If your firm isn’t on social media, you’re missing a HUGE opportunity to get in front of your audience. It’s where practically everyone is hanging out (and your competitors are getting in front of them right NOW). If you’ve heard any marketer talk about social media, they have likely said that success equals engagement. While that isn’t completely true (especially for law firms), the organic growth of your social platforms is heavily driven by how much engagement you get.
So what are firms that deal with heavy subjects like divorce, wrongful death, bankruptcy, and more to do? After all, you can safely assume that the general public isn’t going to openly engage with content like that on a public forum because they don’t want people to see (or think) that they’re going through something like that.
The key is content balance.
Whether you help people deal with serious matters like divorce or you’re doing something else like helping entrepreneurs launch a business, you still need to balance your social media content with other items that get peoples’ attention. Yes, you should still share blog articles, videos, and podcast episodes that address your area of expertise, but it needs to be balanced with other types of content.
Before we share what those other types of content are, heed this very important piece of advice: Do NOT treat your social media timeline like a billboard. You don’t have to include your phone number in every post. You don’t have to upload the same graphic every time. And you certainly don’t have to have a CTA to book a call with your firm in every post.
Instead, you want to be an active participant in the social media community. Share helpful content. Humanize your firm. Show your audience that you’re just like them, and that you’re helping people navigate the legal issues they face.
Now that you understand the reason for having a balance of content, here are X ideas for other content types that can encourage people to engage with your page.
In addition to the blogs you post that direct back to your website, supplement your content with articles from other sites. For example, sites like Divorcedmoms.com or Psychology Today often have great content that relates directly to a family law practice. This shows your audience that you’re providing helpful information and aren’t just looking for your next retainer.
People love a good quote. It’s even better if you use a free program like Canva to create a social media–friendly graphic to provide some extra eye catching pop.
Don’t roll your eyes at this one! Millennials and Gen Z’ers have practically invented a new way to communicate with memes. You post an image or graphic with a relatable caption, and if it hits home with someone, they’ll drop a like or a comment about how much it relates to them.
For example, a law office can post the popular GIF from Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave where he repeatedly says “You sure about that?” with the caption “Anytime a prospect says they want to represent themselves.”
It’s silly, but people enjoy those sorts of things.
Show people what life is like in your firm! Obviously you can’t share recordings of client meetings, but you can create a quick video showing a “day in the life.” Share bios or fun facts about people on your team. If you’re out in the community on a team activity or sponsoring a local event, post photos!
Thanks to the way social media algorithms work, when the platform sees that your page is getting engagement, it realizes that you’re providing good content that people are interested in, which means it will organically show your other posts to more people. In other words, when that picture of “Bring Your Dog to Work Day” got several comments, it told the algorithm to share future content with those same people, who will likely then see the blogs or videos you post about the actual legal help you provide.
It’s a long game that requires consistency and momentum. The truth is that you likely won’t go viral (and that shouldn’t be your goal in the first place). Instead, build a system to post consistently. Ideally, you’d post something every day, and if you pair the four types of engagement–grabbing posts with other content from your firm’s website, you’ll have no shortage of content to share!
