Nearly three-quarters of lawyers use social media as part of their digital marketing strategy. Family lawyers can use organic social media posts and paid social media ads to present their unique value proposition and convert viewers into new clients. Social media marketing is often part of a more robust digital marketing strategy but can be an important way for you to grow your following.
Although social media platforms can be a great place to grow your brand, there are pitfalls. Organic social media, much like search engine optimization (SEO), requires investing your time and focus upfront. As you grow in followers and deliver good messaging on social media, there's a chance people who see your content will hire you or recommend you to others.
But it's not as immediate or likely as a pay-per-click (PPC) ad or a pay-per-lead situation like Google Local Service Ads. That means you need a solid strategy for making the most of social while also not counting on it as your only source of lead generation.
Know the Rules
Be aware that much like anything in your content marketing strategy, including your law firm website content, you need to be mindful of American Bar Association advertising rules as well as any state rules for advertising.
Be sure to review all these materials before posting any content, and any contractor or in-house staff member responsible for content creation on social media should also review these before posting anything on your channels or running paid ad marketing campaigns.
Write for Your Audience
Knowing your target market is crucial for connecting with them through your social media posts. Mixing up your posts with a variety of approaches can help you balance what you share. If you ever share complex information, avoid jargon, but also don't talk down to your audience. Your goal is to present yourselves as knowledgeable experts in your practice areas.
If you don't write for your audience, this will attract the wrong kinds of clients, reduce conversion rates, or both. Your online presence says a lot about your firm, so it should clearly communicate who you are and who you help.
Here are some examples of target audiences and how you might speak to them via social media.
Prenuptial Agreement Clients
These clients may not have an active disagreement or dispute with a family member but are instead trying to prevent them in the future. That being said, it's not always easy to bring up the idea of a prenup before a wedding. By explaining what prenuptial agreements can and can't do, who should use one, and how they can be effective in getting on the same page financially before the big day, you can break down some of the myths.
Include testimonials from previous clients, too, to help build your online presence with social proof.
People Contemplating Divorce
Someone thinking about filing for divorce probably has many questions about what the process looks like and how to best prepare for the case itself. By recognizing the difficult situation ahead of them and breaking down some of the most confusing aspects of how your state considers things in divorce, you can make this process easier for them. Touch on topics of high priority to them, such as child custody.
Divorcing Couples Who Don't Want Litigation
If your family law practice is focused more on mediation or collaborative divorce, tailor your social media strategy with this in mind. Talk about the benefits of going an alternative route and break down misconceptions about these approaches. Everywhere you maintain a social media presence, make sure to cover topics most relevant to this audience who may be looking for a solution outside of a trial.
Mix Paid and Organic
A good social media strategy for a law firm includes both organic and paid social media options. Organic social media is more of a long play where you continue to improve brand awareness with potential clients. With a paid strategy, however, you can increase your chances of conversion when the ad shows up to the right people.
Even when you run ads on social media, you still need to write engaging content in order to encourage that person to take the next step. Continue to create organic content on social media during this time, too, so that you can target the maximum number of new clients.
