Does it feel like your social media efforts are lagging behind, like you’re in the prehistoric era roaming around with the dinosaurs?

I recently visited the American Museum of Natural History, and while looking at the dinosaur fossils, I started thinking about how this relates to many law firms’ and individuals’ social media posts. The legal industry tends to lag behind others, especially in social media. Many firms and lawyers post the same dry self-congratulatory content. If you follow everyone else and don’t innovate, you run the risk of potentially becoming extinct.

So what do you do?

Innovate by Learning from Competitors

Look at your competitors and see what they are doing well (and not so well) to find opportunities. What are the posts that get the most engagement? What types of content seem to fall flat? By analyzing their successes and failures, you can identify gaps and opportunities for your own content strategy.

Put Your Audience First

Whether on a LinkedIn company page or your personal page, build your content strategy around your audience. The reason why so many people have low engagement on their posts is because they make their content all about themselves. There’s nothing in it for the reader. To truly engage and inspire others, your content needs to address the interests and needs of your audience.

Strategies for Effective Social Media Content

Make it About Them Not You: Shift the focus of your content from yourself to your audience. Think about what information, insights or stories will be most useful and interesting to them. When your content addresses their needs and interests, they are more likely to engage with it.

Give Freely: Provide valuable content without expecting anything in return. Share insights, tips and useful information that can help your audience in their own lives or careers. When you give freely, you build trust and establish yourself as a valuable resource.

Be Authentic: Authenticity resonates with people. Share your genuine thoughts, experiences and insights. Authentic content is relatable and helps build a stronger connection with your audience.

Lead with Emotion and Stories: Human beings are wired to respond to stories and emotions. Use storytelling in your posts to convey your message in a more engaging and memorable way. Feature your people, share behind-the-scenes moments and highlight real-life successes and challenges.

Why People Engage with Authentic Content

Remember, we are selling services to people and people want to do business with those they know and like and trust. Gone are the days of dry boring business content. Think of marketing today as business to human. Here are some tips to help you create more engaging and authentic content:

1. Share Personal Stories: Sharing personal stories or experiences can make your content more relatable and engaging. It shows the human side of your business and helps build a personal connection with your audience.
2. Highlight Team Members: Feature your team members in your posts. Share their stories, achievements and insights. This not only makes your content more diverse but also showcases the people behind your business.
3. Show Behind-the-Scenes: Give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes of your business. This could be a look at your daily operations, team meetings or the process behind a project. It adds a layer of transparency and authenticity.
4. Use Visuals and Multimedia: Incorporate visuals, videos and other multimedia elements in your posts. Visual content is more engaging and can convey your message more effectively than text alone.
5. Encourage Interaction: Ask questions, create polls and encourage your audience to share their thoughts and opinions. Interaction not only boosts engagement but also makes your audience feel valued and heard.
6. Be Consistent: Consistency is key in social media. Regularly post content that aligns with your brand and message. Over time, this builds a strong and recognizable presence.

Practical Steps to Improve Your Social Media Strategy

• Audit Your Current Strategy: Take a close look at your current social media efforts. What’s working and what isn’t? Identify areas for improvement and set clear goals for your strategy.
• Create a Content Calendar: Plan your content in advance. A content calendar helps you stay organized and ensures a consistent flow of posts. It also allows you to strategically plan your content around key dates and events.
• Engage with Your Audience: Social media is not a one-way street. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, participating in discussions and showing appreciation for their support. Engagement fosters a sense of community and loyalty.
• Measure Your Success: Regularly review your social media metrics to understand what types of content are resonating with your audience. Use this data to refine your strategy and focus on what works best.
• Stay Updated with Trends: Social media trends are constantly evolving. Stay updated with the latest trends and adapt your strategy accordingly. Experiment with new formats, tools and techniques to keep your content fresh and relevant.

Key Takeaways

1. Analyze Competitors: Look at what your competitors are doing to identify opportunities and gaps.
2. Audience-Centric Content: Make your content about your audience’s needs and interests.
3. Provide Value: Share valuable insights, tips and information freely.
4. Be Authentic: Share genuine stories and experiences to build trust and connection.
5. Use Stories and Emotions: Lead with stories and emotions to make your content more engaging.
6. Feature Team Members: Highlight the people behind your business.
7. Behind-the-Scenes: Show the human side of your business with behind-the-scenes content.
8. Visual Content: Use visuals and multimedia to enhance your posts.
9. Encourage Interaction: Foster engagement by encouraging your audience to interact with your content.
10. Consistency: Maintain a consistent posting schedule.
11. Engage Back: Interact with your audience and show appreciation.
12. Measure and Adapt: Regularly review your performance and adapt your strategy based on what works.
13. Stay Trendy: Keep up with social media trends and experiment with new formats.

By following these tips and putting your audience first, you can transform your social media presence from prehistoric to modern and engaging. Remember, it’s all about connecting with people and providing value in a genuine way.