Law firms: Social with strategy

While many firms today leverage the major social media channels and provide links on their homepage, few show evidence of following a true social media strategy.

Too often the same content from a firm’s website – primarily from their news and insights section – is simply posted across all their active channels, and usually at the same time. Using social media to mirror website content is neither adequate nor effective, and does not qualify as a strategy.

The problem

Every social channel has a different type of relationship with its audience. A marketer needs to be sensitive to this when planning where and when to engage that audience – and with what type of messaging. A prospective business client does not engage with LinkedIn and Twitter in the same way they engage with Instagram and Facebook, for example. Videos are incredibly engaging – but there’s a big difference between YouTube and TikTok. Marketers should develop channel specific strategy that complement each other to form a single integrated social media strategy.

The great value of investing in a digital presence is the ability to measure the success of your strategy. Firms should be proactive in analysing data from their social media activities because engagement rates – as well as geographic and day/time information – can have dramatic impact on shaping, and reshaping, online tactics. Ultimately, it’s an extended exercise of ‘knowing your client’ – made easier with the digital tools and data available from each social channel.

Knowing what content your audience is looking for on a given social channel will confirm to them that you know them and care about care about their interests – something that’s fundamental to building a brand relationship. When there’s a lack of content differentiation between content on a website and on social channels, the firm is conveying a lack of understanding of the audience. Over the past two years, as social channel engagement has increased with all audience types, it’s been especially obvious that a poorly understood and executed social media strategy can do more harm than no social media strategy at all.

Clients and prospective clients all use social media as a touchpoint; seize these additional opportunities for connecting with a smart, well-thought-out game plan of how to express your brand. Don’t view social media as simply an extension of your website – recognise it as an important way to deliver specific types of relevant content to specific target audiences at the right times in the right places.

The solution

Speak to one of our law firm experts to find out how we can help your firm get strategic with social media. Contact Duncan Shaw in New York, Greg Hobden in London or Gigi Yung in Hong Kong.