With over half of the UK adult population using social networking sites, the power of social media as marketing tool is immeasurable – yet many legal services organisations still shy away from using social technologies. A study by Lexis Nexis reveals that the majority of new client leads in the US are generated online, and as client social media use increases, so too will the expectation that the legal profession embraces it as part of its working practices.
Law firms and barristers’ chambers sit on a goldmine of valuable marketing content which can be shared via social media. While other businesses might struggle to write interesting tweets or articles, lawyers and barristers are exposed to, and can generate, newsworthy content on a daily basis.
People are also genuinely interested in the content legal services professionals post online, with some chambers securing thousands of Twitter followers within a matter of months. So why are more chambers not putting this content to work?
As if this weren’t reason enough, few other businesses consist of individuals with such a great need for self promotion. A few tech-savvy firms have started to harness the collective need each person has to promote themselves, along with a strategy that helps promote the wider organisation. Working together, both the individuals and the organisation are positioned as experts and influencers in their chosen areas of law.
Social media can also help boost a website’s search engine ranking as Google takes into account the brand based conversations happening on social media platforms when ranking a website. The more ‘buzz’ created around a website, the better chance firms have of Google increasing their position in the search rankings.
So what are the benefits for law firms and barristers chambers?
Social media can:
- Harness the collective need for self promotion
- Position individuals as experts and influencers
- Market services and communicate with targeted audiences
- Increase search engine exposure
- Engage with clients and other professionals
- Facilitate social networking
- Engage in debate, share opinions and experience
- Drive traffic to your website
So which social media platforms should you focus on? We always recommend Twitter and Linkedin as starting points. With over 15 million UK users, Twitter is the perfect platform to market services, engage in debate, and position your barristers as experts in their fields. Linkedin, meanwhile, has substantial networking potential, as it allows users to search, connect and stay updated with the people, businesses and issues that matter to them. LinkedIn also operates groups which provide a place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to share content, find answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts.
In Conclusion
Adopting a social media strategy can ultimately help gain important web exposure which will improve your Google ranking and deliver more prospective clients.
Find out more about getting social media right in the digital marketing mix.
