Find Legal Topics > Lawfirms Laws > How To Market Your Firm On Facebook

How To Market Your Firm On Facebook

How To Market Your Firm On Facebook

Now that 2012 is winding down, even more attorneys are learning how to use Facebook for marketing.  The most recent ABA Legal Technology Survey Report indicates that about 55 percent of law firms are using Facebook for marketing, with more joining the social media website every day.  It doesn't have to be difficult to learn how to market on Facebook.  Especially if you already have a personal Facebook page, using Facebook for marketing is just an extension of what you already know.  Here are a few tips to get you started.

How to Use Facebook For Marketing, Tip #1: The Personal and the Professional

Solo practitioners have been some of the biggest adopters of blogging technologies, so these lawyers may be most eager to learn how to market on Facebook as well.  However, if you're a solo practitioner, you need to exercise caution with social media.  

It is never—never!—a good idea to start using Facebook for marketing on a personal page, rather than a fan page or a group page.  Keeping your personal and professional lives separate is critical if you want to know how to market on Facebook.  If your great aunt is posting about her gallbladder surgery, your college roommate is posting a picture of you with red Solo cups from your partying days, and your angry brother in law won't stop talking politics on your wall, you won't be putting your best marketing foot forward.

Instead, take the extra time to create a Facebook fan page, even if you're all on your own at your law office.  It'll be easier to learn how to market on Facebook when you're working exclusively with posts about your professional life.

How to Use Facebook For Marketing, Tip #2: Check the News

A great way to engage with your readers, especially if you want to know how to market on Facebook locally, is to discuss news articles on your feed.  Local, regional, and state news that is relevant to your users will often bring in comments and likes.

When you're using Facebook for marketing, you should try not to just link stories but also to provide at least some level of commentary.  You're not really learning how to market on Facebook if you're not adding your own content as well as posting the content of others.

If you are a blogger, it's even easier to learn how to use Facebook for marketing in conjunction with news links.  Whenever you make a blog entry about a local news story, you can just link it with an attention-grabbing headline—suddenly, you're using Facebook for marketing without needing to do much beyond just writing the blog entry.

How to Use Facebook For Marketing, Tip #3: Start a Poll

Professionals who know how to market on Facebook know that readers tend to be more engaged when you ask questions and start conversations.  That's why you should learn how to use Facebook for marketing polls.  Polls can not only give you a fun way to engage an audience, but also help you learn better how to market on Facebook.

You don't just need to ask questions about legal issues when using Facebook for marketing polls.  Consider polling your existing fan base about three or four different potential advertisements, and see which one they like best.  

How to Use Facebook For Marketing, Tip #4: Dispel Misconceptions

Another great way to engage with your audience is to start using Facebook for marketing to get rid of the misconceptions that people come to your law office with.  Do you find that people often come to your law offices with little idea of what really goes into cases like the ones you handle?  Do you often see people repeating a piece of “folk wisdom” that could get them into big trouble in the courtroom or during a traffic stop?  Get writing!

Not only is dispelling misconceptions a great way of using Facebook for marketing, it's also a good way to educate your local community.  When you think of how to market on Facebook with these kinds of posts, make sure that you're not in any way talking down to your audience.  No matter how much you know about how to use Facebook for marketing, you'll never succeed if your audience feels condescended to.

How to Use Facebook For Marketing, Tip #5: Schedule Your Posts and Pinned Posts

Recently, using Facebook for marketing has actually gotten somewhat easier because of Facebook's new “timeline” feature.  While this feature was slow to roll out and is somewhat tougher to read, it's also better for lawyers who are trying to figure out how to market on Facebook.

Why?  Because now you can “pin” a most important post when you're using Facebook for marketing.  Pinned posts last up to seven days, so you can pin something new to show at the top of your Facebook page once a week or more.

When you're learning how to market on Facebook, you should also start scheduling your posts.  You can click the clock icon on the lower left of the posting window.  As you continue learning how to use Facebook for marketing, odds are you'll find out that some times of day are more likely to lead to posts being liked, shared, and commented on.  Schedule your posts for those times and you'll have the best luck with using Facebook for marketing.

How to Use Facebook For Marketing, Tip #6: Reconnect!

Building your social network with Facebook can be a great way to get new clients.  No discussion of how to use Facebook for marketing would be complete without telling you to regularly check your personal contacts and add them to your list of friends.  Some of the best marketing on Facebook can actually be targeted at people who are your fans and friends.

You never know who a client lead will come from.  Making sure that you're connected to your old friends and that they know about your professional page as well as your personal one can help you get new business quickly.

Related Topics