When it comes to Facebook marketing, Law firms look at the great promise of having thousands of people like their Facebook page but are invariably stumped when it comes to engaging with their newly found community. One lawyer who I was talking with recently was loathing the fact that she has to tell lawyer jokes to revive some activity on her page. There lies the stumbling block for lawyers! It isn’t so much the number of likes, but rather the depth of engagement with your firm’s Facebook community.
It’s a perennial problem for law firms, so you’re not alone! There are plenty of Facebook pages within the legal industry with awesome friends or fans but very little engagement.
Of course, with the emergence of social media, we were all focused on vanity metrics like the number of followers, likes, connections etc but as we’ve matured with these platforms, we’ve become to realize that having a devoted and engaged community of 500 people will run rings around a community of
The secret to creating engagement from your Facebook community has something to do with how you handle your content strategy. In this crash course, I’ll show you some techniques that you can implement with your own Facebook page to resuscitate it.
Blend your content with professional grade images. As lawyers, we’re problem solvers. Posting infographics that systematically take someone through a resolution process can be powerful.
Or share captured moments like gatherings, celebrations, winnings, and success.
Next, post some videos. Include client testimonials, introductory videos, trailers, community involvement activities and news coverage.
You know, people also love some sense of humor. So at least once in a blue moon, you can post something very human like a professional joke or something that will really make them laugh.
Remember don’t be too self promotional. Of course, it pays to balance everything so post a timely content or update such as news about a recent case.
Sometimes news like a weather update, events in your own community and local holiday celebrations is worth sharing.
Share a blog, which of course doesn’t necessarily have to be one that your firm has written. If you read a blog or a news update, which you think can be helpful to your audience, hit the Share button and let your audience see it. We recently worked with a firm whose social media strategy was solely based on sharing great, useful information with their community, the majority of which wasn’t content by the firm.
Don’t just post a status. Engaging your community by reaching out to them and hearing their opinion works well.
Another tip: If you’re presenting at a conference, let people know that upon your return, you will share your presentation and answer questions.
Also, it’s not a bad idea to put some emoticons and impart your emotion behind a post. We’ve all experienced emails that appeared blunt, but never intended to be.
Lastly, don’t forget to reply. Your community will be disappointed when they don’t receive feedback after asking questions.
Just a note. Talking about how to get more engagement in your Facebook is like talking about a good email campaign – it’s the same methodology! Great client-focused content, peppered with other helpful non-legal content that shows a different side to your firm!
Happy Facebooking!
