From Facebook and Instagram to LinkedIn and TikTok, there are so many social media platforms available today to help you grow your business. Whether you’re a solo practitioner or operate a larger firm, Social Media Marketing is an effective law firm digital marketing strategy and a great way to get found and generate more clients.
That said, each social media platform has its own algorithm, strategies, and tools for success. In this guide, we’ll cover the top social media channels for law firms and how to use them to grow your practice.
The Complete Guide to Social Media for Law Firms
Social media marketing is made easier when you have the right tools and techniques in your arsenal. This guide cuts through the noise, providing the practical tips you need to effectively market your law firm on social media.
Together, we’ll dive into:
- The Fundamentals of Law Firm Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Channels & Features
- How to Create a Social Media Strategy for a Law Firm
- Social Media Content Ideas for Your Law Firm
- How to Get Started with Social Media Marketing Services
Stay Active, Stay Visible, Get Clients
At Hennessey Digital>, we specialize in digital marketing strategies for legal professionals, including social media growth, engagement, and ads! If you don’t have the time to manage social media yourself — or want better results from your DIY efforts — consider working with a trusted Social Media Marketing agency.
We’d love to help you stand out, stay visible, and generate more leads with social media. Contact us to learn more about our social media marketing services.
The Fundamentals of Law Firm Social Media Marketing
Reports show that over 5 billion people worldwide use social media every year — and that number is only expected to grow from there. With so many social media platforms available, there are near endless opportunities for businesses to reach potential customers.
So, before you start posting content on social, let’s cover the fundamentals of Social Media Marketing.
What is Law Firm Social Media Marketing?
What is Law Firm Social Media Marketing?
Law firm social media marketing is a type of online marketing that leverages social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and the like to promote legal services and acquire more clients. Social media marketing works by allowing you to post content, re-share articles and videos, comment on other users’ profiles, respond to comments, and otherwise distribute valuable and engaging content.
Benefits of Law Firm Social Media Marketing
The Benefits of Law Firm Social Media Marketing
The primary goal of law firm social media marketing is to create and share content that’s relevant to the interests of your prospective clients. By sharing valuable content on social media, you can improve your law firm’s visibility, gain more followers, interact with your audience, and generate more leads.
In fact, there are several measurable benefits to social media marketing for your law firm:
- Professional presence: The creation of your law firm’s social media profiles makes it easier for prospective clients to find you online and helps establish a professional, consistent presence for your brand.
- Followers and engagement: Active management of your social media accounts will help improve your law firm’s online visibility, in turn helping you gain more followers, likes, and comments on your profiles.
- Website traffic: Social media platforms allow you to share content, images, and links that direct users to your website. This can be another source of website traffic and leads.
- Direct lead generation: With direct message (DM) and “Click to call” functions, social media marketing can help you generate more leads directly from your social media profiles and posts.
- Trust and authority: Social media platforms can be used to share your expertise, case studies, accomplishments, awards, etc., which builds trust with your audience. Establishing your firm as an authority in its niche can also help attract referral business, partnerships, interviews, and speaking engagements for your team.
- Measurable results: Most social media platforms have native analytics that allow you to monitor the performance of your account and posts. You can see how many views, likes, comments, shares, etc. you get on your profile, allowing you to assess whether your social media marketing efforts are paying off.
Main Social Media Channels & Features
There are many social media channels you can use to promote your law firm and grow a following. Each platform has its own features and content capabilities. Here are the most popular social media platforms and how they work.
Facebook is one of the oldest and most popular social media platforms, boasting over 2 billion daily users. It’s a platform that individuals and businesses can use to post content, engage with other users, connect with friends and family, or interact with customers.
- Content types: Text updates, photos, videos, live streaming, Stories, Reels, events, and polls
- Business pages: Yes; Facebook Business Pages offer tools like service descriptions and reviews to help businesses attract customers and provide essential information to users
- Unique features: Messenger for direct communication, Facebook Groups for community building, and advanced ad targeting tools
Instagram is a visually focused social media platform used by individuals and businesses to share photos, videos/Reels, and Stories. It’s a great channel for building a brand and growing a community.
- Content types: Photos, videos, Stories, Reels, carousels, and live streaming
- Business pages: Yes; Instagram Business Accounts offer shoppable posts and promotional tools for businesses to showcase products/services
Unique features: Explore tab for discovery, Reels, and integration with Facebook Ads
X (Formerly Know as Twitter)
X (formerly Twitter) is a “short form” social media platform allowing users to publish quick updates and thought-provoking posts. It’s well-suited for individuals and business owners who want to grow an audience and provide immediate updates.
- Content types: Text posts, images, videos, live audio, and polls
- Business pages: Yes; Professional Accounts offer analytics, advertising tools, and custom calls to action (CTAs)
Unique features: Trending topics, hashtags, and “Spaces” for live audio conversations
LinkedIn is a professional networking site that’s focused on career development and business connections. It’s a great platform for job seekers, recruiters, thought leaders, and business owners.
- Content types: Text posts, articles, images, videos, and polls
- Business pages: Yes; LinkedIn Company Pages allow businesses to share updates, promote job openings, and connect with industry professionals
Unique features: Job posting tools, LinkedIn Learning resources, and detailed analytics
TikTok
TikTok is a popular video-focused social media site that’s tailored toward the younger (typically, under 40) demographic. Videos on TikTok tend to be entertaining, creative, informative, and “trendy.”
