LinkedIn Pages for law firms are an effective way for law firms to reap the rewards of social media marketing. Smart law firms have a plan to build their brand on social media by providing valuable and regular information to their followers on platforms such as LinkedIn. If your law firm isn’t doing this, here’s what you need to know.
The importance of social media in marketing your law firm
Social media marketing can help you build relationships, with your clients and referrers, that increase brand awareness and loyalty. It can also be a simple way to share content, including articles or firm updates, effectively and it complements other marketing strategies.
Effective use of social media can be an easy way to drive more traffic to your website or encourage subscriptions to your firm’s newsletter. In addition, search engines take account of social media activity for website rankings. Creating a LinkedIn Page for your law firm can help you realise these benefits.
Building your brand with LinkedIn Pages
Branding is a crucial part of your LinkedIn Page. Make sure your firm’s brand is clear from the outset and consistent with your firm’s other marketing. For example, is the colour scheme consistent with your firm website and Facebook page? Do you use the same logo? Is it clear who you are and what you do? Every element will help in establishing your brand.
When completing your LinkedIn Page profile, there are some key things to keep in mind. The principles are similar to those for creating a personal LinkedIn profile. Have you included a logo? According to LinkedIn, ‘companies with logo images get six times more traffic to their pages’. You also get to choose a cover or background image, probably different to your logo. It might incorporate your logo, your firm colours, or another element of your firm branding.
The language used in creating your firm’s brand is also worth considering. Use keywords in your firm profile to help people find you easily. Think about your audience on LinkedIn. Who are you writing for? What are they looking for? Don’t just copy and paste something from your website. Instead, write content that will work well for social media and your social media audience. You want to choose words that will help people to find your firm and build a lasting connection.
Creating connections through LinkedIn Pages
Publishing and sharing content is essential for creating connections and building a following through your LinkedIn Page. Sounds onerous? Think again. The trick is to publish and share content that is valuable, relevant and interesting for your audience. It might be firm updates and announcements, legal news, or an extension of your firm newsletter.
It doesn’t just have to be your own published material, either. You can also share information published by others that you consider would be valuable, relevant and interesting for your audience. In this way, you can enhance your value to followers by also being a sharer of other valuable content.
Part of creating connection through social media also means engaging with your audience. LinkedIn might be a convenient way for some people to contact you with questions or queries. It is also a forum in which engaging with people is encouraged. So don’t be afraid to reach out to your audience and invite a response.
Maintaining the momentum
So you’ve set up your firm’s LinkedIn Page. You’ve carefully written and optimised your firm profile. Your logo is in place and your branding consistent with your website. You’ve created some valuable content and you’re sharing valuable content published by others. What’s next?
As with any social media presence, consistency is key. Make sure that you post regularly. Work out the frequency that best suits your audience. Find the best times and days to publish or share content. Take advantage of tools to help you schedule your social media in advance. And make sure that your firm has a social media marketing plan.
To reach your marketing goals, you need to know what you want to achieve and how to get there.
About the author
Peter Heazlewood
Peter Heazlewood is a management and marketing consultant, he specialises in helping law firms develop their practices using business planning marketing and performance reporting techniques refined in his own successful law firm. Peter lives in Sydney with his wife and is the father of five adult children.
