7 biggest mistakes that law firms make on social media
Social media can be complicated to get your head around if you don’t have an understanding of how it now works. I find many law firms make the basic mistakes which means they aren’t building an engaged community and really get no traction for the effort they put in.
So, what are the biggest issues law firms make on their social media.
- Not having a clear plan
Often when I ask the question to law partners about why they want to use social media, the response is “because I keep being told I need to or our competitions are using it so we should to”. They rarely have a clear objective or know what they actually want to achieve.
Having a clear plan will help you to establish who you are talking to, what channels to use, what content to share and when. Otherwise you will be like a dog chasing its tail – getting nowhere but spending plenty of time running in circles.
- Too much legal jargon and industry talk (that no one but other lawyers understands)
This is a big one. As a lawyer you know the law and you likely use a lot of legal jargon and terms in your everyday language. But this should not be translated onto your social channels, particularly if you are not talking to other lawyers. I saw a recent example of a leading lawyer who is fantastic at what she does for her clients however her post made little sense to a non-lawyer and I was left scratching my head trying to figure out what she was actually trying to say. It was so clever it made no sense
Leave the legal jargon for your briefs, not for your social media channels. Keep the language simple and relatable.
- All about YOU content
Another big mistake is filling your feedback with content that is all about you. I hate to say it, but your audience doesn’t actually care about you. they care about the solution you can provide to them so the content should actually be all about them, not you!
It is Ok to have some posts sprinkled throughout your feed that celebrate you but 80% of them should be about your target audience needs.
- Content is not consistent
If you want to play on social media, you need to be consistent and active. You cannot post 3 things today then leave it for 2 months and think your fans are going to see the content or even remember you. Just like losing weight, to get results you need to do the right things consistently ie: exercise and eat less calories.
Consistent quality content is what the algorithms like and it will keep you top of mind with your target audience too.
- Not enough followers to make an impact with organic posts
On social media there is this thing called organic reach and it refers to the number of people who will see your post on your page without any sort of ads to help it reach more people. Organic reach on Facebook in particular is really low (less than 5%) and the other channels are following suit as they focus on driving ads in order for you to reach your audience.
Be prepared that if you have a low number of fans eg: 200 then your posts won’t be seen by many so don’t expect to see high number of likes. You need to have realistic expectations.
6. Relying too much on social media
Social media is not the holy grail. It is only one part of the marketing equation. It should be treated as a touch point that can increase your visible and drive traffic to your owned channels. Remember you do not own your social media channels, you only rent them. Your page is a rented space on Facebook, and they can and do change the rules to play there constantly.
Don’t treat putting posts on your page or running Facebook ads as the marketing saviour to end all your problems and have clients banging down your door.
- Content that is BORING and totally unengaging – hit the snooze button!
The content on your LinkedIn profile or social media pages is what makes your target audience stop the scroll. If it doesn’t appeal to their burning issues or is relatable then they keep on scrolling.
Many people don’t find law interesting, so it is up to you to create content that doesn’t put your audience to sleep. They do not want to read case notes or long blogs full of legal ease. They only want to look at content that is easy to consume and helps them solve their particular issue.
Remember there are rules to using social media effectively. It is no longer just about posting stuff about your firm and expecting a response. You need to create two way conversations, share quality content that educates and adds value and have a consistent presence on the right channels.
If you put your audience to sleep then how can they do business with you?
How many of these mistakes are you making?
