5 Ways to Leverage Social Media for Law Firms

It seems like social media has been around forever. However, the truth is that these platforms are still relatively new, technologically speaking. It wasn’t all that long ago that Facebook wasn’t a thing, no one had heard of LinkedIn, and tweeting was something that birds did. 

Today, social media is not just a trend, but a powerful tool that connects individuals and businesses across borders and around the world. The diverse range of social platforms caters to almost every need, and this explosion of types and use cases offers unique benefits for law firms like yours. 

With the ways to leverage social media for law firms, you can build your brand, drive digital traffic where you want it, educate your audience, and generate leads. The trick is to know how to use these platforms. We’ve got five ways to help your practice thrive.

1. Build trust

One of the best uses of social media for law firms is to build trust and credibility. This is not just a marketing tool, but a platform to establish a solid foundation for your practice. How do you leverage social media for law firms to build trust? 

It’s all about being an invaluable resource to your audience. Share information that’s both interesting and pertinent. Link to your own blog posts, as well as to other online resources that you don’t own. 

This runs counter to the “it’s all about me” vibe that many social media accounts give off but think about it this way. Who are you going to trust more, the person who constantly talks about themselves or the one who wants to help you make the best decision possible? For most people, it’s the latter. 

So, feel free to post promotional content, but balance that out with educational, informative content that helps your potential clients understand their challenges and the paths open to overcoming them. 

2. Social listening

What do your clients say about you? What about others out there, like competing attorneys? What’s the online conversation surrounding your practice like? Chances are good that you have no idea, but you should. 

Every single mention of your practice online affects your overall success. This is where social listening, a crucial part of your social media strategy, comes into play. It allows you to tune into the conversation, learn what people are saying, and then act to change things for the better if necessary.

Social listening is done through apps that comb the web looking for reviews, posts, comments, and any other mention of your practice. These apps allow you to monitor entire social media accounts, track keywords, and more, and then respond to mentions and reviews appropriately. 

3. Build your brand

Social media is an incredible tool for marketing. However, don’t just share content (promotional or otherwise). No one trusts a business that won’t interact with its followers. So, when someone comments on a post, engage with them. Reply, answer a question, expand on a point, or provide further clarification. It’s all about being a valuable resource and building your brand.

Engaging with your audience does two things. First, it puts a human face on your practice and helps your followers connect with you better. Second, it can help enhance your brand’s values and ethos by showing that you want to be of use to people rather than just turning a profit. 

4. Deliver better client service

Too often, businesses overlook the fact that social media is not just a marketing channel, but also a customer service channel. According to fact, a significant 40% of any given business’s customers expect to be able to get service from the company through social sites like Facebook. This is where social media can truly shine in delivering better client service.

How can you deliver better client service through a site like Facebook? It’s really all about being available. Follow our previous recommendation to engage and interact with your audience when they comment on your posts. However, you should also make sure that you’re using other tools, like Messenger so that you can give more direct service and be available when your clients need you.

5. Generate leads

In addition to building your brand, enhancing credibility and trust, tuning in to the conversation around your brand, and delivering better client service, social media for law firms can also help generate leads.

Social media can help you directly generate leads. Adding an action button to your Facebook page or the right link in your bio on other sites gives potential clients the means to connect with you directly. You can also use social ads to achieve this.

However, social media also excels at indirect lead generation. This happens through improved brand awareness, audience education, and resource sharing. Each post you make has the potential to deliver new leads.

The missing piece of your social media strategy

Social media for law firms can be an incredible investment that pays off in many ways. However, don’t forget one of the most important pieces of your social media strategy: being able to handle the influx of queries and consultation requests.

Make sure you can answer phone calls and field website contact requests while still handling your caseload. Smith.ai can act as your legal answering service, and our live-staffed website chat powered by AI helps handle the influx of traffic from social media. With 24/7 phone answering, appointment booking, and lead screening from expert virtual receptionists, it’s never been easier to grow your practice.

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai.