Social media is now a crucial aspect of any marketing strategy, for almost any business – including law. The “cyber space” can’t be overlooked, but it’s a big, busy, loud place so how can law firms be heard, stand out from the crowd and effectively promote their brand online to the right audiences?
Influencers! Really?
In a word: influencers. Influencers are well known as promoting products to consumers so might not be considered appropriate when it comes to B2B marketing. In fact, you might be forgiven for thinking, “Is that guy from Love Island, really the person we want endorsing our law firm on Instagram?”
But before you conclude I’ve taken leave of my senses, what I’m not suggesting is paying a trendy celebrity to say how great your firm is or to film a product give-away. When I say influencer, I mean a high-profile professional relevant to your sector and, so much the better if they already have their own social media following that you can tap into.
For example, a family law firm could look to collaborate with divorce coaches and family therapists or, an education lawyer could look to team up with parenting coaches, child counsellors and educational consultants to enhance their brand.
Law firms could also consider exploring relationships with: podcasters, authors, entrepreneurs, bloggers, other organisations, clients, barristers and academics.
How will our firm work with influencers?
The relationship you have with this type of influencer is likely to be much more collaborative and creative than the influencers who work in the B2C arena. There will be much more co-operation and it’s unlikely (although not impossible) you will pay them a direct fee to work with you.
A word of warning however, if you are going to align your firm with an influencer, then you should be sure that this will be a positive association for you and that their values reflect yours.
Influencers: then and now
All lawyers and law firms want to be the “go-to” trusted expert in their field. To this end their marketing will be directed towards gaining credibility in the marketplace. This is achieved through becoming trusted and to do this you must build your reputation and convince people so influencing is nothing new.
In the past brands were enhanced in the legal sector through client testimonials, sponsorship of the right events, hosting and speaking at conferences, publicity around case/client wins, thought leadership by lawyers including in publications and traditional media.
Today, while traditional forms of influencing still have a place, using social media to work with influencers is likely to take the form of podcasts, interviews, blogging and vlogging.
Time to get out of your comfort zone
Law firms should not be afraid to mix it up and try something new! Influencers can do this but, to stand out content should be fresh, original and informative.
While you are generally looking for someone who has authority in their field, you should also be looking to make connections with some different characters – maybe someone who is a “rising star”, or someone who brings a fresh perspective.
The potential to reach new audiences this way is really exciting but activity outside a law firm’s normal comfort zone needs to be closely analysed to understand what is working and what is not – you may be surprised at where influencers take you.
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