Should My Law Firm Be on TikTok? 4 Questions to Ask Before Adopting Any Social Media Platform

Ought to my legislation agency be on TikTok? What’s Threads? Is it too late to create a Fb web page for my legislation agency? Have you ever heard of that new platform, FriendFrame?

OK, FriendFrame doesn’t exist … but.

In line with American Bar Affiliation information, most legislation corporations (89%) have an current social media presence. Most corporations that use social media are on LinkedIn (87%) and Fb (62%), and a few third of corporations (38%) are on X, previously Twitter.

Whether or not you’re contemplating launching a social media account to assist your legislation agency’s shopper growth efforts or need to increase to new platforms, it’s important to contemplate how a social media platform would add worth to your agency’s advertising and marketing technique.

When assessing the effectiveness of a social media platform, just a few clarifying questions may help you determine whether it is definitely worth the time wanted to nurture an impactful social media presence.

Listed here are 4 inquiries to ask earlier than launching a social media account to your legislation apply.

1. What Is My Main Aim on Social Media, and How Will I Measure Success?

When defining your social media objectives, do not forget that the general public appears to social media primarily as a supply of connection, leisure and knowledge. In line with a latest survey, the highest causes folks use social media embrace conserving in contact with family and friends, filling spare time, and studying information tales.

Nonetheless, extra shoppers are additionally utilizing social media as a search engine: 31% use social media to search out solutions to their questions, and 15% choose to look on social media over conventional serps like Google or Bing.

Whereas “discover a lawyer” will not be listed as a prime social media search time period, particular person legal professionals and legislation corporations have the identical alternative as different entities to create and distribute content material that gives the data audiences are trying to find.  

For instance, your main objective could also be to extend consciousness of the companies your agency offers regionally and, subsequently, improve potential shopper inquiries. Or, maybe you’re hoping to place your self as a “authorized thought chief” who creates content material that provides a private perspective on authorized points within the information or educates fellow legal professionals on improvements in authorized apply.

Even when your reply is a little bit of each, it can assist inform what platforms you utilize (extra on this later) and the way you measure success.

Both means, outline clear metrics to assist decide in case your social media efforts assist your objective. Then, set up strategies for monitoring and evaluating these metrics. For instance, you might concentrate on excessive impressions in your posts (which can result in elevated model consciousness) or web site visitors originating out of your posts (which can result in extra lead technology).

Social media platforms present fundamental analytics, whereas instruments like Hootsuite, SproutSocial and Google Analytics can complement your information evaluation.

2. Is My Main Viewers on This Platform?

Almost each demographic has some illustration among the many 5 billion worldwide social media customers. Every of those customers engages with about seven social media platforms monthly. However what platform will assist you attain your objectives?

Some platforms, like TikTok (whose largest age group amongst its 900 million month-to-month customers is eighteen to 24 years outdated), could not instantly seem to be a match for an legal professional hoping to lift consciousness of their companies within the native enterprise group.

Nonetheless, numerous and area of interest communities of all ages, genders and backgrounds exist on most social media platforms. That’s why analysis is significant.

Let’s say you’re a lawyer trying to develop your agency, which focuses on enterprise formation, contracts, employment, and dispute decision. When researching potential social media platforms on which to have interaction, you might contemplate if the social media platform has an energetic group of small companies in your space, your native chamber of commerce or entrepreneurship-oriented teams. These organizations and their members could naturally assist your apply, so they’re ideally suited customers to start out following and interesting with.

You may also contemplate trying to find hashtags which might be used regionally (e.g., your metropolis’s identify) and filtering search outcomes to show solely native folks or organizations so you possibly can gauge the variety of customers in your designated viewers.

In case you are hoping to construct a extra education-focused thought management presence, contemplate trying to find trending matters and hashtags associated to the subject you wish to talk about (e.g., #LegalTech) to see if there are energetic discussions on the platform.

It might be harder to find out an rising platform’s viewers. Think about subscribing to a publication like Social Media At this time, which offers updates about new social media platforms.

