6 Reasons Why Every Lawyer Should Use Social Media
To some lawyers, social media marketing may seem like more trouble than it's worth. The prospect of choosing the right platforms, keeping your accounts active, and engaging with other users can be daunting.
But in the digital age, maintaining a social media presence is essential for any business—legal practices included. It’s also great for attracting new clients and referrers, establishing credibility, and making meaningful connections with your professional peers.
Here are 6 reasons why every lawyer should use social media.
1. Keeping Up with Your Competition
Legal professionals who avoid social media are increasingly in the minority. According to the 2020 Legal Technology Survey Report from the American Bar Association (ABA), 81% of attorneys use social media as part of their marketing strategy.
If you want to compete, you’re going to have to get on social media too. As more of your colleagues take advantage of social media’s benefits, prospective clients will come to expect it from any attorney they are considering for representation.
2. Reaching Clients
In the 2020 American Bar Association survey mentioned above, roughly a third of attorneys who use social media reported that they’ve gotten new clients as a result. That makes sense, too. When people need legal representation, they usually turn to the internet.
Studies have shown that:
- 38% of people hoping to hire an attorney use the internet to find them
- 96% of people who need legal advice search for it on Google
This is why social media marketing is so important for attorneys. You can bet that potential clients on the hunt for a skilled lawyer are going to check out your social media presence to gauge whether they’d be comfortable working with you. If you don’t have a social media presence, you may well be turning away perfectly good leads.
And when done right, social media can also give your search engine optimization a major boost and draw traffic to your website.
3. Networking
One of the biggest benefits of social media for attorneys is the ability to network with other professionals. This can lead to:
- Connecting with referral partners who will send clients your way
- Learning from the advice, insights, and perspectives of your peers
- Staying top-of-mind within your professional community
- Developing a reputation as a leader in the legal world
- Keeping up-to-date on industry news and advice
Every new relationship you form on social media is an opportunity to open new doors in your career.
4. Standing Out from the Crowd
Because so many attorneys and law firms are already marketing themselves online, it might seem easy to get lost in the noise. The good news? Social media is the perfect place to showcase your unique brand voice and stand out from the crowd.
Too many lawyers on social media take a robotic, cookie-cutter approach to social media. With a little creativity, you can send a message that resonates with prospects and gives them a reason to choose you.
5. Demonstrating Expertise
Before hiring a lawyer, every prospect wants to know that they’re going to have an expert in their corner. You can use social media to demonstrate your expertise by sharing information that will be useful to your target audience, such as:
- Quick tips
- Answers to common questions
- Insightful studies and statistics
- Educational materials
- Links to blog posts
- Infographics
- Memorable quotes
For example, if you’re an auto accident attorney, you could post an infographic on what to do in the aftermath of a car crash. If you’re a bankruptcy lawyer, you could publish some tips on what someone should do if they’re being sued by a debt collector.
Soon, you’ll be a go-to source for knowledge in your niche—all while proving your willingness to lend a helping hand.
6. Humanizing Yourself
At Let America Know, we always see higher email open rates for attorney-to-consumer campaigns than firm-to-consumer. That’s because pretty much everyone would rather talk to a “real person” than to a business.
And every attorney struggles with the public perception that lawyers are intimidating or distant. Fortunately, the inherently casual nature of social media makes it a priceless tool for humanizing yourself.
By revealing a bit more of your personal side, you can earn the trust of potential clients and make it easier for them to reach out to you.
How About Some Help?
There’s no denying the benefits of social media for attorneys. That said, a truly effective online marketing campaign takes a lot of time and energy.
If you’d like to pass the hassle on to someone else, check out our done-for-you internet marketing program.
The Let America Know team has helped trial attorneys across the nation automate their social media channels and improve their reputation online. We’d be happy to help you too.