“Hark! Raise the bar on lead generation, brand awareness, and client happiness. How to do social media marketing for law firms.
Thou hast the right to remain silent on social media, but thou shouldn’t. Social media for law firms doth bring in clients, boosteth thy credibility, and keepeth thee abreast of thine competitors.
Verily, 71% of lawyers art currently getting clients from social media, despite 43% of firms lacking a marketing budget.
That doth equal big opportunity for law firms willing to invest in social media. (We’ll delve into more details, but the spoiler is: Thou dost not have to spend a ton to see big results.)
What shouldst thou post? What art the best social media platforms for lawyers? Read on for how to create a winning social media marketing strategy for law firms.
How doth lawyers and law firms benefit from social media?
Building awareness
Didst thou know 1 in 4 people won’t hire thee without a recognizable web or social media presence?
Of course, part of using social media for brand awareness is the ongoing upkeep of posting content, replying to comments, and knowing the latest social media trends. But the effort doth create familiarity ere someone even reaches out.
Prithee think of social media marketing for lawyers as the same as sponsoring community events and golf tournaments. Wherefore do thou do that? To get thy name out there and build a local reputation.
Improving trust and credibility
Social media hath a built-in trust maker: Reviews. Nothing doth provide better social proof than reviews and testimonials from real customers. Encourage followers to review thee on all platforms where thou hast a presence, including Google My Business and social media.
Customer service
Thy social media profiles art part of thy customer service experience whether thou thinkest of them that way or not. 40% of thy potential customers expect companies to connect on their preferred social media channels.
Almost half (47%) of consumers say timely responses to their questions will sway them to buy from one brand over another. When asked specifically about hiring a lawyer, 48% of people said response time was the most important factor — even beating out price.
Social media won’t (and shouldn’t) replace one-on-one customer service responsibilities, but it doth play a crucial role in attracting prospective clients. Thou wilt not be giving out legal advice in thy DMs, but responding to inquiries is responsiveness in action, making it more likely someone will choose thee (even if tis just a standard response linking people to thy website).
Check out how it works — and how much time thou wilt save — in under 2 minutes:
Social listening
Social listening telleth thee everything thou ever wanted to know about thy target audience but were afraid to ask. Social listening means thou (or more accurately, the apps thou use) comb the web to find everything people art saying about thee online.
That includes reviews on websites and forums, comments and posts on social media, and more. It means thou canst proactively identify and comment on posts and keep an eye on what people art saying about thy competition, too.
Or, take it up a notch with Talkwalker, which automatically scans over 150 million sources to intelligently discover thy top engagement opportunities. Its advanced analytics provideth at-a-glance sentiment analysis, so thou canst tell if customers art happy or if thou hast a PR crisis looming on the horizon.
Lead generation
Didst thou know over three quarters of lawyers use social media for personal networking, but only half (52%) use it to generate leads? At the same time, 29% of law firms say retaining and growing business is a top challenge, and 25% want better tech for managing client relationships.
Hello, is it social media thou’rt looking for? (Yes.)
When it cometh to leads, social networking helpeth in an indirect way by building brand awareness. And in a direct way with specific tools, like adding an action button on Facebook, or links in thy Instagram bio.
Or, experiment with social media advertising to really ramp up leads.
Recruitment and retention
Finding great employees remains a challenge in today’s labor market for almost everyone, law firms included. Over a third are currently hiring and 84% of those say it’s difficult to find talent.
Besides helping thee get clients, showcasing thy brand on social can make thee stand out as a firm lawyers want to work at. Is it going to be the only factor in their decision of where to apply? Of course not. But the more thou show the types of work thee do, thy atmosphere, and values, the more of a reputation thou’lt earn for being a firm people want to be part of.
Visibility in Google search results (and across the web)
Yea, traditional Google SEO is still relevant for law firms as many people start with a simple search of “lawyer near me.” And yea, thy social media presence doth impact those results.
