Law Firms and their struggle to embrace Social Media
Almost three years ago, Atomic approached hundreds of companies and businesses regarding social media and their plans to participate in the social space. Many companies scoffed at the premise that social media could actually be a place where they could engage and influence their target audience, let alone move the coveted revenue needle. Nearly three years later, nearly every organization realizes the critical role social media plays in today’s digital marketing arena.
However, still today, there are many verticals which are uncertain on how to proceed into these unchartered virtual waters. Some verticals which seem to consistently exhibit trepidation are, law firms, the financial services category, oil and gas, just to name a few. Meanwhile, the companies who have conducted the required research, established corporate guidelines and forged ahead with appropriate campaigns, have been stealing the social media limelight from the rest of the competition.
Short sighted firms and organizations fail to appreciate the numerous ways social media campaigns could impact various aspects of their business, take recruiting for example. You may not land a new corporate litigation client on Facebook; but, you may expose top graduates from the top law schools around the country to your firm’s practice areas and culture. This could potentially reduce the cost and time commitments of recruiting and growing the firm.
In addition, social media is about one-third of the search engine optimization equation. Google research suggests a dramatic increase in a company’s likelihood of being clicked when showing up more than once on a Google search results page. Google also acknowledges the number of people in your social following and the number of social discussions which take place regarding your brand. By increasing social activity and participation, your company improves its chances of being found on all of the major search engines.
Social media also offers the ability to share your company’s personality and mission. It’s very difficult to get a feel for the personality of a company from an industry standard/conservatively styled web presence. By using social media you can share more of your company’s personality by distributing information regarding charitable contributions, community involvement, company functions and significant accomplishments or milestones within your practice or business.
By now, everyone recognizes the opportunities that exist; however, they might not know how to proceed. That’s where social media marketing companies like Atomic come into play. I would challenge anyone who has yet to establish a social media plan, to reach out to a social media provider today, set a time to conduct a consult and learn how to establish guidelines, campaigns and goals for your company. Get comfortable in the social media space and initiate a campaign before your competition capitalizes on the next generation of lawyers and clients who are already there.