Social media is great for being social, but it can be difficult to see how utilizing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter will pay off for your law firm. Sure, you may get a lot of “likes” or followers, but does that translate to new business?
Part of your marketing strategy should be about maximizing quality, increasing online entry points, as well as stepping back and looking at the big picture. Below we offer five steps to make this year the year that social media pays off big.
1) Set Goals
Goal setting is part of owning a business. Goals help you focus your efforts and help you to grow. Using social media is no exception. Where do you want to take this? Your goals can range from simple things like, drive more traffic to your website, or increase the number of downloads of a free resource, to things that are bigger in scope like, get more requests for consultations, or create brand awareness.
This is most easily done by posting items relevant to your community. Like informing people of local events as they might relate to your business or commenting on all the ways you’re involved around town and how your followers can also get involved. Posts don’t have to be just about your office and services – social media can help you to develop a personality for your business.
From here it’s goal setting 101: every post you create needs to help accomplish one or more of your social media goals.
2) Create a Schedule
With goals it’s always a good idea to start big and work down. Make a calendar of the year that includes all industry events, local events like festivals or speakers, expected changes, and holidays. You could also take note of public awareness months that connect closely with your business or community (like breast cancer awareness in October).
Once you have the calendar you can draft the posts for the year so that they are ready to go when the time comes. In addition, you can use the calendar to create themes – either monthly or weekly – that can also be prepared ahead of time. For example, a bankruptcy firm might focus on tips for paying down debt in one month, and how to negotiate your interest rates in another month.
3) Engage With Your Audience
Social media is performing optimally when you are using it to create two-way dialogues between you and your audience. Think of it these platforms as client service tools and allow the space to be used for suggestions, complaints, or inquires and then respond quickly and positively. Don’t be afraid of the negativity. Others will see how you are responding and learn that customer service is important to you. When you take care of someone, then others will be more likely to feel that you’ll take care of them.
If someone has a great experience and they are willing to share it, post it on social media. Thank your supporters regularly and you’ll start to build a sense of community around your brand.
4) Maintain Momentum
We focus on Inbound Marketing strategies and one of the key elements of this strategy is high quality content. You have to keep the content fresh and you have to use it to connect with people. Social media isn’t really any different. To attract new followers and keep your existing ones, you need to keep your presence felt and keep it relevant. All the tips in the world won’t help you meet your goals if you don’t keep pushing yourself and your business and putting yourself out there.
5) Focus on Quality Over Quantity
Having just 100 followers who actually read and share your content with their own circles is preferable to 1,000 who follow you and are never seen again. When you focus on high quality original content and build a high quality following, those followers will pay it forward by sharing on their own blogs and social media platforms.
This generates new entry points for search engines to find your business through a keyword search. And if you think about it, there is no end to how those entry points could continue to grow. It all starts with you and your ability to share yourself in a meaningful way via social media.
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