in person.
My Facebook page doesn’t get nearly as much engagement as my Instagram account, but it still serves an important role in my marketing strategy, namely, Facebook ads.
Facebook ads is a great tool. Ads can be aimed at a very specific audience and they are relatively inexpensive. You can start a campaign for as little as $5. Earlier this year I promoted a webinar through Facebook ads that resulted in several new clients.
Separately from paid advertising, Facebook is also a great tool for driving traffic to my blog and website. By sharing other blogs and videos, in addition to posting my own articles, I have been able to increase the number of visitors to my website.
Going forward, Pinterest is the next platform I want to incorporate into my social media marketing. I am in the beginning stages of using Pinterest, and I’m still trying to determine how to use it most effectively.
As of now, I don’t know if Pinterest has brought me any business directly, but I can say it has increased traffic to my blog posts.
What Didn’t Work
Not every social media channel has proven successful when marketing my practice (Snapchat, Periscope, and Google+ to name a few). These might be great tools for other lawyers, but I have limited time to spend on social media, so I don’t want to waste it on platforms that aren’t working or don’t interest me.
Social media can be a great tool to help your solo practice grow if you know how to leverage it properly. Find the platforms your target audiences use most, regularly provide useful content (keeping in mind that some content works better on certain platforms and not others), engage with those who engage with you, and watch your leads and client base grow.
Let’s connect on social. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, and Pinterest.
on said:
I like this article Joleena. I am trying to figure out how best to use social media to promote my business law practice. Thanks!
on said:
Thanks for the tips Joleena. I am in the process of setting up my law firm and I’m looking for ways to market my practice. I will add Instagram and Pinterest to my list.
on said:
It won’t work overnight, but if you are consistent you will see results. Thanks for reading!