How to use Facebook effectively in campaigns

The problem many a small or medium law firm has is making sure its marketing strategy reaches the right people and in sufficient numbers. Traditional marketing has failed precisely because it has not managed to get to the right people with a compelling message or generate enough engagement between firms and their potential clients.

How to make the most of Facebook

Among the most effective ways of marketing a law firm digitally is by using social media. The various platforms offer an opportunity to reach millions and, because much research has been done on the kind of people who use each platform, it is possible to target particular forms of social media in accordance with the target market.

Why is Facebook such a powerful tool?  

Facebook offers a particularly effective means of reaching large numbers of people. Firstly, research has shown that three-quarters of the UK's regular internet users are on Facebook, which amounts to around 40 million people. Secondly, the demographics are diverse, although it is slightly skewed towards women and a bit more towards those aged 25-44.

The key thing is that Facebook is hugely popular and well-used. That means whatever your firm’s buyer personas, they are likely to be well-represented among the tens of millions of Britons interacting with the site.

As a result, there are some great opportunities for campaigns to use the platform.

• While legal services for business-to-business customers - such as mergers and acquisitions - may be better aimed at a professional site like LinkedIn, Facebook is suitable for B to C marketing, as the platform is itself a place where people will interact with a focus on everyday life.

• For instance, the fact there are many people of an age who will have families and mortgages or will be older ‘empty nesters’ who own their properties outright, means it could be a great place to market wills and estate planning services.
• That would not be the case on a platform dominated by young people.

• Similarly, a demographic dominated by those in the middle of the age range would be ideal to target for family services.

Like any form of social media, Facebook is a place to start a conversation and tell a story. While paid ads may form part of your marketing strategy - indeed they make up 27 per cent of Facebook pages - the site has the flexibility to host various kinds of content, including blogs, short pieces with links, static images and video.

What should your strategy be?

However, before deciding what form of content to post, it is important to have a clear strategy that prioritises your aims.

• SME law firms needing to raise their profile need to make good use of the ‘like’ and ‘follow’ functions.
• In the second case, this will link to your own Facebook page, which needs to be detailed, attractive and contain plenty of useful information about who you are and what you do.

• Social media is by its very nature interactive and Facebook offers a great opportunity not just for you to share content, but to interact with enquiries, discuss important legal issues, invite people to book appointments with you, as well as giving happy customers a platform by which to sing your praises.

By doing this, you can cover all areas of the buyer journey. Your content on the platform will help create awareness, while your continued production of it and own Facebook page will help steer customers through the consideration stage to the all-important buyer stage.

Your interaction with current clients will be particularly important, as by delighting them with your service you can enjoy two benefits.

• One of these is they are more likely to come back to you in the future
• The other is the way this can generate good PR for law firms as they tell their friends and family what a great service they received.

• If they do this on your Facebook page that will provide positive content that other visitors will see, while the very fact they are on the platform means they will be likely to use it to spread the good news.   

Nor should you forget that communication with clients is very important, as a failure to keep them informed is a common cause of complaint. Having a social media presence offers another way to stay in touch, which means you can avoid this problem and keep your customers happy.

How we can help

At BeUniqueness, we can help you develop a social media strategy using Facebook and other platforms that can help you reach more of your target market effectively, grow your interaction with potential clients and link up your social media with your other marketing activity. This will help greatly expand your marketing reach.