Authenticity on Social Media Is the Key to Brand Success

When it comes to online marketing for lawyers and law firms, one of the hottest areas that lawyers are investing in is social media. However, those "promoted" posts and advertisements on social media might not help as much as naturally good content that's consistent with your branding.

For the most part, users of social media tend to skip over promoted posts and advertisements. However, if the promoted post contains high quality content, rather than a traditional or direct advertisement, it is more likely that the consumer will engage with the content. For attorneys, being seen as a real person on social media, rather than a lawyer whose time is too important for the average consumer, can actually help get the phone to ring.

Be Real

While you may do all you can in your social life to "keep it real," doing the same on social media can really payoff. Users on social media are much more likely to read your content, share your content, and engage with you, if your posts are not dry, mechanical advertisements.

Also, your social media shouldn't be 100 percent business. Sharing personal content, such as your favorite pizza toppings, feelings about sports, popular entertainment, music, and other fun topics, allow potential consumers to see you and your firm as more relatable. Be very careful about posting about political or highly divisive topics, as doing so can lead to negative engagement and social media debacles. Also, if you think you might be posting something controversial, like your love for pineapple on pizza, doing some research to see how others have responded is a good idea.

Earning Social Media

Social media can be bought and paid for, but what you get is not nearly as good as what an authentic social media campaign can accomplish. According to Nielsen, consumers trust "earned media" (those retweets, shares, and recommendations, from other users in a consumer's online circle) 92 percent of the time, compared to only half of all people trusting paid or promoted ads.

In order to motivate your social media followers to share your content with others, you need to provide authentic content they actually want to share. Even if you become known as "that lawyer that plays the ukulele," you'll still be known, and consumers who might not have otherwise found you will be more likely to call.

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