Social-First Strategies Lawyers Should Incorporate
If your law firm isn’t using social media, it’s missing out on an opportunity to connect with a large audience looking to find answers to their most pressing legal issues. With over 5.2 billion social media users globally and 81% of attorneys already using these platforms for marketing, a social-first strategy is critical for remaining competitive.
You probably already know or suspect that social media is vital for your law firm. But what’s the best social platform to grow your business? How can you create an effective social-first strategy that produces results? Here are some things you need to know.
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What’s a Social-First Strategy for Lawyers?
Social-first marketing refers to creating content that is specifically produced with social media platforms in mind. Instead of posting links to your blog posts or practice area pages, what you post on social sites like Facebook or Instagram is completely original.
If you’re a small to mid-sized law firm, social media marketing just makes sense. Every post you make has an equal opportunity for visibility, which evens the playing field among larger competitors. Social media platforms offer exposure to a large target audience and even provide you with free insights into customer preferences and behaviors, which can be invaluable.
When you take a social-first approach to legal marketing, it means your firm is strategically designing content that aligns with the strengths of a particular social media site and speaks directly to your target audience. To accomplish this, you need the right approach.
Social-First Strategies Lawyers Should Incorporate
A large part of legal marketing is meeting your potential clients where they are, and a majority of them are hanging out on social media platforms. If your law firm decides to take a social-first approach to its marketing, here are some strategies you can incorporate:
1. Know and Target Your Audience
Understanding your audience should be the foundation of a successful social first strategy. By gaining a thorough understanding of your target audience’s needs, values, and behaviors, you can craft content that resonates with them and builds trust.
2. Focus on the Platforms Your Audience Likes
Selecting the right platforms to focus on should be your next step. Each social media platform, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, caters to unique audiences and fosters different types of user interactions.
Facebook is an excellent place to start because a majority of U.S. adults use it. Many younger audiences also use social media channels like Instagram and TikTok. Finally, don’t ignore LinkedIn for B2B content and YouTube, which now boasts a robust search engine.
3. Mix Up Your Content Strategy
Create and mix up your content that makes sense for your audience and the channels you choose. For example, use video and image content for Instagram, video content for YouTube and TikTok, and a mix of content for your Facebook page. You can make your content more easily found by using hashtags and keywords effectively.
- Text-only updates
- Single images or image carousels
- Document uploads (PDFs, PowerPoints)
- Native video (short clips or longer webinars)
- LinkedIn Articles (long-form blog posts)
- Polls
- Text updates with link previews
- Single images or albums
- Native video (feed & Stories)
- Facebook Live
- Events (webinars, Q&As)
- Files (PDFs) in private groups
Twitter / X
- Text
- Single images or image galleries
- Native video
- GIFs
- Polls
- Single images
- Carousels (multiple photos/graphics)
Reels (videos) - Stories (photos, short videos, stickers, polls, Q&As)
TikTok
- Short-form vertical video
- Live video
- Duets/Stitches (reacting to or building on other videos)
YouTube
- Long-form video (tutorials, webinars, deep dives)
- YouTube Shorts
- Live streams
- Community posts (text, images, polls, links)
- Podcast Platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.)
- Audio episodes
4. Ensure You Have Sharp Messaging
Social media audiences have short attention spans. A vital success factor in social first marketing will be having sharp, concise messaging that maximizes your impact while adhering to various rules for advertising your services. For example, try answering a single question in a post, generating engagement with polls, or increasing visibility with a graphic showing a statistic.
5. Consider Partnering With Influencers
If it aligns with your legal brand, consider partnering with influencers to connect with potential clients. Through professional networking and direct contacts, ask other creators to produce content about your firm on their own social pages, linking to your own.
6. Share Your Client Feedback
People are looking to hire attorneys they can trust. Customers often build trust by reading online feedback. As part of your social first strategy, you can share client testimonials and online feedback from other sources to enhance your firm’s credibility.
Make Connections Through Authenticity
As a lawyer, you must remember that you are likely speaking to non-legal professionals. Social media is a great digital medium to connect with others who are looking for your services, but you must be authentic. Your posts should demonstrate that you know your stuff and you care about your client’s outcomes.
If you decide to leverage the power of social media to market your law firm, remember that social media isn’t a quick fix. Any effective legal marketing strategy will require planning and nurturing to achieve the desired results.
As you reevaluate your marketing strategies, check out how Martindale-Avvo can help you generate qualified leads and upgrade your online presence. Learn how Martindale-Avvo can help you take your firm to the next level.
