Social media marketing for lawyers is used to attract potential clients by providing them with interesting and helpful information. From explanations of basic legal concepts to discussing public cases in your jurisdiction, there’s a lot that you can do that falls within your jurisdictional guidelines for social media marketing.
One current trend that you’ve likely noticed on Twitter and Facebook is the use of personalization to help potential clients get to know the lawyers. The real question is, does it work? And, if so, why does it work?
Maintaining Your Image
It’s almost impossible to keep your potential clients from finding your personal social media accounts. When potential clients look you up on Google, they’re going to find your firm’s website, “official” firm accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and they may even manage to find your personal accounts. Keeping your personal accounts private isn’t as easy as it sounds. A friend or follow request from a potential client could be accepted by you and a potential client could end up learning more about your personal life than you’d like.
Social media marketing for lawyers relies heavily on maintaining your image. For you, this means that your personal and your business social media accounts don’t conflict. This is important because the first things you must do is establish some level of trust with potential clients.
Adding a few personalized facts about you onto your business social media accounts can help potential clients learn more about you. In an article written by Megan Zavieh originally for Lawyerist.com, she gives examples of a few lawyers who personalize their accounts:
- Mentioning past times such as running, watching movies, yoga, and riding horses.
- Listing how many children or pets the lawyer has.
- Involvement in the legal community and the community at large.
Do You Have to Get Highly Personal with Potential Clients?
There’s nothing in social media marketing for lawyers that dictates how much (or how little) personal information you share with potential clients through social media. As you may have noticed from Megan’s article, lawyers who have children may talk about how many or how old their children are, but there’s no rule that says people need to know everything about your children or other family members.
You are free to choose to give out only basic information about yourself. Think for a moment about the types of questions you may ask at a conference or CLE to get to know someone. Think about the things people say on social media or face to face that draws you to want to learn more about them.
Why Personalize Your Social Media Profiles?
If potential clients are looking for an expert, why would you need to personalize your social media profiles? The answer is simple. While potential clients want an expert, they also want to feel a connection with their lawyer. They want that human connection. Displaying some of your personal interests or hobbies on your social media profiles is an easy way to help potential clients get to know you.
Does Personalization Work?
When it comes to social media marketing for lawyers, the bottom line is finding what works. Does personalization work? Referencing Megan’s article from Lawyerist.com, some lawyers who took this approach reported at TBD Law that their goal was to connect to their potential clients. One lawyer in St. Louis reported that he was hired by a potential client because of mentioning on his law firm bio that he goes camping with his family and is a volunteer.
Create the Connection
If you’re looking to bring in more clients, create the personal connection that people are looking to find. It could feel unnatural to you at first, but you may find that it is certainly worth the effort!