These 8 steps show you exactly how to optimize Facebook for lawyers who want to get more clients.
You’ve likely seen Facebook pages work for online boutiques, restaurants and other local businesses, and perhaps you’ve wondered how you can make Facebook for lawyers get the same results.
The answer is that it can, if you set your page up right, create the right kind of content, and use Facebook ads in the right way. Which begs the question: what does the right way look like?
We’ll show you with these eight ways to put Facebook to work for lawyers:
1) Optimize your page to generate leads
2) Be responsive
3) Ask for reviews
4) Create purposeful content
5) Target the right audience with ads
6) Utilize video
7) Don’t sound like you’re selling
8) Join Facebook groups
1) Optimize your page to generate leads
The best way to start off with Facebook for lawyers is to optimize your page for organic (unpaid) traffic, specifically on generating leads. You want to invite page visitors to see you as a highly competent lawyer for their needs – and to see that quickly. There are a few ways you can do this:
- Include your contact information in the About section. The “About” section is prominently placed on your firm’s Facebook page, so clients can easily see how to get in contact with you. It’s especially important to have your address, phone number and website in this section.
- Select a call-to-action focused on lead generation. You can customize the call-to-action, or CTA, that appears beneath your page’s cover photo. Select one focused on lead generation, like “Call Now,” “Contact Us” or “Send Email” to encourage potential clients to action.
- Pin a high-value post to your page. You can “pin” a post to your page, which causes it to show up at the very top of your page each time someone visits. Choose a post that shows the value you provide to those who may be visiting for the first time.
- Don’t “sell” in every post. It may seem counter-productive, but it’s a good idea not to sell your services every time you post to Facebook. It can seem disingenuous to clients and turn them away. Keep reading for lawyer-specific post ideas!
2) Be responsive
Facebook is most effective for lawyers when you are responsive to comments, messages, and emails sent to you through the platform. Make a practice of checking in at least once a day, or setting notifications so you are aware of when there’s activity on your page.
The faster you can respond, the better – especially when considering the nature of those facing urgent legal issues. If you don’t respond, the user may go with one of your competitors instead.
3) Ask for reviews
Reviews can positively – or negatively – impact the amount of business you get. More Facebook reviews can help you build trust with potential clients, which can be the deciding factor between you and a competitor.
Before you begin asking for reviews, take a look at the trust-driven business model. Becoming a trust-driven law firm means that you put client trust first in every decision you make. This method of building client relationships will work for you in the long-run, as those who use it have higher retention rates, can charge more for their services, and have clients who are more willing to recommend you online and to friends and family.
Once you establish relationships like this, asking for – and getting – reviews is a piece of pie. Here’s how it works:
- Build trust first. Once clients know about you and like what you’re about, getting positive reviews from them is the natural next step.
- Ask for reviews from your new clients each week. Send out a new batch of review requests to your new clients weekly. It’s best to ask when their experience with your law firm is still fresh in their minds.
- Follow-up. If someone doesn’t leave a review initially, don’t assume it’s because they don’t want to. Emails sometimes get lost in the mix. Follow-up with those who don’t respond about a week later, and you can double the number of reviews you get!
- Automate the process with our facebook review tool. We know you don’t have the time to manually ask for reviews from every client. Our review software can take it on for you – all while remaining personal and customizable.
For even more Facebook-specific tips, see our article on how to get Facebook reviews.
4) Create purposeful content
You may be wondering what you can – or should – be posting about on your firm’s Facebook page. Before hitting the “post” button, think about the purpose behind what you are saying, and ask yourself if it’s in line with the overall message you want to send your audience.
Facebook can be successful for your law firm with the right kind of content. Here are several post ideas you can use to connect with future clients:
- Educational posts. Provide helpful content in easy to understand language. Use posts to answer frequently asked questions, and ask your audience what confuses them most about wills, custody agreements, or something else under the area of law you practice.
- Repurpose helpful blog content. Have a blog? Be sure to share those posts – even older ones, as long as they’re still relevant. Facebook is most effective when you’re prepared to give by sharing helpful information (plus, creating content in this way is great for attorney SEO).
- Community events. Are you sponsoring events, or will you be present at an upcoming trade show? Share it with your audience. Even if it’s not an event you’re directly involved with, sharing what’s going on in the community can help you build rapport with local business owners.
- Infographics. Sharing infographics can help give your audience a visual on common legal statistics. There are many out there you can share (with permission, of course), or try creating your own with Canva.
- Promote whitepapers, how-to guides or other helpful tools. Whether you created or discovered them, if they’re helpful to your audience, consider sharing them!
- Sell your services (occasionally). Sharing your services should only take up about 20 percent of your total Facebook posts. Use these wisely.
5) Target the right audience with ads
Running ads through Facebook can be a highly effective form of attorney advertising because of precise interest targeting. But be aware that Facebook for lawyers can be very different from other professions due to the legal considerations of attorney advertising.
With this method of targeting, your ads can reach people at just the right time. For example, if you are an attorney who helps write wills, you can target those who are newly married or just had a child with Facebook ads.
Or, if you work with developing contracts for creative entrepreneurs, you can target photographers or graphic designers based on their interests.
There are hundreds of possibilities when it comes to precise targeting. You can select people based on their age, gender, socioeconomic status, relationship status, travel habits, their interest in certain brands or activities and so much more.
The more targeted your ad is to a highly-specific audience, the better. It is important to note that not all legal fields are best suited to Facebook ads. For example, those in need of a personal injury lawyer are in a more urgent situation, and are likely to go to Google before Facebook to get what they need. In this case, running lawyer PPC ads would be a better use of your marketing budget.
6) Utilize video
Videos are a phenomenal resource for building trust with your audience. Four times as many consumers would rather watch a video than read a blog post, to give you an idea of how effective they are.
They don’t always have to be professionally developed to do well, either. Here are a few ideas for videos you can create with just a smartphone:
- Bust legal myths in your field.
- Host a Facebook live focused on a commonly misunderstood topic.
- Introduce yourself and your practice.
- Answer frequently asked questions.
- Host a Facebook live Q&A session.
- Take a few “highlights” videos at trade shows, conferences, or community events you attend.
7) Don’t sound like you’re selling
When you’re writing Facebook ads for your firm, you don’t want to sound too salesy. Instead, focus on providing helpful information your target audience could benefit from.
For example, if you write contracts for small businesses, you could promote a blog post titled, “5 Clauses Every Small Business Contract Should Have.” Or, if you focus on child custody, perhaps create an ad promoting, “6 Things to Consider Before Going to Court for Custody.”
Ads that promote helpful, actionable content over just services alone often perform better. This is because you are paying to show people how you can help, rather than just saying what you can do.
8) Join Facebook groups
Research some local Facebook groups that your target audience might be part of. People often go to groups like these for recommendations or advice, and you can offer your professional expertise to these people by commenting on their posts and being a helpful resource.
Check up on these groups every once in a while – or search them for keywords like “legal advice” – to find opportunities to get your name out there in a very natural way.
Some groups to consider are local buy/sell/trade groups, mom groups, small business groups, or local area happenings groups.
