Social Media is often viewed by attorneys as just that—social—not a valuable tool for attracting and engaging with potential new clients. It’s also confusing with so many channels to choose from (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and it takes so much time and effort to maintain that many attorneys simply abandon the idea. Ultimately it is all about lead generation and ignoring social media can be a big mistake. The solution is to allocate enough time and resources to stay current with a few powerful platforms. Dabbling and changing from one to the next frequently will lead to overwhelm and abandonment.
Facebook with over 1 Billion users is pretty hard to overlook as a place to connect with average consumers that may need help with a personal injury case or divorce. There are so many ways to promote, share, connect and target your ideal client. LinkedIn is another powerful platform for connecting with business-minded consumers and allows you to actively join discussions in groups.
We are all familiar with YouTube—don’t underestimate the power of attorney video to show off your firm in new ways and to help get found by search engines hungry for unique media beyond articles and blog posts.
Here are 4 simple steps to get started:
- Make sure you have a dedicated landing page that is completely separate from your website. It should only speak to the exact type of client you are trying to reach and you must have a specific page for each niche you are trying to reach.
- Offer something of value on the landing page. This is called a “lead magnet”, and for good reason, people are always interested in something for free and it really helps gain that first step of engagement. It can be a free article on what to do if you are in a car accident or how to navigate the Social Security Disability system, the list is as endless as the types of legal problems people find themselves in.
- Drive traffic to the page through your selected social media platform. It can be through a newsworthy post or paid advertising. There are so many ways you can create buzz and clicks to your landing page through the various features offered. If you are using paid ads, take some time to look at all of the powerful targeting features. Spending money without targeting is one way that social media gets a bad name!
- Once people find your landing page and get interested in your lead magnet, they are asked to fill out a very brief contact form. Now you have a name, email address and maybe even their phone number. They have expressed interest in a specific area of law and they have been exposed to your firm’s identity. The next step is to follow up with them! When you connect with visitors to your landing page, you qualify them to see if they are a good prospect for you and then offer them a complimentary consultation (if that’s part of your business model) or invite them to sign up for your monthly newsletter to keep in touch with them.
With millions of people in the US connected via social media, it deserves a long look as a powerful lead generation tool in your marketing arsenal!