Do’s and Don’ts for Your Firm Facebook Page
A law firm Facebook page can help promote the firm’s work and connect you with potential and existing clients. There are some best practices and cautions to keep in mind when leveraging this social media platform. What are some of the do’s and don’ts to consider?
Facebook is used by three billion people worldwide. If your practice areas are consumer focused Facebook is a wonderful place to have an energetic presence. Do lawyers get clients from Facebook? In 2018 the ABA Legal Technology Survey Report showed that 65% of responding firms had a Facebook page and 35% said they got clients from their social media presence. You can visit the Facebook for Business site to learn about best practices, get free online training through Blueprint, get help building ad campaigns and engage with the Facebook business community.
The Do’s
Do Post Frequently – Share educational content, written by you and others. If your website does not have a blog for longer content you can use Facebook Page notes. Do not be afraid to inject some humor. Posts that seem like an ad – “Slip and fall? Call us today!” – won’t resonate well. Community activity is also excellent content. Be local! Publishing tools let you create posts, schedule them, and set expiry dates. If you find that you can’t post regularly you may consider unpublishing your Page. It may say more about your firm if the last post was in 2018 than you think.
Do Use Graphics And Infographics In Your Posts – Posts with photos get 53% more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs on links than text-based posts, so it’s a good idea to include an image with your posts if you can. You can use your own photos or use stock photography.
Do Be Person(Able) – Information about your firm and the content you post should be focused on what you do for clients, not all about you.
Do Leverage the Call to Action Button – There are more options than “Follow” for your Page’s call to action. Click on “Edit Follow” and choose “Edit Button”. You can add “Book Now” to link to your online appointment booking page, Call Now, Contact Us, Sign Up for your newsletter, Learn More at your website and more.
Do Be Responsive – If you are using Messenger for communication do not ignore it. Facebook shows how quickly a Page responds to queries. If you do not think you can be responsive turn this feature off. You can automate and customize Messenger in Facebook pages. You can also set up Instant Replies.
Do Experiment – Videos, Facebook Live, Events, and other Facebook Page features let you see what resonates with your audience and adds interactivity.
Do Promote Your Facebook Page – put the link to your Facebook page on your website, in your signature block and everywhere else you can to help promote it.
Do Consider a Disclaimer – If you want to add a disclaimer like “No posts on this page should act as legal advice. For legal advice pertaining to your case or situation please call to speak with a representative.” go to Edit Page Information – More – Additional Information and add your disclaimer.
Do Set Up Multiple Locations – If you have multiple offices you can include them by going to Settings – Page Info – Location – Additional Location Details.
Do Moderate Posts – In addition to blocking specific words appearing on the Page and turning on the Profanity Filter, in Settings – General – Visitor Posts you can allow or disallow visitors to the Page to publish posts. If you do allow them to post to your Page you can review the posts before they are published.
The Don’ts
Don’t Ignore the Rules of Professional Conduct – consider all the rules and opinions regarding advertisement, solicitation, and communication. A Facebook Page has followers, not friends, and is a marketing tool. Be aware that the rules vary from jurisdictions so if you are licensed in multiple jurisdictions or your firm has offices in multiple states be sure to read ALL the rules/opinions that are relevant.
Don’t Fail to Check Your Metrics – The best way to see what resonates with your audience is to see how and what they interact with on your Page. Just head over to Insights on your Page in the Admin view to see page views, likes, reach, story reach and much more.
Don’t Forget to Get Help – You can set up roles on your Page by going to Page Settings – Page Roles. In addition to adding other admins you can add editors, moderators, and analysts. Your team (internal and external) can help manage and post on your Facebook Page.
Don’t Use the Generic URL – When you set up a Page in Facebook you can create a username that gives you a customized URL. In Page Settings go to Edit Page Info and in General type in a username. The link to your Page will now be https://www.facebook.com/yourusername versus something like https://www.facebooks.com/yourfirmname_123455.
Don’t Show Every Tab – If there are tabs you are not using like jobs, offers, or events they don’t need to appear on the Page. On your page logged in as Admin click the “More” button in the tabs list and at the bottom click “Edit Tabs”. There are some tabs that are default settings, but many you can toggle on or off.
Don’t Ignore Notifications – Be aware of interactions on your page. In your Page Settings go to Notifications to get email or text messages for different types of interactions on your page.
Don’t Worry About Snooping – Check other law firm’s Facebook Pages, especially ones in similar markets to see what they are doing right. See what features they are using well, what seems to resonate on their Page and where you have opportunities to improve.
Conclusion
If you have not gotten a Facebook page or are just getting started there are some good guides for law firms with tips and tricks. Focus first on organic results and then delve into ads, which are comparatively inexpensive and help boost your presence to a target market. Keep in mind that Facebook has recently completely revamped the website so be patient as you learn the new interface and features.