How Law Firms Can Increase Engagement on Social Media

With firms utilizing innovative content strategies and various digital techniques, digital marketing has grown to become one of the legal industry’s most powerful tools – one that maintains the potential for growth in years to come. However, as reported in the 2018 Social Law Firm Index, there’s one component many Am Law 200 firms are missing: social media engagement. This major missed opportunity encompasses the ability to increase a firm’s reach through the promotion of original content and creation of more “human” posts. Now is the time for the showcasing of your firm’s culture and corporate social responsibility – aspects of the legal industry not commonly tapped into. Eager to have your firm’s content reach a broader audience? Here are a couple tactics that’ll help your law firm increase engagement on social media.

Humanize Your Social Presence

When push comes to shove, social media is an outlet used for entertainment by many users. When so many people are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for leisure, your firm’s overly promotional content won’t stand a chance. Try infusing a more human like tone into your posts on a regular basis to catch and hold the attention of users. This can be as simple as a funny caption or a reference to pop culture – something that will catch your audience’s eye. Engaging with industry influencers and tagging other accounts has also proven to be a successful method in increasing reach and engagement. Collaborating with other accounts will help to add a more entertaining edge to your firm’s social content, while maintaining your firm’s image. At the end of the day, industry related humor will both serve to entertain and educate: the perfect concoction to increase engagement on social media.

Leverage Visuals

Whether it be in the form of a meme, GIF, or graphics created or curated by your firm, research shows that incorporating visuals into your social media post can increase engagement by up to 120%. But why are visuals so crucial to social media marketing? Simply put, the human brain processes images far faster and more effectively than words. On a platform like Twitter which relies on simplicity, a picture really does speak a thousand words. These visuals will not only serve to express your firm’s ideas, but will enhance your firm’s brand image and differentiate you from the rest of the legal industry. A memorable or relatable visual is far more likely to score your firm a retweet, thus expanding your reach.

Consider Frequency and Timing

There’s a particular science to determining the correct time to post, and it all depends on your target audience. To increase engagement with your firm’s social media content, the key is figuring out when your followers check their social media to ensure your content reaches the broadest audience. Studies have shown that ideal post times not only vary by user demographic and time zone, but social media outlet as well.

Posting more than once on social media is a great option for your firm as well. However, much like finding a perfect time, finding the perfect medium between too many and too little posts is quite the challenge. The answer lies in your firm’s social media following, goals, and the specific platform being used. Take for instance, Facebook. Prior to posting, your firm must decide whether the goal at hand is engagement or higher website traffic. A study conducted by HubSpot showed that if a firm has a smaller social media following (less than 10K), posting more than once a day will result in 50% fewer clicks per post. However, firms with a larger audience maintain the ability to post twice a day without penalty.

The key lies in taking into account baselines social media rules of conduct, and customizing them to fit your firm’s goals and aspirations. In the end, more views means more opportunities for likes, shares, and comments – the dynamic trio for increasing social media engagement.

The Importance of Curation

While it may seem to be a small detail in your firm’s marketing plan, content curation is a simple, but effective way to broaden your firm’s reach. Curation encompasses the ability to amplify your firm’s stance on industry related occurrences and its brand image. The curation of content that aligns with your firm’s expertise will help to attract a wider audience, in turn increasing your firm’s social media reach. Additionally, content curation is a great strategy for smaller firms who many not have the ability to constantly generate original, high-quality content.

Takeaway

In regards to social media, solely creating industry related content is no longer enough for the growth of your firm. It’s essential to use social media to attract a larger audience that will not only see, but engage with your content. Need help utilizing these tips to increase your firm’s social media reach and engagement? Contact us for a consultation!