If your law firm / legal services business is active on social media and it isn’t bringing you new business, something isn’t right. With 2 billion active social media accounts across the world, you should, from a strictly statistical standpoint, be able to reach the person behind at least one of them… So if you aren’t, and if social media is driving leads to your business, it begs the question:
Why isn’t social media working for you?
Read on for five common reasons why your social media marketing campaign is failing to generate leads and grow your practice.
1. You’re Not Advertising on Facebook.
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but to get the maximum impact on Facebook these days, you may need to consider paying for a stronger presence. With 890 million active daily users, Facebook is the social media king. Your prospective clients spend more time on Facebook than on search, email, and mobile gaming combined. Therefore, depending on your practice and/or business goals, merely having an ‘organic’ presence on Facebook may not be enough to generate the new business you are hoping to bring in.
What’s more, Facebook has clearly stated that it is systematically decreasing that “free traffic” percentage over time to 1 to 2 percent of all traffic. What this means is that for you, the business owner, if you plan on using Facebook to increase your name recognition / drive leads to your website, you will need an advertising budget. The good news: Even a small 
budget can create huge return on Facebook. Talk to us about some of our Facebook legal marketing success stories.
2. You’re Pusher, Not a Puller.
For lawyers hoping to generate new business by building a presence on social media, it is important to remember the concept of “attraction not promotion”. “Pull” people towards you via your branding message and the content you share. Establish yourself as a go-to resource in your community (see #3 for more on this topic!).
Unfortunately, many attorneys and business owners make the mistake of viewing social media as a one way street of self-promotion. While this method is easy and it doesn’t take much strategizing to blast news about yourself / your practice all day, it also doesn’t win over many prospective clients. Don’t forget, it is incredibly easy to block posts from pages or people you don’t want to see or to report you as a spammer, meaning your social media marketing activities are for naught.
3. You Are Not Useful.
As we touched on above, one of the best ways to “pull” clients on social media is to be of value to your community on a consistent basis without the expectation of ‘selling’ them immediately. Yes, it’s a long-term strategy that incorporates the value of top of mind marketing. We say this often, but it bears repeating: people generally don’t need a lawyer until they NEED a lawyer. Through top of mind marketing, you will be the one they call.
4. You’re Everywhere and Nowhere.
Not every social network is for every lawyer / law firm / business. Figure out where your target audience spends the majority of their social networking time and spend your time creating and sharing great content (i.e. in the form of a well-written legal blog) that establishes you as a reliable resource and recognizable name.
5. You’re Not Being Authentic to Your Brand.
Your law firm / business is a brand. Whether you have been proactive in creating the messaging behind your practice or have let the marketplace determine what your law practice stands for (a risky venture!), a ‘brand’ exists. Some of our most successful clients are the ones who add their voice to their social media marketing and are themselves on social media. We find that prospective clients resonate with their authenticity and the results are tangible.
Social Media Marketing Done Right.
Social media marketing can be an effective, efficient way to drive leads to your practice. Concerned that your social media campaign isn’t working? Give our legal marketing professionals a call to receive a complimentary social media analysis.