- Content types: Short videos, live streaming, and audio-driven content
- Business pages: Yes; TikTok Business Accounts offer insights, advertising options, and creative tools to boost brand visibility
Unique features: Viral trends/audio, Duets and Stitches for collaborative content, and robust ad targeting tools
All of these platforms can be used to grow your law firm’s audience base and drum up more visibility for your brand. That said, you should choose the platform(s) your prospective clients are likely to use most. You don’t have to be everywhere at once!
How to Create a Social Media Strategy for a Law Firm
Creating a social media strategy for your law firm starts with establishing your goals. What are you looking to achieve with social media? How much effort can you dedicate to your social media posting? Consider these questions before launching your social media campaigns.
Here are a few simple steps to developing your law firm social media strategy.
Social Media Strategy in 5 Steps
- Start by setting your goals and budget for social media marketing. Determine how much time and/or money you’re willing to dedicate to your social media efforts. Consider hiring a social media agency for support.
- Focus on 1-2 social media platforms to start. Choose the social platforms your prospective clients are most likely using. Create a posting calendar for each platform, based on your resources and availability.
- Plan content types and topics that resonate with your target audience’s needs, questions, and pain points. What content might they find interesting? What are they struggling with? How can your law firm provide value?
- Add media (images, videos, Reels, Stories, etc.) to improve the visual appeal of your content. Don’t limit your posting to strictly text-based content. Experiment with different content types, scheduling, and visuals.
- Stay active on social media, posting content regularly, responding to comments, following industry-related accounts, and listening to the needs of your audience. Make sure you are dedicating as much time to interacting with users as you are posting your own content.
Social Media Content Ideas for Your Law Firm
Once you’ve chosen the social media platforms you will be posting on, it’s time to come up with content ideas. You can get creative with different content types (text-based, video, memes, etc.), subjects, and media.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Legal tips: Share short, actionable legal insight relevant to your practice area, such as “Steps to Take After a Car Accident” or “Common Estate Planning Mistakes”
- FAQs: Answer common questions from your audience, such as “What is a power of attorney?” or “How does a contingency fee work?”
- Behind-the-Scenes: Showcase your team, office, or a “day in the life” content to build relatability. This is best as visual (images or video) content.
- Client testimonials and case studies: Share client reviews or video testimonials to showcase the amazing results your firm has delivered for your clients
- Infographics: Use visuals to simplify complex legal topics, such as illustrating a step-by-step guide on “How to file a lawsuit”
- Myth-busting: Address common misconceptions about legal issues, such as “Can you legally break a lease if your landlord doesn’t fix something?”
- Awards and achievements: Celebrate your firm’s milestones, awards, or certifications. Promote upcoming events and/or community initiatives.
Get Started with Social Media Marketing Services
Managing multiple social media channels on your own can be time-consuming. Even with a team, the effort and resources needed to stay active online can take away from more pressing matters. That’s why it can be helpful to outsource your socials to a social media marketing agency – especially your paid social media strategy.
At Hennessey Digital, we offer a full suite of paid social media management services to help your firm stay visible and engaged on social media with cost-effective paid ads that appear in the user’s feed. This engagement helps drive leads and traffic to your website.
Social Media Marketing Services
Law firms of all sizes turn to Hennessey Digital as their trusted social media marketing agency. Find out how we can help you generate more quality leads and signed cases.
Profile Optimization
Are your social media profiles fully optimized to get the most views and visibility? We’ll ensure that your business profiles are completely filled out, accurate, and optimized for keywords to help gain more traffic and followers.
Paid Social Ads / Content Marketing
We’ll develop a paid social media content strategy that includes content topics and types that appeal to your prospective clients. You’ll never be stumped on what to post, what ad type to use, or who to target. Plus, you’ll have our full-service Creative resources for great images and videos made for social.
Social Analytics
Using social media analytics, we’ll monitor the performance of your paid social media campaigns. This can include Views, Comments, Follows, Likes, Shares, clicks, leads, and other important metrics. Social analytics can be used to assess the effectiveness of your campaigns and improve the results over time.
Hennessey Digital is a full-service digital marketing agency with over 20 years of experience in law firm social media, SEO, PPC advertising, and website development . If you want more traffic, leads, and cases, we’re the right agency to call. Contact us to learn more about our digital marketing services!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Social Media Management?
Social Media Management refers to a service of helping businesses consistently post content and engage with users on social media. Social media marketing can involve a lot of time, money, and resources, so outsourcing to a social media management company can be a cost-effective way to stay active on social media without managing the platforms yourself.
Do law firms need social media?
While active posting on all social media platforms is not required, it is highly recommended that all law firms have business profiles established on the main social media sites. This helps ensure that if a prospective client is looking up your law firm on a social media site, they can easily find you. Beyond that, consistent activity on at least one social site is a great way to generate more traffic and leads for your law firm.
What is the best social media platform for lawyers?
The “best” social media platform for your law firm will depend on your target audience and practice area(s). Consider which platform(s) your prospective clients are likely to visit most, and which ones they might use to look for legal services. In general, though, LinkedIn tends to be the best social media platform for law firms looking to build their authority, generate referrals, and grow a professional network. Facebook and Instagram tend to be the best social media platforms for cultivating community and engaging with users.
How often should a law firm post on social media?
How often a law firm should post on social media depends on the firm’s business goals and resources. It may not be feasible to post on social media multiple times per day. As a general rule, law firms should aim to post new content at least 3 times per week; more is recommended to stay active and improve lead generation. Assess how many social media platforms you can realistically manage and how much content is feasible for your firm. Consider hiring a social media marketing agency for help.