3. What Sort of Content material Do Customers Need to See on This Platform?

In line with Hootsuite’s 2024 Social Media Client Report, which surveyed 6,026 folks aged 18–64 from the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia on social media preferences, 56% of customers stated they like content material that tells or teaches one thing new, 55% need content material that makes them snicker, and 47% choose content material that conjures up them.

Listed here are some examples of how legislation corporations are utilizing social media to do that:

West Coast Lemons (@westcoastlemons on TikTok), a lemon legislation agency in California, shares video content material on TikTok that’s related to its viewers: automotive house owners. The agency leverages content material on this matter to exhibit its legal professionals’ experience within the agency’s apply space with out instantly promoting their companies. Their movies embrace Q&As on essentially the most dependable vehicles, vehicles the staff would by no means purchase, latest automotive shopping for developments, and extra normal content material like leaping on the Lawyer Barbie pattern. The agency additionally features a disclaimer in its video captions that claims the content material is just not authorized recommendation.

Worth Benowitz LLP (@pricebenowitz on TikTok), a prison and private harm legislation agency in Washington, D.C., educates customers on finest practices for navigating issues like staff’ compensation instances and private harm claims by brief movies that includes agency legal professionals. It additionally humanizes its legal professionals and showcases workplace tradition by movies of workplace canines (“pawtners”) and worker outings.

The Regulation Workplace of Erin Wilson, a divorce and household legislation agency in Chicago, makes use of images in nearly all of its posts, which does nice on most social media platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Fb). The images are a mixture of infographics, testimonial quote graphics and seasonal components, that are used to coach readers on how the agency’s companies can cater to their lives. The agency additionally consists of images of the legislation agency’s workers participating in group occasions, illustrating a human facet of the agency and constructing credibility regionally.

4. What Content material Format Does Finest on This Social Media Platform (And Can I Create It)?

The way you format the content material you submit will depend upon every social media platform’s design and the content material you possibly can feasibly create together with your legislation agency’s sources.

In line with the 2024 Hubspot Social Media Traits Report, short-form video (or a video about 5 to 90 seconds in size) is the preferred format of posts amongst Gen Z, millennials and Gen X, usually, however particularly for TikTok and Instagram reels.

Nonetheless, lengthy movies and text- or photo-based posts may carry out nicely relying on the platform. For instance, on Fb, photograph posts earn essentially the most engagement; on LinkedIn, posts that embrace a query or an infographic usually earn essentially the most engagement.

Moreover, genuine and relatable content material sometimes outperforms extremely produced or overly promotional content material on social media. Whereas this is applicable broadly to social media, some platforms, like LinkedIn, could worth a extra skilled tone.

A Few Suggestions for Creating Content material

When you decide to becoming a member of a social media platform, decide the sources you’ll need to persistently create new, participating and informative content material to your viewers. Utilizing a content material calendar to make sure you have a plan for posting (a minimum of as soon as every week) will set expectations amongst your viewers and assist retain their following.

There are a number of easy instruments obtainable that allow you to create eye-catching graphics, edit movies, construct a schedule for social media posts, and assist thought technology for content material. Attempt Canva for graphic design, CapCut for video modifying, Hootsuite or SproutSocial for scheduling, and Google Traits and generative AI instruments like ChatGPT for thought technology. (Learn: “High AI Instruments for Authorized Entrepreneurs.”)

When you decide which you can’t decide to creating constant, participating content material but, you should still wish to “reserve” an area on the platform to your legislation agency.

Create a profile together with your legislation agency’s identify, and fill out the related fields with contact data, your web site and a brief description of your companies.

This manner, your data will probably be obtainable to those that use social media as a search engine, and your legislation agency username will probably be obtainable to you if you wish to start posting on that platform.

When you can efficiently reply the questions above, you will have the beginnings of a social media technique that may lay a strong basis for any platform you select to hitch.

The world of social media will proceed to evolve quickly, however staying true to your audience and objectives will assist you strategy every new platform with a constant, sturdy presence to your legislation agency.

Photograph by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

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