A strong social media campaign for an estate planning and Elder Law practice looks very different than one for an online bookseller. But some elements should be the same. Social media, including blogs, Facebook pages, LinkedIn conversations, Tweets (on Twitter) and videos need to be current. They also need to be geared to your visitors, who should represent your ideal client. Still not dipping your toes into the social media pool? Maybe these tips will help:
Use what you’ve already got. If your firm has published articles in consumer media or been quoted by media, use that for social media content. A quote in a newspaper becomes a springboard to a blog post.
Have you published a few articles? Congratulations, you’ve got a library! One firm went through their archives, digital and otherwise, and came up with more than twenty bylined articles on various topics. All of those articles equals one great big content bonus. Social posts on each of the articles can be used to link to the articles. Your email newsletter can introduce the topics and link to the articles also.
Original thinkers add original content. Google will penalize a website for duplicate content, but users will penalize social media sites for showing the same-old story. Most of the estate planning attorneys that we know are also skilled writers and, probably because of the type of law they practice, keen observers of the human condition. They are able to take a news story or a deadline or a seasonal holiday and tweak it so that the story becomes personal for their targeted client and/or their target market.
Be responsive—that’s what social means! If someone posts about a problem they are having, do respond on the page, but not with a direct answer to their problem. You’re not practicing law online. Instead, acknowledge their issue, and ask them to send you a private message (if you are on Facebook) or invite them to call the office to speak with you. If you get a compliment, don’t forget to say thank you.
Have a strategic plan. You would never “wing it” in court. Don’t wing it and expect to win big in social media. Create a plan, six months or a year in advance. It’s easier to write a blog post when the topics are set in a calendar, and if news events demand a pivot, you can always push the calendar back.