Social media plays a huge role in the business world today. So much so that a lack of a social media presence may be a bit of a red flag when potential clients consider which attorney to work with on their legal matter. 82% of North America is on social media. You don’t want to be in the minority.
If social media has fallen to the bottom of your priority list, fear not. Your friends at ARAG have gathered six best practices that can revitalize your online presence.
1. Give your social profiles a onceover.
Take a look at your various social media profiles, if they exist, and ask yourself one question: “What does my profile say about me?” This is a great opportunity to make sure your profile pictures are current – if not, you could schedule a photographer to update your firm’s headshots or ask your colleague to take a photo of you against a blank wall. Other key areas to update are your “About Me” sections.
This is your chance to tell your clients who you are – as an attorney and as a human. Strike a balance between professional and approachable, remembering that contacting an attorney can be intimidating to clients.
2. Sign up for new accounts, if needed.
After surveying your existing territory, think about whether you need to sign up for any new platforms. At minimum, we recommend you have:
- A LinkedIn account
- A professional Twitter account
And your law firm has:
- A LinkedIn business page
- A Facebook business page
If you’re starting from zero social media experience, that’s okay. There’s no time like the present to get set up.
3. Make some online friends.
LinkedIn (among others) is an amazing platform for networking. But finding peers also has other perks. Your peers can serve as a great source for post inspiration and, most likely, they’ll interact with your content, too!
Start by sending “follow requests” to people that are part of your bar and law practice. Then, branch out to fellow law school alums. From there, your support group will grow!
4. Set up a posting schedule.
Social media becomes less of a hassle once it’s part of your workday routine. Pull out your planner and find a couple open times per week to log in and click around.
Due to remote work environments becoming increasingly popular, more people are surfing the web during the workday. 64% of employees say they visit non-work-related websites every day while at work. And if they’re dealing with a stressful legal matter, they’re almost definitely surfing the web on company time to find assistance ASAP.
The best way to find natural lulls in your workday is by self-observing for a week and taking note of when your workload is lighter. Then, the week after, play around with social media during those lulls until it becomes another regular to-do list item.
Some people find it easiest to schedule social media posts ahead of time. This decreases the number of times per week that you have to log in. Not all social media platforms have this option, but there are some cost-effective scheduling tools out there if this option appeals to you, like Facebook Creator Studio and TweetDeck.
5. Show yourself!
One of the hardest parts of social media is deciding what to post. But visuals are tried and true success stories. Whether you want to share a relevant GIF, a short video, a picture of your work-from-home setup, or your morning commute, visuals and “unfiltered” content will help you stand out in the sea of attorneys. Being authentic goes a long way.
6. Be reactive.
There are many other great social media tips out there, but we’ll leave you with this one. The internet is full of other people. While it’s important to post original content, it’s also critical to reshare and interact with existing content, like other attorneys’ posts, news stories, etc. Social media has thrived for as long as it has because it facilitates an online community. And an online community can serve as a great addition to your business acumen!
