Social Media | ApricotLaw

The 5 Most Effective Social Media Tactics for Law Firms

Posted on July 23, 2015December 20, 2023 by apricotlaw

When you’re running a law firm, you already know that you need an awe-inspiring, responsive website and a well-rounded blog. You probably know, too, that you need an effective social media strategy.

There’s just so much to worry about, though. There are thousands of books, eBooks and webpages written on the “best” ways to make social media work for you – but the problem is that by the time they’re published, the information in them is stale or has been proven ineffective.

There are Internet marketing techniques that cross over into the social media realm, though, and those are timeless. When you consider the huge shift toward personalizing the Internet, you’ll understand why these are the five most effective social media tactics for law firms.

Share photos of yourself and your team. You need to put faces to the brand – and not the stern, frowning faces you see on many attorneys’ websites. You need professional pictures that make you look approachable because that’s what makes people want to work with you.
Build relationships. Comment on other business pages, share content that your users will enjoy, and absolutely always respond when people comment on your social media statuses.
Forget all the legal jargon and be conversational.Be authentic when you post on social media, and use terms that your potential clients can understand. It humanizes your firm and makes people feel as if they can connect with you.
Ask questions. The key is asking questions that your audience knows the answers to –and questions they want to answer. A great example is by drawing attention to a current event and then asking, “What do you think?”
Make sure every post you create includes an image.Posts with photos get 53 percent more “Likes,” 104 percent more comments and 84 percent more click-throughs, according to Kissmetrics.

The most important thing to remember is that the key to social media is the “social” part. If you stand on the sidelines and never join the conversation, everyone will forget that you’re there. This is your opportunity to join the conversation – and even better, tolead it.

People can use your social media accounts to get to know your firm… and when they know your firm by name, you’ll be foremost in their minds when they need you.

Is Your Law Firms Facebook Page Working Against You

Posted on July 21, 2015 by apricotlaw

Thousands upon thousands of law firms have Facebook pages, but is the effort really worth anything? Sure, they have more than 1 billion users all over the planet, and millions across the U.S. log in every day… but what are they getting out of it?

Actually, it doesn’t matter what they’re getting out of it. What are you getting out of your Facebook page?

If you said, “Nothing,” you wouldn’t be alone. Most lawyers don’t leverage Facebook to their benefits. Even worse, some let Facebook work against them.

How Can Facebook Hurt Law Firms?

We all know that when it comes to hiring a lawyer, it’s all about reputation and trust. If your Facebook page isn’t building that between potential clients and your attorneys, then it’s working against you.

You can have a “Like” button on your firm’s website, but that’s not what matters.

What matters is engagement.

In order to maximize engagement, you have to make sure that you consider everything you post carefully. Remember that your audience comprises potential clients and that you need to target their interests – not your own. (Never, ever use your personal Facebook page for your law firm. There’s just too much risk involved when it comes to personal viewpoints.)

Can Facebook Be Good for Law Firms?

Like anything that encourages people to engage with your firm, Facebook can be a spectacular addition to your online marketing plan.

In order to make Facebook work for your firm, it’s essential that you post often. If you can, try to stay on top of the news that relates to your practice areas and be the first to share it – the sooner you share fresh news, the better.

Don’t forget to use appropriate hashtags. Although they’ve been slow to pick up on Facebook (they’re far more popular and a bit more useful on Twitter), hashtags are still gaining momentum.

Other tips from the pros include:

Always using images with your posts. Facebook is a highly visual medium, and posts with photos receive far more engagement than those without.
Don’t task just one person in the firm to manage all of the Facebook interaction. You can always hire out the task, as well.
Make sure your brand identity is clear on every aspect of the page, including within the URL.
Use a great cover photo.
Optimize your “About” section to include descriptions of your services to help potential clients.
Share every blog post on your Facebook page. (Why would you have a Facebook page and neglect to use it?)

The bottom line, though, is that Facebook is about engagement and relationship building. Don’t just share your own links. Instead, follow the 3-2-1 rule:

3 of your posts should be shared from other pages.
2 of your posts should be a commentary on posts shared from other pages.
1 of your posts should promote your own services and firm.

Your Facebook page can work for your law firm, not against it… as long as you have a clear objective in mind each time you log in.

Internet Marketing Stats for Lawyers

Posted on July 6, 2015December 21, 2023 by apricotlaw

If you’re an attorney, you have competition. Whether you’re up against a “do-it-all” firm in a small town or you’re battling to establish yourself among well-known, reputable firms in a big city, it’s a safe bet that there’s another lawyer or another firm who wants to take all the cases.

So how do you come out on top?

By knowing and understanding the latest Internet marketing statistics for lawyers.

What Internet Marketing Stats do Lawyers Need to Know?

There’s no shortage of Internet marketing statistics, but separating what applies to you from what applies to other businesses is tough. Here’s the breakdown for lawyers:

The average ROI on email marketing is $44.25 for every $1 spent. You just need to know what to send – and when to send it – in order to bring in business.
Companies that blog get 97 percent more links to their websites. When you publish content that engages your readers, they’ll link back to you – and that’s an essential part of ranking highly in the search engine results pages, or SERPs.
By 2017, video will dominate consumer Internet traffic, making up nearly 70 percent of it. We all know video is extremely engaging, and that’s because it adds a human touch. Internet users are steadily shifting toward mobile platforms, and it’s tough to find a phone that won’t play video online these days.
Within 5 years, consumers will most likely have 85 percent of their interactions with a business without even interacting with a human. Only the remaining 15 percent will be the in-person, face-to-face contact we’re all accustomed to now.

How Do These Internet Marketing Stats Apply to Attorneys?

These statistics lay out a roadmap for your success. As the entire population shifts toward digital interaction, it’s important that you know how to give your online presence a “human” touch. You have to adapt to what consumers want, and while listing your firm’s accomplishments and accolades on a website was good enough in 2005, it’s not now… and that means changing the way you present your firm online.

“What is My Law Firm Doing Wrong?”

If you’ve been busy growing your practice and focusing on your cases, you’re not alone. Fewer than 37 percent of businesses have a modern, adaptable Internet marketing strategy.

Let us evaluate your online presence. All you need to do is claim your free website audit video from ApricotLaw and we’ll tell you what you’re doing right, what’s okay and what’s standing in the way of your success.