What do you think the most effective use of social media is for a legal office?
Some of my clients are Lawyers and want me to do social media services for them. I am looking to get some advice or resources for helping with this.
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Nov 20, 2014
I think to be more specific social media strategy cannot be one for all. It totally depends on following factor:
- main objective of social media activities - branding, ORM, leads, traffic etc.
- are they ready to spend - twitter/fb/LinkedIn ads
Oct 3, 2014
I have a proprietary system that I have used for a couple of attorneys with great success. I can't reveal it all, but I highly recommend targeting Social Media groups where the attorney's potential clients would be. Linked in, Facebook, and Twitter are 3 great places to start. If done right, you can immediately drive traffic.
Sep 29, 2014
Law and where people stand can be a bit of an unkown for most. Used it to post articles and helpful tips. Work out what kinds of things come in the most, or ask the lawyers what questions they get asked most frequently and post the answers on social media
Sep 26, 2014
Hi Daniel, focus on the local optimization targeting local or specific geographies. A market research, analysis and segmentation would be helpful since you need to target your audience. I am a senior law student at Mindanao State University and from my experience in my on-the-job training in court and law offices taking into consideration the great propensity of lawsuits what encourages engagement from clients are the manner of which a law office establishes confidence, reliance and a layman explanation of the law different from the jargon of the law profession. I used to handle a law firm account to do off page SEO which I have provided a tier level base on the above conception and I can tell you first hand it works. Should you have any further query on the subject feel free to drop me a message I'd be glad to help you build your own tier level or rather map out a social media optimization strategy. God luck!
Sep 26, 2014
Personally I think using Bulk SMS is one of the most effective ways of marketing a service and communicating with clients.
Sep 26, 2014
Hi Daniel, I think Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging suit lawyers and law practices best. We've advised some legal firms here in Ireland about how to approach online communications, and I also follow both individual lawyers and law firms on different platforms. Some of the things that work well, I think, are:
- Blogs with short entries written in user-friendly, accessible language, that showcase the specific areas of expertise of the lawyers in question.
- Using Twitter in a very engaging / interactive way to comment on issues of relevance to the lawyers' areas of expertise.
- Joining in group conversations on LinkedIn and / or establishing your own groups around topics of relevance.
Hope that helps!
Sep 25, 2014
I wrote an article about this for the American Bar Association. Here's the link. Happy to answer any questions.
http://apps.americanbar.org/litigation/committees/womanadvocate/articles/spring2014-0514-social-media-risks-rewards.html
Sep 25, 2014
Hi Daniel,
THe better question here is content strategy - not social media, a smaller part in the grand scheme of things.
The best way to promote any service-type business is thought leadership...ESPECIALLY for legal practices - where ad spends are high and content marketing is nearly non-existent.
1. Put a blog on your client's website - ASAP - if it's not already there
2. Focus on the law firm's most successful practice areas, and prioritize blog post counts for each accordingly
3. Post things that end users (potential clients) would Google on discuss in social media BEFORE they actually need a lawyer - use statistics as well, here's why...4. Turn those posts into eBooks (the Definitive Guide to ___)
5. Capture leads by posting the ebook freebies into the big 3-5 social media channels (images dominate, even for Twitter)
6. Use a custom tab on FB and a Splash page on LinkedIn as lead generation landing pages also
7. Blog on LinkedIn via the client (establishing him as an author) - and set up a company page if you haven't already --> same for FB, TW, G+ and Pinterest. Yes...Pinterest.
8. Grab as many Google+ communities and LinkedIn groups you can for your client - post your blog content (where relevant by practice area) to these groups
9. Create groups and communities if the attorney's region and practice area isn't already covered on LI and G+
10. Set up a Google places for his Business - link it to your website
11. Turn those eBooks and posts into INFOGRAPHICS (post to blog -> share to social via image posts -> repeat)
12. When you have enough content, open up a "How To" courses section (or webinar, or Google hangout)...13. Use Facebook's audience builder with your email tool to retarget ads to people who didn't see or didn't open certain emails
14. Enjoy the 1,000+ monthly leads! :)
Sep 25, 2014
If your are in OZ I highly recommend www.socialface.com.au best in the business. Will set up and monitor a social media strategy that will benefit your business.
Lawyers could use it to give legal tips to their followers.
Sep 25, 2014
Hi Dan,
I think Twitter and LinkedIn are the best options to start with. In this particular segment, networking will help you a lot. Do join targeted groups on LinkedIn and start positioning your brand as a thought leader through quality content and valuable advice. To get leads. you can focus on Facebook ads. In exchange you can provide some value to target audience by giving free ebook or free consultation.
I hope this turns helpful.
Sep 25, 2014
Use twitter.com/search and try to find people looking for advice on topics of expertise. Try to give guidance without stepping the line.
Also, provide articles that are helpful for your audience under specific areas of expertise.
A law firm that I know has a number of blogs including http://www.zifflaw.com/NYBikeAccidentBlog/
http://www.zifflaw.com/NYBikerLawBlog/
Sep 25, 2014
What services does your office offer?
If it's personal injury, and legal services for people, then I would say Facebook and Google+ are your best bets.
If you practice law for business, I would use Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sep 25, 2014
So since my client does business law I should get them on Twitter and LinkedIn? Will Facebook and Google+ have little value to them? My client does:
Business Law
Employee Benefits
Employment Law
Estate Planning
Litigation
Real Estate Law
Tax Law and Tax Litigation
Sep 25, 2014
Similar to the healthcare industry there are few things you can't say on social media when representing a lawyer you are pretty much doing the same things that you would do for any business. Be "social". Share content that their potential customers would enjoy and engage with. Try to make conversation happen and go along with them. Imagine social media and a room with a bunch of people and your going around and talking to each of them. Your not going to just promote yourself or share a article about law.
I suggest getting Jab, jab, jab, right hook by Gary Vaynerchuk. It will help you will understanding the type of content you should share. You can watch some YouTube videos of Gary as well.
Agreed - key is thought leadership in your social community