Why can’t my law firm operate without my constant presence? Will I ever be able to retire? Why can’t I even take a vacation without my laptop by my side? If these are the questions that keep you up at night, you’re probably looking for ways to streamline elements of your business so you can focus on what you love.
One way to save time and reduce burnout in your law firm is by subcontracting tasks that don’t have to be done by you—and that you don’t want to do yourself, anyway. For instance, I don’t personally use social media. You won’t find social media apps open on my phone. Yet, social media marketing remains the number one lead source for my consulting business and the legal firms I work with. We use it to nurture leads, build relationships, and stay in touch with customers. Facebook has, in fact, emerged as our number one source of revenue.
Erica Merrill, of Perfect Legal Video, offers strategies and tactics for generating leads and gaining visibility through social media while building a law firm that supports your lifestyle.
Types of Content You Can Create
Erica Merrill works exclusively with Richard James attorneys to create and distribute effective social media marketing across channels. Merrill focuses on organic content rather than paid marketing, using optimization and scroll-stopping content to gain visibility on social platforms.
She breaks content that most people are already using into several buckets, including:
- Blogs
- Videos
- Articles
- Testimonials
She also mentions types of content you should be sharing, such as:
- Inspirational quotes (watermarked with your brand)
- Expert interviews
- Video blogs (Vlogs)
- Infographics
- Video testimonials
- Video clips with music
Where to Post Content
The great thing about creating high-quality content is that you can use it everywhere, including your website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and even paid search or social media advertising.
There are three tenets to effective marketing. First, it’s crucial to get the right message. Then, deliver it through the right media, whether that’s through social media, the Web, TV, radio, SMS advertising, email, or more. Finally, you need to reach the right market with your message through these channels.
The Power of Groups in Facebook Marketing
Merrill and I discussed using Facebook groups to ensure you’re sharing your messages with the right market. The content in these groups should include information directly related to your value proposition, but should consist of non-related topics too. I liken this to small talk at a home sales party. For example, back in the days before internet selling, people would gather at a friend’s home for a Tupperware or make-up party. Seventy to 80% of the activities were based around helping the crowd get to know each other.
The bulk of your social media content should, similarly, focus on non-salesy, non-legal content that makes people feel comfortable and encourages them to share their stories. These “engagement” posts might ask a fun question, such as “What was the first concert you ever saw?” or even something as simple as “Dogs or Cats?” Inspirational quotes also fit the bill, helping your audience realize that you think like they do and relate to their challenges and dreams.
Final Tips to Build Your Brand on Social Media
Once you’ve got the right mix of content, targeted it to the correct audience and delivered it through the right channels, it’s time to build some momentum. If you want to tackle social media yourself, write a content schedule. Merrill recommends putting up posts manually at the time you want them to go live because social media algorithms may penalize those using third-party software to preschedule posts.
Whatever you can manage, create consistency. If you can only put up one post per day at 3 PM, be consistent with that schedule. Also, take some time each day to build your audience by sharing your group link and engaging and sharing information in other relevant groups.
Finally, make sure that relevant posts have calls to action to elicit a response from your audience.
If you’d like to ramp up your social media marketing efforts and don’t have time, it might be time to outsource your social media management. A lot of these tactics are manual and time-intensive to get the best results. You can work with a firm to develop a content schedule and the types of content you’d like to see and move forward, checking in to be sure the messaging is on time, on-brand, and going out to the right people.
Soon, you can be like me … delete your social media apps from your phone and watch your law firm grow organically while someone else puts in the time marketing for you.
Are you ready to take your law firm to the next level, positioning you for a life of personal and financial freedom? Click here to self-schedule an appointment and take a pivotal step towards growing your practice.