How to Humanize Your Law Firm’s Social Media
Social media can increase awareness of your services, establish or grow credibility, and help you stay top-of-mind with potential clients and referrers. What law firm wouldn’t want that?
Yet, people are naturally wary of anyone they think is trying to sell them something. If you’re not careful in your approach, you might turn your audience away and miss out on golden opportunities.
Done right, social media can be a valuable tool for opening doors to deeper professional relationships and new clientele. The key to building essential trust on social media is to humanize yourself.
Here’s how.
1. Stick to the give-to-get principle.
Fundamentally, the people you brush shoulders with on social media don’t care about you or your services. At least, not right away. They care about what’s helpful to them and what will solve their problems. If you really want to catch their attention, you’ll need to start by putting their interests first.Provide value for others before expecting anything in return. Don’t go barging into some social media platform with nothing but your pitch — unless you like the sound of crickets. Instead, get to know your audience. Listen to them before you do much talking.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What problems are they facing?
- What do they need?
- How could I help make their lives a little easier right now?
- Who are they?
Depending on your niche, you might want to provide:
- Quick tips
- Educational materials
- Insightful studies and statistics
- Infographics
2. Engage with other users.
This one is essential if you’re going to accomplish the give-to-get approach we just talked about. After all, how are you going to learn what your audience wants if you never interact with them? Engaging with other professionals is also important for creating mutually beneficial relationships and picking up industry news and advice.
Take opportunities to introduce yourself and get involved. Making yourself known as a helpful, knowledgeable, and invested figure in the community is a central component of growing your network.
Here are some example opportunities to consider:
- Jump into a conversation
- Reply to posts (even if just to say you like or appreciate it)
- Respond to messages and comments you receive
- Join relevant communities (LinkedIn and Facebook Groups are ideal for finding your professional “tribe”)
- Get input or feedback and express gratitude to whoever gave it
- Endorse your peers and give recognition of their talents
3. Don’t make every post a pitch.
You’re not Billy Mays or a used car salesman, and your social media posts shouldn’t sound like you are. Even if you’ve already made connections and provided value, you don’t want to slip into the habit of always selling yourself to everyone.Your focus should be on communicating with your audience, not at them. Treat the conversation like you would any natural, personal communication with friends and colleagues in your day-to-day life.
If you bumped into a buddy at the store, you wouldn’t launch right into a pitch, loudly asking, “Have you been injured? If so, here’s my card. I can help.”
Even well meaning posts from law firms on social media can feel awkward, shallow, or tone-deaf. It’s okay to talk about what you do. Just remember to be a human.
4. Be yourself.
We know, “be yourself” is the kind of advice we’ve all heard so many times since childhood that it rings a little hollow. But when it comes to humanizing your social media, it’s central. It’s also especially worth emphasizing for attorneys, since the typical approach of keeping your distance can be an unwritten rule in the world of client confidentiality and professional mystique.
But social media is no place for mystique. Here, you want to foster human-to-human networking, and that means being the authentic person you are and giving your firm a personality your audience can relate to.
So interject a little of your personal life into the mix. You’re more than just an attorney, and social media is a great place to show that. Post about:
- Your firm culture
- Individual attorney and staff profiles (show a bit of your/their personal side)
- Community outreach activities
- Local happenings and your interactions
- Bring your pet to the office day
- And so on
You’ll also be handing out readymade icebreakers. Maybe a potential referral partner likes the same team you do, has kids of the same age as yours, or shares your golf handicap. That common ground will make it a lot easier for them to start a conversation with you.
5. Be patient.
When setting out to humanize your social media, the most important skill in your toolkit is patience. It can take time to introduce yourself and find your footing on social media. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t bring instant results.Listen to your audience, offer them value, and keep working at it. With time, you’ll find your way.
And if you’d like some backup, take a look at our done-for-you social media program for trial attorneys. Let America Know has helped attorneys all over the country humanize their social media channels and improve their reputation online. We’d love to help.