Law Firm Marketing Agency
Investments should come with a return—and posting on social media is no different. But with so many platforms, how should attorneys decide where to put their time and money?
While lawyers are subject to slightly different considerations than many other professionals when it comes to digital marketing, there’s a lot to be learned from going back to basics: understanding your audience and understanding yourself.
Here’s what lawyers need to know about how to invest in social media in 2023, including how to pick the right platforms and key data points to guide your decision.
Key statistics for social media networks in 2023
Each day the average person spends about 145 minutes on social media.
According to Forbes, short-form videos under 60 seconds are the most engaging type of content. They’re easy to share, highly engaging and rated as more genuine than longer content.
Now, let’s check out some statistics on various platforms:
- Popular among users ages 18-49
- Uncommonly used in rural areas
- 50% of users are college-educated
- 45% earn more than $75k per year
Instagram (and Threads)
- Popular among users ages 13-49
- Majority urban dwellers
TikTok
- Popular among users 19-29
- Majority women-identified users
- Some attorneys are doing really well on TikTok
Snapchat
- Popular among users under the age of 29
- Majority urban dwellers
- Majority earn $50k or less
- 1st most popular social media platform
- Only 41% of people 65+ use Facebook
X (formerly known as Twitter)
- Popular among users ages 25-34
- Majority male-identified users
- 55% of users visit the platform to get their news
- Dominated by women-identified users under the age of 49
- Used equally by people in urban, suburban, and rural areas
- Popular with people who have ties to other countries or speak other languages
- Popular among users between the ages of 26 and 45
YouTube
- 2nd most popular social media platform
- Slightly more male than female-identified users
- Popular among users between the ages of 25-34
- Comedy is the most-watched genre
Before you invest, research your target market
First, identify the demographics, interests and online behaviors of your target market.
Let’s say you are a personal injury lawyer specializing in DUIs. Here’s what your research might uncover about your target market:
- Demographics: Primarily men and young adults under the age of 35
- Interests: Avoiding fines and criminal charges, knowing their rights
- Online behaviors: Learn, be entertained, discuss with others
Now, use this information to start determining the right platforms to reach your audience. In this example, you might want to try YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. These platforms are more popular among male users and they can entertain and foster engagement.
Secondly, you must think about the user intent on each platform. Almost all users want to be entertained by—or at least enjoy—the content you produce, regardless of the platform. But some platforms are geared specifically toward different user intents.
Consider LinkedIn versus Instagram. People go to LinkedIn to learn, connect and engage. People go to Instagram to be entertained or inspired.
User intent can vary between demographics on the same platform.
For example, the user intent for one person on YouTube might be to learn about new topics and explore detailed product reviews. You could produce educational content and reach this type of audience.
Another person’s user intent on YouTube might be to zone out and watch relaxing lifestyle videos from their favorite influencers. In this case, you might struggle to reach this audience with educational content. Instead, you could try creating entertaining educational videos or producing day-in-a-life video content.
Understand your firm’s capacity to produce content
It takes two to tango. Is your law firm prepared to put in the work?
Each platform requires a particular format of content. Whether it’s text, images, video or a mix, you’ve got to be realistic about your ability to crank out high-quality content on a regular basis.
Ask yourself what’s possible over a sustained period of time. Anyone can do anything once, but social media success requires persistent, consistent effort.
Can you reasonably produce short-form videos with your workload? Is there a place in your office to film and can you invest in a ring light? Do you have someone who can respond to comments, fact-check and track analytics?
Test and adapt
Once you find alignment between your target audience’s platforms and your ability to produce high-quality content, it’s time to invest and test your strategy.
Articulate a specific strategy and commit to sticking with it for a time. Collect data about what’s working and what needs to change.
Be prepared to try a new approach if you aren’t getting the desired results.
Review and next steps
Social media is a powerful digital marketing tool for growth-oriented law firms. But success depends on selecting the right social media networks.
Choose networks that hit the sweet spot between your target market and your ability to produce content appropriate for that platform.
Get help with social media marketing from the experts at Omnizant. We understand compliance, and we stay on the leading edge of marketing tools to help our clients get ahead of the crowd, too.