There was a time when the idea of marketing law practices on social media was a bit inconceivable, even among lawyers themselves.
Then again, you can’t blame a criminal defense attorney or any legal practitioner for not taking social media seriously back then. After all, in its earliest days, social media was more geared towards touching base with family and old, long-lost friends, not a business.
Times have changed, though. Social media is now an indispensable and extremely potent business tool, with over 3.6 billion users worldwide as of 2020. Privately-practicing engineers, architects, accountants, physicians, dentists, and of course, lawyers, now go out of their way to establish their presence on social media.
Even the biggest law firms recognize what social media can do to increase their brand awareness and clientele. With their resources, the most prestigious law firms can easily leverage social media, regardless of the cost.
The interesting part is that social media levels the playing field. It allows even solo attorneys to gain more widespread attention and compete with legal giants on any given social media platform.
If you’re a solo legal practitioner and you want to make your presence felt on social media, here are some tips that will help you do just that.
Post Useful, Relevant, Engaging Content
Your social media account is an opportunity for you to post content that will help educate your audience about your practice area.
For example, if you’re a criminal defense attorney, you can write or share articles about what you shouldn’t do if arrested on suspicion of a crime.
Content, covering what goes on during a criminal trial would also be great.
Then again, you should not limit your social media posts to serious legal stuff. There is a world of lawyer jokes and memes out there. Posting one every so often will give your audience and potential clients the impression that you have a healthy sense of humor, which can make them like you better.
The more useful, relevant, and engaging content you post on your social media accounts, the more likely it is that your followers will share them.
Create Videos
Posting and sharing a well-written article about, say, striking deals with prosecutors is good, but a four-minute video that explains what it entails is even better.
You would also be glad to know that 87% of marketers say that videos give them a positive ROI.
By creating videos to share on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, you will get to:
- Showcase your knowledge of the law
- Position yourself as an authority in your field
- Connect with your audience better
- Provide audiences with a more engaging way to learn about the law and your practice
Optimize Your Social Media Pages
Creating your social media profiles and posting content there are not enough. You have to optimize them as well to attract a wider audience.
Your username should be consistent across all your social media profiles to make them easier for people to find.
All the essential information about your legal practice, including your physical address, phone number, website, and other relevant links, should also appear on your social media profiles.
Engage With Other Attorneys
There is no downside to engaging with other attorneys on social media.
Aside from expanding your network, engaging with other lawyers on social media can also yield referrals in the future.
Follow their pages, and you get to learn from them as well.
These are just a few of the ideas that will help increase your visibility on social media. Spend more time there and see for yourself what more it can do to help you achieve your solo practice’s goals.
About the Author
Stephanie Gordon currently works as the Content Marketing Strategist for the Arizona Criminal Law Team. Aside from spreading awareness about criminal law and defense, she enjoys reading and trail running with her family and friends.
