Attorneys looking to acquire more solid leads might be surprised to discover that potential clients consider their online image when deciding whether or not to call them to resolve a legal matter. Recently, we learned just how crucial it is for attorneys to have their online reputations airtight across as many channels as possible. This is because Google pulls information from several random sites where lawyers have reviews via schema.
You can read more about our findings on the importance of legal reviews here.
Next, we wanted to understand the relationship between lawyers and social media.
Is Social Media Engagement an Important Component of Legal Marketing?
To further our understanding of how consumers perceive lawyers they find online, we recently surveyed another 250 people. This time, we wanted to learn how a law firm’s social media presence influences people’s perceptions of their firm. In 2018, should lawyers pay attention to social media?
“On a scale 1-10, how important would it be for a LAWYER to be engaged on social media? (Meaning the lawyer has a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram account and posts consistently.)
The average response to this question was a 4.26, which means that the average person does not consider a lawyer’s social media presence as a significant influence in their decision to contact them. This contrasted starkly with a figure of 8.76 we got from people who deemed online reviews important.
We then asked the following question to learn which social media channels, if any, would be the most important for law firms willing to put effort into their social media presence:
“If you did care at all, which social media site(s) would be most important? Would it seem odd if a lawyer had no social media accounts whatsoever?”
Facebook: 135
Twitter: 51
LinkedIn: 33
Instagram: 7
By far Facebook stole the spotlight. This shows us that if you are going to spend time on social media promoting your law firm, Facebook is the way to go. Maintaining a company Facebook and posting consistently is worth it. Twitter is still somewhat relevant, as is LinkedIn. Instagram was perceived as the least relevant platform for attorneys.
Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that those surveyed were split on the part of the question asking whether it would seem odd for a lawyer to have no social media presence whatsoever. Many who responded with their idea of the best social media channel also stated that it wouldn’t seem odd if the lawyer didn’t have a social presence at all.
“On a scale 1-10, if some sort of social presence was important to you, how much would it affect your decision to hire them if they were engaged very actively on social media platforms? (Meaning that the lawyer shares blogs, company news, and legal information on social media?)”
The average response was 4.22. This figure does not include those who said they would find it odd for an attorney to have no presence. It is worth keeping in mind that while this isn’t a huge number that should cause you to scramble to create a full-scale social media campaign, some potential clients will care if you have an informative Facebook or Twitter page, along with a respectable following. Many different factors can affect your potential clients’ perception of your law firm, and social media is just one of them.
To improve your social media image, start with a Facebook page for your law firm. Post updates about your firm and any changes in the laws relevant to your area of law. You can also post blogs that provide information your clients might find helpful. Although you might not get a stream of leads from social, it helps to round out your professional and authoritative image online.
The ongoing digital revolution is transforming the way that all businesses interact with clients and customers. Consumers rely heavily on digital channels for researching products and services and expect to make buying choices with the swipe of a finger. For organizations that want to remain competitive, having a defined digital marketing strategy and execution plan is essential for successful outcomes. With a demonstrated history of creating and implementing strategic digital marketing initiatives that drive growth, I am committed to delivering real, measurable results for my clients.
