There is no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy to grow your law firm. The needs and goals of your law practice are unique, so why not take the time to craft and implement a strategy that best addresses them? Having a user-centered and SEO-friendly website for your firm is the cornerstone of a successful digital marketing strategy. Once this component is in place, it’s time to identify additional ways to boost client engagement and grow your practice. Many small to mid-sized law firms have used social media marketing to reach more clients and build brand awareness. As you start thinking about implementing this strategy, it’s helpful to understand some common social media marketing mistakes businesses make so your firm can avoid them and find greater success using these tools to build your practice. Below are some things to avoid doing when launching your law firm’s social media marketing campaigns.
Mistake #1: Too Many Platforms at Once
When a law firm approaches social media marketing, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the number of platforms and the rapid posting schedule. Unfortunately, when a law practice attempts to do too much too soon, it risks diluting its impact and effectiveness. For instance, you may assume that you have to create profiles across multiple social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and then you may feel too stressed out to post regularly or engage with potential clients. Instead of spreading your efforts and dividing your attention across all of these platforms, focus on one or two to start. The adage, “quality over quantity,” definitely applies here.
Mistake #2: Not Understanding Your Target Audience
While many people use more than one social media platform on a regular basis, not all platforms appeal equally to everyone. Before you launch your marketing campaign, take some time to think about your target audience. It may help to identify a few current or former clients who stood out to you. What characteristics do they share? Consider identifying demographics, such as their age, occupation, income level, and interests. Then, use this information to select the social media platform that these individuals would most likely use. For example, Facebook is most popular among older generations, while LinkedIn appeals most to younger and middle-aged professionals. When you devote time to this task, you can meet your potential clients where they already are and maximize the likelihood of engaging with them.
Mistake #3: Posting Only About You and Your Firm
The primary reason you are using social media to market your law practice is to build awareness, so posting about your professional highlights or sharing information about a recent case that you won seems like a solid move. While many viewers will enjoy learning about your firm’s accomplishments, using social media to focus solely on you and your law firm may grow stale. Instead, think about what potential clients want to hear, then create content that anticipates and addresses these topics and concerns. Posting practical tips or sharing an article about common divorce predictors directly engages your audience and centers their experiences. Use your posts to build connections with people instead of just boasting about your services.
Mistake #4: Inconsistency in Tone and Style
As you start posting regular content from your law firm’s social media accounts, be mindful of keeping each post consistent with your brand. It helps to create a voice and style guide for your law firm’s branding efforts. That way, even posts written by different attorneys or members of your legal team will appear cohesive in their tone and style. Consistency is one of the best ways to build brand awareness, as those who see your posts will start knowing what to expect from your law firm’s posts. Posts that swing wildly in tone from subdued to aggressive can create confusion for your followers, so stick with a clear and consistent tone with each of your posts.
Mistake #5: Engaging With Trolls
It can be disheartening to check on a recent post and see negative comments. Although your first impulse may be to reply to negative comments right away, your response may be too heated, defensive, or unprofessional. Instead, take some time to assess the situation objectively, recognizing that many people leave negative comments to stir up drama. If you know the poster was a dissatisfied client, consider inviting them to discuss their concerns with you privately. In most cases, people just want to feel heard—just showing that you genuinely care about their experience can go a long way in resolving the matter and restoring their confidence in your law firm. Also, your caring and professional response to a negative comment will show your followers that you take client concerns seriously, further establishing the authority and trustworthiness of your law practice.
LegalRev is here to help you take your law firm’s digital marketing efforts to the next level. Give us a call today at (800) 893-2590 to discuss your goals.