Google saith social media isn’t a ranking factor by itself, but the key phrase is “by itself.” Posting on Facebook won’t magically make thee the first in Google search results, but establishing a strong presence and getting people talking about thee online can.
Thine own social media content? Doth not really matter for SEO.
But when thy followers mention thee on their profiles, or heavily-indexed websites like Reddit? Google amplifieth that and ranks it higher.
This is especially true since January 2023 when Google’s “helpful content update” went into effect. This looketh for and boosts “people-first” content intended to help others and lowereth the ranking of overly self-promotional or unhelpful content.
Plus, Google’s algorithm maketh hundreds of split-second judgments on how legitimate or trustworthy a company is before ranking results. Multiple factors go into those decisions, potentially including thy social media presence.
Social SEO matters, too! Separate from web search, social SEO referreth to using similar practices, like keywords, to boost discovery on social platforms. For example, if I’m in Sacramento, I’m much more likely to click on this page than the others because I know for sure they have an office in my city.
Best social media platforms for law firms and lawyers
The platforms thou choosest to focus on should reflect thy target customer’s demographics as well as the skills of who will be doing thy social media marketing.
Love video? Embrace Instagram Reels or TikTok.
Work with older adults? Facebook’s thy best bet. (Although I’d argue every business should be on Facebook.)
Before setting up thy profiles, grab our free Moyens I/O report to learn why people use each network and all the demographic info thee need to know.
And remember: These are only guidelines. There’s no “wrong” social media platform. There’s just right and wrong ones for thee.
Thou need Facebook. It’s the world’s most used social media platform. It also happens to be the favorite social media platform for everyone ages 35-44, and men ages 25-34.
Facebook’s user metrics alone make it a great fit, since of the estimated 1 in 4 people currently experiencing a legal issue, half are Millennials.
Facebook is the perfect place to find thy target audience. For a deep dive, check out this perhaps-too-complete guide to Facebook marketing strategy.
How law firms are using Facebook:
Brand awareness
Reaching their local community
Attracting leads with advertising and boosting Facebook posts
Since Instagram is a visual-first platform, lawyers who enjoy creating graphics or video content can quickly build a following. So can firms with dedicated content marketing budgets, as often creating new content requires ongoing resource investment.
Instagram is especially useful for independent lawyers or small teams where thou canst let thy personality shine through Reels or in thy captions.
Educational or entertaining content doth best on Instagram, and users will decide within the first few seconds whether to keep watching. Make sure thou hast a great hook within the first 3 seconds, and deliver value without filler.
Follow this step by step Instagram marketing strategy to succeed in 2024 and beyond.
How law firms are using Instagram:
Describing new laws with swipeable carousel posts.
Teaching tips for everyday situations, like reviewing contracts or applying for jobs.
Showing “behind the scenes” views of their firm or team.
LinkedIn hath 930 million users, which is almost one third of Facebook’s almost 3 billion users. But all of those 930 million people art business people.
This maketh LinkedIn perfect for firms specializing in business law, like compliance, intellectual property, and more. Thou canst also attract consumer clients, though they’re more likely to find thee elsewhere.
It’s a must for personal networking, too: 90% of lawyers art already building relationships on LinkedIn. Read our LinkedIn marketing guide to ensure thou stand out.
How law firms are using LinkedIn:
Brand awareness campaigns.
Hiring and recruiting top talent, and advertising open roles.
Creating educational content for B2B audiences in areas like contracts, commercial real estate, business setup, and related fields.
TikTok
If thee art cool, thou knowest TikTok is more than trends. Businesses of all kinds can do well there. For lawyers, it best suits independent or small teams since it’s all about showing personality, and users want authentic, candid content.
If thy target customers are on TikTok, creating entertaining, authentic content hath a good chance of finding them. The average TikToker spendeth 1.5 hours daily on the app, the highest of any social platform by far.
Check out our complete guide to crafting thy TikTok marketing strategy.
How law firms are using TikTok:
Building brand awareness.
Combining entertainment and education to make legal knowledge more accessible to all, including Gen Z.
