The heads of legal practices in the UK sometimes struggle to understand the nature of social media and they are reluctant to use them as a resource. A recent study revealed that a 100% of the UK’s top ten law firms recognize technology as the vital challenge they’d have to face in the next couple of years. Additionally, 82% of the top ten law firms in the UK think that cyber threats are a major concern when approaching social media marketing. However, it is evident that the presence of online networking platforms can help law firms acquire new clients and create a closer relationship with regular customers. Below Helen Cox, a highly-experienced, CIM-qualified (Chartered Institute of Marketing) marketing consultant with MCIM status, explains why law firms shouldn’t fear embracing social media.
Social media improves the quality of communication with new clients
The content you share on your social media accounts should be aimed at helping others get the information they need. You can answer their questions, share informative articles or retweet posts shared by influential law firms. Moreover, posting new content regularly and replying to all inquiries in a timely manner is a reliable way of increasing the number of social media followers.
Reaching new customers is probably the biggest upside of having an account on Twitter, Facebook or any other major social network. Even though your marketing messages can reach a large number of people through social media channels, this doesn’t necessarily mean that your law firm’s conversion rates are going to be soaring. Combining several techniques during an online marketing campaign will improve your chances of converting views into long-term collaborations. Social media platforms are just tools that offer an easy way to establish communication with new clients and maintain or improve communication with clients who already used the services your law firm provides.
Reaching new customers is probably the biggest upside of having an account on Twitter, Facebook or any other major social network.
The social networks are the future
Choosing the right social media channel to promote a legal practice can be difficult because there are so many different options available. Solicitors and all other legal practitioners shouldn’t choose their online marketing strategies randomly, because promoting a law firm on a social network designed for entertainment is not going to produce the desired result. That’s why adopting a social media policy and developing an online marketing strategy is going to provide the members of your team with clear guidelines and enable them to do a better job.
As the numbers of social media users continue to rise, law firms have to adapt and accept that nearly all of their clients use social networks in one form or the other. The potential for increasing annual revenues social media offer is too big, because a Twitter account or Facebook page can put a small local law firm on a global market.
Educate your clients
Even though a number of rules limit the type of content legal practices can share on social media, there are still numerous ways to establish a connection with your customers. Sharing educational content or a personal opinion about a certain legal issue may assist you in positioning your firm as a thought leader in a particular area of law.
Despite concerns some law firms in the UK have about using social media for promotion of their services, platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook can help them remain competitive on the market.
However, openly soliciting clients through social media channels is not considered the best practice, since offering your services in a more discrete and informal manner can produce better results. Each time you reply to a message on social media you’re potentially creating a lawyer-client relationship, which makes online interactions with clients very important. Gather as much information as you can about the client and the nature of the issue at hand, before agreeing to a formal meeting.
Despite concerns some law firms in the UK have about using social media for promotion of their services, platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook can help them remain competitive on the market.
