Law Firm Marketing Agency
Setting up profiles on popular social media platforms is something we recommend to virtually all firms.
Law firms often ask us how they can best leverage the audience and reach of social media, or put more bluntly, if social media is “worth it”. While the answer varies greatly depending on firm goals, advertising budgets, and practice areas, there are some basics that should be put into place and serve as a great starting point for any future efforts.
The Value of Social Media Profiles
Setting up profiles on popular social media platforms is something we recommend to virtually all firms. The primary reason has little to do with social media itself, and more to do with reputation management in search engines. If you search for your firm online, you will most likely see social media profiles on the first page of results. Facebook and LinkedIn tend to be seen most frequently, but it is not unusual to see other social networks among the results. Also, links to social media profiles are often included in your firm’s Google Knowledge Panel. Ensuring that you have control of as much of the first page as possible is beneficial whether your firm relies on referrals or online lead generation.
It is also important to create profiles to ensure accuracy. We do occasionally hear from firms that they would rather not have exposure on social networks, but unfortunately, this is unavoidable. Even with no direct interactions, Facebook will create pages for businesses. This is also the case with Yelp, Google, and others. Creating the profile yourself ensures the accuracy of your firm’s information and avoids potentially inaccurate details from a data broker being visible to your clients.
Finally, it is helpful to have firm social media profiles as a starting point for other marketing efforts. Building and cultivating a social media presence can be advantageous since it allows attorneys to demonstrate expertise and engage with their local community of potential clients. There may also come a time when a firm will want to try social media paid advertising, in which case the existence of established profiles makes setup easier.
Creating Social Media Profiles
Setup varies between platforms, but setting up social media platforms is generally a straightforward affair. We recommend having a professional design images for the profiles as image sizes vary between platforms. This should be a one time cost and relatively affordable. Having attractive profiles that match the look and feel of a firm’s website helps reinforce your brand and creates a consistent professional image. When the design is completed, additional information and content can be added to complete the profiles.
Once you have created a profile, it is also a good idea to make sure it has some level of activity. We recommend posting new content from your firm’s website as a great way to expand the reach of that content and keep profiles fresh without being too much of a burden on the firm. It should also be noted that some platforms allow for reviews so including them in review monitoring is wise.
Moving Forward
Following the above advice will help establish your firm’s social media presence and is a productive step in nearly all cases. It can also serve as the basis for more advanced efforts should you choose to devote more resources to social media. It’s unlikely that all social networks will be worthy of a significant time investment. For this reason, identifying which platforms see the most audience engagement from desirable potential clients is a great way to focus and guide your efforts.