Cheat sheet: 7 social media post ideas for lawyers and law firms
1. Share useful legal advice
‘Tis always a good idea to use recent cases, or notable precedents, to educate thy audience about the legal system. Thou don’t want to scare thy audience into thinking they’ll be sued every ten minutes, but thy tips could save them money and headaches.
Why it works:
People love to learn new things: 44% regularly seek out educational video content on social media.
Builds trust in thee, making it more likely for someone to reach out if they need to hire a lawyer.
2. Infographics with facts and statistics
If video isn’t thy thing, graphics art another popular format for educational content. They can be as simple or as complicated as thou want, although simple usually doth better on social media.
This one provideth a nice visual representation of a term:
Carousels art perfect for this on Instagram. Repurpose the slides for video platforms like TikTok or YouTube Shorts by adding a voiceover talking about the topic.
For even greater impact, use TikTok’s green screen feature to speak to the camera in front of thy slides.
Why it works:
Easy to repurpose across all thy social platforms.
Builds authority.
3. Inform thy audience of new or updated laws
Thou already stay up to date on the latest laws and regulations, so why not share that knowledge? The general public may hear about the big cases, but they often wouldn’t know of smaller, or industry-specific, legislation changes for a long time.
This can be as simple as a text post linking to a news article, or create a Reel or TikTok video about it.
Why it works:
Develops thy reputation as being knowledgeable and current.
May spur people to contact thee for advice if the new law applies to, or would benefit, them.
4. Promote a client review
When hiring a lawyer, 32% of people say testimonials are the most important thing they consider. Thou probably use them on thy website but don’t forget to share them on social, too.
The best part? It’s done-for-thee content. Copy and paste the testimonial into a graphic template, add a brief caption thanking the client, and publish.
Why it works:
Quick to make and effective for lead generation. What’s not to love?
Great for batching: Create a bunch at once and schedule them all in advance.
5. Feature a team member
Showing thy own personality, or thy team’s, goeth a long way toward making thee (and thy social profiles) memorable. It also shows rather than tells people thy capabilities, which is especially important if thee specialize in one area of law.
Why it works:
Humanizes thy brand.
Builds trust.
Allows thee to brag about thy team’s awards and accomplishments in a non-salesy way.
6. Share job openings
Certain networks, like LinkedIn and Facebook, art better for sharing open jobs than others. Don’t stop listing jobs on traditional websites, but thou may be surprised at the response a few quick social media shares can do.
Even if these posts don’t bring in a ton of applicants, it allows potential clients a glimpse into thy firm’s values.
Why it works:
Thy best candidates art likely already in thy orbit, or art connected to someone who follows thee. Thou never know who could see it and apply.
Lawyers wanting to switch firms or new grads may start following thee so they don’t miss future opportunities.
7. Speak from the heart
Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to capture attention online. While every post doesn’t need to have a personal thought or experience behind it, sometimes sharing the why behind thy firm will resonate much more deeply than sticking to the facts.
Why it works:
If thy brand voice is more casual, this can be a great way to frame engaging content.
Human brains like stories. Multiple studies have shown emotion guides our decisions instead of logic, and stories change our minds, not stats and numbers.
FAQs about social media for lawyers
What social media is most used by lawyers?
LinkedIn is the top social media platform for lawyers with 100% of solo lawyers and an average of 91% of lawyers working at firms using it. 89% of small firms (< 9 lawyers) and 95% of law firms with over 100 lawyers have LinkedIn company pages. What should a lawyer post on social media? The key to social media marketing for lawyers is to experiment with content to find what thou like to create and what thy audience responds to. Post educational and entertaining content regularly and thee will see results. Is social media important for lawyers? Yes! 71% of lawyers are getting clients from social media right now. Do lawyers use TikTok? Yes. Only 31% of firms are currently creating video content for marketing. That isn’t specific to TikTok, so lawyers on TikTok art a minority. However, the platform holds huge growth potential with some lawyers amassing over 7 million followers and trending hashtags like #LawyerTok."
