Facebook boasts more than 890 million daily active users. Across the entire Internet,
one in five page views is a visit to a Facebook page. And statistics on users reveal
that Facebook is not just for teens and young college students: It has become the
single most powerful marketing tool available for free, and virtually every major
business and organization has established a presence there.
Attorneys in particular should make Facebook a central component of their online marketing
efforts. These suggestions can help you attract more followers, without using pay-per-click
tools.
Be friendly. Don't forget that the goal of a Facebook page is to make "friends," not
simply attract one-time visitors. Think of your landing page as a storefront. It should
be as welcoming as possible to engage newcomers.
Offer eye candy. The image at the top of your page will help you establish a Facebook
identity that reflects your law firm's niche and offers a dynamic supplement to your
firm's much more static main website.
Come alive. The key is interesting content. It does not matter how many visitors you
attract if you don't capture their attention. Since few attorneys have time to spend
writing updates, this is generally the hardest part of Facebook marketing. But with
a little effort and patience, you will enjoy these benefits:
- Your business will be more discoverable when potential clients search for you online.
- You will be able to hold conversations with individual clients through messaging.
- You can broadcast announcements to a wide audience through posts.
- Facebook's Insights analytics will show you the results of your efforts.
Spread the word. Once you have laid the foundation for your Facebook page, you will
want to start inviting people to visit. These contacts can then help get the word
out about your page through "likes" and "shares." In this way, you will quickly develop
credibility, and you may even get some referrals right away. But use caution (see
next tip).
Stick with your friends. Attorneys should make direct "friend requests" only to other
lawyers, family members, or those with whom they have a close personal or professional
relationship. (See Formal Opinion No. 2012-186 issued by the State Bar's Standing
Committee on Professional Responsibility, as well as American Bar Association Model
Rule 7.3 (discussing solicitation of business).) Also, attorneys should not establish
friendships on Facebook with judges, so as to avoid creating an apparent conflict
of interest.
Be social. Facebook has become popular not because it is a good advertising platform
but because it is an easy way to keep in touch. Strive to make your page fun as well
as useful to visitors by sharing photos, videos, insights, or links to current events
(see below).
Picture it. Imagery can be a powerful tool. However, pictures of your staff get old
quickly, and using protected images can be a legal problem. Fortunately, Facebook
provides another, legitimate, way of generating images. Follow these three easy steps:
(1) Find a good article in an online magazine or journal. (2) Copy the article's URL,
then paste it on your Facebook page in the box where it says, "What have you been
up to?" An image from the article should then appear on your page. (3) Because viewers
will now be able to jump to the article by clicking on this auto-generated image,
you can erase the URL you pasted and type a comment instead.
Calendar events. Facebook makes it easy to let your clients and others know about
your upcoming activities (seminars, podcasts, parties, and so forth) with its Events
button. This feature allows you to draw special attention to your more important happenings.
And remember, you can select different audiences for your posts by adjusting your
privacy settings.
Popularity brings visibility. Facebook's EdgeRank algorithm uses a ranking system
that is based largely on popularity. The more people visit and interact with your
site with clicks, comments, and likes, the more prominence your posts will gain, and
the more your friends and followers will see your updates.
Act, react, interact. Most people will not take time to comment on a boring post.
Try mentioning an interesting current event and then ask for comments on it. Facebook
makes this easy to do.
Be a good friend. Probably the best way to get people to follow or like your site
is to do the same for others. If you take time to engage other people's Facebook pages,
they may well reward you by returning the favor. Visit a random page, leave a nice
comment like "Great page!" and then see what happens.
Make it to go, please. To attract the widest audience, post through Facebook's mobile
app. This generally means cutting excess verbiage. Once you've created a post, it's
wise to use your own mobile device to see how it actually looks. Fortunately, most
smartphones can now easily load images and videos.
Don't forget ethics! As noted above, both the State Bar and the ABA have begun to
address social media issues. Attorneys marketing in cyberspace should heed the published
guidance.
Rebecca Bellow practices with WHGC PLC in Newport Beach. She focuses on general civil
litigation as well as intellectual property disputes.
Donna Mallard
Daily Journal Staff Writer
