8 Critical Social Media Errors Made By Lawyers

If you’re not using social media to market your firm then you’re going to get left behind. Follow these tips to avoid the most critical errors when using social media marketing.

The legal field is not an industry that stands out in your mind when it comes to social media. As a traditional field, with a long history both in and out of the tech age, there might not be a lot of pressure to get involved in social media marketing.

However, the truth is, social media is an indispensable tool in the modern age, for getting clients, for general marketing as a whole. Lawyers are some of the slowest to take advantage of social media out of the professional industries, but slowly and surely there is an increase in the interest and usage of social media.

With this in mind, many lawyers can fall victim to some of social media marketing’s greatest pitfalls. So, let’s take a look at eight mistakes that lawyers and legal professionals should aim to avoid.

1. Not Having A Social Media Account

“Law as a field, can no longer rest on the laurels of tradition and demand and avoid social media”, warns David Michaelson, social media manager at Top Canadian Writers and Grade On Fire. “It is simply a priceless tool, for all industries.”

You can’t make social media errors without a social media account, but it is certainly an error not to have a social media presence for your firm. There are so many opportunities to connect with clients and run targeted advertising that will boost your marketing ROI.

2. Spreading Yourself Too Thin

Nowadays, there are so many social media platforms. Whether it be LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. All of these platforms are different; sometimes subtle, sometimes drastic. Either way, immediately throwing up profiles on every platform can leave you without the subtlety to effectively manage and make the most of each social media opportunity.

3. Ignoring Social Media Advertising

Lawyers and firms quite often advertise using more traditional methods: billboards, radio, television, newspapers, etc. However, marketing has changed a lot, with plenty of innovative methods available. Social media ads are hyper-targeted, inexpensive and allow you to market without people feeling like they are being marketed at, which is very valuable. Plus with social media marketing, you can track your ads to see what works and what doesn’t helping you to avoid spending money on marketing tactics that don’t deliver.

4. Not Interacting With Followers

In most marketing strategies it’s incredibly unlikely that you’ll be able to connect directly with a potential client. On social media, you can do just that, by messaging and responding to comments and developing relationships.

5. Not Writing Accurately

Even though it’s only social media, you still have to be professional. This means writing clearly and accurately. However, this is easier said than done. Here are some tools to help out:

• Simple Grad and Writing Populist – Social media writing guides, with help for putting together great posts.
• Resumention – Crucial editing tool, helpful for polishing up.
• Ox Essays and Best British Essays – Plenty of advice on how to format your content.
• Let’s go and learn / Revieweal –  A very useful tools for generating headlines.

6. Lack Of Consistency

“Consistency is key when it comes to social media”, states Phoebe Talbot, marketing manager at Student Writing Services. “Persevering in your output is the best way to really dig your roots deep in the subconscious of your followers.” Patchy content is almost as useful as no content at all, so keep it coming.

7. Quantity Over Quality

When it comes to followers, getting a lot can seem like hitting the jackpot. But, in truth, having a smaller number of interactive and attentive followers is far more valuable to you and your firm. Don’t just shoot for the numbers, interact with followers to get a sense of their quality.

8. Striking The Wrong Tone

Yes, social media is a business tool, but, it’s also just for fun! If your posts are stuffed full of legal jargon and statistics it’s going to alienate the followers who want that colloquial, easy to access content. Remember to relax a bit!

Conclusion

So, the first step is getting on social media. Once you have one on a few different sites it requires real cultivation to make the most of this really valuable tool. Start out slowly and try and gather together a follower base of really committed and interested people for you to connect with.

Bio: Nora Mork is a tech journalist and a blog editor at Write My Australia and Essay Roo. She shares her professional business and technology experience in columns in online magazines and blogs, such as Boom Essays blog.