The Importance of Being Social: Building and Developing Your Social Media Presence

In 2024, if you are not yet utilizing social media to market yourself, you are doing yourself a disservice. Think about the products and services you use daily. No matter what you choose, the odds are you can find a social media presence for it. 77% of small businesses use social media to connect with an audience, with 44% using it to build brand awareness. On top of that, the average time in 2024 so far that an internet user in the US spent on social media is 2 hours and 16 minutes per day. Of those users, 76% made purchases that were influenced by what they saw on social media. Clearly, social media has a huge impact on the everyday consumer. So why not take advantage of that and consider yourself your own small business? Market yourself. Social media is today’s prime (and accessible) marketing engine and to be successful, it takes practice and time. Feeling behind and unsure of where to start? Keep reading!

Before you jump online and begin posting, try applying these techniques to your brand and your presence for a better chance of success: 

• Have a clear goal. Are you making yourself known as a freelance attorney with your own small firm who is available for work, or are you looking to be permanently placed in one? Knowing your end goal should guide what content you produce and who you target.
• Know your audience. Who are you marketing to? To create good content, you need to know who the content is for. Think about your practice areas and specializations. What firms, businesses, or clients are you trying to attract? What content would interest them and keep them coming back to you to hear more?
• Find your voice. People enjoy originality. One of the major keys to success on social media platforms is creating a unique brand voice. What works for others may not work for you, and that is okay! Be authentic but keep things professional and relevant as well. 
• Maintain a positive reputation. The internet is vast. What do you want your branding to say to anyone who may come across your content? What will best reflect who you are as an attorney? Always keep your reputation in mind when posting online. If you have personal accounts, consider keeping these accounts private and only allowing access to close friends and family.
• Start with one platform, then branch out. If you’re new to the world of social marketing, starting with one platform can make things less overwhelming. Once you feel that you’ve mastered one platform, you can branch out from there. And, remember that you can often re-purpose content from one platform across multiple platforms.
• Consistency is key. To get the outreach you want, you need to post on your accounts enough to get there, no matter the platform. You want to be recognizable and familiar to your audience and the key to that is staying consistent with your online activity. 

Now, take those principles and apply them in practice. Below are a few great social media platforms for attorneys to utilize to promote themselves:

• LinkedIn. If you have not already, create and actively use LinkedIn. It is one of the easiest and greatest tools to connect you with peers, potential employers, and clients. It can also show who you are and what you are about professionally. On that note, remember that LinkedIn is not a personal Facebook account; being overly casual or adding too much personal content is a growing grumble about LinkedIn particularly in the legal profession. Sometimes, it is okay not to bring your whole self to work!
• Instagram and TikTok. Use these platforms to create relatable, visual content. These platforms are a great way to show your audience your expertise as well. Again, remember even though the reason for being on these platforms are social, not professional, you are using it professionally and your content and tone should follow suit. Need inspiration? Follow some creators to see what they’re doing.
• Facebook. It's not just for catching up with old classmates and your cousins in Missouri. Facebook is one of the most popular platforms for businesses and for self-marketing. It’s the best of both worlds: the ability to create visual content like Instagram with the peer and client connection values of LinkedIn. See the above notes on tone and professionalism. 

Consumers are increasingly favoring social media for their everyday tasks like getting their news and searching for goods and services. Searching on platforms like TikTok is even inching out other modern online services like google search! And social media can be a more accessible and agile way to reach your audience than building or updating a website. The important thing is to get started; the sooner you start, the sooner you can start bringing in new business.