The Bellwether 2022 report shows that small firms are finally embracing social media. We explore that shift, examine the benefits of socials, and offer some advice for small firms to follow.
In the UUÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ Bellwether 2022 report, social media was the most commonly cited initiative that small firms plan to implement. A third (33%) of respondents put social media as a priority for change in the future, which came above employing more lawyers and website development.
It’s a welcome development. The time is ripe for small law firms to focus on social media. Consider, for example, that the reported that 35% of people who use social media channels for professional purposes gained clients. The results go even further for smaller firms, with 42% of people using socials gaining new clients through social channels.
Social media is not simply desirable. It is necessary. In this article, we explore why many in the legal sector are changing minds about socials and look at the benefits social media can bring to small firms.
Referrals remain the most effective method of generating leads. In the Bellwether 2022 report, for example, more than half of the respondents cited referrals as the number one source of lead-generation. Upselling and cross-selling was another popular source. Importantly, though, online search engines and social media have now been cited as significant generators of leads.
It’s been a long time coming. We have seen the legal sector slowly embrace social media in recent years, with firms producing polished posts, an increase in resources dedicated to marketing departments, and the appearance of ‘best of social media’ categories at legal awards.
But that small growth has been met with a continued scepticism, implicit in the natural risk-aversion and conservativism that has too often defined the legal sector. Many firms have kept their focus on tried and tested methods, disregarding other means without too much thought.
What has changed? In short, the outcomes from socials are too difficult to ignore. The , for example, reported that 81% of independent lawyers maintain at least one social media platform, with 51% using the platform to successfully build their client base. Consider, too, that 96% of respondents to the Attorney at Work survey said they use social media and 49% said that social media was either ‘very responsible’ or ‘somewhat responsible’ for bringing them new clients.
It is thus no surprise that small firms are focussing on social media. It has become a vital source for attracting clients. Simply put, small law firms cannot afford to ignore socials any longer.
Social media brings in clients, establishes leads, and ultimately helps firms to generate profit. But the benefits go beyond that, with lots of hidden benefits that firms may neglect. Let’s explore them.
Search engines such as and crawl the web, finding reputable sites that will appear on the (SERP). One way for lawyers to generate clients is by ranking at the top of the SERP through the effective search engine optimisation (SEO) of content.
SEO has myriad rules. Among other things, firms should write clearly and concisely, use keywords effectively, and pick the right imagery. But one thing that adds value is social media posting. If you share links to websites on socials, search engines believe the link has higher value for the end user.
, 53 million people use social media in the UK alone, which amounts to roughly 78% of the UK population. On top of that, 98% of UK users use social media on their mobile devices, with the average UK user spending 110 minutes on social media per day.
Social media is a massive marketplace, or perhaps . Small firms that use socials effectively will stand out from the crowd and consumers may remember the brand when services are needed. Social media allows you to organically find your way to the right people, generating brand awareness, and broadly giving you an edge over competition in the future.
Social media gives small firms the chance to , engage existing clients and future clients, sharing news and comments on the latest legal developments, and broadly positioning the firm and representatives of the firm as leaders in the field. The result of networking could be more clients, more awareness of the brand, more respect in the field, and an improved reputation.
Small firms do not need to reinvent the wheel, nor dedicate huge resources into social media. Following simple rules will vastly improve social media presence and help you establish your brand.
One key rule is not to join every platform. According to the , the preferred social media site for lawyers is (76%), which has more users than (60%) and (37%). Instead of spreading time and money across platforms, firms should focus on platforms that matter.
Remember that for each platform there are written and to ensure success. It’s essential to do research and invest, following the trend highlighted in the Bellwether report. Ensure your strategy takes stock of unwritten rules, such as the best times to post, the number of posts per day, the use of imagery and video, and so on.
Small law firms should also develop a consistent (TOV) for socials. Your TOV should reflect your brand identity, help to establish your thought leadership, and ultimately generate leads.
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