Are You “Hiding” Online? Why This Can Hurt Your Law Practice
Most attorneys today understand the importance of online visibility, and the place social media has in their legal marketing efforts—they’re blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, YouTubing and LinkingIn.
However, there are attorneys who engage on social media, but fly under the radar by keeping their profiles and communication set to private. This could maintain your client base a few years ago (barely), but in today’s social eCommerce world, this is a fatal law firm marketing mistake.
Is your law firm hiding online? Here is why you can’t afford to keep a low social profile, and why your social networks need to be kept in the public eye.
Private Settings Open Doors To Your Competition
Keeping your social profiles set to private, or discouraging users to easily access your profiles, can adversely affect business development and send leads directly to your competition.
If potential clients can’t access your social pages without having to first sign up for your account or complete other tasks, they’ll likely move on to another law firm that is immediately accessible and more user-friendly.
Private Settings Are Not a Shield
Private settings are not intended as a way to shield bad content. If you’re unsure of the quality of content you’re providing, allowing users to read through your blog, tweets, and other posts can produce comments and feedback of where you’re doing great, and areas that might need improvement.
Exposing Your Firm Builds Trust
When users can publicly connect with you on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, this builds interest and trust in your firm. You’re showing users you’re not a guarded, unapproachable practice that’s only available to a select few.
Multiple Public Networks Can Increase Conversions
Multiple public networks provide users with multiple ways to find you online—and ways to share your profile(s) with others. Post links where you can, and let people know they can access your blog posts via RSS, Twitter, or Facebook; they can download your videos on YouTube, or check out your pictures on Instagram. This will increase your fan base, and help turn potential clients into real ones.
Public Online Visibility Boosts SEO
Increasing your online exposure through social media can help your firm’s ranking on search engines. By linking your public social accounts from your website (and vice versa), you boost SEO all the way around.
Plus, public social accounts can create traffic when promoted through email campaigns, press releases, even business cards.
Why Social Media is Critical to Your Marketing Strategy
Attorneys are finally recognizing what the rest of the business world has already embraced:
Integrating social media into your lawyer marketing strategy can help attract new clients, grow your legal brand marketing, and significantly improve your search ranking on Google. In the past, referrals were only shared by word of mouth—now sharing has become Facebook “likes” and Twitter retweets.
But, developing and implementing a robust social media campaign takes a great deal of time, effort and know-how. Many people claim to be “social media gurus,” but don’t trust your online reputation to just anyone.
The head of our social media team built from scratch Entrepreneur magazine’s social media program, which now has 300,000+ Facebook and Twitter followers. We know what kind of content works best to gain maximum exposure and the best times throughout the day to share that content.
With packages ranging from basic Facebook and Twitter upkeep, to full-service social web management, we have the right package available to fit your social media needs and budget.
What you can expect from a quality social media campaign:
- Increased client loyalty. When utilized correctly, tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ help boost your online reputation and build community around your brand. An effective social strategy can instantly set you apart from the sea of competition.
- Improved search engine ranking. High levels of social activity show search engines that you’re authentic, engaged and valuable to searchers. Social shares can trigger the freshness portions of Google’s algorithm, giving you a temporary boost in rankings
- Increased traffic to your website. Think of social media as a megaphone. Properly socializing your website content will get it in front of the right people and send them back to your site for more information. Social media can help you grow your client base.
- Improved credibility. Surveys show that people tend to trust organizations and brands that regularly engage with clients through social media outlets. It gives your law firm a personal touch that people can relate to.
Still think social media isn’t a critical part of your overall attorney marketing strategy? Think again.
It turns out, social media lead conversion rates are 13 percent higher than the average lead conversion rate.
Lawyers are in the relationship business. Building strong relationships with consumers or businesspeople in need of legal services — and with prolific referral sources — is how lawyers thrive.
Social media allows you to project your relationship-building efforts across large groups instead of one-by-one. Social media will not replace your individual relationship-creation efforts, but it can tremendously magnify them. This enhancement is especially important in these days of reduced demand for legal services. As traditional methods of generating clients decline in effectiveness, social media can help fill the gap.
How specifically do you as a lawyer build relationships using social media? By sharing your expertise. This approach accomplishes multiple goals:
- You draw readers interested in the legal services you are explaining
- You demonstrate your competence
- You move readers forward along the signup path
When it comes time to retain counsel, prospects who have been reading your social media posts for months are unlikely to shop, are less price sensitive, and are already educated about the basics.
Don’t let these high-quality clients go elsewhere just because you are hesitant to take the plunge into social media
Click here to check out our social media management services for attorneys.
We do social media
We can handle the social media efforts for your law firm. To read answers to frequently-asked questions about our social media service, click here.
To receive a proposal tailored to your specific goals, and to get 20% off your first month of service, contact Ryan Contreras today at rcontreras@JamesAttorneyMarketing.com or 714-755-2938 and mention this blog post.
For more information on how social media can catapult your legal marketing, check out our webinar, or simply get a hold of us. We’re here to help!
Learn how our social media marketing services can boost leads to your legal practice.
