Small Law Firms

Social Media For Lawyers

Have a strategy lest you find yourself just hanging out on social media.

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Over the past year or so, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking on various podcasts, Instagram lives, and Facebook lives about marketing on social media. I love talking about social media marketing because it has a very low barrier to entry for most attorneys starting their practice. It’s also helpful for attorneys who cannot budget for expensive marketing companies and pay-to-play opportunities. I want to share four ways to start your social media marketing on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, or whatever the newfangled social media platform is out there.

  1. Find one social media platform you like. Start with a platform you use or know how to use. For example, I am not a TikTok user because it doesn’t make any sense to me. I’m unwilling to invest the time to understand the platform and because Instagram’s “reels” are very similar to TikTok, I don’t need to start a TikTok account to make short-form videos. So much of social media is understanding what you can handle. If it’s going to be a lot of work, don’t go there — at least not initially. It’s better to use a platform that you are familiar with and not reinvent the wheel and frustrate yourself at a very early stage.
  2. Go where your client goes. In addition to knowing how to use the platform, make sure you’re using a platform where you can find your ideal clients. If you market business contract negotiations, you might find yourself having more success posting about that on LinkedIn, where you find business decision-makers who need help with contracts. My friend, and business attorney, Laura Frederick does this so well.  For me, Instagram was a no-brainer because so much of who I initially started marketing to was a person like me: a woman, a mother, and a professional. I know that a person like me enjoys being on Instagram versus hanging out on LinkedIn. So, this meant that my ideal client would be able to see my posts and identify with the content that I was putting out on the gram.
  3. Track your success. So much of social media marketing is tracking whether your effort is yielding business in the way of clients, speaking opportunities, and referrals. If you are not tracking your progress in any way, you will not know what is going on — even if you think you do. Initially, I felt that curating the perfect post would generate so much business because I enjoyed it. But when I started tracking the numbers, they exposed the stark truth: I was only converting one to two clients a year! I needed to shift my strategy to something more quantifiable and beneficial to my practice. Similarly, have a strategy lest you find yourself just hanging out on social media; there’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t call it marketing.
  4. Be consistent. Many lawyers are nervous to start social media because they are on too many platforms, don’t know what to post, and aren’t consistent when they do post. This is a perfect opportunity to set a metric. For example, I have a goal of posting 90 pieces of content each month. Ninety pieces, you might ask? Isn’t that overkill? The reason for doing this is that the algorithm will shoot out your content at various times during the day, and it is very likely that if you choose to post once a week or once a month, no one will ever see your content. If you make a goal to post three times a day, you could have opportunities for your ideal client to see your content once or multiple times a day — if they are on that day. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to create 90 pieces of content; this means that you can share other people’s content, share stories, make video content, and repurpose blog articles. The magic is in using what you already have and putting it out in the most efficient way. Please take a peek at some of my examples on my Instagram page and my Instagram stories.

If you are interested in social media marketing but aren’t intentional about your strategy, now is the perfect time to start. Pick the platform where your ideal client hangs out and post! (On IG, tag me — @iffyibekweesq — and I’ll give you feedback!) Remember to be consistent and frequently post because nobody sees your social media content if you only post once a month.

Here are some examples of lawyers who are engaging and killing it when it comes to social media marketing:

Instagram

R.J. Pierce

Amy Dunn

Sponsored

TikTok

Elisabeth Pickle

Michelle Murphy

Facebook

Allison Williams

Sponsored

Brita Long

Would you mind letting me know your thoughts? I love talking about marketing especially. If you have any questions or want to know more about me, hit me up at iffywrites@ibekwelaw.com.

Iffy Ibekwe is the principal attorney and founder of Ibekwe Law, PLLC. She is an estate planning attorney evangelist for intergenerational wealth transfer with effective wills and trusts. Iffy is writing her first book on culturally competent estate planning, available in 2022 (prayers up!). She graduated from The University of Texas School of Law and has practiced law for over 14 years. Iffy can be reached by email at iffywrites@ibekwelaw.com, on her website, and on Instagram @thejustincaselawyer.

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