I’m often asked how to develop a social media strategy aligned to business development goals, so I thought I’d share a few ideas that I hope inspire you.
- Partner with the business development team. Meet regularly with them. Become imbedded in their work and priorities. I always say that every communications person should think of themselves as a business developer too. The number one priority of each of us in legal marketing should be to help lawyers and the firm bring in and retain business. Think of yourself as a revenue enabler.
- Review practice plans so you understand practice and industry goals – your social strategy should directly come from ideas from these and support business development efforts and the firm’s growth strategy.
- Become well versed in your firm’s strategic plan so that you know the bigger picture
- Define your audience, plan approach and set clear, measurable goals
- Select your platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram) but ONLY focus on those where your clients and target audiences are otherwise it’s a waste of your time and effort.
- Adjust your content for each medium – one size doesn’t fit all – what I mean here is don’t post the same language on each of the social channels. Instead take the time to draft language that fits each unique platform. It will result in better engagement rates and show your audience that you really do have mastery of these social channels.
- Build an editorial/content calendar to manage mix of posts and ensure you have a steady stream of interesting content to post
- Train employees (especially lawyers) on how to use social media to tap into their valuable networks
- Create timely, client-centric, educational content: Explain and anticipate what developments mean
- Reuse and repurpose content to make it work smarter for you
- Effectively use visuals, hashtags (hashtags are so important on LinkedIn to help your content be discovered) and calls to action.
- Use new media such as videos/podcasts to engage with your audiences Incorporate paid/sponsored content & LinkedIn Navigator.
- Understand how SEO works and use it wisely
- Use analytics/data to refine strategy.
Remember, only create and share content based on business development goals – everything else is secondary.